Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City screenshot

Tom Orry, Editor - Animal Crossing: Let's go to the City, Wii
It's hard to explain how Animal Crossing gets you hooked. Most of your time with the game is taken up doing what can only be described as chores or a virtual job, yet it's somehow strangely addictive. The desire to afford a better home and better things for your home drives you to do seemingly mundane things for hours, hoping that one day you'll no longer be owned by big shot store owner and Mortgage entrepreneur (and general hate figure among the Animal Crossing community) Tom Nook. I'd just come off the back of finishing Mirror's Edge, Call of Duty World at War and Tomb Raider: Underworld, yet spent most of this week fishing and catching bugs. As I said, it's hard to explain.

Wesley Yin-Poole, Deputy Editor (and missus) - Lips, Xbox 360
OK, she'll probably kill me for saying this, but the 'ol ball and chain doesn't have the most agreeable singing voice this side of X-Factor. She's got a very loud voice, which, from her point of view, is great for nagging from halfway across Streatham, but for singing in Lips, Microsoft's new karaoke game that comes with two lovely wireless microphones, it's not so great. For some reason, she can't get enough of Ben E. King's classic Stand By Me. Actually, I've got a pretty good idea why she likes singing it so much - the booming chorus. "So darling, darling... STAND.... BY... ME!!!!! WOOAH STAND... BY... ME..... And so on and so forth." I've found myself in the uncomfortable position of having her fog horn voice boom into one ear from the real thing, and have her fog horn voice boom into the other ear from the TV. During that chorus, I sometimes fear for my life. Good game though.

Neon Kelly, Previews Editor - Geometry Wars: Galaxies, Nintendo DS
I had to spend six hours on a coach from London to Liverpool earlier this week, so I brought along my DS and a handful of carts. Despite the length of the trip (and the return journey), Geometry Wars was the only game to get a look in. I'm gradually forming the opinion that this might be the best game on the whole system - it's certainly one of my favourites, at any rate. Galaxies may lack the variety of its Xbox LIVE cousins, but it makes up for this with a surprisingly high level of strategy, thanks largely thanks to the upgradable drone who fights alongside you. The short, intense bursts of score-chasing are the perfect ingredient for a portable game - and on a six-hour journey, there's no risk of missing your stop. Believe me, it happens all the time during my week-day commutes...

Sebastian Ford, Video producer - Gears of War 2, Xbox 360
I bought my Xbox 360 from Play.com, having spotted a particularly juicy premium bundle that included the original Gears of War. I may even have skipped an entire day at university just so I would be at home to receive this electronic treat and get a good few hours of gaming in before the repercussions hit. Gears of War 2 continues the story in such epic and spectacular form, keeping all the greatest bits from the original while throwing in some awesome new set pieces into the mix. I picked up the classic "A button" control system again in moments and was grenade tagging everything in sight shortly after. I have only ever said that I loved a game once, and that was to Final Fantasy 7, but I'm just having a hard time suppressing all these emotions in my head right now. It's just so confusing you know? Final Fantasy never treated me badly, but recently I feel like we have different interests and we're drifting apart... and... there's somebody else. I'm sorry, it's not you... it's me.

What have you been playing this week? Let us know in the comments section below.