Horizon 3 is the best open world racer in years. [Issue#180, p.76]

An exceptional game that will remain a pleasure even when the graphics begin to spoil. [Chrismas 2007, p.112]

A breathtaking romp that juxtaposes superbly implemented combat with intrusive CGI cut-scenes and the sort of archaic puzzles that would make the "Resident Evil" franchise proud. [May 2004, p.96]

Chains Of Olympus carries all the hallmarks that make God Of War so great, but it still feels somewhat diluted. [May 2008, p.104]

With The Burning Crusade, Blizzard has yet again raised the standard by which all MMORPGs will be judged. [Mar 2007, p.112]

A marvellous game, beautifully remade. [Issue#197, p.84]

It’s debatable whether or not this is worth buying if you own last year’s game…it comes down to how rich you are and how much you like golf. [Nov 2004, p.118]

Killzone 2 is a gamer’s game. And although it fails to go beyond the confines of the genre, we wouldn’t criticise it for being anything other than a wonderful example of what can be achieved within them. [Mar 2009, p.108]

Reach couldn't be expected to replicate the impact of Combat Evolved, but it's superior in just about every other way. Mission accomplished.

The time we spent with Mass Effect ranks as one of the most rewarding experiences we have had this year, and with the medium in such rude health that is quite a compliment. [Chrismas 2007, p.102]

Turn 10's sublime handling model accommodates newcomers and veterans alike, a system that can be tweaked to sit anywhere between 'real car' and 'videogame' settings as the player sees fit. Online functionality is as impressive as ever too, the auction house and plethora of racing options joined by Autolog-style Rivals hot lap challenges to ensure that Forza 4 genuinely has the ability to last forever.

Battlefield 2 represents a far better understanding of what war actually entails; an effort to put the player in the heart of a battle where advancement is more strategic than just running around looking for a target. [Aug 2005, p.90]

Stood side by side with its predecessors, this third and final hurrah is less a dramatically pitched revolution and more a masterfully sculpted evolution, as while the graphical depth, online functionality and cover mechanics are some of the best in the business, when contrasted with Gears 2, they're incremental steps rather than thundering leaps.

A simple and highly affecting puzzler. [Issue#197, p.72]

Rocksteady Studios has produced a game as ravishing as Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and as compelling as Dead Space, one that very nearly lives up to its own hype. [Oct 2009, p.122]

A Link Between Worlds is a remake and a sequel, then – both a tribute to a classic and a worthy successor in its own right. For all the changes, it’s still recognisably Zelda, and a legend this powerful can comfortably bear another retelling.

This game is a victory for the FMV, for mobile/PC games, and for the concept of interactive narrative as a whole.

Despite so many slight changes here and there, the solid combat, janky platforming, overwhelming odds and brutal bosses all conspire to remind you that this is very much a Souls game, and yet another excellent one at that.

One of the game's greatest achievements is in how the heavily scripted action manages to escape the feeling of linearity that blighted MOH. Most probably due to the sheer intensity and urgent pacing of proceedings, it feels surprisingly fitting for players to be swept along at the mercy of the situation. [Christmas 2003, p.110]

Mario Kart DS is a polishing of the Mario Kart concept and little else. [Christmas 2005, p.99]

The sequel to one of this generation's biggest disappointments has emerged as a strong contender for game of the year, and if you didn't see that coming, don't worry - neither did we. [Christmas 2009, p.122]

What bumps PGR2 into the league of truly great racers is the extensive Xbox Live support. It really does feel like you're part of a community full of gamers vying to be the ultimate Project Gotham racer. [Christmas 2003, p.92]

Playing God has never been as free, rewarding or downright enjoyable as it is here... Quite simply, this is a game so packed with features and so lovingly crated that, for the first time that we can recall, you’ll still be discovering parts of it by the time the add-on packs roll around. [Nov 2004, p.102]

It's certainly done its share to bring the World of Warcraft into the modern era. [Issue#106, p.102]

