The game's great strength is the well-judged escalation of pace and scale. From your humble dungarees-and-pistol beginnings, the expansion of your squad means missions intensify from hit-and-run raids to large-scale onslaughts. And it is this, ultimately, which induces a sensation of swaggering brawn that allows the game's hiccups to be forgiven. [Oct 2003, p.99]

Deliriously funny. [May 2018, p.114]

Polyphony has produced a handling and physics model that is unmatched by any other racer, but failed to provide AI competition capable of showcasing it to its fullest.

In giving fans what they want, and delivering what a modern audience needs, the studio has created a game that, while not quite a classic, sometimes reminds you of one. [Christmas 2010, p.89]

Builds on the gothy charm of its predecessor, refining its hit-chaining combat and dialling up the scope of its artistic ambition. [June 2011, p.102]

There is an abundance of delicious meat on these old bones. [Issue#367, p.117]

It's never easy. But somehow, when we fall, it only makes us all the more keen to dust ourselves off and get up again. Once we've taken that calming breath, at least. [Issue#369, p.108]

While it lacks the scope or density of Oblivion’s The Shivering Isles, it’s the most you’re going to get out of Fallout’s current batch of DLC. And as a long-anticipated reopening of the game’s original map, it at least gives you something to live for.

It's one of the freshest and most imaginative shooters we've played in a long time. [Issue#423, p.102]

It might not have much to say, but Borderlands 3 gives you a lot to talk about. [Issue#338, p.100]

An extremely unambitious sequel. [Jan 2009, p.92]

As a big joke about violent-for-the-sake of it games, MadWorld just about gets away with it. But it won't bear a repeat performance. [May 2009, p.93]

This is ballsy, brash, confident gaming at its best - a lesson in how games don't have to be perfect to be brilliant. [Christmas 2003, p.102]

Even as you reflect on the rarity of a blockbuster that's willing to take real risks, you'll be left with the uncomfortable realisation that ten years wasn't quite long enough, after all. Those jagged edges are, in the end, just a little too sharp. [Feb 2017, p.110]

With its bright, clean presentation looking resplendent on the small screen, it's a particularly fine fit for Switch's portable mode; for the next few weeks, your daily commute - and occasionally your stop - is likely to fly by. [July 2017, p.119]

In spite of the odd stumble, it's a wonderful journey. [Jan 2016, p.120]

Wickedly irreverent and cartoonishly outrageous. [Nov 2012, p.96]

Your trip through this powerful, horrible - and, yes, darkly comic - nightmare is the opposite of a drag. [Issue#366, p.116]

As for how it compares to its predecessor, there's really no better summary than Roland's response to Evan when asked to describe his home: "I guess it's ahead of this world in some ways, and behind in others." [May 2018, p.104]

A captivating follow-up. [April 2016, p.117]

Very much a sidewards step for the series rather than a bold leap forwards for its kind. [Christmas 2014, p.118]

A potent tactical cocktail, but one that's best enjoyed with earplugs. [Issue#388, p.116]

Its world may be memorable, but otherwise this is a series falling back on borrowed ideas, as if unsure quite how to properly reinvent itself. There are enough signs of improvement to suggest the next entry could be the fresh start Ubisoft promised this time around. But as a new beginning for Assassin's Creed, Origins is more of a stumbling step than a bold leap forward. [Christmas 2017, p.100]

There is a playfulness to LostWinds that will surely extend its playtime beyond the bounds of narrative. [July 2008, p.95]

The solid presentation and well-adjusted linear flow of the game make it simple, if mindless, fun. [Jan 2008, p.85]

It's still a Soul Calibur game, but Project Soul has successfully designed it for a wider audience of casual and hardcore players alike, which was a key factor in Capcom's successful reinvention of its revered series. [Feb 2012, p.108]

Scribblenaut's levels have gone from being unfocused sentences in which a few choice nouns can dominate to rigid, over-punctuated impositions on player creativity. [Dec 2010, p.93]

