While this economy is enjoyably self-perpetuating, the cash economy beside it feels aimless. [Issue#401, p.123]

New skills are simply triggered randomly during battles, resulting in the confusing hit and miss levelling up that so infuriates attention deficient westerners... Indeed, the manner of the execution makes for tough gaming but, paradoxically, it's the exclusivity of the gameplay that will attract a few. [Nov 2003, p.108]

It's when the game is at its most GTA-like that it comes alive, conjuring up scenarios that take in whole city boroughs and throwing at you groups of adversaries and challenges you have to juggle on the fly… and then you get to a tediously engineered boss encounter and it all begins to get tiresome again. [Christmas 2005, p.109]

Under the Skin is refreshing but it's let down by its erratic camera and the whole experience eventually wears thin.

Taken in isolation, there’s no denying Cold Fear’s panache - RenderWare has rarely been used to such strong visual effect - and there is a fair helping of survival horror entertainment to be had here, it’s just that you have to dig through several layers of frustration to get at it. [Apr 2005, p.96]

The simple Remote application – flicks to activate instant takedowns – is one of many wise steps taken away from the convoluted mechanics weighing down other current-gen entries. [Mar 2009, p.93]

Given his rich history, Wario deserves better than this. [July 2013, p.116]

At its best, New Super Luigi U is an exhilarating test of skill, but on occasion it dangerously approximates a fan-made ROM hack, mistakenly believing that an increased enemy count equates to satisfying design. Some will undoubtedly find its challenge inviting, but others will rightly expect more ingenuity from Nintendo than this.

With global events offering in-game rewards for communities who team up to service a single destination, it has a shifting short-term goal to keep you checking in, but you may struggle to justify your continued involvement in the long game.

As a whole, it just doesn't hang together as seamlessly as we'd hoped. [Issue#139, p.112]

When the game eventually gets going, it's almost as much fun as it's predecessor. It's just that it takes several hours to kick off. Dark Cloud 2 still has merit, but it's simply not as enjoyable as the first game. [May 2003, p.95]

Corpse Party is often too rigid in its ways, requiring players to examine objects several times, occasionally in a very specific order – a problem exacerbated by a structure that locks out later chapters until the correct ending to the previous episode has been found. Some wrong (in every sense) endings are worth seeing once, but repeat plays of scenarios dilute the tension the studio takes such pains to build.

Having sacrificed racing integrity in "Double Dash" to side with social silliness, Nintendo has turned 180 degrees into an awkward halfway house. [May 2008, p.86]

It’s hard to fault Lips for trying something different, even if it’s just a little. [Jan 2009, p.91]

Adrift is at its best when you're simply taking in the view and absorbing the gravity of your situation. [Tested with Oculus Rift; June 2016, p.104]

Gearbox has made a game that is stable and complete, if hugely unrefined in places, with an under-exploited but sound core of tactical squad combat. [Nov 2008, p.93]

It's a simple rhythm-action title at its core, with a set of bolted-on RPG mechanics of little worth. But then players aren't here for those mechanics, they're here for the memories. Bearing that in mind, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy achieves exactly what it sets out to do.

So yes, there's definitely something strange about this place - and it's those peculiarities that, for all its flaws, make this Call worth heeding. [Issue#354, p.102]

Mildly charming but fiercely superficial, Kinect Sports remains undermined by the lingering inconsequentiality that tends to gather around all but the very best compilation titles.

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]

There's enough charm here for Little Inferno to get by, but sometimes you might consider taking its advice and stop feeding the flames.

That the game’s numerous niggles don’t ruin the experience sooner is testament to its unusual artistic coherence which creates a compelling world. But familiarity does eventually break the visual spell to reveal a mostly average and repetitive game underneath. [Sept 2007, p.91]

For the majority of Tintin's adventure you'll be happy to kill time hopping and skipping across its gorgeous stages, but unlike the contours of Hergé's timeless stories, there's no hidden treasure to be found beneath its dazzling veneer.

Like so many similar games, Zombie Road Trip makes you question why you’ve sunk two hours into it rather than BioShock Infinite, but you grudgingly admit to enjoying the ride nonetheless.

That initial feeling of being a tangible part of the inside of a videogame will forever be fantastic, even if much of the rest of the experience feels like it's been done before. [Tested with Oculus Rift; June 2016, p.112]

A charming adventure, and a lengthy one, but the overwhelming amount of rough edges rather spoil any indulgent feelings toward its foibles. [Aug 2009, p.99]

You'll find well-executed entertainment here, some moments worth fighting for, but without the glue of a good script or the polish of a blockbuster to hold its disparate parts together, Sleeping Dogs feels as trapped as its hero. It's incapable of committing fully to the action movie thrills it seems so enamoured of, perhaps due to the resources that have been siphoned away to fuel its open-world obligations and scale.

Memorable? Undoubtedly. But we'll have that drink now, thanks. [Issue#139, p.119]