Rebecca Mayes reviews Halo with her live performance at our theatre show. She weaves a fascinating response to the game pulling in not only her experience of playing, but the classic Halo chord theme.

Kinect Star Wars Product Manager Glen Gregory talks about the development and design decisions behind Kinect Star Wars.

Silent Hill Downpour 360 is an engagingly traditional survival horror game that tells a well-worn but workable story of sin, guilt, and potential redemption.

To say that I approached The Biggest Loseer with a helathy dose of skepticism would be an understatement. How can this be an Odyssey of any description?

Fez blends 2D visuals and novel game mechanics to form a charming platform game. Scratch beneath the surface and much more is revealed. With an ancient language to learn and codes to crack Fez is unbelievably deep, and a horrifyingly daunting task.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is a new action RPG from an independent developer, featuring a new take on the classic tale in an alternate Victorian era.

Game People Live is touring the UK, a live theatre performance of our video-game review songs, comedy and radio-plays.

Mickey is persuaded out of retirement for one last game. With Epic Mickey 2 on the horizon Chris Jarvis's telling radio play about the game offers some insight into its pitfalls.

Guild Wars 2 is a massively-multiplayer role-playing game that promises to provide a new take on the online fantasy arena, offering good things for MMO veterans and those still unconvinced by the genre, all without subscription fees.

Dropping a PS3 into a Cathedral worship service is a recipe for disaster. What could be more inappropriate in the ancient liturgy of the church than expensive complex technology?

From Greenbelt to Theatre to TEDx to a Cathedral. Videogames can be found in the most unexpected places. When they are it's fascinating to see the enthusiasm they garner from both gamers and non-gamers.

Kinect Rush in depth family review looking at Cars racing, Toy Story adventuring, Ratatouille exploring, Up adventuring and The Incredibles action and flying.

Aliens: Infestation is a loving homage to Aliens and Metroid Fusion. It's good but a little too blinkered to the shortcomings of these two inspirations.

Kinect Sports 2 Basketball downloadable content. Gameplay footage and hands on with the new mode with Everton and England footballer.

Bob is rather scared of spiders, so Limbo was quite a challenge for him. Fred seems to relish the chance to be one up on his reviewing buddy.

To be human is to be a storyteller. Videogames offer emergent new ways to tell stories and to be human. It's time to talk and think about them differently so that more people are interested in them and can benefit from this pool of meaning. Bloggers are perfectly place for this journalistic revolution.

While I enjoy Drake's adventures I do feel a great loss at the untold story of his relationships. Uncharted 3 cements these frustrations and provides a rollicking adventure that's as shallow as it is gorgeous.

Hybrid is the new game from Scribblenauts developer, 5th Cell, this time taking up arms with a cover-based thirdperson multiplayer shooter.

R2D2 introduces us to Star Wars Kinect's Campaign, Dance, Podrace and Rancor Rampage modes on the Xbox 360. We look at light saber gestures, using the force and navigating the Star Wars universe. We review campaign, dance, podrace and rancor rampage modes in advance of our full write up.

Miner Wars 2081 is a space shooter mixing elements from Descent, Elite and even Red Faction. With so much point and click in the MMO space it will be exciting to sit in the cockpit again.

Super Mario 3D Land does what very few games have had the bravery to do and play with the 3D space, rather than around it. What it lacks in cohesive adventure it makes up for with a wealth of fresh ideas.

Kinect Rush on Xbox 360 (A Pixar Adventure) In depth hands on with Pixar's Jay Ward. We look at The Incredibles, Ratatouille and Cars 2. Kinect controls, player scanning and branching paths all discussed and played.

Bob and Fred review Uncharted 3. Bob makes eyes at Rebecca Mayes and ends up singing his unauthorized Uncharted review song. Fred comes along begrudgingly for the ride. Oh, and helps with the "dums".

Family gaming with teenage kids gets us talking about Professor Layton on DS and WiiU multi-screen gaming.

Bang Bang Racing offers a fresh perspective on multiplayer car racing with a top-down split-screen game, offering intuitive handling and the challenge of variable road surfaces.

The Darkness II is a bleak and vicious first-person shooter, tinged with dark comedy. With a roster of great characters and an intriguing plot, it's only a pity that quality of the storytelling isn't consistent.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 promises a return to the intense simulation of being a military sniper, alongside an intricate narrative and set in the most detailed game environments currently available.

Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock comes to the Playstation 3 and PS Vita as an action adventure, featuring co-op play and a range of Doctor Who's most iconic enemies.

Sunflowers is an intriguing new strategy puzzler for the Playstation Vita and will re-introduce a feature which occasionally sees sunlight on a handheld: vertical display.

The Last Story stabs at a big budget RPG on the low-tech Wii, but in spite of excellent visual design and story-writing, only die-hard Wii fans will overlook its faults.

I often take my family on a diversion from videogames. Where better than London's Science Museum now it has it's very own augmented reality guide on the iPad?

Rebecca Mayes reviews Mass Effect 3 with her live performance at our theatre show. He song questions the stereotypical use of body image in the game.

We get the the bottom of Runescape and World of Warcraft massively multiplayer gamers with the Hilson family.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 takes another stab at telling the story of Lightning, Serah, Snow in a more open and wild world. Unfortunately it replaces the charm and narrative drive of the first game with confusion, convolution and complexity.

Chris Jarvis reviews Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light for XBLA and PSN. Lara is under inspection from the society of archeology.

Bob and Fred review Portal 2 at our live theatre performance. Portal 2 is apparently a "Bob" out of 10, although Fred seems to disagree.

Moshi Monsters Moshling Zoo DS is a non-violent alternative to Pokemon that provides many hours of monster-collecting fun - providing you don't mind a little repetition.

Many people enjoy playing slot machines at online casinos. I've found that learning some slot machine tips can be useful before playing at an online casino.

Catherine terrifies me, for what it says about me. The supposedly nightmarish images it conjures up pale alongside the way it reflects my decisions back at me -- ultimately making me question my real life choices.

Anomaly: Warzone Earth not only offers a slick, polished take on the casual Tower Defence genre, but also provides an additional switch by making you the attacker.

Kinect Star Wars goes the extra mile with dancing, racing and destruction complementing the main Kinect controlled campaign. The force is strong in this one.

Prototype 2 promises to right the wrongs of the first game, but it will be interesting to see how this works out in practice.

Silent Hill Downpour will be criticised on quality and production grounds, but this is to miss an original and engaging game. Storytelling and character are winners here, and that is of utmost importance.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City turns the tables as we fight for "the man" rather than humanity. Cosying down with The Umbrella Corporation felt a little odd at first, but I soon got into the swing of things.

The Darkness II 360 is a more polished game than its predecessor, but also less interesting and very short-lived.

Boulder Dash XL 3D is a modern update to the 1984 classic, to be released at a budget price for the Nintendo 3DS.

At the risk of sounding like an infomercial I'm going to say the Dance Central Odyssey just gets better and better. It's a pop Odyssey that speaks to the masses -- if you're brave enough to enter the arena for an online challenge.

Emotional and poignant, Journey continues That Game Company's tradition of creating titles that are as much about life and poetry as they are about play.

Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion is a mix of two worlds: the classic legacy of a great Sega Megadrive platformer and the exciting prospect of Epic Mickey 2.

Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City 360 spectacularly misses the point of the Resident Evil series, resurrecting favourite moments from earlier games as shambling cover-based shootouts.

Epic Mickey: The Power of 2 is a sequel to the Wii exclusive Epic Mickey, only this time it is coming to Playstation Move and Xbox 360 and adds two players. With a year's hindsight, hopefully this game will correct the mistakes of the past.

Shifting World is an evolution of a popular series of Indie browser games, fully grown into a console title with an impressive art style and a unique AR feature.

Adventure Time is set to jump from the TV screen to the DS with a new game announced by the series creator. With so much imagination in the series, personally I'm excited about the potential for the game.

Banner Saga is a role-playing PC game mixed with turn-based strategy set in a beautiful animated world inspired by Viking history.

Ratchet and Clank Trilogy HD will update the original PS2 classic games for the PS3's hardware and display. It may also be a better console generation for the online component to really shine.

Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir uses the 3DS camera to hunt ghosts and unlock secrets in the real world.

One Piece Unlimited Cruise SP is something of an oddity if, like me, you haven't heard of Anime. Nevertheless the striking characters and exciting action manage to shine through.

Rhythm Thief and The Emperor's Treasure always sounded interesting, but turns out to be a fantastic rhythm action game on the 3DS with a great story and engaging side-quests. Perfect for families.

Persona 4 PS3 captures the wonder of wasted youth. Spending time in the quaint Japanese town of Inaba has reignited my love for both JRPGs and oblique Japanese colloquialism.

As with the films that have influenced it, Deus Ex's main strengths lie in its ability to craft a monumental story in an evocative world. The multi-faceted gameplay options and open ended narrative tracks only add to this masterful and very human videogame.

LittleBigPlanet Karting makes the leap from platforming adventure to quirky cartoon racing, with a customarily advanced modding kit which begs the question: what else can it build?

Silent Hill: Book of Memories is a huge departure from the long-establish survival horror series, abandoning the claustrophobic over the shoulder camera for a more Vita-friendly top-down look with twin-stick shooter antics.

Pokemon Rumble Blast neatly misses the point of what makes the Pokemon game series so compelling, but provides an entertaining arcade romp and a wish-list for future Pokemon quests.

Online gaming of any kind can be quite a daunting thing to start doing. Getting some advice from other gamers and friends beforehand can save time and headaches.

Game of Thrones is based one of the most popular fantasy book series currently available, which has spawned a TV series with a huge following. The game promises you a more personal way to explore Westeros.

Max Payne 3 promises to hit the series' classic notes, but it's the determination to be a hard core no-fuss shooter that make this an interesting proposition.

Transformers Prime springboards the animated TV series into a fun action-adventure featuring the characters from the show.

Skylanders Giants review of what we know about Giant, Light Force and Reposed figures. There is a surprising amount of detail available for this already if you know where to look. We've asked Activision for confirmation of the following and will update as we get more information.

Amazon listing confirms Skylanders Giants confirmed for 3DS and PC.

Resident Evil Chronicles HD Collection brings together the two Chronicles games and provides them with a new HD makeover and support for Playstation Move, to promise a story-packed on-rails shooter.

Assassin's Creed Revelations has a balletic multiplayer experience. A subtle, elegant and engaging dance unique in the third-person action genre.

Dust 514 on the Vita is a game but supports your gameplay on the Playstation 3 by making the management and social functions of the game portable.

Scary Girl's fairy tale may look cutsie but is as unnerving as any game I've played this year.

New Little King's Story rejuvenates a game sadly overlooked and will introduce a fresh new on the Playstation Vita to the joys of this cuddly real time strategy.

Dark Souls has plenty of dramatic challenges to test adventurers, but it also has a more contemplative side. From its murky, disease-ridden depths to its radiant halls, the hidden corners of the microcosm reveal a rich, many-layered story to those willing to seek it out. The world is decaying -- full of overgrown ruins and abandoned buildings -- but it remains compelling and vivid.

Gunstringer. You are the Sheriff. Or at least you were. Now, you are a skeleton. You are on a mission to avenge your own death. You're also a marionette.

Sumioni: Demon Arts promises a lush artistic style combined with innovative touch-screen gameplay features. Whether this new IP will make an impact on Sony's Vita remains to be seen.

Darkstar isn't the interactive movie it self-describes as, but it does cater to adventure gamers who are largely un-catered for: the lesser spotted point-and-click variety.

Medal of Honor: Warfighter takes the fight against terror around the globe and delivers a shooter which focuses on the lives and experiences of those engaged in conflict (ed: by this we mean the people with the guns?).

Alone in the Dark 360 has some great, innovative ideas about story-based gaming. Shame it's no fun to play.

Silent Hill HD Collection injects its two most popular games with updated visuals and new recordings from the original cast.

My love for traditional RPGs is often tested by lazy design and sloppy implementation. White Knight Chronicles proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back. However strong the connection to tradition, a new experience should move thigns forwards if it is genuinely new.

Sim City started the urban lifestyle management sim. Now it is returning to its roots with the first major new title in the series for arguably nearly a decade.

I've been dipping my toe into the world of online bingo. I've played a bit in town, but nothing online until now.

Halo 4 takes the series in a radical new direction. In the hands of a fresh developer while capitalising on Bungie's experience, planning and Halo lore, this promises to be a brave new chapter.

Kinect Rush extends the Disneyland Adventures experience by scanning the player into the game using the Kinect camera.

for me, this last weekend belonged Double Fine.

We had time with Eric Hirshberg to talk Skylanders Giants game-play and figures. He introduces the strategy behind Skylanders Giants, talks about new character and toys and game mechanics. He also links Skylander's physical nature as a lifeline for high street stores like Game and GameStation.

Lollipop Chainsaw PS3 combines a scantily-dressed Cheerleader with a pounding soundtrack and some high-powered zombie slicing -- tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Alan Wake's American Nightmare XBLA 360 takes the self-absorbed author out of the woods and into the desert in an action-oriented mini-sequel.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City returns to the events of the very first game, offering fresh opportunities for single player and multiplayer shooting action.

Cooking Mama World: Babysitting Mama is a terrifyingly saccharine assault on the senses. However it provides a great way to blur physical play with the game world, as long as you're the right age.

Wipeout 2048 not only lets you race on the go, but introduces great controls and cross-play features for fans and newcomers to the series.

The PS Vita carries the weight of great expectation on its diminutive shoulder buttons. Not only does it have to make a break from the foibles of the PlayStation Portable and PSPGo! but it has to establish a new way of playing portable games -- not to mention coping with a silly name.

Eric Hirshberg, talking about Skylanders Giants, highlights how physical-product videogames lock in a role for retailers. This sort of merchandise could really help stores like Game and GameStation, who up to now only featured Skylanders figures in a limited way.

NeverDead is a peculiarly intriguing concept. Suda 51 brings his distinctive weight to bear in a game that leverages macabre dismemberment and decapitation in an effort to freshen up the action brawling genre.

Drawn to Life DS is an Odyssey that claims to take you to the very far reaches of the Land of Regular Games... to the borders of the Land of DIY.

Boom Street is a charming board game for the Wii. While it makes good use of the advantages a console brings, it fails to translate what really makes a board game social and fun.

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Wii is a capable street racer on the Wii, one which balances realism with outright fantasy.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings sees the mature, violent and morally ambiguous world of Andrzej Sapkowski's fantasy novels brought to the Xbox 360, to provide rich console RPG experience.

Alpha Protocol rewards those prepared to forgive its obvious faults. The flexibility of the storytelling is as audacious as any game I have ever played.

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly has previously been named the scariest videogame ever made, with dark secluded locations, phantom enemies and creepy Japanese twins all is present and correct.

Mario Party 9 offers a whole new set of minigames to enjoy throughout the world of Mario and his friends, allowing action for up to four players simultaneously. Playing the board game is optional.

We take an in-depth look at Grand Slam Tennis 2 on the PlayStation 3 with Move controls. This follows up the Wii MotionPlus version although on PS3 and 360 rather than the Wii platform.

Pinball Arcade modularises video-pinball, but it's the focus on real tables, solid physics and iPad's big screen that is most exciting for silver ball fans.

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure puts exquisite collectable toy figures to work in a videogame. Getting the best value from your collection is more than finding the cheapest price, or more recently finding them to buy at all, it's as much about choosing the toys that suit how you play the game.

