The basics are just a little too basic to make the delightful presentation anything other than a distraction. [Apr 2016, p.85]

A simple, strange, and flawed game. But quite memorable at the same time. [Christmas 2018, p.83]

In between Screamride’s occasionally dull take on ’coasters and its indecision over acceptable amounts of hurt, there’s a decent game - but it’s the destruction that wins it.

Playable and expansive, but extremely familiar-feeling and technically clunky. [Christmas 2018, p.84]

It's arguably more fun to build than to play. [Apr 2016, p.90]

A big-hearted game with some rip-off DLC. [Dec 2008, p.101]

A matter of surviving endless similar rooms, and repetitive mini-bosses with too much health.

The fiddly controls, narrow field of view and slow pace make this game much more frustrating than it needs to be, but it's built on solid foundations. [Apr 2016, p.90]

We think it's too unforgiving, but try telling that to the people who've maxed out the scoreboard! [Jan 2007, p.97]

Ugly and complex, but still worth a flutter. [Nov 2011, p.110]

So beyond the handful of menu options with flashing "NEW!" logos next to them, and the potential of the Story Designer to deliver some hilarious content, Smackdown vs. RAW 2010 doesn't do a great deal to progress the series. The sweat isn't even noticeably shinier.

We can generally overlook a bit of going-through-the-motions in campaign add-ons, but not when the add-on in question mishandles the backstory of a trilogy that defined a genre. Though serviceable, RAAM's Shadow never does its own premise justice.

Not entirely welcoming, but worth exploring. [July 2011, p.101]

Looks and feels awfully tired. [Apr 2010, p.103]

A monster mash but no graveyard smash. [Nov 2008, p.101]

No frills, but not without thrills. [Apr 2008, p.96]

There's fun to be had, but the idea feels too lightweight to sustain a whole game. [Apr 2016, p.91]

The problem is the pacing of the game. Missions are too long and repetitive, which causes the drama of the dogfight mode to wear out. The problem is worse in helicopter missions, where the strategy of the dogfight mode is replaced by panic rolls when missiles are close and some rude checkpointing.

This one's already ground to a halt. [July 2011, p.103]

If you enjoyed Dead Rising 2, then you'll enjoy Dead Rising 2: Off the Record - but that's because they're identical.

About half a good map pack, Awakening offers little innovation from what's already available. [Apr 2016, p.93]

A no-frills port of an already underweight horror package. There's much other developers can learn from Slender's terror tactics, but we suspect they've got the message by now. Give the tall lad a miss.

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

It's not entirely run-of-the-mill. [Aug 2008, p.85]

For a series aimed at children, it seems to make the unusual mistake of underestimating them. Too often, combat and puzzles are reduced to doing what you're told. But if you're in love with Middle-Earth, there's enough homage to make this worthwhile.

Ultimately this anti-grav game is just too light, and could have benefited from a little extra ballast to add some weight to the decent structure that's already there. [Oct 2007, p.80]

Although it has a fresh approach to platforming, Schrödinger’s Cat is let down by a rollercoaster difficulty curve, randomly-generated repetition, and an unsettled tone.

Fun, if often frustrating, but far from the revolution we were hoping for. [July 2016, p.80]

Next-gen Sonic is awkward, dogged by awful levels and a terrible hub system, plus the basic action never gets that challenging. When you die, it’s because you couldn’t see, or you fell off by accident. It's hugely frustrating.

A fun and deserving indie game that needed a bit of adjustment for sofa-based play. [March 2017, p.86]

There's nothing here to make this anything other than an entirely missable Halloween-themed distraction. [Christmas 2013, p.111]

Everreach overreaches, struggling with a strong but overly ambitious concept. [Issue#187, p.81]

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

A varied but over-engineered shooter that's a little bit of everything and a whole lot of nothin'. [July 2016, p.84]

Way of the Samurai's freedom is also its biggest problem.

