It's extremely rare that a game would be better with less gameplay. [Issue#118, p.113]

This isn't too bad for a couple of hours of button hammering with two friends. [Issue#118, p.112]

It's this fine balance between freedom and linearity that will keep you playing. [Issue#118, p.111]

Since assembling a team is more luck than judgment, Rumble couldn't be further away from the core values of the traditional Pokemon games. [Issue#118, p.110]

Stops short of truly bad, but also some way short of recommended. [Issue#118, p.108]

The shameless cash-grab approach does a huge disservice to what is a surprisingly accomplished card-based strategy title. [Issue#118, p.107]

It's not a game. [Issue#118, p.106]

A pretty big disappointment. [Issue#118, p.104]

A must-play title - as much a part of videogaming as it is anything else. [Issue#118, p.102]

Addictive, fully-featured and far more sure of itself than ever before, Infinity Blade II is as slick an offering as iOS currently offers. [Issue#118, p.100]

On a straight fighting level, SoulCalibur has never been better, and, although it might be locally anorexic, the multiplayer side offers more than any Soul titles since the original Calibur made the Dreamcast a must-have. [Issue#118, p.94]

If Amy ever had a chance of keeping its head above water and surviving these problems, the awful checkpoint system ensures it drowns in them.

Passable fluff. [Issue#117, p.126]

There's a serious case to be made that Disgaea has never been better. [Issue#117, p.124]

Here's hoping the rest of the trilogy also heads west. [Issue#117, p.122]

Just another day at the office for Layton and chums. [Issue#117, p.121]

A generously long-lasting slice of festive entertainment for the peripheral. [Issue#117, p.120]

If you recognised the clever retro nods in the visuals without having them pointed out then this will appeal. If not, scroll on. [Issue#117, p.119]

If this is edutainment, it could do with a lot more of the latter part. [Issue#117, p.118]

We've been spoilt over the years, and we simply expected more from Kirby. [Issue#117, p.114]

Fleeting fun and a mild distraction it may be, but The Run finishes this particular race upside down in a ditch. On fire. [Issue#117, p.112]

Handheld editions of big console titles often feel like straight to video sequels – looking the part but lacking the polish – and Revelations is no different. It nails the atmosphere in its hybrid design, but those crucial sparks of brilliance that make the series so great, no matter which of its eras you prefer… they're as rare as a single use rocket launcher.

A handful of minor niggles, like the inability to pause outside the start of your own turn, and the rather cautious approach of CPU competitors, detract little from an uncommonly smart and genuinely tactical game. It might have fared even better without its primary-coloured fripperies but Boom Street remains good enough to turn a blind eye to its rather untimely celebration of capitalism.

It's frustrating, rewarding, addictive and entertaining in almost equal measure, and as much as you'll rant and moan when your lead is snatched away on the last corner, you'll keep going back for more. To call it the best original game on 3DS might be overstretching the meaning of the word 'original' but, all the same, this is something that no 3DS owner should be without.

The inanely perfunctory gameplay fumbles in its derivative attempt to emulate the LEGO formula. [Christmas 2011, p.126]

It has never looked better. [Christmas 2011, p.124]

It's a party game, so save it for a party. [Christmas 2011, p.123]

While it might be bought for the kids, it'll be enjoyed by everyone. [Christmas 2011, p.122]