With no real way to accelerate victory on repeat encounters, the result is a metal slog. [Issue#405, p.123]

Any time you're ready to lose yourself to some head-down, three-chord fun, whether you're playing on Vita or PS3, When Vikings Attack is waiting to show you a real cool time.

An overall shoddy feeling to the production spoils a great deal more. Where there should be panache, there are rough edges. As a comedy, it achieves much. It is funny. But as a sports game a great deal more polish is required. [Sept 2004, p.106]

What Omega Five lacks in purity, it gains in bombast. [Mar 2008, p.102]

Race Pro engages like few driving titles manage, even if the driving model doesn’t quite meet the standards of the most advanced PC sim-racers such as Live For Speed. [Mar 2009, p.88]

Repetition is the point. [Issue#401, p.116]

Unlike PSP competitors Final Fantasy Tactics and Disgaea, this game lacks the colour and complication to really drag players into the depths of its strategy. [Jan 2008, p.89]

In practice, Tokobot offers so little to challenge either the reflexes or the mind that it boils down to one long, plodding, gentle ushering from one side of a large, mostly vacant level to the other, with nothing to reward self-determined exploration and an identical series of Pavlovian cues to let the player know that it’s time to switch to the next formation. [Feb 2006, p.89]

Wideload has placed a welcome knee in the groin of the status quo, but by taking its subject too lightly it’s also failed to turn an adventurous prototype into a durable production. [Christmas 2005, p.102]

Ignorance of Pyro's past glories is actually an advantage with Commandos 3 since it means the tension and atmosphere that the series still has in abundance can be enjoyed without the nagging feeling that things aren't what they used to be. Inspiration and aspirations appear to be in short supply in the Commandos camp.

Proving Ground is, at best, a functional sequel. It gives the fans what they want, throws in a handful of awkward or undeveloped ideas, and leaves it there. At worst, it’s a poor entry to the Tony Hawk’s lineage. [Christmas 2007, p.91]

In many ways, Trash Panic represents the kind of inventive, inimitable Japanese release that comes all too infrequently – but here, such creativity has not been enough to turn an interesting idea into a brilliant one.

And underlying it all, the one thing that didn't take us by surprise: the old catch-'em-all urge, as moreish as ever. Whether it's tickling your head or your heart, Bugsnax ensures they're never empty calories. [Issue#353, p.116]

As poetry, it might be evocative, but when you're trying to advance the game to the next scene, it feels rather like being the one sober person in the room. [Issue#404, p.122]

Atomfall isn't always a brilliant game, then, but it's often a surprisingly comforting one. [Issue#410, p.102]

A slightly muddled gimmick and dilute sense of identity mean Sonic is unlikely to outpace the competition. [Issue#334, p.114]

An earnest attempt has been made to create a new identity for a series here, but the question of how to best frame Mass Effect's narrative strengths is, once again, left open. [June 2017, p.90]

This is a fine debut. Backbone uses its seductive looks to enrich a conceptually thoughtful and carefully plotted-out world, and delivers real surprises within a genre that is all about adhering to time-honoured conventions. [Issue#361, p.116]

Demon Stone suggests more potential than it fulfils, but it's a not-entirely-failed experiment in teaching old dice new tricks, and a follow-up with the same attention to detail but more ambitious design would be welcome. [Nov 2004, p.108]

It’s the combination of this collective roleplay with direct competition that makes the game so compulsive. As such, Blade Symphony is as close as you are likely to get to the fantasy of slowly becoming a master swordsman.

Assuming you're simply content with content, Ubisoft busies you with donkey work. [Jan 2014, p.110]

When the climactic concert rolls around, you'll be unlikely to complain about the touching yet hopeful note on which it goes out. [Issue#381, p.106]

Tales’ traditionally creative dungeon design comes to the rescue, giving each chapter a genuine sense of adventure as you anticipate what organic shimmers or high-tech gloss might be in store. [Apr 2006, p.90]

This is one hybrid genre piece that's ever so difficult to put down. [March 2019, p.116]

Arika reminds us that so little of our gaming relaxation time is actually spent relaxing, making this a healthy diversion that deserves recognition. [Jan 2008, p.88]

We were hoping for a passionate display of Square's rekindling love for the RPG craft. Instead, Sword of Mana hangs around its competitors in relative mediocrity instead of blazing the trail the SNES title did all those years ago. [Feb 2004, p.109]

Any semblance of subtlety is abandoned entirely when it comes to the playable Hero and Villain characters. [Jan 2016, p.110]

It never quite feels natural, and you'll quickly find yourself pining for another recent Housemarque release, Nex Machina. [Issue#311, p.120]