F1 2010 is a brilliant recreation of the sport, but as a complete package it can't quite top the dizzy heights achieved by DiRT 2. [Oct 2010, p.96]

Its flaws and fun come fro the same tangled history, but the latter easily wins the day. [Feb 2017, p.81]

Battlefield action polished until sparkling.

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.

Fantastic co-op mayhem, but complicated recipes sour the taste slightly. [October 2018, p.80]

Simple, elegant and hopelessly addictive. [Feb 2008, p.103]

The best DLC for Fallout 3 so far. [Sept 2009, p.84]

For pure boxing realism, Fight Night Round 3 takes the crown. The way you can bust out little jabs and finish off with a crunching uppercut, or bat away a badly timed hook and follow through with a breath-stealing gut-punch is spot on. [April 2006, p.78]

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

Those who've already purchased the DLC might look at that £40 price tag with concern, but - make sure you're seated - we reckon its quality, not quantity that matters most here. And ODST has bundles of in both it's superb single-player and sublime online modes.

A stunning mix of crime caper and children's cartoon elevates this simple platformer. [Aug 2018, p.80]

You play "Forza" for the modding, community stuff and realism; you can play Colin because it's a bloody good, old-fashioned arcade rally game. [July 2007, p.96]

Resident Evil 5 has to unfortunately go down as one of the biggest gaming disappointments in recent memory, simply because it's merely great rather than unbelievable. It lags behind 2008's better games in each and every facet it seeks to excel in - Dead Space is scarier, Left 4 Dead is a superior co-op experience and Gears 2 is still the best third-person, cover-based shooter money can buy.

A fantastically substantial fighting game. If Marvel vs Capcom 3 was too wacky for your tastes, this sits comfortably between it and Street Fighter IV on the lunacy spectrum. The tag mechanic is brilliantly robust, there are loads of new moves to master and the Tekken characters slot in more comfortably than a bum in a favourite armchair. Welcome to your new favourite fighting game.

As a multiplayer game, Black Ops 2 is one of the best shooters around - sprawling and sagging under the weight of interesting systems. Offline, however, it's merely adequate. Despite some commendable ambition, Black Ops 2 isn't quite the match-stealing assault on Infinity Ward's turf we hoped it would be.

Vibrant and vivacious violence. [June 2013, p.91]

Sine Mora is a brilliant shooter that doesn't burst immediately into life. But once you pick up the ways in which it tests you, dicks you around, and emasculates you, it'll be one of the best abusive relationships you've ever been in.

It's this balance between arcade and sim racing - two apparently conflicting styles - that gives Shift its edge. While it doesn't quite hit the heights of Project Gotham Racing 4 or even RACE Pro, it's a huge leap forward for a series that had definitely lost its way. We're feeling the need for speed all over again.

Some of the most inventive use of Soulsian systems we've seen yet. [Dec 2014, p.91]

It plays brilliantly and is astonishingly easy to get into...For outrageousness and pure entertainment value, Crackdown is the most fun sandbox game to date...It's all-out action. Crackdown is an absolute riot. [Feb 2007, p.8]

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

It's online that Madden 09 really comes into its own. [Oct 2008, p.88]

Excellent tutorial for beginners. [Sept 2013, p.89]

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

The best bit of Fallout DLC so far.

Still strong, but starting to show its age. [Dec 2012, p.103]

A solid pair of adventures, lovingly remastered, with excellent extras. [Issue#194, p.74]

The big word this year is 'depth', and with 217 new and classic teams (yes, we counted), tons of new gameplay features and both an in-depth Franchise Mode and an all-new Superstar Mode, there's plenty here to keep fans happy until 08 inevitably rears its helmet-wearing head. [Oct 2006, p.74]

A tasty slice of puzzling action

But these disappointments are dwarfed by the game's vast imagination, ambitious scope, entertaining combat, boss battles, Titan battles, puzzles and power-ups. Lords of Shadow is an epic and slightly unexpected triumph.

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.

Bluepoint Game kicks anxiety to the curb with a smart, efficient port, that's fundamentally the same as Titanfall on Xbox One. If you can't afford a new console, save your pocket money for this.

