Gears of War 2: Hands-On PreviewPublisher: Microsoft Games Studios
Platform: Xbox 360 Exclusive
Release Date: 7/11/2008

There’s a simple fact that everyone has to learn to face about Gears of War and that is that, no matter how much you might like it, it isn’t really as revolutionary as the reputation it has built around itself might suggest.

Sure, it’s fun to play and the co-op campaign is a great excuse to murder your best friends when they don’t lay down the covering fire you so desperately need – but at the core of it, it’s pretty much the same as many games which have gone before.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear SkyPlatform: PC Exclusive
Publisher:Deep Silver
UK Price as reviewed:£17.99 with free delivery
US Price as reviewed:$39.99 with free delivery

It's been 18 months since we last STALKED through the shadows of Chernobyl and now we're back to do it again with Clear Sky in the prequel to the first game in this survival FPS franchise.

We loved the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. for its gritty edge, cool weapons, creepy enemies and inventory system that harked back to classics adventure games like

Gears of War 2: Hands-On PreviewPublisher: Microsoft Games Studios
Platform: Xbox 360 Exclusive
Release Date: 7/11/2008

There’s a simple fact that everyone has to learn to face about Gears of War and that is that, no matter how much you might like it, it isn’t really as revolutionary as the reputation it has built around itself might suggest.

Sure, it’s fun to play and the co-op campaign is a great excuse to murder your best friends when they don’t lay down the covering fire you so desperately need – but at the core of it, it’s pretty much the same as many games which have gone before.

Mount & BladePublisher:Paradox Interactive
Platform: PC
Price:€24.99 (download)

These days, much is discussed about the demise of the PC as a gaming platform and the rise of console exclusivity. Whether or not you agree that PC games are a dying breed, there is some truth to the rumour. More often we review games that either never even see a PC release, or only see a PC release months after the initial console release.

Mount & BladePublisher:Paradox Interactive
Platform: PC
Price:€24.99 (download)

These days, much is discussed about the demise of the PC as a gaming platform and the rise of console exclusivity. Whether or not you agree that PC games are a dying breed, there is some truth to the rumour. More often we review games that either never even see a PC release, or only see a PC release months after the initial console release.

Final Fantasy IV DSPlatform:DS, Retro
Publisher:Square Enix
UK Price (as reviewed):£24.99 (free delivery)
US Price (as reviewed):$39.99 (free delivery)

Final Fantasy is a franchise that I’ve had an awful lot of trouble with over the years and, before I really got into console gaming as much as I am into PC gaming, I have to admit that I had the same misconceptions about it that a lot of people have. Namely that I thought

On Our Desk – 13It’s that time again – when we gather up all the assorted gadgets and gizmos, sort the odds from the bits, put the ends with the bobs, search all the nooks for the dribs and the crannies for the drabs. The result is this review and an office that’s left looking spic.

Yes, that’s pretty much a direct rip-off of a Michael MacIntyre joke, but ho-hum. Here’s another one to balance it out.

So, what have we got in to look at this time? What miscellaneous packages have turned up unannounced on our doorsteps, been left behind by PR spokespeople or been stolen from the small ginger orphans who run around the

Multiwinia: Survival of The FlattestPublisher:Introversion Software
Platform:PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox 360
UK Price as reviewed:£15 Digital Download
US Price as reviewed:$24.90 Digital Download

Introversion are pretty much held up as the last of the UK’s bedroom-coders-done-good and their sudden and dramatic rise to geek stardom with games like DEFCON, Uplink and Darwinia is a story that has been well-told elsewhere. The important thing though is that their latest game,

Multiwinia: Survival of The FlattestPublisher:Introversion Software
Platform:PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox 360
UK Price as reviewed:£15 Digital Download
US Price as reviewed:$24.90 Digital Download

Introversion are pretty much held up as the last of the UK’s bedroom-coders-done-good and their sudden and dramatic rise to geek stardom with games like DEFCON, Uplink and Darwinia is a story that has been well-told elsewhere. The important thing though is that their latest game,

Monster Madness: Grave DangerPublisher:South Peak Games
Platform:Playstation 3
UK Price (as reviewed):£24.99 (inc. Delivery)
US Price (as reviewed):$38.99 (inc. Delivery)

Some things are destined to go together. Some things fit so well together that they are virtually inseparable in the imaginations of Joe Public.

