A Sims game too far; it offers very little that's new in terms of gameplay. [Dec 2006, p.74]

Great sequel-teasing final shot though. [June 2013, p.75]

Time is a precious currency for the MMO-er. For all but the most curious, Blade & Soul won't be staking a claim on theirs. [March 2016, p.81]

A technically tight simulator, but lacks the spark needed to offer broad appeal. [June 2007, p.83]

Hardcore platforming action that doesn't bring anything new to the series. [Mar 2011, p.98]

Technical issues and uninspiring visuals hold Zoo Tycoon back from must-have launch material. [Jan 2014, p.63]

No evolution but this is an otherwise all-encompassing 2009 season experience. [Christmas 2009, p.73]

Combine powers for a vamp-squishing blast of energy. [Jan 2012, p.91]

Decent enough, but most will find them a bit archaic for their tastes. [Mar 2009, p.82]

It's a lot of fun while it lasts. [Aug 2009, p.75]

Just enough sheen to make it a must-play for very small Pixar-heads; pity about the rest of us. [June 2012, p.78]

It has lots of potential, but ultimately lacks focus and is home to some genuinely shoddy moments. [Jan 2018, p.77]

Smart and original, this has plenty of strategy, charm and challenge. [Aug 2008, p.83]

It's not big, clever or original. But it does feel like a blast from the past. [Jan 2008, p.76]

A well-made lite tie-in rather than any meaningful canonical contribution. [Apr 2012, p.92]

Rib-ticklingly good fun. Not just for fans of American Fistball. [Christmas 2008, p.85]

Your Star Wars fantasy made real, wrapped around a poorly-designed progression system. [Jan 2018, p.70]

Fighting for queen and country is all very well, but it's something you should do in a group. [Nov 2018, p.66]

A disappointment, especially considering how daft and intoxicating "Fight for New York" was. [Apr 2007, p.72]

With "Mario Kart Wii" boasting the quality it does, there's little need for MySims Racing. [Aug 2009, p.60]

It's not bad for the price, but it's no must-have. [Oct 2011, p.96]

Compelling plot. [Dec 2013, p.75]

Outcast hasn't improved on its accessibility enough to appeal to modern audiences. [Jan 2018, p.80]

Yet another PSP racer, but at least this one is a bit different. Muddy good. [July 2006, p.84]

This is for beginners only. [May 2013, p.79]

An epic co-op experience but it loses points for poor AI and a scrappy offline experience. [June 2010, p.76]

A decent Wii-friendly RPG, let down by too many concessions to casual gamers. [Feb 2009, p.80]

A throwback to a decade ago, this is a decent game, but needed longer in development. [May 2017, p.81]

Original, often breathtakingly beautiful retro-styled shooter. [Nov 2007, p.85]

Don't underestimate the wow factor of the 3D mode - if this is the future of games, sign us up. [Oct 2009, p.75]

The lack of a quick restart offline is bizarre. [Nov 2014, p.79]

It's incapable of holding your attention for long enough to warrant a high review score. [Feb 2011, p.91]

Watching creations take their first wobbly steps is a great laugh - lucky, as there's not much else to do. [Feb 2012, p.95]

A gratifying slash-'em-up that would have stood out with greater strategy elements. [May 2008, p.76]

A faithful board game adaptation that lacks the depth to grab you in its power fist and not let go. [Issue#336, p.83]

Shadows of Almia hits the standard of the series without adding anything new. [Feb 2009, p.79]

There's still plenty to coo over, especially if you unlock all the endings. [Dec 2014, p.80]

Best left to those who like hardcore fighters and Lolita in equal measures. [Sept 2011, p.94]

It's inherently limited by the handheld format, but this is a smart reinvention of a faltering series. [Dec 2016, p.64]

Plenty of content and modes but not as consistently innovative as we hoped. [Issue#231, p.96]

Wonky controls. [Apr 2013, p.83]

A slick and superb-looking racer that offers immense entertainment and exploits the next-gen consoles. [Nov 2007, p.78]

Soloists may well find this a little shallow to stick with. [May 2011, p.89]

All too often you'll be screwed not by stealth slip-ups, but by twitchy, inconsistent AI and the odd clipping glitch. If you can handle that, then this is pretty damn fun. [Nov 2014, p.78]

Stupidly entertaining. [Christmas 2012, p.89]

New ideas? Not really. Sparkling platform fun? The ice has it. [May 2006, p.80]

A thoroughly decent, if unsurprising, Japanese RPG. Not bad at all. [Sept 2006, p.82]

Not-bad superhero scraps; play it with a friend for best results. [Christmas 2006, p.100]

A bit of low-rent cash-in, to be honest. But it's still decent fun, and at a low price too. [Oct 2007, p.82]

