Recently in Xbox 360 Category

Disney games sell and it's certainly no surprise to see one hitting the market before Christmas.

What did surprised me though was just how quirky and fun this title was.

This was the perfect game for me and my Disney mad kids with the game mixing up various environments from the world of Disney with some of the most loved characters.

The backdrops are superb as are the characters in a game that is essentially a platformer/beat-em up.

There is no revolutionary gaming on offer here but the characters and settings and the game's clear sense of fun make for an interesting cocktail.

Great fun, easy to follow and with plenty of unlockables.

Saints Row 3 is back in shameless, sensational fashion.

Forget serious storylines, that isn't Saints Row 3.

Forget subtle gameplay, that isn't Saints Row 3.

In a nutshell Saints Row 3 is a highly-charged, violent and unapologetic game that offers high-octane thrills and spills and lashings of thuggery and gang warfare.

The game sees you return to the Stillwater as part of the now notoriously famous Saints gang.

The plot is thinner Wayne Rooney's hair and as transparent as tracing paper, it is also as unrealistic as it could possilbly be.

None of this matters though, just sit back and take the game for what it is and enjoy the daftness of it all.

Great fun.

Score 3/5

Assassin's Creed is back and once again it oozes quality graphics and gameplay and promises gamers a real feast of adventure and intrigue.

This time around master assassin Ezio Auditore walks in the footsteps of his legendary mentor, Altaïr, on a journey of discovery and revelation.

Well that's the official line is, it's basically more of the same formula that made the earlier games a hit, plenty of assassinations, innovative gameplay and blisteringly good graphics.

The setting moves on from the familiar Italian setting and this time we have a wonderfully recreated Constantinople as the setting.

It's an altogether more polished experience with all aspects of the game having been slightly tweaked and improved. The multiplayer mode is now even more challenging and a lot more fun.

Another great new chapter in the franchise.

Score 4/5

If you are mourning the loss of the Harry Potter films after the thrilling end to the franchise on the big screen then fear not.

Once again the world of Harry Potter has been opened up for gamers to enjoy, in the style of lego!

This is the second Harry Potter compendium in the award winning Lego series and once again it is packed full of whimsical charm, magic and problem solving.

It it set during the last of the books/films and features all of the most popular characters and settings from the fantastical world of Potter and friends.

As with the first game the emphasis is very much on potions and spells and unlocking things as you go, there are plenty of foes to battle against and it's a riot from start to finish.

Kids and adults can happily play this together as they fly towards the ultimate showdown with the flat-nose Lord Voldemort.

This is a huge game with brilliant visuals and plenty of quirky gameplay. It pays homage to the mood of the Potter franchise and matches the humour and tragedy with the comedy and excitement quite brilliantly.

If you have played a Lego game before then this is everything you expect, if you haven't you should quickly grab a copy of Lego Star Wars because it's as brilliant as this.

Score 5/5

The Need For Speed series is back and this time it has a Cannonball Run style themed adventure as you take part in the illegal race The Run.

You have to get from San Francisco to New York as quick as you can and by any means necessary. There are no rules and no limits - but there are plenty of police.

Whilst the mechanics of the gam are nothing new at all really it does have a fantastic setting, superb storyline and you will enjoy tearing through the famous scenery.

Well worth a look.

4/5

Fallout 3 with dragons.

It sums the game up perfectly and would help entice even more gamers into the splendour of Skyrim.

The similarities between Bethesda's Fallout franchise and their latest game in the Elder Scrolls series are plentiful.

The combat system might not be the same but the ability to wander freely around vast, immersive landscapes encountering an array of weird and wonderful people and creatures is very similar.

As with Fallout 3 there is a core narrative throughout the game but the real wonder is lurching from one objective into a series of branching out missions.

There are always things to discover, places to visit and unexpected twists waiting for you.

Skyrim is a vast world, full of magic, mystique, companionship and brutality. As much as this is a fantasy adventure game it is also far more.

The makers revel in dropping you firmly in a world you know little of and the intention is to make you feel like you almost do actually have a whole world to discover.

Stumbling upon little villages and their communities is equally as enjoyable as fighting dragons and the like.

There are tanneries and ironmongers that you can visit to upgrade weapons and make goods and as you progress this becomes an important aspect of getting the most out of the game.

Role-play games over the years have been a mixed bag with games like Fable and Elder Scrolls really setting the benchmark, this though can lay claim to being the best.

I loved the Viking aspect of it all, wandering around in snowy Narnia-esque forests carrying huge iron swords and big metal shields is strangely captivating.

The combat aspect is at times cumbersome, but in a very good way, and then the magical elements throw in a whole other level of enjoyment and mastery.

The game will appeal to the more casual RPG gamer and the hardcore enthusiast alike, there is more accessibility and depth to cater for all.

As ever the emphasis is on the choices you make, you control your own fate and key decisions have an effect.

For example I encountered a loony old pensioner with an allotment, she was very friendly but her house was full of swag. I stupidly tried to pilfer a few precious stones and as a result she unleashed a bunch of blue lightning at me.


Personally I think the game is a triumph for the genre, aside from the grandiose nature, the excellent characters and narrative the game really succeeds in its beauty.

The landscapes are lush, the settings are perfect and you will walk round the game feeling like you really are exploring.

In short it sucks you in; such is the realism of the environments. The soundtrack to the game is also a real joy, haunting classical scores providing the perfect backdrop to a perfect RPG game.

Gaming doesn't get much better.

Score 5/5

Twenty years the little blue hedgehog has been hurtling through those rings at breakneck speeds.

20 years!

The world has changed so much but Sonic has stayed the same and evolved with the gaming industry and its many advancements.

The gameplay remains as solid and dependable as ever and still the perfect platform game in many ways.

This package is a homage to the past generations of the game with classic gameplay and settings revisited, re-worked and ready to be loved all over again.

This is the ultimate Sonic package and the perfect tribute to 20 years of genius.

Score 4/5

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LAST week we reviewed Battlefield 3, a game that clearly had pretentions of snatching the first-person shooter title from Call Of Duty.

Any game that is promoted by a tank driving through rush hour London picking up commuters has to be taken seriously.

Any big money EA title also has to be taken seriously, when EA spend big money on a game you know they mean business and slowly but surely they have been investing heavily in their shooters.

I was delighted to see Tintin recently at the cinemas, I grew up with the books and loved the excitement and intrigue of the comic books.

When I was growing up though computers were very much a new thing and whilst some computer games were genius they were nowhere near as sophisticated and impressive as they are now.

This movie tie-in I am delighted to say works really well, not just because of the subject matter but also because it has been well produced.

The game can be played as single or co-operative with players controlling the film's main characters Tintin, Snowy and Captain Haddock.

The game is a mix of 2D and 3D gaming with some fine platforming fun and funny combat.

Graphically the game is pretty good, it looks the part and there are really no complaints, the same can be said for the sound also.

If you want an all-round adventure that the kids will enjoy then this is a decent game.

It is advertised as a Kinect game but don't worry you can play it without. If you have got Kinect there are a few separate gameplay modes that add to the mix and give it further depth and enjoyment.

Great to see Herge's most famous son getting a new lease of life.