Gin and tonic. Cheese and onion. Fish and chips. Zombies and computer games.

Roy Taylor on Physics, AI and making games funAt this year’s Nvision conference in San Jose, I managed to catch up with Roy Taylor to talk about some of the current issues surrounding the gaming industry. Roy is vice president of content relations at Nvidia and is also head of the marketing sub-committee in the PC Gaming Alliance, which means he spends a lot of his time talking with gamers, developers and some of the big industry decision makers.

Roy Taylor on Physics, AI and making games funAt this year’s Nvision conference in San Jose, I managed to catch up with Roy Taylor to talk about some of the current issues surrounding the gaming industry. Roy is vice president of content relations at Nvidia and is also head of the marketing sub-committee in the PC Gaming Alliance, which means he spends a lot of his time talking with gamers, developers and some of the big industry decision makers.

The Witcher: Enhanced EditionPublisher:Atari
Platform: PC Exclusive
UK Price (as reviewed):£12.79 (inc. Delivery) - standard
US Price (as reviewed):$39.50 (inc. Delivery) - enhanced

If you’re a regular bit-tech reader then you’ll probably already know that we’ve had a fair old bit of bug-related controversy as of late – though if you aren’t a regular reader then you don’t have to take our word for it. You can just check out our

Shattered Horizon PreviewPublisher:Futuremark
Platforms: PC
Release Date: 2009 TBC

It's been eight months since Futuremark, the developer best known for its benchmarking software, surprisingly announced its intention to get into the games development industry following the formation of Futuremark Games Studio. At the time, the developer said it planned to start releasing games very soon, but things went quiet soon after and we heard very little from the wannabe game developer from then on.

Mercenaries 2: World in FlamesPlatforms:PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Publisher:EA
UK Price (as reviewed):£26.99 (free delivery)
US Price (as reviewed):$49.99 (free delivery)

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is a game that presents itself as being built on two simple concepts: Go anywhere, destroy anything. All well and good perhaps, but the reality is that the concept is actually much simpler and Mercenaries 2

OpoonaPlatform: Wii
PublisherKoei
UK Price (as reviewed):£29.99 (free delivery)
US Price (as reviewed):$45.99 (free delivery)

Opoona surprised me when it first turned up on my desk, partly because I wasn’t expecting Tim to throw it at me quite as violently as he did and partly because where I grew up in Derbyshire a Poona was a slang term for something rather unsanitary. I won’t detail what.

Regardless, I was somewhat intrigued by the promise of a casual Japanese RPG adventure on the Wii, if only because it seemed to be a concept built entirely from buzzwords. In fact, I’m not sure a Japanese casual RPG adventure is something that is entirely possible.

Crysis WarheadPublisher:Electronic Arts
Platform: PC Exclusive
UK Price (as reviewed):£14.99 (inc. Delivery)
US price (as reviewed):$27.99 (inc. Delivery)

The best games always start with a bang of some form or another, whether that’s the emotional impact of Alyx getting impaled at the start of Episode Two or the more literal explosions and ricochets that mark the beginning of Crysis Warhead.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour '09Platform:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii
Publisher:EA Sports
UK price (as reviewed):£39.99 (free delivery)
US price (as reviewed):$58.99 (free delivery)

I may as well get this out in the open before we go on, otherwise it’ll be unearthed in some forum discussion later on and people will start shouting at me; I’m not a big golfing fan.

