Rather than a criticism, however, the lingering feeling is a testament to the sense of wonder Abzu instills in the player, the feeling of grand adventure it manages to conjure in its short runtime, and the appeal of its enigmatic world. [Oct 2016, p.108]

If Race The Sun’s tracks remain as consistently well-paced and tiered as the raft of stages we’ve experienced to date, then it can be considered a success rather than an experiment: a confident genre hybrid worthy of your time and patience because who knows, today could be your day.

Consistently astonishing. [Dec 2015, p.110]

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]

A remarkably sure-footed followup. [Issue#259, p.110]

If the progress loop is largely untouched, though, Strange Antiquities gradually reveals greater depth and detail, easing you in before piling up possible angles of research. From the start, when you examine an object you can now do so according to different senses - what does it look like, feel like, smell and sound like, and does it inexplicably send shivers down your spine? And if early customer requests only ask you to consider an object's form or constituent materials, later you'll need to pay attention to inscribed symbols, gems and more. Cross-referencing a burgeoning stack of books, notes and maps, you begin to absorb ancient words and ideas. It's fascinating. At times, Bad Viking gives itself an impossible needle to thread with so many nuanced elements in play. A few descriptions feel like misdirection, sending us to the hint system. More often, though, the game maintains its spell. The instinct to organise and label every last item is as compelling as the elegant interface and the story drawing towards a fateful conclusion. It would be strange to refuse the invitation. [Issue#416, p.122]

Advance Wars 2 isn't really Advance Wars 2, it's Advance Wars 1.5. Still a superb game, it's only close to perfect for those who've never experienced perfection before. [Sept 2003]

Enemies hit like trucks - and not just the ones that ARE trucks. [Dec 2015, p.114]

Even if its technical handicaps are clear, what it achieves with the palette at its disposal is astounding. Instincts' lower resolution textures, sporadic pop-up, cruder characters and jagged shadows are all clearly defined beneath its baking sun, but the composition of the overall canvas offers a masterful distraction. [Nov 2005, p.100]

Nuclear Throne's hook is disarmingly simple but blisteringly effective. In short, it gets a move on. [Feb 2016, p.112]

While most shooters handle the genre's design tradition like fragile cargo, careful to ensure that its arrangement of pieces doesn't fall into disarray, Prey cranks it like a Rubik's cube, cocking its world delightfully askew. [Sept 2006, p.76]

A staggering display of imagination, design and performance. [June 2015, p.116]

More broadly, Consume Me succeeds because it makes fun of Jenny without judging her; the narrative and its interactive delivery mechanisms are direct and unpatronising, criticising diet culture while demonstrating why someone could be ensnared by it. We aren't made to feel that we're being lectured or tricked into a cheap emotional response. Rather, Consume Me transcends the expected commentary on dieting and becomes a critique of self-improvement culture in general, without losing the sense of humour that makes its message digestible. [Issue#416, p.123]

Even if some of the fundamental stuff has been sacrificed to the creation of this huge world, Fuel still makes it across the finish line on a far-from-empty tank. [July 2009, p.97]

If all this wasn't enough, there's also an affecting story going on. [Oct 2016, p.114]

Smilebit, led by Masayoshi Kikuchi – who has since moved on to work on the Yakuza series, another franchise that pivots around vivid city-building – swam upstream with JSR, defying the rush to photorealism, celebrating rebellion and individuality in one of the most memorable genre mash-ups you're ever likely to come across. Its HD revival is every inch that game, serving as a reminder that originality and passion retain their lustre when all else fades, and that such treasures are worth buffing up to display again.

Even completing a stage in the relatively tame classic Mini Cooper S will leave you feeling bothered and fatigued. [Feb 2016, p.114]

The Sexy Brutale's world is a delightful place in which to immerse yourself...This assured adventure will draw you into its world, and keep you there. [June 2017, p.100]

Eden has composed a beguiling, intoxicating hymn to the open road, and every car lover will want to join its chorus. [Oct 2006, p.82]

If you take away the window dressing, the epic sounds and the preordained surprises this is a derivative, one-note and sometimes flawed game, but see it as a spectacular amusement ride and you can play and it's a distinguished achievement. [Christmas 2003, p.110]

This is a potent and upsetting work that leaves a deep impression, spreading and darkening like a bruise. [Dec 2015, p.120]

It’s a thoroughly successful evolution of the twitch shooter, broadening its scope both upwards and outwards as well as expanding its toolset.

A delight. [Oct 2016, p.118]

Missions are wonderfully compact and briskly-paced, sweeping you though a substantial campaign with style to match. [Feb 2016, p.119]

No other combat game has maps this lavish, or ambitiously designed. [Nov 2007, p.88]

Collaborative play transforms the challenge. [June 2015, p.122]

Indeed, perhaps Pokopia's finest accomplishment is that it caters equally to all kinds of player: those who love to build freely, and those who crave more direction. If you're the kind of Pokemon obsessive who plays every entry and spinoff, you'll find plenty here to delight. And if you're an older or lapsed fan, or Pokemon has passed you by completely? Well, ditto. [Issue#423, p.118]

Race Driver 3 understands that a processional win from pole is less fulfilling than a hard-fought, championship-saving fifth place from the back of the grid. And though it can’t exactly engineer those situations, it does everything in its power to make them more likely and leave them unpunished. [Mar 2006, p.87]