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. ...

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. ...

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. ...

AC/DC Live is the laziest title we’ve played in a long while. It’s the ultimate in barebones gaming; just eighteen songs and virtually nothing else. There’s no band involvement a la Guitar Hero: Aerosmith; there are no interviews; no documentaries… AC/DC themselves don’t even make an appearance, in person or in digital form. Fan service? Hardly. ...

Like being taken outside and beaten up by a gang of enraged skinheads, Aces of the Galaxy is an outright assault on your senses of the most unwelcome variety. Like Space Harrier, Panzer Dragoon or most recently, Rez, Aces is an on-rails arcade shooter, accelerated to a speed which makes every stage a dizzying blur of enemies and lasers. ...

For those not in know about Afro Samurai, it was originally a manga that then got adapted into a cartoon, and features an assassin literally named Afro living in a sort-of future yet feudal Japan. Possibly inspired by Highlander, the story focuses on the number one assassin (originally Afro's father), who can only be challenged by the number two assassin. ...