Astroneer is both gentle and brutal, and which you see more of depends on your own play style. Occasionally, though, you might wish it just had picked a side.

A decent but forgettable kart racer that’s lacking the variety of All-Stars Racing. [Issue#179, p.83]

Solid proof that roguelikes can be accessible without sacrificing the genre’s spark. [Issue#186, p.77]

The studio shows a clear love for the source material and a devotion to creating the most faithful adaptation, however the experience is marred by too many poorly executed parts. Ardent fans will, of course, be able to overlook the game’s disappointments to appreciate the story and combat – this is the most impressive way to experience the DBZ saga, after all. As an action game, this would be fine, but as an RPG it hasn’t quite scratched that itch just yet. [Issue#187, p.77]

A Diablo clone that still has plenty of its own character, and is great in couch co-op. [Issue#179, p.78]

Not the biggest Destiny expansion, but certainly one of the most confident and classy. [Dec 2016, p.72]

Sure, the levels are all much of a muchness, and despite the variety of game modes, it can get samey. But the persistent online game - a fight for Dark Matter between Paladins (humans) and Valiants (aliens) - adds long-term appeal, and once you've mastered its quirks, it's an absolute blast in small doses.

Earthworm Jim HD is a brilliant example of how games should be remade and remixed on XBLA.

A refreshing change, if not very thrilling. [Dec 2007, p.102]

Hard to put down – but even harder to pick up, thanks to inscrutable controls. [Issue#181, p.83]

Good ideas are drowned out by a confusing story and frustrating controls. [Sept 2017, p.72]

I'd go as far as to say that Killer Instinct is my favourite launch title for Xbox One. With a little more content, it could seriously have been a killer app for the system. It might be only half a game so far, but what an excellent half that is.

A scrum-ptious morsel for Rugby nuts. [Oct 2011, p.100]

Small Arms is pretty blatant about copying the gameplay of Nintendo's "Smash Bros," but it's exactly the kind of frantic action suited for online play. [Jan 2007, p.97]

This isn't just another franchise game: it's the closest thing that you'll ever get to a sequel to the movies. It's not the cleverest game ever made, but there's certainly enough excitement, intrigue and massive explosions to keep you interested. [Oct 2008, p.74]

There's hidden depth beyond the ugly exterior. [Nov 2014, p.87]

Wickedly funny and not afraid to make you work, Yooka-Laylee is diabolically fun. [June 2017, p.69]

A classic game spoiled by the controls. [July 2009, p.96]

Sure to keep you entertained for hours. [July 2009, p.96]

An explosive Zumba party fitness outburst. [June 2012, p.93]

It's ferociously good fun, however, and the presence of four campaigns from the original Left 4 Dead amply justifies the skeletal 560 MP asking price - less than half what you'd pay for five Modern Warfare 3 maps.

Tries to juggle too many balls at once, ends up dropping most of them and hoping you won't notice. [Dec 2014, p.83]

It's all a bit on the Mickey Mouse side. [Christmas 2011, p.107]

Surprisingly addictive movie trivia quiz.

A sprawling ramshackle mishmash of a game that somehow works. [Issue#177, p.82]

Dante's Inferno has a unique style, is a cracking journey and you're likely to feel slightly rocked by the end. It's not quite divine, but it's an experience you're sure to enjoy.

It looks great and plays amazingly.

If you want your Christmas to be characterised by tears of laughter, this is an essential purchase.

Never has picking up rubbish felt so good. [Jan 2008, p.92]

Despite the largely one-note action, noticeably low budget, as well as the lack of imagination on show, there’s at least a scrappy charm displayed here that makes this zombie romp just about worthwhile. If you have a few Xbox Live chums who have an undead-annihilating itch to scratch, you could do worse than waging this brain-biting battle [Issue#178, p.78]

A spin-off that unfortunately fails to scratch that irritating Saints Row itch. [Nov 2017, p.85]

If we have one complaint, it's the fact you have to waggle the thumbstick for a few seconds to blow up the thing you're occupying. You're not using B or Y, guys. But otherwise this is an intelligent and modestly-priced puzzler that'll lovingly abduct an evening from your life.

