A fairly tepid music sim. [Christmas 2014, p.95]

Probably best left for Zen Pinball diehards and Guardians of the Galaxy fanatics. [Christmas 2014, p.94]

Neat concept. [Christmas 2014, p.93]

Worth a few hours of uncynical fun. [Christmas 2014, p.92]

Thoughtful, pretty and just strange enough. [Christmas 2014, p.85]

This is the kind of bizarro indie creativity we like to see on 3DS, but the gameplay itself is a little on the duff side. [Aug 2014, p.87]

It's frustrating to see such smooth controls wasted in a game that doesn't know how to keep you playing. [Aug 2014, p.87]

Beneath all the psychobabble lies yet another generic RPG obsessed with ogling young girls. [Aug 2014, p.84]

It's hard for a game to win hearts when it keeps kicking you in the shins. [Aug 2014, p.82]

Combat can be summed up as: press Y until your head goes red, then press X. [Aug 2014, p.74]

A botched attempt at survival horror, but not a bad little shooter, nonetheless. Wait for an eShop sale, perhaps. [Sept 2014, p.90]

A sweet, inventive mix of interactive screensaver and puzzle game, offering only minimal challenge. [Sept 2014, p.90]

A (relatively) speedy time trial title that may satisfy racing fans for a while, but hardly a precision-engineered gem. [Sept 2014, p.90]

A robust package that oozes colour and charm, but lacks the variety necessary to maintain excitement and appeal beyond its dedicated fan base. [Sept 2014, p.88]

There's no need for Rise of the Dark Spak to be as dull as it's turned out. [Sept 2014, p.84]

It's a genuine opinion-splitter. [July 2014, p.80]

Though the tempo is rather tricky, Fun Unit's offering takes the cube route to a decent eShop game. [June 2014, p.89]

Not bad, as far as hidden-object games go, but utterly unnecessary on the 3DS. Get it on PC, if you must. [June 2014, p.89]

The rendering of the chess pieces is superb. [June 2014, p.89]

Fun and sweet at first, but overall a bit of a cat-astrophe that would make more sense as an endless runner. [June 2014, p.88]

It's hard to care about villagers when they are all generic-faced repetition bots. [June 2014, p.86]

Released somewhat prematurely, LEGO The Hobbit feels like more of a promotional tie-in than a proper standalone game. Still: lots of fun to be had. [June 2014, p.78]

Lack of tactical options makes you feel powerless. [June 2014, p.76]

Short, but never quite sweet, Wii U's first budget game does exactly what you'd expect, good and bad. [May 2014, p.91]

An undeniably unique concept is all but irretrievably marred by some stern presentation and a lack of basic utilities. [May 2014, p.90]

Vibrant, simple stuff aimed squarely at a generation who know Pac as a superpowered teenage hero, rather than the characterless, quip-free globe of old. [May 2014, p.89]

Not worth the exorbitant eShop price. [May 2014, p.88]

Lacks the oddball charm of the original. [May 2014, p.81]

Less fun to play than it is to watch. [Apr 2014, p.91]

Most will find something to like, but it's not even close to the classic it apes. [Apr 2014, p.84]

One of the funniest, most interesting games on 3DS, but also one of the most bloated. There's nothing else like it, which is both to its credit and its detriment. [Apr 2014, p.81]

While far from perfect, there are more than enough ideas here for Upper Byte to build into something special. For the time being, wait for an eShop sale. [Apr 2014, p.80]

A step back from the grand games we're used to. [Apr 2014, p.78]

Increasingly tired tactics. [March 2014, p.84]

Medicine that most of us can do without. [March 2014, p.82]

Requires a forgiving gamer to see it from start to end. [March 2014, p.78]

A moderately successful blend of familiar genres. [March 2014, p.76]

Never mind the uncomfortably dubious gender politics, the biggest offence here is the inability to capitalise on rock-solid action foundations.

This is flaky, but undeniably fun on 3DS. [Feb 2014, p.90]

Few 2D games have this much atmosphere, but Ecco's unforgiving gameplay hasn't aged well, unfortunately. [Feb 2014, p.90]

A fun, but ultimately rather shallow package. [Feb 2014, p.90]

Slick and well made, but a little too complex for its own good. [Feb 2014, p.83]

A brilliant idea, handled carelessly. Some of these oldies are far from golden, but with some fine-tuning, a sequel would be very welcome indeed.

There's fun to be had in the bits in which Nd Cube clearly enjoyed itself. It's by no means a party starter, but the nibbles are tasty enough to stick around for.

