Thankfully, Overlord doesn’t take itself too seriously and due to its sheer simplicity it remains a fun game to play. [July 2007, p.118]

This isn’t the best Mega Man game ever made, but those with the patience to tolerate the game’s flawed attempt to add depth to the series will find an enjoyable shooter underneath. [Aug 2007, p.122]

Action-packed, but with thought behind it. [Christmas 2005, p.106]

Essentially you're probably going to hate Mario Smash Football if you enjoy football games. Conversely, if you were a fan of "Sega Soccer Slam" you'll love it. [Christmas 2005, p.108]

A new low for the Mass Effect series. [Issue#186, p.71]

By the end of the episode, Telltale brings together its excellent characterisation and gameplay to create a very clever finale that perfectly captures the kinetic chaos of a Wallace & Gromit short without resorting to the reflex-based action so dreaded by genre fans. [May 2009, p.124]

While Hyrule Warriors might want for modes and options compared to recent entries, it more than compensates with the variety of its roster, subtle refinements to its systems, and that extra layer of Nintendo polish. Against all odds, it works beautifully. [Issue#152, p.102]

An unpretentious, sharp-edged thrill of a skill-based shooter. And we haven't said that in quite some time. [Issue#135, p.123]

A disappointing new step in a declining series. [Issue#180, p.80]

Rocksteady’s heritage lives on in Batman: Arkham Origins and for that alone it’s worth playing; it still empowers in all the same ways Asylum and City had done before it. But if you had hoped for more in a fashion similar to the evolution that Arkham City brought to Arkham Asylum’s core then you will be sadly disappointed. Still, a strong imitation, one that will tide us over until the Man Of Steel inevitably gets here.

With an engaging plot that's as much a commentary on consumerism as it is a tale of morality, Forgotton Anne's inspired narrative is backed up by some solid and engaging gameplay. [Issue#200, p.74]

Silent Hill 4 is by far the most atmospheric of the titles to date, and if played under the right conditions will creep out even the most hardened survival horror fan. But being made to traipse over the same levels a second time seems a little lazy and really saps a lot of enjoyment out of the experience. [Sept 2004, p.113]

The 'new' simplicity makes for a fun and fast game that, courtesy of the excellent passing system and decent AI, finds a firm balance between real football and the arcade fun of a five-minute kick about. [June 2004, p.120]

Firewatch is a brief but enjoyable experience set in a stunning and lovingly crafted environment, but there is no real ending – there’s simply the place where you stopped reading the story.

In its 'free' state, Wii Sports is a triumph when presenting the abilities of your new console, but in reality, it's an extended victory for the console itself and not praise that should be bestowed upon the game. [Christmas 2006, p.106]

Still a little too much like looking at a table. [Nov 2011, p.107]

Lavished with new modes and features but retaining its air of accessibility, this update does not disappoint. [Jan 2009, p.105]

A great Suikoden game, then, but only a fair role-playing game by today's standards. [Sept 2006, p.128]

It still feels so right.. Sketchy music and coconut-sized pixels are a small price to pay for the chance to dabble with one of the finest two-dimensional beat-'em-ups ever made. [Aug 2005, p.107]

We can't wait until the next few months of extra content and improved networking herald clear blue skies of gaming joy all the way to the heavens. [June 2009, p.114]

Sports Champions manages to stand up in its own right, proving a commendable showcase for Move's impressive level of on-screen gesture replication, and highlighting the strength of Sony's tech over Nintendo's Wii Remote, even with MotionPlus attached. [Issue#101, p.124]

Unique. [Issue#137, p.120]

Sadly, Floor Kids lacks the variety or freedom in its core design to ever really offer more than surface-level engagement. [Issue#197, p.78]

It’s good facile fun, but we feel, with a little more depth and tweaking of movesets, something greater could have been achieved. [Christmas 2008, p.122]

It's a horrible, cynically produced, soulless and poorly designed racing game that manages to be as equally boring as it is frustrating. [Dec 2005, p.107]

Sniper Elite makes headshots a grizzly reward that becomes addictive and, because the battle is always weighted against you, filled with air-punching satisfaction every time you make a connection. Bravo. [Nov 2005, p.96]

Stubbs deserves to succeed, just to prove to publishers and retailers that new IPs and obscure ideas aren't something to fear. [Mar 2006, p.118]

EA has turned it into a story about gain. Whereas the motive of violence was once to illustrate Michael’s downward spiral, here it is merely a tool with which to boost your bank balance. [May 2006, p.118]

It's certainly fun while it lasts. [Issue#136, p.113]

An interesting but limited spin-off. [Issue#201, p.84]

Fun and frustrating solo, but a riot together. [Issue#192, p.71]

One of the most complete lightgun experiences you’ll see on a home console, with a wealth of extras and a lot of replay value. Slightly better controls would have made this a near classic. [Jan 2008, p.126]

Ultimately, Yakuza should be praised for overreaching, rather than criticized for what it doesn’t achieve. It’s rare to see a game so ambitious in terms of story and scope. [Oct 2006, p.112]

