It demands persistence on the part of the player to uncover its inner workings, but when you do start to move in tandem, it's an undeniably exhilaratnig dance. [Oct 2006, p.86]

While the game delivers its smooth-edged package efficiently enough, it never manages to raise the pulse like its predecessor, and like an ancient tomb, close inspection reveals some worrying cracks. [Feb 2015, p.114]

Ara is at once too shallow and too deep, a 4X game where one of its crosses bears far more eight than the others. [Issue#404, p.118]

A clever game, then, but not a particularly fulfilling one. [Sept 2009, p.99]

There’s a good game here, but that game was built and finished two years ago. Origins adds little to its mechanics and nothing to the mythology. The story of a raw and inelegant Batman in his early years is better told on the big screen and the printed page, rather than in a raw, inelegant game in a generation’s twilight years.

Despite the absence of punishing deadlines, though, maybe this escape is a little too much like work after all. [Issue#403, p.122]

The compact nature of the game's arc means its narrative rhythm feels a little off and things clatter to an end well before you expect - or want - them to. [Christmas 2016, p.120]

There aren’t enough maps, there aren’t enough distinctions between the vehicles, and there’s just not enough meat on what feel like solid bones. [Sept 2007, p.96]

The result is a game that may not leave you full, but it'll taste pretty sweet while it lasts.

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]

Though still unique, Patapon's crisp, minimalist art design and central mechanic is no longer a strong enough draw to excuse its repetitiveness and price tag. [May 2011, p.99]

A slick production, but its rewards can feel outstripped by the effort required to play it. [Christmas 2016, p.118]

It only betrays itself completely once – in a dismally conventional boss battle around halfway through – though at times Spartan threatens to become routine, it never does, thanks to its strong character, handsome looks and sheer, irrepressible verve. [Nov 2005, p.96]

How curious to find Nintendo's most contemporary tale hidden in a format so beholden to the past. [Issue#402, p.120]

Proves that what works as a prototype does not necessarily translate to a final product. [May 2015, p.123]

As the adrenaline fades, disappointment always creeps in, that meeting this creature more up-close than ever before might have actually, finally defanged it. [Issue#407, p.98]

This may superficially resemble any of a dozen other DS SRPGs, but it has many twists and a clever, manipulative philosophy at heart that lifts it above the crowd. [May 2009, p.97]

Even if the overall package is less than the sum of its parts, an arcade-perfect port of Vampire Saviour is impressive enough alone, and the PSP’s screen definition infuses the visuals with their original, unmistakable vibrancy. [Feb 2005, p.82]

The picaresque form allows the levels to function as discreet puzzles rather than as parts of a story arc: the objective remains pure and always the same. The obstacles and methods open to you are what change, and it's in these areas that Contracts has both expanded and improved. [June 2004, p.103]

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]

It's a shame that, for all those nifty custom USB sockets, there's no real connection to be found here. [Christmas 2018, p.112]

Repetitive and crude, this is a game that is often let down by the rough edges of a development team that didn't seem to have the time or the money to realise its ambitions. [June 2003, p.102]

Other than some disappointing visuals, there's little to complain about in arcade, exhibition and mutliplayer modes. [July 2004, p.109]

This is, after all, a game that goes out of its way to empower in a way few other games dare. [Jan 2016, p.102]

As a free download, Frobisher Says may not be a waste of your money, but there are many better diversions on Vita to occupy your time.

It spits you out, head spinning, with a message about overcoming failure through unorthodox thinking; one last surprise in a game that encourages you to readjust your perspective in every sense. [Issue#340, p.118]

As it currently stands, the charm of those inventive crafting mechanics can wear off, with progression in the later stages stretched particularly thin. With some further additions stirred into the mix, Potion Craft could yet get closer to reaching its full, heady potential. [Issue#381, p.102]

Though a perfectly engrossing horror game (and a timely reminder that an over-the-shoulder view isn't the only way of looking at an awful place) at times it can feel like a waste of promising concepts. [Issue#347, p.98]

It lacks the original’s elegance and surprise, but as F2P spin-offs go, this isn’t nearly as villainous as you might expect.

