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.