In fact, as my ever expanding paunch will prove, I’m not a fan of any sport really, except perhaps for Competitive Whinging. I’ve got two left feet on my wrists and a mis-wired co-ordination system salvaged from a broken torch, the combined result of which means that I always get picked last in sporting events.

FacebreakerPlatforms:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii
Publisher: EA Sports
UK Price as reviewed:£39.99 with free delivery
US Price as reviewed:$48.99 with free delivery

Beat-em-up games are the bread and butter of the console games industry and there’s a good number of well-known franchises out there ranging which have either well-earned or are on their way to earning status as household names. Mortal Kombat

SporePlatform:PC, Mac, DS
Publisher:Electronic Arts
UK Price (as reviewed):£29.99 (free delivery)
US Price (as reviewed):$49.99 (free delivery)

It’s here, it’s here! Spore is finally here! Jump from the rooftops, swing from the rafters, w00t from IRC and perform other rituals to express glee, disbelief and celebration!

Or, if you’re like me and are suffering from an awful pre-winter, post-holiday cold; cough, sputter, attempt to smile and then collapse back into your office chair, sending up a billowing cloud of dust, shed human skin and germs. Cough, cough, die. Ugh.

SporePlatform:PC, Mac, DS
Publisher:Electronic Arts
UK Price (as reviewed):£29.99 (free delivery)
US Price (as reviewed):$49.99 (free delivery)

It’s here, it’s here! Spore is finally here! Jump from the rooftops, swing from the rafters, w00t from IRC and perform other rituals to express glee, disbelief and celebration!

Or, if you’re like me and are suffering from an awful pre-winter, post-holiday cold; cough, sputter, attempt to smile and then collapse back into your office chair, sending up a billowing cloud of dust, shed human skin and germs. Cough, cough, die. Ugh.

On Our Desk – 13It’s that time again – when we gather up all the assorted gadgets and gizmos, sort the odds from the bits, put the ends with the bobs, search all the nooks for the dribs and the crannies for the drabs. The result is this review and an office that’s left looking spic.

Yes, that’s pretty much a direct rip-off of a Michael MacIntyre joke, but ho-hum. Here’s another one to balance it out.

So, what have we got in to look at this time? What miscellaneous packages have turned up unannounced on our doorsteps, been left behind by PR spokespeople or been stolen from the small ginger orphans who run around the

Mount & BladePublisher:Paradox Interactive
Platform: PC
Price:€24.99 (download)

These days, much is discussed about the demise of the PC as a gaming platform and the rise of console exclusivity. Whether or not you agree that PC games are a dying breed, there is some truth to the rumour. More often we review games that either never even see a PC release, or only see a PC release months after the initial console release.

OpoonaPlatform: Wii
PublisherKoei
UK Price (as reviewed):£29.99 (free delivery)
US Price (as reviewed):$45.99 (free delivery)

Opoona surprised me when it first turned up on my desk, partly because I wasn’t expecting Tim to throw it at me quite as violently as he did and partly because where I grew up in Derbyshire a Poona was a slang term for something rather unsanitary. I won’t detail what.

Regardless, I was somewhat intrigued by the promise of a casual Japanese RPG adventure on the Wii, if only because it seemed to be a concept built entirely from buzzwords. In fact, I’m not sure a Japanese casual RPG adventure is something that is entirely possible.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear SkyPlatform: PC Exclusive
Publisher:Deep Silver
UK Price as reviewed:£17.99 with free delivery
US Price as reviewed:$39.99 with free delivery

It's been 18 months since we last STALKED through the shadows of Chernobyl and now we're back to do it again with Clear Sky in the prequel to the first game in this survival FPS franchise.