There are moments when player adrenaline levels will rise above the base level, but they are so few and far between that in the end most will decide that slogging through the copious average sections simply isn’t worth the effort. [June 2005, p.116]

A rich, vibrant world despite its lacklustre campaign. [Issue#205, p.78]

Another unpleasant but entertaining experience. [Issue#187, p.80]

This is EA’s take on NHL action as it’s always been, rejigged with improved animations and new moves so it’s inevitably the best version yet. [Nov 2004, p.119]

Risk shots aside, though, this is a near perfect tennis game, making it even more of a shame that they’re so imperfectly implemented. [May 2006, p.110]

Sadly, the adventure itself is far too linear; there's little in the way of side-quests, and you have no freedom over where you go or what you do. If you can overlook this, though, The Third Age does mix a neat battle system with a great franchise to provide a surprisingly enjoyable adventure. [Dec 2004, p.107]

Few games offer such an entertaining mix of action and strategy, and we’d recommend Battalion Wars 2 to all Nintendo Wii owners looking for a quick fix between the really big first-party releases. [Jan 2008, p.116]

Improved variety, but gimmicky gameplay. [July 2018, p.78]

Its world isn't as evocatively rich as Skyrim, it's action-oriented combat doesn't have the killer appeal of Dark Souls, and it's single-player focus is completely at odds with the co-op-centric Monster Hunter. However, as Capcom's first foray into the open-world RPG this is a worthy achievement, and further proof that the East-West divide should be breached more often. And not just by dragons. [Issue#122, p.94]

Second Sight's fair share of nice touches (such as weapons handling and level design) demonstrate terrific attention to detail. It's a shame, then, that these minor good points seem to be offset by the game's failings in several more important areas. [Oct 2004, p.110]

Although it would have been nicer to see Nintendo pick one of two directions rather than offer something that perches on the fence between platforming thrills and RPG depth, Sticker Star is nonetheless a beautiful and eventually engrossing adventure, once it hits its stride.

There's a mixture of novelty and intelligent ideas in Dream Drop Distance, that don't quite add up to an evolved form of what the series has shown us before. It's another sideways step for Kingdom Hearts, then, but undeniably a grandiose one.

This is EA’s take on NHL action as it’s always been, rejigged with improved animations and new moves so it’s inevitably the best version yet. [Nov 2004, p.119]

Okay, so it's hard to knock the presentation... but when the game's this bland and has virtually no replay value, it hardly seems worth bothering. [Apr 2004, p.114]

Clear Sky chiefly succeeds because it transforms grim fantasy into a startlingly real-world experience. [Oct 2008, p.108]

Brilliantly realised for hardened MMA fans. [Issue#198, p.75]

A valiant error to kill with laughter. [Issue#204, p.72]

A perfectly executed heist offers an incredible sense of achievement. [Issue#166, p.95]

It's just a shame that there's such a minimal sense of accomplishment from any given task in the game, because this could have been a chance for a star to rise in the West. [Sept 2009, p.118]

The most assured kid-aimed title to hit the market this generation. [Issue#139, p.112]

Don’t venture into Hohokum hoping to understand what it’s all about, just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Loud and silly, but a little hollow. [Issue#182, p.76]

This is a solid start for IO, but it still needs to do a lot to convince us that this release model has more worth to the player than the traditional ‘release a finished game’ method we’ve grown to love and appreciate.

Ignition has such a simple premise that it’s easy to leave alone and come back to at a later date with barely any need to familiarise yourself with the controls or gameplay. [Oct 2007, p.120]

It’s no longer a culturally significant event, and even Lara’s charms are beginning to lose their edge. But make no mistake, it warms our hearts to see Lara back doing what she does best. [Christmas 2008, p.98]

A testament to what the Wii is truly capable of in the hands of a skilled developer that understands the strengths and limitations of the hardware. [Christmas 2009, p.112]

Enjoyed for what it is, this is bold and compelling – it draws from the traditional and the contemporary to deliver a uniquely modern and elegantly told adventure. [July 2006, p.131]

All in all, Trackmania DS is a very worthy addition to both the series and the DS's catalogue of racers, and its multiplayer mode while sadly unable to support Wi-Fi, still allows for some heated competition among friends. [Dec 2008, p.]

In many ways, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is the biggest and most confident game Kojima has ever made, but you can’t escape the fact that while it’s certainly an immaculate world that has been created, it’s just a small fragment of something much larger we’ve yet to explore.

When only a couple of challenges require you to break the million point barrier, only the weakest players will have trouble acing the game in hours. [Christmas 2005, p.107]

While the great entries to the Sim City series, the Civilizations of the world, even Ubisoft’s Anno series and Galactic Civilizations II all give more back the more you put into it, Tropico 5 is unable to do that. And a lack of longevity in a game that should last so very long is just, ultimately, disappointing.