Mario Vs Donkey Kong may not be easy on the eye, but it's delightful to behold the system of checks and balances, rules and relationships at work here, some of the rooted in deep Mario lore. [Aug 2004, p.103]

The astounding breadth of the missions is enough to distract from finicky systems and low-res textures. [Dec 2014, p.120]

Is Muramasa a luscious concept art gallery rudely interrupted by swordplay, or just a ponderous Ninja Gaiden clone. Whatever the case, it doesn't wholly succeed. [July 2009, p.99]

It feels more like a yearly update than a sequel, a new campaign with old multiplayer. The game isn't distinct from its predecessors in any important way, and fatigue sets in quicker than before. [Jan 2011, p.94]

Death himself is an amusingly grumpy fellow, in constant need of a cup of coffee to stay motivated. [Issue#384, p.112]

It may not be the game of stealth the blueprints and lingo of red exclamation marks suggest, but Monaco’s loot and scoot play has a winning personality that’s all its own.

Performance issues, some ugly world assets and the story's pacing issues undermine the entertaining combat. [Issue#361, p.104]

The perspective might be different, but practically everything else from those games has its analogue here. [Issue#378, p.118]

Had a few more risks been taken, this too might eventually have been considered a classic. [Issue#418, p.104]

But far too often in Keeper, rather than anything that has any greater meaning, what you're in conflict with is just muddled, unemotive puzzle design. [Issue#417, p.114]

For now, though, we'll settle for appreciating those moments, the ones that outlast the frustrations, where we sit back in our chair and marvel at the results of our own work. And on that basis, Planet Zoo is a triumph. [Issue#340, p.102]

A game betrays its obvious understanding of scratch music with its mechanics: turntablism involves releasing a scratch at exactly the right moment, something that doesn't seem possible here.

This absorbing, flawed, daringly singular adventure firmly places Weston and team among the kind of risk-taking explorers to which his game pays tribute. [Issue#366, p.120]

It's more an effective reminder of why these games have been so captivating, though than the evolution they'll need, sooner rather than later. [Issue#406, p.122]

A victim of its own success. By creating a story and an atmosphere so far in advance of what we have come to expect from a videogame, it throws harsh light on the conventions we accept without question in lesser titles. It maps out just how far there is to go in marrying sophisticated narrative and meaningful interactivity. [Feb 2004, p.96]

Isn't a game that does anything obviously or overtly clever or innovative. But any game that takes such a simple premise and polishes it, hones it and refines it until it's this engrossing, this absorbing, and this much fun, is quite obviously doing something very clever indeed. [Christmas 2003, p.114]

This is not a conventional pinball game with well-designed skillshots and a challenging layout, but since when was Pokemon ever conventional? [Nov 2003, p.99]

The comic hit rate is lower here than you might have hoped for, but Telltale shows a commendable knowledge of when to simply emulate the Sam & Max of old and when to move forward. [Dec 2006, p.89]

It's a quality RTS, then - though a few irritations sour the experience. [Issue#366, p.114]

Look for the new stuff, then, and there's no doubt this is a refined and expanded sequel, even if certain issues remain. [Issue#401, p.108]

Fans of TrackMania Nations and its Stadium course, in particular, will have a hard time adjusting to the heavy, drifty handling that is, for the moment, the only way to race in TrackMania 2.

For a reinvention, it has an almost parodical lack of surprises: You’ve seen every abandoned village, sacked castle and anachronistic laboratory before, with the more striking imagery suggested by the game’s plague of tainted cherry blossoms all but ignored until the final stage. [Apr 2006, p.80]

Given the game’s marketing as one woman’s war against the corporations, the irony of Perfect Dark Zero is that the quality of the game experience it offers degrades in parallel with the number of people playing it. [Jan 2005, p.80]

It couches relatable stories in its highly individualistic setting, presenting it all with a mastery of varying tones so as to make its point without being reductive or mawkish. [Issue#350, p.98]

Ninja Gaiden II is a fascinating and hugely replayable game that shows Team Ninja has a gift beyond the vast majority of developers in that genre. [Aug 2008, p.92]

Generous, polished and charmingly eccentric, Magnetic Billiards proves the benefits of deliberation - though if this is indicative of the quality the Pickfords can bring to iOS, here's hoping their next isn't quite so long in the making.

