Yes, unbelievable as it is, there’s a new Xbox 360 game out. The first of many this month, in fact, and if they’re all as good as this one we’re in for one hell of a month. That faint sound you can hear is my wallet sobbing quietly to itself as it contemplates the cost of this, Burnout Revenge, Far Cry, and Oblivion.

Some of the early games might have not really pushed the hardware, but with this and Burnout it appears that developers are finally starting to put it to good use for some absolutely stunning HD visuals (not quite as drool-worthy as Rainbow Six: Vegas, admittedly) which make a great approximation of the intense Mexican sunlight. Graphics aren’t the whole puzzle however, and Ubisoft have done a good job of making this more accessible than the last time I played a Ghost Recon, which was the original for the Xbox.

The whole thing is still tactical and unforgiving (meaning bloody hard) but the near-future technology that they’ve added is a great addition that fans should still enjoy while allowing those like me who found the series slightly heavy going to give it another try with an open mind. It also has some great multiplayer modes which I’m looking forward to trying out, including the salivatory prospect of 16 player online co-op missions. I’m not decided whether or not playing alongside 15 random people is something that I should be excited or scared about, knowing what I do about the Live community.

It seems that I’m not the only one who likes it, and with Burnout also getting excellent reviews dare we hope that the 360 drought is coming to an end? Possibly, but at least we have enough stuff to carry us through to the wonders that E3 will bring.