We're still torn whether to play top-to-bottom with 3D on or side-to-side with 3D off. Either way, this is the best PES on any format in ages.

A fun timewaster, but not as exciting as its soundtrack suggests. [Mar 2011, p.77]

Not a huge game but an intricate, sumptuous and reassuringly old-fashioned one. [Mar 2011, p.76]

Smart and cute. [Mar 2011, p.73]

What a shinobi bumble. [Mar 2011, p.73]

It soon gets highly repetitive. [Mar 2011, p.72]

Basically, you're fighting suicidal ghosts in a well-lit house. Worst sales pitch ever. [Mar 2011, p.72]

Probably the most interesting version you could pay for. [Mar 2011, p.69]

A very basic DS game dressed up for Wii. [Mar 2011, p.69]

A rather sweet entry-level graphics package. [Mar 2011, p.68]

Simply put, it's a better looking, better functioning version of the original (voice recognition is noticeably improved). It's forgiving and accessible, almost to a fault, but rewards investment with those idiosyncratic movements that Nintendo do so well. And it makes nice use of the hardware. [Mar 2011, p.52]

Simply put, it's a better looking, better functioning version of the original (voice recognition is noticeably improved). It's forgiving and accessible, almost to a fault, but rewards investment with those idiosyncratic movements that Nintendo do so well. And it makes nice use of the hardware. [Mar 2011, p.52]

Simply put, it's a better looking, better functioning version of the original (voice recognition is noticeably improved). It's forgiving and accessible, almost to a fault, but rewards investment with those idiosyncratic movements that Nintendo do so well. And it makes nice use of the hardware. [Mar 2011, p.52]

A staggering port of an exceptional fighting game, but for all its accomplishments this is not the definitive version of the game. [Mar 2011, p.47]

Beautiful to look at, very nice to play, but disappointingly light on content. Perfect for launch day, and maybe the day after, too, but it feels so limited.

There's no doubt that de Blob 2 is a great game, missing only the spark of inspiration that could've made it classic. A broad and singular experience.

A slight game, but novel and satisfying. However, it's not for those with a limited supply of patience. [Jan 2011, p.73]

A strong idea, executed with few frills. It's worth experiencing, but your fun may be short-lived. [Jan 2011, p.73]

There's novelty value here for fans of the show but anyone else will find this as limp as, well, House's limp. [Jan 2011, p.69]

The Wii does shovelware better than anyone, but it's really hit a new low with 101-in-1 Sports. [Jan 2011, p.69]

It's not offensively bad, just bland. [Jan 2011, p.69]

There's a reasonable amount of variety despite the short running time. [Jan 2011, p.69]

We'd rather undergo a CIA interrogation than play this again. [Jan 2011, p.68]

There's not much variety. [Jan 2011, p.68]

Surgically extracts everything that makes the anime fun, leaving a lumpen brown mess. [Jan 2011, p.66]

Gives you a reason to use the board. But seeing as it's one of the worst peripherals ever made, that's not something to celebrate. [Jan 2011, p.64]

New players should jump right in, but veterans might want to think twice. [Jan 2011, p.64]

Be warned, mind: there's a slight tendency towards random outcomes. [Jan 2011, p.62]

If your biggest peeve with real fire is all that pesky warmth it produces, Fireplacing could be the non-game game for you. [Feb 2011, p.75]

Just what the doctor ordered - if he ordered brainy but slightly disappointing puzzle action. [Feb 2011, p.75]

Classic puzzling, but essential only for die-hard fans or genre newbies without a PC. [Feb 2011, p.74]

A disappointingly bland brain-teasing stew.[Feb 2011, p.74]

Even the most mild-mannered puzzle fan will fly into a Hyde-like rage if they realize they've wasted 25 quid on this. [Feb 2011, p.71]

The barrel puzzles are punishing for all the wrong reasons. [Feb 2011, p.71]

If it's real detective work you're after, this scene is dead. [Feb 2011, p.70]

Tedious backtracking. [Feb 2011, p.70]

Too easy. [Feb 2011, p.70]

The awful FlatOut made us pine for ZX Spectrum paddles - its controls are that painfully imprecise. [Feb 2011, p.69]

Shovelware has a new mascot, and it's the disturbingly semi-clothed Yogi Bear. [Feb 2011, p.68]

Essentially unplayable games. [Feb 2011, p.67]

Still a brilliant game. [Feb 2011, p.64]

A fantastic action RPG with echoes of Zelda. [Feb 2011, p.62]

Strip away the unmanageable bulk and Pokémon is a truly great RPG. Add it back on later and it remains a flashy, if conventional, entry in the franchise.

Strip away the unmanageable bulk and Pokémon is a truly great RPG. Add it back on later and it remains a flashy, if conventional, entry in the franchise.

Quotation forthcoming. [Sept 2010]

This remake of a Japan-only mobile phone title is a great piece of fan service and a decent RPG to (re)boot, but it's definitely not for the uninitiated.

With a few tweaks this could have been quite the sports package. But as things stand, it's as missable as an Emile Heskey chance on goal.

