Gran Turismo 4 is fundamentally unconcerned with furthering the art of the videogame. This titanic franchise, this critical, load-bearing pillar of PlayStation, is barely even a videogame at all. It’s a hobbyist software suite, a racetrack tutorial, an encyclopaedia you can get in and drive off. [March 2005, p.78]

It's an 'experience' as much as a game, meaning that it will leave as many people cold as it grabs by the right half of the brain. Beyond good, then, but not quite excellent. [Christmas 2003, p.104]

Where 999 gave you a more passive role in proceedings, Virtue's Last Reward makes you a key participant in its twisted tale – and that serves to make its mysteries that much more invigorating to unravel.

For all its high points - and they're well worth celebrating - Stray feels small but imperfectly formed. [Issue#375, p.102]

Its moments of brilliance are worth experiencing, but they shouldn't blind anyone to the shortcomings of a sequel that, underneath that beautiful surface, is as frustratingly flawed as the first. [Issue#346, p.98]

For a freebie, this isn't just a generous welcome to PS5 (particularly with most launch titles costing 70 a pop) but a promising glimpse of things to come and a fine, if occasionally gimmicky, platformer in its own right. [Issue#353, p.110]

However unchanged its engine might be, Kingdom remains one of the few shining instances of Eastern craftsmanship applied to the Xbox. Once its addition of custom battles and bolstered online modes is coupled to its undeniably generous campaign, this ongoing road to fruition readily justifies its toll. [Nov 2005, p.106]

This is a generous game in both deed and spirit, and, as such, one it's tremendously difficult to dislike. [Issue#343, p.106]

An excellent version of a game people should really own already. [Mar 2004, p.111]

It's impossible for your heart not to race as you sweat out the fright of its peerless audio design, chattering voices and muffled sobs endlessly scraping at your senses. [Oct 2004, p.98]

It's all about flamboyance, stylish swordplay against clusters of spawning enemies. Anyone expecting more than the chance to concoct dazzling high-score strategies will find it a flat and empty experience, though. [Mar 2004, p.110]

Tetris DS should celebrate the game, but instead feels hollow with its shortfall of rewards and bonuses. [May 2006, p.97]

In its moment-to-moment play, Darktide is the closest any game of its ilk has come to replicating the original cooperative joys of Left 4 Dead. It's ferocious, frenetic and often very funny. But without Left 4 Dead's advantage of novelty, Fatshark must find other ways to hold your attention through its relatively few missions. [Issue#380, p.112]

The solid fundamentals of its design shine through more clearly when you're playing alone. [Issue#343, p.114]

The constant flow of new sights and well-thought-out puzzles that make up the bulk of the game provide more than enough motivation to see this rescue attempt through to the end.

For those who can tolerate having their brain beaten numb by it, the game entails often enthralling, occasionally awe-inspiring sights and sounds. But little is there that’s new compared to much that needs renewal. [Christmas 2005, p.96]

Often, it can be enough for a sequel to deliver more of the same, but in Superstar Saga’s case, when what the first game delivered was such a powerful sense of freshness, more of the same – which Partners In Time certainly delivers – inevitably feels like less. [Feb 2006, p.86]

Unbound is ultimately and encouraging statement of intent, demonstrating that Criterion is not afraid to tinker with established formula. [Issue#380, p.114]

Unlike the elegant lead, who's grey-haired but unbowed by the end of the adventure, Assassin's Creed has been quietly compromised by age.

It looks great, and the boosting system means that, as a time-trial game, it's fantastic. If your progress wasn't so easily sabotaged by a thoughtless collision, it would be a fantastic racer, too. [June 2004, p.104]

Blur will take you on a fantastic holiday, then, but perhaps not the most relaxing one. [May 2007, p.88]

For the most part it feels like we're chasing the giddy sugar high the original gave us, without ever quite getting there. [Issue#377, p.102]

Evil West has no delusions of grandeur; it simply wants to give you a thumping good time, and on that front it fully delivers [Issue#380, p.120]

Played as intended, however, in local multiplayer, Nidhogg 2 sings. [Issue#311, p.114]

As generous and beautiful a package as it is, it's not always as coherent or flexible as appearances might lead you to believe. [Nov 2015, p.112]

