A compelling story but mundane survival gameplay. [Issue#204, p.68]

It’s the videogame equivalent of a firework show: you’ll marvel at the pyrotechnics, but while your eyes and ears are in for a treat, there’s little here to engage your brain.

While the accessible arcade action delivers thrill-a-minute multiplayer dogfights, over time the game's inherent lack of substance becomes increasingly evident. [Dec 2003, p.121]

A significant break from the torrent of recent Xbox Live Arcade shovelware. [Aug 2008, p.113]

In order to get any challenge or satisfaction from Rebellion's dustbowl shooter, it must be tackled on the hardest difficulty setting right away; only then will Black Hawk Down demonstrate any of the depth or well-implemented tactical elements it has to offer. [Sept 2005, p.110]

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]

Spider-Man 2 emerges as not only a movie licence that eschews the 'fast-buck' approach, but as an enjoyable game in its own right – which is chiefly a testament to just how compelling it is to have superpowers and a vast city in which to show them off. [Sept 2004, p.118]

The atmosphere is electric, the sense of making tiny in-roads to solve a great problem as satisfying as it is frustrating... Spark never allows you to forget that outside the restrictive confines of the first-person viewpoint there's a much, much bigger fight going on involving thousands of men. [Jan 2005, p.110]

Bizarre inconsistencies. [Issue#141, p.106]

Overall, Battle Of The Bands proves a novel, if slightly cumbersome, addition to the rhythm-action genre. [June 2008, p.118]

Touch & Roll is a fun package, but the control problems force you to all but disregard the main game and treat it, instead, as a collection of mini-games. [Mar 2006, p.102]

ReCore is breezier, smarter and more accessible than a lot of its moneyed, would-be contemporaries. Traversing its empty open world is a chore, but when the game carries you indoors and places you inside one of its finely tuned dungeon-style levels, it’s unquestionably good, old-fashioned fun.

On the occasions when the game flows it's possible to produce some breathtaking football, but all too often the game slows to a crawl and it's extremely difficult to produce anything like a constructive passing move. [Nov 2005, p.116]

It's an open world that's not open, a Zelda game with no wit or brain power, and a God Of War clone without bite. [Feb 2010, p.122]

Unfortunately, though the multiplayer game is certainly better than the experience offered by playing alone, it has its own flaws that turn what could have been great fun into something lacklustre. Perhaps if Square Enix had tried something a bit more traditional rather than being blinded by Nintendo's claim that connectivity is the way forward, this wouldn't have been the case. [Mar 2004, p.102]

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]

A disappointment, there's no two ways about it. The scares just aren't there – we live in a post-Amnesia world, so we know it's possible for FPSs to terrify – and the rest of the action is so utterly standard it strays into boring territory more than we hoped it would. A more interesting co-op mode and the competitive, point-based leaderboards covering both single and multiplayer drag it out of average territory, but generally speaking we fear this is a missed opportunity.

Fun but equally frustrating. [Jan 2008, p.132]

Hurtling through dark tunnels to suddenly find yourself bathed in glorious sunshine as you emerge the other side is a breathtaking experience that is only superceded by the ridiculously fast speeds your Blades can reach. [June 2004, p.110]

Explosions certain are fun, to a point, but when that point is all a game has to offer we just can’t help wanting something else. [March 2005, p.108]

ZOE2 really is a beautiful game. With its unique mixture of clean-cut robot models, cel-shaded smoke and manga FMV cut-scenes, the whole thing just oozes style in a way that most other games just can't approach. [Oct 2003, p.108]

It works well enough, but doesn’t really offer an advantage over the joystick controls of the arcade game and is significantly slower in practice than the flicks of the DS stylus. [Sept 2008, p.124]

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]

There’s plenty of depth to the mechanics here for those that want to sink their teeth into a new fighting system, and there are some informed nods back to the franchise’s roots, but if you were intending to buy an Xbox One on the promise of playing this until you could afford another launch game, chances are you’ll get bored of it by the end of launch week.