Picking up a control pad should be a moment to cherish and look forward to, but Under Siege's complicated button map and monotonous presentation sends my mind wandering to different, more domesticated pastures.

Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2 is the recently-announced next title in the main series of DS Pokemon games and will pick up from where the previous story left off.

Pokemon + Nobunaga's Ambition is a crossover title, mixing the creatures from five generations of Pokemon with an established series of strategy games set in feudal Japan.

Army Corps of Hell looks to be a highly unusual mix of the RTS and crowd-brawling genres. With goblins fighting through Hell and a heavy metal soundtracks, it's an eerily familiar setting.

Grand Slam Tennis 2 brings tennis to PlayStation Move but ends up being jack of all controllers and master of none. Great fun for families but for grownups more promise of things to come than a fully fleshed out motion experience. I suspect Grand Slam Tennis on Wii U will be the de facto version.

Playmobil Knight: Hero of the Kingdom DS is the child-friendly toy version of Skyrim you never actually wanted.

Hitman: Absolution sees the return of the no-qualms assassin and his adventures promise to be more cinematic than ever. Hopefully this won't come at the expense of free choice which made the series so popular.

The Simpsons Arcade Game lovingly updates a classic street-brawler with fun support for four players. What it lacks in the show's clever satire and humour it makes up for with character and faithful art style.

Papa & Yo is an almost uniquely autobiographical game, taking one man's story of his addict father and translating it into a childlike fantasy set in the poor towns of South America.

The Darkness 360 puts a supernatural spin on a familiar story of gangland revenge.With a sequel just released, now is a good time to revisit 2007 shooter The Darkness.

Puddle XBLA initially appears familiar, but at the same time feel completely fresh. It's part racing game, part platformer and is really, really hard.

Mario Tennis Open will be the first proper 3DS version of the hugely popular Mario Tennis series. With this game, you will be able to enjoy multiplayer Tennis action with local and online multiplayer.

What happens when you cross a piece of theatre with a game review? Something quite interesting we have been discovering. So interesting in fact that we will soon be hitting the road and performing our review scripts infront of a real living audience.

Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is a decidedly tongue-in-cheek platformer, set in a retro science fiction take on the 1950's.

Kinect Rush is more than Disneyland Adventures for Pixar films. It brings both ambition and common sense to steer the Cars, Toy Story and Incredibles themed exploration and adventuring in an engaging direction.

Warhawk may have an impressively dedicated community five years since release, but I'm not sure I have the patience or desire to become part of it. Even the joy of flight isn't enough to overcome what is one of the PS3's most demanding online experiences.

Kinect Rush is more than Disneyland Adventures for Pixar films. It brings both ambition and common sense to steer the Cars, Toy Story and Incredibles themed exploration and adventuring in an engaging direction.

Shaun the Sheep is finally coming to the 3DS in glorious 3D on the 7th March, fulfilling a promise for which many have been waiting.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters plays the system card well with Trophies and Achievements that turn a derivative brawler into something with legs -- for the systemically addicted at least.

Rhythm Thief And The Emperor's Treasure is a narrative-driven music game with a quirky style and innovative gameplay features. Will it charm enough to sell, even without a familiar soundtrack?

Lego Minecraft takes the obvious next step from the hugely popular open-form world-building game to provide physical kits based on the game's iconic look.

Chronovolt isn't anything new, but does have a nice mix of ideas that should keep the game fresh.

Playing games could be good for you. All work and no play makes Jack forget what it was he went to the supermarket for. And it makes him a bit unsociable, clumsy, and like a Monday morning, but all the time.

Go Vacation is a surprising find. It's not just the number and variety of the minigames, but the fabulous island which makes simply exploring the world with up to three friends a real pleasure.

Exclusive Skylanders Giants interview with creators Toys for Bob and hands on time with game/figures. We ask what's new in Giants, about marketing to kids, figure stock availability/issues, backward compatibility.

The Darkness II matches a new look with its comic book credentials, but it's still the sheer demonic madness of it all that is the real draw.

If ever you dreamt of a time when you could be the Hero of an Odyssey that required no assistance from the Search Engine Seer or an Informed Offspring, Mini Ninjas will shatter your dreams and break your heart.

Far Cry 3 marks a return to the beautiful visuals and lonely gameplay of the Far Cry series, with a desperate tale of survival and rescue.

Assassin's Creed III has just been announced by Ubisoft. Confused? You have every right to be; but, it turns out that the true sequel to the trilogy of games which comprise Assassin's Creed II is around the corner.

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite's limitless depth pairs it with extremists, gluttons for punishment and obsessive compulsives. Perfect for a teenage me, but I don't think another addictive collect em' up is what my life needs at the moment.

Dungeon Hunter: Alliance is an epic four-player RPG for the Playstation Vita, featuring drop-in/drop-out online cooperative multiplayer.

Episode one of Scripted Gamer digs into the latest trend in Western gaming. Even Fred and Bob, our theatrical reviewers, found a happy helping of gun slinging to be had here.

Face Raiders is knit into the fabric of the 3DS for good reason. It's a compact package that introduces all the key features of Nintendo's 3D handheld.

Michael Jackson: The Experience HD promises something of a tangent from the successful dance excursions on other consoles, to delivering a tapping and sliding rhythm action game on the Vita.

Jewel Link Mysteries: Mountains of Madness DS is an odd combination of eldritch horror and puzzle game, but one that proves to be oddly addictive.

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit brought me a little closer to embracing the race game genre. With its hectic take on Cops 'n' Robbers, I found myself truly drawn to the law.

Uncharted Golden Abyss delivers in spite of considerable pressure and competing expectations. Although at times it threatens to lose its way amongst a tick box approach to balance and touch screen controls, good design and interesting characters make this an essential new chapter in the Uncharted series. While I'm more than happy with Uncharted 3, Golden Abyss is actually more like the game I was hoping that it would be.

Asphalt: Injection brings the series to the new PS Vita and goes head to head with Ridge Racer once again. This time it could be the favourite.

With the Vita being available already in Japan, and having read various import reviews I wasn't expecting to be all that surprised by the arrival of Sony's new handheld console on my home shores. While I was still excited to get my hands on the US/European PS Vita a little bit before launch I thought I knew what to expect.

GoldenEye 007 Reloaded 360 makes a creditable attempt to revive a 1990s approach to multiplayer shooting, but for online players it locks too many goodies away as rewards for hours of grinding.

Virtua Tennis 4 comes to the Playstation Vita as well and offers a personalised avatar, online play and even an offline multiplayer mode using a single Vita console.

Rift managed to distract me from bike rides and Yoga training long enough to submerge me in its engaging hammy world of dramatic deaths and beautiful landscapes.

SOCOM: Special Forces provides a stop-gap cinematic military shooter, but it's the attention to detail which lets it down.

Gods Eater Burst PSP is a simple game, in the same family as the Monster Hunter franchise and with a strong emphasis on repetition, familiarity and grinding. Its tedious tempo has become a metronome for my downtime.

Mario Kart 7 delivers its expected thrills brilliantly on the 3DS. Familiarity may have bred contempt with Mario Kart, but to miss out on this would be a real shame.

Steel Diver 3DS is a hotchpotch of submarine gaming. Although flashes of compulsion occasionally drove me to play it, ultimately is doesn't fit the system.

Skylanders Giants announced, and we are in New York to get a first hand look at the game and Skylanders Giant figures.

Neverdead juxtaposes an immortal hero and a fragile body. It sounds like high philosophy but in practise is bombastic, bizarre and questionably offensive -- much more fun.

Resident Evil 4 is a fear I relish returning to. It takes me to fearful places and sickening frights, but for the flood of relief and sense of perspective it is more than worth it. Not a million miles from my experience of Christmas.

Trying to forget the successes of the past is not easy when they come in the form of the most popular RPG ever produced. Final Fantasy XIII persuaded me to shrug off the misty eyed memories of times gone by with previous Final Fantasy.

Batman: Arkham City transforms you from the first game's skulking infiltrator to a true city-wide vigilante, policing the skies and responding to nearby calls for help. It's a lot for a newcomer to grasp, but it's worth learning all the skills to be a true superhero.

The Last Story is a new Final Fantasy style action RPG from Nintendo. It could be the Wii's swan-song, but with Zelda Skyward Sword and Xenoblade Chronicles also vying for that crown it has its work cut out.

Pokepark 2: Wonders Beyond is a return of the popular Pokemon spin-off for the Wii, this time incorporating the new range of creatures featured in Pokemon: Black and White.

Worms: Battle Islands Wii doesn't add much new to the Worms formula, but to be honest with Worms' simple but addictive multiplayer warfare it doesn't really need to.

Five second reviews. Written, folded and photographed by hand for your pleasure. My haikvu's bring you bite sized hand sculpted game reviews. They combine the Japanese art of origami with haiku poetry.

Dragon's Dogma is a new roleplaying adventure from Capcom. It enables you to train and trade AI team-mates and feels a little bit like Pokemon for grown-ups.

Nail'd combines the excitement of extreme Motorsport with the rebellious nature of youth. Sounds like my kind of game, but in practice is anything but.

Leapfrog's LeapPad offers a bullet proof alternative to the iPad, but struggles to match Apple's allure -- even for four year olds.

Bob and Fred play cat and mouse with Spy Party the up and coming indie game from Chris Hecker.

99 Seconds brings more retro shooting thrills and a direct sequel to 99 Bullets, with a time-mangling twist.

Nexiuz brings the old school back to online shooting games and may even revitalise a classic play style with its Quake roots.

Award-winning Carcassonne has reminded me that for fun, strategy and sociability, videogames do not even come close to the satisfaction of a really decent board game.

Batman: Arkham Asylum was shockingly different on PlayStation 3. I'd played it for hours on the 360 but even my keen eye for system specifics I hadn't seen this one coming.

This week we have our first look at the PS Vita and in particular at Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Wipeout 2048. We also meet a new family with teen gamers, the Hilsons, who we will be quizzing about their gaming habits over the coming weeks.

Twisted Metal promises a very different kind of wacky race, featuring tricked out cars with rocket launchers, bombs and machine guns. Oh and if all else fails, you can always lean out the window with a shotgun.

Go Vacation has many game elements we love (and in spades): exploration, puzzles, hidden objects, dressing up and, dare I say it, mini games.

Motorstorm Apocalypse marries thrills of off-road racing with end of world bedlam. A little indulgent maybe, but the quality and polish on display shone through even this most juvenile of videogames.

Live videogame review show being filmed in Exeter theatre. A combination of videogame themed standup comedy, radioplays and songs offer an unusual (to say the least) hour of entertainment.

Soul Calibur 5 promises an unlikely return for the series. This was the start of my multiplayer passion and its fifth iteration looks as strong as ever.

Tetris 3DS is a treasure chest of game modes and options. There are a couple of ragged edges, but for the most part this collection is a definitive narrative in the block stacking cannon.

The Mars Odyssey has been with us for a very long time: since we first imagined space travel and adventures beyond the stars.

Let's Golf 3D may not be the most intricate of Golf simulators, but the bite-sized challenges, addictive gameplay and the fact that it installs to the handheld mean that this is a title I keep coming back to over and over.

I Am Alive explores issues of survival in a post-catastrophe modern city. Despite the shadow cast by recently announced The Last Of Us, this remains interesting because of the human lens with which it views its disaster.

Modern Warfare 3 isn't a bad game, it's just a bit boring. Maybe I'm getting old but I've less and less enthusiasm for the virtual violence and online abuse these days. Maybe it's time to leave this all behind.

Skylanders Sports seems on the cards as both Giants and Patriots URLs are registered for the brand. A Mario Charged Soccer with Skylanders is a mouth watering proposition.

Warp 360 will offer science-lab based puzzles with lethal outcomes, with more than half an eye on Portal. Its quirky animation and slapstick visuals should make this a hilarious adventure.

being a Mac game and coming as it did towards the beginning of Christmas week, the release of Real Racing 2 for OS X might have passed somewhat under the radar of many gamers.

Alan Wake's American Nightmare 360 sees a return to the creepy thrills of small-town horror, with a new adventure in a standalone downloadable title on XBLA.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance sidesteps the main Metal Gear games to offer a slash-em-up featuring one of the less loved characters from the series.

Peggle Dual Shot has been an instant hit with everyone in my house. It's easy to pick up, bright and funny and has had all of us comparing notes and getting a little more competitive than the game really merits.

Elite Beat Agents is a system lover's dream. A perfect match for the DS's input and form factor. This is how I want to play a portable game.

Metal Gear Solid HD gets a UK release on PS3 and more interestingly on 360. But more than this novelty it's the quality of the original games that really excited me here.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time promises a return of some much-loved characters as well as a joyful and child-friendly action adventure with gadgets.

The apparently-popular Professor Layton series' fourth release has given me another gilt-edged chance chance to complain about time-wasting story games. However, either Professor Layton Spectre's Call is a lot better, or my standards are lowering, because I'm actually having a rather nice time.

My Secret Hideout on iPad is more playful than game-like. It's a simple creative toy without any particular goals or rules. Arrange the leaves and it generates a description of your secret hideout.

Rayman Origins comes to the 3DS, after a popular appearance on the big consoles. Will the attractive animation translate to the small screen with the big depth?

Max Payne 3 finally sets a date for an appearance and promises a return to familiar slo-mo gunplay although in unfamiliar settings.

Cars 2 on iPad comes with its own controller, a toy car. There is much more to this Car controlled app than meets the eye, and it's all tailored for younger players.

Resident Evil 6 has been announced for PS3 and Xbox 360 but with no firm word on co-operative gameplay. However, after the negative backlash from the previous game, it seems to have learned its lesson with a strong story and wide ranging locations.

South Park: The Game promises an epic roleplaying experience with the tongue in cheek humour of the TV series. Perhaps a nice break from all those serious expressions of people killing goblins for their gold.

Skylanders 2 needs to capitalise on the investment families have made in the first game and make the most of their toy figure cross over.

Red Dead Redemption is Old West perfection. However it was the world you play in rather than the game itself that I enjoyed the most, and reminded me to slow down and take my time with games now I'm older.

Mortal Kombat has been announced for the Playstation Vita, with Kratos making the transition along with the rest of the Playstation 3's features.

Sound Shapes combine music creation and platform gaming. With an accessible editor and level sharing over the internet, this will either be an internet sensation, or a curious oddity in the future history of gaming.

the wider context of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition is, of course, the completion of the three-year transition of the Halo franchise from a now independant Bungie to Microsoft subsidiary 343 Industries (or 343i for those who like their companies to sound like 1970s computers). as such, it's sort of a concept/portfolio piece, except designed by someone who already has the job. and on sale.

Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident tickled our board game itch with an electronic hidden object adventure. The pacing and steady turn taking made it feel familiar while the interaction and sheer volume of content reminded us this was another step into the brace new world of video games.

Flower may seem like an odd-ball on the PlayStation 3, but actually it's as true to Sony's PS3 system as Wipeout was on the PS1.

Mighty Switch Force provides an innovative 3D take on a block-switching action platformer, with a beautiful comic-book art style.

Resistance: Burning Skies is another game bringing a full console experience to a handheld device. But along the way, it picks up some intruiging Vita features like touch screen grenading.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz comes to the Playstation Vita and seems to find a natural fit with its new controls - and even offers some nifty GPS features.

BBC's Sherlock series adopts Heavy Rain's art style, visual communication and origami theme. We know, because Sherlock says as much the first time he uses the emotive on-screen text that Cage's game became famous for. Elementary.

