A fantastical, forward-thinking fighter. [June 2012, p.102]

A wonderfully emotional return, but struggles with some poorly written characters. [March 2018, p.76]

Metro: Last Light is one big dose of more-of-the-same. It has the same mid-2000's flavour, and pulls it off once again by offering a varied set of locations and missions. It has no aspirations above being a linear FPS, and if you're OK with that, it's a treat. If you find your arse being handed to you, though - consider sticking to the darkness.

Equal parts fun and frustrating. [June 2012, p.103]

A stylish shooter that subverts and surprises at every turn. A little glitchy, though. [Issue#182, p.79]

A Rare collection without GoldenEye is like the Louvre without the Mona Lisa, true, but it gives us room to appreciate the Raphaels, Michelangelos and, er, just pick this up, okay? [Oct 2015, p.77]

Stylish, explosive, and funny. The destruction is awesome fun, but dull missions ruin the overall experience. [Nov 2006, p.76]

A substantial chunk of adventure with plenty of variety in its gameplay...feels like a properly modern reimagining of the influential '80s series. [Oct 2015, p.80]

For ten hours, longer than many entire games, RAGE feels massive, open and beautiful. It's crushing to discover that it's all smoke and mirrors, but while the illusion lasts, it's brilliant.

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

A beautiful game, if just a bit too simple. [Sept 2010, p.92]

Landfall holds up particularly well when you're contesting objectives, as the layout is relatively easy to read and form strategies around, without feeling unbalanced.

Time powers are a fun step forward, but pacing issues keep the story firmly in the past. [May 2016, p.73]

It's currently missing much of the content that will make it great - online multiplayer, and user-created tracks. But an Xbox One Trials fills a crucial gap in the next-gen lineup.

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

Smart, thoroughly fun and just a little ugly. [Sept 2010, p.100]

So PES steps on FIFA's toes in a massive move forward but in doing so has opened itself up to criticism it could previously dodge thanks to a different take on the game. But for PES to be able step on FIFA's toes yet again after a lengthy drop in form is a big achievement, and one that should please fans and newcomers alike.

The true paradox of Final Fantasy isn't a temporal one. It's how it can conjure a feeling that's a combination of love, hate, derision and awe. XIII-2 gets less love than XIII. And the simplification dampens the open awe of previous games. But it's still the dominant feeling. And the fact I finished the game with only a quarter of the collectible fragments and very little idea of where to find them? Well, I just can't wait for the FAQs to start coming out.

A tasty morsel that won't hurt your wallet. [Feb 2011, p.102]

Our main gripe with BMEII? The battles aren't big enough. Though the unit sizes have been increased from the previous PC version, they're still pitifully small. [Aug 2006, p.8]

All Dontnod needs to do now is stick the landing. [Oct 2015, p.83]

While GRID's a nice game, it's ultimately a new selection of cars and tracks for Colin McRae DiRT. You might want to bear that in mind when it comes to buying it.

Whilst missing some of the violent intensity of the opening episode, Smoke and Mirrors keeps things interesting with a deepening mystery and plenty of nice character beats.

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

A tasty slice of puzzling action

Rare's best game in years is quite obviously intended for a younger audience, one that will almost certainly love every minute of it.

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

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.

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]

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

Under the cheery looks is a surprisingly gripping shooter; one that, second time round, offers a healthier spread of modes and an addictive breadcrumb trail of hero progression.

A generous, rewarding shooter with some of the best multiplayer gunplay on Xbox. [May 2016, p.80]

A cool, stylish vamp that, if you can allow for its imperfections, definitely has bite. [Issue#183, p.81]

Superb tennis sim, but where's Wimbledon? [July 2008, p.85]

Not quite trials, but this challenging arcade racer has something for just about everyone. [May 2016, p.84]

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

Better still is the four-player competitive multiplayer - it's exactly what was missing from the Dead Rising experience. A gory, obscene gameshow which revels in the whimsical and moral dilemma-free dismemberment of the formerly living.

Fresh paint for this XBLA favourite is sufficient excuse to enjoy it all over again. [May 2016, p.85]

Very difficult to get past the button-bashing stage, but persistence pays dividends. [Sept 2017, p.68]

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]

Short and sweet, a throwback to the old days when you can pick up a game, play it and engage in some brainless, mindless fun. As a videogame, it has its flaws but as an example of big, dumb fun, you won't find any game that does it better. [Oct 2007, p.74]

MotoGP 08, like Casey Stoner's Ducati, isn't quite as staggeringly fast as last year's model, but it's still a great bike racer. It also lacks some of the shine and party atmosphere that the fantastic THQ MotoGP series had.

Creature In The Well is a hectic joy to play, and the unlikely genre fusion works astonishingly well. Maybe someone should try that ice cream burger after all. [Issue#183, p.79]

Not quite the epic journey into the unknown we were hoping for, mostly thanks to poor writing and a reliance on XP farming, but a treasure trove of single and multiplayer adventures nonetheless.

A kracking kollection of new kontent for a fine fighting game. Kommendable! [May 2016, p.88]

Pac-Man made better. [Feb 2011, p.103]

A smartly turned-out squad-based cover shooter, not to mention an authentic-feeling and authentic-looking period piece, The Bureau might not be as good as Enemy Unknown, but it certainly has a style and a charm of its own. The years of development hell have been worth it.

Still struggles with technical problems, but the gameplay is tight, tense and tactical. [Dec 2018, p.80]

A purer, tougher survival game for the core. [Feb 2014, p.95]

This is very much a single-player pick, and the game Terminator wishes it could be.

