007's latest video game journey brings you on a trip through the agent's memories of some of his biggest missions. Sadly, he seems to remember them being more boring than they really were...
Joint Strike works. The gameplay hasn’t changed since 1984 and this is a good thing, if you’re making a 1942 game. This is a classic vertical shooter, waves of planes swirl and spin from all areas of the screen, red planes offer powerups, bombs and health; standard planes offer points, lots of points.
Wednesday 3 May 2006
Remember Baddiel and Skinner singing about "Thirty years of hurt" during their classic England anthem Three Lions? That's how we feel about EA's FIFA series - it feels as if it's been that long since we played a semi-decent version of the series.
EA has obviously taken note of all the criticism directed at FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup 2006, and the result is the best soccer game (that isn't Pro Evolution Soccer) we've played in ages. Thank goodness for that.
Lots of

EA’s World Cup games used to suffer from a lack of effort; now they’re built to look effortless. 2010 FIFA World Cup exudes the confidence of a development team at the top of their game – orchestrating the bigger picture with myriad subtle prods and pokes, like Zinedine Zidane in his majestic, late 90s pomp – rather than relying on showy gimmicks to deflect attention from fundamental weaknesses...
There are no real sound effects in this game. Kind of. Instead of the harsh clank of puck on ice you now get the noise of a bored EA developer sat at his desk making swoosh noises. And ‘Hup’, ‘Oip’ and ‘Florp!’ Oh dear.
3D Ultra is, as youd expect, a mini golf game. So precise putting is what its all about. And as far as the nuts and bolts, the game does a good job. Particularly the fact that it gives you three different ways to control the action – an analog swing, a power bar setup in which you hold the button, then release when the meter hits a certain point, and the classic, three-click swing meter old-schoolers know and love. Its weird, though, that two of the three require an extra step at the end
Blood on the Sand is a work of mad genius. It’s all about killing, smashing stuff, collecting trinkets and swearing – using a swear button – to the beat of the most aggressive rap 50 Cent has to offer. It’s silly, relentless and – in a guilty way – pretty fantastic.