It couches relatable stories in its highly individualistic setting, presenting it all with a mastery of varying tones so as to make its point without being reductive or mawkish. [Issue#350, p.98]

Ninja Gaiden II is a fascinating and hugely replayable game that shows Team Ninja has a gift beyond the vast majority of developers in that genre. [Aug 2008, p.92]

Generous, polished and charmingly eccentric, Magnetic Billiards proves the benefits of deliberation - though if this is indicative of the quality the Pickfords can bring to iOS, here's hoping their next isn't quite so long in the making.

It's just and old-fashioned videogame in contemporary trappings that wants you to enjoy yourself. Play it with a forgiving eye, and you probably will. [Issue#354, p.106]

Beyond its meticulously refined controls and the delightful tactility of it all (every action is accompanied by an algorithmic electronic score, and sudden, thrilling flourishes of colour), these diegetic checkpoints are Ynglet's real stroke of design genius. [Issue#361, p.123]

Still, the bits of level you ARE meant to interact with are as high-quality as ever. [Issue#411, p.121]

With the RTS genre on the back foot in recent years, it's hardly surprising that it should choose to crib from its turn-based cousins - and it has annexed those ideas without sacrificing the heart of its well-oiled war machine. [Issue#383, p.110]

Mechs are the only interesting offline opponents, but in a way that causes the action to feel stuttered: these encounters are engaging due to the sensation of one-on-one combat, but those of Lone Wolf are so ponderous that most fights become wars of attrition... As a result, the game can't throw enough of them at you to make the skirmishes feel genuinely intense of chaotic. [Feb 2005, p.76]

Often you’ll present a piece of evidence on a hunch and find him explaining it far beyond your own understanding. The result is a distance from the story, and a reminder of the paucity of interactivity on offer. [Nov 2007, p.99]

There are flashes of brilliance in Stellar Blade, still, most often sparked by the titular weapon. But it's too broad and with that a little underdone. If only Eve's initial clarity of purpose had been more contagious. [Issue#398, p.106]

It's unlikely Innocence will lead to an epidemic of similarly snappy games, but we'd love this particular contagion to catch on. [Issue#341, p.116]

Much of the attraction is largely due to the variety of racing on offer, but it's the overall quality of that racing that is responsible for ensuring Race Driver 2 remains an intensely engaging ride. [May 2004, p.102]

Excellent. The rhythms of the day quickly become second nature and hypnotically absorbing. There're never enough hours in the day. [Jan 2004, p.106]

Finally, here's an RPG that, in every sense, leaves you wanting more. [Issue#333, p.114]

As a package, Black Ops III is a muddle. It is packed to the gills with things, certainly, but none of it joins up. [Jan 2016, p.114]

No classic, then, but Smilegate has delivered a big, silly, characterful romp that's best experienced with friends. [Issue#370, p.118]

The joy of Void Bastards, once it reveals itself, is that no action, no decision, is standalone. [Issue#334, p.112]

Forget the artful placeholder nature of the title, then: the rotating octopus character moves through a meticulous game built with a rare sense of poise.

Visually, this can be a fascinating journey, with its massive-headed monks and no-headed minstrels, but in service of little more than endless duels, hardly an ideal vehicle to dig into the novel's themes. Black Myth, in short, seems unsure what kind of monkey it wants to be. [Issue#402, p.104]

It's insubstantial but sweet, then: Trinket Studio's game may not linger long on the palate, but while it lasts, this delicate confection leaves a pleasant taste indeed. [Issue#315, p.118]

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

Prince Of Persia’s overalls structure never quite compels, it offers too few distractions to qualify as a sandbox, nor does it possess the quick narrative impetus of more linear games, ultimately feeling a little shallow and repetitious. [Jan 2009, p.84]

By turns astonishing and insufferable, there is as much here to make your eyes roll as widen. Even the moments when Hellblade II delivers nigh-unparalleled visual spectacle (see 'Giant steps') are soured by the fact that our involvement in these set-pieces so often feels incidental. For long stretches, it's akin to watching someone else play, only occasionally - and always unwillingly - handing back the controller. We can't help but return to that old chestnut about the interactive experience being a conversation between designer and player; there is an irony that in this, of all games, we're scarcely able to get a word in edgeways. [Issue#399, p.104]

A predominately online game, and though the game is excellent, the rules strong and the setup often flawless, how entertaining you find it depends entirely on circumstance that is all too often out of your control. It depends on other people. [Nov 2003, p.108]

It is pleasantly diverting, the kind of game it's easy to gobble up in a couple of long sittings - but equally there's little to really stir the blood. It may have gorgeous particle effects in abundance, but what it's really missing is a spark. [Issue#364, p.110]

In terms of distilling the core Civilization experience from PC to handheld, this is almost as victorious as the PC-to-console iterations. [Oct 2008, p.103]

Game designers talk of emphasising character through dialogue or animation, but his may be the first incidence of a game emphasising it through a control method. Its immediacy means you'll share every inch of his swaggering, gleeful, unstoppable violence. [Feb 2005, p.78]

Power Tennis has depth only insofar as there's a great deal to do – medals to win, records to beat and tournament trophies to hold aloft – but all the frills and gimmicks overcomplicate something that wasn't broken in the first place. [Jan 2005, p.92]