Narrowing its scope may make purists moan, but we've never played a more enjoyable Deus Ex. [Oct 2016, p.91]

Knock off a point if you're planning on playing solo, but get a few friends together and you'll be in for one hell of a Knight. Sorry.

Great to look at and the new mazes rock. [Aug 2007, p.103]

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 doesn't offer quite enough over its predecessor to warrant any sort of classic status, but it's unquestionably another masterful piece of work from a team who have been doing this sort of thing forever.

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.

If you never played RAGE, buy it. Then buy this. Play it, love it, and when the "Insert Disc 2" prompt pops up, simply walk away, smiling.

It hits choppy waters at times but this is ultimately an extraordinary undersea tale. [Feb 2017, p.84]

A must buy then, but only if the price is right.

Superhot is an effortlessly cool, highly original take on the fist-person shooter genre. [July 2016, p.79]

A great action-RPG - a few slight tweaks to the formula could see it become utterly essential. [Nov 2017, p.78]

A carnival of grotesque and gothic fancies makes up for the finicky platforming. [July 2017, p.87]

The thinking man's dispute-settler. [Nov 2007, p.107]

Alan Wake is a strange beast - a great story, told clumsily and strewn with odd characters saying vaguely unbelievable things in an earnest way that might or might not be a joke. However, as baffling as it can be, it really does hold its own, keeping you nervous, excited and rolling your eyes indulgently so regularly that it simply won't occur to you to stop playing.

Dust will see you past ten hours easily, and may last you past 15 if you're serious about completing all the fetch quests and finding all the hidden goodies. It doesn't quite have the repertoire to justify the second figure, to my mind, but the 1200 MP outlay shouldn't give you pause. This is a labour of love for a bygone era that will be remembered just as fondly.

The story never lets you settle – it never guarantees the safety of Amicia or Hugo – and, even as some of the mechanics grow a little stale, that keeps A Plague Tale feeling breathless across its 12-hour runtime. [Issue#178, p.88]

A beautiful, summery game with furiously fun puzzles that adults and kids will love. [July 2018, p.88]

A comprehensive off-field package that also delivers on its perfectly manicured turf. [Dec 2018, p.78]

Perfectly pitched pink platforming. [Sept 2011, p.98]

Not a revolutionary sequel, but that hardly matters with skating this superb. [July 2016, p.78]

A memorable, emotional journey you won't want to miss that looks very attractive. [July 2018, p.74]

Strong, satisfying melee combat and smart levels make for a great sequel. Best with friends. [October 2018, p.92]

Completely towers over the rest. [Dec 2009, p.107]

One of the best and most disturbing horror stories you'll play on Xbox One. [Issue#160, p.86]

Bloody, beautiful and still brilliant almost a decade later. [Nov 2015, p.67]

It's amazingly easy to play, user-friendly, good fun and looks great throughout, but you may still find yourself completing it in a couple of sittings... A classy game that's a joy from start to finish. [Apr 2006, p.54]

Ubisoft has taken a huge gamble by not making wholesale changes to Rainbow Six Vegas 2, but it's come up smelling liike roses. It's still one of the very best-value, high-quality FPS packages available on the 360. [Apr 2008, p.72]

The only regret is that it's so approachable as to make it less effective as a dancing tutor: the ability to muddle through moves and still succeed, and the lack of a hardcore boot camp that shows what you actually look like, means Jacko-esque proficiency isn't guaranteed.

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.

Strange, brilliantly original and almost impossible to stop playing until you've solved the puzzle. [June 2017, p.80]

4J has turned in an accomplished port, boasting crisp, high-resolution visuals and a reorganised inventory...In terms of console sims, nothing touches it. Minecraft's world is one that everybody should experience.

On top of its game - this is the one to get. [Christmas 2009, p.92]

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

A natural extension that caters for nerve-wracking thrills with lots to see and collect. A must-play.

So, that's it. The wordiest way ever of saying "if you like the TV show, you'll like this game". I'm sorry to have taken up your time.

