Super Mario Galaxy is a reminder that games don't have to be ultra-violent, make clever social statements or ride the marketing machine to succeed. They simply have to be fun, and you'd be hard pressed to find one as genuinely enjoyable as Mario's latest.

With Breath of the Wild, Nintendo has built a living, breathing world that you never want to leave. If you’re a newcomer to the series, a longtime fan or just want to see what all the hype is about, you won’t be disappointed.

What's so great about the game, apart from it looking and sounding so good on PS2, is the course design that you get to sample.

Few games have so much gameplay, let alone provide a setting and atmosphere that tell a captivating story. That said, Metroid Prime is an acquired taste.

It's funny, well built and almost flawless in terms of game-destroying problems.

Mario’s big debut on the Switch is a joy to experience. Its beautifully realized worlds, excellent platforming, admiration for series’ past and new gameplay mechanics make Super Mario Odyssey worthy of the portly plumber’s legacy.

Those who take a quick look at the game may not see what the fuss is about, but spend some time looking at the incredible detail and you're sure to be floored.

This is a jaw-dropping, exhilarating game. It's the game you'll remember for years.

The most salient fact about BioShock is that it's different. If it doesn't sell well, perhaps it's time to abandon hope and resign ourselves to the eternal recurrence of space dungeons and World War II. Games like BioShock are what we need. They are what we deserve.

By ditching tired and overdone conventions and replacing them with a new theme and a more action-heavy style, Capcom has created a half-familiar, half-original masterpiece of atmosphere and menace.

The Orange Box can't stop giving. It's a sci-fi masterpiece, a clever puzzler and a multiplayer monster wrapped into one, making this a landmark achievement in gaming value and one of the easiest buying decisions you'll make all year. Color us impressed.

Everything about Half-Life smacks of quality: the storyline, the gameplay, the graphics, the sound effects and last, but not least, the obvious level of committment Sierra and Valve have invested in it. Half-Life is, without doubt, the best PC game I have ever played. Ever.

Rather than creating a new system to go with the new engine, the developers tried to shoehorn the classic control scheme into the new game.

Enchanting, entertaining, inventive, elegant, rewarding and captivating from start to "finish."

As good as this game is, as amazing as the graphics are, as fantastic as the audio is, as fun as it is to play, and as much as everyone loves Solid Snake, the obscene storyline virtually ruins everything.

A masterpiece; the outstanding gameplay from the first two games has been extended, tweaked and applied to a fresh, original and fascinating setting. There's more than enough meat to keep you going for months, and the sheer variety of gameplay is bewildering.

They've managed to improve the game without changing its heart, and provided their millions of fans with a fantastic new experience. GTA: Vice City is a must buy for any adult PS2 owner with a pulse.

A near-flawless fusion of solid gameplay and excellent presentation, filled with little details that make it a kill-the-light-and-unplug-the-phone experience.

While it has its flaws, is by far the best console racer on the planet, and betters its predecessors in nearly every respect.

It looks fantastic, drawing on the power of artwork instead of graphics hardware. There's nothing here that you couldn't do on the Gamecube, which is why Twilight Princess will also be released for the Gamecube. But the visuals hold their own against any next-gen system.

Michaels, probably the best voice in football, takes the microphone with gusto and professionalism. He's recorded his lines, and they do get repetitive, but his delivery is steady and easy on the ears.

It manages to translate all of the elements you loved from previous versions into one compact package that will allow you to master new skills on the move.

An awesome game, and exceptional fun. If you're a fan of "Dune II" or "Warcraft" then this one will be a winner.

God of War is that rare game that manages to reinvent itself while still maintaining what made its predecessors such delights to play...A triumph, and well worth your time. Now grab your axe and get chopping.

Imagine mixing Resident Evil with the Matrix's martial arts sequences, the gun battles from a great John Woo flick and the overall structure of a late 80s brawler.

