We downloaded the biggest Burnout DLC to date--the brand new Big Surf Island.

Burnout Paradise has received its fair share of downloadable content, and over the past year, it's definitely led the way in terms of postrelease extras. However, Big Surf Island, released this week, is the biggest and most expensive addition to Burnout yet. For $12.99/£9.99/€12.99, you can now drive over the bridge east of Paradise City and onto a totally new island, complete with new races, jumps, and vehicles. We downloaded the content fresh from the Net as soon as it was released, and we're pleased to say that while it's costly, it's still well worth checking out.

Check out our video hands-on to see Big Surf Island in action!

The big draw of the Big Surf Island DLC is obviously the extended playing area, but there's plenty more to experience other than new real estate. There are a total of nine new cars, including a dust storm buggy, which is open from the off. Big Surf Island is packed to the brim with insane jumps, and the dust buggy is the perfect vehicle to tackle them with because it's fast, light, and agile. There are also plenty of new challenges to complete--15 events, 10 freeburn challenges, and more than 100 billboards, smashes, and jumps to find. We can't profess to have found everything in the add-on, but Criterion promises more than five hours of playtime from the DLC.

We went hands-on with the latest F.E.A.R. 2 maps, playing head-to-head against the developers of the game.

Following last month's release of the free Toy Soldiers Map Pack, Monolith has just unleashed the first paid-for content for F.E.A.R. 2. The Armored Front map pack contains two new multiplayer maps, both of which have an emphasis on mech-based combat, and four new skins for your multiplayer character. The pack launches on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network this week, but we managed to score an advance play of the maps against the developers themselves.

Check out the Armored Front map pack in our video hands-on.

The Armored Front map pack contains two new multiplayer maps, both of which are large and open. Conductor takes place in a train yard, while Decoy is an old soldier training ground. Conductor feels the largest of the two, with a huge open area that you can easily snipe from, while Decoy features cardboard targets that pop up and down. They're not particularly distracting, but you do need to shoot them out of the way to access certain areas.

The Steel & Titanium Pack delivers two new multiplayer maps for Killzone 2 for the price of $5.99. The new maps, Wasteland Bullet and Vekta Cruiser, take place on a pair of speeding freight trains and a massive airship, respectively. While both maps nail the chaotic, war-torn atmosphere of Killzone 2, they are a bit more constricted than most of the other multiplayer maps. Each one is full of long corridors and small to midsize rooms that encourage intense, close-range firefights and prolonged battles for key chokepoints. The action is fast and furious, but it also feels a bit strategically limited due to the smaller layouts. A few unique touches help flesh things out, and jumping between trains in Wasteland Bullet is a thrill in and of itself. With a handful of new trophies to round it out, the Steel & Titanium Pack is a no-brainer for folks who still play Killzone 2 online regularly. If you haven't gone back to Helghan in a while and want a more detailed analysis of the pack, read on.

We've just posted our review of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars which, I'm happy to report, is an extremely positive one. It's not often that we feel compelled to produce a video review for a DS game nowadays, but Chinatown Wars is definitely an exception. Our video review should have been going live simultaneously with the text, but at the time of this writing we're experiencing some technical problems and so, because we just can't wait any longer to share our review of this game with you, we've made the decision to post it without the accompanying video for the moment.

Perhaps by the time you read this the video review will be live, but in case it isn't, please check back later. Screenshots don't even come close to doing this incredible-looking game justice.

Lara's Shadow is much more ambitious than 'Beneath the Ashes', and turns Tomb Raider into a much faster, more fluid game.

'Lara's Shadow' is the second downloadable content pack for Tomb Raider Underworld, following a mere fortnight after 'Beneath the Ashes'. Whereas Lara's first DLC was a short, uninspired trot through familiar territory, Lara's Shadow does far more to justify its 800 Microsoft Point price tag. It has an all-new protagonist, whose new moves and special abilities make the game much faster than before, and imaginative level design that takes advantage of her new skill set. In short, Lara's Shadow delivers what fans have a right to expect from DLC, and it will please Lara die-hards and adventure fans alike.

The story of Lara's Shadow interweaves Beneath the Ashes, and even features some of its cut-scenes. You play Lara's Shadow, the doppleganger who first appeared in Tomb Raider Underworld, and the game revolves around her relationship to both Natla and Lara. As with previous Tomb Raiders, the story and characters are badly written and entirely forgettable, but the introduction of Lara's Shadow does wonders for the gameplay. Her increased agility, stronger powers and new special abilities mean that this is a very different game to Tomb Raider Underworld, and one that fans of the series will really get a kick out of.

If you're a fan of Japanese role-playing games, then today's your lucky day as you should be able to find Star Ocean: The Last Hope, the fourth game in the spacefaring series by developers Tri-Ace, on store shelves in the US. Though we try to have reviews ready on or before release, this time it simply wasn't possible and I've only recently been able to start on it.

In case you're wondering if The Last Hope is for you, know that it continues many Star Ocean traditions like having a strong and fun real-time combat system and providing a richly detailed universe that is meticulously explained via an in-menu dictionary. Fans will further enjoy the fact that this is a prequel rather than a sequel (for reasons obvious to those who have completed Star Ocean: Till the End of Time), and as it takes place at the very beginning of space exploration for the planet Earth, the entire game is steeped in a sense of discovery.

Read on for more!

Killzone 2's multiplayer maps are some of the best on which I have ever fought. Most of them feature winding paths, various chokepoints, and clever placement of capture points, so even on the larger maps, there is no reason why you wouldn't be right in the thick of the action. You know how some shooter maps are great for, say, capture the flag, or deathmatch, but not for other modes? Killzone 2's maps may excel in some modes more than others, but possess no intrinsic weaknesses. And that's for the best, because matches string multiple modes seamlessly together, keeping you constantly on your toes and forcing you to switch gears several times in a single game.

Want to know more about these terrific maps? Read on!