A short and sweet space adventure – just don’t stick around after the credits roll. [Issue#181, p.88]

It's difficult to describe a game with so many choices and different paths, but making them all feel meaningful is what Dragon's Age excels at. Complex it may be, but it's more focused than Fable II, better in combat than Mass Effect, and richer than The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. If you've got the patience, it's a cracker.

The best band tie-in to date. [June 2009, p.79]

Surprisingly slick with excellent online play.

It’s the perfect fan service addition to the Ghostbusters canon, and regardless of the all-female reboot or upcoming Ghostbusters 2020, this still stands up as that ‘third film’. The fact that it’s also a very good game frankly makes our toaster dance. [Issue#184, p.82]

It's a blood-soaked love letter to the original series but hauls everything else up to date, making it a tasty treat for newcomers and a nine-course medieval banquet for fans.

Superbly tactile, and with that track generator this is the sign of a racer done right. [Sept 2017, p.76]

It’s a familiar template that The Outer Worlds builds itself around, but the depth and wit within its universe invites you ever-deeper. There’s social commentary and late-stage capitalism gallows humour all over the place, but it’s the richness of its imagined future that really holds the attention. [Issue#184, p.84]

Old-school Sega fans will be in heaven. [Apr 2009, p.91]

Haunting, amazing, but not for everybody.

Fast-paced murderous squash, with a surprising amount of depth and funky beats. [Issue#181, p.87]

An endearing shooter that builds on strong roots to excellent and often hilarious effect. [Issue#184, p.70]

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

Lost Odyssey's heritage is enough to make it great. [Apr 2008, p.92]

On occasion, what no doubt seemed like a crazy-cool idea down the pub just didn't work well in practice (spirit death-defying in particular) and fun has taken the edge off challenge, but you'd have to be an extremist alien sympathiser not to thoroughly enjoy Prey from the moment it sucks you into its viscera to the moment it squeezes you out again.

It'd suit the adversarial nature of this review if I came out of DW8 feeling as stubbornly indifferent as I have the last few games. But annoyingly, this is the first time Dynasty Warriors has made me want to play on.

Trine’s brand of puzzle platforming returns to form in this colourful yet challenging sequel. [Issue#184, p.87]

The facts remain - there's nothing quite like this on the Xbox 360 and the series is wildly popular for a very good reason.

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

Explodes your preconceptions. [Feb 2012, p.101]

Not quite the GOAT, perhaps, but definitely very entertaining in multiplayer. [Issue#181, p.77]

Vigilante 8: Arcade is a glorious throwback to a simpler age in gaming, one that older gamers can appreciate and younger gamers can discover. It will only be as fun for as long as the Live community is there to support it but it's damn fun, so jump on while it lasts.

It's a turbo-powered drifty racer with a loveably fractured premise and a world that's full of challenges and stunts. It's better than it has any right to be.

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

The repetitive action might be reminiscent of the original games, but it's still repetition, and ultimately that causes things to drag. Fortunately just like Max himself it's also difficult to dislike - the plot isn't something you'll be able to leave alone for long, bullet time still has the capacity to thrill and the multiplayer provides the variety and unpredictability required for genuine longevity.

A tasty multiplayer morsel that tests eye-to-mouth as well as hand-to-eye co-ordination. [Oct 2016, p.96]

A commendably well crafted re-release that doesn't rest on its laurels. [Sept 2015, p.96]

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

That Grid 2 remains so enjoyable despite its reserved approach is to the credit of its formula. It's slick, sexy and hugely accomplished, but without any revolutionary additions or changes that elevate it above what the series did before.

An entertaining, exciting game that looks simply stunning. It really does the genre, and the Xbox 360, justice. And you can't get a higher recommendation than that. [Dec 2007, p.88]

Madden's most impressive showing since the original Xbox days. Now lessons need to be learned from the best sports management sims to lend Connected Careers true longevity. [Nov 2014, p.84]

A clever and compelling multiplayer offering that transplants the meticulous planning of classic Rainbow Six into a modern shooter - but concerns about its long-term prospects persist. [Feb 2016, p.75]

A game that manages to wrestle some originality out of the point 'n' click genre - with only limited structural problems - while making us laugh in the process, this is an all-too-rare pleasure. [Nov 2014, p.84]

Plenty of fun for seven quid. [Jan 2010, p.114]

Monolith might not have the basics quite down, but the Nemesis system is the year's most original game mechanic, and makes for a game that feels - and reacts to your play - unlike any of its peers.

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

Missteps will infuriate those obsessed with consistency, but underneath the messy bits there's something deep, fascinating and exciting. Dull bug-bashers won't abide the rough edges, but they'll be missing out on one of this year's best RPGs. Put up with the shortcomings, and the rest is superb.

While there isn't quite the same level of incidental detail as the main game, it still feels just as polished and involving as the rest of Arkham City.

One of the series' highest points. [June 2014, p.90]

A seductive package. [June 2014, p.91]

By far the best skate game on any console. [Nov 2007, p.88]

By far the best, most revined version of FIFA yet - its presentation and 'big game feel' are second to none. [Dec 2007, p.78]

A very welcome nostalgia kick. [May 2012, p.99]

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]

Treyarch may not always hit its targets, but this remains a genuinely fresh take on an old sub-series in an even older franchise. A game as well-oiled as its cyborgian characters. [Christmas 2015, p.60]

Just like the original Fable, this is a game that's hugely likeable, but only if you put the effort in. Make no mistake, it's genuinely charming, but everything from unclear storytelling to rubbish mini-games to glitchy graphics to sluggish menus makes an appearance, and you've got to take it all with a smile.

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.

If you're looking for a multiplayer blast, they don't come much more violent, or more entertaining than this. [Sept 2007, p.109]