The best Broken Sword game since the original. [Issue#148, p.113]

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

The joy of Blazblue is figuring out what each character's gimmick is, and how it can be used to augment their moveset. [Issue#148, p.110]

So unoriginal, it'll be tough to restrain yourself from rolling your eyes. [Issue#148, p.108]

There is a greater sense of physicality present. [Issue#148, p.106]

Child of Light is incredibly adept at guiding the player to the place they need to be without them knowing it. [Issue#148, p.104]

The biggest question you'll be left asking is why the Amazing Spider-man 2 exists. [Issue#148, p.102]

Every bit the trials game you've come to expect and then some. [Issue#148, p.100]

The definitive kart racer you'll play this year, and in a market as crowded as this one's becoming, that's saying something. [Issue#148, p.97]

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.

Ignore the discordance within its narrative and get your way past the incredibly dull opening stretch: Wolfenstein is a brawny, gratifying shooter experience – the likes of which you probably haven’t played in some time. Consider it a history lesson.

A compulsive burst of deeply gratifying challenge. [Issue#147, p.125]

An enthralling and time-sapping trial of nerve and persistence. [Issue#147, p.125]

From a player's perspective, feels sadly misjudged. [Issue#147, p.123]

Bluth's journey concludes with a choice, but you'll have to repeat the journey to see the other ending. The prospect of spending two more hours with this self-pitying drunk may be too much for even Spate's Kickstarter backers to take. [Issue#147, p.121]

A poor payoff for hours spent trudging through this black-and-white world. [Issue#147, p.120]

For those who haven't played a Tales game before, we'd suggest there are better options out there. [Issue#147, p.118]

The remaster looks better than the low-budget releases we've played on the PS3, even at the end of its lifespan. [Issue#147, p.104]

This is a superlative effort from Blizzard, but is it enough to change your mind if you’ve already decided against the instalment? Sadly, that’s not a question we can answer for you.

As a pack-in for the console, this would have been far easier to forgive, but at full price and with no proper multiplayer, it’s a tough sell. Rare’s game looks stunning and is enjoyably tame, but lacks in true winner’s grit and star quality. Maybe next season.

It might not appeal to everyone, but Ether One is an exceptional example of what can be done with simple game design. It has a quality not commonly seen in smaller indie titles, and the courage to do things a little differently.

For now, Hearthstone is very much a triumph, and with a mobile client rolling out there’s a sense that we’re at the beginning of a phenomenon rather than in the midst of one. Yet again, Blizzard seems to have played its cards absolutely right.

None of Mario Golf World Tour’s changes are revolutionary – ten years away has brought surprisingly few new ideas – but the core gameplay is as fun and attractive as ever, so if you’re looking for a golf game for the 3DS this will do just fine.

Much like the film, there’s a sense that content has been stretched, while new narrative has been crudely implemented to paper over the cracks.

Nevertheless, Trials Fusion is every bit the Trials game you’ve come to expect and then some.

So while Age Of Wonders III doesn’t really offer much that you can’t get elsewhere from the 4X genre, it feels fresh and distinctive enough – it has been over a decade since the last Age Of Wonders, after all – that strategy fans will have something to get their teeth into all the same. Hopefully next time won’t be quite so far away, and a little more consideration for the city management screen wouldn’t go amiss.

It might have started off as a joke, but the funny thing about Goat Simulator is that it’s a much better game than it has any right to be.

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

It's only when the game reaches Soviet-occupied Afghanistan, the weakest of the movies, that the game boasts moments of genuine enjoyment. [Issue#146, p.119]

TxK is Minter's best game, an experience that understands its form, and takes great pleasure in letting you know that. [Issue#146, p.116]

Underbaked. [Issue#146, p.114]

Strider fans and speed-run aficionados will get the most out of this but for everyone else, this is a solid, fast-paced platformer that never lets the pace dip long enough for you to become too bored. [Issue#146, p.104]

Thoroughly and unexpectedly wonderful. [Issue#146, p.102]

What a tremendous piece of work. [Issue#146, p.100]

A reliable, friendly and sumptuous romp through another beautifully built Nintendo world, and yet another great reason to own a 3DS. It’s the machine that keeps on giving.

