Vampyr has a bold and ambitious concept at its heart, but the execution is sorely lacking, so while it may be packed with good intentions, it's not really worth the effort. [July 2018, p.68]

There's something wrong with a genre where self-parody is interchangeable with inspiration. [Issue#96, p.120]

One of the most interesting shooters of the year. [Issue#108, p.114]

A charming yet brief little platforming gem. [Issue#194, p.83]

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.

In many ways The Sims 4 is a beginning, its core foundation of functions playing their parts beautifully. But in others it feels like a step back, like a set of systems designed around future expansion in mind and not providing the necessary wealth of options from the start.

If Black Flag was a self-contained explosion of quick-witted brilliance, Assassin's Creed: Unity is nowt but wreckage. Stand aside. [Issue@155, p.99]

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]

This was the episode that made us fall back in love with Telltale. [Issue#161, p.88]

Dragonball Z: Shin Budokai is as soft a beat-‘em-up as you’re likely to find and, worse still, one that offers nothing more than the previous games, aside from the fact that it’s on a portable console. [May 2006, p.130]

Only the coldest of hearts could fail to find joy in whispering sweet nothings to a pretty young girl while an old man is distracted by a giant monkey. [July 2010, p.119]

Digital Extremes should be reasonably proud of Pariah, even though it falls short of being the be all and end all of the genre that the developer claimed it would be. [May 2005, p.90]

There’s a good game at EA Sports UFC’s core, it’s just a shame that it’s not as seamless in its delivery as we’d hoped it would be.

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]

As a free PS Plus game, it's worth a look. [Issue#190, p.84]

Its numerous annoyances prevent it from enjoying ‘must-have’ status but if Nintendo’s promised patch eliminates its most irritating one, it could be great rather than merely good like it is now.

The Punisher does exactly what it sets out to do. Picking up the controller gives immediate access to a theatre of death and destruction, and while originality is gunned down at some point during the first few levels, there's plenty of fun to be had, especially for fans of the comic. [March 2005, p.106]

There is something oddly reassuring about a game that keeps its horizons narrow to get the job done well... A fun, smart and refreshingly uncomplicated experience. [June 2006, p.112]

The series still doesn't quite work in 3D; you'd need a lot of patience and considerable tolerance to truly enjoy this game. [Aug 2005, p.112]

While Worms 3D essentially delivers what it says on the tin, in surrendering its intuitive interface the concept has evolved into a far less attractive proposition. A shame. [Dec 2003, p.126]

A passable distraction amid higher-profile titles rather than a direct competitor to the smoking guns of the genre. [Dec 2006, p.120]

Fans of the Mystery Dungeon series will know what to expect from this latest offering: its new additions aren’t radical enough to ruin what makes it fun or, crucially, fix what makes it monotonous.

Recommended only for DDR completists or people who would seriously consider Mushroom Kingdom cosplay. [Dec 2005, p.122]

Best with a team of heroes. [Issue#172, p.95]

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.

As a straight-up FPS, Deus Ex: The Fall is an unequivocal failure. But as a stealth think-'em-up, it's a triumph of good first-person game design on a format that is, historically speaking, stubbornly ill-suited to similar fare. [Issue#138, p.114]

Consider this a neat twist on the formula, which will force you to play this old favourite in some unexpected ways. [Oct 2009, p.132]

While purists might complain about his increasingly frequent appearances in non-platform games, most of us can simply enjoy what is a tremendous piece of handheld software. [Nov 2006, p.106]

While all the pieces seem to be in place to deliver something special, they never quite gel. That's not to say that Chrome isn't a reasonably good game, but too many inadequacies prevent the action from seriously challenging the big guns. [Nov 2003, p.114]

This sounds like Batman, but it's more like a knock-off of Punch Out. Competent middle-tier filler, and little more. [Issue#154, p.128]

With slightly more content and slightly improved visuals, it would have been essential. As it is, if you want a brief and thoroughly entertaining alternative to Banana Blitz, roll with this. [Feb 2007, p.124]

The dull broken side of medieval busywork. [Issue#198, p.72]

It won't appeal to everyone, but Lost in Blue is a solid and inventive title that shouldn't be allowed to slip past unnoticed. [Dec 2005, p.124]

A cerebral and unusual war game with issues that don't, in the end, detract from its effectiveness. [Apr 2006, p.122]

VR done right, if you've got the stomach for it. [Tested with Oculus Rift; Issue#174, p.80]

There will rightfully be criticism for the slender single-player modes here, but the true worth of Mario Tennis Open is in multiplayer, both as the game's biggest strength and a quiet indicator of Nintendo's online handheld revolution.

