IGN

Evolution has managed to overcome that tricky second album syndrome by creating a game that recaptures everything that made MotorStorm great and at the same time has ironed out a lot of the problems that bugged the first game. Visually, it impresses just as much as the original, which is no mean feat considering two years have passed and pin-sharp high-def visuals are now commonplace. It’s fun to play too, both in single- and multiplayer, which is most important of all.

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift is a worthy follow-up to one of the PS3's early must-have titles. It fixes a lot of the outstanding issues from last time out, including offering many more tracks, and the course designs are fantastic. The vehicle mixes are sweet, and there are a ton of events to take on. It's not perfect (the Speed events can be a pain, for instance), and it isn't the breath of fresh air the first title was, but it's still extremely solid and racing fans would do well to pick it up.

I could go on and on with complaints, but know that I would never get to a point where I say that something is even remotely decent. This is a game worth avoiding like the plague, even if the classic remains deep and warm within your heart.

Go out and get your hands on BioShock -- you will thoroughly enjoy exploring the incredible story and the excellent action that the game is known for. However, if you've played the game before, or are expecting this to be the definitive version, that's can't be found here. Sure, the full trophy support and Survivor mode are great, and the Challenge Rooms could add a ton to the replayability (whenever it's implemented).

Blitz: The League II provides gamers with the quintessential mediocre package. Nothing in the game - - from the campaign to the online play to the extra game modes -- stands out, but nothing is so bad that people starved for games (how could you be?) and those who like over-the-top football shouldn’t give it a look.

It's a celebration of inspiration and human interaction and a hugely welcome, utterly invigorating experience among usual roster of nihilistic shooters jostling for shelf space this Christmas. It's like Bagpuss and LEGO and nostalgia met at the pub and invited everyone along -- and if the big grins and warm fuzzy feelings around the office are anything to go by every time we turn it on, LittleBigPlanet deserves all the recognition it can get.

Ultimately, it's difficult to see, really, what it adds to the original Saints Row, or indeed, the GTA-formula and the macho posturing and po-faced moral bankruptcy is likely to infuriate as many people as it enthralls. But Saints Row 2 demonstrates that there is still plenty of mileage to be eked out of open-world games, even the ones that aren't GTA IV. There's certainly enough here to keep any fans of sandbox violence entertained -- just remember, don't try it at home, kids, you'll get sand in your eyes.

For all its problems off the pitch, there’s no doubting that PES 2009 is the most fun football game on the market. There’s a nagging feeling that this is merely the game that the past iterations should have been, but there’s no denying that it plays as good a game as ever – which means for the neutral, the choice of which game to pledge their allegiance to is as hard as ever.

Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway does an excellent job of presenting the story of these men, and is as compelling as many war movies. While many of the franchise's traditional gameplay elements return, such as the tactical controls of squads, so do the issues associated with those controls. While the visuals are better, it still has a number of AI issues, making a title that's good, and even better than its console brethren, but not great.

While the concept of NBA Live "made fresh daily" is a good one, there are plenty of elements that make the gameplay feel stale or incomplete. The low post play and pick and roll features work great, but they're countered by a lackluster lockdown defense and odd tempo issues that hamper gameplay.