The new issue of X360 features not just one, but five huge exclusives, headed up by our massive 8-page feature on Prototype 2, the smashiest sequel of all time! Yeah, that’s right… smashiest!

We’ve also got exclusive studio access to Hitman: Absolution, a unique exploration of Halo’s pivotal role in shaping the FPS as we know it, expert predictions on GTA V’s release date and sales potential and a full review of the forthcoming JRPG giant, Final Fantasy XIII-2.

As ever, you don’t just get a magazine in X360, you get a free DVD and book too. The DVD now features incredible HD video files of the latest mind-blowing game trailers, features and interviews, and this month’s book features both an expert Soul Calibur V guide and a month-by-month 360 fan’s planner for the year ahead.

And if you just want more games we’ve got the best coverage you’ll find anywhere on Rainbow 6 Patriots, Max Payne 3, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, Soul Calibur V, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, Call Of Duty Elite Premium, Lollipop Chainsaw, Ridge Racer Unbounded and many, many more.

X360 issue 81 is available now at all good newsagents and from the Imagine Shop. Digital versions are also available through the iTunes Newsstand app.

This month X360 looks back on 10 years of the Xbox, looks forward to Halo 4, Grand Theft Auto V, the next Gears Of War and the Xbox 720, and looks down into the blackness of its own soul, which is to say we play The Darkness II, chat to developer Digital Extremes and tell you all about it.

X360 also comes bundled with a free Skyrim Book Of Secrets this month, containing tips, tricks and rare item locations for the master adventurer. No Skyrim fan can afford to miss it!

We also interrogate IO Interactive about Hitman: Absolution – is it still a proper Hitman game? Is it really stealthy? Does Instinct mode spoil it? All these questions, and more, answered in full.

And we’ve dug up some new details on Mass Effect 3’s controversial multiplayer modes. Does the epic space-RPG really need online deathmatches?

On top of this we’ve got DmC Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy XIII-2, SoulCalibur V, Ninja Gaiden 3, Spec Ops: The Line, Enemy Front, Sniper Elite V2, Asura’s Wrath and many more kickass games!

X360 issue 80 is available now at all good newsagents and from the Imagine Shop. Digital versions are also available through the iTunes Newsstand app.

Grand Theft Auto V rumours and news abound in the new issue of X360, with Rockstar’s next mega-hit heading up our list of the 50 Biggest Games 2012. Our massive 2012 preview feature is essential reading for anyone already eager to start putting together a gaming wish list for the year ahead.

This issue is also a review special with many of the big, year-end releases reviewed. Are the scores for the likes of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Battlefeld 3, Assassin’s Creed Revelations and Halo: Combat Evolved – Anniversary as big as their hype? Only one way to find out.

You’ll also find in-depth coverage of Mass Effect 3, Hitman: Absolution, BioShock: Infinite, The Darkness II, DmC Devil May Cry, Syndicate, Resident Evil: Raccon City, Street Fighter X Tekkn and many more great games.

Plus the X360 package, as ever, is more than just a magazine, and your two free gifts this month are a DVD packed with trailers, gameplayer clips and behind-the-scenes features – now with more HD content than ever – plus become a master assassin in our free Assassin’s Creed Revelations walkthrough book.

X360 issue 79 is available now at all good newsagents and from the Imagine Shop. Digital versions are also available through the iTunes Newstand app.

Grand Theft Auto V might be official now, but it’s still a long way off. So to satisfy your criminal gaming needs in the meantime you’ll likely be tempted by Saints Row: The Third. And to find out how good Saints Row: The Third is before anyone else, you’ll have to get your hands on the new issue of X360. But don’t steal it, okay? No matter how tempting the shiny, metallic purple packaging might be.

By the way, the review is… well, it’s not X-rated, but it’s close. It’s sort of… W-rated, you might say.

And this issue is packed with big name games elsewhere too. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim leads the line-up of your FREE X360 Vision DVD while your FREE book features a guide to the entire Battlefield series.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Assassins Creed Revelations, BioShock: Infinite, Batman: Arkham City, Forza Motorsport 4, Halo, Max Payne 3 and Final Fantasy XIII-2 also all feature heavily in the most packed issue of any Xbox 360 magazine you’ll read all year!

X360 issue 78 is available now at all good newsagents and from the Imagine Shop. Digital versions are also available from iTunes.

Hitting people with your hands, feet and the occasional fireball is fun, no doubt, but if you really want to make someone think twice about making you cross again, you can’t really beat a nice big sword. Or axe. Or spear. Whatever, so long as it has at least one sharpened blade on it.

Anyway, that’s why we jetted all the way over to Japan to visit Project Soul and find out all about Soul Calibur V direct from its source. If you’re a fighting game fan, this month’s issue is a must-have.

And Halo fans are in for a treat too. We’ve got a massive feature about the development of the series’ art style and how it’s set to evolve in Halo 4 and beyond. Fresh insight from the 343 Industries team and a whole lot of incredible, never-before-seen artwork.