The rethink has inspired some of the most cunning, least arbitrary Monkey Ball level designs since the first game, and though Banana Blitz is the model of accessibility, it’s also plenty tough enough. [Christmas 2006, p.85]

As far as either an authentic simulation or a fun re-imagining goes, it’s like some strange negative of the emperor’s new clothes; the pretty wrapping is there but the body is not. [Mar 2007, p.83]

Magic Pengel isn't, by any stretch of the imagination, a rounded and satisfying videogame. But it is, without question, a rounded and satisfying stretch of the imagination. [Nov 2003, p.92]

Many of the new additions do not work. [May 2015, p.116]

Why take such efforts to unearth them in a remaster that goes above and beyond in so many ways, only to leave basic flaws intact? A puzzle for future generations of podcasters, perhaps. [Issue#359, p.114]

It's difficult to shake the sensation that Killer 7 is an important production, as paving for future creative leeway if nothing else. But its likely love/hate status is testament to just how adamant it has attempted to be in its flair for extraordinary presentation. [Aug 2005, p.84]

A smart idea, executed in a very controlled fashion, but could do with letting its hair down occasionally.

You'll want to see each and every one of Pendragon's journeys through, even knowing that its survivors are set to live miserably ever after. [Issue#351, p.100]

When the curtain drops on Binary Domain, you're left with the sense that, while accomplished, this game is largely a rote exercise in genre. It adequately, but not outstandingly, mimics the nuts and bolts of the western cover shooter, while bringing little new of worth to the table.

It’s very easy to while away the time just terrorising the populace of each level in an increasingly destructive fashion, but to actually care enough to contribute anything to a completion percentage is another matter entirely. [July 2005, p.86]

In depicting a bold move that goes dreadfully awry, that opening cinematic proves unfortunately prescient. [Issue#396, p.114]

While the logic-based puzzles are never too perplexing, they can require a little too much back-and-forth travel between adjacent rooms, occasionally wearing out the good impression made by each gorgeously rendered setting.

Feeling the buzz of Genji’s countering system is the key to enjoying it, making the eastern promise of demanding play feel attainable, if less exotic for those already well-versed in mastering such endeavours. [Sept 2005, p.92]

It's a game whose very structure serves to undermine its often excellent writing; that, in the end, is what really stings. [May 2018, p.118]

The finely tuned platforming lays solid foundations for a leaderboard racer, and the custom leaderboards are well implemented, but this just doesn't feel like something you'll be playing in a month, never mind three years. You can't fault its ambition, and it may yet transform itself into an essential title, but presently, 1000 Heroz falls short of its lifespan.

Magicka delivers splashy nonsense of a gleeful kind, and somehow its delight in chaos and willful stupidity buoys it some way above its faults. [Mar 2011, p.95]

There's promise in The Turing Test's constituent parts, but considered as a whole, it fails the imitation game. [Nov 2016, p.110]

Too brainless for adults, and increasingly too frustrating and needlessly obtuse for children, Lego Batman makes the simplest mistake any franchise title can: it serves the licence, and nobody else. [Dec 2008, p.89]

Singleplayer is weak - despite well-worked tutorial and mission modes it always feels like target practice for combat with friends - and the lack of online support disappoints. But despite a potentially hazardous dimensional switch, it remains as appealing a way of antagonising your friends as ever. [Dec 2003, p.108]

For all the gags, Astrologaster is a romp with no little substance. [Issue#334, p.120]

It's hardly the deepest strategy game around, but it effectively sets up the loop these games revel in, one thing feeding into another so you can never quite find the right moment to put it down [Issue#341, p.110]

If you can forgive the over-reliance on certain tropes and endure some short spells of tedium, this is a genuinely grisly, surprisingly deep hybrid of survival horror and FPS. [Issue#421, p.114]

Though perhaps it's the constraints that give this striking noir - the most invested we've been in the Tron universe for 40 years - such a strong identity of its own. [Issue#385, p.122]

It's just a shame that this unique combination of still-alivers didn't result in something truly innovative.

