Facebreaker is vacuous, its interface without flair and its novelties without purpose beyond littering the boards at Gamefaqs. [Oct 2008, p.95]

The game’s ambition reaches further than perhaps its budget could reach, thus failing to either deliver or explore its ideas as they were no doubt envisioned. [Nov 2008, p.95]

A sequel with a suitably Darwinian focus on simple refinement. [Nov 2008, p.100]

The good news for fans of 2005’s Playground Of Destruction is that Mercenaries remains an absolute blast. [Nov 2008, p.92]

If you were that kid who was pulled away from the TMNT cabinets by an angry mum, who couldn’t wait for Golden Axe to appear on a home console, and who played Streets Of Rage 2 over and over, Castle Crashers is for you. [Nov 2008, p.103]

Its characters may initially seem to be lazy stereotypes, but they soon blossom into something deeper, thanks to intelligent writing and uncommonly naturalistic acting. [Dec 2008, p.97]

That Disgaea 3 is perhaps the finest of its self-referential and casually wicked yarns, is almost an irrelevance. We’ve got numbers to think about. [Dec 2008, p.97]

In spite of its commitment to a single brand, Ferrari Challenge is rich in content for those prepared to navigate its obtuse structure. [Aug 2008, p.97]

Insomniac has stripped away every inch of slack, delivering a consistently entertaining title where platforming nestles tightly against puzzle solving and hugs shooting sections. [Oct 2008, p.102]

Those looking for a rigorous score-attack challenge should look elsewhere. [Nov 2008, p.103]

The irony is that many of Too Human’s problems wouldn’t exist if another pair of human players were allowed to enter the fold (as was originally intended) – speeding up play considerably and making ‘just one more run’ into something a little more manageable. [Oct 2008, p.92]

A labour of love. The core of the game might be a remake, but the features and polish applied move it beyond the realm of simple cash-ins to one of the finest games to grace PSN or XBLA yet. [Sept 2008, p.92]

A wholly unoriginal creation burdened by memories attached to the good ideas it’s imitating, and made worse by the sloppy execution of basic mechanics. [Oct 2008, p.100]

While certainly being Treasure's most fragmented game, there’s a sense that the lack of narrative, character and even proper framework makes this its most raw, pure and delightful. [June 2008, p.95]

You wonder if players will have wanted to spend this amount of time loafing around the Homestar Runner universe, or whether their interaction with it is best limited to ten-minute bursts via their web browser. [Oct 2008, p.101]

You wonder if players will have wanted to spend this amount of time loafing around the Homestar Runner universe, or whether their interaction with it is best limited to ten-minute bursts via their web browser. [Oct 2008, p.101]

A beautiful and brilliantly demanding game that barely contains its dense population of ideas. [Sept 2008, p.89]

Where B-Boy crucially disappoints is in the execution of its gameplay. The turn-based nature of its stages is interminably frustrating. [Oct 2006, p.94]

Eden’s precise artistic vision, dreamlike menus and sharply contemporary Japanese ambience is a perfect fit for PSN, but for all its purity this is an Eden too mechanically flawed to match its presentation. [Oct 2008, p.98]

It may be pulled together from no more than shards of light, but few games manage to be both a science and an art. [Oct 2008, p.99]

It's a tale of swords and souls in which everyone keeps their dignity until you knock off their cuirass and make them fight in their bra. [Sept 2008, p.84]

While the game remains focused on atmosphere and aesthetics, concessions have been made to a more dynamic style of play. [Sept 2008, p.86]

A remake that's peculiarly of its time: a western-style, casual gaming aping of the Japanese shoot 'em up that's less homage than banal dilution, and the game sucks the life and vibrancy from its rich lineage. [July 2008, p.99]

There may not be much to the game, but Sumo has done an astounding job of bolstering it with online facilities that are entirely uncommon on the platform. For what it is, it's as worthy a remake as you could possibly want. [July 2008, p.98]

The attention that’s gone into the update extends much further than a mere 3D overhaul and this update feels like a labour of love, even if its conception was merely for profit. [Sept 2008, p.96]

Fundamentally a little anaemic, lacking the kind of acute design which would either make its stages distinct or its basic operation continually engaging. [Sept 2008, p.94]

While the streamlined and brisk approach that brushes over some of the minutiae of the previous games might cause some PC fans to baulk, Revolution has concentrated rather than diluted the Civ experience, creating an expression of the concept that's perfectly suited to its platform. [July 2008, p.94]

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]

Track & Field and its ilk have few pretensions beyond being disposable and frantic multiplayer diversions; Beijng 2008 has made its events marginally more taxing, but no more joyful. [Aug 2008, p.100]

To tackle the more inventive operations dreamt up for Wii with superior tools will be enough to convince the Trauma fans. [Nov 2008, p.102]

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]

As a short, sharp blaze of fun, it's every bit as brash and ballsy as "Mercs" ever was. [July 2008, p.99]

The expanded range of strategic choice and admirably polished presentation push Grimoire Of The Rift right into the top tier. [Sept 2008, p.93]

