It doesn't so much break the fourth wall as move effortlessly through it as a spectre might, leading to conundrums that rival the dearly departed Cing's finest work: one more act of resurrection in an ingeniously constructed ghost story. [Issue#384, p.118]

As a complete game package Conker: Live & Reloaded is tremendously good value. Significantly, it also shows a company finally back on form. [Aug 2005, p.93]

It's a surprise to find that this relentless numerical tangle of a dungeon crawler is a human story. [March 2016, p.118]

Like the early Tomb Raiders, this is a game in which you truly get to know your environment, connecting with it physically and emotionally: a puzzle to be solved, yes, and a story to be unearthed, but also a space to respect and to feel humbled by. [Issue#391, p.116]

To call this style over substance would be grossly inaccurate. The substance is all there – weighty, deep and stretching off 90 hours into the distance. But, unmistakable, it is substance from another time. [Jan 2005, p.78]

Most of all, though, there's consistently something new to experience. The thrill of spectacle, and of the weird, both fade fast - too much of the same thing and it begins to feel mundane. [Issue#337, p.100]

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

Because there's an underlying subtlety and sophistication in the handling - and it's encouraging to see even minor damage and tyre wear affecting lap times - the compulsion to shave fractions off your records is always there. [June 2005, p.89]

It's a game that wants to take games apart piece by piece - and is happy to use you as a screwdriver of sorts. [Issue#409, p.122]

The most successful episodes find ways to hold us captive. [March 2016, p.122]

Puts Destiny's first expansion to shame. [Aug 2015, p.118]

Beyond the obvious aesthetic appeal of the jump to HD, New Super Mario Bros U doesn't make a particularly convincing case for Nintendo's new console, and there's very little here that couldn't have been done on Wii. But if it isn't a great showpiece for the console, it may have to settle for being a very good Mario game, perhaps the finest of the plumber's side-scrolling adventures since his 16bit heyday.

For the moment, though, SOE's MMOG is a remarkable achievement. Games like it often have to sacrifice visual fidelity for performance, but PlanetSide 2 looks stunning, even on medium settings.

Ultimately, while the Mikado Maniax reworking of Raiden III may not be abundant in terms of new features or modes, it does provide access to one of the most exciting, distinct and dramatic genre works - which may, with luck, earn it the attention in the west it has long deserved. [Issue#384, p.122]

Avalanche imparts the varying depths of snow, anything from sheet ice to knee-deep drifts, much better than its nearest rivals. Crouching for speed, leaping precipices and then absorbing the shock upon landing is a majestic sensation only bettered by the original. [Feb 2004, p.104]

When this enthralling hybrid is delivering blood by the bucketload and thrills by the dozen, you won't exactly be thinking about what it isn't. [Issue#330, p.110]

In exploring the past so thoughtfully, it has established itself as a name to watch in the future. [Issue#363, p.121]

A convincing example of how 
motion control can breathe new life into a niche genre. 
More than that, it's a masterclass in audio design and the emotive power of CG imagery.

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]

For console owners used to having to fiddle with power sliders in order to orchestrate their shots, it brings a nigh-on edible element of tangibility to the experience... An accomplished bundle. [May 2004, p.109]

Captivating, strategic and, despite the monstrous aliens, oddly welcoming. [Jan 2013, p.102]

When Dance Central works, the feeling is borderline euphoric - in the blood-pumping, serotonin-inducing way that only dancing can be - as you find yourself stringing moves you learnt individually into coherent routines. [Christmas 2010, p.94]

Though the Clancy series entirely consists of such well-rounded packages, it’s Splinter Cell that shines – a game of equally accomplished halves. [Dec 2006, p.82]

A masterclass in imaginative flair and precision-engineered game mechanics. The GBA is beginning to feel all grown up. [Feb 2004, p.107]

One corker of an action game. Perhaps the biggest mention goes to the 'vo-cap' tech behind its extraordinary performances. [May 2009, p.88]

Jonasson is evidently confident that his game has enough to keep you coming back regardless. He's right to be. [Issue#391, p.122]

This is one of the finest tactical challenges of 2007 – but only if you play online. [Nov 2007, p.98]

Sweetest of all, the satisfying thrum of a finely tuned engine. [Issue#330, p.116]

Familiarity is both the worst and best thing about Pikmin 3. Twelve years after the original and nine after the sequel, little has changed – but little really needed to. It may not sell systems on its own, but it’s a fine addition to a sparse software library that brings one of Nintendo’s most vibrantly characterful series into the HD era and, critically, makes convincing use of the GamePad.

Rogue Legacy offers the silly, slapstick cruelty of the best roguelikes, but twins it with something just as appealing: a tantalising hint of control over your fate.

For all its inconsistencies, complexities, inadequacies and oddities, The Last Story offers an entrancing and seamless flow of interesting experiences. And surely that, in the final reckoning, is what counts.