Scripted Gamer digs into some multiplayer Ratchet and Clank and finds things are not what they are supposed to be.

Star Wars is an Odyssey I will happily travel again and again. Real actors or Lego actors, terrible special effects or cool digital animation, cartoons, fan fic, whatever. I love it in all its incarnations. Lego Star Wars The Complete Saga on 360 was therefore right up my mythic street.

Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning will be trying to woo the Skyrim crowd this February with some heavyweight names and an fascinating cross-promotion with Mass Effect 3.

This week we see how the kids get on with AppMATes Cars 2 the toy car controlled iPad game. Like Skylanders, it uses a toy to select a character in the game, but here it also functions as the controller.

Diablo III brings its own take on dungeon crawling and loot-grabbing; but it's the boundary between real and imaginary profits that are attracted the most attention.

Grand Slam Tennis returns, but not on the Wii. The dream of motion controlled tennis may not be totally dead with its Move support, but the focus here will be on hardcore stick action.

Battlefield 3 is an ego boost and pick-me-up. The way it makes me feel may be hard to define, but I'm not giving it up lightly -- even when my hectic modern life threatens to cancel it out.

Grand Theft Auto V marks another major milestone in the open world crime series and sets out to prove that GTA can only get bigger, better and more controversial.

Dead Or Alive: Dimensions makes good use of 3D and delivers a solid fighter with great control, pacing and strategy.

Go Vacation looks like a procedural mini-game collection. Beneath this veneer is a four player open-world adventure that will keep you happy for longer than either Zelda or Skyrim.

Borderlands 2 sees a multiplatform return to the bright and violent world of Pandora with a cast of new characters and a box of new tricks.

The Sims 3 Wii and its world of pet-humans failed to find favour with this hard-hearted writer, partially due to his own misanthropy but also due to the game being quite badly made.

In today's instalment Bob and Fred our scripted duo have tip toeing through Alan Wake and discovered their own magical type writer.

Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 adds to the list of the Vita's early titles. Solid gameplay and entertainment promise to make this a popular choice.

Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 shines by not taking itself too seriously. By being allowed to poke pantomime fun at the films and books, and focusing on local co-operative play, it turns a good game into something rather special.

F1 2011 is set to make an appearance on the new Sony handheld, hot on the heels of the other versions.

Saints Row: The Third is a good time on steroids. Even a hardened multiplayer loving gamer such as me can see the sound entertainment logic behind running around an imaginary city naked dominating enemies with psychic sea creatures. Some will dismiss all this frivolity as just that, a feel good flash in the pan, but there is actually a lot more substance here than such a verdict would suggest.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown rekindles the dreams of turn-based-strategy lovers everywhere and potential adds even more depth.

Dark Souls is game that masters fully grown men. My conflicted juvinile state makes me far too easy a subject to dominate, maybe I just need to turn it off and do something more grownup instead.

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes offers a return to the carefree cartoon world of a fun Lego licence not constrained by a movie tie-in.

Putty Squad plans a triumphant return in higher definition than ever on the Playstation Vita, and with new content to warm the heart of ageing Amiga and Atari ST gamers.

Fire Emblem comes to the 3DS and brings with it the fresh promise of expandable paid DLC content (ed: along with the related high quality adventure action activity the series is usually associated with in some quarters of videogame land).

As the sales figures for the PS Vita launch in Japan start to emerge and many question their health, it's good to remember the times we are living in. No, I'm not talking about the tough economics of recession but rather the brave new opportunities of untapped markets.

In Today's Scripted Gamer Fred and Bob discuss a teenie tiny Lara Croft.

2011 has brought with it some significant and poignant anniversaries, but surely none more so than Sonic The Hedgehog's twentieth birthday (assuming that he'd just been born when the first game came out). the year's other major milestone, of course, marks ten years since Sega officially announced that it was giving up producing console hardware and was focussing solely on designing games for other platforms.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold Wii is the flipside to the successful Arkham games, a cartoon 2D platformer that's colourful, funny and charming.

Batman The Brave and The Bold is intense fun that is over a bit quick. But with the collectibles and link-up Wii play there is still enough here to keep you playing for quite some time.

Batman The Brave and The Bold is brim-full of co-operative fighting fun. Although at times repetitive, playing together with two kids on the Wii and one on the DS turns this into more than just a Batman branded novelty.

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift 2 brings the anime brawler closer to 3D, but fails to bring my lapsed enthusiasm for fighting games out of retirement.

F1 2011 is a beautiful and compelling slice of petrol fantasy. It is both smart and captivating, if a little self-absorbed and juvenile -- not something I, of all people, can hold against it.

Rage is a graphically stunning new shooter, a fantastically realised world in retreat. Although this created a genuine sadness for me, Rage seem unaware or unwilling to engage with these life and death realities, preferring instead to just keep me shooting.

perhaps the most obvious way in which games are becoming like films, to return (briefly) to that whole thorny hornets' nest, is the relative prevalence of sequels/prequels/reboots over and against novel, non-franchised titles (in the upper strata, at least).

This week I left the Magical Isle of Fiction behind to explore the skies beyond the far, far away Land of Gaming... only to find myself in a Time Warp called Radiant, with little or no hope of a real, proper Odyssey.

LittleBigPlanet returns in a handheld form for the Vita and promises to unleash the potential of the new controls through its hugely creative audience.

Borderlands: Claptrap's New Robot Revolution 360 is the last DLC for the original Borderlands, and puts the game's iconic robots centre stage in another substantial expansion that's for hardcore fans of the series only.

Modnation Racers: Road Trip not only brings the addictive kart racer to the Vita but also allows you to paint the road ahead using the tip of your finger.

As a thank you to our loyal viewers for FGTV Season 1, here is our out take reel to prove that things don't always go to plan. FGTV will be back with Season 2 in February 2012. Have a very happy festive holiday.

This week we look at Skylanders Universe, their new WebWorld. But before getting into that we spent some time with another family new to gaming to see how they got on playing Skylanders for the first time.

Ruin Vita allows players to take an epic quest with them on the go, while also providing the same action on the big screen via PS3 when back at home.

Motorstorm RC will work on the PS Vita and Playstation 3. What it lacks in multiplayer support it gains with the promise of long term additional content.

Skyrim is videogame theatre, and I found myself worryingly lost in its labyrinth. Swapping the uncertainties and dangers of real life for the control and safety of Skyrim eclipsed my day to day reality in a way I hadn't bargained for.

One Piece Unlimited Cruise SP brings together the two previous Wii episodes into a single game and re-imagines the action in 3D.

Advance Wars grows up, has a makeover, and streamlines its experience. Dark Conflict is still your favourite turn based strategy game, but now with a darker, edgier aesthetic. Ultimately though, Advance Wars: Dark Conflict succeeds on the strength of its innovative new ideas, rather than its updated wardrobe.

Advance Wars Dark Conflict sets its stall out with confidence. This is a serious strategy game for grown ups, with a gritty look and an engaging storyline. It's chess on steroids.

Metal Slug Anthology was better and harder than I remembered it. What started as a sentimental revisiting of my youth ended up complementing my efforts to find a more adult life.

We talk to Tobi about Kinectimals, their families alternative to a real pet. We also look at the new Kinectimals Bears, the Windows Phone 7 version and the physical cuddly Kinectimals cats.

Lumines: Electronic Symphony marks a return to the handheld classic with a pounding electronic soundtrack and a variety of game modes on Vita.

Fred and Bob have some international visitors over to play Wii-Party.

Touch My Katamari is the return of a hilarious object collection series and challenges you to roll up everyday artefacts like never before.

when i reviewed the Wii version of Goldeneye 007: Reloaded last year, i couldn't help but indulge a short rant about the market-oriented cynicism that so obviously stood behind its conception. perhaps it's because i'm a little older, a little mellower, a little less (or perhaps more) tired than i was back then, but this week i found myself able to unwrap the just-landed 360 version without the ire rising too fast or far.

Need For Speed: The Run turns its back on circuits in favour of a story driven point-to-point race. Blessed with Hot Pursuit's Autolog system and Battlefield's Frostbite 2 engine, it delivers a good game that should have been a lot better.

OK, I admit it. I started getting excited about going on this Odyssey long before I arced it up and entered the pint-sized world of Game Dev Story.

Jonas DS is a simplistic and slightly unnerving game based on kid-pop's most sinister siblings.

Gravity Rush promises a shift in perspective to the standard third person adventure, with a compelling visual style.

Smeet blends PlayStation Home and online dating in a social space with big name brands. But more than the big names, it's the grown-up users that made the difference for me.

Zelda Spirit Tracks on the DS is a world to lose myself in. This stained glass window is my homage to all those joyful hours in Hyrule that made my real world train journeys go so fast.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations builds in every conceivable direction. More space, more toys and more variety combine to create some incredible possibilities.

Plants vs Zombies DS has loveable cartoon Zombies that shuffle, dance, dig, run, balloon and bungee their way towards your house in waves, and you have a bit of a giggle repelling them to a soundtrack of groans and falling heads and limbs.

We talk to Mary (Tobi's wife) and discover why gaming isn't working for her yet. Along the way we talk about Skylanders, Kinect Sports Season 2 and ask whether Mary's sewing hobby would mean that Kirby's Epic Yarn is the perfect game for her.

Sorcery promises a Move adventure with more narrative depth than many other offerings, by putting a wand in your hand and inviting you to take on an army of monsters using gesture-based spells.

Rebelstar Tactical Command is a gripping tactical experience. It joins Advance Wars as a great turn-based strategy on the Gameboy Advance, and easily stands shoulder-to-shoulder with modern titles.

Fred and Bob review Harry Potter and the Deathly Boredom as they call it and find it to be more Harry Ramsden than Harry Potter.

Need for Speed: The Run is an action story on four wheels. Effective and dramatic this delivers a real big screen experience.

The Last Of Us is the latest cinematic action adventure from the people behind Uncharted, who hope to bring their filmic approach to the survival horror genre.

Mario Kart 7 leaves the random battling behind and delivers a real kart racing experience. Multiplayer modes lead a fleet of features to keep core fans just as happy as casual players.

the release of the new Tintin movie prompted a recent TV broadcast of Tintin et Moi, Anders Østergaard's fascinating 2003 documentary about the comic book character, and, more centrally, his creator Georges Remi, who wrote and illustrated twenty three Tintin books between 1929 and 1983 under his famous pen name Hergé.

This episode of Family Gamer TV dedicates itself to explaining the different between (and history of) the Gameboy and DS handheld consoles.

Assassin's Creed Revelations 360 sees Ezio getting older, and the series itself seems to be showing signs of age. Although Revelations feels a little tired in places, it still provides satisfying closure for Ezio and Altair's stories.

Secret Mysteries in London brings its own take on the hidden object adventure genre into 3D. Hopefully this will herald the start of a more casual market for the 3DS.

1000 Tiny Claws is a surprisingly epic entry in the Playstation Minis series, with an innovative - if confusing - gameplay mechanic.

This week Tobi introduces a 3DS to his family so they can play Super Mario 3D Land. Andy gets stuck into Mario Kart 7 and discovers its new first person perspective and tilt controls.

Cooking Mama World: Outdoor Adventures not only delivers the expected multitude of addictive minigames, but also wraps then up in a surprisingly coherent overarching challenge.

This week Tobi tries iPad gaming and we introduce him to the new Bang card game on iPhone/iPad/PC. Along the way we get talking about Fruit Ninja, Plants vs Zombies and Mario Kart.

Ridge Racer definitely looks the part on the Vita, but is in danger of disappointing players by offering only a tiny amount of content. Early reports are indicating that the retail version of Ridge Racer, boxed and download, will come with only three courses and five cars.

Cars 2 feels every bit like taking part in the fun and mayhem of the movie, with a wealth of options and great 4-player racing.

Rhythm Heaven promises to bring timely musical tapping action to the Wii, in a big screen version of the DS' surrealistic gem.

Heroica invites you to quest through deserts, forests, caves and castles in search of treasure, with Lego's most detailed board game yet. Best described as an introduction to role-playing games, Heroica has all the fun of Lego and adventuring without the complex rules that often seem daunting.

From Dust makes me feel good. Its chaptered gameplay, sense of creation and responsibility to nurture what you've made meant it was an experience I could enjoy in manageable mouthfuls.

Shaun White's Skateboarding brings out the rad side of Bob's personality, Fred isn't convinced.

This week Tobit and family put Forza 4 through its paces and discover hands free driving is the way forward. Andy tries to temp them with some Mario Kart 7 on 3DS, but has more success with Kinect Sports 2.

X3: Albion Prelude promises to bridge the Old and New X Universes. It plays out in a time between the old and the new with the X universe in flux, and prepares players for things to come in X Rebirth.

Super Stardust Delta finds a more natural home on the PS Vita due to the second analogue stick and version specific features.

"sure it's a budget title that's nearly two years old, but apparently it's a cult classic."

Tangled DS is a Rapunzel-based adventure game that will provide younger gamers with a simple introduction to the genre.

Escape Plan PS Vita is another thoughtful dark side-scrolling platform game, with a dash of cartoon wit and comprehensive touch controls.

Dark Souls is marketed almost entirely on the premise that it is difficult. There's actually a lot more to it and I found that the most difficulty thing wasn't the gameplay itself.

Little Deviants is set to provide party-style minigames for Sony's new handheld, with some raving comedy of its own.

This week Family Gamer TV Vanessa looks at Disneyland Adventures, Kinectimals and Dance Central 2 before Andy offers some tips on joining Xbox Live.

Reality Fighters combines AR thrills with personalised street fighting, making anywhere in the world a potential game level. It also shows how much the technology has moved on.

The Adventures of Tintin is a surprisingly enjoyable romp through the movie's highlights but also demonstrates how much more fun can be had when tie-in constraints are released.

Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary is both old and new. It keeps the story, gameplay and controls perfectly intact from the original while shrouding the whole affair in the graphical goodness of Halo Reach.

Solatorobo joins a merry band of games that see off the DS in style. The love and attention spent on both the graphics engine and story is are awe inspiring, but it is the playability of Solatorobo that really makes it stick.

Unit 13 promises an exciting new idea on the Playstation Vita, born from the legacy of great online shooters.

This week Family Gamer TV take our second look at fitness games with Vanessa. Along with Andy, she's been trying out the new Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012.

In Today's Scripted Gamer Fred and Bob discuss Portal 2. Or as they like to call it, Now you see me, now you don't.

Heroica comes to the living room to provide some intricate Lego building, a detailed board game and great potential for expansion.

My Modern Warfare 3 song questions what courage is. For me it's not the big brash shooting in front of me on the screen but in the small quiet stories of the people behind the controls.

Assassin's Creed Revelations packs in the kitchen sink, but somehow gets away with it. The campaign may struggle to maintain attention with so much else to do, but in terms of variety this is the series' Piece de resistance.

Pinball Arcade brings proper pinball tables to various platforms, but most interestingly the 3DS and PS Vita for portable silver balled fun.

Mario Kart 7 3DS makes sense of Wii and Gamecube detours for the series and brings in to land a perfectly pitched portable version of the game you already know almost everything about.

in my world, today (or, more accurately, tonight) is Hallowe'en, although in yours it could be anywhere from a day to many weeks after that. isn't time fascinating? no? well if you're fairly non-plussed by time and have lots of it to waste, then allow me to introduce Dead Island.