If that’s not enough we’ve got reviews of Gears Of War 3, Rage, FIFA 12, PES 2012 and F1 2011, previews of Mass Effect 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Forza Motorsport 4, Batman: Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Borderlands 2 and Assassin’s Creed Revelations and not just two, but three free gifts – a Gears Of War book, an HD video disc and a Soul Calibur V postcard!

X360 issue 77 is available now at all good newsagents and from the Imagine Shop. Digital versions are also available from iTunes.

The most important weapon in any war is knowledge, so you simply can’t afford to go into Modern Warfare 3 unprepared. This month’s X360 is packed full of exclusive multiplayer details that are guaranteed to give you the edge when the game’s release roll around.

Also this month, we reveal Gears Of War 3’s darkest secrets, review Dead Island before any of our rivals and report on the global conflict raging in today’s video games – yes, it’s World War III.

For those who like free stuff, we’ve got a free book, half of which is a complete Halo: Reach multiplayer guide, including all the DLC maps, and the other half a guide to the best Achievements ever. Can you get them all?

Also free, as usual, is our X360 Vision DVD, featuring 35 brand new trailers, features and gameplay clips for your viewing pleasure, some of which come with the added bonus of hilarious and insightful X360 team commentary. We spoil you!

X360 issue 76 is available now at all good newsagents and from the Imagine Shop. Digital versions are also available from iTunes.

Batman leads a line-up of awesome Xbox 360 titles packing this issue out.

We have a blood-soaked hands on with zombie holiday-making simulator Dead Island, an update on all the latest info from BioWare on Mass Effect 3 and a look at the increasingly impressive Forza Motorsport 4.

Elsewhere we size up the relative pros and cons of Call Of Duty: Elite and Battlefield 3’s Battlelog service, and we chat to game development legend Peter Molyneux about why he feels Kinect is the perfect system for the next Fable game.

Buy it or Batman will punch you in the face then stamp on your arm ‘til it snaps.

He won’t really, but you will miss out on loads of pictures of him doing that to other people.

X360 is available now at all good newsagents and from the Imagine Shop. Digital versions are also available from iTunes.

With E3 having been and gone we take a look at the biggest games to have been revealed at the show in a bumper preview section that includes Forza Motorsport 4, Assassin’s Creed Revelations, BioShock Infinite, Ninja Gaiden 3, Far Cry 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Hitman: Absolution, Batman: Arkham City and a whole lot more. That’s alot of bang for your buck right there.

But we didn’t stop with that. Oh no. In a special look at the future of 360 following E3 we go hands-on with Modern Warfare 3‘s Spec Ops mode, ask if Gears Of War 3 could be the greatest action game ever, and take a look at how Kinect is changing gaming for titles as diverse as Mass Effect 3, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Ryse and Star Wars Kinect. How could we offer you more? Oh, we have an exclusive interview with 343 Industries about Halo 4 and its plans for the Halo universe. Yeah, that’s right.

To cap things off we have a interview with the guys behind Dead Rising 2: Off The Record, take a look at New York and how it’s been portrayed in games, examine how the 360 changed sports games, and review all of the biggest releases, from Shadows Of The Damned to Dungeon Siege III and Red Faction: Armageddon.

Add to that the community section, DLC reviews, Marketplace reviews and online reviews and we’d say, all in all, it’s a pretty sweet issue. Enjoy!

One of the biggest games of this year’s E3 was undoubtedly Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. But while other publications just saw the same couple of short trailers as everyone else, X360 was granted exclusive access and this month’s cover feature includes screens and details you won’t find anywhere else.

X360 issue 73 is a must-buy for anyone who needs to know about Revelations’ new characters, locations and gameplay features. It’s going to be the best chapter yet in the Assassin’s Creed saga – buy the magazine and find out why!

X360 is available now at all good newsagents and from the Imagine Shop. Digital versions are also available from iTunes.

Available from this Wednesday, the 18th May, issue 72 of X360 exclusively reveals what the most talked about horror title of the year is actually like to play along with exclusive screens and developer access. There will be blood.

We’ve also got the world’s first ever review of L.A. Noire, the latest release from the creators of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar Games. Is it Grand Theft Auto with hats? No! Is it a brilliant, engaging, engrossing investigative adventure? You’ll have to buy the mag to find out!

RPG fans will be delighted to see new details on both The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Mass Effect 3, as well as an in-depth feature exploring exactly what it means to be an RPG in 2011.

We’ve also got a review of the incredible Portal 2, along with an interview with Valve revealing just how one studio manages to keep making such great games. Plus we’ve all the latest Xbox 360 reviews, previews, news and interviews. It’s even more irresistible than braaaaaaaiiiiinnnnsss…

Look out for X360 #72 at your newsagent, or simply order a copy direct from source at The Imagine Shop.