Short but memorable, this is a low-key triumph: if Japanese indie developer NamaTakahashi doesn't go on to even greater things, well, we'll be shocked. [Issue#365, p.119]

There's always something new to prod at, to see exactly how the game's rules have been twisted this time. [Issue#337, p.110]

It isn't any kind of reinvention, but a revitalisation, with a style so rich that it becomes an integral part of the game's substance; Psychonauts breathes imagination and individuality as effortlessly as most games steal from one another. [July 2005, p.84]

Some may argue over what the series should have become, but what's important is that it has made that tough decision for itself, and established a rock solid foundation for inevitable, now justified successors. [May 2006, p.86]

A simple idea, near perfectly realised. [Issue#365, p.121]

The controls are exquisitely calibrated, giving you room to adjust your trajectory in mid-air. [March 2018, p.118]

Coming from the studio behind Wave Trip and Bad Hotel, Gentlemen’s sharp, stylish menus and app icon were always a given, but a conceptual curveball like this was hardly guaranteed to hit its target. That it does so emphatically is convincing proof that this Edinburgh studio is no one-trick pony.

On balance, the fourth Forza gets things right. The franchise has earned its place at the forefront of console racing sims and has done more for advancing the social/online element than any of its rivals.

And in a genre preoccupied with conquest, it's hopeful concluding note of independence - the Legion's actions in Russia are tied to the formation of the First Czechoslovak Republic - makes for a welcome epilogue indeed. [Issue#392, p.118]

A solid and intricate Armored Core with the best online offering yet, lacking only the visual sheen to make the energy and pace of its combat shine. It's still an acquired taste, but once you've whetted your appetite, it's hard to resist.

It's an interesting tale, it's mystery and fuzzy chronology giving it a constant, momentum. [March 2018, p.120]

It's a game where stealth comes naturally for absolutely everyone, and is all the better for it. [Issue#315, p.114]

This relaxed, arcade-like approach makes for something that's not so much about simulation, but more emulation; letting you thwack the ball with all the verve of an expert, without the worry of any homework. Fun, then, and lots of it. [Nov 2003, p.107]

Frontier's ambition reaches considerably beyond what's in the current build. [March 2015, p.98]

While it’s occasionally fiddly, it has pace and spectacle and style to spare. Underworld is that rare game that manages to provide a real adventure to go along with its action. [Christmas 2008, p.95]

It’s still a hardcore sim at heart – forgiving lower difficulties, sexy day/night effects and emotive cars aside – and those that rush in may miss the point. But explore and savour each passionately sculpted track and car, either solo or in the 16-player online mode, and there are few games to touch it. [Nov 2005, p.111]

Provides too little in the way of engaging structure behind its exemplary racing to make it more than a series of thrilling rides. [July 2010, p.96]

Hothead games may just have discovered that the best way to dispel Diablo's shadow is to make light of it. [Sept 2010, p.92]

It’s no accident that your role can often feel more captive than intrepid explorer; Fireproof skilfully demonstrates that escapism through escapology can be a potent conceit indeed.

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]

Genre-defining as it is, the drama of Fight Night remains squarely within the ropes. [Aug 2009, p.103]

Silent Hill 2 is the rare game that isn't over after we've finished playing. It's a state of mind, and it waits for us to return. [Issue#404, p.108]

A rewarding stopgap for anyone after something old on something new. [July 2010, p.102]

The hope is that Riot quickly puts in the work required to fix these issues, which are distracting enough to shake you out of the magical flow state that Valorant induces. If it does, we've got a feeling this one's destined for glory. [Issue#348, p.96]

It is about delighting in the journey. [Issue#337, p.122]

It's certainly fun, but at times it's more than that: around the parody of leveling orbits a whole universe of bigger and better systems to lose yourself within. [Feb 2010, p.92]

Those accustomed to the adult world of online PC gaming may have reason to sniff at the more streamlined play, but Pandemic has given consoles a whole new genre, pretty much perfectly formed... No game has ever felt quite so much like playing with Star Wars figures. [Nov 2004, p.102]

In every sense, the pleasure here is in the playing. [Issue#315, p.122]

Not bad for the unlikely sequel to a game hardly anyone played. [Sept 2010, p.96]

To attempt to build a shooter as grand as Gradius V takes some courage; Team Ladybug has the talent as well as the guts. [Issue#374, p.119]

At a time when Nintendo's status as a creative powerhouse is slipping, Pikmin 2 demonstrates that there's still no company that can touch it when it works its alchemy of rigorous play mechanics, artistic excellence, irrepressibly communicative characters and all-round appeal. [July 2004, p.102]

For some, Yakuza will feel dangerously dumb, due to its unrefined and relentless combat, but it's just as dangerous to risk overlooking its capacity to be fiercely capable and loveably playful in plenty of other ways, always aiming to provide captivating entertainment. [Oct 2006, p.84]

Yes, deaths you suffer might linger in the memory longer than the runs themselves, but pixel for pixel, this is as exciting in the moment as anything we've played all year. Light the fuse, stand back and prepare to gasp in wonder. [Issue#352, p.106]