Zen Pinball brings realistically modelled silver ball action to the 3DS. The longstanding console series may not include official tables like the Williams or Gotlieb collections, but until they come to the 3D handheld this will do very nicely.

X-Men: Destiny 360 is an action RPG that lets you play with a lot of super powers, but as a comic book adventure its fatally lacking in energy.

This week Family Gamer TV takes a look at fitness games with Vanessa. She's been trying out the original Your Shape Fitness Evolved as Andy gets ready to tackle Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012.

This week Family Gamer TV digs into its big box of Lego games. First looking at the new Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 before looking at how these games have evolved over the years.

Meanwhile is a choose your own adventure book. As a gamer it made all sorts of connections for me - split screen shooters, in-game tutorials, replay value not to mention the currently vouge multiple endings. But more than this Meanwhile was a space in which to loose myself for an evening - complex, compelling and endearing.

Everybody's Golf is once again a launch title for a Sony handheld, this time coming to the Playstation Vita with touch-screen controls and online multiplayer.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim may not be as demanding as Dark Souls but don't be fooled, it will take up just as much time and sink you just as deep into a heroic role. But more than just being long, it's the breadth and depth of Skyrim's scale that makes it so grand.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword transcends its own brilliant design to deliver a character drama of surprising impact. Even those whose Wii consoles may have gathered a little dust would do well to brush them off for this epic.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is most spectacular, tightly-directed, addictive and totally escapist adventure ever to grace a games system.

This week Family Gamer TV looks at Skylanders. We ask Vanessa if it works for her family, as a mum. I then dig into the nuts and bolts of how Skylanders works.

Fred and Bob invent their DC Universe Characters tonight, but find all the best names have been taken.

Modern Warfare 3 stands tall amongst its peers. But rather than its story, visuals or energy, this is a game that stands out for a finely tuned interactive experience that even Apple would be proud of.

Cooking Mama 4 brings the series to its debut on the 3DS with a range of familiar games and some new surprises.

Spider-Man: Edge of Time 360 is a rare videogame that works better as an authentic Spider-Man story than it does as a game.

those who read this column regularly will have heard me express significant reservations about the perceived need to make video games that look and feel like movies. i'm not going to rehearse here the reasons behind my doubts as to whether this should be a prominent focus within game development, but what i will say is that if the cause needed a genuinely superb example to which it could point, then its wait is over.

Cooking Mama World: Outdoor Adventures may seem little out of season for the chilly UK, but is a great opportunity to get the kids excited for next year's camping season.

Am I OK? Was all I had sung, when I should have had a whole song ready. The only thing I could write was this, over and over again because I was so deeply not feeling OK trying to write this song.

This is not your archetypal Odyssey. There's no Return to the Homeland after a Great Ordeal; there's no wifey waiting patiently for you at the end of your twenty-year excursion.

Family Gamer TV joins Vanessa's first blush with the 3DS and Super Mario 3D Land. Kirby Mass Attack on the original DS offers an interesting comparison as we look at handheld platform games on both consoles.

Journey promises to revolutionise the experience of playing with others it hits the Playstation 3 in 2012, while providing an epic quest through wistful and striking vistas.

uDraw Game Tablet and uDraw Studio: Instant Artist brings the popular drawing and alternative gaming pad to the PS3 and XBox 360 following its success on the Wii.

Football Manager 2012 offers a good chance to put your money where your mouth is when it comes to managing a football team yourself. We could all do it better, right?

In today's instalment Fred talks Bob down from a fear of spiders in XBLA's Limbo.

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance might be a mouthful, but this latest entry in the popular Disney/Final Fantasy crossover fiction is set to revel in the features of the 3D handheld.

Jaws: Ultimate Predator brings a unique spin to the drama of survival horror. This time you get to be the shark.

Like Toy Story did for rendered animation, Disneyland Adventures Kinect translates technological potential into creative reality. By doing so it turned disinterested onlookers in my family into participants with a surprisingly human experience.

after St Swithin's Day, James and Bobby Purify Memorial Weekend and 'Open Week' at the Fray Bentos pie-tin factory, my favourite annual event is FIFA/PES new release head-to-head month.

Fancy Nancy Tea Party Time DS is a shrill, irritating and extremely pink game that's more ghastly than any survival horror.

Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 provides another chance to get excited about the finale of the gripping franchise. Possibly the Lego finale has me even more excited than the movie.

Gears Of War 3 failed to connect me to a role I wanted to play. While the theatrics and pyrotechnics were impressive, as much as I tried I didn't want to spent time with the people living through the hellfire and brimstone.

Kinect Sports Season 2 extracts more fidelity from Kinect to create an engaging and surprisingly deep sports experience. Online multiplayer, voice control and some really magical moments are more than enough for me to forgive the odd wobbly moment.

This week we introduce designer dad Tim to the uDraw Wii controller before having a look at new releases like Super Mario 3D Land, GoldenEye 360/PS3 and Zelda Skyward Sword.

Kirby Mass Attack works well for all ages, but it is the quality of the action platforming that makes this another great game at the end of the DS's life. Here's what my junior gamer made of it...

Another World is a classic and a genuine pre-cursor to most modern cinematic games. Recently I had the chance to watch its creator play it from start to finish.

Super Mario 3D Land is an unconventional Mario game. But to overlook the playful charms for the lack a score or steep difficulty curve is to miss the point -- and more importantly a good reason to trade up to a 3DS.

Fred is so taken with Enslaved that he breaks into song, with a little help from Bob.

"oh Grandad-who-used-to-be-in-Bulletstorm, what big boots you have." "why, all the better for kicking the dick off everything my dear."

Skylanders Spyro's Adventure figure statistics and availability are perfectly poised to create the collectors dram: the "must have" and "hard to find" status that creates the thrill of the hunt.

Dragon Quest Monsters 2 is one of those games that has a history. Not a thousands-of-years-history like the Odyssey, but -- according to the Wiki Seer -- it's the fourth instalment in the Dragon Quest games.

Phineas and Ferb Ride Again DS is a cartoon tie-in that uses its lead characters' interest in inventing as the basis for enjoyably imaginative platforming.

Shift 2 shines with detailed models of 60's legends, but in pure racing terms comes in second best to the stiff competition.

From Dust makes a nostalgic return to the god sim and for the first time reveals something of the joy of being a creator of lands.

Batman Arkham City is a carefully written love letter that stayed with me long after I'd finished it. But what was less expected is how appealing and accessible this is to casual gamers and those uninitiated in the charms of the comic.

F1 2011 makes some concessions to the handheld nature of the 3DS, but still promises to deliver the most complete racing simulation on the 3D console.

Family Gamer TV talks Sesame Street Once Upon a Monster with Tim, before getting stuck into Forza 4 head tracking. I round this off with my videogame advice for infant games (3-5).

Bang! breaks new ground with cross platform mulitplayer, but it's the quality of the gameplay that has got my family hooked (again) on this great parlour game.

Triple Town stands out from the sea of Facebook games with surprising depth and longevity.

Forza 4 springs to life as the game it always hinted it would be. Great Kinect features, a new wheel and a plethora of real driving content make this my de facto driving game.

Rage 360 doesn't break any new ground in videogame storytelling, but its linear and predictable narrative is saved by fantastic pacing and some great atmospheric touches.

Uncharted 3 sacrifices too much to Hollywood, but such is Naughty Dog's skill and care that I'm happy to forgive what is lost for all that is gained.

Family Gamer TV meets gaming mum Vanessa. She talks about her history with the Wii and how Kinect compares. Just Dance 3 is her game of choice this week, something I follow up with news about the recently released Kinect Sports 2.

ah, basesball - America's most sentimental sport. there really is a romance to the diamond field, white, stitched orb and swinging ash. whether our thoughts turn to Charlie Brown, defiantly leading his team to yet another pasting, or Kevin Costner hearing voices...

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 expands the Dragon Quest universe into well-trod territory and provides a fun but non-essential diversion.

Battlefield has always been a game to enjoy with other people -- as in humans rather than artificial opponents. This year more than ever though, it has made a concerted effort to chip into Modern Warfare's single player experience -- and the sales figures that go with it.

Ticket to Ride is a steam train themed board game, but don't let that turn you off. It's been a massive hit with my boys who can't get enough of it, and it's got the grown-ups playing too -- sometimes even when the kids are in bed.

In today's Scripted Gamer Fred and Bob discuss Deus Ex 2. Or as they like to call it, Deus Ex Returna.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution provides an epic and immersive story and still allows great freedom of choice; but, how much freedom is it prepared to sacrifice to maintain its own fiction?

Pet Zombies 3DS will offer a quirky take on the virtual pet, by providing a sinister playmate who'll always come back for more punishment.

Batman Arkham City 360 expands on the brilliant Arkham Asylum to present a truly epic comic book narrative, only slightly tripped-up by adolescent attempts to be overtly badass.

I have never played a game quite like Nier before. But it took a while for me to realise what exactly that meant. Characters, relationships and story overtake its gameplay mechanics, and invite us to intrude on the painful loss of intimacy between a father and his sick daughter.

Inazuma Eleven combines Anime-style roleplaying with a quirky football simulation. I really wanted to like it. I really didn't.

Pucca Power Up DS is a high octane traditional platformer with lashings of cutesy Korean style.

Solatorobo: Red the Hunter provides an incredible journey in a huge fantasy world with a great story. This is one of the biggest adventures by far to be had on the DS.

Ms Splosion Man may be pink but is no more intimate than her masculine counterpart. The same formula is fun for a while, but in the end I went looking for interesting characters and conversations elsewhere.

Dark Souls asks if you are hardcore, then sets about proving you wrong. Returning to games after so long away, it was refreshing to be reminded days when hardcore was a label you had to earn.

This week in the family gaming show Loz tells me about his love affair with Rage, I dig into Just Dance 3 and Dance Central 2 Kinect games before looking ahead to GoldenEye Reloaded on the 360 and PS3. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

Family Gamers validated by new study. More significant is the video-game industries realisation that they need to do more than mass market to the core gamers. Narrowcasting is the order of the day. What's your gaming tribe?

Oblivion is a timely reminder of the intimate experience a role play game generates. How I felt about the game mirrored Oblivion's complex character relationships, but like real life these were at times slippery and contradictory.

Family Gamer TV introduces a new family. Tobi, Mary and their three kids have never owned a videogame console. As the sun sets on our San Francisco trip Tobi talks about playing games Limbo, Flower and Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. I look ahead to Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 3DS and Dance Central 2, Disneyland Adventures and Kinect Star Wars.

Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie is a perfect piece of classic role play action, with a narrative that sets it apart from the crowd.

Hot Wheels Track Attack Wii has simplistic racing, but plenty of customisation options for lovers of over-the-top toy motors.

Tetris: Axis brings the grand-daddy of Nintendo franchises onto the 3DS with a range of new play styles as well as that classic Tetris formula.

Torchlight PC may be reminiscent of older RPGs like Diablo, but it also makes many improvements to the genre.

Paper Mario brings its flat perspective view to the platform it was seemingly designed for: the 3DS.

Skylanders Spyro's Adventure is based around collectable toys. With limited stocks and Christmas approach it is likely that the best characters will sell out -- and double their value.

Rage isn't the role pay adventure it sells itself as. But beyond this pretence is an exquisite shooter with as much craft and creativity as you could want.

Call of Juarez: The Cartel mixes Spy vs Spy and The Wire as it shifts from the old west into modern LA and Mexico. An anxious cop drama, it deals in tension and mistrust but is let down the limitations of its genre.

Starfox 64 3D places an epic space yarn in the palm of the hand, with tremendous replayability. The only drawback is a few bad Nintendo habits.

Sesame Street Once upon a Monster brings the Double Fine touch to Kinect's hands free controls. The result is a surprisingly unsentimental set of six emotionally engaging and genuinely interesting children's stories.

My dad loved Sesame Street Once Upon a Monster, but I think most five years olds would prefer playing Costume Quest with their parents. The Kinect controls are too fiddly when you are little, and there are not so many things to do.

Just Dance 3 turned my serious dancing exercise into something fun and social. Getting eight friends and family dancing on the Wii at the same time (rather than just taking turns) was more important to me than Kinect's full body detection.

Tropico 4 leverages a technical experience like Sim City, but then injects Fable's good or bad mechanics for truly open world. You may need to bring your own fun, but for those who invest the time, Tropico gives back as good as it gets.

PES 2012 brings some much-needed Internet multiplayer to Nintendo's 3DS console alongside a set of improved StreetPass features.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow creates relationships with a sense of ambivalence. In a see of classic character traits and Greek types, if the intimacy on display here is intended, Capcom are to be roundly congratulated.

Mass Effect offers a homegenised humanity that I didn't really get along with. I wanted to sing a song that celebrated people's bodies for the unique individuals that they are. It will be interesting to see how Mass Effect 3 deals with all this.

Resident Evil Revelations 3DS brings together the smoother gameplay of recent games in the series with the atmosphere and intensity of earlier installments.

Just Dance 3 Kinect adds full body dancing and bespoke choreography to what is already my favourite dance game. Sensibly shaped dancers and a great track list make this a great party game for all ages.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword promises to be the most advanced Zelda adventure ever and will provide a hardcore boost for MotionPlus.

Resident Evil 4 360 may be six years old and looking a little dated even in this HD re-release, but its perfectly paced narrative remains one of gaming's great experiences.

Saints Row the Third 360 is absolutely ludicrous compared to more serious open world games, but that may not be a bad thing.

Championship Jockey 360 had a slim chance of surprising expectations. In reality though, it was the poor controls and uninspired navigation that made this a pedestrian experience -- rather than the sport it chose to simulate.

Silent Hill Downpour PS3/360 has been delayed into 2012. This may not be a bad thing, as a playable section demonstrated very little of distinction.

Arkham City 360 promises to take players even deeper into the world of Batman with a storyline involving even more of Gotham's heroes and villains than Arkham Asylum.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine casts you as a human tank armed to the teeth and able to destroy all in your path. It's empowering stuff, but the surrounding world that tells a more disturbing and bleak story about the rest of humanity.

I've heard a lot about Limbo recently, but visiting a friend for an evening of gaming away from the familiar DS I got my first proper look at what all the excitement is about.

OIO has a beautiful concept and design, wrapped up in the most simple of game genres. It's only a pity it takes so long to get going.

The Gunstringer does more than disguise its on rails shooting with theatrics, it creates an involving experience that grants genuine emotional ownership of its Pelham Puppets.

Driver: Renegade attempts to bring back the charm of the original title. It misses the mark, but in the attempt delivers something far more entertaining.

Final Fantasy: Theatrhythm promises a musical diversion away from the vast worlds of the long-running RPG series. It's easy to see why Final Fantasy's music deserves a spotlight.

If you follow my blog you'll know I'm a lady who's a little partial to a bit of Bingo. I seem to take flack on both sides for this - some friends think it's for old dears whilst others are worried I'm addicted.

Red Dead Redemption isn't just about guns and horses. While John Wayne might turn in his grave, for me I found a microcosm of the world of employment.

Inversion 360 has so far failed to distinguish itself from other futuristic third person shooters, and will need a lot more work to feel like anything more than just another Gears clone.

Real Racing 2 HD extends its impressive delivery for iPad and iPhone 4S with a new four player party mode. Elsewhere it puts the extra horsepower to good use improving visuals.

Alan Wake 2, although a certainty, remains the subject of speculation. As we get closer to another generation of hardware, the idea of it being developed for the next Xbox is one that gains credibility.

