We'd happily champion Shift as the game to fill the gap that's been left by the absence of Project Gotham Racing. [Nov 2009, p.128]

The overall tactile quality is of a PS2 title that has migrated to a more powerful system and finds itself surrounded by far tougher birds. [Dec 2009, p.126]

5th Cell has managed something very difficult: creating a game that's at once simple and also incredibly complex, and doing so with such composure and charm that you'd be doing yourself a great disservice not to give it a go. [Nov 2009, p.104]

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

Little more could have been demanded of Harmonix, it has created a profoundly enriching way to experience the music of the world's most influential band. [Nov 2009, p.119]

In an age where choice of avatar often means nothing more than trivial personalisation, it's great to see a game like Muramasa come along and use that choice to offer twice as much game. [Dec 2009, p.124]

Do not underestimate Little Ninjas; it is worthy of everyone's time - a beautifully conceived product by all accounts. [Nov 2009, p.116]

While some may bemoan what seems like a slight lack of content, no one is going to dispute the fact that what the game does have is, on the whole, exceptional. [Nov 2009, p.114]

An unforgettable few hours for gamers of a certain generation. [Oct 2009, p.122]

Section 8's major problem is that, despite offering a huge number of options to the player - in both gameplay and ideas - it feels decidedly empty and the shooting lacks the pace and kick of other shooters. [Nov 2009, p.126]

Broken Destiny is undoubtedly one of the high points for the series so far, and a must-buy for fans. [Oct 2009, p.130]

There's an evident focus on the five-buttoned six-string as you reach the higher end of the difficulty spectrum. [Nov 2009, p.108]

Cursed Mountain admirably recreates the tension of the established survival-horror template, but too infrequently for it to sit alongside the genre greats. [Oct 2009, p.119]

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 Final Fantasy spin-off with real merit. [Mar 2009, p.126]

Professor Layton certainly has soul, but the puzzles themselves just aren't imaginative enough to save the adventure from feeling frequently out of breath. [Nov 2009, p.123]

If Telltale can build on these inspired touches while finding a way to shake off its addiction to repetition and recycling, then we may just have a five-star series on our hands. [Nov 2009, p.111]

While it may lack the precision design of a classic Metroid or recent Castlevania, Shadow Complex's all-out action, gigantic bosses and ingenious challenges allow it to stand up alongside those genre superstars on its own merits. [Oct 2009, p.133]

If you like videogames at all - and we're assuming you do, because you're reading this magazine - there's every chance you're going to enjoy Wolfenstein on some level, just don't expect the pushing of any boundaries. [Oct 2009, p.120]

Had the handling and collision detection been improved, then Wheelspin might actually have been a good game. [Issue#91, p.114]

Osmos fits snugly into the Zen genre: the music is ambient, the visuals minimalist, and the risk/reward mechanic demands a measured approach. [Nov 2009, p.131]

Infuriating and yet stupidly addictive. [Oct 2009, p.122]

Still Life 2 tries too hard to change the genre when it should have built upon its own strengths instead. [Aug 2009, p.120]

The addition of MotionPlus makes Wii Sports Resort more intuitive to play and adds lastability to gameplay. Controls aside, presentation and quantity of content has also been improved. [Sept 2009, p.108]

We'd expect a new KOF to offer more depth. [Oct 2009, p.118]

It's brash and ridiculous, but better for it - the insane climax easily among the most entertaining endings we've seen in years. [Oct 2009, p.132]

With both its addictive, rewarding gameplay and the wealth of imagination that's been poured into the presentation, it's incredibly difficult to stop playing Little King's Story. [May 2009, p.112]

A superb Battlefield game, then, and an unmistakable sign that downloadable games are ready to give retail a run for its money. [Sept 2009, p.121]

Easier than the classics, but not without difficulty. We got properly stuck once and found the rest mildly challenging. [Sept 2009, p.112]

In contrast to an industry dominated by the posturing of 70-hour epics, its geniality makes for a nice alternative afternoon of gaming. [Sept 2009, p.115]

This is a good time for adventure games and there are superior examples out there, but none more loveable than Time Gentlemen, Please! [Oct 2009, p.123]

An emergent party game that's fun for everyone to take part in even if they don't crawl away the victor. [July 2009, p.130]

Atmospheric, technically strong and really rather enjoyable to play, Call Of Juarez: Bound In Blood is every bit the sequel it needed to be. [Aug 2009, p.112]