Its longevity is a wonderful thing, since a sequel is still some time away, and this is one game that you really don't want to stop playing. Even after you've gotten tired of the carnage, it's fun to load it up and just cruise around Vice City listening to the radio.

Just about the only bad thing about Madden NFL 2004 is the bar that it sets. EA Sports has one hell of a challenge waiting in the wings, trying to improve on a masterful title like this.

The hallmark of Gears' weapon design is the balance of powerful tools with critical, exploitable weaknesses, and it's executed with real finesse.

The painstaking attention to detail, outstanding worldcrafting, and inspired AI make it a huge improvement; and there wasn't all that much wrong with "Morrowind" to begin with. Oblivion is a stunning game -- don't miss it.

Under the surface lies something of a bionic game - they have rebuilt it, and the new product is better, stronger, faster - well, probably not faster (unless daddy has bought you a silky P133), but it's one hell of a game all the same.

The shareware version before you buy this. Good, but it doesn't quite live up to the hype.

Much like they did in Call of Duty 2, the developers at Infinity Ward have set the new standard for scripted cinematic spectacle.

The game's end sequence, to put it mildly, is an eight-car pileup. Fans of the series will recognize it as a poorly veiled swipe of a sequence in the original Halo, a challenge highlighted by a series of goofy circumstances and improbable level design meant to create an explosive end. The end result, however, is fairly absurd, as the whole shebang reeks of game developers wracking their brains to come up with the cleverest, most exciting finish, and shattering the fourth wall in the process.

The action is superb, with silky smooth combos, lots of movement options, and intuitive control. The graphics are still tops on the market. The quest is fulfilling and varied.

If you had anything particularly pressing to be doing at any point over the next few months, it's time to cancel it. Bethesda's much-anticipated fantasy action RPG Oblivion is every bit the game it promised to be, with stunning visuals and vast amounts of engrossing, well-designed gameplay.

Everything in the game reeks of excellence. The characters are good, the story is intriguing and the Land of the Dead is a wonderful place.

Vastly improved over the original, and even the All-Stars version. [Import]

It's definitely an evolutionary step rather than something highly original, but even those who weren't enamored with earlier Splinter Cell titles should try out this more open-ended gameplay style.

An eye-opening, awe-inspiring psychotic arcade racer with addictive, high-energy and often hysterical gameplay. EA and Criterion really hit it out of the parking lot with this one.

A feast of atmospheric entertainment. While it might tire after a while, you'll likely get your money's worth long before that point, and moreso if you venture into the chaos that is Battle.net, where life takes on a whole new meaning and the hours slip mysteriously away. Diablo is a landmark game.

Subsistence is easily the greatest same-gen remake ever, besting the Xbox GTA ports, "DOA Ultimate," "Ninja Gaiden Black," and even "Metal Gear 2: Substance."

As impressive as the combat is, the story is even more so. When was the last time you felt a complex set of reactions to an action hero? Kratos will inspire awe, revulsion, and pity as players learn his sad tale.

Under BioWare's guidance, Knights Of The Old Republic has become not only one of the best Star Wars games, period, but a wonderful expansion of the story and the first compelling Xbox RPG.

Firaxis shows an impressively consistent grasp of what to abstract and what to detail, and a remarkable talent for presenting large-scale strategic challenges in a format that's easy to digest.

A smashing game that has a life span as long as your Grandma's...[but] it's far too deep, complex and frustrating at first for instant hit bruisers to get their thrills from.

Just about the only bad thing about Madden NFL 2004 is the bar that it sets. EA Sports has one hell of a challenge waiting in the wings, trying to improve on a masterful title like this.

An eye-opening, awe-inspiring psychotic arcade racer with addictive, high-energy and often hysterical gameplay. EA and Criterion really hit it out of the parking lot with this one.

Considering how much content you get before you ever even go online, this is easily one of the most generous, gratifying, and fun games you can get for the Nintendo Wii. Super Smash Brothers Brawl is nothing short of a smashing success.