The single-player mode offers some spectacular boss battles, but pads out the experience with long-winded slogs against disposable drones. Without humans to fight, the relative rigidity of combat is exposed, though Platinum could never make hitting something anything less than satisfying. Anarchy Reigns is a brash, scrappy runt in a litter of spectacular action games, but in making online brawling just about work it still offers something of its own.

A delightful, violent sandbox occasionally hobbled by so-so missions. [Sept 2018, p.84]

Inoffensive, intelligent and beautifully presented, Mini Ninjas is a refreshing reminder that good game design isn't the preserve of games with guns and swears in. Take advantage of IO's altered state while you can.

A smart, bloodthirsty blend of ideas from MOBAs, action games and the RTS, with intense yet rewarding multiplayer. Beware the microtransactions, though.

How does it manage to be over too soon and still find time to recycle levels? It has to be witchcraft. [Apr 2016, p.92]

HAWX is an enormously exciting shooter, and manages to take modern combat, strip away the technical side favoured by the Ace Combat series, and create a game that's inspired more by the myth of fighter pilots than the reality. And as any three-headed fire-breathing griffin will tell you, the myth is far more entertaining. [Mike Channel]

Don't be fooled by the identikit visuals: Crimson Alliance is frantic, fresh, and utterly brilliant.

What this post-apocalyptic drive lacks in originality, it makes up for in execution and the ability to shoot harpoons into people. What a lovely game.

There are still a few cracks, but this still rocks. [Nov 2011, p.101]

A no-nonsense shooter that combines brutal violence and utter pandemonium with clever and varied mission objectives. [May 2006, p.74]

The strongest episode of this patchy series to date. [Oct 2015, p.82]

There are countless days of single- and multiplayer amusement to be had, ensuring that you'll be kept suitably entertained until the next FIFA installment rolls off the EA conveyor belt...which will no doubt be in a few months' time. [Apr 2007, p.86]

Doesn't reinvent the zombie-killing wheel, but it's the most polished Dead Rising yet. [Feb 2017, p.74]

A high-speed change of pace. [Aug 2012, p.117]

A strong compilation. [Apr 2015, p.88]

A solid FPS that delivers on the shooting, but fails to provide much else worth doing. [Issue#179, p.75]

Unique, stylish and addictive.

Ultimately, if you can put up with the fact that it's aesthetically rough around the edges, you're unlikely to find a more viscerally rewarding racing experience than RACE Pro. [Feb 2009, p.78]

Annoying rather than quirky and appealing. [Apr 2008, p.99]

Surprisingly polished for a movie tie-in, this is a fun puzzle adventure let down by a dull hack-n-slash ending. [April 2006, p.87]

This slight offering started life as a mobile game, and it shows. [Dec 2015, p.87]

The best LEGO game for a while, perfectly pitched for couch co-op family fun. [Christmas 2018, p.93]

The smoothest, best looking and prettiest Hawk game of the lot. It really has been tweaked to perfection. It's going to be impossible to improve on this one next year. [Dec 2007, p.84]

Plenty of options, game modes and good fun. [Feb 2008, p.102]

An HD re-relase of a beloved series. It's a pity that it hasn't received the remaster treatment. [Nov 2018, p.78]

A surprise - a likeable and entertaining family game that throws up the occasional tough challenge. [Sept 2011, p.102]

There's little that pushes it beyond Guardian of Light, while the co-op is feeble and plagued with technical issues. [Feb 2015, p.78]

An arcade-style 2D platformer that is as fun as it is frustrating – boasts a quirky premise, a pleasingly chaotic style of gameplay, and an array of imaginative death-traps.

The on-track action can be exhilarating, but the career is too functional to impress. MotoGP 13 goes just as far as it has to, but never becomes truly essential.

The sequel adds considerable depth to the original's plus points, without turning it into a serious economic simulation of trying to work out how to get the right amount of Snickers bars to feed your hungry mercenaries.

If you're a survival horror fan, and miss a time in gaming when a zombie bite was the scariest thing in the world, then you'll find a lot to suffer through here. In a good way.

A brave, harrowing exploration of a troubled psyche which proves very powerful indeed. [Issue#180, p.83]

With a bit of selective breeding Massive Chalice could be a marvel - as it stands, it’s a charmingly weird, if slightly too slim, take on the XCOM formula.

Truly climactic entertainment.

