Very much a sidewards step for the series rather than a bold leap forwards for its kind. [Christmas 2014, p.118]

A potent tactical cocktail, but one that's best enjoyed with earplugs. [Issue#388, p.116]

Its world may be memorable, but otherwise this is a series falling back on borrowed ideas, as if unsure quite how to properly reinvent itself. There are enough signs of improvement to suggest the next entry could be the fresh start Ubisoft promised this time around. But as a new beginning for Assassin's Creed, Origins is more of a stumbling step than a bold leap forward. [Christmas 2017, p.100]

There is a playfulness to LostWinds that will surely extend its playtime beyond the bounds of narrative. [July 2008, p.95]

The solid presentation and well-adjusted linear flow of the game make it simple, if mindless, fun. [Jan 2008, p.85]

It's still a Soul Calibur game, but Project Soul has successfully designed it for a wider audience of casual and hardcore players alike, which was a key factor in Capcom's successful reinvention of its revered series. [Feb 2012, p.108]

Scribblenaut's levels have gone from being unfocused sentences in which a few choice nouns can dominate to rigid, over-punctuated impositions on player creativity. [Dec 2010, p.93]

Mario Vs Donkey Kong may not be easy on the eye, but it's delightful to behold the system of checks and balances, rules and relationships at work here, some of the rooted in deep Mario lore. [Aug 2004, p.103]

The astounding breadth of the missions is enough to distract from finicky systems and low-res textures. [Dec 2014, p.120]

Is Muramasa a luscious concept art gallery rudely interrupted by swordplay, or just a ponderous Ninja Gaiden clone. Whatever the case, it doesn't wholly succeed. [July 2009, p.99]

It feels more like a yearly update than a sequel, a new campaign with old multiplayer. The game isn't distinct from its predecessors in any important way, and fatigue sets in quicker than before. [Jan 2011, p.94]

Death himself is an amusingly grumpy fellow, in constant need of a cup of coffee to stay motivated. [Issue#384, p.112]

It may not be the game of stealth the blueprints and lingo of red exclamation marks suggest, but Monaco’s loot and scoot play has a winning personality that’s all its own.

Performance issues, some ugly world assets and the story's pacing issues undermine the entertaining combat. [Issue#361, p.104]

The perspective might be different, but practically everything else from those games has its analogue here. [Issue#378, p.118]

Had a few more risks been taken, this too might eventually have been considered a classic. [Issue#418, p.104]

But far too often in Keeper, rather than anything that has any greater meaning, what you're in conflict with is just muddled, unemotive puzzle design. [Issue#417, p.114]

For now, though, we'll settle for appreciating those moments, the ones that outlast the frustrations, where we sit back in our chair and marvel at the results of our own work. And on that basis, Planet Zoo is a triumph. [Issue#340, p.102]

A game betrays its obvious understanding of scratch music with its mechanics: turntablism involves releasing a scratch at exactly the right moment, something that doesn't seem possible here.

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]

It's more an effective reminder of why these games have been so captivating, though than the evolution they'll need, sooner rather than later. [Issue#406, p.122]

A victim of its own success. By creating a story and an atmosphere so far in advance of what we have come to expect from a videogame, it throws harsh light on the conventions we accept without question in lesser titles. It maps out just how far there is to go in marrying sophisticated narrative and meaningful interactivity. [Feb 2004, p.96]

Isn't a game that does anything obviously or overtly clever or innovative. But any game that takes such a simple premise and polishes it, hones it and refines it until it's this engrossing, this absorbing, and this much fun, is quite obviously doing something very clever indeed. [Christmas 2003, p.114]

This is not a conventional pinball game with well-designed skillshots and a challenging layout, but since when was Pokemon ever conventional? [Nov 2003, p.99]

The comic hit rate is lower here than you might have hoped for, but Telltale shows a commendable knowledge of when to simply emulate the Sam & Max of old and when to move forward. [Dec 2006, p.89]

It's a quality RTS, then - though a few irritations sour the experience. [Issue#366, p.114]

Look for the new stuff, then, and there's no doubt this is a refined and expanded sequel, even if certain issues remain. [Issue#401, p.108]

Fans of TrackMania Nations and its Stadium course, in particular, will have a hard time adjusting to the heavy, drifty handling that is, for the moment, the only way to race in TrackMania 2.