Through judicious pruning and reweaving Naughty Dog has crafted one of the finest action adventures to date. It’s involving in its narrative, a triumph of pacing, and simply a pleasure to play. [Christmas 2007, p.80]

Not since Yoshi's Island's designers broke out the crayons has a Nintendo platformer looked so much like a work of craft, but it's a pity that, for the most part, the levels don't feel as fresh as they look - a platform made of butterfly stitching is still just a platform. [Christmas 2010, p.93]

The essence of the classic JRPG distilled into an unlikely form. [Issue#336, p.114]

If Pyre never quite feels like a classic sporting struggle, your ragtag band of rebels and their delightful mobile home are a heartwarming upside to life on the Downside. [Issue#310, p.108]

A love letter to the NES era, Shovel Knight is punishingly difficult, a game of quick reflexes and exacting precision. [Sept 2014, p.112]

Intelligent Systems takes great care to shape its RPG for portable play. The world is divided into Super Mario Bros-style levels that each pack a tidy little narrative. Levelling is removed in order to keep these vignettes grind-free. And it's all wrapped up in Nintendo's typically hilarious localisation.

In Sky, knowledge can be a powerful thing, an asset that makes you more useful to those who seem lost, as you lead them toward the light. [Issue#336, p.116]

There's a whiff of trial and error at times, but no puzzle's Eureka moment comes by accident. [Sept 2014, p.114]

Level-5 and Studio Ghibli's contributions are harmonious. As a game, Ni No Kuni builds upon classic JRPG foundations, eschewing the evolutions of Xenoblade Chronicles and Final Fantasy XII. But the assured flair with which Level-5 has implemented each of the game's classic components combines with Ghibli's masterful storytelling to deliver a JRPG that's quite unlike any other.

It’s hard to find reasons not to point to Exit as a prime piece of PSP gaming. It’s rich colours and bold stylings bring out the best in the machine’s screen; the short, compelling levels are perfect for playing in bite-sized chunks, and wi-fi connectivity means new levels – of which Taito has already made a good few available - will sustain your enthusiasm longterm. [Fe 2006, p.90]

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]

The overall impression Guitar Hero II leaves, particularly in light of its multiformat future and MTV's investment in Harmonix, is that it’s ceased to be a stand-alone game, and is now a platform in its own right. [Christmas 2006, p.86]

It's clear that Disney's ideas are far from drying up.

The plot is revealed in awkward clumps which never quite dovetail. There's no question, however, that Namco has managed to twist out a tale that sustains your interest across both discs. [Oct 2004, p.106]

Pulling off tricks in OlliOlli – each precision twist, rotation and flick of the Vita’s left analogue stick – feels as satisfying for your fingers to negotiate as any fighting game finishing move. So even if you’re terrible at the game, even if you can’t land a single trick or grind, even if your scores barely creep into triple digits, your avatar’s tumbling faceplant will still imprint the outline of a grinning mouth in the pavement.

Threes is uncommonly sweet, though it can feel a little insubstantial.

More striking are the zero-gravity sections. [Issue#382, p.108]

Thankfully, the conversion from keyboard and mouse to pad has been made with rare judgement - movement is smooth and aiming is easy. The classic gameplay has made the transition too, and is as rewarding as ever. [Jan 2004, p.110]

The game's greatest achievement is its setting. There's a distinct whiff of a Rockstar production to Watch Dogs 2's San Francisco, with its scale and polish, its savvy skewering of popular culture in general, and Silicon Valley's tech fetish in particular. [Jan 2017, p.106]

It may look chaotic, but this is as controlled as iOS gaming gets. Immaculately calibrated touch controls give you the tools to escape even the most ferocious barrage, while the five stages challenge twitch reflexes, muscle memory and pattern recognition equally. One of the toughest games you'll ever play, then, but also one of the fairest.

No game since Wii Sports has done so much to capture Nintendo's mixture of initial accessibility, entertainment value and wide appeal. [Christmas 2010, p.95]

Narrative designers everywhere should be taking notes from a psychological horror that gets well and truly inside your head. [Issue#393, p.123]

It turns out that Mario+ Rabbids still has the capacity to surprise us after all. [Issue#378, p.96]

At its best, this is more than just the purest, most narcotic action game in the world – it's a cultural pinnacle. Every superhero, be it in comic books or the movies they've inspired, wishes they could visit its playground.

Fascinating. [Issue#382, p.110]

For most of its runtime, Routine is an extremely well-constructed horror game where even the tiniest detail has a big impact. Even if you've been following it since 2012, it has been worth the wait. [Issue#419, p.104]

This is a story about finding your voice, but it also grapples with an uncertain time, when some outcomes are beyond our control or experience. [Issue#420, p.104]

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]