That the development team has been able to retain the mechanisms of play together with the depth of the content in the face of a breed of gamer whose capacity to consume is unrivalled, is perhaps the game’s biggest achievement. Now all Bethesda has to do is keep up the pace.

If this is to be Irrational’s last hurrah then it’s a mixed but compelling swansong for a company that often took bold, divisive design and narrative avenues. It might not hit the highs of some of its best work, but it’s a fitting testament to the studio’s unbridled creativity and theatrical magnificence.

This is a marked improvement on its predecessors, both narratively and gameplay-wise, and it’s a huge amount of fun to play from start to finish. However, without trying to sound like a dick, it’s a game much like its protagonist: absorbing until you come into contact with something more appealing.

it’s too wordy for its own good, and the clash of styles is sometimes jarring and somewhat nonsensical, but this blend of two classics maintains enough quality from each to be well worth investigating. a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging crossover.

In the process, it becomes less of a game and more of an anger generator – that’s anything but a recipe for fun.

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.

Legacy doesn't convey the greatest of first impressions, but the more you explore of the game's venerable interior the more you find yourself falling under its spell. [Issue#145, p.129]

Dustforce does itself no favours for having such a grim outlook, but when a game offers this much challenge it's easy to brush such criticisms under the carpet. [Issue#145, p.123]

Even without the new weapon parts, characters and maps that will be joining the roster, it's a worthy side-dish to whatever passes for your multiplayer main course. [Issue#145, p.121]

A tactical game this good deserves better. [Issue#145, p.120]

It's an outstanding start for a trilogy, and one that we can't wait to see to its end. [Issue#145, p.116]

If you're after value, Surge Deluxe delivers: it's pretty, it's cheap and it's a good quick game to play. Just don't expect anything game-changing. [Issue#145, p.115]

Once you crest its steep learning curve, it becomes subtly addictive. [Issue#145, p.114]

Fable Anniversary's structure is reasonably competent. [Issue#145, p.112]

A hugely frustrating experience, then. Lords Of Shadow 2 is a game with flair and gusto that constantly bogs itself down with design choices that should have never made it past the first week of studio meetings. Dracula deserves better.

Despite so many slight changes here and there, the solid combat, janky platforming, overwhelming odds and brutal bosses all conspire to remind you that this is very much a Souls game, and yet another excellent one at that.

Titanfall is not the most strategically demanding multiplayer game out there, nor is it the most complex. It’s certainly not revolutionary, as some might have you believe, given that many of its ideas have been cribbed from other games and genres. What it is, though, is a consistently exciting, accessible and expertly crafted shooter that repeatedly generates highlight reel moments that make you want to keep coming back.

It needs work in terms of visuals and could do with some more maps and game types, but World Of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition ticks all the boxes that it needs to. Add in the free-to-play aspect and you’re left with a game that’s more than worth a spin – just don’t expect to use your brain too much.

Once you’ve been playing for a while, everything starts to get a bit formulaic.

The cut and paste character models, with their misshapen limbs and dead eyes, together with the inconsistently sampled audio, combine to provide a experience that frequently feels cheap and in places is just downright nasty – a VHS knock off when, in this day and age, you would at least have expected a DVD remaster.

It can’t hide the repetitiveness of its template but in the simple act of silently snooping and investigating every corner of the world, while circumventing every enemy, there’s a brilliantly tense, gratifying experience that Eidos Montreal sadly struggles to sustain over the eight hours of gameplay – resorting to cheap enemy types and crushing linearity.

While the set pieces set within the present day offer an intense gameplay experience and an interesting twist on The Last Of Us’ combat, there’s a sense of obligation rather than the cohesiveness we’ve come to expect from the developer.