A thoroughly enjoyable driving game let down by a number of frustrating shortcomings. [Dec 2016, p.65]

Light-hearted and fast shooting fun but your precious gold is better spent elsewhere. [July 2010, p.98]

Still great fun. Looses out graphically but gains with interactivity. [Dec 2007, p.80]

One of 2008's biggest disappointments. [Nov 2008, p.67]

Beautifully presented and fantastic fun to play. [Jan 2014, p.80]

Stunted, bitty world design and cut and paste quests drain the colour from one of gaming's most vivid worlds. [Apr 2014, p.75]

A crazy and entertaining love letter to Contra. [May 2013, p.77]

Ninja Blade isn't without merit, but little of what it sets out to do is well implemented. [May 2009, p.64]

Intelligently redesigned but isn't punchy enough to be laughing all the way to the bank. [March 2012, p.96]

The excellent controls are hampered by shallow options and poor visuals. [Aug 2008, p.82]

It's really rather good. [June 2011, p.89]

A visually dazzling adventure in which navigating space feels almost as difficult as it would be in real life. [July 2017, p.72]

In fact, it's the most exciting superbike racing we've played for a while. [Dec 2008, p.83]

Heroically retains its charm. [Christmas 2013, p.77]

It's hard to get attached to your creations when they're represented by numbers alone. [Dec 2013, p.73]

A slice of Pokemon, a dash on "Pikmin," a little bit of frustration - but a lot of fun. [June 2006, p.76]

Competent, tight and good looking but lacking the satisfying gameplay to make it a must. [July 2007, p.68]

All the qualities you'd want from a puzzle game. Classy. [Mar 2007, p.84]

Beautifully styled puzzle platformer held back by movement frustrations and cheap kills. [Oct 2012, p.84]

Thrilling, non-stop action for those who can overlook a few technical woes.

A brief, touching sandbox of fiery fun, but maybe too much of an ask at its current cost. [Feb 2013, p.89]

What should be an epic race with huge scale and freedom is short-lived, disjointed and linear. [Jan 2012, p.64]

It's still just a bit too steep at 4.50 quid. [Christmas 2011, p.89]

Get used to its quirks and it'll make for a perfectly playable distraction until FF13. [Nov 2008, p.75]

Unfortunately, though, the game's controls turn out to be more effective at slowing you down than all of its eerie enemies and devilish puzzles. [June 2007, p.74]

It falls short of an unqualified recommendation at full-price because of a difficulty curve that's more or less flatlined, and the sometimes glacial (as an 'ice age', ha!) pace of the action. [Sept 2009, p.75]

A mild improvement for PSP, but you really want to play on a big telly. [Dec 2007, p.46]

Convincing, well presented and has a new swagger about it. Impressive. [Christmas 2007, p.68]

Casual puzzle solving that will test your eyesight more than your gaming skills. [Nov 2009, p.87]

A good collection for fans, but feels a bit old compared to today's titles. [Nov 2008, p.84]

It doesn't feel fresh anymore. [Oct 2013, p.75]

Uncomfortable, unsettling, and truly unpleasant. A ferociously effective horror game, then. [June 2017, p.68]

As pure a game as you'll find, Schizoid is the new "Geometry Wars." [Oct 2008, p.84]

"Worms" and "Lemmings" are perhaps its closest matches, but Flock! has a fresh feel all of its own and comes with a brilliant level editor, too. [May 2009, p.85]

Amazing setting and stylish narrative let down by a dull and painfully repetitive open-world structure. [Dec 2016, p.59]

A game that doesn't credit you with much intelligence just isn't fun. [Mar 2011, p.95]

Unfriendly and dull. If Advance Wars had an evil twin, it would probably look like this. [May 2009, p.71]

Decent ideas in need of a more coherent direction. And please, for your own sanity, play with a pad. [July 2018, p.66]

It's certainly rough around the edges but WRC won us over. It's a solid and capable sim that works hard to prove its worth.

Some high profile absentees are a disappointment. [May 2013, p.77]

An utter hoot and a welcome return - but it's too little, too late. [Feb 2010, p.82]

A unique and worthwhile offering in a genre that all too often feels by the numbers. [Aug 2016, p.83]

At times bearably similar to Souls, at others woefully at odds with its philosophy. [Christmas 2014, p.]

Ignore the pointless story and this is a compelling and addictive puzzler that'll really test your reactions. [Sept 2009, p.82]

Lumines with thumping rhythm. [Oct 2010, p.77]

Sink in some moolah or you'll struggle. [July 2011, p.93]

Not worth the board for, but a bit of diverting fun for those tired of "Wii Fit." [Aug 2008, p.79]

Swaps out top questing for dumb blasting. [Apr 2009, p.61]

Fun, but don't expect longevity - without the need to feed coins into it, you'll be through it in half an hour. [May 2012, p.87]