BlazBlue is an outstanding fighter that we pray blossoms into the successful series it deserves. [Oct 2009, p.124]

To say that the gameplay feels clunky is a huge understatement. Throw in a cover system that defies belief, which is often essential for boss encounters, and it's a tiresome slog. [Oct 2009, p.128]

Think of Blood Bowl as a cross between Hero Quest and Speedball, and if neither of these games ignite a fond memory, then this is probably not for you. [Nov 2009, p.122]

A calculated and intelligent game that favours forethought and tactics over button mashing and impatience. [Aug 2009, p.110]

The Conduit isn't bad, just anonymous. [Aug 2009, p.128]

How ironic that Revenge Of The Fallen should be weighed down with options to keep you coming back, yet offer pitifully few reasons to play it in the first place. [Sept 2009, p.120]

As an exercise in flexing evil, it's far more tiresome than it is enjoyable and as an advert for the freedom of evil, it may as well be Hitler's screaming head in a vacuum-sealed bell jar. [Aug 2009, p.126]

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is an excellent update to the already impressive Freedom 2 and features an unbelievable amount of new content and end-game potential. [Aug 2009, p.116]

Even a sadly lacking level of polish can't change the simple fact that busting - as you may have heard - makes us feel good. [July 2009, p.114]

A lack of interactivity makes playing Flower, Sun, And Rain an experience not unlike listening to a favourite album, letting images wash through the mind for their own worth. [Dec 2008, p.119]

Between the reworked note charts that often don't feel quite right, and the barebones structure of Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits, a full-price release seems optimistic. [Aug 2009, p.119]

We'd happily take this over anything Sonic Team has produced in the last eight years, but we can't help wishing that Let's Tap had a little more longevity. [Mar 2009, p.111]

Prototype's huge setting and impressive characters-on-screen tally is testament to Radical's engine but it's incredible how hackneyed many of its missions and boss fights are. [Aug 2009, p.124]

As a retail product, this just isn't strong enough to be called a sequel. A shame considering how pleasing Sega's arcade sim can still be. [July 2009, p.118]

Virtua Tennis's motion control satisfies with a trademark pick-up-and-play experience that nevertheless mirrors the sport to an authentic degree. [Sept 2009, p.127]

Mercifully, Staff Of Kings is a very short game and it won't be too long before you unlock the vastly superior bonus game, Fate Of Atlantis. [Aug 2009, p.127]

Rock Band Unplugged excels at demonstrating how the tight connection of input and music can provide strong gameplay without the need for a plastic guitar or snap-on peripheral. [Aug 2009, p.121]

MotionPlus adds a welcome layer of immersion, but it never does enough to completely mend the game's flaws. Matches are often frustrating, shots will still bounce past your player and the AI will sometimes second-guess you, placing you in a poor position to return a serve. [Sept 2009, p.126]

After more than a decade at the top of its field, this may well be the best golf game released this year, but it isn't appreciably better than 09 or even 08. [Aug 2009, p.131]

We can't see it getting any better than this for quite some time. [Sept 2009, p.127]

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 stark landscape, self-serious characters and po-faced story are completely at odds with the sense of mischievous fun the destruction naturally evokes...If Volition is interested in crafting an instant classic, putting this destruction in Saints Row 3 would be an excellent place to start. [July 2009, p.110]

The Sims 3 is without doubt the series' finest hour...By playing around with character traits, you're able to create all kinds of people, and just watching them interact is a joy in itself. [July 2009, p.102]

Only frantic devotees of racing games/loading screens could justify this over the competition. [July 2009, p.115]

The huge, sprawling levels, multiple routes and breadth of choice on offer may be countered by awkward controls and uninspired vehicle sections, but there's a modicum of entertainment beneath the obvious design flaws if you look hard enough. [Aug 2009, p.114]

The tragedy is that inFamous contains flashes of something approaching brilliance, yet when we finished all that remained were memories of the cracks in its surface. [July 2009, p.112]

You're doing very little other than eating things, and the game's other ideas don't gel well enough to make it an experience worth more than the sum of its parts. [Aug 2009, p.130]

We Rock: Drum King proves that drumming simply doesn't satisfy without the acknowledging thwack and rebound of stick meeting skin. [June 2009, p.118]

An interesting concept executed with a degree of panache. Plus, if you're familiar with even half the characters available, Cross Edge breathes new life into the personalities you long since laid to rest. [Sept 2009, p.110]

