The core formula has had slow refinements enacted upon it for generations, but X/Y feel like a triumphant return to the central philosophy that made Red/Blue great – these are games about exploration, and getting in touch with that childish joy of the undiscovered. A game that prompts that in both adults and children can be considered nothing other than a success.

The core formula has had slow refinements enacted upon it for generations, but X/Y feel like a triumphant return to the central philosophy that made Red/Blue great – these are games about exploration, and getting in touch with that childish joy of the undiscovered. A game that prompts that in both adults and children can be considered nothing other than a success.

Valve has put together a wonderfully unconventional game – a taut FPS multiplayer that retains the same unease felt in the likes of Resident Evil. [Jan 2009, p.114]

By far the biggest step up lies in the course design, offering dozens of alternative routes and short-cuts on each map and making far more use of vertical travel than Burnout ever did. [Nov 2005, p.90]

You get the impression that "The Sands of Time" was just a warm-up for the main event, a game that’s familiar at first but soon reveals a level of imagination beyond that of the original, and displays as little room for error as one of the Prince’s most daring acrobatic leaps. [Christmas 2004, p.100]

A marvellous game, beautifully remade. [Issue#197, p.84]

The time we spent with Mass Effect ranks as one of the most rewarding experiences we have had this year, and with the medium in such rude health that is quite a compliment. [Chrismas 2007, p.102]

When you're interacting with music in a way you never have before, you'll want to slap yourself for even giving the idea of emptying your wallet a second thought. [Christmas 2009, p.104]

While a few technical hiccups do occasionally spoil the party – there’s a touch of latency in the jumping controls and the odd little bug that makes matters a touch confusing – there’s so little to fault in Bithell’s striking debut. This is a game to admire, to enjoy and evangelise; a thoroughly English slice of indie magic that is every bit as accomplished as anything with a budget and a team. If this truly is the year of the indie, then long may it continue.

Magnificent. [Issue#110, p.133]

A time-sink that can devour more life than Monster Hunter and Disgaea combined. [Issue#95, p.118]

Puzzle Quest’s battles demand so much and give so much in return that players will find themselves hunting down every optional fight and undertaking each side quest in order to squeeze every last drop of gameplay from this utterly absorbing adventure. [June 2007, p.110]

The new toys fit in seamlessly with what came before, changing the game for the better. [Issue#142, p.110]

There's a ridiculous amount of content here. [Issue#113, p.104]

There are so many standout moments in Sin and Punishment 2 that it would be criminal to describe any more, as they're best experienced first-hand. [Issue#91, p.122]

There's a reason you'll finish it in a day: because you won't be able to tear yourself away.

Ultimately, Sun & Moon feels like one of the first legitimately necessary Pokémon adventures in some time.

The tactical battles are better than ever thanks to an improved engine and significantly smarter enemy AI. You can now take up to 400 units into battle, leading to some impressive large-scale scraps.

With the franchise celebrating its twentieth anniversary, Game Freak has delivered an adventure that pays homage to the very first quest through the Kanto region while still delivering something fun and exciting. Be you an adult or child, Pokémon Sun & Moon is still the ultimate RPG; the surface adventure is wonderful and engaging, but beneath the surface is still a wildly complex body of systems that allow the game to expand and support deep strategic play.

Metanet once described N++ as being a game they hoped would be so refined and so complete that “there’s no need to make another one.” We’re inclined to agree.

It's both a sensory delight and a genuinely brilliant score attack game.. not a combo many games can claim to pull off to this high standard. [Issue#113, p.111]

Refined combat, excellent creature and world design and frequent shout-outs to series highlights make this, in many ways, the best of the lot.

Atlus believed that it could push the series that little bit further, however, and discover something special within the Etrian Odyssey formula. In The Drowned City, it has found it. [Christmas 2010, p.122]

A lot like difficult classics like Mega Man or Ghouls 'N Ghosts in that the trials themselves are half the fun. [Issue#108, p.127]

The highest compliment that you can pay Creative Assembly’s uncompromising, nerve-plucking and lengthy entry in the Alien canon is that even without any prior knowledge of its source material, Alien: Isolation is superb.

Xbox gamers have been granted superior versions of two of the best mainstream games of this generation. [Christmas 2003, p.124]

Battlefield 2 represents a far better understanding of what war actually entails; an effort to put the player in the heart of a battle where advancement is more strategic than just running around looking for a target. [Aug 2005, p.90]

Builds on last year's game and impresses again. [Issue#192, p.80]