Feature bloat strips this of its purity, and in parts it's unwieldy and unsatisfying. But find a challenge that sparks your imagination, and you'll become surgically attached to the controller. [Feb 2015, p.75]

Despite choppy performance issues, this magic puzzler is still a prize catch. [July 2017, p.76]

A clever cross between life sim and silly little collecting game with a lot of fun online party action thrown in, Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise will appeal to a hell of a lot of people, thanks to its superbly created and welcoming open world.

Xbox's underrated sports sim delivers again - digitised hockey has never been better. [Dec 2018, p.83]

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

Throwing accessibility out of the window like a misjudged motorway Ginsters, Shift 2 is an unashamedly stoic love-letter to hardcore driving fans. For casual fans of the genre, though, it's the kind of correspondence that leads to restraining orders.

Iron Brigade is great on its own - not a perfectly balanced strategy game, but it's great fun finding out what works. With the flesh-filling and reasonably-priced downloadable content, it's an easy recommend.

A seriously accomplished looter shooter, with plenty to do on day one.

As a tech demo of Xbox 360's power and a showcase of how fast, skilful and enjoyable simple online battling can be when it's taken back to basics, there's nothing better around right now.

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

Borderlands 3 may not be clever, but it is very big – and above all else, the source of a vast well of over-the-top shooting fun and mayhem. Be thankful that Gearbox refused to reinvent the franchise just for the sake of it. [Issue#183, p.73]

Resurrection makes a compelling case for a proper sequel.

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]

Ultimately the game proves how powerful a storytelling medium gaming has become. Like the best cinema, the feeling of being privy to this dark world lingers long past putting down the controller. Its memory festers inside you - of a deeply disturbing experience, and an unforgettable one at that.

After a fairly subdued second episode, In Harm's Way cranks things up a notch and then some. This is tense, unforgiving and utterly brutal stuff - Telltale at its finest and a breathless reminder of what makes this series so brilliant and unique.

Dark, bold and satisfying. Like all the best sins, Blasphemous is bloody good fun. [Issue#183, p.83]

As good as we were expecting and hoping, it delivers on its promise to make an 'always on' Xbox Live race world, plus the car handling, sheer size of its island and the way you're left to make your own fun in your own way makes it a breath of pine-scented air in this world full of bland race games. [Oct 2006, p.108]

The game's brilliance is distilled in those heroic moments where you shunt the person in first, whip past and then execute a perfect drift between two mines on the final corner of the final lap. This is the Xbox 360's slick, stylish answer to Mario Kart and we absolutely love it.

FIFA is always at its best when the pitch is tilted in the attacking side's favour, and this year's is a peach. It's not the 'true' next-gen FIFA we've been waiting for, but it's as dynamic and thrilling as any entry in the series thus far.

With wit and spot-on style, this is nearly one of Teltale's best, but prioritising action over dialogue means it falls just short of the story-led brilliance we're used to. [Jan 2015, p.83]

The pack feels both more adventurous and more complete - a differently styled distillation of the things Skyrim does best which should last you well into Christmas.

Still brilliant, even by today's standards. [Dec 2006, p.99]

Konami’s gradual return to form takes another welcome stride forwards. [Issue#183, p.85]

Who knew agony could be so much fun? [Dec 2008, p.100]

Murderous and mad, this is one of the silliest, most immersive open worlds on Xbox. [June 2018, p.73]

A gripping, well-told horror story held back by occasionally awkward handling.

Hitman: Blood Money is a unique and hugely enjoyable experience. Sure, it's violently amoral and the controls aren't fantastic, but what really makes it is a palpable sense of freedom.

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.

Gloriously imaginative and heaps of fun. [Nov 2008, p.100]

Still the best footballing gameplay out there, shame about the licenses. [Dec 2018, p.86]

There's plenty to be getting excited about, despite a slight lack of originality and visual finesse. Make no mistake, Dark Athena is first class stealth/action game with a double dose of top-notch entertainment that competently unites elements of "Mirror's Edge" and the "Splinter Cell" series. [Mar 2009, p.84]

The reason it works is it's so damn accessible.