Undisputed catches the rise of the sport in a timely and accomplished fashion. [July 2009, p.116]

Salvation is too derivative, too short, and too repetitive to be a worthy recommendation. It feels the very definition of an easy movie cash-in. [July 2009, p.124]

After several hours of increasingly punishing shoot/swing repetition, all the good ideas come at once in the last hour or so. [June 2009, p.108]

An insipid and trite game that struggles with plot, consistency and character, settling instead for a mindless headlong charge. [Mar 2009, p.118]

Works around the limitations of motion control, bringing the Punch-Out!! Series up to date without losing any of the charm that made it a fan favourite in the first place. [July 2009, p.106]

Pacific is too dry to ever become anything other than a passing diversion for all but the original game's fans. [July 2009, p.121]

This is certainly what we want to see from Bethesda and our hopes are soaring with regard to what the newly announced installments could contain. [July 2009, p.131]

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a dynamic and visceral amalgamation of genre conventions, showcased in a wonderfully action-packed adventure game. [June 2009, p.125]

Velvet Assassin accentuates the negatives of the genre rather than it emphasises the positives. [July 2009, p.108]

Single-player falls down only by virtue of the fact that repetition of missions is crucial to progress, although with such a clear multiplayer focus, it's no surprise that this is the highlight. [June 2009, p.120]

It might not be the longest or most polished game you'll ever play, but for half the cost of a regular PC release, you'll be treated to more charm, ingenuity and bravery than most full-price releases can muster. [July 2009, p.128]

It manages to make the act of perseverance a relentlessly fun experience at all times. Yet for all its hardcore credentials, it also remains an instantly accessible racer as fun for non-gamers as it is for the elite. [July 2009, p.127]

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]

Both refines and expands on the ideas introduced in Mark Healey's adventurous pet project. [June 2009, p.121]

Overall, you're getting two full games here, both involving and complex - if not a little dated - and well worth your money. [May 2009, p.104]

Everything required of you feels functional, mechanical, and pedestrian, and each city is sparse and lacking in the kind of lifelike vitality that gamers now demand from their sandbox environments. [May 2009, p.108]

A game that transcends its weaknesses with the winning combination of pure fun and an unending desire to entertain. [May 2009, p.114]

Technical issues aside, the main problem is that each set of games is not a random selection from a larger bunch but the same set of five every time. As such, you'll experience all the game has to offer in less than five minutes. [June 2009, p.129]

By far one of the strongest downloadable titles of the year so far. [June 2009, p.121]

Charmed by the stellar cast and King's saccharin smile and greying 'fro, we were almost blinkered to the fact that a goldfish could still play this game nearly as effectively as us. [May 2009, p.106]

Tedious, clumsy and uncomfortable to play, Box Office Bust is one of the least enjoyable platform games we've been subjected to this generation. [June 2009, p.123]

It has more character and better tunes than any other music game. [June 2009, p.112]

Developer Killaware has managed to whittle interactivity down to its barest form, reducing the medium's defining characteristic to little more than a progression through text boxes. [June 2009, p.126]

While Wheelman is great fun in a vehicle, on foot it becomes decidedly average. [May 2009, p.122]

Cumbersome controls and an ornery camera make any intriguing ideas irrelevant. [Apr 2009, p.115]

The ideas Grin has introduced work well within the plot put forward by the comic books, it's just a shame they don't hold up over an extended period. [May 2009, p.110]

Square Enix's least enticing DS offering thus far, a disappointment given the company's growing ambition in handheld development. [May 2009, p.120]

The Pitt just isn't satisfying enough in any area to truly earn a recommendation for any reason other than it's more Fallout 3. [June 2009]

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]

The hidden depths of the franchise remain mind-boggling, battles taking the form of a super-complex, multi-layered version of Rock Paper Scissors driven by more hidden and adjustable values than even the most hardcore MMO can boast. [June 2009, p.110]

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.]

SCEA Bend has done an impressive job of making the transition, and Sony can rest assured that its valuable first-party property has survived intact. [May 2009, p.130]

Konami has made a concerted effort to make the game more accessible, but by speeding up and simplifying much of the action it risks alienating the fans of the series who are used to the ebb and flow of the real thing. [Christmas 2008, p.113]

Henry Hatsworth In The Puzzling Adventure isn't a bad game; it's two half-decent ones. [May 2009, p.126]

It's certainly not a good Suikoden game, but it's definitely a capable JRPG in its own right. [June 2009, p.130]