This week in Family Gamer TV we goto San Francisco to try out Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures a new game with action figures that store your progress and work on any console.

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures isn't what I expected. Rather than a merchandise led game, it offers a fresh experience for both toy and game consumers and all in one collectible package.

This week in the family gaming show Loz and I talk more about Skylanders Spyro's Adventures unusual take on videogame toys, as well as Forza 4, Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

Spyro Skylanders is many things: a toy series, a range of games and a new concept. It also provides a new twist on the dream of cross-platform play, one which may finally provide children with a shared gaming lynchpin, regardless of their games system of choice.

Rock of Ages is a fun Odyssey, as far as tower defense games go. It's one for history boffins -- as long as you don't mind balancing out your erudite and knowledgeable backlog of history and myth with a few solid displays of neanderthal testosterone. And the fact that you're essentially a boulder.

Heroes of Ruin brings four-player co-operative dungeon crawling to the Nintendo 3DS. But will it do enough to bring players together?

This week in Family Gamer TV the Pestridges try out a PS3 and enjoy the four player fun of Motorstorm and in-depth driving of Gran Turismo while the Robertsons get racing with F1 2011 split screen racing. The kids enjoy playing Ico, Andy stays up again to revisit Shadow of the Collosus HD and Jo has a go with Starfox 64 3DS.

Spongebob Squigglepants Wii is a uDraw based game with a loose art gallery theme, but with a deeper debt to the Warioware series.

Deus Ex Human Revolution is full of words, full of people speaking. But more than these conversations it was the sense of tragedy and loss of truth that really hooked my heart.

Kinect Sports Season 2 expands its repertoire of motions and sports. Walking the line between simplicity of Kinect and a genuine videogame challenge is no easy matter, but Season 2 looks like it will continue the first game's success in this respect.

Mario Sports Mix has a facade of technical prowess, but beneath this both design and technique on display here are less than impressive for a top tear Wii game.

FIFA 12 connects movement and collision with its new impact engine, but its the series longevity that will appeal to real football fans.

Dance Central 2 bolsters it's technical perfection with proper two player mode, more characters and better post-dance feedback.

Darksiders 2 360 will build on an enjoyable first game while deepening the experience and appeal to those that love the dress-up of role playing games.

I love co-op or team based multi-player games. There is nothing quite as much fun as playing a game with friends - thinking tactically as a group, getting support and having a laugh with your friends. It keeps a game fresh, fun and different every time.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations shows off its multiplayer and demos its single player. This will be another inventive chapter drawing on compelling environments and complex distractions for which the series has become famous.

Kinect Star Wars makes up with Jedi drama for anything lacking in the something-to-hold department. Finally seeing motion controls and the Star Wars universe coming together like this is enough to get anyone born in the 70's pretty excited.

Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster wraps up six episodes of storytelling with enough emotion to melt even the hardest of gamer's hearts.

Just Dance 3 brings accessible dancing to Kinect with its four player simultaneous entertainment. The big question is whether the Kinect controller can cope with all those sweaty bodies. Either way, these full body theatrics just wouldn't be possible on the PS3.

Mass Effect 2 creates some wonderfully intimate moments with the spoken word. As we look forward to a voice controlled Kinect Mass Effect 3, I wanted to revisit the conversations I have had in Mass Effect 2 and find out why they meant so much to me.

Just Cause 2 is a game of enormous proportions with an overwhelming array of things to do (read : blow up). This is both its joy and its downfall, as the developers struggle to cope with the monster they have created offering a storyline that feels like an afterthought.

Renegade Ops is a joy-filled blast through action movie cliches with a wonderfully retro flavour. In spite of teething issues, this deserves to be an instant classic.

Captain America: Super Soldier 360 won't win any awards for innovation, but it's a compact, highly playable period adventure that hits plenty of fan-pleasing buttons.

Beyond the Labyrinth remains something of a beautiful stranger. Tantalised as we are by evocative images of a quirky young girl trapped in a subterranean maze, details of the plot, how the game plays and whether we will see a release in the West remain a deep mystery.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent PC took me back to my childhood days where a heady mix of immortal bravado and the terror of uncertainty would keep me and my brother awake late at night.

El Shaddai Ascension of the Metatron is like an undiscovered band -- all the more alluring for its obscurity. But as well as its super-cool status, it's also a very well put together game.

Starhawk promises some back-to-basics multiplayer action on fiendishly balanced maps, whilst also throwing in a surprising strategic element.

Luigi's Mansion is continuing to take shape as one of the most remarkable titles due out for 3DS in 2012. Designed specifically for the 3DS, the game makes brilliant use of the 3D display to created haunted rooms, long corridors and to bring the brilliantly vivid characters to life.

Fable II is set in the land of Albion, where Heroes are the stuff of legend. So when you embark on this Odyssey you'd better be prepared for a thorough drenching in mythical archetypes and motifs: maps, keys, armour and weaponry, skills, spells, you name it.

Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection is set to offer the greatest hits of Williams tables from arguably the biggest designer in the world -- although without their biggest hit, The Adams Family.

Super Mario 3D Land will bridge the gaps between classic Super Mario platforming, the once-new freedoms of Super Mario 64 and the beauty and boundless imagination of Super Mario Galaxy. Many of the levels are classic side-scrolling Mario, given new depth by the 3D display and the benefit of modern graphics, while others provide the world-leaping and free exploration of Mario's more modern adventures.

Driver San Francisco 360/PS3 celebrates great american chase cars but manages to do so while have plenty of TV-fuelled fun along the way.

A Nintendo console isn't complete until Mario Kart appears. Mario Kart 7 will see a vibrant return to the familiar kart-racing action, together with some new ideas - such as wings for gliding over the course after a successfully high jump and vehicle customisation, allowing a player to adjust their vehicle to suit their own play style.

You know Mass Effect 2 is a great game. But for me it became a microcosm of my school playground -- where sides, absences and heroes were the most intense and important they have ever been in my life.

Reel Fishing Paradise brings a little Monster Hunter to the prize fishing world with a realistic rather than exuberant experience.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn 3DS offers an entertaining companion piece to the movie, with a mini-game approach bringing scenes from the film to life.

Monster Hunter 3G crams its massive world into the 3DS. While everything survives the transition it's the control mechanics that have the most work to do here.

Crush 3D delays its third dimension gameplay until next year. The reinvention still looks interesting on the 3DS, and hopefully extra time will mean a more tailored experience.

Shinobi 3DS hopes to conjure its excellent beginnings with a fresh art style and new free-form ninja combat.

Apples to Apples is a word matching game that encourages invention as much as accuracy. It's a lot of fun and surprisingly engaging.

Gears of War 3 stomps out another mouthwatering multiplayer feast. While the campaign may not match the humanity of Uncharted 3, the co-operative play is streets ahead.

This week in the family gaming show I try and explain Sypro Skylander's toy based save system to Loz before confusing him with the DS hardware cycle. We round this off with talk of FIFA 12 and the Gears of War 3 launch. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

All-in Yoga HD offers an accessible and cheap way to get into Yoga. Both my daughter and I have enjoyed the customisable routines and clear explanations.

Anglers Club adds motions controls and 3D visuals to the action-fishing genre. What results isn't a revolution but is another confident option for e-fishing-fans.

Starfox 64 is another classic Nintendo franchise which has been updated in 3D for the 3DS, boasting improved graphics built on classic game-play.

Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet Wii shrinks the Marvel superheroes into cute, kid-friendly forms, but retains the cosmic scale and heroic action of the Marvel universe.

Pokemon Rumble Blast brings immediate arcade action to the Pokemon world. Based on a game originally for Wii-Ware, are the changes enough to break or fix the formula?

Ace Combat Assault Horizon PS3 brings together a range of important movie and game influences to create an aircraft shooter like no other.

Sonic Generations unites an array of styles, times, features from Sonic's 20 year legacy to deliver a game which should offer something for everybody.

Elite Beat Agents combines beat-heavy tunes and bizarre storylines with stylus tapping, dragging and spinning. It's surreal, funny and highly entertaining and has left me seriously reconsidering my position on videogames.

Yes, just imagine: you are a fashion store manager in a huge new mall. You have a head for business, and an eye for style. It's your job to make more money, spot trends, please more customers, sell sell sell.

Cave Story brings 8-bit platforming to the 3DS. However, an uncertain 3D visual style and the challenge of accommodating touch screen controls still leave a lot to be answered by this darling of old school gamers.

This week in Family Gamer TV the Pestridges go deeper with Forza, try Kinect Sports and Adventures while the Robertsons play From Dust together (and Andy stays up late to play Limbo).

Get Up and Dance is set to give enthusiastic PS3 and Wii party-goers a whole new range of dancing diversions. By including group play, is this the start of re-enacting Glee in the living room?

Fruit Ninja Kinect sounded like a bit of a gimmick. Once I had been persuaded to stand up and play, I got into the silliness and found it to be quite a lot of fun.

Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion 3DS will let you pit favourite characters against each other in arena brawls.

From Dust offered not only a god-powered microcosm, but one that echoed an unknown world of nurture and parenting.

This week in the family gaming show Loz and I talk about Gun Swinger, Loz's imaginary take on the new Kinect game, Gears of War 2, Driver and Ico Shadow of the Colossus HD on PS3. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

It's been quite a while since I played After Burner. While I can remember feeding 10 pence pieces into an old Sega arcade cabinet, as far as I was concerned, Chase HQ, Outrun and A.P.B was where it was at (A.P.B was an Atari title, similar to the first GTA, but played from the Police's perspective). Still, when this arrived on XBLA I was more than happy to slip on my aviator sunglasses and start calling myself 'Maverick'.

Syndicate provides another nostalgia kick for gamers by reinventing an oft-forgotten world of abduction, cybernetic enhancement and corporate warfare.

The Gunstringer matches Kinect's theatrical controller with a western stage play full of character, bravado and audience participation. It revolutionises Kinect -- not just in terms of controls, but the untapped nature of the thespian experience.

Darksiders 2 is a third person action adventure with a distinctive art style, and a heavy leaning on metaphorical names. It will expand on the story of the original, where again we follow Death as he attempts to discover what bought about the Apocalypse, and why War was framed for it.

This week in Family Gamer TV the Pestridges try Forza and Kinectimals while the Robertsons put Fruit Ninja Kinect, Zelda Ocarina of Time and Cars 2 through their paces.

Driver San Francisco Wii offers more ways to play together than any other Wii game. Assistance, co-operative, and split-screen play are joined by novel DS integration to make this a genuinely stand out game for families.

Wappy Dog is Activision's latest Trojan horse to get a plastic toy into your home. A natural evolution of the cyber-pet, Wappy Dog blends Furbies with Nintendogs to offer a pretend pet with a physical form.

Okamiden DS is a beautiful intruiging game, but the glittering surface fails to disguise the fact it's nowhere near as inventive as it should be.

Bit.Trip Saga will bring the full Bit.Trip family to Nintendo's new console. Of most interest is how the games accommodate touch screen controls and whether any additional content will be included.

By embracing the touch-screen technology and having levels that can be completed in three minutes, Elite Beat Agents is the game the Nintendo DS was made for.

Rock Band 3 has been an addictive Odyssey in our house -- with friends and family alike. Every concert provides new opportunities to acquire fans, do vocal gymnastics, and generally strive for that elusive Pinnacle at the end of the Road: the Three-Part Harmony.

Driver San Francisco 360/PS3 happily returns us to a world where car chases are overblown, lives are intruded upon at will and pedestrians always manage to get out of the way.

Bodycount 360, as its name suggests, plays fast and loose with human life. More than that though, the people in the game are almost incidental to the love and attention lavished on the weaponry.

This week in the family gaming show Loz and I talk about Driver San Francisco, Driver Renegade 3DS, Disneyland Kinect, Dead Island, El Shaddai, Resistance 3 and Bodycount. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

Dead Island shocks by depicting a young girl and her family coming to a sticky end. Far sadder than the character's demise though, is how far games need to come to be able to deal convincingly with scenes like these.

Mass Effect 3 completes the trilogy by raising the stakes and improving the mechanics. By enabling us to bring our previous save games, we will all be treated to another unique dress-up experience.

Playmobil Circus Wii wraps a fairly standard set of circus-themed mini-games in some cheeringly energetic presentation.

Terminus (Part Two): Quick Time Events - A review in the form of a short story. In a dramatic conclusion, the time-traveller feels caught between a nostalgic past and an experimental future, while fighting for control of his body.

Xenoblade Chronicles is a surprising stab of adrenaline to the soul as the Wii stumbles anaemically towards the end of its life cycle for core gamers. A parable about Man versus Machine, it delivers drama, story and a unique world to journey in.

James Noir's Hollywood Crimes 3DS is a mystery puzzle game, a genre that has prospered on the DS. Whether it succeeds on the new handheld may provides clues to the future of 3DS games.

Family Gamer TV pilot epsiode. Our new gaming families get to grips with gaming and experts suggest the latest games for families to play.

Resistance 3 finally delivers local and online campaign co-op, but it's the range of pacing and emotion that makes this game in the series stand out.

Pac 'n Roll isn't just a solid reworking of Pac-man for the DS, its stylus controls make it perfect for families beginning their gaming journey.

Dead Island 360/PS3 offers more game than I could swing a bat at. While played alone this can get a little monotonous, with friends this is a solid multiplayer experience.

Tap Pet Hotel needs some careful handling to ensure kids don't rack up large credit card bills. The best solution all round is to play it with them.

Joy Ride Kinect proves that air-steering works but suffers from too much driving assistance. Like many of the cars I review, Joy Ride is fun for a while but isn't a game you will want to live with.

Videogames are journeys that sometimes take us into dark spaces. But in my Mass Effect review I wanted to consider how it's our individual choices that are the real drama makers.

Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Wii initially appears to be enjoyable and charming, but on closer inspection the awkward subject matter really isn't a good fit for the Lego series.

Cars 2 Wii tries hard to offer something for everyone. While the kart racing compelled family gamers, more experienced players were less convinced next to hardcore Karting of Activision's Blur.

Is it possible to go on a real Odyssey when you're doing a Sudoku puzzle? Of course it is, and my vessel was Andoku.

Carrier Command Gaea Mission PC updates a much loved classic mixing both real time strategy and first person vehicle combat with modern touches and a cutting edge engine. The commanding role it creates ensures it's not just for the retro gamer.

This week in the family gaming show Loz and I talk about Resistance 3 multiplayer co-op modes and El Shaddai. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

Aliens: Colonial Marines 360 is a squad based shooter that promises the most well-realised depiction yet of marine versus alien. The role of a space trooper on something other than just another bug hunt fills me with dressup anticipation.

Terminus (Part One): A Link to the Past - A review in the form of a short story. A traveller in time tries to piece together the reasons he has visited his own past and is reunited with a great love. But is time itself against him?

Yogi Bear: The Video Game DS is a bland platformer with some woeful presentation.

F1 2011 promises to extend the driver's dream that Codemasters have been developing the last few years. Accurate, realistic and unforgiving it creates a genuine relationship with man and machine as you play.

Uncharted 3 captivates with its characters, story and action. Building on strong foundations, for me, this is the pinnacle of how far videogame have come. But, for all its wonderful achievements it still has a long way to go before matching the maturity and self-assuredness found in film, books and even board games.

The Logitech G27 Racing wheel has the mechanics and design to mirror real driving. Using it on your lap though destroys all these driving gains.

