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]