Ping-ponging from the sublime to the ridiculous with sass, style and a potty mouth, Bayonetta is a ten-hour journey into both the obscenely brilliant and the brilliantly obscene, but you'll still be playing it for its wealth of extras long beyond that. [Issue#91, p.102]

As a single-player game it is very enjoyable, but as a multi-player Xbox Live game it raises the bar for all others to follow. [Apr 2006, p.100]

It may not lean enough in either direction for hardcore platform or RPG fanatics to find everything they're looking for, but as far as genre-crossing titles go, they don't come much more enjoyable or extensive than this. [Jan 2004, p.104]

Year on year, the main modes in the THPS games have moved further away from traditional over-the-top skating to encompass more and more 'crazy' goals, something we're not entirely sure we approve of. One thing we are sure of, though, is that the core skating engine makes for by far the best extreme sports game of this generation. [Christmas 2003, p.98]

A fine treat that succeeds on nearly every level. A genuine classic. [Dec 2009, p.110]

Its overall challenge is both lasting and addictive. [Issue#122, p.109]

There’s an obvious luxury to riffing on a masterpiece that other games simply can’t enjoy, but that doesn’t make the choice to blow the city wide-open any less brave. [Apr 2009, p.110]

A groundbreaking moment for the future of virtual football. [Nov 2011, p.102]

The key word here is definitely 'more'; more weapons, more gadgets, more planets and plenty more instances where the platform-based exploration takes a back seat in favour of what can only be described as mini-games that try desperately to integrate themselves into the rest of the game. [Dec 2003, p.117]

A football game as good as - if not, somewhat controversially, better than - Pro Evo in its prime and as tight a sports title as you'll play this year. [Dec 2009, p.104]

So if you’ve played it before, you should leap on the opportunity to revisit The Wind Waker in all of its newfound visual glory. And if this is your first time tackling the hazardous waters of the Great Sea, feel free to view the below score as a horrendous insult.

Phantom Hourglass launches from into the DS’s feature list like the past is over and out, moving from one new technology-application marriage to another. [Sept 2007, p.106]

Intelligent Systems has come good for Advance Wars fans and made its latest title arguably the best reason to own a DS so far. [Sept 2005, p.98]

By far the biggest step up lies in the course design, offering dozens of alternative routes and short-cuts on each map and making far more use of vertical travel than Burnout ever did. [Nov 2005, p.90]

It's a focused, exhilarating, interesting and rewarding shooter.

We hope Atlus takes its time to deliver a more compelling and intelligent game with the next Persona, as the series has some remarkable potential. [Jan 2009, p.126]

It's a game of quiet beauty, scattered liberally with ingenious design.

Hitting the mark in just about every area, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a stunningly considered improvement on its predecessor. Essential for fans of the series, it's also an adventure of tremendous substance and beauty in its own right.

A near-constant flow of hardcore platforming, visual gags and references that span indie and retro gaming's rich histories makes Super Meat Boy a tireless entertainer. [Christmas 2010, p.119]

Reinvents a genre and unequivocally defines it in one fell swoop. [Issue#106, p.96]

There's not much more you could ask from a sequel. Almost everything that you might have thought the first game was lacking has been provided. Our one minor complaint we have is that it's maybe not as much of a challenge as the first game was and it's not going to take long to see everything the game has to offer. [Nov 2004, p.114]

Does exactly what a good sequel should, retaining the core appeal of the first game but with enough twists added to make it feel as altogether new and exciting as a completely original title. [Oct 2008, p.118]

We're just a little bit disappointed that this Civ evolution isn't as polished as we'd expected. [Issue#102, p.108]

What Super Mario 3D Land does get right is what every Mario game gets right: a high benchmark for quality that virtually no other platform game series seems capable of matching. There's a level of humour, invention and a sheer sense of joy that you only find in a Mario game.

