Better is good, but it isn't great. [Nov 2011, p.110]

Tired and lacking ideas, this is the most disappointing CoD in years that follows, not leads. [Christmas 2018, p.72]

It's fortunate the series can now rest on the safety net of online play and character customization because, without it this would be a slender, anorexic package - a tad ironic, when you consider just how much attention Namco has lavished on its buxom babes.

A great story mode and superb presentation, but gameplay clearly lags behind PES. [Dec 2016, p.70]

The best way to experience gaming's most loved, if not best, shooter series. [Dec 2016, p.76]

NBA 2K7 doesn't have the looks, but its solid on-court action puts you at the heart of the match rather than on the sidelines, with quick-fire tactics that you'd expect to see on ESPN. [Dec 2006, p.88]

A unique survival strategy story that really knows how to rack up the tension. [Issue#184, p.81]

Beautifully made if somewhat linear. Fun to play through even though the town is quiet. [Aug 2018, p.82]

Let's put it in football terms: PES = modern, continental manager. FIFA = Mike Bassett. Like Liverpool, FIFA has talent, but it could be a long road back to contention.

Vanquish plays a one-note song, but thankfully that note is 'slow motion exploding robot face'. [Issue#66, p.92]

There's wonderful art direction, fun combat, a great range of quests and some cute cutscenes. But it's the video game equivalent of a variety show. In offering everything, Darksiders II never once achieves greatness. Which is a shame, because if there is a Darksiders III at some point in the future the odds are it's going to be even broader.

A simple hit of pure nostalgia, pulled off with aplomb. Welcome back, hedgehog. [Nov 2017, p.83]

A great sim, but poor supporting features. [July 2009, p.95]

No surprises here. If you're in the market for an NFL game in 2016, look no further. [Nov 2016, p.79]

Ultimately, how much enjoyment you take will depend on whether you fall in love with the cartoonish characters and if you're willing to accept the ridiculous, convoluted plot. Darksiders is well made and passes the time, but it just lacks that 'wow' factor which would elevate it to greatness. There are far too many moments that you'll have seen a hundred times before.

It's accessible, it's fun and its destruction is novel enough to keep players entertained. If this was about breaking up the Rainbow Six Vegas and G.R.A.W. stranglehold on the squad combat genre, it hasn't quite pulled it off. It's not bad company for the night; it's just not memorable company either.

A smart puzzle-platformer contorted into a shape that doesn't really fit. When it remembers itself, this is another devilishly good sneak-'em-up, featuring a great bunch of gadgets, challenges and jokes.

Solid yet underwhelming, shadow fails to send Lara out on a high. [Dec 2018, p.75]

Stick with it and there's a lot to love here. [Dec 2015, p.77]

Brief, reasonably entertaining and mercifully cheap. [Feb 2012, p.103]

The actual action-adventure gameplay and the plot is pretty boring for all but hardcore comic book guys, but it's obscured behind a gloss of heroic RPG add-ons. [Christmas 2006, p.84]

If you're a metal fan, you'll love it. But if you didn't have to prise your fingers out of the devil-horn pose to play, you'll finish it in a day and feel underwhelmed.

One of the best sports franchises just got... exactly the same. [Xmas 2014, p.85]

There's a great game in Revengeance, buried under the rubble of a previous franchise collapse. With a little less zatsu and a little more dan, Platinum Games could be on to something.

Being the weakest episode in a series that's been so consistently amazing is hardly massive criticism, though. We'd felt quietly confident about it for a while, but the cliffhanger at the end of Episode 4 leaves us in no doubt: the final episode of is going to be an absolute corker. If you've not started playing, it's time to catch up.

A lack of decent advanced tutorials keeps the bats firmly separated from the boys and the likelihood of extensive replay fairly slim. But for fans of the DCU, it's show-stopping fun. It's the game we deserve, if not the one we need right now.

But casual strategy fans will enjoy dispatching waves of cavalry, artillery, and airplanes in head-to-head online multiplayer matches. Just be prepared to take a few beatings while you find your footing.

Just Cause 2 is undoubtedly an improvement on the first game. The grappling hook is still enormous fun - even more so this time around - and there's generally more variety in the missions. Sadly, it still follows its predecessor in regularly reaching points where none of the challenges on offer seem even remotely interesting.