If you played the original Viewtiful Joe and enjoyed it, Viewtiful Joe 2 is a classic case of more of the same: a fairly conservative upgrade to a winning formula.

Recent releases have seen plenty of tweaks, but they merely nudged the gameplay. This year's implementation of a quarterback's cone of vision really changes things by rethinking the foundations of passing the ball.

Look up "video game" in the dictionary, and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin should be pictured on the page.

EA has excelled in creating its smartest, deepest hockey game to date.

This is the sequel we should have had in the first place, and the simple fun of leaping from wall to wall is enough to overcome any lack of challenge or novelty.

Any game that excels while using a morally incorrigible theme, rather than solely relying on that theme to sell, deserves our praise and is definitely worth checking out.

As it is I hereby award this game a Silver award for taking risks, partly delivering them and for being a game with plenty of scope and depth that takes a lot of getting to grips with.

This is almost certainly the best release in the history of the NHL series and one of the most authentic action-oriented sports games currently on the market.

Guitar Hero III won't disappoint either diehard fans or people new to the series. This is the latest step in the stairway to heaven of home rocking.

Even without the compelling multiplayer, Daxter is the best platformer available on the PSP, and a fantastic extra chapter for the series.

This isn't merely an evolution of the franchise -- this is Unreal with the dial turned up to 11.

Although it doesn't have the breadth of its competitors, it makes up for it with exciting combat and easy-going gameplay... not to mention the sheer exuberance of its setting.

Ridiculously addictive. A hallmark of a good game is that it makes what would be mundane interesting. In EQ you can happily play for hours just trying to gain enough experience to get to the next level.

By building gameplay around non-lethal weapons, they've honored not only the police they're modeling, but the power of guns.

When Midnight Club II frustrates, you'll want to snap the disc in half and feed the pieces to the nearby watchers... But when Midnight Club II is fun, it takes you by the throat in such a manner it's impossible to stop playing.

The incredible number of tricks to execute, along with the ten huge levels, the level editor, all the hidden characters and sections to unlock, and some highly entertaining multiplayer modes mean you'll easily get your money's worth out of the game before it becomes even remotely boring.

For the most part, Double Agent is like slipping on a comfortable pair of shoes. There aren't really any new gadgets, although some of the old ones have evolved.

Kudos to id and Bethesda for managing to make an old game feel new again. That’s not easy to do, and while its multiplayer stumbles, Doom will leave you exhausted from its intensity, sick from its brutality, and yearning for more when you complete its 13-hour campaign. If you like your shooters fast and deadly, Hell is pretty heavenly.

More ambitious and interesting than its predecessors, the game offers the same excellent action-packed gameplay, even if it does suffer from several of the same drawbacks.

A cheaply made, cost-effective sequel to "FFX" that reuses the graphics, characters, enemies, and areas to create a mostly new gameplay experience. You might love it, you might really, really hate it - or, like us, you might be torn... [Import]

Nod's stealth, the GDI's heavy tanks, and alien bugs all come together and blow up as a sort of mac-and-cheese RTS that tastes awesome in that safe, you've-been-here-before-a-hundred-times way.

Signature company staples -- hordes of enemies, screens filled to bursting with explosive sprites, and a fiendish difficulty setting -- underscore a stunning, bite-sized seven-episode morsel.

We played with hardcore and casual rockers alike, all of which had loads of fun regardless of what songs we were playing. Whether you want a good time with friends or a tense battle of the bands, Guitar Hero: World Tour offers an unparalleled experience. Just check your ego at the door.

An extremely entertaining RPG and one I see myself returning to over and over, even after some 60 hours clocked.

Its level of realism, convincing detail and great multiplayer make it one of the best military FPS games on the market.

Possibly the biggest strike against Giants, though, is that much of the gameplay is, well, kind of boring.

The graphics on Tropico are rich; you can almost smell the sea air while you're a mouse-click from arresting a political adversary.

It captures the atmosphere of the Aliens and Predator films perfectly, from the spot-on sound effects right through to the genuine feeling of actually being one of the starring species (pretentious as that may sound).