The Metroid series is in need of an overhaul before it steps out onto the Wii again. But for now, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption represents a triumphant last hurrah for what has been a consistently excellent series. [Nov 2007, p.116]

Controls are noticeably improved over past installments, but still imbued with a degree of inherent clunkiness. [Issue#197, p.66]

The most refined take on the genre yet. [Issue#138, p.98]

It's very slick, enormous fun, continually dynamic, and more than any other MMO it brings the genre closer to the ideal of a fantasy world filled with hundreds of players in which just about anyone can lose themselves. That sentiment, as much as anything else, makes it well worth playing.

There’s definitely a special vibe about Microsoft’s next first-party racing game, and it’s taken a solid leap over the inaugural Forza title. [July 2007, p.100]

This is without doubt one of Capcom's finest offerings for the Sony console…A sublime clash of old-school action and devious design, Joe on PS2 is more Viewtiful than ever. [Nov 2004, p.120]

An exceptional strategy game, but needs more variety. [Issue#199, p.80]

GTR 2 is a serious driver’s utopia and an experience unrivalled by any other PC racing game to date. [Nov 2006, p.118]

Simply refines the challenging gameplay armchair tacticians have come to associate with the Total War franchise. [Issue#107, p.92]

A refinement of what has gone before, and what has gone before still stands as one of the finest exercises in strategic entertainment available. [Apr 2009, p.108]

A gorgeous looking game. We’ve said it before, but it’s one of the few games where the promotional imagery doesn’t do it justice.

We also take some issue with Borderlands 2's sense of humour. While it's welcome, it draws so frequently on up-to-the-minute memes that it becomes hard to remain immersed in an experience supposedly taking place in the distant future, on a remote planet, and among people who have no reason to understand the significance of an arrow in the knee. Most of it's just not that funny.

Magnificent. [Issue#110, p.133]

The sense of mortality, tension and sheer scale makes for a truly stunning experience. [Christmas 2005, p.110]

By far the biggest step up lies in the course design, offering dozens of alternative routes and short-cuts on each map and making far more use of vertical travel than Burnout ever did. [Nov 2005, p.90]

For the first time in the series’ beleaguered overseas history, the game is going to hook westerners long enough to draw them in past the insane difficulty and into one of the most rewarding, player-loving games of the last decade. [JPN Import; Feb 2005, p.86]

As much as we enjoy Zero Mission, we can't help feel disappointed with the many boss encounters you'll face throughout Samus' adventure. ... It's all very well filling Zero Mission with an array of huge, well-animated bosses but they're crippled by extremely poor attack patterns and being incredibly easy to dispose of. [Apr 2004, p.104]

The game is actually better suited to handhelds than consoles nowadays, and the team at Nintendo has kept this at the forefront of its design philosophy throughout – this is a more accessible, more fluid experience than before, and that was all we could have asked for from this remaster.

Imitating a swing with the analogue stick is still as satisfying as ever, and the balance between control and room for error is nigh-on perfect. However, it would have been nice to see a few more changes to keep the experience fresh. [Oct 2003, p.122]

Incredibly punishing, impossible to put down. [Issue#204, p.80]

Never have we played a game that punishes so much while constantly providing a reason to keep pushing on and see what brilliance lies beyond the next hurdle.

Obsidian has finally made the RPG we all knew they were capable of making and it's damned glorious. [Issue#160, p.98]

Immerse yourself in its choices and the peerless beauty of the world that supports them, and it reveals a quality that cannot be detected through objective distance. This is a game you can love, and that’s at least as rare as perfection. [Dec 2008, p.122]

The ultimate way to experience synaesthesia. [Issue#180, p.44]

Hitting the mark in just about every area, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a stunningly considered improvement on its predecessor. Essential for fans of the series, it's also an adventure of tremendous substance and beauty in its own right.

If you do already own and have played to death (excuse the pun) the original Left 4 Dead, the feeling that you've just purchased the same product again doesn't take very long to start tugging at your coat-tails. [Christmas 2009, p.110]

Games like these succeed because they suck the player into a virtual world of their own creation and never let them go. Football manager does so in spectacular style. [Christmas 2004, p.104]

Valve has put together a wonderfully unconventional game – a taut FPS multiplayer that retains the same unease felt in the likes of Resident Evil. [Jan 2009, p.114]

Refined combat, excellent creature and world design and frequent shout-outs to series highlights make this, in many ways, the best of the lot.