There's a creeping sense that [the game] cares less about the player, and more the clinking in their coffers. [Issue#138, p.111]

If you go with the flow of how you’re supposed to play Republic Commando this can be good fun. It is, after all, a Star Wars game and, for this reason alone, a small proportion of gamers will enjoy it. But pleasing a small number of gamers hardly sounds like the policy of the kind of republic we’d like to live in. [March 2005, p.96]

The appeal lies in the customisation options and the complex online battle system. [Issue#141, p.120]

It takes a while for Explorers to really open up and reveal that shining crystal at its centre, but once it does, you can forgive the game its shortcomings and take it for what it is: a respectful homage to both Monster Hunter and Final Fantasy legacies.

What we’re getting at is there’s not much space for classic simulation sadism here. It’s all happiness and accumulation, which is fine and pleasant, but not gripping.

Conan is not a particularly good game, it is an average one made with love and personality. When so many games feel like little more than exercises in turning a profit, we reckon that counts for something. [Dec 2007, p.126]

You can comfortably sit back and settle into the sofa during your time with Opoona. [Aug 2008, p.102]

There's certainly nothing game-breakingly bad about Shift 2, and generally it is a polished, high quality, nice looking product. But it does fail to provide a more engaging alternative to the admittedly quite clinical driving experiences offered by the Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo series. Underneath its fancy aesthetic effects Shift 2 is also rather on the dry side, with no especially compelling reason to pick it up if you already have one of the aforementioned console racing giants in your collection.

It's just a shame the combat side of Capsized is hampered by something the developers can do little about. [Issue#138, p.115]

An enjoyable, quality release that will absorb hours of your time, but there’s no escaping the feeling that Blue Byte appears to be running short of ideas. [Dec 2007, p.125]

There's certainly nothing game-breakingly bad about Shift 2, and generally it is a polished, high quality, nice looking product. But it does fail to provide a more engaging alternative to the admittedly quite clinical driving experiences offered by the Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo series. Underneath its fancy aesthetic effects Shift 2 is also rather on the dry side, with no especially compelling reason to pick it up if you already have one of the aforementioned console racing giants in your collection.

Entertaining it most certainly is, but WayForward should really be pushing a little bit harder than this. [Issue#138, p.116]

An amusing, individual game that delivers an initial hit of fun but whose essential concept becomes stale. [Nov 2005, p.121]

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

The underlying controls are fun and fluid, but the lack of variety leaves the game - and therefore its player - wanting. [Issue#162, p.106]

There are too many AI quirks and tic to make offline play a useful or even enjoyable tool for learning the ropes, so despite some promising advances, Unreal Championship 2 is just another game to file under the 'buy it if you have Xbox Live' sub-division of the FPS genre. [May 2005, p.86]

Competent and charming, if a little disappointing. [Issue#187, p.73]

For the money it's a very interesting take on the genre with a captivating style. [Issue#162, p.111]

While matching up well to its obvious inspiration, CT Special Forces still lacks the spark of imagination and intensity that made Metal Slug so special; nevertheless, it's a pretty good take on the landmark game and a blast to play. [Oct 2003, p.118]

It could have been something special, and there’s tremendous potential for a sequel, but for now, Steep feels like a game of two halves. It tries to do too much and fails to capitalise on what it does best, and as such, makes for a tricky game to recommend.

The one thing really missing from Overkill is a sense of impact to your shots – certain boss fights feel more like mouse-clicking something to death than riddling it with hot lead. [Mar 2009, p.100]

Not only does this look nigh-on identical to the PC version, it still feels as though the two analogue sticks used to control your operative are but a placeholder for the mouse/keyboard combo that shot Counter-Strike to fame. One for Live players only. [Jan 2004, p.112]

While the sequel doesn’t exactly surpass the original, it’s at least a fair crack at the boxing genre…Shame it’s still not as good as EA’s "Fight Night." [Nov 2004, p.119]

When you’ve wasted 15 minutes watching two pixel people chat each other up but never move to the bedroom to seal the deal; it’s these scenarios where getting caught by the cops or feds becomes a frustration instead of a punishment. It’s almost like some people don’t want to get murdered. Rude.

