The average gamer will find that they’re left with a game that fails to meet the standards set by Diamond and Pearl, and sticks far too rigidly to the ideas found in the original Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. [Sept 2008, p.123]

The Deer God attempts to give meaning to death but fails to deliver. [Issue#159, p.106]

The combat ideas are awfully implemented. [Issue#141, p.108]

If you’re truly worried about your vision we recommend spending the £20 on an eye test instead, as Sight Training will offer you nothing but prolonged boredom and headaches. [Jan 2008, p.127]

A clever house of cards that quickly tumbles. [Issue#197, p.81]

The gameplay mechanics are uninspired and borderline on being broken entirely. [Issue#150, p.123]

It's the compound effect of its traditional design that causes the most problems. [Issue#93, p.134]

Blade Kitten saves itself from the lower reaches of the ten-point scale with some genuinely impressive level design. It's complex without being confusing, the tangled and involved areas seemingly offering multiple avenues but always pushing you along the correct route. [Issue#101, p.127]

An expensive taster that will leave you hungry. [Issue#180, p.45]

Story aside, everything that's in the game is very competent and enjoyable but it doesn't quite go out of its way enough to push the envelope as far as the overall experience goes, when compared to where the genre is today. [Oct 2004, p.116]

Invasion's innocent looks and gameplay do have some cohesion and its very simplicity is its one saving grace. It's bubblegum for your mind and never offensive. If it had appeared five years ago at the same price it would come recommended for the younger gamer. [Feb 2005, p.108]

It’s a shame that poor execution lets Entwined down so badly. The themes being explored here have the potential to be touching and are, unquestionably, underrepresented in videogames.

A few hours ambling around this vapid environment is far too long. [Issue#136, p.113]

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]

While it lasts, it's a brilliantly designed, original and fun experience. It just needs to last a lot longer.

For all or its attractive locations and pleasant similarities to the films, it’s simply not an engaging game. [July 2007, p.117]

If you've a passing interest in blasting chumps and don't fancy dropping 50 quid for the privilege, Blacklight: Retribution is a more than serviceable option. [Issue#143, p.105]

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

It's time the developer started exploring the potential. [Issue#112, p.119]

The game is so immensely frustrating and linear that moments of fun are few and far between. [Apr 2006, p.124]

If you don't mind poor gameplay, this will entertain. [Issue#191, p.81]

Strong premise, mediocre execution. [Issue#177, p.82]

It's not a horror experience. There are attempts to slap on some kind of Silent Hill-esque story to everything, but it's utterly worthless. Silent Hill: Book Of Memories is a shallow dungeon-crawler, with even the likes of Dungeon Hunter: Alliance providing more fun. It is, in short, a failure; not the sort of thing we want from Silent Hill, nor the sort of thing we want for the Vita.

Controls are Ultra Smash’s biggest problem.

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

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]

The problems of the original Shelter remain albeit in a bigger and more complex world. [Issue#160, p.108]

L.A. Rush isn’t so much bad as uninspiring. Driving round the city is fun for a bit but after that nothing but the mediocre races, ill-conceived stunt sections and the meandering extra missions remain. [Nov 2005, p.110]

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]

Samurai Western is a mess of a game, one that dangles a fun-looking carrot in front of your nose before bludgeoning your face in with a mallet. [Sept 2005, p.122]

The combat is very well implemented, taking place all round, over large distances and constantly second-guessing the player as to which direction to turn next. [Aug 2004, p.102]

File #2 just about survives its many flaws to warrant curio status for series veterans and online play addicts. [Nov 2005, p.117]

Life in the flat is a painfully hollow experience to which the eventual moment of intimacy becomes an inevitable anti-climax. [May 2004, p.122]

Switching from an open threat such as the desert to the enclosed dangers of the Vietnamese jungle has caused Conflict: Vietnam to effectively cut out much of the need for having a squad in the first place; instead of having more freedom and creativity in taking down your enemies, your team become more like fish trapped in a jungle-shaped barrel. [Oct 2004, p.108]

Bland gameplay and weak narrative implementation. [Nov 2011, p.106]

It’s such an exercise in drear that only a masochist would get any pleasure out of it, and even they’d have to ignore the hackneyed sub-Uwe Boll narrative. [Apr 2006, p.107]

We will reserve praise for the game’s chapter-skip function, however, because Alone In The Dark seems custom-built to tear your patience to shreds. [Aug 2008, p.98]

It's hard to recommend something so limited. [Issue#140, p.114]

Voice control just isn’t an improved method of input over just pointing at something and making it happen, but the effort is a worthy one.