Attempting to race beyond its own predetermined speed limits only results in frustration, but given the time to slow-burn and settle in at its own tempo the immensity of its offerings will rarely disappoint. [Aug 2006, p.87]

So despite the winner podiums and big sponsorship contracts and – yes – even the hours you'll spend in this askew universe, Grand Prix Story feels more like deja vu than entertainment. The formula is rapidly palling.

Indeed, Tactica is very much a Persona 5 game, with all that entails: conceptually sound, visually stylish, lovingly assembled - and needlessly drawn out. [Issue#392, p.116]

You can't just mine your inspirations; ideally, you should build on them. [Issue#392, p.120]

What could've been a new high-water mark for horror is weighed down by a litany of clanging missteps, but while the game's many problems conspire to tarnish its innovations, the latter are so far ahead of other games' tricks that they dazzle nonetheless. [April 2016, p.115]

Tourist Trophy is never anything more than you, a motorcycle, and the quest for the racing line. It’s more than accomplished enough to fulfil fanatics of bikes and simulations, but too dry for anyone else. [Apr 2006, p.86]

Despite its unreserved nature, and being about as tightly tethered to reality as the Burnout series, Ridge Racer 6 hasn’t floated away from its roots. It’s content to sink into its well-established furrow of soaring slides and skids, and it still feels crisply satisfying with it. [Jan 2005, p.82]

Imagine building one of the most visually arresting games in recent memory, infusing the track design with genuine ingenuity, then having your work cruelly undermined by a learning curve shallower than a hill in Holland. RE is simply not challenging enough. [March 2003, p94]

In music, bad tribute acts play pubs and weddings: in games, they sit at the top of the charts.

The mix of leaping and pushing blocks forces you to exercise thumbs and prefrontal cortex alike, but jumping between the two can jar. [Issue#363, p.123]

It's worth rolling on to the end, but you might find yourself wishing it had more of the concision of its cinematic inspirations, rather than the drag of a family game of monopoly. [Issue#364, p.123]

As well-intentioned as its encouragement to slow down and sniff the flowers may be, we can't help but bristle when the process is so leaden that it rarely feels like a relaxing meadow stroll. [Issue#404, p.120]

The game's intended target audience is likely to respond to the beautifully animated pets with squeaks of delight, though exposure to the Edge test family did result in two children vying for the attention of a camera that would one accept one of the little terrors at a time. [Christmas 2010]

The amount of material here, familiar though some of it is, and the consummate presentation means that this is the most exhaustive Katamari to date, if not the finest. [Nov 2009, p.97]

Lit is consistently rewarding for its duration, the lack of handholding and clue-giving heightening the thrill of finding a solution, regardless of whether it was thought through or merely stumbled upon in the dark. [Christmas 2009, p.100]

A music game, like a DJ, is only as good as the contents of its record crate. Fuser hasn't done enough digging. [Issue#353, p.119]

As homages go, it's reverential yet poisoned by doubt. It doesn't trust Left 4 Dead's genius enough to let it stand alone. [Issue#365, p.106]

Faithful as a bloodhound to the Dreamcast original, this GBA port is a stunning example of when authenticity ought to be sacrificed to utility. This is not a lazy port. But the loyalty of the conversion is ill-advised. [Sept 2003]

Memorable? Undoubtedly. But we'll have that drink now, thanks. [Issue#139, p.119]

The best pleasure in Tiny Invaders isn't really the white-knuckle action. It's those moments spent mentally sketching its levels out before launching into them and executing perfectly - or getting smooshed. Infesting humans slowly and inexorably with an army of cheerful germs – Tiny Invaders isn't perfect, but it definitely brings a smile to your face.