The career mode's solid. [Christmas 2010, p.74]

Serious sharpening required. [Christmas 2010, p.74]

A decent portable version. [Christmas 2010, p.74]

A decent digital board game. [Christmas 2010, p.74]

The combat's fun but a bit repetitive. [Christmas 2010, p.74]

But hey, at least the characters look nice. [Christmas 2010, p.74]

A big disappointment from a one-time great. [Christmas 2010, p.73]

Amounts to nothing more than walking along a featureless corridor while somebody tells you an abridged version of the GoldeneEye plot. [Christmas 2010, p.72]

Fiddly controls. [Christmas 2010, p.72]

It's just like singing along to the DVD rather than proper karaoke. [Christmas 2010, p.71]

Play the real games instead. [Christmas 2010, p.70]

A massive waste of time. [Christmas 2010, p.70]

As a tribute it's more souvenir than towering statue. [Christmas 2010, p.69]

If CoD is you thing, you'll get loads of value from this. [Christmas 2010, p.62]

Excellent character portraits. [Christmas 2010, p.61]

Buy a comic instead. [Christmas 2010, p.60]

Clumsily executed port. [Christmas 2010, p.60]

Poor AI, limps physics, forgettable track layouts and a general absence of excitement. [Christmas 2010, p.59]

Look beyond the shoddy exterior and there's a surprisingly rich and varied arcade flyer. [Christmas 2010, p.58]

This is such a technical and conceptual mess that EA wouldn't send us a copy - we had to go out and buy it. [Christmas 2010, p.53]

Familiar farming fun. [Christmas 2010, p.52]

Few games offer value for money like this. [Christmas 2010, p.50]

Clumsy design holds it back from true greatness. [Christmas 2010, p.46]

Accept Sniper Elite's various quirks and foibles and you'll have plenty of fun with the satisfyingly brutal headshots contained within.

A meaty - often literally - thriller, well told. With no UK release currently on the cards we point all adventure nuts towards their nearest import site.

Like a supercharged Ace Attorney, Ghost Trick positively thunders forwards with an awesome narrative drive. Dead clever. Dead pretty. Dead good.

"Quotation Forthcoming"

"Quotation Forthcoming"

It seems that even the future has minigames, but even the future can't convince us that there's any serious alternative to the Wii Sports games.

The Dracula-themed story means there are 'spooky' (ie, murky0 locations unsuited to item-finding, and some object placement is just impossible. [Issue#56, p.71]

Good graphics, thoroughly boring gameplay. [Issue#56, p.60]

The lack of challenge will annoy some, but it's a game that anyone can enjoy, and most will love. [Issue#56, p.42]

There's some gratuitous (And not very effective) use of the DSi camera, but that can't elevate this above puzzling mediocrity. [Issue#56, p.71]

Controls have been streamlined, but the game engine is due a massive overhaul. [Issue#56, p.54]

Purer and cheaper than Sonic Colours, this is a great reboot for 2D Sonic. [Issue#56, p.74]

Fast paced but maybe too much so. Mastery will require psychic powers or a great memory. [Issue#56, p.61]

Some environments are so indistinct it's easier to navigate solely with the top screen's map than by looking where you're going. [Issue#56, p.70]

More of the same but better. The expanded tracklist means it's worth a look even if you've got the first one. [Issue#56, p.55]

A really bad showcase for MotionPlus, inexplicably packaged with a technology it doesn't understand. [Issue#56, p.48]

As far as gameplay goes, it's in the same vein as Singstar and co, with the significant difference being that it doesn't really work very well. [Issue#56, p.68]

Pillage and plunder in a nice sort of way. Don't expect to be told what's going on, but as soon as you figure it out for yourself you'll be fine. [Issue#56, p.69]

We wish it was cheaper, but Rock Band 3 is the ultimate music game on Wii even if you don't re-mortgage the house to buy the new instruments. [Issue#56, p.59]

The drudgery of seeking is broken up with occasional spot the difference and tile-sliding puzzles but these can be skipped without incurring penalty. [Issue#56, p.71]

Aside from the atrocious controls, graphics and music, the striking thing about Megamix Sports is its desperation to find enough things for you to do. [Issue#56, p.71]

It doesn't take long for things to get repetitive, but if you don't find this a problem there's certainly plenty to do, with side quests to access and itmes to collect. [Issue#56, p.70]

This is a basic third-person shooter with really clunky controls. [Issue#56, p.70]

Whether you play humans or the machine, you'll find this a solid and thorough exploration of the sport. [Issue#56, p.69]

Still the arcadiest music game around, with a few nice moments to express yourself. [Issue#56, p.46]

The Force Unleashed does a good job of, er, unleashing the force, but beneath the flashy powers and lightsabers this is a tame and outdated game. [Issue#56, p.67]

Not the best Bit.Trip we've played but a worthy - and different - addition to the series. [Issue#56, p.75]

RPG smarts and exploration thrills combine into a brilliantly driven adventure. [Issue#56, p.51]