If Tropical Freeze is your first Donkey Kong Country game, you’ll probably hate it from the start, especially if your idea of a 2D platformer is based on New Super Mario Bros. U or Rayman Legends. Enemies and obstacles are not lined up neatly along your path of destruction; they’re meant to inconvenience you and continually break your momentum.

Remains an entertaining and refreshing action RPG. Not bad when you consider its venerable age. [Issue#144, p.119]

This lack of angling variation feels like a missed opportunity. [Issue#144, p.116]

A fun game. [Issue#144, p.115]

With a control scheme that can hamper the enjoyment, it creates an unfortunate barrier between the world and the player that's hard to overcome. [Issue#144, p.113]

Another thoughtfully crafted series of impressive setpieces.[Issue#144, p.109]

There's enough good will and thoughtful design to spur players through all 204 challenges therein. [Issue#144, p.108]

Even those brought up with more hardcore 2D platformers of the 8-bit and 16-bit era will find their skills tested. [Issue#144, p.106]

This is indie done right; a title that makes the most of its limited resources to create something unique and engaging. [Issue#144, p.104]

A missed opportunity. [Issue#144, p.102]

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]

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.

Lightning Returns has some genuinely great ideas as far as modern RPGs are concerned, and despite being let down by a shoddy story and some graphical issues, it remains a shining example of how dynamic battle systems and thoughtful character customisation can save an otherwise trite, lifeless game.

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

This is only Act 1, of course, as an agonising cliffhanger reminds us, and as such this can only be regarded as a very promising start.

It's not broken, it's just dull. A disservice to the excellent franchise. [Issue#143, p.119]

A disappointment. [Issue#143, p.119]

There's a surprising amount of versatility to the characters. [Issue#143, p.117]

Ultimately it feels too much like a cheap cash-in to be worthy of your attention. [Issue#143, p.116]

An admirable attempt at melding physical activity with light-hearted play. [Issue#143, p.115]

Give it just the briefest of opportunities and it will manage to keep you hooked for hours. [Issue#143, p.114]

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

Fighter Within nearly manages to unravel all its hard work with a few misplaced punches to the groin. [Issue#143, p.108]

Anyone looking for a more substantial or skill-based party game will be better served elsewhere. [Issue#143, p.107]

A fitting miniature to end this generation. [Issue#143, p.106]

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]

It's free, it's fine, and it's instantly forgettable. [Issue#143, p.104]

So if you’re feeling particularly flush and have some yearning to play another block puzzler, Dr. Luigi does a fine job of sitting somewhere in the middle of this well-worn genre. Hardly a glowing endorsement, and a pretty sad way to end Luigi’s very own year.

It’s a small package but there’s a wealth of value to be found in the creative gameplay that’ll spur you through many hours of gaming.

The stuttering and freezing issues that have always plagued the console versions are entirely absent from the Steam game, and the game looks gorgeous at a crisp 1080p – its expressive faces and soft colours doing wonders to mask a presumably modest budget.

Housemarque has once again delivered on all fronts, creating a compulsive and refined game that showcases the meaty power of the PS4 – and that really isn’t bad for a launch title.

An incomplete package. [Issue#142, p.127]

The action never inspires. [Issue#142, p.124]

The narrative conceit of Devil Survivor Overlocked is an interesting one. [Issue#142, p.122]

Sports Interactive made the hardest job in football better than ever. [Issue#142, p.120]

Reliance on simple motion controls is bound to put off the more serious sports fans. [Issue#142, p.119]

It's refreshing to be allowed this pace. [Issue#142, p.119]

Compelling and rarely pretentious. [Issue#142, p.118]

The throwaway fun of the first game is sadly lost due to the prevalence of microtransactions. [Issue#142, p.117]

The best game in the series. [Issue#142, p.115]

We're already anticipating the next chapter in this fantastical fable. [Issue#142, p.112]