It's just and old-fashioned videogame in contemporary trappings that wants you to enjoy yourself. Play it with a forgiving eye, and you probably will. [Issue#354, p.106]

Beyond its meticulously refined controls and the delightful tactility of it all (every action is accompanied by an algorithmic electronic score, and sudden, thrilling flourishes of colour), these diegetic checkpoints are Ynglet's real stroke of design genius. [Issue#361, p.123]

Still, the bits of level you ARE meant to interact with are as high-quality as ever. [Issue#411, p.121]

With the RTS genre on the back foot in recent years, it's hardly surprising that it should choose to crib from its turn-based cousins - and it has annexed those ideas without sacrificing the heart of its well-oiled war machine. [Issue#383, p.110]

Mechs are the only interesting offline opponents, but in a way that causes the action to feel stuttered: these encounters are engaging due to the sensation of one-on-one combat, but those of Lone Wolf are so ponderous that most fights become wars of attrition... As a result, the game can't throw enough of them at you to make the skirmishes feel genuinely intense of chaotic. [Feb 2005, p.76]

Often you’ll present a piece of evidence on a hunch and find him explaining it far beyond your own understanding. The result is a distance from the story, and a reminder of the paucity of interactivity on offer. [Nov 2007, p.99]

There are flashes of brilliance in Stellar Blade, still, most often sparked by the titular weapon. But it's too broad and with that a little underdone. If only Eve's initial clarity of purpose had been more contagious. [Issue#398, p.106]

It's unlikely Innocence will lead to an epidemic of similarly snappy games, but we'd love this particular contagion to catch on. [Issue#341, p.116]

Much of the attraction is largely due to the variety of racing on offer, but it's the overall quality of that racing that is responsible for ensuring Race Driver 2 remains an intensely engaging ride. [May 2004, p.102]

Excellent. The rhythms of the day quickly become second nature and hypnotically absorbing. There're never enough hours in the day. [Jan 2004, p.106]

Finally, here's an RPG that, in every sense, leaves you wanting more. [Issue#333, p.114]

As a package, Black Ops III is a muddle. It is packed to the gills with things, certainly, but none of it joins up. [Jan 2016, p.114]

No classic, then, but Smilegate has delivered a big, silly, characterful romp that's best experienced with friends. [Issue#370, p.118]

The joy of Void Bastards, once it reveals itself, is that no action, no decision, is standalone. [Issue#334, p.112]

Forget the artful placeholder nature of the title, then: the rotating octopus character moves through a meticulous game built with a rare sense of poise.

Visually, this can be a fascinating journey, with its massive-headed monks and no-headed minstrels, but in service of little more than endless duels, hardly an ideal vehicle to dig into the novel's themes. Black Myth, in short, seems unsure what kind of monkey it wants to be. [Issue#402, p.104]

It's insubstantial but sweet, then: Trinket Studio's game may not linger long on the palate, but while it lasts, this delicate confection leaves a pleasant taste indeed. [Issue#315, p.118]

Collaborative play transforms the challenge. [June 2015, p.122]

Prince Of Persia’s overalls structure never quite compels, it offers too few distractions to qualify as a sandbox, nor does it possess the quick narrative impetus of more linear games, ultimately feeling a little shallow and repetitious. [Jan 2009, p.84]

By turns astonishing and insufferable, there is as much here to make your eyes roll as widen. Even the moments when Hellblade II delivers nigh-unparalleled visual spectacle (see 'Giant steps') are soured by the fact that our involvement in these set-pieces so often feels incidental. For long stretches, it's akin to watching someone else play, only occasionally - and always unwillingly - handing back the controller. We can't help but return to that old chestnut about the interactive experience being a conversation between designer and player; there is an irony that in this, of all games, we're scarcely able to get a word in edgeways. [Issue#399, p.104]