Fun for a while, but difficult, repetitive and marred by the controls. [July 2018, p.82]

The combat isn't fair, the aesthetics are grim, and at times it's uncomfortably racist and sexist. But while it's an anachronistic mess of a game, it's weirdly compulsive regardless.

Mostly fun retro beat-'em-up that can be challenging, but not so much that it's rewarding. [July 2018, p.84]

An entirely shallow addition to the fighting franchise, but it's slick and stylish nevertheless. [Dec 2013, p.87]

While New Game+ lets you restart the adventure with all of your gear and experience, there's not much variation to the storyline, and the light RPG conversations add little in the grand scheme of things. That said, if you're aching for a solid, fun co-op game, War in the North might be worth a stab.

A great concept for a game, but probably somewhat lacking in long-term appeal. [July 2018, p.90]

Most story missions rely on hefty amounts of trial and error, but getting it right doesn't even feel satisfying: it's like playing cards against someone who cheers every time you win, but refuses to teach you how to play. Everything you do is tied back to the multiplayer - a mighty clan-based system that impresses, but adds even more complexity. Armored Core V's initial ease turns out to be a token gesture. This is hardcore.

There's no doubt that there's a push towards narrative and mechanical innovation at its heart. This won't earn plaudits for what it achieves, but what it attempts is another matter - it might be destined for the bargain bucket, but it's worth picking up once it gets there.

While the game itself is never diffi cult or badly designed, it consistently contrives to point out its restrictions: neither controls nor narrative are ever slick enough that you ever feel immersed.

Not as cool as it could have been. [Mar 2010, p.115]

Hugely imaginative but slightly irritating. [Nov 2013, p.95]

It's a brilliant use of Kinect, and it's the game they should use on shopfloors to show how responsive and intuitive the kit can be. But it's also 800MP for what amounts to a single motor function in a single mini-game. Even with leaderboard appeal, it's hard to whole-heartedly recommend.

This genuinely engaging experience is soured not so much by the ropier aspects of the visuals, nor even the fact that the frame-rate plunges into the toilet from time to time, but by the writing, which plays a clear second fiddle to the mishmash of different mechanics.

How about pursuing a price drop, EA? [May 2009, p.95]

Optional extras for your home include a garden, livestock, and even a live-in bard if you're suitably masochistic, and if you manage to build in all three available holds you get an Achievement. However, despite being a very nicely made, commendably affordable bit of DLC, Hearthfire is little more than a quirky cosmetic bolt-on that doesn't add anything exciting to the game. It does give a pretty good approximation of the frustration actual homeowners feel during the building process, though.

While the AI in "SFII" can be difficult, it was never unfair. UMK3 offers no such assurance. [Christmas 2006, p.108]

Far from a masterpiece, nowhere near awful. [Nov 2013, p.95]

Salt and Sanctuary offers a notably different experience from the Souls games anyway, simply because it’s presented side-on, but here in 2019, it faces some seriously tough competition in that space. Compared to Dead Cells, its combat feels positively sluggish, and its map can’t hold a gloomy candle to the exploratory delights of Hollow Knight.

For all its radial menus and console-friendly UI, Spellbound simply hasn't managed to make Gothic work in a console environment. [Issue#66, p.85]

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]

On a hand-held, you'd think "well done chaps, this is a good boiled-down version which keeps the core of the game intact". But on a console, and so soon after Black Flag, it feels like an over-long chunk of watery DLC.

Typically entertaining multiplayer gameplay let down by single-player campaign riddled with indecisive AI and unfunny narration. [Aug 2014, p.85]

F1 2014 delivers on the racing, but its lack of new features suggests a stagnancy in the series. We're eager to see what 2015 delivers, and if things get booted back into gear.

An old-fashioned RPG, solid but unexciting. [July 2009, p.92]

Too short to be worthwhile. [Aug 2011, p.97]

Fun, but far too easily mastered. [Jan 2013, p.97]

A quintessentially average 'alright for a one-night stand but don't even think of proposing' game that your Xbox 360 has had the pleasure of experiencing at least a couple of hundred times before.

