It may frustrate, but within its boundaries this is a riveting, intelligent mystery. [Nov 2016, p.90]

The smartest dumb game on Xbox Live. [Dec 2008, p.101]

Electronica genocide is RTS addiction.

It's one of the best shooter-stories we've seen in years - justifying its own ludicrous nature in interesting and unexpected ways. If the ending didn't feel like such a cop-out, The Darkness II could have been on par with BioShock. As it is, the gripping narrative and wonderfully empowering combat mean you'll be talking about it for months after completing it.

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.

IL-2 feels like two separate games: one a solid, fun arcade flyer, the other a testing simulation of true aerial combat circa Hitler-times. It's inevitable then, that if you're at all interested in planes, or just want to embarrass yourself at a different altitude, IL-2 can hardly come more recommended.

The gameplay itself has changed very little. [Dec 2006, p.82]

With improved dialogue and pacing - and a handful of bold design choices - this is the strongest episode so far, with a finale you'll be desperate to discuss with friends. Bring on Episode 4.

This first episode falls a little short of expectations. [Feb 2015, p.80]

It has far too many rough edges. [May 2015, p.93]

Fans will love how Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 captures the look and carnage of Naruto's anime battling, but it's too restrictive and repetitive to convince as a standalone fighting game. [Apr 2016, p.89]

Capybara's created a truly new kind of shooter, both in-your-face and slyly intelligent - held back only by just how good its central mechanic is and how much more it could have been used for.

Ultimately, it's all about the online: if you have an active social life on Xbox Live then Skate 3 is near-essential, but otherwise you might as well stick to last year's version.

At the end of the day, you'll be left feeling warmer and happier than if you were in the heaving bosom of Lara herself. That's got to be worth the asking price. [May 2006, p.70]

A game of rich variety and strong personality that never gets boring over its ten essential hours - many more if you stop to check out the full and entertaining world... It's shorter than GTA IV, for sure, but it's also much sweeter. [Sept 2012, p.82]

400 Days is by no means an essential purchase - it unfolds so quickly that you don't have that much needed time to mull everything over. But for 400MP, it's a perfectly decent-sized bite that should whet your appetite for Season Two, adding welcome layers of intrigue and complexity to an already exceptional series.

If you're a fan of the series then that will either be enough for you or it won't. We suspect that it will, because stability is as important as progress in those sports updates that already lead their field, and hey, the addition of some serious next-gen sense-candy doesn't exactly hurt.

If you don't already have the previous games, then this is essential.

A risky focus on stealth pays off in this uncompromising and brutally tense side story. [May 2015, p.97]

A beautifully fettled, deeply tactical XCOM-alike that has a shot at cult-classic status.

The NES trilogy and 16-bit sequels are still hugely challenging and worth a look. [Issue#179, p.90]

Fable III is still a great game, but something this brilliant deserves a more considered - and climactic - ending.

Warm and inclusive - if you've got the money. [Christmas 2012, p.96]

It's a decent tribute to an overrated series, and the ports are accurate - to a fault. [Nov 2015, p.87]

Manages to impress. [Apr 2015, p.82]

A welcome apology for last year. [Dec 2015, p.73]

Despite its shtick wearing slightly thin towards the end, at around 4-5 hours long this doesn't outstay its welcome. And it certainly ensures we'll never look at creepy green-hued night vision footage the same way again.

The only problem with VT3 is also its greatest asset - it really does play and feel identical to the Dreamcast game we played every day for six months back in 2000 and for large chunks of most years since. [Apr 2007, p.84]

A near-flawless collection of the original arcade versions. Plenty to get stuck into. [Sept 2018, p.86]

Capcom's cult favorite is worth the attention of any RPG/adventure fan out there.

It's the same, but it's a good kind of same. [Oct 2007, p.90]

Truncated but still truly impressive. [May 2010, p.95]

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.

One of the better sci-fi puzzlers not starring GLaDOS, with plenty to keep grey matter happy. [Nov 2016, p.86]

Inconsistent but entertaining, packed with likeable, iconic characters. [Issue#225, p.72]

It rivals Skyrim's scope, but as a genre piece (albeit a smart one), it lacks the other game's mystery - there's no craggy elusiveness, no glacial hinting at secrets beyond comprehension, to help you overlook the more familiar elements. It's less a world you discover, ultimately, as one you revisit, and that's a failing no amount of fancy footwork can disguise.

This episode ends on a doozy of a cliffhanger, but as a fan of the comics (and to a lesser extent, the TV show), I'm worried it's straying into another kind of scenario we've seen played out several times before. Here's hoping Telltale proves me wrong. Keep that hair short.

A charming game with a wonderful story, but let down by its repetitive combat grind. [Issue#194, p.78]

Simple but highly effective.

A better way to learn how to play. [Sept 2012, p.102]

This is simply a slightly better version of its source material, which means it's a difficult, complex, illness-themed strategy game with a lot to thrash out. So, still pretty great.

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

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]

Pretty much "FIFA 08" with a new front end and 571 teams removed. [May 2008, p.80]

Instantly arresting and emotional. An almost flawless start to the series. Recommended. [Dec 2018, p.90]

Its also frustrating that a game that can give so much on the pitch has very little to offer beyond it.

