Is it worth it? In a word, yes. [Christmas 2011, p.116]

It's certainly not high-art then, but Saints Row: The Third is a welcome distraction. [Christmas 2011, p.112]

A package with some technical issues and a generally very shallow feel. [Christmas 2011, p.108]

While the deviant design maintains the unsympathetic difficulty, here it feels cheap and archaic within the context of such plodding action. [Christmas 2011, p.107]

Arkham City handles its side-stories gloriously. [Christmas 2011, p.102]

A faithful recreation in every sense of the term. [Christmas 2011, p.96]

So it's a flawed package then, but it's also one that contains some of the best graphics ever seen on a console, and is one of the premier multiplayer games in existence. [Christmas 2011, p.94]

A picture-perfect playground designed to engender pure love in those willing to lose themselves within it. [Christmas 2011, p.90]

It doesn't bring much at all new to the table and can feel derivative at times, even old. Also, while rarely unfair as such, that doesn't stop it from being frustrating at times – and the shooter sections, while fun, do feel a bit overplayed.

Beguilingly charming. [Issue#115, p.112]

As a PlayStation 3 title, a distinct lack of longevity and a disappointing multiplayer game will see it land short of the hole. [Issue#115, p.111]

It just feels too much like an engaging tech demo that had nowhere solid to expand to. [Issue#115, p.110]

For those who like their shooters feisty rather than thinky, this is the perfect choice. [Issue#115, p.109]

The problem of a distinct lack of variety persists, of course, and the lack of an arena-based dogfight mode feels a wasted opportunity. [Issue#115, p.108]

Destiny is so bad that it could force players to question their cherished memories of Eternal Darkness. [Issue#115, p.106]

A hellish task worth undertaking. [Issue#115, p.105]

It's always refreshing to see new franchises succeed, and Renegade Ops does just that. [Issue#115, p.104]

The sluggish fighting feels surprisingly weighty. [Issue#115, p.102]

Canyon may well become the definitive version of this smile-inducing stunt racer, but unless you're already a veteran it may be worth waiting a while before taking this sequel for a drive. [Issue#115, p.100]

The one area it does get right is the driving. [Issue#115, p.99]

Good for a quick burst of fun in the short term, but gamers looking for a test of skill would be better off playing Angry Birds. Yes, really. [Issue#115, p.98]

Assassin's Creed Revelations, then, is a pick-and-mix of successes and failures. At its core, though, it's just as accomplished a game as Brotherhood before it. All that's required is to dig below the surface layer of frivolous pseudo-innovations to discover yet another classic Creed, and a top quality conclusion to an excellent story arc.

What Super Mario 3D Land does get right is what every Mario game gets right: a high benchmark for quality that virtually no other platform game series seems capable of matching. There's a level of humour, invention and a sheer sense of joy that you only find in a Mario game.

It's a Call Of Duty that feels incredibly focused despite a period in its development of massive uncertainty. Its campaign still toes the line between being smart and being stupid, but for Saturday night, popcorn entertainment, Modern Warfare 3 has the competition beat.

Spellbinding, dramatic and absolutely epic in both the world it paints and the story it tells, Zelda: Skyward Sword is a hugely important event for the Wii, for Nintendo, and for anyone with even a passing love for the venerable series it celebrates.

The dichotomy of play styles breathes new life into favourite stages as they're re-envisioned and redesigned for Sonics they were never originally intended for, while some genuinely imaginative and exciting level design recaptures that core thrill – of rolling a hedgehog around a colourful fantasy world – that endeared so many to Sonic two decades ago.

The puzzles are refreshingly taut, the design and scope bewildering and its conclusion a triumphant crescendo of storytelling. It's completely iterative, derivative and formulaic, holding few surprises during its eight-hour campaign, yet Naughty Dog twists these familiar tropes into an invigorating rush of agile gameplay and seamless cinematic spectacle, proving once again that Nathan Drake is without equal.

While Dance Central 2's selection of tracks still lacks the eclectic feel (and silliness) found in Ubisoft's Just Dance, it still offers dozens of fine danceables.