BioWare has managed to create a new franchise that will grow to become the cornerstone of the developer's flourishing portfolio. [June 2005, p.94]

Year on year, the main modes in the THPS games have moved further away from traditional over-the-top skating to encompass more and more 'crazy' goals, something we're not entirely sure we approve of. One thing we are sure of, though, is that the core skating engine makes for by far the best extreme sports game of this generation. [Christmas 2003, p.98]

Everything we hoped it would be. While the excessive speeds on some courses can approach eye-melting territory, this only becomes a problem on a couple of tracks, and even then it only encourages better course knowledge and use of boosts. [Oct 2003, p.120]

Rockstar North hasn't lost its grip on its capacity to take the GTA template and invent interesting twists on its design, ensuring that every mission is as amusing and explosive as the last, right up until the bombastic finale. [Dec 2009, p.122]

In creating the Minish Cap, Capcom has managed to bring back feelings we haven't experienced since the first time we went adventuring with Link; considering those are the feelings that made us love Zelda in the first place, that can only be a good thing.

It's a crazed urgency that you'll embrace until completion, threading your way round Polytron's crazily idiosyncratic open-world masterpiece until every corner has been reached and, more importantly, understood.

Though the original is free to download on PC, Cave Story still feels like a steal at 8.40. [Issue#96, p.121]

Although it may lack the sense of immersion that titles like World of Warcraft and City of Heroes provide, it’s a classic example of an ‘easy to pick up, hard to put down’ title. [July 2005, p.120]

Imitating a swing with the analogue stick is still as satisfying as ever, and the balance between control and room for error is nigh-on perfect. However, it would have been nice to see a few more changes to keep the experience fresh. [Oct 2003, p.122]

In a genre that is so flooded with poor Command & Conquer wannabes and a lack of fresh ideas, World In Conflict is one of the few titles that will appeal to many gamers that aren’t typically real-time strategy fans. [Nov 2007, p.132]

The best simulation of the series. [Issue#102, p.105]

A great game, despite the gimmicks and déjà vu... Those familiar with earlier GBA incarnations may be appalled at Konami’s flagrant re-use of almost every sprite from the last game here, with almost no changes at all. [Nov 2005, p.94]

Magnificent controls. [Issue#96, p.100]

Treading a fine line between jaw-dropping realism and high-res synthetic sheen, you can't help but be impressed by the composition of the environments, and if your PC is speedy enough you're in for a real treat. [Apr 2004, p.92]

It’s wonderful, evil, gorgeous, horrible, satisfying and merciless. You might hate its lack of checkpoints, or bad levels spawns that almost instantly kill you. It doesn’t care. Screw you. It hates you. But you’ll love it.

Like Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, its influences are too obvious for it to transcend the medium, but they are so tastefully and skilfully referenced that it feels like rediscovering an overlooked gem. [Dec 2008, p.98]

It's a worthy and far more appropriate reboot of the franchise, easily the most addictive game this year, and one of our favourite Firaxis games ever.

For anyone looking for an affordable, thoroughly enjoyable, and long-lasting RPG unlike any other, Persona 3 FES delivers in spades. [Dec 2008, p.128]

It may not be as revelatory an experience, and in today's age feels as derivative as it does inventive, but it still has us excitingly discussing tactics and angles of approach with fellow players long after we've finished playing. Surely there's no greater testament to Eidos Montreal's success than that.

Sets a new standard for not only visuals but licences games in general. And we never thought we'd hear ourselves saying that. [Sept 2004, p.102]

If it weren’t for the fact that simply picking up the controller makes you by far the smartest racer on the course, GT4 would be perilously close to being the finest, most serious racing game ever made. [Feb 2005, p.8]