Manic Monkey Mayhem PSP

Manic Monkey Mayhem PSP sounds exciting frantic and fun, but isn't. It's rather shallow and lacking any real spark or vibrancy. Offering no storyline or variety in its game play, it wasn't long until it was cast aside in favour of more enjoyable pastimes.

Red Dead Redemption 360

Red Dead Redemption wants to be about shocks and controversy, but underneath there's a story we can all relate to - a father wanting the best for his family at any price.

Men of War: Red Tide PC

Men of War: Red Tide is a curious game that offers glimmers of emotional connection despite ultimately feeling rather limiting and overly complex.

Alan Wake 360

Alan Wake wants to be emotive and psychological. It constantly barraged me with smug references to other works of fiction in the hope that I would compare the two favourably. But in the end this is fun to play, but by no means unsettled me as a person.

Torchlight PC

Torchlight PC doesn't try to be deep or complicated. The dark foreboding mine was unnerving but never really got under my skin. Although shallow, in small doses it was an immensely entertaining game.

Medal of Honour Airborne 360

Medal of Honour: Airborne is joyous about parachuting and revels in sandbox play. While this is great fun, I'm a little uneasy at combining it with the real world death setting.

Prison Break: The Conspiracy PS3

Prison Break: The Conspiracy had so much to draw upon to concern and thrill the sensitive player. But the more I considered things here the less I found. The constricted and lawlessness of prison life that both unsettled and intrigued me simply wasn't recreated here.

Final Fantasy II iPhone

Final Fantasy 2 is more evokative of later games in the series, and demonstrates the various elements that make Final Fantasy such fun. It might not be as polished as later Final Fantasys but it makes for a much more well rounded title. Finally, there's some semblance of an emotive storyline making it an enjoyable bitesized piece of considered gaming, even if it is still a little shallow.

Final Fantasy iPhone

Final Fantasy is a nostalgic piece of gaming history. However, beyond the sentimentality of revisiting the past the grinding nature of the game exposes how far the series has come in the intervening years.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 360

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has aged quite badly on XBLA. While it once offered gothic ambience and creepiness, we've since been spoilt by strong storytelling of games like Shadow Complex, so Symphony of the Night felt a bit mindless. The entertaining game mechanics made for a fun experience but an experience that still left me feeling cold and unfeeling towards the purpose behind the game.