That Insomniac has so confidently found its feet makes the prospect of Ratchet’s annual return an exciting, rather than obligatory, one. [Dec 2007, p.86]

For all the nonlinearity of its telling, the strangeness of its details, at its heart this is a relatively conventional save-the-world narrative. Which is no bad thing, necessarily, in a game that elsewhere tends towards obscurity and excess. But it's those latter qualities we're here for, ultimately - and Alan Wake 2 delivers over and over. [Issue#392, p.100]

In a family whose every member shouts from the rooftops, it risks palling into the background. Set it on its own, though – or besides absolutely any other 2D platformer – and it shines with dazzling kaleidoscopic brightness. [July 2006, p.78]

Peerlessly classy, funny and perverse in the same breath, Peace Walker is the most surprising Metal Gear Solid to date.

Made in Wario confidently sticks two fingers up at an industry that seems to have lost its sense of humour … it displays a refreshing intertextuality that manages to poke fun at and celebrate videogames. [June 2003, p. 103]

Horizon: Zero Dawn is an enormous, ambitious curve ball from the studio behind the promising but perennially flawed Killzone series. In Aloy, the game introduces an enchanting protagonist and sets her on a remarkable adventure that steers clear of rote sci-fi...Horizon emerges as a graceful, intoxicating and often surprising adventure. [April 2017, p.108]

Dark Souls beckons the masochistic with its chilly indifference. If you steel your nerves and persevere, the loot you'll uncover is an adventure so exquisitely morose and far-ranging that it will tug at your mind insistently during the hours you spend apart.

The freedom of movement requires a new level of spatial imagination. Before Prince of Persia, platform games were like playing Tetris with only the blocks and bars. [Christmas 2003, p.100]

The best tennis game of this generation, if not ever. A crisp, responsive and consuming sports title where the act of hitting the ball is made so effortless that your focus can be instantly diverted towards thinking about tactics and exploring the subtle depth on offer. [Jan 2004, p.105]

This relaxed, arcade-like approach makes for something that's not so much about simulation, but more emulation; letting you thwack the ball with all the verve of an expert, without the worry of any homework. Fun, then, and lots of it. [Nov 2003, p.107]

Paradise loops its action into an endless rush, the possibilities, for arcade racing and battle enthusiasts alike, increasing with every hour. It’s hard not to see it as the birth of a new era, but in truth it might be the last Burnout you ever need. [Feb 2008, p.86]

There's no question that Wipeout Pure is a very fine Wipeout game and, thanks to its lively, dynamic soundscape and its distinct, exhilarating handling, it deserves three out of three just as much as a score out of ten.

It's accomplished in its execution, but threatens to segregate the platform just as Harmonix seemed to be opening it up to all-comers. [Nov 2009, p.103]

The only sour note is the way the game keeps even the most skilled players at a severe leaderboard disadvantage until they've unlocked – or purchased – the final playable character.

We can't shake the sense that we've trodden these paths before. [Issue#409, p.104]

Proportionally, far more casual players will finish this than ever finished Super Metroid or Contra III, and their enjoyment might even compare. Sat nobly between emulated coin-ops and overpriced turkeys on high street shelves, Shadow Complex is something of a Live Arcade landmark.

For all its cinematic aspirations and borrowings, though, it's clear the Swedish studio's heart firmly belongs to videogames. [Issue#398, p.104]

An emphatic, feature-packed and sometimes stunning final act.

A remarkable, big-hearted game from a developer whose debut gave barely a hint of the storytelling confidence and poise on show here. What Remains of Edith Finch is anything but unfinished; it might even set a new benchmark for the narrative adventure. [July 2017, p.114]

Plenty of games have flourished around the slaughter, scale and destruction of war, but few have managed to realise a soldier's role and worth - disposable, vulnerable, pivotal - as well as this. [Apr 2005, p.100]

Dozens of hours later, we're still not sure how we feel about it. It's a game of contradictions, open and flexible in its level design, yet resolutely strict in its combat... It is a brilliant game, that is certain. but it is often a difficult one to truly love. Naturally, we can't put it down. [Issue#332, p.104]

Crucially, though, it understands that such grandeur means little if what lies beyond doesn't reward both your curiosity and the lengths to which you've gone to unlock it. On that front, Cocoon is a triumph. [Issue#390, p.116]

Mario Kart 8 is yet another overwhelmingly powerful argument in favour of the company’s idiosyncratic approach to design.

Super Mario Maker's greatest achievement isn't in the pleasing snappiness of its creation, but how it fosters a deeper understanding, and appreciation, of good level design. There can be few finer ways of marking the series' 30th birthday than that. [Nov 2015, p.104]

What it takes from Resident Evil 4 – and it takes covetously – is the clever stuff, the enemies built entirely around your weapon-set, the combat full of upset rhythms and immoral thrills, the unrepentant game-isms, and the vital ability to wrong-foot players at all the right moments. [Dec 2008, p.82]

While a misplaced desire for innovation once pushed it off course, the series has found its way home. Though it may never learn consistency, it’s remembered how to keep even the most jaded gamer beguiled. [May 2005, p.80]

In opposition to its marketing pitch, then, it's perhaps best to view FEAR less as a horror show punctuated by action than a blistering action spectacle that likes to play games with its guests. [Dec 2005, p.98]

It isn't any kind of reinvention, but a revitalisation, with a style so rich that it becomes an integral part of the game's substance; Psychonauts breathes imagination and individuality as effortlessly as most games steal from one another. [July 2005, p.84]