Control is also stodgy and unreliable. [Issue#422, p.123]

Throw in a typically generous range of levels and a surprisingly engrossing hidden object game, and Snapshot becomes a recipe for a candy-coloured afternoon of elegant brainteasers.

It's not going to change your life, but for a dozen or so hours, this genial adventure might just make it a few shades brighter. [July 2018, p.120]

If you're the right age to appreciate the irony of an over-powered Care Bear attack, Saturday Morning RPG is going to take you right back to your distant past.

Did a purse-holder at Activision one day grapple fruitlessly with the last game's control system and scrawl in their subsequent notes “Make the next one so that I can play it”? Speculation aside, someone sure messed-up Spider-Man. [Dec 2005, p.108]

Destroy All Humans 2 is initially enjoyable, entirely endurable and gratifyingly easy. But at its heart it remains an average experience. [Dec 2006, p.86]

We hate its impotence, its utter lack of a scare beyond an aversion to getting shot. And with its market-led features and Skinner-box mechanics, we hate that a series that began as a lesson in horror – of the B-movie kind, admittedly – now feels so afraid of the competition.

It scales to your ability and makes you feel connected to the music in a way few other games can match. [Feb 2016, p.108]

How do you craft an RPG around a character defined entirely by movement? We’re not sure that you can, and BioWare hasn’t proved otherwise. [Dec 2008, p.96]

No hack job, then, but rather soulless. [Issue#376, p.114]

True, there is little here that should deter the Souls veteran in search of a new challenge to add to the ever-growing pile. And while we may never be quite as interested in uncovering the backstory of our mute amnesiac as in retailoring her skillset or wardrobe, Wuchang does a commendable job of draping the Soulslike in eastern garments - provided the red mist doesn't have you tearing them asunder. [Issue#414, p.104]

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]

As an empowering journey, Showtime proves THIS princess doesn't need a plumber to rescue her; you sense its intended audience will crush a grape as Peach follows suit. [Issue#397, p.122]

Conversely, the game's reliable constant, its combat mechanics, begins to petrify through repetition. [Issue#421, p.104]

Only the most ardent grognard will do more than dent the surface of this enormous strategy game, which rather diminishes the overall impact for the rest of us. [Mar 2004, p.110]

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]

Its problem is what the missions ask of you: they are simply too tough. Trained soldiers would and should mutiny when asked to carry out the tasks AA routinely asks of you. [Mar 2007, p.84]

It might seem unfair to complain of maddening repetition, given the subject matter, but it turns out not every trope of game benefits from being trapped in a loop. [Issue#396, p.123]

Plagued by imbalance, the Round 3 career can serve up over 50 bouts before one goes the distance. The new stun punch – a thunderclap of a haymaker – helps to ensure first to third round knockouts for the vast majority of fights. [Apr 2006, p.82]

Despite its leisurely atmosphere, Dordogne is a more serious story than you might anticipate. [Issue#387, p.122]

This sequel isn't the leap forward the concept deserves, but it's a testament to the original that it remains a standout personality over two years on, at a point when quality platform games have become thin on the ground. [Mar 2011, p.99]

This is a fresh take on the battle royale that deserves to be experienced. [Issue#342, p.106]

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

It's in Mafia II's second act that it takes a real dive, and familiarity plunges into cliché. When the writers run out of literary coal, there's little to keep you on the rails, and nowhere to take a time-out. It descends into a festival of stereotypes and expletives, laying waste to the hints of narrative depth proffered earlier and offending beyond justification as it ticks the down-and-dirty genre boxes.

Even as it lacks the same tactical depth and storytelling nuance, in its collaborative combat and earnest heroics, it captures the spirit of Fire Emblem really rather well. [Christmas 2017, p.120]