This game is at definitely its larger-than-life best with two players, but doesn't have the longevity to make it an essential purchase.

Ultimately, the game lacks any real impact, feeling a bit like a gutted "Rogue Leader," but from moment to moment you'll find yourself having a great time. [Oct 2007, p.92]

Pretty, but flaws stop it touching the stars. [June 2009, p.86]

ProStreet takes the series to an ambiguous halfway point between Forza and Need for Speed. [Christmas 2007, p.76]

A great little fighter though a bit repetitive. [Aug 2008, p.78]

An eccentric but highly enjoyable platformer. [Christmas 2012, p.97]

Crap combat aside, this great open-world game finally builds on Mirror's Edge's potential. [Aug 2016, p.73]

Ancestors contains all manner of intellectual joys – whenever you launch an evolution, for example, your efforts are rated against what science projected – and while it might not feel like much of a game at first, it certainly does when you fathom out how to approach it. As long as you aren’t afraid of games that make you work hard before yielding their rewards, you’ll find that Ancestors comes closer to letting you play god, while still entertaining you, than any game we’ve ever come across previously. How’s that for vaulting ambition? [Issue#186, p.72]

Far from being the ultimate edition of the game, we end up with another case of nominative determinism. State of Decay, sadly, is a mess. It’s a mess with good intentions, perhaps, but the result is the equivalent of a wooden barricade infested with dry rot – it seems like it should hold up just fine, but ends up crumbling under the slightest pressure.

Iffy submission system aside, this is the smoothest and most authentic WWE game to date. [Christmas 2015, p.74]

A race against time with a whole lot of charm. [Christmas 2012, p.93]

Perfectly priced, and long enough to leave you satisfied but with room for dessert, this is a fantastic family-friendly puzzler that deserves a place on every Xbox One.

Popcorn shooter that's fun but unoriginal. [Oct 2009, p.88]

Impossible to play without laughing. [Christmas 2009, p.105]

Glosses over the changes and additions made in Black Flag, but it's more than deserving of recognition. The skill and attention to detail make this hugely accomplished, if flawed. It's a return to Brotherhood - but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Type-0 is a modern Final Fantasy, with all the good and bad that entails. However, it's also a pretty good JRPG, on a system where they're not exactly bursting at the seams.

Absolutely standard seasonal update. [Apr 2011, p.95]

A budget stealth romp that'll please the old-school crowd and frustrate everyone else. [May 2017, p.80]

Control is tight and the levels are enjoyable, but even with leaderboards it doesn't draw you for multiple playthroughs. [July 2010, p.105]

All in all, it’s a fun throwback, hugely disposable and with a shelf life about as long as people are still talking about Stranger Things. Still, don’t let that stop you from enjoying it. [Issue#181, p.81]

Where Rocksmith 2014 triumphs is in teaching through engaging challenges rather than through rote learning. [Jan 2015, p.89]

The interesting power mechanic and the return to fun, exaggerated rock and metal aesthetics are there to be enjoyed, but this is a series in dire need of a reboot.

Obsidian does try new things out and the Onyx engine looks great, despite a slightly claustrophobic camera. But the actual game is... well, it's either dated or classique, depending on your willingness to use words like classique. Dungeon Siege III comes with a moderate recommendation - but you'll have a lot more fun discussing strategies with a friend.

It looks great, it's easy to play and there are plenty of game modes to get through. But the loose and clumsy gameplay still has some way to go before it can match the ongoing king of football games, "Pro Evo."

Patchily enjoyable but the novelty of a return to the slopes soon wears off. [Feb 2017, p.78]

Short and sweet but still satisfying. [Jan 2010, p.115]

Sonic returns to his back-to-basics best.

Eurocom's recycled but robust offering might have been worth it if Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 weren't stealing the limelight this Christmas. Golden Eye Reloaded is fun, but fails to square up to the FPS big boys.

It's Hexic. But, y'know, again. And better. [Oct 2007, p.98]

Escher meets Braid in a puzzle game that's weird but not weird enough. Its imaginative environments and beautiful soundtrack do mean it's worth taking a trip to this beguiling dreamworld.

A truly beautiful setting undone by balance issues. Fingers crossed for future fixes. [Nov 2018, p.91]

A genuine classic that's worth another look. [Feb 2010, p.104]