In no way the cheap plug for the market gap that some have suggested, it may point the way forward for a new model of next-gen development. [July 2006, p.83]

Take it slow, keep an eye on those health bars, and you'll find a fighting game that offers a thrill that few others can - with nary a 20-hit combo in sight. [Issue#335, p.118]

The story's the star, of course. [March 2016, p.114]

The third person action is surprisingly sturdy, while the clash of metal against bone and the confusion, blood and carnage of close combat has been captured spectacularly. [Nov 2004, p.109]

It's the kind of game that'll have you advancing into the next room with slow, tentative steps, jamming hard on the right stick to shift the camera as far ahead as it'll let you see, and instinctively shushing whenever something - or someone - makes a noise. And yes, you may well end up fretting over screen smears and specks of dirt. For a game purpose-built to have you jumping at shadows, there aren't many stronger endorsements than that. [June 2017, p.94]

A superior bit of stuff and nonsense, it makes a bigger splash than you'd think. [Issue#360, p.121]

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]

As with Ocarina, at first there is a rush of nostalgia. As it fades, it's replaced by the realisation that, in many ways, the original was the playable prototype and this is the true final product, a fantastic fit both for the hardware's portability and feature set.

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

A workmanlike effort. [Jan 2007, p.78]

The game's great strength is the well-judged escalation of pace and scale. From your humble dungarees-and-pistol beginnings, the expansion of your squad means missions intensify from hit-and-run raids to large-scale onslaughts. And it is this, ultimately, which induces a sensation of swaggering brawn that allows the game's hiccups to be forgiven. [Oct 2003, p.99]

Deliriously funny. [May 2018, p.114]

Polyphony has produced a handling and physics model that is unmatched by any other racer, but failed to provide AI competition capable of showcasing it to its fullest.

In giving fans what they want, and delivering what a modern audience needs, the studio has created a game that, while not quite a classic, sometimes reminds you of one. [Christmas 2010, p.89]

Builds on the gothy charm of its predecessor, refining its hit-chaining combat and dialling up the scope of its artistic ambition. [June 2011, p.102]

There is an abundance of delicious meat on these old bones. [Issue#367, p.117]

It's never easy. But somehow, when we fall, it only makes us all the more keen to dust ourselves off and get up again. Once we've taken that calming breath, at least. [Issue#369, p.108]

While it lacks the scope or density of Oblivion’s The Shivering Isles, it’s the most you’re going to get out of Fallout’s current batch of DLC. And as a long-anticipated reopening of the game’s original map, it at least gives you something to live for.

It's one of the freshest and most imaginative shooters we've played in a long time. [Issue#423, p.102]

It might not have much to say, but Borderlands 3 gives you a lot to talk about. [Issue#338, p.100]

An extremely unambitious sequel. [Jan 2009, p.92]

As a big joke about violent-for-the-sake of it games, MadWorld just about gets away with it. But it won't bear a repeat performance. [May 2009, p.93]

This is ballsy, brash, confident gaming at its best - a lesson in how games don't have to be perfect to be brilliant. [Christmas 2003, p.102]

Even as you reflect on the rarity of a blockbuster that's willing to take real risks, you'll be left with the uncomfortable realisation that ten years wasn't quite long enough, after all. Those jagged edges are, in the end, just a little too sharp. [Feb 2017, p.110]

With its bright, clean presentation looking resplendent on the small screen, it's a particularly fine fit for Switch's portable mode; for the next few weeks, your daily commute - and occasionally your stop - is likely to fly by. [July 2017, p.119]

In spite of the odd stumble, it's a wonderful journey. [Jan 2016, p.120]

Wickedly irreverent and cartoonishly outrageous. [Nov 2012, p.96]

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