This is Dungeon Keeper by way of Viva Pinata - building a devilish defence against do-gooders by massaging a delicate and extremely elaborate ecosystem. [Christmas 2010]

None of this is nearly enough to spoil everything Scarlet and Violet get right, such as some of the best (and downright strangest) monster designs in some time, and absorbing final act and postgame, and a soundtrack that could well be a new series peak. [Issue#380, p.121]

For all of its little stumbles on the journey from Vita to PS4, and its odd mix of new ideas and an old world, Unfolded retains one of its progenitor's most vital ingredients: buckets and buckets of charm. [Nov 2015, p.116]

It doesn't quite match the out-of-nowhere brilliance of the first game, not is it as bold as the daring, but flawed, follow-up. Still, those seeking a game large and enveloping enough to carry them through the holiday season and beyond will find that particular box well and truly ticked. [Issue#314, p.108]

Arika reminds us that so little of our gaming relaxation time is actually spent relaxing, making this a healthy diversion that deserves recognition. [Jan 2008, p.88]

If the game is to flourish, Rare must develop the basic structures that compel modern players to return even on the days when nobody gets kidnapped by the Kraken. Sooner or later, we all have to grow up. [June 2018, p.108]

HTTC’s easy relationship with the subject matter results in some of the finest political animals you’ll see and, what is perhaps even more remarkable, a videogame that is genuinely funny. [Sept 2008, p.97]

None of this is nearly enough to spoil everything Scarlet and Violet get right, such as some of the best (and downright strangest) monster designs in some time, and absorbing final act and postgame, and a soundtrack that could well be a new series peak. [Issue#380, p.121]

All in all, the setting is perfect for a puzzle game built around existential despair...Its clever, creepy and macabre.

If it is slight, then Flower compensates by being a very rare experience, both in terms of subject matter and the visual splendour with which it has been executed. [Mar 2009, p.94]

Regardless of the developers' goals, Veilguard feels like a game designed and assembled in parts. However good any idea, scene or concept is - and there are some excellent ones - it isn't bolstered by those beside it. Instead, each feels like a dazzling distraction from where it falls short in depth, consistency and trust in players to engage with a complex world. [Issue#405, p.102]

More old than new, New Super Mario Bros 2 is an inverted Galaxy, more content to remix old stomping grounds and sprinkle on new gimmicks than take Mario to places he hasn't hopped through before.

Beautifully detailed with impressive lighting, accurately modelled protagonists and a terrific sense of speed. A refreshing and captivating direction for the series. [Christmas 2003, p.115]

The game's first half in particular demonstrates real clarity of vision. [Issue#380, p.123]

Such bastard generic cross-pollination will be of keen interest to those who have pigeonholed the console RPG as yesterday's bread, as Dragon Quarter variously suceeds in its misfit marriage. [June 2003, p.98]

It's easy to forget just how precious few of the genre's many exponents ever attain this level of competence, of course, but that said it's not unreasonable to have hoped for a little more innovation from Capcom. [July 2004, p.103]

There's a great 20-hour romp to be had in Brothership, but you may have to give it a bit of a wiggle to find it. [Issue#405, p.110]

This thirdperson actioner spikes the familiar with flavour, and a tired but reliable vocabulary of wall-hugs, circle-strafe, grenade lobs and headshots with an invigorating Nu-Earth twang. [June 2006, p.94]

For all those who gun Reign down for toying with its own rules and essentially cheating on the player at times it feels are appropriate, there'll hopefully be as many who recognise that such times are appropriate and and that even the dirtiest of its tricks can be bested. [Dec 2005, p.104]

The enticing depths of strategy coupled with the affectionate, colourful realisation of the various characters you control ignites curiosity - and their abilities in battle are well-realised, gratifyingly powerful and many. [June 2009, p.90]

This convincing comeback has been designed for the die-hards - and they haven't been this well served by a Sonic game for ages. [Issue#311, p.118]

Under the topsoil its functions are often ingenious, improving genre weaknesses with more success than its over-familiar form might suggest. [Nov 2009, p.95]

The best of the series yet, and has incredible potential, it's just that it's up to you what you'll make of it. [Nov 2015, p.120]

Hours after closing the game, we often find ourselves absent-mindedly drumming a table or walking in step to a song we'd never pick out normally. It's in our bones now. [Issue#377, p.112]

