This is a game whose best moments are diluted by a torrent of filler, whose beauty is obscured by its technical shortcomings, and whose obvious potential is squandered by a lack of polish. That weird orange sky is, alas, the least of its problems. [Christmas 2016, p.110]

While its bulk is impressive, it lacks a distinctive personality of its own. [Christmas 2016, p.106]

Battlefield 1 is better than its predecessors in almost every way. [Christmas 2016, p.102]

It's the game's flexibility that drives its enduring appeal, complemented by its granular UI and difficulty settings that enable you to make it as easy or as hard as you like - whether through developer-prescribed challenges or personal rules imposed as a matter of pride - without ever adjusting a slider. [Jan 2016, p.114]

It's a shame the journey itself can't match the poignancy of the final destination. [December 2016, p.123]

With some prudent trimming, this could have been one of Wii U's best games: even with all those maddening missteps, its moments of sparkling brilliance can make it feel frequently close to essential. [December 2016, p.122]

For the first time in years, it's easy to meet up with other players, drawn together by enticing new stories. [December 2016, p.120]

It doesn't willfully withhold information, but it takes some time to acclimatise to what you're supposed to do. [December 2016, p.118]

Both the platforming and the shooting hold up, then, but they barely develop after the first few hours. [December 2016, p.116]

A work of nostalgia. [December 2016, p.114]

One of the most quietly devastating moments involves a character simply shaking their head softly. [December 2016, p.110]

This series has always felt like a breath of fresh air in a genre that grows ever more obsessed with the fidelity of its simulations. With Forza Horizon 3, Playground has flung open the biggest window in the building, then stuck on a few fans for good measure. [December 2016, p.106]

Mere hours after playing it, Hue is already vanishing into the background of our minds, leaving only a vague sensation of something more tangible. [Nov 2016, p.123]

An apparently new and improved game engine is anything but, with regular framerate drops on PS4, bizarrely stilted animations, and sound effects cutting out entirely during action sequences further deadening the impact of already sloppily edited fight scenes. [Nov 2016, p.121]

The springy physics are almost perfect, giving you just enough control even as you hurtle through the air at speed. [Nov 2016, p.118]

While there are some concessions in place for the mere mortals among us, there aren't quite enough. [Nov 2016, p.116]

It's a firstperson co-op adventure that hardly disgraces the Metroid name it should never have been lumbered with. [Nov 2016, p.114]

What at first feels more like a Benny Hill chase reveals itself to be another fine reinvention of this classic. [Nov 2016, p.112]

There's promise in The Turing Test's constituent parts, but considered as a whole, it fails the imitation game. [Nov 2016, p.110]

While some poorly designed systems and mechanics chip away at your patience, the feeling of flying seamlessly from space down to a peninsula you spotted from orbit never fails to enthrall. [Nov 2016, p.106]

The Assembly is yet another example of mundane game design attempting to hid behind the novelty of VR. The mileage in this strategy is running out. [Oct 2016, p.122]

There are plenty of smart ideas here, but a fair bit of dreck, too. [Oct 2016, p.120]

For the most part, Song of the Deep is content with being pleasantly unremarkable. [Oct 2016, p.119]

A delight. [Oct 2016, p.118]

The world is a pulpy delight: captivating, unique, and a genuine pleasure to spend time in. [Oct 2016, p.116]

If all this wasn't enough, there's also an affecting story going on. [Oct 2016, p.114]

If it isn't as memorable as the games to which it owes its existence, it shares some of their best parts. [Oct 2016, p.112]

Rather than a criticism, however, the lingering feeling is a testament to the sense of wonder Abzu instills in the player, the feeling of grand adventure it manages to conjure in its short runtime, and the appeal of its enigmatic world. [Oct 2016, p.108]