Playstation

Unfortunately, the PSX emulator would not acknowledge proper joypad support so no actual in-game footage could be captured for your delight. Instead we are treated here today with the glorious FMV sequences of Xena and Gabrielle sauntering along the meadows seeking a cornfield high enough to roll around in together. Much like the TV series, there are elements of little storyline leaving time for plenty of action. Action including swordplay and Chakram flinging (frisbee with a sharp edge for non-Xena fans). Just like the Tomb Raider games, one of the exciting features involves backing Xena into a corner allowing the camera to position itself for a cleavage shot. It's no good reading this in disgust - you know you've done it before with Lara Croft. The graphics and sound of this game are true to form with the Xena theme music and voice-overs by the stars themselves. Gameplay is very much in the vein of the Tomb Raiders with a 3rd person perspective viewpoint and usual running/jumping athleticism. The only real difference is the change of guns to swords and the amazing Chakram. The Chakram is a great feature which really completes the game from the TV series. When thrown, the player can control its flightpath thus being able to direct it into the enemies guts or head.

The dog/wolf-thing strikes back. Following on from the extremely similar first game, Crash comes back with more levels in different environments and with some surprising camera angles. A few of the levels sees you running towards the camera rather than away ensuring that you cannot see what's coming and enforcing the learn-by-your-mistakes ethics. Other levels sees you astride a small polar bear hurtling at an unstoppable speed down an icy ravine. All the same sound effects and music return with all the same graphics. There are a few humorous death sequences which are probably best viewed again and again the more you become bored with the almost repetitive gameplay.

The follow-up to the brilliant Resident Evil. This game was deemed the best of the Resident Evil games keeping a well structured storyline with great gameplay, more zombies, more action and more scares. When playing this game, make sure you have elastic bands around the bottom of your trousers because you never know what might spill out when the shocks come hard and fast. Brilliant graphics, enhanced by a variety of monstrous moans, deliver a stunning cinematic experience that you will want to play again and again. Try the shotgun at head height within close range. I rate this as one of my personal Top Ten games of all-time.

Ever fancied flying about a Blade Runner-esque landscape shooting the shit out of other enemy space-craft and civillians? You're supposed to be part of the police force in this fully immersive action simulation, taking to the skys in a futuristic copter armed to the back teeth with various missiles and bombs. You are sent on various missions, each harder than the last, involving shooting down drug dealers, scanning various cargo and generally blowing shit up. The choice of weapons is immense and you can watch in awe everytime you release homing missiles that leave a trail of smoke as they seek their victim. Watch as your missile hits home, clipping the wing of your target causing him to spiral wildly out of control. Follow him to the ground and burst through the explosion he leaves as his ship kisses the floor. This game delivers the goods you need to calm those "can't-wait-until-the-future" blues. You will believe you are really there. Those scenes of flying cars in huge cityscapes from Blade Runner, Fifth Element, Attack of the Clones, Judge Dredd and Metropolis - you can be there. One of the best games I have played and definately one of the hardest. The difficulty level probably stopped this from being the big seller it so deserved.

The best ever fighting game on any platform. Tekken was good. But this is Tekken with swords. Choose from one of the many characters and battle through different game modes to be the ultimate warrior. Straight from the arcades, this classic is full of beautiful graphics and wonderful orchestrated music. The characters are well animated and the female's well rounded. Soul Calibur followed on the Dreamcast and more recently Soul Calibur II has been released on most modern consoles but all versions owe a debt of gratitude to this version. As well as playing the normal Arcade Mode or 2 Player Head-to-Head, there is a Story Mode where you navigate a map taking on various challenges which, if won, reward you with different weapons. I found this game, as with any fighting game, best as a 2 Player affair. The artificial intelligence of the CPU controlled opponents can get very difficult to play against in the 1 Player game so taking on a friend who's not so good is always a winning formula. Watch out too for the stunning intro complete with a American/Japanese style rock number.

One of the games that changed people's thoughts on the future of the Playstation. Just when everyone thought the PSX was about to dive this game was released showing us just what can be achieved on the grey station. Like taking part in a movie, you were planted in the boots of Snake and had to infiltrate and destroy the fearsome Metal Gear. Sneaking into the enemy base by shuffling under obstacles, peeking round corners and strangling guards from behind helped take the stealth game, like Thief, to new levels. Scary too was the sound effects when a guard suddenly realised your presence and quickly came into attack along with several others. Plenty of levels and lots of different weapons and equipment to experiment with. Attention to detail is immaculate with breath being seen in cold weather and footsteps imprinted into snow. The action balances well with the puzzle and stealth parts of the game and each level ends with a battle with a big bad guy.