A rare game in which you really need to take an interest in all of its components in order to progress with any of them. [May 2009, p.119]

Parallel Lines is a stylish game; everything from the cut-scenes and dialogue to the excellent soundtrack has been constructed meticulously to produce an almost Tarantino simulacrum of 1970s Americana. [Apr 2006, p.108]

Disaster: Day Of Crisis is good for a single playthrough with expectations adjusted accordingly, and can be enjoyed on the same level as a mindless blockbuster. [Dec 2008, p.130]

A great mix of styles that almost works. [Issue#192, p.68]

A serviceable monster hunter substitute. [Issue#179, p.83]

A bombastic revival that shows great promise. [Feb 2010, p.120]

An enjoyable and taxing puzzler, and when played in short doses will provide PSP owners with many months of head scratching before all 100 ‘questions’ are conquered. [Mar 2006, p.120]

Good quality writing and voice acting help things along, but this is a game best experienced as a whole and does nothing to claim any but the most enthusiastic of point-and-click experts. [Issue#144, p.100]

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]

NBA Ballers: Rebound is difficult to actually fault – unless you plan to play for more than 30 minutes. [May 2006, p.120]

It’s far too easy to tap on a square that’s actually adjacent to where you thought you were planting a tree/erecting a power station. [May 2007, p.125]

It's a shame that the game is occasionally let down by its control scheme because it is anything but derivative and its visuals, excellent sound design, and mechanics can coalesce to create moments of real impact. [Issue#154, p.126]

As it stands, it’s only eye candy that distinguishes Enchanted Arms from the wealth of tactical RPGs on PS2. [Oct 2006, p.130]

As with previous games, these songs do mostly turn out to be quite good fun to play even if they’re not so great to listen to. [Sept 2007, p.124]

As a 3D take on the old-school run-and-gun genre, the mixture of giant enemy hordes and fully destructible environments is often both exhilarating and deeply satisfying, albeit in a very tongue-in-cheek way. [May 2007, p.114]

Parallel Lines is a stylish game; everything from the cut-scenes and dialogue to the excellent soundtrack has been constructed meticulously to produce an almost Tarantino simulacrum of 1970s Americana. [Apr 2006, p.108]

If you are willing to put a lot of time and effort in with The Nightmare Princess in order to unlock the more elaborate traps and levels, then you’ll find a game which will perfectly scratch that sadistic itch. Otherwise, the game’s shortcomings continue to botch a series we would otherwise love.

Nostalgia can be an intoxicating thing, but in the case of this iPad outing it's simply not powerful enough to overcome the boredom borne of run-of-the-mill design. Eternia? More like eternally dull.

We've little doubt it will be nothing more than a distant memory before the year is out. [Nov 2009, p.124]

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

Despite its condescending moments, Downhill Jam remains an impressive extreme racer that’s difficult to not recommend. [Jan 2007, p.114]

You'll certainly be hard pressed to find anything else like it out there. [Issue#148, p.112]

As fan service, it does a solid (if a little lazy) job of hitting all the right notes, it’s fun in brief moments, but we’ve seen far too much of it before in previous games. True fans have been waiting so long for a proper sequel that it’s hard to not walk away disappointed.

The jump to a new console hasn't done all that much for visuals in general, but the game is undoubtedly neater and smoother than it once was. [Issue#148, p.115]

There's just no thrill to the combat and no spark to the characters or story, which ultimately makes Magna Carta II a step backwards in an already static genre. [Dec 2009, p.103]

While the deviant design maintains the unsympathetic difficulty, here it feels cheap and archaic within the context of such plodding action. [Christmas 2011, p.107]

Moments that recall the sparkling brilliance of NiGHTS Into Dreams are, of course, scattered throughout this Wii sequel but they are buried beneath so much filler. [Feb 2008, p.126]

With so many ways to customise your experience, and the addictive allure of the online high-score tables, Ghost Squad is a game you’ll return to long after more epic adventures have been and gone. [Feb 2008, p.124]

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.

