Electronic Arts GameCube Games

Def Jam Vendetta offers three game modes: Battle, where it's just you against up to three takers, Survival, in which you fight all comers until you lose and--where the real meat of the game takes place--Story, in which you fight as one of four brawlers. The journey begins at the Face Club where you step in for your injured pal Manny. From there you move on to other venues such as DMX's Junkyard and Ludacris's Club Luda and climb the ranks to the ultimate showdown with D-Mob. The route there isn't a cakewalk, but the more battles you win, the more money you make to upgrade your fighting attributes. Victories also bring the ladies calling. They literally fight for your attention--win a fight by playing as the newest girl to approach you and you'll unlock pictures of her in your photo gallery.

Action inside the ring is gritty and furious as you can lay down a multitude of moves and combinations with names like Hurtin' Unit, Spittin' Teef, Ghetto Thuggin', and Death Row Delivery, to name just a few. Momentum is key in building toward Blazin' Mode, in which you can utilise your signature move for the sure KO. In the meantime, though, there's still plenty of fun to be had in decking your opponents and watching them moan and writhe about in pain. --Larry White

EA have done their homework. The 10th year of FIFA doesn't just see the player names updated and few tweaks here and there--it's more of a mini revolution. There are two new modes of play, simulation and arcade play--one for the more tactical player who likes the fancy approach to play and the other for those more frenetic matches.

As usual, vast numbers of teams and players are included (still no Oxford Utd, though--Oxford Ed); all the big name players are instantly recognisable, Edgar Davids being one fantastic example. The tons of extra features include a new European tournament and loads of DVD clips. --Laurent S Hall

The big innovation this time round is the off-the-ball feature, and this really is a stroke of genius. It's fiddly to get to grips with, but basically when attacking, you can control a separate player as they run into space, ready to take receipt of a killer pass that splits the opposition defence open. It takes a little working at, but when it comes off, you'll be smug beyond belief. The feature itself genuinely adds an added tactical edge to a game that used to be wrongly dismissed as an arcade-style kickabout.

On top of that, there are the things that FIFA does better than anyone. The presentation, audio and visuals are superb from top to bottom, and the improvements to the club management side boost the game's longevity.

Most importantly of all, at the heart of all these improvements is a highly playable football game that's very easy to get into yet suitably challenging to master. And in multi-player mode, it's even better. --Simon Brew

It's also more straightforward than you'd think. Much thought has clearly gone into providing a gentle learning curve, and picking up the basics of the game is supremely easy. It's helped, of course, by having familiar faces from the Harry Potter world all along the way, guiding you through what you need to know.

The ultimate aim is to walk away with the prize of the game's title, but first there's the small matter of the Hogwart's tournament to win. You align yourself with one of the four houses, and seek to win that before you can move on to the international stages. And that promptly gets you into the heart of the action.

The gameplay, as you'd expect, is frantic and exciting, and while it's not going to keep the older gamer occupied for too long, its target audience is clearly going to be in its element. To keep things going that bit longer, you can earn Quidditch cards as you progress. These are rewards given to you along the way, and can unlock fresh elements of the game. With plenty to collect, it's an added feature that helps prolong the game's lifespan.

Quidditch World Cup is a game with obvious appeal to the many legions of Harry Potter fans. Fortunately for parents the world over, thanks to entertaining gameplay and its faithfulness to the source material, it's not going to disappoint them. --Simon Brew

Games companies are weird. This release comes in the same year as the 40th anniversary of James Bond, as well as Die Another Day, the 20th film to feature the loveable old womanising drunk. So what do EA, proud bearers of the 007 games license, do? They make a game based on an amalgamation of all the Bond movies, with their own "original" story line, then go and stick Pierce Brosnan's face and a bunch of clips from Die Another Day in it. Whaaaat?

Bizarre marketing decisions aside, this could finally be the game to come out from behind the shadow of the seminal N64 classic GoldenEye. Which means, of course, that this is a stealthy first-person shooter (with a few car-racing levels thrown in for good measure) bolted onto a cracking multi-player mode. Following on from GoldenEye is a bit like being asked to make Citizen Kane 2, but EA have sensibly gone back to the spirit of the original and NightFire is much more strategic than their last attempt, the rather shallow Agent Under Fire. Once again you can learn a pathological hatred of security cameras as you use an even wider array of Q gadgetry to kill people without them even noticing.

The multi-player mode is also good, with meatier weapons than last time, including a particularly fun remote-control missile launcher. People are always crooning about nobody doing it better than Bond, but in the gaming world that's not always been true; with this game, though, it looks like he's taken the ejector seat straight to the top of the first-person shooter pile. --David Jenkins

In terms of gameplay though Everything or Nothing is far less extravagant. In contrast to previous Bond games it's viewed from a third-person perspective and looks and plays not unlike a more action-packed version of Splinter Cell. There are problems with the entirely manual camera system though--particularly the lock-on for the aiming system, which is frustratingly random in choosing which bad guy you target.

The vehicle sections, which use the same graphics engine as Need for Speed Underground, are less obstreperous and offer some of the most genuinely enjoyable moments as you hurtle in pursuit of bad guys riding heavily armed cars, motorbikes and helicopters. Additionally, both on foot and when driving, the game gives you the chance to trigger "Bond moments" when you find shortcuts or dispatch bad guys in particularly imaginative ways.

Everything or Nothing is perhaps the ultimate example of style over substance in video games, but there's just enough of the latter to ensure that everyone but the most pernickety of gamers will find something to enjoy. --David Jenkins

There are enjoyable elements here though. There're a couple of Crazy Taxi-influenced levels that work well, as well as some mildly diverting "on-rails" shooter stages. At heart, though, like the N64 masterpiece GoldenEye, this is a first-person shooter and one that suffers badly in comparison with that game.

There are clever gadgets to amuse yourself with, as well as frequent set pieces in the form of "Bond moves" that will delight the casual fan. But more experienced players will find the lack of depth here distressing. The real problem is the "intelligence" of the enemies. These are the dumbest bad guys you'll ever encounter in a video game. Coupled with the unerring accuracy of your auto aim, you could complete much of the game blindfolded. Consequently, it's difficult to feel much satisfaction, even upon saving the world. The developers have at least made an effort with different styles of play and a decent multiplayer mode, but Agent Under Fire is (at best) a good-ish game in a genre full of great alternatives. --Steve Colton