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

Consistently entertaining until its final third. [Chrismas 2007, p.110]

This is EA’s take on NHL action as it’s always been, rejigged with improved animations and new moves so it’s inevitably the best version yet. [Nov 2004, p.119]

Bright, intriguing, but lacking depth. [July 2018, p.74]

Obscure II doesn’t need reminding of its faults, because it wears them on its sleeve; it’s a guilty pleasure that, despite being technically unimpressive, still provides dollops of cheap entertainment. [Oct 2007, p.119]

Second Sight's fair share of nice touches (such as weapons handling and level design) demonstrate terrific attention to detail. It's a shame, then, that these minor good points seem to be offset by the game's failings in several more important areas. [Oct 2004, p.110]

Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition could arguably be the best portable version of the core series yet produced, but this is testament to the severely limited nature of what came before rather than any standout success on this game's part.

The atmosphere is electric, the sense of making tiny in-roads to solve a great problem as satisfying as it is frustrating... Spark never allows you to forget that outside the restrictive confines of the first-person viewpoint there’s a much, much bigger fight going on involving thousands of men. [Jan 2005, p.110]

Winter isn't quite here yet. [Issue#164, p.100]

King Kong is perhaps a redefinition of the cinematic videogame – entirely based on peaks and troughs of excitement, and devoid of any sense of choice. Just like a movie, but interactive. [Christmas 2005, p.98]

Feels very much the stock update, disappointing in so much as it doesn't actually add anything of note or substance. The cruel under-utilisation of the cats, meanwhile, could genuinely disappoint fans of felines everywhere.

It's far from perfect, but Marvel fans have been served well, and those who like their Gauntlet served with extra statistics will have a game they can place just behind the last Dark Alliance. [Dec 2004, p.109]

Even with its overly ambitious new 'Off The Ball' interface the FIFA series is still a long way from capturing the true essence of the beautiful game. [Dec 2003, p.127]

The lack of any online modes coupled with the still very prevalent frame rate issue means Tony Hawk’s Project 8 is a weaker PS3 game than it is on 360. [Apr 2007, p.131]

A strong, if sometimes frustrating debut. [Issue#206, p.81]

Despite a veritable host of respectable changes and additions, this still can't live up to the standards of the original game. An improvement over the last console effort, but with so much more potential than is actually realised, Bustin' Out still disappoints a little. [Christmas 2003, p.126]

Feels very much the stock update, disappointing in so much as it doesn't actually add anything of note or substance. The cruel under-utilisation of the cats, meanwhile, could genuinely disappoint fans of felines everywhere.

On the occasions when the game flows it's possible to produce some breathtaking football, but all too often the game slows to a crawl and it's extremely difficult to produce anything like a constructive passing move. [Nov 2005, p.116]

Feeling somewhat bland against some of its predecessors, Mario Party 6's games come off as lacking in skill, not to mention creativity; the coating may look different, but the core concepts are incredibly repetitive. [Feb 2005, p.106]

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.

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

Feels very much the stock update, disappointing in so much as it doesn't actually add anything of note or substance. The cruel under-utilisation of the cats, meanwhile, could genuinely disappoint fans of felines everywhere.

Disappointingly by the books, but has charm. [Issue#206, p.82]

Considering the state of Platinum’s last licensed title, The Legend Of Korra, not to mention the clear budget and time constraints from Activision, Transformers: Devastation could have been much worse. But then again, it could also have been much, much better.

Somewhere in Devil Summoner is a brilliant game obscured by a multitude of minor flaws and bizarre design decisions. [May 2007, p.122]

Every five or six levels the game ups the difficulty by throwing in the most frustrating levels we've ever seen.

The lasting memories of Just Cause 3 will be the small moments where everything comes together to make the most insignificant action feel like a unique event. The fact that all of the mechanics work together so seamlessly is impressive, but the magic is fleeting.

Once you're past the silly set-up, irritating characters, terrible dialogue, and the game's generally patronising tone, there's a reasonably solid - if not needlessly convoluted - skater to be found here. [Christmas 2010, p.110]