Ultimately, none of the story beats or polish mask the fact that Max Payne 3 is very much a refinement of an old formula, and if you're looking for something brand new or revelatory it just isn't here. However, what is amazing is how Rockstar has fallen back on its trademark production values and sublime attention to detail to update the franchise in a compelling way. Factor in some impressive multiplayer offerings and it's still head-and-shoulders above most of its trigger-happy ilk.

It's certainly been a while since a title has had us dumbfounded with pure, unbridled gaming joy and, to be honest, you can't get a much better endoresement than that. [June 2004, p.112]

We also take some issue with Borderlands 2's sense of humour. While it's welcome, it draws so frequently on up-to-the-minute memes that it becomes hard to remain immersed in an experience supposedly taking place in the distant future, on a remote planet, and among people who have no reason to understand the significance of an arrow in the knee. Most of it's just not that funny.

A delightfully cruel quizmaster. [Issue#106, p.116]

It may not be as revelatory an experience, and in today's age feels as derivative as it does inventive, but it still has us excitingly discussing tactics and angles of approach with fellow players long after we've finished playing. Surely there's no greater testament to Eidos Montreal's success than that.

The previous title in this series is still to many the most complete racing simulator ever made, but Forza 5 exceeds it in several ways - not enough to displace it, but enough to fully merit its place on the Forza podium. [Issue#142, p.84]

4A Games wear its influences on its sleeve, creating a first-person shooter of robust standard. Yet it gives little consideration to progression – in both terms of furthering either the genre or its own formula. Many of the mechanics that have survived the original game return stripped back in a misguided attempt to placate complexity criticisms, rather than exploring methods that retain strategy and heighten the overall immersion.

Granite-hard. [Issue#106, p.119]

It retains the proven mechanics and then adds tiny touches that make the old formula even better. [Jan 2007, p.106]

If you do already own and have played to death (excuse the pun) the original Left 4 Dead, the feeling that you've just purchased the same product again doesn't take very long to start tugging at your coat-tails. [Christmas 2009, p.110]

Despite being made of patchwork parts, it is never less than good fun to play and, at its best, a surprisingly intense experience – all credit due there to the twitchy and intelligently designed combat system. Reckoning is a big, meaty game that will thoroughly satisfy both RPG and action fans, and if you are a Skyrim player, then you should definitely make room for this too. You'll love it.

The immaculate structure and pacing of the game further exemplifies the developer’s intelligence, distilling the essence of the console experience perfectly. [July 2008, p.118]

Polished until gleaming. [Issue#108, p.112]

The studio built great things on weaker foundations with the previous game, so it's going to be exciting to see just how tall a Tower it can build when it's working off an even stronger base from day one. [Issue#192, p.64]

A handheld game that pitches the balance between pick-up-and-play fun and engaging gameplay exactly. The clever level design and artistic merit are an added bonus. [Jan 2009, p.129]

Each takes some getting used to, but we recommend that you finish the Dante/Nero campaign before tackling the others in order to properly understand how the core combat was originally designed to operate. All are worth playing, giving this package more replay value than most of its peers.

Until Dawn plays with you. It’s an extended metaphor for horror games, one that prides itself on how much it predicts – and counteracts – what you’re doing. If you care about the advancement of meta-narratives and the player/game relationship, this is for you.

Simple, elegant and deceptively deep. [Issue#106, p.125]

The netcode is strong enough to encourage sustained online play. The title doesn't do enough to highlight the strides Final Showdown has taken for the series – particularly for PS3 owners, stuck with Ver.B of Virtua Fighter 5 as opposed to Xbox 360's later release of Version C – but it's a still complicated, technical beast of a fighting game, and more than ever worth the effort of learning.

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]

As positive as this all is, though, it won't have escaped veterans of the series' that this all sounds very familiar. That's because it is. Future Solider follows the foundations that made Ghost Recon the name it is rigidly, its main twist falling on the vision of what's to come in the military. In many ways, this has worked in Ubisoft's favour, tying in to all the franchise's underlying themes.

Early flaws give way to a masterpiece. The game's countless interweaving pathways will stand out as one of the year's most impressive design achievements, offering a mind-boggling array of routes while readjusting the world to the player's action. [Mar 2004, p.108]

Whether you’re a hardened Pokemaniac, an open-minded person with a love of great games or even an impressionable child, you’ll struggle to get better value for money than you will find in this glimmering pair. [June 2007, p.124]

Early flaws give way to a masterpiece. The game's countless interweaving pathways will stand out as one of the year's most impressive design achievements, offering a mind-boggling array of routes while readjusting the world to the player's action. [Mar 2004, p.108]

We learnt Paint it Black note-for-note in about an hour this morning; that definitely wouldn't have happened without Rocksmith. [Issue#142, p.111]

Mafia III feels like a small miracle. A sandbox game not only with a cohesive story, but a cohesive story about a young black man waging war against white institutions – how the hell did this get made? On the surface, Mafia III is yet another sandbox crime game. But lose yourself to its machismo and tone, and verily, you will find yourself playing something you have never experienced before.

Compulsive. [Issue#156, p.114]

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