Even if Xbox Live does prove Chromehounds’ saviour, there’s no denying that the single-player mode will be relegated to little more than a tactical playground to warm up for the online battle because it’s just a little too one-note, a little too slow, a little too lifeless to truly engage. [Aug 2006, p.112]

A simplified spin-off that misses the mark. [Issue#199, p.79]

It's a mile-long love letter to the fans. [Issue#148, p.120]

You're doing very little other than eating things, and the game's other ideas don't gel well enough to make it an experience worth more than the sum of its parts. [Aug 2009, p.130]

It's such a tough sell, as it's so short and so little of its running time can actually be defined as 'gameplay'. It's such a maverick, though, and such a bananas way to spend eight hours, that it's almost certainly something everyone should experience. Just don't go expecting the Earth. Asura's already smashed it to pieces.

Well-made, enjoyable, and completely forgettable. Kind of like a rollercoaster. [Issue#159, p.102]

Paraworld stands perfectly well on its own as a solid, if a little plodding, RTS game with some neat touches, particularly in the selection and development of units. [Nov 2006, p.114]

All the same, this is by far the best of the franchise so far and if you’ve ever considered giving one of the Sherlock Holmes games a go there’s been no better option to start with.

If you’ve the patience, Monster Hunter is worth a look – just don’t expect to fall in love with it immediately. [June 2006, p.132]

It's a quick thrill – a little bit of fiery eye-candy and raw destruction to pass the time – but as its explosions grow more tiring, there's little else to see among the streets of Shatter Bay, and its focus is clearly muddled. While Unbounded is no doubt a step in the right direction for the franchise, perhaps it was a little early to leave the safety of Ridge City behind.

The combination of approaches offers gameplay that's initially engrossing. But a lack of emerging ideas and differing enemy types robs latter sections of that same excitement. [Issue#192, p.83]

This is exactly the sort of thing Diablo fans have been waiting for and although there’s little chance that it will change your life, there’s every possibility that it will consume it. [Chrismas 2007, p.126]

At once unforgivably terrible and accidentally brilliant, Deadly Premonition remains a gaming anomaly. And no amount of directorial cutting is going to change that. [Issue#135, p.115]

Ironically, the developer has actually been very successful in mapping a superbly intuitive control system to the gamepad, and by enabling direct control of your Titan a basic action element is introduced. Yet by totally amputating any strategic scope from the RTS equation, the ensuing battles becoming virtually pointless affairs. [Mar 2004, p.111]

After several hours of increasingly punishing shoot/swing repetition, all the good ideas come at once in the last hour or so. [June 2009, p.108]

If you enjoyed last year’s iOS/Android sleeper Fallout Shelter, but wanted more complexity, less predictable combat and a greater sense of achievement even in abject failure, look no further.

It's a shame that these excellent physics and novel weapons haven't been given a better showcase. [Issue#112, p.112]

Ark is near masterful in its ability to keep you caught up in a sense of discovery. There always seems to be more. [Issue#192, p.74]

The one thing gamers quite reasonably demand from a sequel is a sense of progress, and for the most part that's strangely absent. If Crackdown's mix of free-form structure, grinding and exploration was enough to pull you in, then Crackdown 2 will almost certainly do the same. But when all's said and done, you might be left ruminating over the same question as us: Is that it?

Gunpey Revenge is a game you can love. Even when it's testing your patience to the limit. [Christmas 2006, p.126]

Most devotees openly proclaim they like the game because they wanted to, not because it actually deserves it. [Feb 2009, p.108]

A delightful and demanding trip down memory lane. [Issue#203, p.82]

Sega may need to up its game before the next iteration. [Issue#109, p.116]

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]

It’s jarring mechanics are a little too unnecessarily complex, but those who often find themselves drawn to the subtle puzzles of similar strategy and simulation games will have plenty to chew on here.

Firing in the opposite direction of the seasoned games, The Outfit will only appeal to casual gamers who prefer to smash and grab their way through levels rather than apply strategy. [Apr 2006, p.126]

While Ubisoft's commitment to the struggling Vita format is to be applauded – the console is in dire need of exclusives of this calibre – Assassin's Creed III: Liberation lacks the lavish quality of its big-screen relatives. Hardcore fans will not doubt be more forgiving and will quite rightly warm to the game's feisty heroine, but she deserves a better vehicle than this to showcase her talents.

It works well enough, but doesn’t really offer an advantage over the joystick controls of the arcade game and is significantly slower in practice than the flicks of the DS stylus. [Sept 2008, p.124]