This game is about breasts. That's it. There really isn't anything deeper to it, not at all. [Issue#167, p.97]

A really disappointing waste of the 40K license. [Issue#184, p.84]

Feels like a dinosaur. [Issue#160, p.103]

Its silly approach to fitness is amusing, but there isn't enough here to hold attention for an extended period of time, let alone train you up for a marathon. [Issue#156, p.121]

A couple of fun mini-games and one intriguing new mode aside, Lost In Blue 2 still doesn’t quite offer enough for those who endured then eventually enjoyed the original. [June 2007, p.117]

It isn’t the PSP debut we had hoped for. With a short lifespan and old missions, let’s hope this is the beginning of the end for what has been a strong franchise. [Apr 2006, p.114]

A brave sequel that tries a little too hard... Its lack of accessibility will annoy "Rainbow Six 3" die-hards, while the new direction will leave fans of the original feeling rather cold. [Christmas 2004, p.102]

Don’t come here expecting one of the wonders of the gaming world, just a solid RTS that delivers what it has to and no more than that. [Apr 2007, p.115]

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]

There's the hollow shell of a game. [Issue#137, p.116]

A truly disappointing sequel. [Issue#121, p.104]

It’s a game that will fit in at any party or family home, but it’s a shame that because of the simple fact it isn’t packed in with the console it won’t necessarily find its audience. For those that pick it up, that first time through, with new people – it’s genuinely magic. After that, there’s little left.

Rocky Balboa is the second best boxing game on PSP, but then there are only two of them. [Mar 2007, p.102]

Although bundled with a Wii Remote, it's still impossible to recommend Wii Play. Many of the mini-games feel clumsy, and the ones that don't are destined to be short-lived at best. [Christmas 2006, p.136]

An odd visual style tops off a very poor title in a suitably poor manner, jumping between looking halfway decent and just plain nasty. An unbalanced and sorely broken mess. [Dec 2005, p.106]

The combat is very well implemented, taking place all round, over large distances and constantly second-guessing the player as to which direction to turn next. [Aug 2004, p.102]

It's a party game, so save it for a party. [Christmas 2011, p.123]

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

This is a real party pooper. [Issue#143, p.111]

Dirge is an ugly, cynical and tiresome videogame, the likes of which the next generation will hopefully eradicate. [June 2006, p.130]

As a game, it's an unfocused, erratic, undeniably loud but ultimately hollow franchise entry where an excess of energy has been mistaken for excitement. [Issue#195, p.84]

The action is a little too samey, and things become just too repetitive. Aside from scenery variations, FMV cut-scenes and the odd boss fight, the game is practically the same from start to finish. [Jan 2004, p.125]

Considering the scope of its predecessors and how far the genre has come since the series’ inception a decade ago, that’s as unnecessary as it is unwelcome. Still, there’s potential here and approached with the right mindset and a group of friends there’s some fun to be had. Streamline your expectations, in other words, and you’re more likely to view Sacred 3 as slick rather than shallow.

An interesting and complete fighter that deserves the attention of anyone who enjoys the delights of two-dimensional fighting. [Sept 2006, p.112]

It will be every bit as disappointing to those waiting for the marked change to give the series another shot. [Issue#108, p.109]

It quickly turns into a daily act of attrition rather than anything that promotes mental or physical growth, and a game that is unlikely to hold the attention of anyone - of any age - for very long. [Issue#108, p.125]

It’s an immense letdown – so much so that the first few hours of play are filled with disbelief, as players are forced to lower their expectations with each new disappointment...The Getaway: Black Monday should be avoided by all but the most fervent lovers of mediocrity. [Christmas 2004, p.112]

Micro Machines V4’s only genuine problem is its overbearing similarity to "Mashed," a game that can be bought for a third of the price. [Aug 2006, p.120]

