Superb when everything comes together, hugely frustrating when it doesn't. [Issue#107, p.96]

Perhaps the most telling criticism of all is that Apocalypse manages to render the sight of an entire city's ongoing death as interminably dull. [Issue#107, p.95]

A poor script and worse voice-acting. [Issue#107, p.94]

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

As beautiful as it is barbaric, and as technical as the player wants it to be. [Issue#107, p.90]

There's a lot to like in BioWare's latest, but the sad truth is that even before the halfway point you'll have seen pretty much everything the game has to offer, several times over in many cases. [Issue#107, p.86]

Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition could arguably be the best portable version of the core series yet produced, but this is testament to the severely limited nature of what came before rather than any standout success on this game's part.

Feels very much the stock update, disappointing in so much as it doesn't actually add anything of note or substance. The cruel under-utilisation of the cats, meanwhile, could genuinely disappoint fans of felines everywhere.

Feels very much the stock update, disappointing in so much as it doesn't actually add anything of note or substance. The cruel under-utilisation of the cats, meanwhile, could genuinely disappoint fans of felines everywhere.

Feels very much the stock update, disappointing in so much as it doesn't actually add anything of note or substance. The cruel under-utilisation of the cats, meanwhile, could genuinely disappoint fans of felines everywhere.

Keeping on top of the ever-evolving demands of Radiant Historia's combat makes for one of the most engaging and rewarding battle systems since Final Fantasy XIII and renders any flaws in the narrative design an unfortunate but ultimately innocuous sideshow.

While die-hards might still prefer the more expert-friendly features of HeartGold and SoulSilver, the fresh approach and fiercely impressive visuals, draped over a tried and true frame of addictive, highly nuanced battle and customisation, make Pokémon Black/White the defacto catch-all solution to monster collecting on the venerable DS.

While die-hards might still prefer the more expert-friendly features of HeartGold and SoulSilver, the fresh approach and fiercely impressive visuals, draped over a tried and true frame of addictive, highly nuanced battle and customisation, make Pokémon Black/White the defacto catch-all solution to monster collecting on the venerable DS.

The concept needed to evolve to stay relevant and Taito has achieved that by tailoring the gameplay around the strengths and weaknesses of Apple's hardware, creating a revolutionary Space Invaders in the process. [Oct 2009, p.127]

Simple, elegant and deceptively deep. [Issue#106, p.125]

Another unfortunate example of a classic game that has been marred by a shoddy modern redux. [Issue#106, p.124]

By spreading itself more thinly, it loses some of the strategic depth which these more focused games provide. [Issue#106, p.121]

We wouldn't put this too close to the top of the pile. [Issue#106, p.120]

Granite-hard. [Issue#106, p.119]

A delightfully cruel quizmaster. [Issue#106, p.116]

Well worth importing for anyone ready to experience the highest point the visual novel genre has experienced in decades. [Issue#106, p.115]

Feels like a familiar proposition from the get-go. [Issue#106, p.114]

It's the hulking great monsters that steal the show. [Issue#106, p.108]

Still thinking of buying this? You must be out of your mind. [Issue#106, p.106]

Raskulls isn't a very balanced racing experience. [Issue#106, p.105]

Does what all great remakes should - it improves the game in a way that complements the original design, making you more aware of the gameplay's inner workings and helping you appreciate a classic even more. [Issue#106, p.104]

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

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

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

From a single-player point of view at least, Killzone 3 is the biggest disappointment of the year so far. It does have a few exhilarating moments, and it can probably still just about claim to have the best graphics ever, but it fundamentally plays more like a formulaic Call Of Duty clone than a successor to the current generations most intense, visceral FPS.

This being a Takumi videogame, each environment lies awash with engaging characters capable of development over a period of hours.