Incredible to behold, but unlikely to inspire, Jett Rocket II is an engaging, if slightly wobbly budget treat that's more for the yes than the heart. [Jan 2014, p.89]

Accessible, fun and curiously satisfying, Coaster Crazy Deluxe makes the most of its narrow scope to provide a decent afternoon's entertainment. [Jan 2014, p.83]

Fall for it and you'll fall hard, but its challenges left our fun glands untickled. [Jan 2014, p.82]

Hypnotically odd. [Dec 2013, p.88]

The game you loved, primarily unchanged. [Dec 2013, p.81]

It's a bit dull. [Christmas 2013, p.89]

Wii U exposes the series' ancient systems more than ever, but sometimes old dogs don't need new tricks. [Christmas 2013, p.88]

This feels two decades old and we're not complaining. [Christmas 2013, p.88]

Attempts to be all games to all parties, but never decides what it wants to be. [Christmas 2013, p.86]

The use of cover versions will instantly turn off most songbirds. [Christmas 2013, p.84]

Wait for Shin Megami Tensei 4. [Nov 2013, p.88]

A dreamy platformer. [Nov 2013, p.81]

A slight, but serviceable spin-off that has bags of energy, if little else. [Nov 2013, p.80]

Inazuma Eleven, then, retains its charm, quirks and problems. There are a few new facets, to be sure, but this is fan service at its most serviceable.

IE3's mantra seems to be 'more is less'. Less: work for devs, learning for fans and interest for the uninitiated. It works, but is it really what an exciting series needs?

At least this knows its market. [Oct 2013, p.89]

Equal parts tough and rough: a rescue mission never felt quite so much like the suicide equivalent. [Oct 2013, p.88]

Does exactly what it sets out to do. We're just not entirely sure if that qualifies as a success. [Sept 2013, p.89]

So it's a slow dance; a gentle sway of steps with the occasional flourish. That can be far more enjoyable than the most energetic experience - but if you're getting things wrong, the wait to get it over with can be excruciating.

Hazards are sometimes more Urban Trial and Error, but this is a fun, if slightly shameless, physics-based platformer for £5. Shame it only lasts two hours.

While far from being a bad game, Duck Tales Remastered is a huge missed opportunity and a sad day for fans who were expecting so much more.

More of the same, a little bit tougher and a little more lame. It's a fiendish, addictive, intelligent game, but if you find yourself cursing, you know who to blame.

With its limited tower strategies, bland stretches of desert to navigate and repetitive fight mechanics, this is more a case of chide 'em, cowboy.

Never has a game veered so aggressively from 80 per cent-rated fun to 30 per cent-rated horror, but the same could be said of the 360/PS3 original. Wii U comes with the added sting of having all the multiplayer and co-op options hacked out, leaving only a samey survival mode (fight waves of Nazis in repurposed levels) to pad out a brisk campaign.

There are two games here: the one you've been led to hope for and the one you play. It's not so much a valiant effort as a nice idea that never got used.

Pick it up if you need a platforming fix. [July 2013, p.87]

Worthwhile if you haven't ever played Picdun, just don't expect to feel comfortable with the company. [July 2013, p.87]

Certain sorts of gamer will dig this retro Metroidvania game, but make sure you're one of them before taking a bite. [July 2013, p.87]

It might be a faithful enough recreation of the world's most popular murder-sport, but it's absolutely nothing more. [July 2013, p.86]

Simple and unashamedly one-note. [June 2013, p.85]

Less chaotic than real cleaning, but that's actually a good thing for once. [June 2013, p.84]

Like Lady Zozo, its heart is in the right place, but its arms and legs are on backwards and inside out. Too monotonous to be entertaining.

Perfect for some and hellish for others. You know the phrase "know your audience"? Make sure you know you're that audience before getting this.

It's technically impressive(ish), but not as fun or funny as the Wii U game. Younger gamers who haven't played GTA will still enjoy it, though.

Fun while it lasts, which isn't very long. [May 2013, p.86]

Better than the Wii U version... It's beautiful and slightly boring. [May 2013, p.86]

Perhaps a trifle too authentic, but it's slick, fun and so full of 8-bit memories that it feels like watching someone flick through an old game magazine. [May 2013, p.84]

One for the game-starved only. [May 2013, p.78]

You play as Spider-Man, but never feel like him. [May 2013, p.74]

Everything is thrown at you, ramping up the already shocking difficulty level. [Apr 2013, p.90]

This is undoubtedly a well thought-out handheld port, but it's still slightly lacking for the changes. One for the kids. [March 2013, p.68]

There's no real reason to keep playing beyond the initial weird-factor. [March 2013, p.96]

Zen Pinball remains top of the tables in this most recent iteration - it's just a shame that it's such an effort to get into playing the thing.

The game is undeniably lovingly made, but it's also disappointing brief. It's - yep - the fastest fun in the west.

Look, we won't beat about the bush here. It's a game about tanks blowing up other tanks. What more do you want?

An interesting and stylish game that unfortunately lacks the charm necessary to cover the problems of the port.

A conflicted idea. [Feb 2014, p.82]

RPG fans will find lots to enjoy. [Feb 2013, p.85]

This flawed gem could have been a classic to rival the games that inspired it. Like its characters, it's well intentioned, but ultimately commits too many sins.

A fun farming sim that suffers at the hands of ridiculous pricing. Only lunatics will hand over 30 notes for this.

QubicGames has made an average game and ruined thousands of GCSE English essays. Cheers, guys.

A classic Saito number that is interesting, compelling and inevitably, just a little too odd to recommend to everyone.

Sega fans will enjoy this solid port but it's far from a smooth ride. If you can stomach the rough edges this has enough individual character to stand alone.

As it is, it's just an average port of a game that's just about hanging onto the legacy of some great game design from a few years ago. A little bit more love next time, please.