The breadth of Eden’s ambitions may have meant that there’s barely a feature that’s implemented more than satisfactorily, but there’s a generosity of vision here that few games can boast. [Aug 2008, p.88]

Bad Company’s multiplayer happily checks off the expectations the series has created. [Aug 2008, p.90]

Bad Company’s multiplayer happily checks off the expectations the series has created. [Aug 2008, p.90]

As a novelty, this is fine and will provide the odd fun moment. But unlike its endlessly replayable older brothers, you won’t be coming back. [Sept 2008, p.90]

It reinvents a gaming classic, and proves that the nuts-and-bolts mechanics of yesteryear can still captivate. It’s engrossing, a stiff challenge and a fine addition to a venerable history. [Apr 2008, p.97]

The result is restless and, in the context of Clank’s overalls story, incoherent. But it’s also vibrantly diverse. [Sept 2008, p.95]

MGS4 is not the game it could have been; nor is it the game it would have been had the series grown with the benefit of hindsight; nor is it the game it should have been if you believed that early trailer. But it is faithful to its fans, its premise and its heart, delivering an experience that is, in so many ways, without equal.

There are just too many of the simple things wrong, and too many areas where you feel that corners have been cut rather than obsessed over. [Sept 2008, p.88]

Nevermind the sluggish movement, repetitive phrases from trainers, or ability to trap AI in combination patterns: at the most basic level, Prizefighter has suspicious collision detection and a great many gloves that clip through arms and heads. [Aug 2008, p.101]

Soul Bubbles is so enchanting, its fundamental behaviour so neatly realised, that you can forgive it being a little simple. [July 2008, p.97]

After a few hours its lack of variation, poor technical accomplishments and above all its deadening mission repetition make for a hulking disappointment. [Aug 2008, p.96]

Among its many failings one stands out as cardinal and, despite the slick presentation, simply can’t be forgiven: you never really feel in control of what’s going on. [Aug 2008, p.94]

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]

A scintillating racing experience, and as a revitalisation of the Race Driver series it's utterly successful. [July 2008, p.90]

The game suffers from a slow start, the first six chapters indistinct and repetitive. [July 2008, p.92]

With the episodic development cycle all but demanding that structure and form be locked down in the first instalment, with content added thereafter, the series' future looks precarious at best. [June 2008, p.90]

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

Haze is a distinctly unflattering addition to Playstation 3's library, embarrassingly reminiscent of the previous generation. [July 2008, p.88]

The constant flow of new content makes it a game that will last as long as Sony’s console does – that is, if you’re prepared to make the financial investment required to maintain a song library. [Nov 2007, p.95]

There’s a terrific immediacy to the events, too. The days are short enough to guarantee a constant hustle and bustle, and the results of the previous day’s adventuring are cunningly given after the save screen, drawing you in to the next day before you realise it. [Aug 2008, p.98]

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

TV Show King’s key problem is that each round is identical: answering five questions for points. [Aug 2008, p.101]

Tactics lacks what it needs the most, which is the seemingly limitless potential achieved by its predecessor. [Feb 2008, p.94]

It has a masterful user interface. [July 2008, p.93]

It's a numbing piece of design. [July 2008, p.97]

For every moment of epiphany, wide-eyed with an awareness of a resolution, there's an equal number of blunderingly hapless wins, falling or jumping accidentally to new and advantageous positions. [June 2008, p.89]

For every moment of epiphany, wide-eyed with an awareness of a resolution, there's an equal number of blunderingly hapless wins, falling or jumping accidentally to new and advantageous positions. [June 2008, p.89]

Yes, there's still the freedom to cause havoc, and inevitably you do; the difference is that you're no longer impelled to toy with GTA IV's world in quite the same sadistic way - you live in it. [June 2008, p.82]

Yes, there's still the freedom to cause havoc, and inevitably you do; the difference is that you’re no longer impelled to toy with GTA IV's world in quite the same sadistic way - you live in it. [June 2008, p.82]

Having sacrificed racing integrity in "Double Dash" to side with social silliness, Nintendo has turned 180 degrees into an awkward halfway house. [May 2008, p.86]

When control is wrested from the narrative, the action mechanics are deep and interesting, making unique use of both of the DS screens at once. [May 2008, p.94]

This recurrent rehash is branding to serve the genre, and of little benefit to Poke-fans. [Sept 2008, p.96]

This recurrent rehash is branding to serve the genre, and of little benefit to Poke-fans. [Sept 2008, p.96]

There's a lot of replay value and unlockables to go with a lot of shooting; it's a welcome blast from the 16bit days. [July 2008, p.98]

As much as Gran Turismo TV and its frontend might push Prologue toward being a multimedia experience, the actual racing has become more of a game - a little less clinical, a little more diverse and characterful. [June 2008, p.88]

The only area in which the game satisfyingly realises the twisted ideas is in mental ailments. [July 2008, p.96]

A Frankenstein’s monster that actually works. Its mind is sound, its looks beautiful, its sutures invisible and its stolen parts functional in all the intended ways. It has no soul, of course, nor distinct personality, but that’s the nature of the beast. [May 2008, p.88]