Only dedicated fans of the series will get enough mileage out of the add-ons to make it a worthwhile purchase, while the standalone elements lack the sense of achievement and progression of Dynasty Warriors 4. That said, the core game is accomplished enough, and XL is an affordable and enjoyable pick-up-and-play option for those looking for a little no-nonsense mass slaughter. [Feb 2004, p.109]

While Sonic Tean has obviously gone to some lengths to try and make Billy Hatcher play differently to Sonic, the fact that the game still suffers from many of the problems that plagued the original Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast shows that the develpoer still hasn't mastered the basics of 3D gaming. [Dec 2003, p.106]

Crippled by unavoidable errors. [Issue#91, p.125]

There's little here that inspires us to recommend DUB Edition above any of the other pimping opportunities that are either out already or due to make an appearance soon, and it's certainly only worth bothering with if you're willing to invest a fair bit of time. [May 2005, p.120]

Lushly presented, and with enough of that trademark Rare wit to keep you smiling, it's inoffensive enough fare before the real games arrive, but it's going nowhere Nintendo's not been already.

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

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]

Sudeki is sure to be seen as a letdown by the hardcore RPG community, but there are still enough features here to recommend it. [Sept 2004, p.106]

Once you’ve unlocked everything in single-player, this will end up the kind of game you switch on every now and then when you’ve got people over and you remember you have it, a relatively cheap distraction that’s old-fashioned fun but ultimately fails to stand out.

Its presentation and entirely un-engaging story let it down, but the game itself is very much worth playing after those suffocating first few hours. [June 2006, p.127]

Between the variety, the playability and the great feeling of accomplishment that comes from completing one of the many tasks, FMX is really quite good fun. Overly ambitious but fun nonetheless. [Oct 2003, p.115]

While Ubisoft's commitment to the struggling Vita format is to be applauded – the console is in dire need of exclusives of this calibre – Assassin's Creed III: Liberation lacks the lavish quality of its big-screen relatives. Hardcore fans will not doubt be more forgiving and will quite rightly warm to the game's feisty heroine, but she deserves a better vehicle than this to showcase her talents.

There’s a lot to love, really – it’s just marred by clumsy controls, one of the worst cameras in recent memory and some odd design choices. Provided you can form a strong enough bond with Trico that the curtain never drops to reveal the rusty old cogs that make the game tick, The Last Guardian is a beautiful and unique experience. But the second anything causes that curtain to budge, it becomes clear that it just isn’t very good at the fundamentals of videogame mechanics, and the beast is slain.

There are no huge faults here and the key problem is that the series seems happy to potter along without trying too hard - a strategy that is obviously doomed to fail. [July 2005, p.118]

Not quite a Jaffe classic. [Issue#187, p.83]

For every area in which Max slips up the sheer magnitude of the technical achievement saves the day. Aside from slight grievances with accuracy and unseen foes, this is as faithful a port as you're likely to play on a handheld this year. [Feb 2004, p.108]

Well crafted, but lacking depth. [Issue#199, p.82]

For some, Citizens Of Earth will be worth playing through on the strength of its humour alone, but the myriad of technical and design flaws that make the experience more frustrating than it needs to be are certainly no joke.

Offers little new but still manages to entertain with its blend of reanimated allies, intense action and slapstick humour. [Issue#93, p.128]

Dream is ambitious, but players will need to be persistent and forgiving to enjoy what it has to offer them. [Issue#166, p.98]

While Killzone is fairly satisfying, with suitably gung-ho action, there's never any variation, meaning what seems fun becomes wearisome after an hour or so. [Christmas 2004, p.96]

Although Nintendo has introduced a few new features since release, Super Mario Run still feels like it’s missing something. It looks and feels like a proper Mario game, but it can quickly become so tiresome that we no longer play. It’s all too easy to exhaust Tour Mode and the Kingdom has no staying power. The free tier will be plenty for most Super Mario Runners, and for the full investors, you’ll soon be reduced to a few daily Rally runs.