A predominately online game, and though the game is excellent, the rules strong and the setup often flawless, how entertaining you find it depends entirely on circumstance that is all too often out of your control. It depends on other people. [Nov 2003, p.108]

It is pleasantly diverting, the kind of game it's easy to gobble up in a couple of long sittings - but equally there's little to really stir the blood. It may have gorgeous particle effects in abundance, but what it's really missing is a spark. [Issue#364, p.110]

In terms of distilling the core Civilization experience from PC to handheld, this is almost as victorious as the PC-to-console iterations. [Oct 2008, p.103]

Game designers talk of emphasising character through dialogue or animation, but his may be the first incidence of a game emphasising it through a control method. Its immediacy means you'll share every inch of his swaggering, gleeful, unstoppable violence. [Feb 2005, p.78]

Power Tennis has depth only insofar as there's a great deal to do – medals to win, records to beat and tournament trophies to hold aloft – but all the frills and gimmicks overcomplicate something that wasn't broken in the first place. [Jan 2005, p.92]

There simply isn't enough game nor story to justify such a drawn-out campaign, as attritional wear and tear causes those well-oiled cogs to grind. The more we pop, in other words, the keener we are to stop. [Issue#346, p.92]

With superior spoils for S-rank performances, all that strategy nonsense is fully justified. [Issue#374, p.114]

The hope and expectation generated by a successful launch dissipates all too quickly, leaving these lovers floating aimlessly among the stars, a spaceship without a rudder. [Nov 2015, p.123]

Cursed to Golf fully commits to its purgatorial theme, and if that occasionally puts you in club-snapping mood, it's hard to deny the euphoric rush when you finally hole out. [Issue#376, p.122]

Lacks the genuine desire for change that the genre so desperately needs. [Aug 2008, p.95]

There are pleasures in these moments, and plenty of charm (see: 'A Human Touch'), but the adventure itself never quite satisfies out wanderlust. [Issue#421, p.118]

While the mechanics are well worn by subsequent Quest dabbling, the narrative structure remains an interesting premise to this day. [Oct 2008, p.100]

The solution to the game's own internal puzzle, then, is to slot something else into the gap, to connect those disparate edges. [Issue#372, p.114]

There's no denying that the fire burns a little less brightly than before. [Issue#381, p.92]

It’s all a bit of a muddle, suggesting an unwarranted lack of confidence in the core systems, and at times the most keenly anticipated game of this new generation leans too heavily on the conventions of the past.

A game of pleasant surprises. [Issue#383, p.112]

And the visuals? Well, if you want more screenshots, just pop your head out of the window and look up. [Dec 2007, p.96]

It may drive you potty at times, but this really is Paris as you've never sen it before, and you won't forget it in a hurry. [Issue#322, p.120]

There's much to recommend in Endless Space 2, and its art and writing has the potential to open up a complex genre to a new audience, but there's no escaping the fact it'll be a better game in six months. [Aug 2017, p.116]

Unquestionably, Ghost Recon 2 is a more well-rounded and intense experience than before, but despite some beautiful locations and powerful sound effects it still errs on the side of cold simulation rather than an emotional and dramatic war experience. But that's exactly what some people want. [Christmas 2004, p.83]

While it attempts to blend FMX, quad bikes and more familiar Trials action, the new elements sit uneasily with the old. Trials has always been about precision and skill, traits that are blunted or obfuscated by four-wheel drive and fussy inputs.

If, like us, you're the kind of nerd who gets worked up by good interface design, Anomaly's swiftly accessed tactical map and upgrade overlays may just leave you misting up your monitor or touchscreen. [June 2011, p.103]

Sharp, funny writing is elevated by superb voice acting. [Issue#341, p.119]

For players who find themselves similarly unsure of their own identities, it could well resonate long after the amps and stage lights have been switched off. [Issue#364, p.116]

Tempest Rising doesn't revolutionize the genre, but nor does it depend on nostalgia. And if there's a gap waiting for the Veti to arrive, it's immensely gratifying to fill it with a gratuitous quantity of tanks. [Issue#411, p.116]