Loz and I talk about Uncharted 3, FIFA 12 and the recent 3DS price drop as well as release of Pac-Man and Galaga on the 3DS. The show is also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

Aliens vs. Predator 360 is a semi-sequel to a comic adaptation of a film, and this identity confusion is evident throughout the game. The terror of playing as the hunted is underused, and the chance to actually play as the monsters is disappointing.

Motion Sports Adrenaline will extend it's Kinect rendering of hardcore sporting action. Like the original, this looks like an unusually realistic game in the Kinect cannon.

GoldenEye 007 Reloaded takes last year's successful Wii remake of the N64 classic to 360 and PS3.

Harvest Moon: Animal Parade Wii is an uncomfortable mix of the idyllic and the depressing let down by a very slow start.

I don't need another console cluttering the lounge, but I have to admit the Wii U took me by surprise. I'd not felt like this playing a videogame before.

Seems like everyone I know has been sucked in to Angry Birds at some point. On the train, between meetings, in bed, waiting to pick up kids. Yep, 250 million downloads at last count, according to several sources in the Twitosphere.

L.A. Noire is a wonderful amalgam of cop drama, adventure game and open-world playground. Tension melts into schizophrenia and suspense as I lose myself in the game, even if I am taken out of the world on occasion by an army of tiny issues.

Sort It Out is a board game that tasks you with putting lists in order. Now that may sound a little dull, but the variety of imaginative (and sometimes slightly insane) questions make this a lot of fun.

My Modern Warfare song was a thank you and a challenge. I questioned what courage really was because for me it wasn't in the big brash shooting in front of me on the screen but in the small quiet stories of the people behind the controls.

Cars 2 courts the success that Blur deserved. 360 and PS3 versions offer sought after Karting action, while on the Wii Cars 2 offers a high octane alternative to Mario.

This week in the family gaming show Loz and I talk about the dangers of Fruit Ninja Kinect, Cars 2 kart racing and Shift 2 on the iPad. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

Dead Again, and Again - a review in the form of a short story. Going about his daily tasks, one game reviewer finds that sitting down and playing a game can be a tricky - and sometimes fatal - task.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Wii is neither a good use of the Transformers concept nor a decent game in its own right.

Dungeon Siege 3 is a middling hack 'n' slash adventure that fails to create a believable world. With even the most basic of fantasy films spending the majority of their budget on the creation of their world, it's an odd misstep for Dungeon Siege. Even the strong co-operative element can't quite make up for this.

A lot can change in your life in a few months, and in the time since I last wrote a lot has changed in mine both with gaming and dating.

Recently I dropped in at Dance Central to see how things were progressing in the Land of Gaming.

The Force Unleashed II 360 buckles under the pressure. A few bright spots of imaginative spectacle fail to make up for the criminally short story, underdeveloped characters and low expectations of the player.

Rise of Nightmares will bring the survival horror genre to Kinect. Matching House of the Dead for schlocky scares, but will the shooting be as much fun?

Plants vs Zombies is more than the Disneyfication of Tower Defence, it injects real time strategy with enough personality to connect with family gamers of all ages.

Splinter Cell: Conviction succeeds in making stealth games accessible, but loses something along the way. It apes Bond movies which themselves (more recently) reflect the Bourne franchise. While this grittier, more personal territory results in an intense singleplayer experience, the level of violence is troubling and often derivative.

Pac-Man and Galaga Dimensions 3DS is a grab bag of retro gaming goodness. My dad loved the 3D originals and me and my friends dug the Championship Edition, but really there should have been fewer games and more bells and whistles.

Back at the Barnyard: Barnyard Games DS is an inconsequential mini-game collection that doesn't distinguish itself from the many other mini-game collections available.

F.3.A.R combines great action with neat co-op, but is let down by a nonsensical and incredibly brief storyline. Surprisingly, for a game with such a specific acronym, scares and tension play second fiddle to combat.

I'm going to say it, and I'm going to cringe: Bumble is an Omniscient Narrator.

While far from perfect, X-Men Origins: Wolverine breaks preconception about movie tie-in videogames. Enjoyable combat and gruesome violence pay homage to the comic-book character, and not just the teen friendly movie version although it is ultimately let down by being too long, with overly repetitive enemies.

With the videogame review train chugging away, the Batman song was a moment of pure enjoyment in the middle of all sweat and toil.

Six Second Memory - a review of Steel Diver 3DS as a short story. This week, a submarine recruit is sent on a range of deadly missions, while far away on land a package is carried to its ultimate destination.

Kung Fu Panda 2 Wii is a martial arts adventure based on the hit movie in which players control Po with the uDraw tablet peripheral. It's an odd combination of gameplay and interface, but one which makes a straightforward movie tie-in more interesting.

Who am I? And why was I killed?

Aliens: Colonial Marines returns to LV: 426 after the Aliens film. Local and online cooperative modes sound like great fun, but are in danger of undermining Gearbox's ability to gnaw away at and disempower players to match the celluloid experience.

Red Faction Armageddon may not be a revolution, but if you want more destructible third person shooting it is still a lot of fun. Multiplayer also adds a new dimension to the falling masonry and crumbling architecture.

Wipeout HD is a surprisingly good fit for family gamers, and epitomises a more intelligent broadening of gaming's audience.

Halo 4 is on its way and Master Chief is back. That's almost all we know, but for many that will be enough reason to get excited.

Kane and Lynch 2 is far better in theory than in practice. The concept is stylish, artistic, and subverts the shooter genre. Unfortunately, these elements don't match up to the competition. The result is an incredibly short game that still feels too long.

F1 2010 delivers speed in a way I've not seen before. It turned my motoring journalistic head from Touring and Rally coverage to the fever pitch speed and delights of Formula One.

Tom Clancy's HAWX 2 Wii somehow renders the Clancy brand utterly inoffensive with a bland take on aerial warfare.

Ghost Trick manages a spectacularly deft double act of quality animation with gripping puzzles. With a pixel-perfect attention to detail, its flaws only point to the high quality of the rest of the package.

Pokemon White/Black adds enough new Pokemon and modes to ease the series' monotony. Even without these additions though, a new Pokemon game to play with my friends is still an addictive proportion.

Zumba Fitness is like a Latin-American-flavoured aerobics. The Zumba website tells me it is "an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow... calorie-burning dance fitness-party... that's moving millions of people toward joy and health".

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary brings the original X-Box game to 360 in HD-remastered form.

Leedmees creates a full body platform game that combines the puzzles of Lemmings with the living room limb stretching of Twister.

Spec Ops: The Line may be another near-future military shooter, but its exotic setting and literary roots look promising.

The Walking Dead looks set to distinguish itself from other zombie games, with adventure specialists Telltale concentrating on character and story over action.

It happened to me again this morning. My boss asked me if I was feeling "glass half full" today. He didn't have to add "for a change", but it was heavily implied.

This week in the family gaming show Loz and Andy talk about Swords and Soldiers coming to iPad, Limbo coming to PS3/PC and the new music game Rocksmith. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

Leedmees Kinect uses your body to guide its hapless tiny travellers home. While this full-body iteration of Lemmings meets Twister is perfectly pitched and well executed, the real excitement is the theatre it creates in your living room.

What Goes Around, Comes Around - a review in the form of a short story. Returning from a decades-long tour of duty, a veteran expects to find great changes but instead finds that the world of today is a very familiar place.

Shadows of the Damned 360 is a horror shooter filled with over the top violence and crude innuendo. Beneath the bluster though, there lies some surprising subtleties.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 is a solid run and gun game where spells replace firepower. However beyond this the story and multiplayer features have fallen by the wayside.

BioShock is something of a watchword amongst avid gamers. It was a game that not only played very well but created a greater sense of place and atmosphere than any of its peers. Bioshock Infinite hopes takes the good work of the first game, as well as the more recent follow-up, from the waters of Rapture to the new sky city location of Columbia -- another society on the brink of implosion.

Captain America: Super Soldier 360 gets accused of being a Batman rip-off. But the ambition and quality make it more homage than counterfeit. Let the Bat and Cap fans punch it out I say, girl fight!

InFamous 2 returns Cole McGrath to fighting his way through a city of hostiles, choosing whether to be the hero or the villain. The sense of locomotion and combat is compelling, but it's the way it plays with right and wrong that is the most fun - although more than a little scary how close the two extremes become.

Lego Pirates of the Caribbean Wii is a surprisingly good retelling of all four films. Legoisation is not only cute, but helped me enjoy and understand these games that my kids pour hours into.

Wii-Play Motion sounds like another derivative Wii game, but is actually another helping of family gaming magic.

Sega Rally is an arcade classic with real motoring credentials. It soon became my racing game of choice, home and away.

This week in the family gaming show I try and explain Leedmees to Loz, we suggest getting closer to the TV for F1 2011 split-screen and further away for Forza 4's Kinect controls. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

Kirby Mass Attack DS proves there is still plenty of life in the DS with a whole new approach to platforming, as well as a new style of Kirby game. Many will miss this game when it's released, make sure it's on your radar though.

Hello Kitty: Birthday Adventures DS is an oddly sterile resource management game that may nonetheless strike a chord with younger, female players.

Gran Turismo 5 handles itself masterly. Even with its shortcomings it still convinces as the only racing game in town for real enthusiasts.

Beyond Good and Evil HD updates the 2003 original with re-mastered graphics and audio. The game holds up incredibly well thanks to its immersive world and story, but some interface issues mean it can't completely hide its age.

Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll is a solid blend of hack-n-slash and role-playing, but lacks vibrancy. It's a promising fairy tale which spreads its minimal story far too thin.

Defiance attempts a new convergence between filmed and interactive mediums that raises interesting questions about how play spaces are crafted.

Need for Speed: The Run blends traditional racing with action-movie sensibilities, tense storyline and even some non-driving interactions to create an unusual driving game.

Metal Gear Solid was a breakthrough game on the PlayStation one, but without any significant updating it suffers badly on the PSP. It's still a great game, but one for those who remember playing it first time around on the original PlayStation hardware.

well, weld, whelm. what on earth, dear game fan, can i say about Duke Nukem Forever?

Assassin's Creed Revelations brings the series full circle as the story returns to the middle east and the truth about those who run the world.

This week we talk about how Real Racing 2 on iPad mirrors Wii U features, as well as Wii-Play Motion and Resident Evil Mercenaries. All wrapped up by some grumpy old men complaints about kids being too good at games. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

Formula 1 2009 sounds a little dated, but actually offers a masterly combination of fun and realism. Even two years later, this is still the best F1 game available on Nintendo's casual console.

Wipeout 2048 PSV again promises to provide a run-out for a new console, while expanding the portable racing with some engaging multiplayer features.

I got knee deep in Madworld's gore on the BBC. Ever wonder how that happened, let me tell you the real story behind my Charlie Brooker encounter.

Queen Anne's Revenge 4195 is a mightily impressive centrepiece in Lego's latest construction series. If you like Lego, Jack Sparrow and playing with toy ships this could well be the moment you've been waiting for.

Star Wars: The Old Republic will attempt to balance its rich story with the freedom of choice demanded by an MMO.

Stacking 360: An arts and culture journalist interviews a film director about Russian dolls, budgets and petit pois.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood 360 relocates Ezio to Rome for the series' best instalment to date.

Disney Universe initially appears to be a derivative four-player platformer, but actually provides a rare kind of competitive and co-operative group adventure.

Special is an overused word, but for me Portal was the special experience that ignited my return to gaming, and one I couldn't be more thrilled to share.

Cars 2 Wii delivers what Blur promised and beats MarioKart at its own game. What might have been a boring movie spin-off turns out to be one of the best kart racers I've played for a long time.

Star Trek offers an intriguing take on the co-op action genre by giving both players a unique identity and an action packed chance to experience the friendship of two screen legends.

Orcs Must Die is a blend of frantic third person action and tower defense strategy elements, all with an orcs storm the castle theme.

War of the World 360 is a loving literary homage to HG Wells' novel with a simple and addictive control style.

Ridge Racer Unbounded takes Namco Bandai's franchise in a new direction. While fast paced arcade racing is still the focus, the clean drifting and untarnished world is replaced by jostling for position in derelict urban environments.

We discussed LA Noire. Was it an intricate masterpiece or a sparsley populated open world drama? Was it outdone by Heavy Rain's branching story or is there something more substantial going on here?

Rayman: Origins will keep classic game play of the original, but freshen it up with the inclusion of multiplayer and stunning 2D art.

if i told you that the only improvements Virtua Tennis 4 can truthfully boast over its three year old predecessor (Virtua Tennis 2009) are slightly updated graphics and a motion-control-enabled arcade mode that plays only slightly better than Wii Sports Tennis (from 2006), then you might start to wonder what on earth the people at Sega have been playing at.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss promises the big console experiences on a handheld device - but this time has a few tricks to make accessibility the key.

Child of Eden turns Rez's nightmare into a dream. Everything, from the Kinect controls to the visuals and music is designed to transport you to another place. However, the question is whether Child of Eden can find the audience it rightly deserves.

SSX: Deadly Descents' downhill snowboarding throws you onto real world mountains. Combine this with the over-the-top snowboarding action the series is famed for and it has a lot of potential.

Nano Assault makes great use of the 3D display of the Nintendo 3DS and provides an addictive shooter experience on the move.

Catherine is a platform puzzle game coming from developer Atlus. But adult themes, many of which are manifested through nightmarish imagery during twisted dream sequences, it could appeal to a mature audience for reasons beyond that of its game play.

Wii U creates novel ways to control games and ups the graphical horsepower. But as with other Nintendo platforms, this is actually more exciting because of the games they will create rather than the controller innovation or tech specs.

This week we talk about BioShock Infinite's Move controls and the new Sony 3DTV's. We then discuss the ins and outs of the new eShop on the 3DS. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

Cars 2 offers an excellent compromise for those that like their racing a little bit more motor-headed than Mario Kart, but still provides power-ups and entertainment.

Dungeon Siege III may downplay loot but its action and fighting focus nudges this dungeon crawler towards grander adventuring and role play territory.

Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition is ultimately a minor update. Whether this matters to you depends on whether you are a real player, or someone who just dips in and out of the Street Fighter world.

Dead Space borrows classic horror movie elements, but its clever approach to interface and the lack of cut scenes create something far more immersive, intense and, ultimately, scary. Whereas in horror movies we share the nightmare, in Dead Space we live it.

Brink 360 has a story with potential and some great game mechanics, but its old school FPS face-offs are too throwaway to be truly satisfying.

Saints Row the Third is by turns shocking, adult, hilarious and boisterous. It promises to raise the bar for pure fun in the open-world sandbox genre.

Serious Sam 3: Before First Encounter promises to take us back to a simpler time of gaming. Croteam are eager to keep the frantic and smooth feel of the original as Sam travels back to Egypt to the events that precede the first game.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 builds upon its predecessor in every aspect, and by doing so gives you more involvement and choice.

Ninja Gaiden 3 will continue the story of Ryu Hayabusa with the same fast paced, challenging game play of the previous titles. However, a new director at the helm and a plan to widen its appeal raises question as to whether it will be what fans want.

APB Reloaded masquerades as a second lease of life for a once-cancelled MMO, which belies the careful tuning behind this fresh revision.

there is little doubt that LA Noire marks the arrival of a new and exciting era in gaming. however, much of the clamouring that has constituted its reception has made me convinced that the gaming world needs to think again about the bigger picture.

Super Hero Squad Online offers a legitimate comic book super hero action MMO for younger players, that may also be an addictive proposition for older players.

