The problem is that such a brilliant editor just makes you wish it resided in a better racing game.

New ideas, but the payoff is disappointing. [Nov 2009, p.94]

Like Roman Reigns, it looks the part, but the wrestling is rubbish. Scrap this and start again, 2K. [Christmas 2016, p.86]

We say the gameplay is 'deceptively simple', because there's effectively two buttons. [Nov 2007, p.106]

It's pretty ropey, and there's little satisfaction to be had from getting through one door only to find more of the same in the next area. [Apr 2016, p.90]

The problem that this and indeed any retro shooter has nowadays is Bizarre Creations 2D tour de force, Geometry Wars. Still one of our Xbox Live download favourites, Galaga by comparison is a poor substitute.

Amiable adventure game that gets more annoying as it drags towards its lacklustre end. [Sept 2016, p.79]

A game most of today's gaming fraternity can waltz through. Its an overhead shooter for first-timers, yin to Ikaruga's bullet-laden yang.

A miniscule improvement over the original. [Feb 2007, p.100]

Quantum of Solace never manages to be a Bond game: at the tiniest of nudges, it panics and starts unleashing gunfire. It's clumsy, it's messy, it's not much fun and most of the time, it's not even the right film.

Fiddly mechanics and non-intuitive gameplay make this a niche within a niche. [Christmas 2016, p.90]

A disappointing interim chapter.

Painfully lacking in every area, lacking any thrill factor, excitement or variety. [Jan 2007, p.90]

Don't be seduced by the trendy soundtrack or gnarly subtitle; there are already too many fantastic racing games fighting for space on the pre-owned racks.

There are brief hints at what might have been, but otherwise this is a walking dud. [Dec 2015, p.81]

A game so scary, even it doesn't know what it is. [Dec 2012, p.101]

I've not felt wronged by a game to this degree in a long time. Hatred just about captures the emotion. Killer is Dead has the kernel of an acceptable game, swathed in unlikable characters, a Benny Hill attitude to women, alienating self-regard and some obnoxious gameplay decisions. It's impossible to recommend.

Nothing we haven't seen before. [June 2012, p.101]

Apologising for broken content with more broken content feels like a bit of a slap in the face, and Dead Kings' confusing, far-from-user-friendly new mechanics make this DLC a bit of a disappointing prospect.

Functional, uninspiring tie-in. [Christmas 2011, p.109]

Football without rules equals a mess. Add some crap gameplay and annoying animations and it's a complete joke. [April 2006, p.94]

This is a way to acquire the entire set at a lower price, but only hardcore retro collectors need apply. [June 2009, p.93]

Stealth fans, heed our warning: Serial Cleaner might promise a hardcore genre fix, but behind the '70s veneer lies a game that takes pleasure in leaving you fuming. And unlike actual cleaning, it awards you with none of the satisfaction of a job well done.

Definitely hazardous, but not funny or fun. [Mar 2010, p.114]

All things considered, Sam's been seriously shafted. [Christmas 2012, p.99]

Tracks are boring. [Aug 2011, p.96]

Angry Birds Trilogy just feels like simple cash-raking from a franchise that's displayed little-to-no creativity since the first bird was fired.

Aged, dated, decrepit and repetitive! [Nov 2006, p.107]

A laugh-free and miserable undead slog. [Christmas 2011, p.111]

This one's probably best left undetected. [Feb 2010, p.108]

The most boring natural disaster you'll ever see. [Apr 2010, p.107]

But Despite the artful simplicity of the game we just can't justify paying money for this. Throwback kudos and nostalgia value aside, the game involves too little skill in comparison to the likes of Joust or the aforementioned "Geometry Wars."

Without wishing to be Volga, this is a real kick in the Urals. Punitive old-school design meets needless contemporary complexities, with rehashed set-pieces Putin the final nail in the coffin.

With IL-2 asserting impressive air superiority in the last month or so, there's no reason to pick up this ropier and less satisfying interpretation of the same conflict. Technically unimpressive and snooze-inducing, it's less "chocks away" and more "chock this in the bin".

Shooting is so bland that firing a gun carries all the excitement of filing a tax return. [Apr 2016, p.91]

The training wheels rarely come off. [Dec 2015, p.87]

It worked as a free demo, but now it costs real money, it'll leave you feeling Fleeced & Furious. [June 2015, p.91]

One for board game veterans only. [Feb 2010, p.109]

The introduction of the flow system early in the game seems innocuous at first, but it will quickly become the bane of your boarding existence. [Issue#67, p.88]

Stylistically bland and clearly confused, the game's initially slick descent quickly twists into a belly flop. Floundering in a mush in ill-advised ideas, Moon Diver drowns itself in a paddling pool of tedium.

Turns out that fighting the machine has rarely been this dull. [Jan 2018, p.78]

You'll have more fun watching the cartoon. [Apr 2010, p.106]

Feels unfinished. [Dec 2009, p.94]

Pretty annoying. [Christmas 2008, p.97]

It's no fun, and charmless to boot. [Feb 2016, p.87]

The overriding problem is that the central character doesn't fit the environment.