If quality control was an issue, we doubt SpyHunter 2 would have passed the planning stage. This will be back in the box before you know it. [Mar 2004, p.117]

Despite ticking all the correct boxes Arenas lacks any synergy between components, making it the "Turok Evolution" of racing sequels. [Feb 2004, p.123]

If quality control was an issue, we doubt SpyHunter 2 would have passed the planning stage. This will be back in the box before you know it. [Mar 2004, p.117]

There are good ideas in Sonic Lost World, and even fleeting moments of brilliance – the wide-open assault course of Desert Ruins Zone 1 stands out as a particular highlight. But for every bit that works brilliantly and provides the thrilling action we want from Sonic, there’s a weak boss encounter or an awkward stop-start stage that dents your enthusiasm.

Invasion’s innocent looks and gameplay do have some cohesion and its very simplicity is its one saving grace. It’s bubblegum for your mind and never offensive. If it had appeared five years ago at the same price it would come recommended for the younger gamer. [Feb 2005, p.108]

If it's meant to be played for laughs, the joke falls flat with repetition. [Issue#157, p.125]

Due simply to its own mediocrity, this is another Bomberman that fails to make a bang. [June 2007, p.114]

It's repetitive, monotonous, and just plain boring. [Issue#119, p.94]

Riptide is full of the juddering frame-rate, buggy environments and unwieldy frame-rate, buggy environments and unwieldy collision detection that plagued its predecessor; it makes it feel and handle like a very long piece of DLC. [Issue#135, p.110]

A game of two halves, neither of which is finished … It is so cursed by glitches and bugs, and so devoid of anything approaching AI, that it's really impossible to believe the code sitting in your local store is anywhere near complete. [Aug 2004, p.100]

Rather than feeling like a mastermind escapologist, your actual role resembles that of an errand boy collecting the pieces of a pre-scripted plan. Yet while nothing here really shines, the overall package is solid enough to counter our gripes. [Oct 2003, p.114]

One of the most underwhelming rhythm-action games in some time. [Issue#93, p.132]

Little more than a mediocre effort. [Issue#119, p.96]

Shoddy combat racing. [Issue#122, p.105]

It’s almost as though Jam can’t decide what kind of fighting game it wants to be, thanks to a dramatic clash of styles in terms of both combat and visuals. [March 2005, p.118]

There's just an overall lack of subtlety, from the controls to the music, to the story-telling. [Issue#166, p.100]

The Sixaxis presents both a problem and joy for Toy Home. On one hand it’s a hindrance as you’ll never go in a straight line. On the other, successfully boosting and drifting around corners is great fun. [Feb 2008, p.135]

Creation options also feel somewhat limited, particularly as you can't create a female wrestler. [Issue#156, p.116]

Every detail - from locations and dates right down to individual tanks' weak points and reload times - has been made as realistic as possible... For those looking to recreate the progress of an Allied soldier at this harrowing, historic event, this is probably as close as you're going to get. [Oct 2004, p.106]

Fundamental control niggles mean very few players will persevere to unlock everything DP has to offer. [Issue#122, p.104]

When it's all said and done it's difficult to escape the mindset that Earthfall has taken the template of a decade-old experience for inspiration and failed to replicate (or expand on) it in any meaningful way. [Issue#203, p.84]

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

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]

If fewer ideas were crammed in, and those that were left in were developed more thoroughly. Rooms could potentially be an excellent puzzle concept. [Aug 2010, p.130]

With the right people involved, this can turn a dull bus ride or airport lounge into an extremely good fun, and crucially, a very personal gaming session. [Aug 2008, p.112]

A bare bones blaster that runs out of steam. [Issue#183, p.75]

This is a game that’s all about innovation, and this is the only way in which Konami’s dancing games could be bettered. Dance Factory is a superb product that deserves to be noticed, and as such Codemasters should be commended. [Oct 2006, p.115]

The soul of the game ripped out. [Issue#91, p.120]

Yes, it’s bright and character-filled, but with such bewildering mechanics and erratic difficulty, there won’t be many youngsters that will tolerate it for any great length of time. [Mar 2008, p.135]

As entertaining as this simple golf game may be, though, VR just makes it all feel even jankier. [Issue#180, p.47]

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]