Yes, this is reviewer hume Jamie here. I've been assigned by Megadroid to tell you all about this year’s explosive line-up of games. Anything to take the strain off his circuits, `cause you know he's not getting any younger! This year has got to be one of the most congested gaming line-ups for years, but don't panic! Take a deep breath, and read on for a comprehensive guide to Winter 2004, covering all formats. You don't have to thank me, I'm getting paid in Mince Pies....

Whilst most GameCube fans are gagging for the likes of the new Legend of Zelda and Resident Evil 4 (both to be released in 2005), this is still going to a great gaming Christmas for Nintendo's gorgeous little box. The sublime Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is a sure- fire lesson in how to make a sequel to a best-selling masterpiece, chronicling the new quest of Samus Aran, gaming's least-sexist heroine! Far from being a conventional first-person-shooter, MP2 is a rare thing of beauty, and a stylish, complex adventure game that will fill many stockings this year. Ask Santa sincerely for a serious slice of shooting Samus this season! (Try saying that with a mouthful of pie.)

Elsewhere, Paper Mario 2 is another superb choice for the `Cube. Mario may have had a long-term rivalry with our favourite super-fast blue hedgehog, but here at STC, we still love the rotund little plumber-guy. This unusual 2D adventure/platform/RPG game shows most of its 3D counterparts just how true gaming is done, and is more adorable than a Mini-Cooper full of fluffy baby bunnies with big anime eyes. And if that doesn't grab you, how about drum party game Donkey Konga, epic role-playing game Tales of Symphonia, puzzle/battling sequel Prince of Persia 2 or Animal Crossing, for excellent portions of gaming for ‘Cube dudes everywhere. There's also plenty of budget releases this year, including the masterful Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Sonic Heroes, now available on Players Choice.

The Playstation 2 has much to offer this year, but has been holding its best for last. If you are a proud owner of Sony's Eyetoy camera, then I can't recommend Sega Superstars enough. And if you haven't got it, then buy the pack that bundles the game with the camera! Score! You can also get Eyetoy: Play 2 which, although is a nice collection of games, I personally would rather be racing with Sonic or flying with NiGHTS in Sega Superstars. But then, wouldn't we all?

The big must-buy PS2 game is (in my opinion) Ratchet and Clank 3. The first one is among my favourite PS2 games ever, but I missed the second one unfortunately (I felt it was too soon for such a similar sequel, as good as it was). The good news is the R&C3 is so flipping good that it's definitely another must-have for any discerning PS2 gamer. Even though I haven't gotten my PS2 online yet, the single player demo missions I've played are so good it makes the multiplayer a mere bonus. All hail Agent Clank! Jak 3 is the other choice for platforming nuts, but I think R&C3 is worth more of your time.

Like war games? Killzone and Call of Duty are your top choices this year. Killzone is the one I favour, even though it's having a hard time living up to its own hype when it’s just your basic, gritty FPS game. It's the sheer atmosphere and realism that got me hooked, though. It’s a well-known fact around here that I adore the Grand Theft Auto series. The latest installment, San Andreas, has been out for some time now and it's still one of the best games I've ever played. However, it is a very violent and mature game, so only Boomers of age 18 or older can buy it! The same is true of London-based rival The Getaway 2: Black Monday, except it's nowhere near as good as GTA. Make sure you don't buy the latter if you haven't yet got the former! You might want to wait until your grandparents have left the room before you play either of them, too – trust someone who knows! On budget, Viewtiful Joe is one of the best games available, and an ideal choice for PS2 owners who missed out the GameCube version.

For X-Box owners, I only have two words for you: Halo 2. This years blockbusting FPS is causing a right stir with 2.38 million copies sold on launch day, and a planned movie in the works. Microsoft once again proves that they are serious about their plans for the most powerful console on the market with THE killer game. Be sure to ask Father Christmas for this one. Elsewhere, the freeform RPG Fable is still holding strong in the charts...and rightly so. It's a superb adventure game from British company Lionhead with an excellent good/bad gameplay dynamic which is guaranteed to captivate. Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: Battlefronts is still an excellent choice for Jedis awaiting Episode III, and I'd also recommend the movie tie-in Chronicles of Riddick, which proves that a superb game can be made out of a bad movie. Ooh, get me! Also keep a look out for Blinx 2 and Prince of Persia 2, for all your time-bending needs. Call of Duty is also available on X-Box, if you crave even more first-person shooting. On budget, if you somehow missed out on the original Halo, it's now part of a classics range, so you have no excuse now!

On other formats there is still a grand choice of gaming fruit for us to crack open and feed on the sweet, sweet gaming sustenance like a family of starving monkeys stranded on a desert island. On GameBoy Advance, the Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Final Fantasy I and II: Dawn of Souls, and the recent Pokemon games will fill many a boring Christmas Day once Grandad has fallen asleep. On the PC, Half-Life 2 is the holy grail of videogames, and probably the finest single-player FPS ever made. Unfortunately, my PC is not powerful enough to run this colossus, but regular STC games guru Stu Gipp tells me that it is a thing of beauty and elegance like no other. If simulation is your bag, then The Sims 2 by Maxis is probably the way to go, especially for those bored of "I'm a Celebrity....", but in desperate need of the ability to watch little people go about their little routine lives. Just remember to take a break from it all.

Before we depart ways, I feel an inescapable urge to tell you whichgames must be avoided this year. I take no pleasure in this naming and shaming. Well... maybe a little!

Don't buy Fight Club. Yes, it's an awesome movie, but the game is an utter waste of time, in both conception and execution. It betrays the entire ideology of the movie, making a shallow, repetitive fighting game devised by committee in order to desperately scoop money from people, like a platypus scooping up lichen in a swamp, when he could be breaking into people's houses and savaging their advent calendars for survival instead [Sounds like someone’s been at the humes’ secret stash of rum again! – MD]. Avoid. Buy Soul Calibur II instead -- it owns you, me, and possibly all things.

Goldeneye: Rogue Agent is looking decidedly dodgy to me. I haven't been able to have a go on the game as yet, but according to reliable sources (i.e the Internet) it's looking like an exceedingly scrawny Christmas turkey to me. Buy one of the much better shooters out this year instead....there's a classic on every format, no matter what you have.

And that's it for my Christmas feature! It's been fun and exhaustive, like an intelligent T- Rex with a jetpack, intent on ruling the free world by means of total destruction and cruel slavery by making you all build a huge statue of him [Looks like the whisky’s gone too – MD]. I hope you all have a cracking Christmas and a happy New Year!

Happy Gaming!