There simply has to be some compromise between keeping the game world authentic and keeping it interesting. [Issue#109, p.106]

Lego's 13-year-old series needs serious building. [Issue#203, p.81]

Despite the backtracking issues, Secret Rings remains an altogether more satisfying platform game than many of its peers. [Apr 2007, p.116]

R-Type Tactics eventually finds its feet and develops into a satisfying and addictive PSP game. [Nov 2008, p.102]

A game that's just as enjoyable as any other in the series but with a wow factor that far exceeds the vast majority of them. [July 2008, p.123]

Sadly, the writing, the story, the level scenarios, the pacing, and the characters are apocalyptically awful. At its best, monotonous, and at its worst, infuriatingly rote. [Issue#192, p.77]

We have nothing but respect for Rare's vision with Sea of Thieves, but it is a game as likely to chew you up and spit you out, as it is to embrace you. If the wind is in your favour then it can be a delight, but a storm is never far off if you lose momentum. The real test of the quality and efficacy of Rare's plan will be in how it manages to evolve and grow in the weeks and months to come. [Issue#199, p.67]

Gorgeous. [Issue#111, p.117]

Capcom certainly puts forward a good case for being able to teach an old monster new tricks. [Issue#111, p.124]

A thoroughly engrossing puzzle game. [Issue#180, p.47]

EDF has never been quite as spectacular, nor as charmingly wonky, as this. [Issue#146, p.121]

An enjoyable enough score attacker, disappointingly one-dimensional and middling as it may be. [Issue#109, p.123]

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]

Digital Extremes should be reasonably proud of Pariah, even though it falls short of being the be all and end all of the genre that the developer claimed it would be. [May 2005, p.90]

It feels like a game-by-numbers: the straight-to-video spiritual successor to what Shadow Of Mordor did last year.

Small and imperfectly formed. [Issue#190, p.81]

It's almost as though the team forgot that games are meant to be fun, because Ghosthunter isn't. Quite simply, you can't do anything (honestly, anything) or go anywhere the game doesn't want you to; it's almost an insult to your intelligence. [Christmas 2003, p.112]

The biggest enhancements come in the single-player experience - always the worst part of the previous games. This time, Nintendo has clearly put some thought into it and come up with a story mode that actiually has a point, rather than being a player-vs-computer rehash of Party mode. [Jan 2004, p.113]

As a simple platformer, however, its interesting control scheme makes Ivy The Kiwi? a rather fun and unique game, just not a great one. [Issue#99, p.127]

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]

It’s hard to dislike a game that displays such breezy charm, and it would be harsh to dismiss Thrillville as a kids’ RollerCoaster Tycoon as it’s streets ahead of much of the licensed tat out there. [Jan 2007, p.100]

The question of why Capcom even bothered with this HD remaster does beg to be raised, because while it might look like a modern release it certainly doesn’t play like one. It’s time that might have been better spent on something else.

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]

It comes nowhere close to living up to its title's protestations. [Issue#121, p.112]

There’s no denying its flaws – it can feel rushed, glitchy and rough around the edges, but when it does flow, it’s a magnificent spectacle. [Christmas 2005, p.118]

World Of Warplanes is a neat addition to Wargaming’s repertoire, but it all just feels a little too shallow to really make waves.

While games like Jack Keane keep surfacing, the point-and-click genre will continue to defy those that have long since written it off. [Apr 2008, p.123]

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend doesn’t stray too far from the tried and tested Warriors formula. But, once again, Omega Force has done an excellent job of capturing the essence of a brilliant source material while combining it with a solid, combo-filled slasher – and arguably the best-looking Warriors-style game to date.

Just another brick in the wall. [Issue#186, p.82]

Lack[s] that killer hook of the season's intro. [Issue#161, p.88]

The graphics are, of course, poor by next-generation standards, and while that may not affect the stylised universes of Mario and Zelda, it blunts the power of an experience that thrives on realism. [Jan 2007, p.94]

The best way to enjoy Heroes Of Ruin is most definitely with three friends, but to highlight this as a selling point would be to assume there are going to be people out there with three friends who also own the game, and that will get together and plough hours at a time into it. Realistically, this will rarely happen, and as a single-player looter, Heroes Of Ruin, fairly enjoyable though it is, fails to show the invention necessary to justify its own existence.

Not a bad game, but it is a polarising one. [Issue#119, p.99]