If anything, it showcases exactly how successful more traditional games can be on Apple's products, and we should fully expect the floodgates to open. [Issue#105, p.114]

There's nothing in Nail'd that is outright offensive, but the sloppiness of its execution damn-near eradicates any fun that could have been gleaned from it. [Issue#105, p.122]

While not the most technical or complex fighter on the market, it's certainly among the most enjoyable. [Issue#105, p.110]

Along with being better suited to the PSP's capabilities than the previous Ys VI port, Seven also overhauls some major aspects of the series. [Issue#105, p.120]

Classic Worms gameplay is still an option in Worms: Battle Islands, but there's nothing else to justify buying it if you've already done so 19 times before. [Issue#105, p.118]

Re:coded is content to meander, offering only patronising tweaks to what we once enjoyed about the youngster-friendly mash-up franchise. [Issue#105, p.112]

A true original. [Issue#102, p.124]

One for the rhythm-action hardcore crowd and those players who don't mind playing keyboard parts on guitar, then. [Issue#102, p.122]

As a standalone adventure, The Lost Future can't help but disappoint once its bite-sized, unimaginative nature begins to show through. [Issue#102, p.120]

A tense and intimidating shooter. [Issue#102, p.118]

It's only let down by a lack of fresh blood, but in terms of where the hammer falls, it still bangs the nail in cleanly. [Issue#102, p.117]

Limited gameplay appeal. [Issue#102, p.116]

Possibly the most technically realised rally experience available on console. [Issue#102, p.115]

Nowhere near the shallow quality those infernal Miis would suggest. [Issue#102, p.114]

Unfinished, or at the very least, unpolished. [Issue#102, p.112]

Enslaved's satisfying blend of narrative and gameplay is bang on the money. [Issue#102, p.111]

The lack of a cover mechanic, limited controls, an awkward camera and some questionable AI result in a peculiar package. [Issue#102, p.110]

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

You'll be jabbing the square button until fatigue eventually sets in. [Issue#102, p.106]

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

Where it really excels is in its world design. [Issue#102, p.104]

Acing a mix is as satisfying and enjoyable as ever. [Issue#102, p.98]

A veritable knock-out. [Issue#102, p.100]

For hardware nuts, Final Fantasy obsessives and PS3 owners, FFXIV does offer a fairly distinctive MMO experience. [Christmas 2010, p.94]

More than any other tweak, Costume Quest is in dire need of an alternate progression mechanic. Sure, ticking off all front doors is authentic, but lends the title a stale air. [Christmas 2010, p.120]

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]

Once you're past the silly set-up, irritating characters, terrible dialogue, and the game's generally patronising tone, there's a reasonably solid - if not needlessly convoluted - skater to be found here. [Christmas 2010, p.110]

Visually stunning, mechanically incredible and impossible to put down, Hot Pursuit is, quite frankly, the game we've always wanted Need For Speed to be. [Christmas 2010, p.103]

TFUII feels like a series of unfulfilled and broken promises that could kill the franchise, even for Star Wars fans. [Christmas 2010, p.92]

Anyone looking for a traditional Rock Band experience has the definitive one before them, packaged here with an optional and extensive set of educational devices that offer further reading for anyone who feels their virtual musicianship is ready to blossom and evolve into the real deal. [Christmas 2010, p.88]

We can only hope that the team at Infinity Ward has the humility to learn from and implement the features Treyarch has introduced here when it comes to the next Call Of Duty, particularly with regards to multiplayer. [Christmas 2010, p.84]

This is God Of War exactly as you know it. Which means that whether or not you enjoy the nine hours Ghost Of Sparta offers is almost entirely dependent on whether you can stomach another God Of War. [Christmas 2010, p.101]

It's the level design that saves Sonic The Hedgehog 4 and elevates it above the more recent but inferior 2D entries like Sonic Advance. [Christmas 2010, p.116]

An adventure that anyone but the most black-souled gamer will feel compelled to see through to the end credits. [Christmas 2010, p.114]

Cohort's game clearly isn't designed for the po-faced shooter fan, and holds more than enough character to enable most players to see past its more quibblesome design weaknesses to the light, throwaway fun it represents. [Christmas 2010, p.113]

A tiring slog of a game that doesn't offer enough reward to justify the energy expenditure required to play it - even if it does keep account of how many calories you burn throughout. [Christmas 2010, p.113]

TV Superstars is a deeply cynical product that manages to bring together the worst of modern culture with the most vapid shovelware the Wii has suffered. [Christmas 2010, p.112]

Three games in one it may be, but the sum total of Razing Storm is disappointment, and a reminder that the Time Crisis franchise lost its way a long time ago. [Christmas 2010, p.111]

The license really deserves a little more care and attention than this. [Christmas 2010, p.108]

It does a superb job of replicating the sensation of playing your memory of a decade-old shooter, even if it does so by basically being a decade-old shooter. [Christmas 2010, p.126]

