A daring departure from the cartoon-roots of the series, but it's as though the developers used up all their creativity on this. The levels are repetitive in design and layout, and the enemies are generic hordes of identical clones.

The total package that it offers by returning to 'its roots' and bringing back things such as Stage Fatalities as well as introducing new features such as Death Traps, Puzzle Kombat and Chess Kombat make it too good for MK fans to miss out on.

After 5 years the gameplay is getting a little stale, and whilst the game isn't ho-hum, it's not exactly mindblowing either.

The issue with SVC Chaos is that while it has a great deal of pick-up-and-play it severely suffers from an absence of any longevity outside of its online component. SVC Chaos feels more like the beginning of something really exciting, but falls far from containing anything of real substance.

It’s quite “arcadey” but it also isn’t a simple button masher. It does rely on timing and strategy but its main sore point is that remembering a few killer combos is all it can take to beat the A.I over and over.

Patience and slider adjustment is the key though and depending on your stress threshold, you may actually end up loving it. Be warned, this is not one for those seeking instant gratification.

A fantastic kid’s game and truly is a breath of fresh air…Er, water for a genre usually plagued by below average cash-ins. It has substantial long-term appeal, as gaining an Elite rating on all chapters is an all but impossible task and there are heaps of extras to unlock.

It manages to provide not only an extremely satisfying hack'n'slash experience, but also a solid story and non-combat component that adds a little depth to the usual shallow, button-mashing gameplay.

It suffers from a game-destroyingly-bad aiming/camera system that I just could not get over.

It is unfortunate that many of the implemented features aren't as polished as they could have been, and that the enemy AI is so woefully inadequate. Still, its unique blend of stealth action and psychic powers warrants it as at least a rental.

There’s no Downloadable Content, no scoreboards, not even a lobby for online play, and single player is as skimpy as Leia’s slave outfit.

A poor port of the original PC game. It has faults in almost every area that considered alone would have be forgivable but together, combine to seriously impair the games enjoyment factor.

Big Blue Box and Lionhead chose to water down the original vision that was Project Ego; a daring, ambitious project set to revolutionize the way we role-play. The consequence is Fable; a shallow, superficial experience that pales in comparison to its potential and promises.

Yes you do kill innocent villagers, yes you do get funky with Vietnamese hookers, and yes you do get to experience the horrors of the Vietnam War, but while Shellshock Nam '67 isn't quite a masterpiece, it is still an enjoyable game if you're starved for a solid shooter.

While not all of the additional elements worked well, such as the awkward inventory limit, fans of the series and newcomers alike will still find much to appreciate and cower in terror about in the game.

With its outstanding graphics, highly addictive adrenaline pumping gameplay and its terrific emphasis on carnage and destruction, this is not a game to be missed by anyone who has even just a passing interest in arcade racers.

New features for 05 have made the game deeper and offered a more balanced gameplay engine.

The Campaign mode offers solid gameplay, and the open-ended nature of the main and side missions does allow for a little more replay ability than one would first think from looking at the box.

Despite the fact that some areas feel reused from 2004, and for some inexplicable reason Xbox Live support was left out of the PAL version, there is no doubt that Madden 2005 deserves its reputation as one of the premier sport titles available. If you love NFL gaming, don't wait, grab Madden 2005 now.

Everything in Black Arrow comes together almost perfectly. The single player campaign, the weapons, music and the online modes are all top rate. Special mention must be made of the games audio as it's excellent as well.

The greatest challenge in the game is really overcoming the controls and camera though, so if you are the kind of person who is easily put off by unconventional control schemes, perhaps you should look elsewhere for buried treasures.

The game is plagued by faults in the control setup and AI deficiencies as well as a limited online modes.

Sudeki is a unique blend of dazzling, frantic combat and high adventure, albeit a short one.

The decision to take out LIVE compatibility is a major downer, but don't let that prevent you from playing one of the most superb NFL games on the market.

One thing's for sure though: Samurai Warriors has massive potential for refinement and improvement.

The fairly repetitive and shallow missions, the dreary presentation of the film plot, and the uneven sights and sounds are normally sufficient to warrant a 'fans need only apply' status.

The shoddy on foot action and the terrible AI, the bugs, including bad pop up, bad collision detection and glitches in animation both in cut scenes and in game, the terrible mission design and trite story add up to a really average game.

Powerdrome doesn't improve on the genre as much as I was hoping.