Mediocrity wins out. [Issue#93, p.124]

If you long to command your own ship (and its admittedly well characterized crew) then there's fun to be had here. Just don't expect an easy, or thrilling, ride. [Apr 2010, p.108]

Fails to capture the imagination. [Issue#193, p.84]

Granted, it may be the thick vein of very British humour running throughout the game that takes some credit for holding frustration at bay. However, Elixir has learnt much from the overly-ambitious Republic and, as such, everything about this title feels far more rounded and polished. [Nov 2004, p.112]

Sandbox silliness at its best. [Apr 2009, p.123]

That it makes no bones about the fact that you're in a game doesn't make it less of an experience - indeed, it's one of the few things that saves Infection from being a run-of-the-mill RPG. [Mar 2004, p.104]

When you reach a dead end, it's usually just a case of retrieving a generic puzzle item from a conveniently inconvenient hiding place before continuing. Cue several minutes of primitive platforming and beating up the undead with a functional combat system before the next 'mash the Triangle button until you find something interactive' session begins. [Nov 2003, p.126]

Anarchic, baffling, sometimes downright silly, and often inspired, Jazzpunk works tirelessly to make you laugh and gasp. The frequency with which you’ll do both is a testament to a bold new talent, and Necrophone Games deserves all the plaudits that will be thrown its way in the coming weeks.

Skillfully executed, but is it Gran Turismo? [Issue#194, p.78]

The truth of the matter is that Etrian Odyssey’s punishing difficulty is actually the key to its addictive allure. [Aug 2007, p.118]

Bomberman’s raison d’etre, Battle mode, is once again its saving grace. [Aug 2005, p.110]

Enigmatic in parts, frustrating in others, Dontnod demonstrates it can fuse the domestic with the supernatural with a deft hand, and succeeds in creating a pastel world brimming with intrigue in about three hours.

It turns out that, so befuddled is Star Wars Battlefront, that simply celebrating it for what it is feels dishonest. It’s an extraordinary mess of brilliant ideas melded with utterly harebrained ones; of thoughtful and charming fan service doing battle against a piledriving Palpatine and idiotic dialogue that sounds like it was recorded in a toilet.

Grow Home isn't the masterpiece you'll hang on the wall, it's the vase of tulips on the coffee table - appreciated at the time, but forgotten once they wither. [Issue#159, p.90]

We can't help but have a soft spot for Defiance, if only because it not only looks impressive, but it kept us captivated right up to yet another tense climax; a rare combination for most recent games. [Christmas 2003, p.121]

In a perfect world all budget games would be of kill.switch's quality - that's where it would soar, that's where it would be ideal. As it is, it's almost exactly six hours of gung-ho entertainment from the moment you switch on your machine. But that's still just six hours. [Feb 2004, p.104]

Anyone who has played any of the previous Rogue Squadron titles will know what to expect from most of this title, but while its predecessors have been unadventurously solid, Rebel Strike is quite the opposite. A valiant effort with some wonderful moments but it promises more than it can deliver. [Dec 2003, p.96]

It's a good shooter, then, but one that struggles to hit the same heights of Cave's other Xbox 360 output.

Best consumed with an uninterrupted hour of your time and a pair of headphones. [Issue#161, p.102]

Comes into its own in multiplayer. [Issue#108, p.113]

For a game that focuses on the presumably brisk and stressful art of armed robbery, Payday 2 involves one heck of a lot of waiting around. [Issue#139, p.96]

But as a full game in its own right, Ridge Racer 3D feels like a cold shell that is part of a larger, ageing franchise.

Few can deny that these improvements have made Black & White 2 a resounding success. The trouble is that gamers were expecting many of these things four years ago. [Nov 2005, p.112]

As great as all the action in Pursuit Force is, the fact that many of the stages are very similar to each other soon begins to grind you down. [Christmas 2005, p.102]

The shameless cash-grab approach does a huge disservice to what is a surprisingly accomplished card-based strategy title. [Issue#118, p.107]

The best-made golf game on the system. [Aug 2008, p.106]

The attention to detail in both art direction and audio design is admirable, and it's decent value for money. [Issue#152, p.122]

It builds to a highly satisfying and visually stunning conclusion. [Issue#149, p.119]

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

This represents an unusual and attention-grabbing way for Sonic Team and Sega to make their entrances on a new platform and will succeed among the initial batch of launch games. [Jan 2005, p.121]

An accomplished update but overdue a proper sequel. [May 2008, p.124]

There are no side missions, no conveniently placed ramps, and only a small handful of collectibles that work in harmony with the fiction. 2K Czech has invested serious time and effort into conjouring a peerless sense of time and place – we won't begrudge it for not encouraging players to shatter the illusion.

As good as The Belkan War is, it’s nothing but more of the same. [Oct 2006, p.125]

The city-building genre has been crying out for a boost, which is what Children Of The Nile delivers. Unlike many games of this ilk, it caters for both micro- and macro-management, allowing for as series of small challenges to take place within a much bigger story arc. [March 2005, p.120]