The repetitive nature of the majority of missions soon takes its toll, and the primary motivation for progressing soon becomes the desire to see how nice the next level looks, not the love of playing the game. [Apr 2006, p.110]

Shining Soul II doesn't really pack enough charm to distinguish itself as anything other than a solid yet unspectacular RPG. It even struggles to differentiate itself from the first game, looking and playing almost exactly the same. [Apr 2004, p.101]

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]

When all its cylinders are firing, APB can be quite fun, but that enjoyment is blunted by the fact that its action mechanics and driving are both so clunky. [Issue#99, p.108]

A good proof of concept for VR RPGs. [Tested with HTC Vive; Issue#176, p.83]

On a mechanical level at least, Symphonica is a decent rhythm-action game, with lots to keep your fingers busy across a variety of proven tunes, but the overall presentation and attention to detail lacks the x factor that iNiS is best known for. Yes, it's a comeback, but it's not quite the comeback we hoped for.

It will certainly give your grey matter a workout, but it's clear that this would be better suited to mobile. [Issue#166, p.99]

These robots have heart, but not depth. [Tested with HTC Vive; Issue#176, p.84]

The one aspect that raises its head slightly above 'ordinary', and ventures into 'quite good, actually' territory is the Campaign mission design, which is both varied and well-balanced. [Dec 2009, p.125]

Resort offers a briefly satisfying jaunt, which only fleetingly manages to recapture the magic of its predecessors.

Unless Hothead Games can push the fighting mechanic while also ensuring that the comedy and adventuring take pride of place, this series could die out long before it’s ready to. [Aug 2008, p.114]

In SuperCar's relentless pursuit of simulation, it's neglected to capture the exhilarating speed-driven fantasy of driving - its sex appeal, if you will. [Oct 2009, p.126]

The real joy of Darkwatch, however, is its simplicity. It's a pure, no-nonsense shooter, entirely focused on allowing the player to dispose of innumerable undead in ever more amusing ways. [Dec 2005, p.115]

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

It's one of those mixed-bag situations - flashes of genius and genuinely enjoyable moments of success, occasionally mired by unbalanced weapon damage, clumsy AI and the odd bit of unfair level design that requires astounding feats of memory. [Dec 2003, p.98]

The music and black-and-white sketch style offer a refreshing change of pace to much of what's out there. [Issue#166, p.100]

An experience that simply plays well. Well, but not excellent, that is. [Issue#99, p.118]

The Urbz feels like a step back for the franchise; despite EA's efforts to bring gamers a "console exclusive' there's not a lot on offer here. Fans won't find anything new, but newcomers may well discover the pleasure of the series and seek out EA's back catalogue of simulated lifestyles. [Christmas 2004, p.114]

Despite all of its problems, you’ll almost certainly have a great deal of fun playing Donkey Kong Taru Jet Race. [JPN Import; Sept 2007, p.118]

It’s an amazingly in-depth system that rewards skill rather than persistence, and for this reason alone it’s near impossible to recommend God Hand to any but the most hardcore of player or fan of the genre. [Feb 2007, p.108]

If you just mindlessly consume the thing, it's not entirely unpalatable. But when you pick it apart and consider the ingredients, it isn't hard to see it as a bit of a mess. [Apr 2010, p.116]

The real joy of Darkwatch, however, is its simplicity. It's a pure, no-nonsense shooter, entirely focused on allowing the player to dispose of innumerable undead in ever more amusing ways. [Dec 2005, p.115]

There certainly is an enjoyable experience to be discovered here – it’s just a shame that you have to work so hard to unearth it. [Nov 2007, p.128]

It appears to be aiming for family gaming, but just a little more depth would give it more longevity. What’s here is good, but not worth running to the shops to buy.

If you're in the mood for a soft, sombre trip to another world, consider this for your next. [Sept 2014, p.116]

As the game shifts from its early crew introductions, it’s obvious that the layers of game mechanics underlying the experience are either incompetent or awkwardly implemented. For instance, stealth is required in a handful of missions, but the act of navigating between cover is frustratingly cumbersome, occasionally exacerbated by your partner claiming the next vital protection point.

All manner of multiplayer modes play out fairly well and even the single-player competitions are, while tough, as enjoyable as just about any other tennis title this generation…once you get to grips with them, that is. [July 2004, p.123]

It's hardly a disgrace to the Tales name, but there are other games within the series we'd far sooner recommend. [Sept 2014, p.120]