House of the Dead: Overkill - Extended Cut PS3 gives one of the Wii's best shooters an HD, 3D and Move-friendly makeover, hopefully giving an excellent game a whole new un-life.

Gatling Gears is a twin stick shooter that maintains a sense of pressure and insecurity throughout. It worked well for me as it managed to keep the stress high and the action fun.

I reviewed The Sims 3 and bated the gods to answer. Did you hear it? Whatever the case, here's the whole story about the song that drew back the curtain on the games life plays with us.

I guess it was inevitable that at some point I would have to play and review a videogame. True to form I've picked up a cast-off DS (fittingly just as the release of the 3DS marks the beginning of its end) and for the past few weeks I've been getting to grips with Mario Kart.

This week in the family gaming show Loz and I talk about the Wii U and PSVita announcements from the E3 videogame conference, as well as Alice: Darkness returns. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

Tiger Woods 11 PS3 may be a realistic golf simulation, but when it comes to fun this returning gamer still has a soft spot for Mario Golf on the Gameboy.

A Pitch Too Far, a review in the form of a short story. This week, a marketing manager finds he has to deal with a strange figure on the ledge outside his office, intent on jumping. What could possibly be troubling him so greatly?

Mafia 2 is a sprawling epic: a tale of betrayal, revenge, the American Dream, friendship and family. The game plays a little like an interactive movie, taking cues from The Godfather and Goodfellas, but never reaches the same heights due to its hotchpotch of gameplay.

Deus Ex Human Revolution brings true freedom of choice to players by creating a massive world with many possible paths to take.

Fable The Journey turns gestures into emotions with an intelligent and whimsical take on Kinect gameplay. It manages to retain enough of the spirit and landscape of Albion to feel like a fully fledged experience.

Kinect Disneyland Adventures pulls of a totally controller less open world adventure without being over complicated or confusing.

Halo 3 brings together realistic enemies, tense moments of encounter and knife edge multiplayer. In this podcast, we dig into just how far Halo has come, and how well it stands the test of time.

Tomb Raider, the series' reboot from Crystal Dynamics, offers a gritty character-driven route into the Lara Croft history and has in-turn lifted some important tricks from the other games that the original inspired.

Nintendo do it again with a magical Wii U controller. By offering a motion sensitive window on the game world that you can move around the room all manner of multiplayer possibilities arise, the question is whether they needed a new console as well.

Sony strikes a suitably contritional tone in a press conference that named their new handheld console, the PSVita, and underlined their connected PlayStaton ecosystem. Even with all that though, Uncharted 3 still managed to steal the show.

Bioshock Infinite takes us from underwater Rapture to the cloud city of Columbia. More critical than a fresh location though, is if this time its strong sense of place offers more than just somewhere to play and becomes an experience where we are challenged to genuinely engage with our real world assumptions.

Mass Effect 3's appearance at E3 didn't surprise me -- but what did was the way a very simple implementation of voice technology suddenly opened my eyes to how this epic RPG universe could suddenly become a drama in which I was truly taking part.

Steel Diver plunges you beneath the waves in a battle against an evil foreign power. As a submariner everything around you can prove lethal and the smallest error can lead to a horrible death. A loose plot and eclectic delivery means this fund of risk lacked the purpose and impact it could have had.

Microsoft continue to connect the dots with impressive commitment and healthy innovation on their hands free controller. Their E3 press conference may not have many surprises but it reflects their sure and steady broadening of not just the 360 but their Xbox media brand in general.

El Shaddai's turns well worn gameplay and magically turns them into something from the future. However, successes in mechanics are not balanced by a deep, ongoing or inventive engagement with the source material.

Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS matches Mario 64 DS as a well judged launch game. Although less about scale and more about visuals, Ocarina is a great run-out for the 3DS. The motion controlled first person view made a huge difference for me.

Ocarina of Time 3D provides much more than a retro re-release, with improved graphics, intuitive controls and access to some of the handy functions provided by the 3DS.

Need for Speed: Shift attempts to balance arcade racing with simulation, but ultimately fails to reconcile the differences. A decent selection of cars, great graphics and a real sense of speed while driving are undone by fidgety steering and a selection of game types that just get in the way of racing.

The 3DS eShop and Internet Browser available now, fleshes out the 3DS online offering. Early titles include Zelda Link's Awakening on the GBC Virtual Console, as well as Excitebike in the Classic games section.

Kirby's Epic Yarn provides an fun and varied platformer with some addictive bit-sized gameplay despite a fabric-based premise which may put off more serious gamers.

Shadows of the Damned brings together an eccentric, all-star trio of creators to develop an insanely over-the-top schlock horror blockbuster.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the latest Transformers movie tie-in game for the often critically derided film series. Previous games have received an equal critical drubbing, but Activision will be hoping War For Cybertron developers High Moon Studios can create a better offering this time.

Tron: Evolution PS3 extends rather than complements the film, which itself looks to adjunct the original. Somehow though this works so much better than the derrivative film tie-ins I remember from before I returned to gaming.

Portal 2 takes you for a lab rat, and you are soon jumping through hoops to escape your testing facility. After the first game Portal 2 had a lot to live up to, happily it quickly allays these fears.

Heavy Rain frustrates as much as it moves and endears us. This podcast is a chance for our writers to figure out why.

Dead Island may have enjoyed an internet viral hit with its emotive, cinematic first trailer, but its the gameplay that will need to impress if Dead Island is to standout in the over crowded zombie genre.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters will be hard pushed to give players the feeling of wielding the full potential of a Green Lantern power ring, a device that can create anything the user can imagine.

This week in the family gaming show I talk about Fable 3 on PC, more Portal 2, LA Noire and a little look ahead to E3. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

I reviewed Resident Evil 5 with this ode to zombies. Do you remember? Either way, here's the rest of the story: how it happened and what it led to in my little world.

Hunted: The Demon's Forge takes its co-op action cues from the Gears of War series but with a healthy dose of fantasy and loot collection it still feels distinct.

Blackstar promises to unite players by removing the iPhone/Android platform barrier we have grown all too accustomed, while the free-to-play model should ensure a high head-count.

on paper, Square Enix's recent offering, Nier, sounds like a fairly intriguing prospect. an epic-scale fantasy adventure that utilises standard 3rd person 3D, top-down RPG style 2D and side-scrolling platformer style 2D perspectives, depending on the specific scenario.

Fable 3 creates a memorable fantasy in Albion that is ultimately let down by a limited combat system, brief storyline and several failed attempts at streamlining. Explore the game at your own leisure though and it becomes something altogether more enjoyable.

Ratchet and Clank:All 4 One brings four-player co-op to the blockbuster cartoon sci-fi series. The big question is how this strong single player experience can transition to co-operative play and how strong local and online support will be.

Gotham City Impostors brings team-based shooting to Batman's home town, but could prove a hard sell to fans of a character who famously never uses a gun.

Thor: God of Thunder 360 is a bit too restrictive in its brawling to give the player a sense of god-like power, but is still a highly enjoyable and authentic prequel to the movie.

Stacking didn't have me rushing to get under the skin of its nested dolls concept. Once inside though I found an intuitive and enjoyably challenging non-linear adventure that redefined my expectations.

Bioshock Infinite leaves Rapture behind in favour of a whole new anachronistic, politicised city. Developers Irrational Games return to the series to introduce the floating utopia of Columbia.

InFamous 2 continues the electrifying story of Cole McGrath, unwitting superhero and lightning-wrangler with new powers, a new enemy and a new city.

APB Reloaded gives the ill-fated massively-multiplayer cops 'n robbers a second chance with the free to play game site GamersFirst.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective DS is a flamboyant mystery adventure. Although quite simple to traverse, its charismatic characters and unique concepts are engaging and memorable, raising microcosms of fate and responsibility.

Soul Calibur 5 battles for mind-share with a 2012 release newly slated for 360 and PS3. While details are still scarce the franchise's hard hitting bladed combat and convoluted story are still a force to be reckoned with.

Lucius takes a novel twist on a classic horror story and gives players the opportunity to play out a diabolical plan.

We're having a lot of fun with co-operative board game Forbidden Island at the moment. Simply put, it's the best family game we've ever played. Even our six year old can make a meaningful contribution and it holds her interest for the 30-40 minute duration, which is saying something believe me.

Alice: Madness Returns follows American McGee's Alice, release back in 2000. Picking up eleven years after the original, Alice is now in her twenties and more in control of her delusions as she once again jumps through the looking glass.

so, how do you make the sequel to a modest, experimental puzzle game that went from bonus extra in a first-person shooter boxset to indie-esque mega-hit? well, Portal 2 is Valve's answer, and i think they might just be correct. [tick]

Ferrari Challenge Wii is a promising proposition, but ultimatley it doesn't deliver a genuine racing experience. If it were a car it'd be a Kia Rio. Let me explain.

A New Beginning aims to bring a cinematic, tense, globe-trotting eco-thriller to the point-and-click adventure genre.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 will only be the second main Final Fantasy game to spawn a direct sequel. Are there hints of bigger things to come?

Disney Universe reveals that it's a little big world after all, with a 4-player multiplayer customisable platformer.

Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess is an incredibly charming game with an equally charismatic lead protagonist, The Duke -- who is economically and effectively controlled with just the D-pad and X.

This week we talk about Portal's ideas, character and struggles with delivering an adequate sequel.

Monster Hunter comes to the PS3 after a couple of false starts. But this is no longer in the form of previously promised Monster Hunter Tri (Wii conversion), but an HD version of the (unreleased in Europe/US and PSP-native) game Monster Hunter Portable 3rd.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a fascinating technical achievement. It combines characters and style from the original while create an experience that is every bit as challenging.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn hits the big screen at Christmas 2011. As a huge fan of the books I've been reading since childhood, would a game tie-in give me the chance to finally enter a familiar world?

Dirt 3 sets out its stall for the future. However, it's the sense that this game knows what's important and where it has come from that gives it a real sense of soul.

Driver: Renegade 3DS promises a return to the feel of the first Driver game's movie car-chases and Starsky and Hutch appeal.

LA Noire stops the clock for a painstakingly detailed 1940's LA and an experience as personal and unsettling as any film or TV series.

Call of Juarez: The Cartel leaves the old West in favour of a more modern era. Three player co-op and a good range of city and desert locations still distinguish the game, but will the loss of cowboys and real world problems in Juarez could sour things for fans.

Captain America: Super Soldier is Sega's second Marvel movie tie-in of 2011, following on from May's Thor: God of Thunder. This action platformer will allow players to wield Cap's shield against the forces of Hydra at the height of World War II.

Sackboy's Progress: Two tiny pilgrims journey to the wilds of the In-The-Net find adventure, hardship, and wonder. A review of LittleBigPlanet2 in the form of a short story.

Star Fox 64 3DS modes revealed along with a novel use of the 3DS inner camera and tilt controls.

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon brings us more chaotic fire fights, massive insects and of the return of the jet pack. Happily, it seems to be keenly aware of what make the franchise popular and is sticking to it, despite a change in developer.

Yoostar 2: In the Movies is currently offering something a little different to gamers looking to carry on celebrating the wedding of the century.

Deus Ex Human Revolution returns to the origins of its enhanced-humanity drama to offer players a living world and the chance for personal expression.

Kinect Me looks like it will bring a Windows Phone 7 rendering of your social world to the Xbox 360. It's a presentation popular on the iPad's Flipboard application and enables users to view their social content in a newspaper presentation. Add in hands-free controls and this looks rather interesting.

Wii-Party offers more variety than a board game can. Although the pressure of time limits and reactions is sometimes too much tension for the kids, the grownups in our family can't stop playing it.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 distinguishes itself from the military shooter crowd through technical prowess and good design rather than story or emotions. Its open levels, choreographed sequences and environmental destruction make it a first person game-changer.

Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3DS is the green shoots of third party buy in to the new console. A new Metal Gear game is big news on any platform, on a Nintendo system it's all the more surprising.

Carrier Command: Gaea Mission returns classic command strategy to the PC. Most importantly though it extends its powerful space opera saga.

We map Uncharted's progress through three iterations as the game that played the filmic card and won -- but then backed this up with gameplay and characters.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine will attempt to move from real time strategy to third person combat. By balancing both melee and long range combat it aims to differentiate Space Marines from other action games, but with the rich universe of Warhammer so heavily mimicked by other franchises it may struggle.

Sports Island brings its sporting minigames to the 3DS. But it will be motion controls, more than 3D visuals, that make or break this game.

I reviewed Hotel Dusk DS with this quirky number, as you may recall. But here's the inside scoop about how it happened and what it all meant to my cat Jabber.

Deponia is a fresh twist to the point-and-click adventure genre and offers traditional hand-drawn animation which feels like a welcome and timely shift.

Singularity is good, but borrows too heavily from elsewhere. Echoes of Dead Space, BioShock and Half-life 2 leave a distinct feeling of deja vu. The moments that really stayed with me after playing were those that capitalised on its B-Movie storyline, adventurous gameplay and standout set-pieces.

This week in the family gaming show Loz and I talk about LA Noire's open world 1940's LA, Flight Control HD on the iPad, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean and Ocarina of Time on the 3DS. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game bristles with high seas imagination. But beyond the portability of this visually impressive version, there are still a few holes in what has become the second tier of Lego games next to the Wii, 360 and PS3 versions. Long story short, bring back multiplayer.

Pirates of the Caribbean DS crams in a huge amount of content into the little DS. Even with all this though, the lack of multiplayer, some special abilities and reduced levels means that this feels second rate next to the Wii. Here's what our junior gamer made of it...

Dirt 3 returns with the same solid handling, but now seats it in an expanded range of locations, features and events. More of the same is by no means a bad thing here.

Arkham City takes centre stage for the next Batman game as we settle down for the long wait. In the meantime we have to console ourselves with the Wii/DS Batman - The Brave and the Bold.

BloodRayne: Betrayal moves to 2D on XBLA and PSN, but I wonder if the series can find a more engaging take on the busty vampire killer than previous juvenile outings.

The Darkness 2 continues the story of Jackie Estacado, a possessed member of the New York mob. It again works the same odd combination of mafia family wars and Satanism to create some bizarre, and strangely engaging, characters and scenarios.

Peppa Pig: The Game on the Nintendo Wii brings one of the most popular children's cartoons to the home console and is full of exciting minigames and activities. Playing as either Peppa or George, kids will instantly feel at ease with the simple Wii controls and the mixture of fun minigames means that there's an activity for everyone - even the parents! The easy gameplay and integration with Peppa Pig DS opens up a world of entertainment and education that's snortingly good fun for kids of all ages.

The Sly Trilogy PS3 offers three engaging platform games that combine fun characters with an engaging story. Together they create a coherent story that can be enjoyed by all the family - grownups as well as children.

Infamous 2 may not quite nail the periphery, but the central gameplay is as strong as ever. Those looking for a role to play will find one here, but it does require some investment on the part of the player.

El Shaddai is released in its native Japan to critical acclaim, amidst a flurry of apocryphal merchandise.

Prey 2's enemies will respond differently depending on how you approach them. It's a small change but something that signals a wider reworking of the balance between role play, shooting and puzzling of the original.

Peppa Pig: The Game is a pleasantly packaged set of Wii distractions perfectly pitched at Peppa's pre-school fan base.

3D Space Tank provides the nostalgic buzz that retro games often fail to deliver, while at the same time creating a genuinely large-scale adventure on a small console.

