Evolution's successes entertain your mind's-eye view of what running a dinosaur theme park might be like, but its failures encourage you to imagine the game that could be made with this premise. [Issue#322, p.110]

You may technically be present in this world, but you'll rarely feel truly connected to it. [Issue#322, p.106]

Roll7's latest is its best game to date. [Aug 2018, p.116]

An absorbing reminder of the power of words and how we wield them. [Aug 2018, p.114]

Mostly, however, this bullet hell is excellently assembled and riotously inventive. [Aug 2018, p.112]

Given that Smoke and Sacrifice's end point truly feels like it means something, it's heartbreaking that many will get stuck riding its mundane merry-go-rounds. [Aug 2018, p.110]

It's almost tempting to say that this feels like the combination of pinball and platforming that Sonic The Hedgehog wishes it was. [Aug 2018, p.108]

True, these lively, boisterous scuffles are probably best enjoyed in short bursts. But it's hard to dislike a game that dares to break the sacrosanct rules of its genre - even if it sometimes reminds you why they existed in the first place. [Aug 2018, p.106]

Much remains to be done, certainly, but after a dire six months, Destiny is, at last, back on track. [Aug 2018, p.104]

Beyond the odd jolt of panic as your wrench breaks mid-fight, or when the piercing shriek of a spindly screamer attracts a ravening pack, there's little here to quicken the pulse. For a zombie game, that might be the most damning criticism of all. [Aug 2018, p.100]

For all the very human flaws in its script, it ends up somewhere in the uncanny valley of narrative games: it looks the part, but behind that glistening exterior, something vital is undeniably missing [Aug 2018, p.96]

Our bond with our mechanical companion might have been even stronger when faced with a bit more hardship - by the time things really kick off, the story is nearly over. Nevertheless, Far: Lone Sails' ambiguous, strangely tranquil post-apocalypse is beautifully atmospheric, with a touching message: as long as you have hope, you are never truly alone. [July 2018, p.122]

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]

At its best, Cultist Simulator is quietly riveting, conjuring a palpable atmosphere of intrigue and danger as you juggle the risk and reward of harnessing otherworldly powers. During a bad run, however, it can feel like a rather inefficient way of telling a fairly miserable story. [July 2018, p.118]

It is, however, successful as an adaptation that gets to the core appeal of the original tabletop game, and uses it to the betterment of the strategic campaign system that it has adopted from elsewhere. [July 2018, p.116]

In all likelihood, we'll remember its delightful world for some time. In future years, we may even enjoy the few fuzzy memories of Forgotton Anne that linger. For now, however, they're tinged with disappointment. [July 2018, p.114]

Far from simply feeling sufficiently old-school, Pillars of Eternity II is a game of systems and setting working in wonderful harmony and with a pioneering spirit, exposing what it is that players miss about those particular 'good old days' on the first place. [July 2018, p.110]

Frostpunk's atmosphere, tight structure and sense of purpose make it stand out in a genre often given over to abstraction. [July 2018, p.106]

Its lead's epiphanies - or 'bolts of brilliance' - are his most underwhelming moments. [June 2018, p.122]

A game of canny, and often quite annoying, design. [June 2018, p.120]

It's astonishing that Shiver couldn't conjure up a decent party game from such great source material. [June 2018, p.118]

Extinction is mindless, soulless stuff, and a huge disappointment from a reputable studio. [June 2018, p.116]

A game that never quite finds a level of consistency to fully engage you. [June 2018, p.114]

It is too stressful to be enjoyable, it's world too dangerous to safely explore, it's story too dumb to take seriously. [June 2018, p.112]

If the game is to flourish, Rare must develop the basic structures that compel modern players to return even on the days when nobody gets kidnapped by the Kraken. Sooner or later, we all have to grow up. [June 2018, p.108]

Sure, the prospect of spending 30 hours with gaming's grumpiest anti-hero and his bratty kid might not sound like fun, but by the time the pair have finally completed their exhilarating, exhausting journey, you'll be delighted you joined them. [June 2018, p.104]

The biggest narrative crime comes right at the close, where what feels like the approach to the conclusion turns out to be, in fact, the end - a sour taste that's hardly helped by the naked sequel set-up that follows. [May 2018, p.122]

Florence strikes a chord that resonates long after the cello fades. [May 2018, p.120]