With a little more mechanical variety, this might've been a minor classic. [Issue#394, p.106]

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]

A spinoff that works unexpectedly hard to win you over. [Nov 2015, p.122]

This is one hybrid genre piece that's ever so difficult to put down. [March 2019, p.116]

That it proves so rewarding as a solo venture in spite of these launch issues speaks to Outriders' finely honed mechanics, and the success of its central "cover shooter but not really" principle. [Issue#358, p.100]

In both its puzzle design and its storytelling, Return to Monkey Island plays it safe. [Issue#377, p.114]

A level design and stylistic triumph but often a frustrating puzzler for the wrong reasons, They Need To Be Fed 2 is a good iOS game. But it could become a great game if it mimicked its hero and jumped to other platforms.

While it feels dynamic for what is, essentially, an RPG of skill harvesting and exploiting, the end result is more about flexibility than exhilaration, more a colourfully-framed and extended session of rock-paper-scissors than any kind of rush. [June 2005, p.87]

The premise may be wild-eyed, but the systems that fire it are robust... Deserves the small but vociferous following it will no doubt find. [Apr 2010, p.95]

The knowledge that there's always another unlock just around the corner - and the tanalising locked-off areas you pass en rouge - ensures Shadow retains the fourth, invisible thing that held the Arkham series' other pillars together: the sense of forward momentum. [Issue#405, p.116]

It's relatively easygoing, then: contemplative and calming. [Issue#346, p.107]

Retro Studios has done a fine job with the Donkey Kong Country concept, ably translating its appeal for a modern platform, but it doesn't push it much further. [Christmas 2010, p.92]

Few other FPS titles can match the intensity of this nitrous-charged shooting gallery, but plenty of them offer the kind of less that feels like much, much more. [Nov 2005, p.104]

The sights and sounds of the Star Wars universe, delivered with enthusiasm and authenticity throughout, at least make it easy enough to be swept along. [Issue#403, p.104]

You come to Virtual-On to beat up big robots through a mix of opportune tactics and instinctive brawn, and throughout Marz the precise and articulated combat remains as demanding as ever. [Sept 2003]

While its bulk is impressive, it lacks a distinctive personality of its own. [Christmas 2016, p.106]

Solatorobo's short attention span is occasionally 
its undoing – good ideas and mechanics are dropped 
as readily as bad – and the button-mashing combat 
can occasionally fatigue, but this is an adventure both 
epic and bite-sized, with the kind of charm that 
makes its weaknesses easy to forget, and hard 
not to forgive.

An efficient and well thought out expansion. Short, tight and intense, it's a considerably different experience from Medieval proper and well worth experiencing. [June 2003, p.105]

It's a testament to the strength of the core concept, then, that The Plucky Squire remains as entertaining as it does. [Issue#403, p.108]

The game is more about building theme parks than overseeing them, moment to moment. [Issue#405, p.120]

The friction between precision and imprecision is what makes the game unique. [December 2018, p.112]

MotoHeroz is a cuddly toy you hug to your face, only to realise a second too late it's in fact a surly porcupine.

Unaided solo players at the moment will either have to grind through normal to upgrade specials and stances to overcome the higher difficulties, or just take their chances alone. That aside, this is a smart, funny and faithful update to a game that hasn't aged well, and another feather in WayForward's retro cap.

Ultimate Carnage is a generous package that can be highly entertaining. But it’s a pity that it fails to apply a comprehensive design overhaul to FlatOut’s robust engine. [Aug 2007, p.91]

Despite the lack of ingenuity on display, NSMB Wii's thrash of four players does bring uproarious anarchy to the sofa for short periods of time. [Dec 2009, p.86]

But as brutal as its buzz-saw races can be, they pale compared to the marketplace for online multiplayer into which it's throwing itself. [Issue#403, p.110]

The highscore table and note-perfect humour (which, just like the pixel-art graphics and whimsical audio, strikes the perfect balance between faux-naivety and self-awareness) proves more than enough to keep you playing in the traffic.

Ascension’s biggest success is a colour-coding system that effectively lets you know when you have an opening and when to run. Unblockable attacks are signalled by a player glowing red, white denotes invincibility, and blue signals a player in recovery. It’s a simple, smart system further improved by rock-paper-scissors combat (heavy beats parry beats light beats heavy), cooldown-controlled special moves and a logical, consistent approach to hitstun. Consider our expectations defied: this is the star of the show.

