PS3

Liberty City is so dense with culture, from its varied architecture to its faux-internet websites and range of satirical television and radio programs, that it is easy to forget the boundaries the game has set and easier to get lost within it. The improvements on graphics, sound and design were always going to be a given though it is significant that the game controls are now adequate enough to foster a sense of empowerment in every shootout or cop chase.

Some of GTA4's problems can be attributed to the developers' desire to hold features over from previous incarnations, and the rest seem to be caused by the understandable lack of focus that results from attempting to create a truly epic game world. All of these problems are outweighed by what the game gets right, both in the superlative story it tells and the unprecedented freedom the multiplayer mode offers.

Experiments are a necessary part of the development of game design. If some industrious soul hadn't invented the life bar and health pack, we'd be stuck with one-hit death. And if another, even more industrious soul hadn't invented progressive health, we'd still be stuck with the life bar and health pack. Of course, not every experiment is a positive one, and not every change is for the better. The Club is a perfect demonstration of that concept.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood, Strong Language, Violence

Game Description: The Club, created by critically acclaimed developer Bizarre Creations, is a new breed of third-person shooter, combining fast-paced run and gun gameplay, destructive environments, and lethal weapons. You will fight to survive in a shadowy underground blood-sport controlled by a faceless, obscenely wealthy and influential elite who place their bets on who will survive as the blood-bath ensues before them. Take control of up to eight uniquely trained killers motivated by greed, driven by pure insane bloodlust, and hell bent on earning respect on a global level.

Virtua Fighter 5 is a fighting game stripped down to the most basic elements. It's almost as if the developers don't have the slightest interest in attracting new players. I'm sure they're turning a profit; according to the credits, the game is made by a shockingly small number of people, and it has a long life in the remaining arcades, but I can't help but wonder how long a series can last with a static user base.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence

Game Description: Virtua Fighter 5 offers worldwide fighting stages in which as many as 17 contestants vie, including two new characters, El Blaze, a Mexican wrestler who dominates with his Lucha Libre fighting style, and Eileen, a Chinese Monkey style kung-fu champion. SEGA also has implemented a new "offensive move" enabling players to take down opponents from different angles; these moves are believed to set VF5 apart from past VF games.

Game Description: The definitive action game arrives on the next-gen, delivering demon slaying with consummate style and attitude. Devil May Cry 4 expands the Devil May Cry universe with the introduction of Nero, a new playable character with fighting attributes never seen before in the franchise. This fourth installment takes the series to a new level with a deeper story, character development and extension of fighting styles. Combining the best of what you know, with a truly unique experience that only Devil May Cry 4 can deliver.

Watching the balletic violence, the cinematic camera angles, and the endless transformations of characters into monsters, the fact became inescapable that as crazed and borderline incoherent as the story was, the developers cared far more about it then they did the sections of gameplay that happen in between the movies.