In Company of Heroes, destruction is a component of the game in a way that we haven't seen since "X-Com" let us root out sectoids by bringing down entire farmhouses.

The end result is exquisitely original multiplayer gaming that's a vastly different experience based on which team is chosen. It's only marred by a bizarrely overlooked bug that crashes the Xbox when browsing available servers through OptiMatch.

The key problem lies in the positioning of the four buttons on the right side of the pad’s upper surface... They are too close together and too hard to distinguish by touch for the precise control THPS3 demands. In fact, it bordered on the unplayable.

Unreal Tournament 2004 achieves that near impossible task in video gaming: It appeals to every online shooter fan without making compromises in quality.

God of War II is the strongest game to hit the PS2 this year, and should be high on the list of best games on the system, period.

The gameplay isn’t perhaps as tight as Nintendo’s ageing "1080º Snowboarding," but it’s an original take on the sport and deserves all the praise it has received.

The perfect gaming experience. Anyone who doesn't like it is a pansy wuss who needs sense beating into them with a baseball bat, and that's a fact. Capiche?

Even with combos and grinds at your disposal, the jumps and turns come so fast and thick that intelligently managing the course is a huge necessity...The game feels far less like a dog and pony show as a result, and is more challenging and rewarding, too.

A solid and compelling title, that can keep you riveted to the very end, even when play starts to border on frustration blowout. Sure, Homeworld has some warts, but these are generally hidden by the game being fresh and innovative, instead of a regurgitated old rehash.

While some preventative measures for hair-pulling and wall-punching may be necessary, the game has first-class production values, some of the coolest stealth techniques and gadgets yet, and fantastic level design.

The game manages to achieve near perfection on every level, from technical to story to gameplay, and presents the player with an enticing world that is impossible to ignore. Even after completing the adventure, you'll be drawn back if only to take in the world.

Arguably the best game you can play on this system. It's a grand open-ended fantasy role-playing game that combines the best of single player RPGs with the best of massively multiplayer online games.

Not only will you be glued to the game right up to the end, you'll go right back and play it through again just to see what consequences different choices will produce. Fallout 3 is a technical triumph, but more importantly, it's a beautiful piece of design, exploring the well-trodden video game ground of good vs. evil better than any other game to date.

Control is perfect and, once mastered, you get a sense of the timing.

A noticeable step forward in the evolution of the genre. "Virtua Fighter 4" might hold the top spot among hand-to-hand fighters, but when it comes to weapons-based combat, Soul Calibur II is the undisputed champion.

Not in our wildest dreams could we have imagined it to be so damn addictive!

A truly innovative action hit with mind-blowing graphics and a scattering of gameplay flaws that stifles the fun a bit. For the most part, though, this is a unique, well-crafted game with a solid, enjoyable feel.

The only downside to the heavy reliance on the achievements of VF4 is that the graphics engine is beginning to age.

The graphics look great, the interface works a treat and the additions, while minor, fit well. Clearly a lot of work has gone into making the game feel like it was meant to be on PC.

Where Naughty Dog shines brightest, however, is in its ability to make you feel like you’re discovering your way through what is essentially a linear adventure game. The path is predetermined, the outcome singular, but when you find that one handhold or fling yourself through that one open window, you own it. Uncharted 4’s level design is remarkable, simultaneously holding your hand and letting it go.

By far the biggest game in the series. Gamers who aren't turned off by the nefarious and illegal activities will find this to be one of the most engrossing games ever produced.

Inside is an artistic triumph. Video games, at their best, fold their various components into a whole that is far greater than the sum of their parts. Inside does exactly that, and more so does exactly what its name implies: it gets in your head, in your system, and stays there.

Although it's not as technologically proficient as "EverQuest II," World of Warcraft has a more pronounced sense of style...If you're looking for a new MMORPG, then the World of Warcraft is the very first place you should visit.

By far the biggest game in the series. Gamers who aren't turned off by the nefarious and illegal activities will find this to be one of the most engrossing games ever produced.

