Amid those undeniable influences, this emerges as a bona fide original: one that fully merits a place alongside the other gems in Enhance's gold-tier catalogue. [Issue#385, p.110]

"Unbearable" is definitely one word for Pathologic 2, but that hides a few others: engulfing, ingenious, profound, invigorating. [Issue#341, p.106]

Despite a handful of minor issues, then, and occasionally patchy framerates in particularly busy areas, Dishonored 2 is consistently remarkable. [Jan 2017, p.102]

You can't argue that Naughty Dog hasn't thrown everything at this, and though its tendency towards maximalism doesn't always work, the results are frequently astonishing. This is the kind of game you get when you have unlimited budget and manpower and no one to say when - even if you wish sometimes that someone had. As a big-budget action game, then, The Last of Us Part II is almost without peer. As a sequel to that story, it is deeply, daringly, fascinatingly flawed. [Issue#347, p.88]

TR-49 is may things simultaneously, to the extent that it can be overwhelming, causing the brain and heart to race - a remarkable feat for something so apparently simple. [Issue#420, p.103]

Charting a course through Earth's imminent destruction is as unashamedly difficult as it was in 1994's X-COM. It's possible, through bad planning and bad management, to doom the planet early on, making the game feel unfair. Get it right, however – survive the stresses of management, and the strains of aliens – and you'll feel like world's greatest hero.

As paradoxical as the thing itself, this single-storey mansion is a towering achievement. [Issue#410, p.106]

Like the very best narratives, Thirty Flights Of Loving relies on economy more than excess, and it races you breathlessly to its conclusion rather than herding you through an awkward gauntlet of false choices and bottlenecks.

Borderlands 2 might not develop extensively on its forebear, but it has even greater power to hold you for hours on end, deftly weaving RPG stat development with skill-based play. It's enough to make every decision you make meaningful and fun, and lend the realisation that Gearbox knows more about the fundamentals of the shooter than almost any other developer.

It’s a game designed to exhaust the world’s supply of adjectives. It’s a world littered with riches - tiny details sewn into a vast, varied and utterly spectacular canvas. [Sept 2005, p.90]

The core Titanfall moveset is a joy, and it has been thoughtfully expanded with a delightful grappling hook. [Jan 2017, p.112]

A coup de theatre that leaves us bowled over. One for gaming's history books? That's something upon which Pentiment's players can surely agree. [Issue#379, p.108]

Playdead's debut title is a rare thing – a wholly realised place as well as a successfully realised game, and both Limbo and the Limbo inside it are one-of-a-kind places to be stuck in.

It's a sensitively told story that's brought in to land with a thunderous final chapter, delivering suspense, spectacle, and a deeply moving resolution. [Issue#385, p.112]

This is a game of rare thematic consistency and mechanical brilliance. [Issue#347, p.102]

This is one of the smartest and most substantial thirdperson action games you'll play. [Issue#378, p.100]

In short, Darkest Dungeon II is everything you could hope for. [Issue#385, p.114]

For all its cinematic aspirations and borrowings, though, it's clear the Swedish studio's heart firmly belongs to videogames. [Issue#398, p.104]

Awakening offers an excellent game of strategy, but it’s the relationship system that makes it.

At the beginning of the game, and every morning since, Colt wakes up with a single objective: break the loop. But we're increasingly starting to sympathize with Juliana. Why would you want to do that, when there's still so much to play around with? [Issue#364, p.98]

Your achievements in the game stem from legitimate advancements in your understanding of physics. [July 2015, p.102]

The fascination of those lingering unknowns is part of why Basso's remarkable indie debut takes up residence in your brain when you're not playing it. But on a more fundamental level, it is simply a beautifully constructed, wonderfully characterful adventure, one that marks the blossoming of a major talent. [Issue#398, p.98]

Far Cry 3 asked for the definition of insanity, and its sequel answers it. [Jan 2014, p.100]

Just as in Assassin's Creed or Far Cry, each activity is enlivened by the knowledge that you have chosen to do it right now, out of many alternative options available in every other direction. So when one DOES hold your undivided attention for an extended span, it must be something special indeed. And of those, UFO 50 has more than its fair share. [Issue#402, p.100]

A virtuoso feat of creativity. [July 2015, p.110]

A quiet game within which burns a fierce revolutionary spirit. [July 2015, p.114]

The only real criticism that can be levelled at Knights of the Old Republic is that, particularly towards the end of the game, it all feels fairly easy, but then this is a game that's designed to be experienced rather than conquered, and lightsaber wielding Jedi aren't supposed to find things difficult. [Oct 2003, p.86]

If, as Roger Ebert said, movies are a machine that generates empathy, then Spelunky 2, even more so than the original, is a machine for generating surprise. And, inevitably, its close cousin: delight. [Issue#350, p.]