Faithful as a bloodhound to the Dreamcast original, this GBA port is a stunning example of when authenticity ought to be sacrificed to utility. This is not a lazy port. But the loyalty of the conversion is ill-advised. [Sept 2003]

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

The best pleasure in Tiny Invaders isn't really the white-knuckle action. It's those moments spent mentally sketching its levels out before launching into them and executing perfectly - or getting smooshed. Infesting humans slowly and inexorably with an army of cheerful germs – Tiny Invaders isn't perfect, but it definitely brings a smile to your face.

Control is also stodgy and unreliable. [Issue#422, p.123]

Throw in a typically generous range of levels and a surprisingly engrossing hidden object game, and Snapshot becomes a recipe for a candy-coloured afternoon of elegant brainteasers.

It's not going to change your life, but for a dozen or so hours, this genial adventure might just make it a few shades brighter. [July 2018, p.120]

If you're the right age to appreciate the irony of an over-powered Care Bear attack, Saturday Morning RPG is going to take you right back to your distant past.

Did a purse-holder at Activision one day grapple fruitlessly with the last game's control system and scrawl in their subsequent notes “Make the next one so that I can play it”? Speculation aside, someone sure messed-up Spider-Man. [Dec 2005, p.108]

Destroy All Humans 2 is initially enjoyable, entirely endurable and gratifyingly easy. But at its heart it remains an average experience. [Dec 2006, p.86]

We hate its impotence, its utter lack of a scare beyond an aversion to getting shot. And with its market-led features and Skinner-box mechanics, we hate that a series that began as a lesson in horror – of the B-movie kind, admittedly – now feels so afraid of the competition.

It scales to your ability and makes you feel connected to the music in a way few other games can match. [Feb 2016, p.108]

How do you craft an RPG around a character defined entirely by movement? We’re not sure that you can, and BioWare hasn’t proved otherwise. [Dec 2008, p.96]

No hack job, then, but rather soulless. [Issue#376, p.114]

True, there is little here that should deter the Souls veteran in search of a new challenge to add to the ever-growing pile. And while we may never be quite as interested in uncovering the backstory of our mute amnesiac as in retailoring her skillset or wardrobe, Wuchang does a commendable job of draping the Soulslike in eastern garments - provided the red mist doesn't have you tearing them asunder. [Issue#414, p.104]

In its moment-to-moment play, Darktide is the closest any game of its ilk has come to replicating the original cooperative joys of Left 4 Dead. It's ferocious, frenetic and often very funny. But without Left 4 Dead's advantage of novelty, Fatshark must find other ways to hold your attention through its relatively few missions. [Issue#380, p.112]

As an empowering journey, Showtime proves THIS princess doesn't need a plumber to rescue her; you sense its intended audience will crush a grape as Peach follows suit. [Issue#397, p.122]

Conversely, the game's reliable constant, its combat mechanics, begins to petrify through repetition. [Issue#421, p.104]

Only the most ardent grognard will do more than dent the surface of this enormous strategy game, which rather diminishes the overall impact for the rest of us. [Mar 2004, p.110]

Right now, the online exchange that Trackmania needs doesn't exist, but the community is growing by word of mouth. This is clever gaming, and in six months time it could be enormous. [Feb 2004, p.110]

Its problem is what the missions ask of you: they are simply too tough. Trained soldiers would and should mutiny when asked to carry out the tasks AA routinely asks of you. [Mar 2007, p.84]

It might seem unfair to complain of maddening repetition, given the subject matter, but it turns out not every trope of game benefits from being trapped in a loop. [Issue#396, p.123]

Plagued by imbalance, the Round 3 career can serve up over 50 bouts before one goes the distance. The new stun punch – a thunderclap of a haymaker – helps to ensure first to third round knockouts for the vast majority of fights. [Apr 2006, p.82]

Despite its leisurely atmosphere, Dordogne is a more serious story than you might anticipate. [Issue#387, p.122]

This sequel isn't the leap forward the concept deserves, but it's a testament to the original that it remains a standout personality over two years on, at a point when quality platform games have become thin on the ground. [Mar 2011, p.99]

This is a fresh take on the battle royale that deserves to be experienced. [Issue#342, p.106]

It's relatively easygoing, then: contemplative and calming. [Issue#346, p.107]

It's in Mafia II's second act that it takes a real dive, and familiarity plunges into cliché. When the writers run out of literary coal, there's little to keep you on the rails, and nowhere to take a time-out. It descends into a festival of stereotypes and expletives, laying waste to the hints of narrative depth proffered earlier and offending beyond justification as it ticks the down-and-dirty genre boxes.

Even as it lacks the same tactical depth and storytelling nuance, in its collaborative combat and earnest heroics, it captures the spirit of Fire Emblem really rather well. [Christmas 2017, p.120]