A Shadow's Tale can feel a little discouraging at first, but those who persevere will find that it eventually hits its stride, piling on one idea after another until it evolves into one of the cleverest puzzlers on Wii. [Christmas 2010, p.124]

Yes, it's simple, and a classic example of style over substance, but NBA Jam is also a huge amount of fun, and a great example of a developer actually realising what made a franchise so popular in the first place and building it into something far greater. [Christmas 2010, p.118]

It's a side of Nintendo we occasionally fear losing forever, which makes Retro's outing a welcome return to the company's hardcore roots, as well as one of this year's finest platformers. [Christmas 2010, p.104]

Not just the greatest Sonic game on the Wii, but also, arguably, of this generation. [Christmas 2010, p.100]

Atlus believed that it could push the series that little bit further, however, and discover something special within the Etrian Odyssey formula. In The Drowned City, it has found it. [Christmas 2010, p.122]

Adjectives are a big deal for this sequel; we were amazed how many actively altered the objects we were summoning. Living houses, broken TVs… bust out the dictionary and get creative. [Christmas 2010, p.107]

If you're going to play a simulation of something so easily done in the real world, then you might as well do it in the company of the funniest characters in gaming. [Issue#104, p.117]

The driving mechanic in itself is an interesting display of ever-increasing possibilities of the kit, and we look forward to seeing its like implemented in more compulsive, sophisticated titles further down the line. [Issue#104, p.127]

It's a more immediate and instantly gratifying variant of the classic game than any that have come before, but you have to wonder if all this pyrotechnic pizzazz doesn't come at the expense of long-term score attack potential. [Issue#104, p.123]

It's clear that considerable effort has gone into Shred, but for those with fond memories of the Birdman's glory days, this could be the final insult. [Issue#104, p.118]

There's a great game waiting to burst out of the chest of this one, not least with the addition of a proper co-op mode, and we sincerely hope that Team17 gives it another shot in the future. [Issue#104, p.117]

What it lacks in exactness it more than makes up for in whimsy and, indeed, the decision to focus on Kinect more as an aid to deepen an immersive, tactile experience than to promote competition with friends is commendable. [Issue#104, p.116]

A challenge for all the wrong reasons, Tron: Evolution is a frustrating shell of a game, and exactly the sort of just-get-it-out-the-door festiveware that the pre-recession videogame market looked to have left behind. [Issue#104, p.109]

A bargain-priced challenge with complexity and depth almost beyond compare. [Issue#104, p.122]

With an undeniable charm, simple toolset and a decent lifespan, Create is worth checking out if you're looking for an inventive, harmless bit of puzzling fun. [Issue#104, p.120]

The inclusion of the original Splatterhouse titles as unlockables, along with its many old-school sensibilities - such as side-scrolling stages with arranged music from the old arcade soundtrack - just about tip this into guilty pleasure territory. [Issue#104, p.108]

There's little to take away from the fact that GT5 is a full, accomplished and insanely deep racing sim of the highest calibre. [Issue#104, p.104]

No matter how many minigame collections Ubisoft cranks out, Rabbids will still remain charming and enduringly funny. [Issue#104, p.127]

The music, as you'd expect, is generally excellent even in the face of some odd inclusions, though that's the only praise the so-called 'experience' will be getting from us. [Issue#104, p.124]

It's just a shame that its later stages don't make good on the genuinely entertaining gameplay that it initially promises. [Issue#104, p.119]

Nintendo has all too often repeated its wish to put smiles on as many faces as possible, and Kirby's Epic Yarn is arguably the most successful exponent of that mantra. [Issue#104, p.114]

To have this checklist of all the genre's flaws step up in place of the ambitious and promising title we were promised is wildly disappointing. [Issue#104, p.106]

We can't wait to see what LittleBigPlanet 2 has evolved into in a month or three, when we can truly measure the impact that these tools will have had on an already ultra-creative community. We predict that it's going to be like setting off an atomic bomb.

"Quotation Forthcoming"

All of the areas where the game truly excels are exactly what we expect from the series - and from Lionhead as a studio - while its great leaps forward mostly fall flat and upset the balance of the whole. [Christmas 2010, p.90]

For all its complexity, this is a game that remains virtually open-armed in its inviting accessibility.

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.