We loved the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. for its gritty edge, cool weapons, creepy enemies and inventory system that harked back to classics adventure games like

FacebreakerPlatforms:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii
Publisher: EA Sports
UK Price as reviewed:£39.99 with free delivery
US Price as reviewed:$48.99 with free delivery

Beat-em-up games are the bread and butter of the console games industry and there’s a good number of well-known franchises out there ranging which have either well-earned or are on their way to earning status as household names. Mortal Kombat

FacebreakerPlatforms:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii
Publisher: EA Sports
UK Price as reviewed:£39.99 with free delivery
US Price as reviewed:$48.99 with free delivery

Beat-em-up games are the bread and butter of the console games industry and there’s a good number of well-known franchises out there ranging which have either well-earned or are on their way to earning status as household names. Mortal Kombat

FacebreakerPlatforms:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii
Publisher: EA Sports
UK Price as reviewed:£39.99 with free delivery
US Price as reviewed:$48.99 with free delivery

Beat-em-up games are the bread and butter of the console games industry and there’s a good number of well-known franchises out there ranging which have either well-earned or are on their way to earning status as household names. Mortal Kombat

Mercenaries 2: World in FlamesPlatforms:PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Publisher:EA
UK Price (as reviewed):£26.99 (free delivery)
US Price (as reviewed):$49.99 (free delivery)

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is a game that presents itself as being built on two simple concepts: Go anywhere, destroy anything. All well and good perhaps, but the reality is that the concept is actually much simpler and Mercenaries 2

Mercenaries 2: World in FlamesPlatforms:PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Publisher:EA
UK Price (as reviewed):£26.99 (free delivery)
US Price (as reviewed):$49.99 (free delivery)

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is a game that presents itself as being built on two simple concepts: Go anywhere, destroy anything. All well and good perhaps, but the reality is that the concept is actually much simpler and Mercenaries 2

Final Fantasy IV DSPlatform:DS, Retro
Publisher:Square Enix
UK Price (as reviewed):£24.99 (free delivery)
US Price (as reviewed):$39.99 (free delivery)

Final Fantasy is a franchise that I’ve had an awful lot of trouble with over the years and, before I really got into console gaming as much as I am into PC gaming, I have to admit that I had the same misconceptions about it that a lot of people have. Namely that I thought

Tiger Woods PGA Tour '09Platform:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii
Publisher:EA Sports
UK price (as reviewed):£39.99 (free delivery)
US price (as reviewed):$58.99 (free delivery)

I may as well get this out in the open before we go on, otherwise it’ll be unearthed in some forum discussion later on and people will start shouting at me; I’m not a big golfing fan.

In fact, as my ever expanding paunch will prove, I’m not a fan of any sport really, except perhaps for Competitive Whinging. I’ve got two left feet on my wrists and a mis-wired co-ordination system salvaged from a broken torch, the combined result of which means that I always get picked last in sporting events.

SporePlatform:PC, Mac, DS
Publisher:Electronic Arts
UK Price (as reviewed):£29.99 (free delivery)
US Price (as reviewed):$49.99 (free delivery)

It’s here, it’s here! Spore is finally here! Jump from the rooftops, swing from the rafters, w00t from IRC and perform other rituals to express glee, disbelief and celebration!

Or, if you’re like me and are suffering from an awful pre-winter, post-holiday cold; cough, sputter, attempt to smile and then collapse back into your office chair, sending up a billowing cloud of dust, shed human skin and germs. Cough, cough, die. Ugh.

Shattered Horizon PreviewPublisher:Futuremark
Platforms: PC
Release Date: 2009 TBC

It's been eight months since Futuremark, the developer best known for its benchmarking software, surprisingly announced its intention to get into the games development industry following the formation of Futuremark Games Studio. At the time, the developer said it planned to start releasing games very soon, but things went quiet soon after and we heard very little from the wannabe game developer from then on.

Shattered Horizon PreviewPublisher:Futuremark
Platforms: PC
Release Date: 2009 TBC

It's been eight months since Futuremark, the developer best known for its benchmarking software, surprisingly announced its intention to get into the games development industry following the formation of Futuremark Games Studio. At the time, the developer said it planned to start releasing games very soon, but things went quiet soon after and we heard very little from the wannabe game developer from then on.