It's one of those mixed-bag situations - flashes of genius and genuinely enjoyable moments of success, occasionally mired by unbalanced weapon damage, clumsy AI and the odd bit of unfair level design that requires astounding feats of memory. [Dec 2003, p.98]

Ultimately it's a dull, dated experience that needed to change a lot more than it actually did. [Feb 2010, p.116]

Killzone: Shadow Fall is so full of influences, struggling to balance so many different ideas across the eight or so hours of single-player that it fails to settle cohesively. Even worse, nothing here feels particularly new. Killzone: Shadow Fall is an immensely enjoyable shooter but one busy distracting itself from being anything more.

In the end, the fact that Battlefield: Hardline could easily have been Medal Of Honor: Hardline or Need For Speed: Hardline is entirely moot. Visceral has played an ace, and it’s a bona fide thriller.

When we say that Red Dead is a great little game, the emphasis is as much on the 'little' as it is on the 'great'. [June 2004, p.102]

Despite its rather generic opening (that lasts for a good few levels),Voodoo Vince hides a surprisingly good game beneath the standard head slamming and general collecting of random objects inherent in so many others platformers. [Dec 2003, p.125]

A pleasant surprise. It certainly does not offer the same experience that "SSX 3's" genre-leading gameplay does, but because Avalanche is just as good for different reasons, it doesn't necessarily have to. [Christmas 2003, p.94]

The Urbz feels like a step back for the franchise; despite EA's efforts to bring gamers a 'console exclusive' there's not a lot on offer here. Fans won't find anything new, but newcomers may well discover the pleasure of the series and seek out EA's back catalogue of simulated lifestyles. [Christmas 2004, p.114]

An invigorating shot of speed and carnage that tops that of the original, even if it does fall short of the mighty "Burnout." [Aug 2006, p.121]

Avalanche’s greatest achievement is that it has created an open, vehicle-based videogame that does not feel like GTA in any way, shape or form, be it thematically or mechanically. [Nov 2006, p.110]

A beautiful but flawed farewell. [Issue#91, p.112]

Media Molecule's sense of pure creation sits perfectly with the karting genre and we'd even go as far to say that players will find it easier to be both player and creator here than they would in the previous games. Just don't expect to find Mario looking over his shoulder anytime soon.

Despite Airborne offering more genuine fun than any of its predecessors, there are only so many ways you can approach the same handful of battles. [Oct 2007, p.108]

Many will no doubt dismiss Catch!’s simplistic gameplay mechanics, but to do so would be to miss the point entirely. The DS’s raison d’etre is to give gamers exciting new ways to play games, and in this respect Catch! succeeds admirably. [Apr 2005, p.102]

A knowing tribute to the games of yesteryear and a worthy counterpart to both the film and comic. [Issue#101, p.112]

An engaging, if brief, narrative adventure. [July 2018, p.84]

There's little reason for the lonely man to pick this up. [Issue#121, p.117]

Project Spark could collapse without a more robust curation system to highlight the creations that need playing. [Issue#154, p.118]

While its an advancement on Hearthstone mechanically, if Hearthstone is the standard for the genre these days, then invariably Scrolls becomes one for CCG veterans only.

In a perfect world all budget games would be of kill.switch's quality - that's where it would soar, that's where it would be ideal. As it is, it's almost exactly six hours of gung-ho entertainment from the moment you switch on your machine. But that's still just six hours. [Feb 2004, p.104]

The biggest problem with Colosseum is that you'll find it not only filed under 'mixed bag' but practically stapled to the sign itself... It seems that one man's inter-console collectathon finale is another's last ditch attempt to save the over-flogged horses of connectivity and Pokemon. [May 2004, p.116]

Baboon! ticks a whole lot of our boxes. [Issue#159, p.111]

Unless you’re a big fan of the Homestar Runner series of web cartoons, you’re likely to spend much of your time with the game scratching your head. [Oct 2008, p.114]

Unfortunately, the measures included to make the four-way fighting work - the inclusion of a ‘turn around’ button, for example - mean that with anything less than three players, Isuka is all but redundant. [Aug 2005, p.104]

Between well-designed dungeons, thrilling boss battles and a compelling hook in Elena's deteriorating condition, Pandora's Tower is a unique treat for those still loyal to the Wii.

It's one of those mixed-bag situations - flashes of genius and genuinely enjoyable moments of success, occasionally mired by unbalanced weapon damage, clumsy AI and the odd bit of unfair level design that requires astounding feats of memory. [Dec 2003, p.98]

Narrowly surpasses its predecessor. [Issue#148, p.126]

The graphics are surprisingly impressive, movement is smooth and, despite the occasional feeling of repetition, the action is constantly fast-paced and compelling. [June 2006, p.118]