Viking’s shortfalls just seem so peculiar when compared to the surging competency of its strengths. [May 2008, p.90]

Opoona has enough character that, combined with its innovative combat and leisurely pace through an interesting world, it is comfortably its own experience. [June 2008, p.93]

Team Ninja's finest, most intelligent game since Ninja Gaiden Black, it leaves high hopes for the imminent 360 sequel. [June 2008, p.92]

Crisis Core gets arguably the most important thing right: its story is often expertly engineered and delivered, and despite the odd misstep (Genesis becomes especially tiresome as the game wears on) is some achievement in itself. [June 2008, p.86]

Sega Superstars Tennis is well-crafted, lovingly garish, and it plays a solid game. [Apr 2008, p.97]

With "Denied Ops" dropping the Conflict ball and "Call Of Duty 4"’s snappy splendour drowning any tactical sense, it’s a likeable and distracting continuation, but one that won’t be difficult to usurp. [Apr 2008, p.90]

It’s too fantastical, its violence occurring anywhere and everywhere to ever-decreasing effect. [Apr 2008, p.88]

In quests played with up to three friends the experience improves, but the game does nothing clever, original or compelling enough to recommend local questing over MMOs. [May 2008, p.95]

Puzzles are of the ‘give doughnut to the doughnut-desiring character’ variety, rarely extending beyond chores. [May 2008, p.97]

Aside from the occasional hiccup with collision detection, and some uninspired boss battles, Nanostray 2 does enough to gain an honourable mention in the genre. [May 2008, p.98]

Super Smash Bros is a series that has often been unfairly derided as button-mashing, largely thanks to its surface sheen of cutesy characters, but it has one of the most enduringly innovative and deep systems of any fighter. [Apr 2008, p.84]

Army Of Two is relatively straightforward thirdperson shooter, focused on large-scale skirmishes and the dynamics of a two-man team. It’s serviceable enough in some regards. [Apr 2008, p.91]

That it feels so leaden despite its busyness, and fails to ignite despite all its gunpowder, is impossible to ignore. [May 2008, p.99]

At the halfway mark, Chains is so tremendous, striking an almost perfect beat of difficulty spikes, weapon upgrades and stupendous visual reveals, that you have to question its endurance. And, sadly, it flounders right on cue. [Apr 2008, p.92]

In terms of the game’s central challenge, it excels at dividing the player’s attention between ambitions for continuous expansion and the manual maintenance of the empire as it stands. [Sept 2007, p.97]

It all feels like a bit of a hassle, and that, presumably, is not the message the WWF would like to convey about saving the environment. [May 2008, p.98]

Shiren The Wanderer still has its own charm and deep and lasting individual value that, for all its abstract irritations, surpasses many more modern gaming experiences. [May 2008, p.96]

While the likes of Call Of Duty 4 and Halo have made console joypads feel snappy and responsive enough to challenge the PC mouse and keyboard, Turning Point has sloppily regressed the cause by a few years. [May 2008, p.93]

Lost feels truncated to the extreme, a grand tutorial to island living violently cut off when the credits roll after four hours. [Apr 2008, p.93]

The level of personality in the Patapons and their world makes up for any disappointments - and your involvement in their story becomes huge. [Mar 2008, p.99]

The levels can sometimes feel artificial and depopulated, the game neither recreating sprawling, unrelenting conflict, nor managing to suggest a greater world through the controlled cinema of more linear shooters. [Mar 2008, p.94]

Mission design feels particularly lazy this time round, Locomotive seemingly jotting down amusing cutscene scenarios before finding tenuous ways of tying ‘destroy this’ or ‘abduct that’ tasks to the constant stream of ooh-er references to ‘big willies’ and ‘meat’ in the dialogue. [May 2008, p.97]

Underneath the mundane masculinity and grimy gun-toting clichés lies a heavily structured and well-considered score-attack game – one that’s worth excavating for all the short-lived interest it holds. [Feb 2008, p.88]

Underneath the mundane masculinity and grimy gun-toting clichés lies a heavily structured and well-considered score-attack game – one that’s worth excavating for all the short-lived interest it holds. [Feb 2008, p.88]

Underneath the mundane masculinity and grimy gun-toting clichés lies a heavily structured and well-considered score-attack game – one that’s worth excavating for all the short-lived interest it holds. [Feb 2008, p.88]

Yes, Justice’s new shriek adds a new trick to his repertoire, but besides this and a few new touchscreen forensic gizmos, this there is little change from the GBA ports. [Apr 2008, p.95]

This is revitalisation, a fresh surge of life for the long-serving warhorse. By any typical measure of gaming it's not grand advance, but for those whose fingers have long been drilled by the brawls of Koei's sprawling riots, it's as worthwhile and frenzied as it's ever been. [Mar 2008, p.96]

Fundamentally, combat feels feeble and insubstantial - partly out of aesthetic failure to convey power, but mostly out of a design choice to limit the effectivness of your weaponry (see 'Gun Damn'). [Mar 2008, p.95]