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures blurs the line between games and toys. Aimed at six to twelve year olds it connects its thirty-two collectable figures with characters and abilities in the game.

Orient Bazaar is a Lego game about the simple pleasures of buying and selling precious artefacts. Provided you are willing to adjudicate now and again it's an engaging family game.

LittleBigPlanet 2 promises to be all things to all men. Or women. Or Sack people. I found that in looking for it to realise my creativity I nearly missed the multiplayer fun it had to offer.

Battlefield 3 won't revolutionise the shooter genre, but with subtlety and confidence in its strategic take on warfare I'm as excited about this game as I have ever been.

Battlefield 3 consolidates its latent PC shooting gameplay with improved animations and more extensive environmental destruction. Although the 360 and PS3 versions can't deliver the PC's 64 man shoot-outs, Battlefield 3 still promises to be impressive whatever platform you play it on.

Track Mania 2 Canyon refines the racing model and track creation tools to make it even more accessible and fun for you to jump into for the first time.

there's a saying in poker circles: "never play cards with a dying man". the point (which i'll elaborate even though it's obvious) is that you never want to gamble against someone who has nothing to lose.

Crysis 2 is has its flaws, but it also has its strengths. Beyond this mix of fortunes though, I just can't get comfortable spending my leisure time in such a real world setting - war-torn New York.

Wii-Sports Resort is still the most captivating experience on the Wii, and for good reason. Nothing better demonstrates the Wii's ability to entertain a wide range of gamers. With the MotionPlus Wii-mote attachment it offers divinely nuanced controls to create the King of motion controls. It'll be interesting to see how Kinect's energetic or Move's depth-aware motions compare to MotionPlus' fidelity.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the novel, is marketed as a faithful game-to-book adaptation of the in-game adventures. That is exactly what it is, less clear however is who would read something like this.

We discuss art game Flower. Just how did this unusual game about petals wheedle its way into out affections, and what on earth should you play next?

Star Wars: The Old Republic PC plans to show us MMOs can tell a gripping story. While most MMOs focus on combat, exploration and character progression, The Old Republic will have BioWare's usual focus on narrative.

Marvel Vs Capcom is a spectacle, pitting stars from both Marvel and Capcom rosters against each other in explosive tag team battles. But for all of the bravado it may inspire it takes time to master, something that may prove too much for some.

This week in the family gaming show Loz and I talk about what it so unusual about the FPS Brink, and bring in Paul Wedgwood, CEO of Splash Damage to set us straight. Carcassonne iPad and Star Patrol on DSi-ware also get the family gaming treatment. Also broadcast on Kerrang Radio.

Virtua Tennis 4 motion controls create enjoyable family moments. These are hampered by the one-size-fits-all approach that hampers the Wii implementation because of the Kinect limitations (such as only supporting two players).

Virtua Tennis 4 offers an exuberant Kinect mode that initially impresses. However, because it's not integrated into the main game, and doesn't support more than two players it was more a novelty than ongoing interest.

Animal Crossing: Let's Go To The City may seem an unlikely past time for a board game family, but it slowly drew us in and wrapped us up with the minutiae of its rich island. This is something we'd not experienced in a board game.

Stranger's Wrath PS3 brings the filmic platforming of Oddworld into High Definition. What was once an Microsoft exclusive should now give a new audience the chance to see what they missed.

Project Gotham Racing 4 360 appealed to my journalistic attention to motoring detail. In particular it rolls out a note perfect Mini Cooper that is to die for.

AfterZoom will follow up the popular Augmented Reality games on the 3DS with a DSi-ware title that pulls off the same trick.

Dragon Age II has deep, character-driven subplots but to find them you have to deal with a tedious, repetitive world. I'm too old now for games to feel like this much work.

Brink is a pastiche of different games, but with a clear vision of what it means to bring these things together. It's a first person running game like Mirror's Edge, it melds single and multiplayer like Left 4 Dead and it brings pixel perfect PC shooting to a console audience like Team Fortress -- but somehow it isn't the car crash it could have been.

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain iPhone/iPad efficiently translates the classic Fighting Fantasy gamebook to Apple devices, providing a welcome chance for YOU to be the hero once more...

A recently discovered epic poem tells the story of four knights and their desperate quest to find entertainment. Based on Castle Crashers for Playstation 3 available through PSN.

Okamiden DS is a perfectly formed adorable adventure that feels more like Zelda than both Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. While on the original DS it's technically impressive, well written and beautiful to look at, put it in a 3DS and it turns into something rather magical.

Sesame Street: Ready Set Grover may sound like a franchise led game, but in fact promises to be another nugget of imaginative genius from Double Fine. The combination of their theatrical storytelling with Kinect-led gameplay is just as significant as the Sesame Street branding.

Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter DS blends serious and friendly elements in unexpected ways. Difficult and convoluted themes deepen the microcosm, but risk making it inaccessible.

Kingdom Hearts Re:coded debuts on the DS as a light hearted adventure. Eventually though, this is let down by disappointing controls and a nonsensical Disney meets The Matrix story.

From Dust 360/PS3 has created a stunning palette of visuals and mechanics, but I wonder if it has have the convincing to find equally fresh incentives for gameplay without falling back on the usual gaming memes.

hardly not even just six months after EA got together with Criterion to give us Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, the unceasingly generous scoundrels in their department of brumbrum have now joined forces with Slightly Mad to give us all Shift 2: Unleashed.

We discuss what makes Plants vs Zombies such a universally embraced game, and why hardcore gamers are playing catchup with these sorts of titles.

Despite not managing to create a coherent experience, Steel Diver offers a technical tense drama with a unique atmosphere. I suspect that many players will want to see more of the elements that make Steel Diver great.

Need for Speed The Run gives the original developer, EA's Black Box, a chance to show what they can do with the franchise -- with everyone else having had a go, it only seems fair. The biggest risk here is not that it will be a bad game, but that the Need for Speed brand will finally hit its saturation point and evaporate into thin air.

The next Wii will no doubt headline some surprising technology, but like the 3DS it's consolidation of interactions, connectivity and visual technology will be the more important story.

I reviewed Flower PS3 with a little ditty, that part you know. But here's the whole story about how it happened and what it all meant to the universe.

This week Loz and I talk about Sword and Sorcery on iPad, upcoming Kinect games and Section 8 Prejudice.

Stacking: The Lost Hobo King XBLA takes Charlie Blackmore to the Hobo kingdom of Camelfoot in a snappily self-contained downloadable adventure.

The 3DS, has been blessed with one of the greatest fighting games of all time, Super Street Fighter IV. The game leaps from the 2D sprite bashing fest it once was, into a lenticular 3D spectacular.

Plants vs. Zombies is Night of the Living Dead meets Day of the Triffids. It delivers more mileage than you'd expect, with a huge variety of ways to defend your garden from the living dead.

You might sometimes find you've got half an hour on your hands and just enough willpower to resist turning on the telly. Or maybe you've got friends over and you're sitting lethargically at the table after a meal and fancy a bit of light relief before the politics, religion and philosophy begin.

We Dance Wii is a new dance game from the makers of We Sing. It promises support for up-to four players simultaneously and takes videogame dancing in a classical ballroom and latin direction.

We discuss how Alan Wake evokes a sense of place and then loses us in it as we career to an never ending stream of distant lights. We end up seeing it as one of a very few grownup games that aren't embarrassing to be caught playing.

Mortal Kombat gets a series reboot. But rather than a stripped back arcade original, my friends and I found a game aimed squarely at us -- and anyone after some blood drenched raucous fighting fun at home.

FreeJack PC stands out among free-to-play online games, with parkour moves and streetwise characters.

Pilotwings Resort is Nintendo's light-hearted 3DS flight simulation that provides a perfect opportunity to show off just what the 3DS can do. No huge scares here, unless you are sensitive to sheer drops, high speeds and generally running out of fuel a few thousand feet in the air.

Although Conduit 2 obviously isn't designed for me, I appreciated how accessible a version of these games my son enjoys it is. Even I could cope with the controls and pull off the odd head-shot (as I understand it is called).

Plastic Animal Chess has become something of an Internet meme in the few days since its invention by an eight year old. Here are the rules so you can try it for yourself.

i wouldn't describe myself as a big golf fan. for most of the year, if i stumble across televised play whilst flicking, then i'll likely move on. and yet, as seems to be true for a surprisingly large number of people, there is one event that has always captured my dedicated attention in a way that far surpasses all its peers - The Masters.

Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games Wii may only be a re-release of the original game, but that in itself is no bad thing. It will be interested to see whether the 3DS version is closer to the Wii or old DS experience -- as a sign of things to come for the new handheld system as much as for this game in its own right.

This is Brutal Legend, a review in the form of a short story. Given a new lease of life by his death, Eddie wants to do things his own way. But isn't there a reason things are done the they are?

Costume Quest: Grubbins on Ice XBLA revisits the trick-or-treaters in winter, expanding the story out of season and away from this world as they visit the monster kingdom of Repugia for a short, fun adventure.

Outland draws ideas from Prince of Persia, Ikaruga and Limbo. While these are undoubtedly interesting sources, the real question is whether they can be combined into one compelling experience.

Five second reviews. Written, folded and photographed by hand for your pleasure. My haikvu's bring you bite sized hand sculpted game reviews. They combine the Japanese art of origami with haiku poetry.

Mass Effect 2 is one chapter in a greater story. This is both its biggest strength and its greatest weakness: middle-act syndrome. However, although less fleshed out than the original, it manages to display atmosphere, character and its clever implementation of choices to create an immensely enticing role to play.

Stacking is an unsettling mesh of industrial revolution, socialism and stacking Russian dolls. However, it's the layered solutions to each puzzle and wonderfully simple interface that really makes this something special.

World Rally Championship PS3 doesn't fare much better electronically than it currently does in real life. Although it's great to see a sensible and level headed approach to rallying, none of that mattered because it simply failed to deliver a believable experience.

When Beyond Good and Evil was first released, I was too busy drinking vodka and watching Cheers in Norwegian to notice. Ah, university.

Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition may sounds like more of the same, but for aficionados this is a whole new world jetting in from the Japanese arcades.

Operation Flashpoint Red River thinks it needs to be Battlefield or Call of Duty, when in fact we love it for being itself. When it comes to realistic and open battles, Red River happily continues the rich Operation Flashpoint tradition that although less popular is a much more engaging war game.

This week we talk about Stacking's compact gameplay, open structure and paradoxical mix of sinister fun.

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record expands on the Fortune City outbreak of Dead Rising 2, and brings back Frank West for some zombie slaying action. More than the light DLC expansions of Case Zero and Case West this will be a full disc based game.

X Rebirth returns the X series to a new beginning, and fresh opportunities for Egosoft's take on the combat space trading genre popularised by Elite and Frontier.

Michael Jackson: The Experience adds his classic moves to the Just Dance formula on the Wii. Our junior gamer tried it out, with a little help from her dad, before having a go on the 360 Kinect and PS3 Move versions to see how they compared...

Michael Jackson: The Experience on Kinect is very different to the Wii and PS3 version. Controller-less dancing is not without its hitches but the freedom of movement it creates feels more than worth it.

Michael Jackson: The Experience brings Just Dance to the PlayStation 3. Rather than simply replicating the Wii game's success, singing, choreography options, videos and pictures make this the definitive version -- providing the King of Pop is to your taste.

Donkey Kong Country Returns was difficult to connect with directly, but I enjoyed playing tourist in someone else's fondly-remembered microcosm.

Dawn of War 2: Retribution brings the magic of 40k to the gaming masses. Even without the painstaking application of Bilious Green, Chaos Black and Ultramarine Blue, it still manages to create a meaningful tabletop battle experience.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole is a flight combat game based on the 3D CGI film of the same name that while being worth a look, lacks depth, has some key weaknesses and will likely struggle to deliver for its target audience.

Legend of the Guardians Wii is an unusual game, putting the player in the role of an owl. However, unusual protagonist aside, the generic fantasy plot and shaky gameplay make for a mediocre game.

Like both its predecessors, Lego Star Wars III offers plenty of frustration, but is ultimately saved by its smart levels and irresistible charm. Gameplay additions, improved graphics and The Clone Wars' distinctive visual style make up for nuisances still present after seven games in the Lego series.

Dead Rising 2: Case West drops the hyperbole as it dials in on the story's darker side. But without the clowning around and lampoonery it loses itself between earnestness and debauchery.

Wii Play: Motion resolves the Wii's fiddly pointing mechanic with an update of the launch title that now leverages MotionPlus. It joins Wii-Sports Resort and Wii-Party to create a tour de force of Wii minigames.

for some reason that failed to become fully apparent despite literally moments of Internet searching, the beefed up Big Air Edition of 2009's snowboarding tip StokEd - which was unleashed in North America only a few months after the original - has only recently arrived on these here shores.

More details emerge as we draw closer to the release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. Not only a re-mastered version of the epic original but it also benefits from a streamlined touch-screen interface that offers some newly implemented motion controls.

Red Johnson's Chronicles PSN is a dark pulp fiction story with a dash of humour that promises to create an intriguing modern twist on the point and click adventure.

Portal 2 needs to expand on the original without losing its sense of scale or character. No small task, but if anyone can pull it off Valve can.

Rocksmith turns music games into genuine educational experiences by letting you plug in a real guitar.

Forza 3 impresses on a technical front, but still feels sterile next to the real thing. For all its bells and whistles it still lacks Gran Turismo's spark of life.

Forget what you know about Ace Attorney, Ghost Trick is fresh, logical and engrossing. The only comparison that does justice to its story, visuals and puzzles is Portal.

Peppa Pig Theme Park Fun is another impressive game for really young players. A story and more involved challenges join the physics based fun. Our junior gamer gives us the low down.

ExerBeat is Namco Bandai's fitness game aiming to deliver exercises for all ages. Just Dance influences on the exercise game may be no bad thing, as is the use of Mii's. The main novelty here is an increased focus on rhythm and timing in each of the 150 exercises.

This week we talk about Limbo's unusual aesthetic, edifying gameplay and general index of all that videogames usually aren't.

Homefront's Original Soundtrack works well in the game, but taken on its own merits lacks any real form.

Gears of War 3 benefits from a new graphics engine, while also finally delivering on the promise of four-player campaign co-op.

Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City will turn back the clock on Capcom's survival horror. Running concurrently with Resident Evil 2 and 3 it focuses on the Umbrella Corporations' Security Service as they try and cover up the effects of the deadly T-Virus.

what better format on which to release a new, ambitious point-and-click adventure than a console with a control system that allows you neither to point or to click? "several", you might think, but you'd be wrong, given that DTP's much anticipated (although not by me), Jane Jensen designed p-&-c puzzler Gray Matter has, in edition to the standard, makes-perfect-sense PC release, been ported to the Xbox 360.

Despicable Me Wii puts the player into the role of villain rather than hero, but the real criminal here is the bland and frustrating gameplay.

Virtua Tennis 4 creates a realistic tennis experience with its new PS3 Move controls. Even without being integrated into the main game and a lacklustre application of spin, the joy of real tennis is convincingly recreated for those with a genuine interest in the sport.

Even with a different pallet and game structure Dark Souls is still the spiritual successor to cult PS3 exclusive Demon's Souls. Maybe the biggest difference is its arrival on the 360 as well as Sony's console.

Executive Forces, a short story review based on Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars for the Nintendo 3DS. A covert military unit employs ultimate sanction against the enemy; at least that's what is in the script. Is the director being led astray by fabled military advisor Doug Trenches?