Chaos Legion isn't as sharp as it should be. Beautiful, polished and at times engaging Capaom's latest invention, nevertheless, tests neither the reactions nor the brain enough to hold your interest. [May 2003, p.93]

Though the game’s confidence falters, its storytelling never does, building a new myth with the kind of passion and resonance expected from an eastern retelling of an old one, and enriching the entire sweep of its universe. [June 2005, p.84]

For a story centered on revolutionaries, Mirage is oddly conservative, mired in the middle ground between honouring tradition and embracing innovation. Ubisoft has seldom felt closer to delivering on the power fantasy promised by Patrice Desilets in 2007; equally, it has never felt farther away from its contemporaries. [Issue#391, p.108]

While World Of Warcraft and its peers provide variety through landscape, Hellgate fails utterly to conjure any motivation to investigate the next instanced dungeon. [Christmas 2007, p.97]

This is a treacly origin story for a crew we wouldn't be on seeing again. [Issue#366, p.104]

For all the atmospheric window-dressing, it doesn't extend its reach beyond competent familiarity. [Jan 2007, p.85]

It's simple, accessible and ultimately disposable stuff. Not the sprawling adventure you were hoping for, but fun nonetheless. [Apr 2004, p.108]

There are things to admire here, and The Ball's simple challenges ensure a pleasant, if casual engagement, enhanced by the skilful drawing of this subterranean world. [Dec 2010, p.96]

The irony is that many of Too Human’s problems wouldn’t exist if another pair of human players were allowed to enter the fold (as was originally intended) – speeding up play considerably and making ‘just one more run’ into something a little more manageable. [Oct 2008, p.92]

Yes, the planet looks prettier than it did before we arrived, but this is a rare act of beautification that leaves a bitter aftertaste. [Issue#384, p.114]

The overriding impression is of a game that's physically too big for its action. [June 2009, p.88]

It's never worse than pleasant, and the evergreen villages, the jaunty swagger of its cows and donkeys and the peaceful expansion of your city are exactly the kind of recharging experiences Taylor talked about providing four years ago. It's only a shame that the repetition, and a lack of anything to look forward to, mean that you eventually realise your grass still needs to be cut.

Like the first Gears, Ryse is a simple game loaded with small-scale encounters and rudimentary set-pieces with the intention of hustling you towards something beautiful. Both have their own ‘horror’ stage, both have sieges, both have stationary guns of sorts, and Ryse, like Gears, has room to grow if given the chance.

It’s a product of a time when hardened roleplayers were better noted for their patience – and its difficult to see many players tackling the adventure in its entirety. The walking speed for example, especially in the overworld, proves irritating in its sluggishness. [Feb 2007, p.83]

Too much of it is cut from old cloth instead of woven from its own loom. [Aug 2015, p.116]

This is a stupefyingly linear experience. While the individual stand-offs and shoot-outs are exhilirating, the removal of any sense of choice or any requirement of tactical thought makes this more of a theme park ride than a military operation. [Christmas 2003, p.117]

While Sonokuni is a flawed action experience, we're grateful for it as a showcase of music we might not well have heard otherwise, and perhaps not appreciated in the same way. [Issue#410, p.122]

Combat can be over in a flash - a Great Sword's focus attack is almost guaranteed to one-shot anyone with no armour. [Issue#363, p.106]

As homages go, it's reverential yet poisoned by doubt. It doesn't trust Left 4 Dead's genius enough to let it stand alone. [Issue#365, p.106]

Despite the obvious staying power of the game’s mechanics that has made it a hit in all its various iterations, it strains to push itself beyond its one-note colour-matching principle into truly engaging puzzling. [Aug 2006, p.92]

Dredge draws a line between Animal Crossing's pun-laced fishing minigame and Lovecraft's fondness for a seaside locale, and the two prove a surprisingly natural fit. [Issue#384, p.117]

Ultimately, owners of Sega GT should ask themselves whether a handful of new elements and the online component are worth the investment (even at the reduced price). [Feb 2004, p.107]

Through design or serendipity, maybe the best thing to do after finishing Wanderstop is make yourself a cup of tea, take a seat, and mull it over for a while. [Issue#409, p.118]

In refusing to let the PSP’s home-console-style graphical capabilities dictate the nature of its gameplay, Acid is a valuable blueprint for future PSP development. [Feb 2005, p.77]

Humankind isn't lacking in competence. This is a decent historical strategy with some of the best city building outside of dedicated games such as Cities: Skylines. But it would benefit from greater confidence in its central ideas; rather than seeking to ape Civilization, it could be more inventive. [Issue#363, p.110]

For too much of your playtime, then, the game's charms seem like nothing more than a distant fantasy. [Issue#409, p.120]

Its pacing is hindered by slow movement speed, and nuance is lost as the incidents increase in frequency and topics of conversation shift from the social to the situational. [March 2016, p.120]

Where FlatOut felt like racing in a field, FlatOut 2 feels like racing on a film set. It has been reshaped into the archetype, competent arcade racer. [Aug 2006, p.89]