Confusing for newbs and too shallow for fans, but has moments of flashy satisfaction. [Aug 2016, p.86]

A tragically neutered experience. [Sept 2012, p.103]

Here's a puzzle: tshi egma si orbnig. [Apr 2010, p.111]

The additions are enticing, but they're also insulting. If you're the kind of person who's easily enraged, steer well clear of this cheeky cash-grab.

The worst DW game of this generation. [Mar 2010, p.109]

It's just a bit pointless, really, when all anyone wants to do is play Tetris. [Feb 2015, p.83]

For fans only. Fans of masochism, that is. [Oct 2007, p.95]

Plenty of modes, but still overpriced. [Aug 2007, p.100]

Tries to address fans' wishes, but wobbles under the weight of its hollow generosity. [June 2016, p.86]

Paper armies are all the rage these days; this is just enraging. [Jan 2015, p.89]

As a box set it's just over-packaged and over-priced nostalgia. [Dec 2012, p.97]

Score whores will be entertained for a while. [Aug 2007, p.100]

Lost Planet 3's basic competence doesn't mask an almost complete reliance on recycled fetch quests. Its story ends on a relative high, but once the pace finally picks up in the final couple of hours, it's much too late and the 14-hour slog to get there isn't worth the payoff.

A real shame. It's a good concept for a game, let down by poor gameplay and a story that isn't interesting or told well enough to seek out.

We'd rather be hit by lightning than play Bolt. [May 2009, p.95]

This is impossible to get excited about. [Jan 2014, p.84]

For a more exciting game, try playing Scrabble. Alone. [March 2016, p.87]

Contender for the dullest game ever made. [May 2008, p.93]

It's so much easier to forgive glitches, outdated visuals and flick-book framerate when you've got a friend laughing at them too, but this doesn't mean we should forgive them. Should Riptide wash up on your shore, you'd best throw in back in.

Ditches tricks for a succession of lame ideas that don't belong anywhere near a biking game. [Sept 2016, p.87]

A handful of clever ideas hamstrung by poor execution that leaves the game a tedious grind. [Issue#178, p.86]

With cheap presentation, bland art and pratfalls so lacking in impact that it's not even fun to fail, Pumped BMX+ is a bare-bones port that struggles to earn its place on the big screen. [Dec 2015, p.86]

One for hardcore collectors only. [Aug 2007, p.101]

Like being trapped in a barrel of monkeys. [June 2011, p.103]

Enough to make Blackbeard retire. [Dec 2012, p.97]

A dated and repetitive shooter. [July 2007, p.105]

Overall, though, with its fundamentally flawed handling, glitchy physics and a tendency for the game to just play itself, Sonic Riders is a huge disappointment. [April 2006, p.84]

Turgid storytelling, poorly explained mechanics and abysmally unoptimised code. [Sept 2017, p.86]

A terribly slim idea for a game, with none of the slick execution, elegant scoring or busy leaderboards to make you want to improve, or even bother trying again. [May 2014, p.93]

Shrek the turd, more like. [Sept 2007, p.106]

Somehow Dynasty Warriors 9 fails to meet even the lowest expectations.

"it's for fans" isn't a good enough excuse. [Christmas 2011, p.105]

A monotonous one-note brawler. [Apr 2013, p.87]

Old, tired and uninspired. [Jan 2008, p.99]

The gameplay is riddled with bug-induced frustration, uninspiring combat and a sluggish control system that lacks any kind of invention. [Mar 2007, p.88]

Funny at times, but not a lot of fun to play, metal wolf chaos feels too much like a relic. [Issue#182, p.85]

A tired bit of space trash. [Jan 2008, p.98]

Don't mourn this roadkill. [Oct 2012, p.99]

For every one success, there are four other times when the game gets it wrong through fault of your own, and you end up drowning in toxic guff. Which, coincidentally, is exactly what this game is. [Nov 2015, p.87]

A frustrating, joyless platformer that buries its few good ideas under apathetic nostalgia. [Sept 2016, p.77]

Teeth-grindingly frustrating platforming. [Christmas 2011, p.111]

While Lost tries to encapsulate the spirit of the series, it ends up smothered by it, restricted from being anything more than a shiny tourist guide to the set and characters. [Apr 2008, p.84]

There comes a time when you start to hope that the Circle of Doom in the title is actually the red ring of death so you won't have to play it anymore.

More failed conversion than touchdown. [July 2010, p.102]

A sweet idea, hobbled by the hardware. [Jan 2012, p.99]

Makes us feel deathly cold inside. [Apr 2010, p.109]

Dull, frustrating and deeply dated cash-in. [Jan 2010, p.113]

Linear. [May 2012, p.97]

Compared to the heavyweights on the scene like Puzzle Quest and Zuma, Boogie Bunnies is nothing more a crisp packet fluttering past in the breeze, temporarily catching your attention as it twists past your face with its trumpet blasts of cute noise and Haribo colour before it disappears forever, lost down the back of the Xbox Live Arcade sofa to hang out with Word Puzzle.

Advanced video chat...and same old games. [Oct 2007, p.96]

The lobotomised, slash-block combat is the final straw. Rise of Nightmares offers nothing in the way of action, puzzles, intelligence, or maturity. It's a heartbreakingly lame way to kickstart the adult Kinect genre.

Fertile with good ideas, but most of them fail to bloom to their full potential thanks to a wonky money system that slows the pace of progression down to that of a clapped-out tractor.