The PS2 version is the weakest graphically, with a forgettable bonus character, but the Dual Shock controller is nearly as good as a joystick... "Virtua Fighter 4" might hold the top spot among hand-to-hand fighters, but when it comes to weapons-based combat, Soul Calibur II is the undisputed champion.

Changes are by and large cosmetic, but this is a skilled surgeon at work here, and the new model is undeniably smoother, faster, and more in-yer-face, with a new big hit move arguably worth the admission price alone.

The visuals are, if anything, more extreme than the previous version - the whole game is geared to slam your eyeballs through the back of your head. Not, fairly obviously, in a bad way, but in a crisp, well-defined and dazzling way.

In a game that plays this hard -- 2K3 is probably the most challenging football game out this year -- timing is crucial.

Even without a massive collection of exclusive content, this is an improvement (if a slight one) over the five-star PS2 original, which is all 360 owners need to know.

Has the appeal of a 2D run-and-jumper and inflates the action to a surprisingly 3D world with a groundbreaking degree of fluidity.

A dramatic reworking of the horror-movie clichés beaten to death by "Resident Evil" and its army of clones, and as such is perhaps the first must-have release for Gamecube.

But what Warcraft lacks in technology, it makes up for with the flair, imagination and careful attentiveness from its art designers.

A truly unique and innovative game which breathes new life into the wargaming and real-time genres and provides one of the best multi-player experiences ever devised in computer gaming. What's more, it is enormously fun and challenging to play.

It does become kind of mesmerising, but like watching waves on a beach, chances are that pretty soon you'll tire of the lack of variety on offer.

While many courses here are modeled from past runs, most are barely recognizable, at best. They're like the ugly kid from high school who turns out to be a model ten years later.

Customization, handling, presentation, AI, damage, multiplayer: Forza hits the bull's-eye time after time. Although it doesn't have quite the bewildering range of cars as "Gran Turismo 4," Forza is its equal in gameplay, its superior in AI, and adds the online play "GT4" lacked.

Just about the only bad thing about Madden NFL 2004 is the bar that it sets. EA Sports has one hell of a challenge waiting in the wings, trying to improve on a masterful title like this.

Handheld game or not, the depth and complexity of Advance Wars is astonishing.

Even with the amazing achievements in other areas of the game, one of the most under-appreciated, but ultimately useful, components of SS2 is its interface.

Although Square has clearly found the limits of the PS2, Final Fantasy's new, seamless approach to exploration and combat works beautifully, and comes with all the depth of plot, character, and gameplay that we've come to expect from the name.

The crisp sprites appear even better suited on the little screen, with the bright, colourful and incredibly well drawn, nicely animated cartoon-like sprites shining, even with GBA's legendary 'dark screen' problem.

With unparalleled visuals, a deep franchise mode, and tons of new and improved features, "Madden" is facing a 4th and very, very long this year.

Even above and beyond its top multiplayer action, SSB:M's chief asset is its tremendously varied gameplay.

Finally, the campaign elements and the 3D combat have merged into a game that's practically perfect in almost every way.

It's perhaps not as innovative and certainly not as groundbreaking as its predecessor, but it's bigger, better looking, and most importantly, more fun.

Simply the most immersive, addictive game I have played in a long time.

While many courses here are modeled from past runs, most are barely recognizable, at best. They're like the ugly kid from high school who turns out to be a model ten years later.

The Xbox version is the prettiest of the bunch, sporting HDTV support with a 720p display mode, yet it also suffers from the worst default control layout... "Virtua Fighter 4" might hold the top spot among hand-to-hand fighters, but when it comes to weapons-based combat, Soul Calibur II is the undisputed champion.

While those of you with hypercritical eyes will argue there's room for improvement, AoE 2 is the best RTS game of the year to date, and as such is worthy of our GDR Gold Award.

Despite the wondrous graphics, there are times when FFX lacks the sheer emotional punch that we've come to expect for a game of its pedigree.