A short, funky old-school nostalgia trip that fails to fulfil its potential.

The Vision Camera Game Face technology is well-implemented. [Christmas 2006, p.106]

There's no online play, use of the camera is minimal, the only things you unlock are extra difficulty levels for the mini-games that already exist, and it just feels a little bare. Maybe wait until it drops to the £15 mark, then by all means give it a whirl.

Only ever as hard as you are daft. [Dec 2015, p.86]

Although this simple brawler has some intriguing multiplayer ideas, the solo game's repetitive and the Crusade metagame is hard to invest in. [Dec 2013, p.87]

Poorly conceived structures supporting too little new content mean this is, sadly, a great waste. [Feb 2015, p.86]

Perfectly competent retro adventure that's missing a certain modern spark. [Sept 2018, p.76]

In comparison with even the base Destiny 2 – let alone that game expanded by all its excellent DLC – Anthem feels not so much unfinished as barely started. It contains some good ideas which it fails to develop, and some of its basic pillars, such as the insistence on fourplayer co-op, somehow convey the impression of being tacked on rather than fundamental. And even with the huge early patch, it’s still glitchy – we had to play three quarters of a 45-minute Stronghold without sound, for example, which was disconcerting.

The world of Defiance is singularly, spectacularly ugly. We appreciate that Earth's been terraformed beyond recognition - but who set the terraformers to "blurry; terrible water effects; mostly brown"?

This gives you the thrills of playing poker with real money, without the hassle of winning real money back. Ah, microtransactions. [Dec 2013, p.91]

It's made more entertaining thanks to Portal soundbites. [Aug 2015, p.87]

A clever idea marred by a dull, dull world. [Nov 2008, p.72]

Even at a handful of minutes, the levels seem over-long. [Dec 2013, p.91]

A promising follow-up to C&P let down by its insistence on badly designed set-pieces. [Aug 2016, p.78]

Ride only really comes alive when you're the only person on the tarmac. [Aug 2015, p.93]

A faded Arkham Asylum facsimile. [Oct 2011, p.103]

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

An ambitious but watered-down racing experience that rarely satisfies. [Sept 2018, p.92]

Not very welcoming but presented well. [Sept 2011, p.101]

Not enough going on up there. [Sept 2011, p.102]

A fine idea, paradoxically lacking in execution. [Aug 2015, p.97]

Uncompromising and dedicated to the art of driving. This one's only for genre fans. [Nov 2016, p.81]

Compellingly creepy and narratively stimulating, but poorly served by its puzzles. [April 2017, p.84]

Fun in furious bursts, Ubisoft's scrapper is simply too one-note to honour its potential. [April 2017, p.86]

Classic IQ test with an animated overhaul. [March 2013, p.89]

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]

Fine combat, badly balanced. [Dec 2012, p.103]

It's certainly a riot of a shooter that encourages you to get out there and blast away rather than cry behind cover, but it's lasting appeal is diminished by a lack of depth and some flimsy level design.

With a bit of fine-tuning, Powerslide could be a championship contender. As it stands, it's still a few tweaks away from being truly race-ready.

Another failed idea is the ability to pick up items littering the different districts and use them as weapons. [June 2007, p.93]

A unique but flawed puzzle game set in a world that is never less than engaging.

For match-three nutters only. [Jan 2010, p.115]

Bright and fun, but feels a bit 'budget'.

A lighter experience than perhaps the developer intended - which is a bit of a shame.

From then on you’re bashing various robots, giant lizards and zooming through the streets of Metropolis – the flying is easily the most fun element – trying to keep the city’s health up by rescuing injured civilians (which is hugely boring), while cutscenes tell you what Lex Luthor’s doing somewhere else in the city.

A distinctly Japanese take on an irrevocably inscrutable cultural milestone, grab it from your nearest bargain bin for those sniggersome one-liners alone. [Issue#67, p.101]