Bigger rarely means better, but Guacamelee 2 entertainingly proves the exception to the rule. [Nov 2018, p.108]

Double Exposure handles an adopted legacy with care, and crucially always feels like it's shifting the needle in a direction that's personal to you, which makes the smattering of lacklustre puzzles a frustrating but ultimately forgivable sin. [Issue#404, p.110]

It's certainly going out with a bang. [Sept 2010, p.97]

It’s almost shocking how seamless, engrossing and accessible Fahrenheit is. It’s sad, then, that it shows weakness in the one area where it needed to be stronger than any other game: the script. [Oct 2005, p.84]

RR3D is the most convincing handheld iteration of the series to date, and an encouraging illustration of how 3DS's flagship feature can be more than a pretty visual twist. [May 2011, p.104]

As the studio name suggests, this is a game design team that's in love with books, and so it's amongst books that its first offering reveals its true potential.

Only a supreme apologist could suggest that such performance dips aren’t as damaging as they are disappointing, but conversely a realist should soon become capable of accepting them, momentary as they are. [Apr 2006, p.95]

This core loop of planning and upgrading defences while plugging the gaps in your frontline is enriched by art that imbues surprising amounts of character into your microscopic soldiers, and sound design that turns the clash of swords and crackling fizz of magic spells into a compulsive symphony.

What follows is positively giddying, in the manner of a well-tuned ghost train or haunted house, provoking chuckles and squirms at the same time. [Issue#398, p.116]

Those who like their puzzlers to have a supplementary hook will find it wanting on that front, then, but you will struggle to find more ingenious challenges than these in any other game this year. [Issue#371, p.121]

In a world whose sales charts are regularly topped by ever-more-homogenised military shooters and action games, playing Origins feels like stepping into an alternate reality in which the 16bit era evolved by increasing in fidelity, not dimensions.

This first segment is potent. [March 2013, p.106]

This is a smart, savvy evolution of the "Spire" formula, one you suspect Mega Crit, flattery be damned, would have been happy to put its name to. [Issue#348, p.105]

In its modest, unassuming way, it's gently profound, too. [Issue#352, p.116]

Prototype does what it does, and does it with distinction. [Aug 2009, p.90]

As the standard bearer for mech-building and fighting, Armoured Core's depth is still as profound... The greater emphasis on overheat and a new tuning system will be to the taste of some veterans and not others, but the beauty of the machines will please all. [June 2004, p.110]

Thanks to this astonishing overhaul, it's now quite impossible to ignore. [Feb 2012, p.120]

It's a game from which you'll find yourself needing to consciously unclench, its rhythm of tension and release proving borderline irresistible. [Issue#352, p.118]

It's a reminder that 'accessible' - along with 'Project', 'Gotham', 'Grid' and 'arcade' - isn't such a dirty word after all. [May 2011, p.92]

We're filled with a sense of unease as our thumb slides upwards, but there's something else here, too: doomscrolling with a side of voyeurism. [Issue#352, p.119]

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]

While a misplaced desire for innovation once pushed it off course, the series has found its way home. Though it may never learn consistency, it’s remembered how to keep even the most jaded gamer beguiled. [May 2005, p.80]

The same game you've been playing for seven years - or perhaps even longer. And for that it's a thorough success. [Mar 2008, p.97]

While the fattened numbers - levels, game types, building tools - are the products of mere evolution, the lean, focused fun is new to the mix. [July 2009, p.94]

Swapping a picture-perfect landscape for New York's urban sprawl could have been disastrous, but Crytek has found variety in the setting, guiding the player through blue-grey skyscrapers, leafy green parks, rooftops at sunset and industrial harbours. [May 2011, p.90]

From simple lever cranks to rotational unscrewing, Zack & Wiki finally puts to use the myriad Remote possibilities touched on in WarioWare: Smooth Moves. [Christmas 2007, p.93]

Few games reward your investment in such exhilarating fashion. [March 2015, p.108]

This is still a Neatherrealm game, with all that implies, and it isn't without its missteps. But for lone wolves, at least, this is the richest fighting game on the market. [Aug 2017, p.110]

The choice to bring six armies to the pretend tabletop leaves Retribution short on one playthrough, but overflowing with things to do in comparison with its predecessors. [May 2011, p.95]

Whether you're serious about climbing the leaderboards or just looking to race a teetering cupcake monster around on a pushbike, Hello Games' victory lap has you covered. May the instant restarts never falter. May the boosting never cease.

The results are uncommonly nuanced and tactile, though perhaps that's no surprise given its creator's keen interest in digital sculpture.

Kubrick would surely approve. [Issue#334, p.106]

Beneath The Dishwasher's grungy surface is an original and polished take on a genre that may yet have its best years ahead of it. [June 2009, p.96]

Irrespective of talent, taste, spare time or even online connectivity, it has something for anyone with even a tingle in their trigger finger. [Jan 2008, p.78]