The extra depth is arresting – combatants plunge from one part of a stage to the next, crashing through glass and tumbling down stairs. While its 3D arenas arguably make for a more fitting showcase of 3DS's capabilities than launch title Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, the two share a further thrill as you turn the 3D off and watch the framerate double.

But what of the gamers who have paid WayForward’s bills, the Contra lovers and Shantae fan clubs? They're rewarded with extreme difficulty spikes, enacted by the amorphous lovelies of a Miyazaki film. A Boy and his Blob panders to the Wii’s unique audience all too well, dividing itself, and its impact, in the process.

Generous checkpoints and quick restarts just about cover for awkward platforming sequences. [December 2018, p.114]

There's just no accounting for an excruciating wipeout on the final lap when such possibilities are at the mercy of circumstances as much as they are at the player's skill. But, played with a graceful, Zen-like acceptance – shit happens – Crash 'n' Burn is as enjoyable as it is easy to understand. [Jan 2005, p.97]

Pinballing between boost blocks on the shorter stages is an undoubted thrill, but when a single, late mistake on the lengthier levels proves decisive, the less patient among us will likely find that an old-fashioned punishment too far.

There’s nothing revolutionary in Eternal Sonata, but it’s a well-executed RPG with style in abundance. [Nov 2007, p.98]

It lacks the connective tissue to join its bite-size skirmishes into a seamless epic, but as a lightweight pick-up-and-play romp, Resistance 3 is hard to resist.

Right now, the online exchange that Trackmania needs doesn't exist, but the community is growing by word of mouth. This is clever gaming, and in six months time it could be enormous. [Feb 2004, p.110]

It's not just a sense of humour and a flair for mayhem that Riddick shares with its star; it's a compact, muscular, single-minded piece of work, too. Flawed, yes, but so confident and independent that it's hard not to like. [Sept 2004, p.98]

Monkey Bump lacks the gooey intricacy of the team's best games, perhaps, but it's still an elegant time-waster with fine-tuned controls and an excellent handle on the things that keep score-chasing gamers happy. Slight and chirpy, this may be PomPom at its least idiosyncratic, but the expanding boundary has never looked more at home.

This is a cautionary tale of what happens when our human need for answers overrides common sense - and its disturbing finale drives that home with commendably blunt force. [Issue#377, p.120]

Extravagant and uncompromising, with its head high in the clouds and feed deep in the mud, Portable Ops manages to be both a true original and quintessential Metal Gear. [Feb 2007, p.74]

With the FPS realm being crushingly overpopulated, and its upper class becoming so terrifyingly demanding and particular, Pariah's solidity isn't enough to allow it entry into the genre's gentry. [June 2005, p.82]

As a game, Battalion Wars is good; as an experiment in genre cross-breeding and subtle, hand-free franchising, it's very nearly a triumph. [Dec 2005, p.96]

Where most games are built out of wood, bullets and money, Darwinia has an unapologetically spiritual vision, its geeky god presiding over a world which dares to make an imagined religion into a ruleset. That in some places it falls short of its ambitions is not what makes this game important. [March 2005, p.82]

Driver has escaped near-death with a captivating and colourful return, and one where everything from systems to cinematics is of a quality build. As surprises go, it’s a juggernaut. [Apr 2006, p.84]

Smartly thought out, handsomely presented and perfectly showcasing the combination of quick thinking and quick reactions we so often claim videogames encourage. [June 2007, p.89]

For all its wondrous mimicry, Lies of P can't quite match the master's ambition. A remarkable feat of craftsmanship and engineering it may be, but never quite a real boy. [Issue#390, p.124]

It may tread more carefully around its psychiatric themes, but its puzzles still toy with minds as easily as they play with space.

And as it brings the melancholic undercurrent that has defined its parent series to the surface, Age of Imprisonment succeeds on two fronts: as a classy Warriors spinoff and a surprisingly vital piece of Zelda history. [Issue#418, p.116]

Seeing the game from beginning to end reveals its true artistic merit: it never gets stale; every episode has been drawn with minute care and attention. It would have been an incredible achievement if the gameplay had matched the outstanding art direction. [Dec 2003, p.94]