It may be tough, but Crown of the Sunken King delivers some of the series' best, most intricate level design so far. [Oct 2014, p.96]

Despite its issues, there’s no question a lot of love has gone into Arise. This is a deeply personal story of love and loss, a point hammered home by affecting end credits where the team leave little messages of gratitude for their loved ones. Though this pumped-up OAP may stumble along the way, his time-tweaking quest ultimately rises above. [Issue#186, p.74]

Much improved, but still behind 2K10. [Christmas 2009, p.93]

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]

Often entertaining but occasionally a bit of a slog. [Aug 2015, p.90]

Challenging and often frustrating, Elite rewards perseverance with a sense of place and progress that few Xbox One games can rival. [Jan 2016, p.76]

All That Remains is a strong season premiere that plays it safe in design terms, but makes bold decisions elsewhere. Heart-rending and brutal, it's a downbeat debut episode that shows plenty of promise. Here's hoping the next five can live up to it.

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.

Established missions are still there - loverlorn villagers still need perking up, and there are races a-plenty - but much more on offer besides. And alongside flashier fights, a more helpful HUD and gorgeous new locations, it helps build the ideal sequel for every budding Hokage. Believe it.

A multiplayer master that shoots to thrill and always hits. Pity about the missing DLC. [March 2017, p.82]

A streamlined multiplayer and less gimmicky single-player gives CoD a nice refresh.

Poor car handling pulls down an otherwise impressive package.

Forza 5 is often simulation racing at its best, but Turn 10 hasn't quite rendered all its previous work obsolete. Given the reduced track and car count, and the present wobbliness of Drivatars, the game sometimes feels like it hasn't quite burst out of its shell. As a launch game, though, it's a wonderful achievement.

Everything about the world revolves around entertaining you, whether it's the wide scope of murder-options or the amazing dialogue in between. Whatever kind of killer you decide you want to be, Absolution is an unmissable hit. [Dec 2012, p.68]

Being a wrestling game, it certainly won't be to everyone's tastes, but for the first time we can safely say that this is a title that fans of the sport can really grapple with and, ultimately, love.

All in all, a decent package for Resident Evil 5 fans, especially those who have a partner to tackle Lost In Nightmares with.

In its natural habitat, with two players sitting on a sofa together, this evokes the best of the '90s 2D fighting boom. It may lack the glossy finish of recent Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Tekken releases, but it still feels slick and rapid enough to stand by its polygonal brethren. If you like your fighting games with a dash of nostalgia, this fits the bill beautifully.

It's a colourful toy that'll distract young children long enough to give you precious hours in the kitchen drinking fortified wine.

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

Great new maps, but deleted scene too short. [Oct 2009, p.92]

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

Great in places, horribly sparse in others.

Makes co-op gameplay more worthwhile than anything else before it. [May 2018, p.84]

NHL 07's dual-stick control opens a new world of tactics, but "NHL 2K7" plays for pure fun and speed. [Nov 2006, p.98]

It doesn't really feel like a point and click adventure, and sometimes it barely even feels like a game - but if you're in the mood for something different, this is superb entertainment at a fantastic price. If you're a fan of zombie movies, get involved. We're hooked: bring on Episode 2.

Playing Lost Planet is like battering "Ghouls and Ghosts" for the first time. You simply won't believe how stunning it looks. But more imortantly, it's one of those games that pits you against incredible odds and satisfies by making it just about possible to beat them! [Jan 2007, p.8]

If there's anything that vanilla Dishonored could have offered more of, it's Dunwall. With two new locations - a stinking whale slaughterhouse, and an area called the legal district - you get some excellent new places to see, so it's disappointing to retread ground in the final mission.

Takes the core of what the series has always excelled at and confidently drags it on to Xbox One. [Dec 2015, p.74]

It's addictive and for charity. Nice one. [Apr 2010, p.111]

You'll be asking for an encore come the end.

Mega tough, mega mean, mega good. [May 2010, p.103]

Evil Within grafts Resident Evil 4's gold standard survival action to a far less forgiving world. That it even comes close to matching Capcom's masterpiece is cause to celebrate. And sweat. And quiver.

Under seven quid for one of the best one-on-one fighters since "Street Fighter II"? Bargain!

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

A very balanced, very precise game: you can see how it's managed to endure for 12 years. It's also a basic game, and one that offers no reward beyond the inner glow of self-improvement.

Trimming off dead-weight as often as it adds something new, this is the strongest LEGO game yet. We've had seven years' worth of iterations, but these cheeky blocks of plastic are still fantastic.

Burns bright, but won't last long. [Oct 2010, p.110]

Relentlessly clever and deviously charming. [May 2012, p.85]

A good-looking and therapeutic dose of bird-tweeting, ripples of applause and gasps of mild horror. If you're happy paying the price of admission for a more streamlined experience and the Augusta National, don't let us stop you.

Transformers have a great line in banter, and the dialogue is perfect - Saturday morning black and white cartoon morality.

With practice, intelligence, and a steady aim, you'll find your own satisfying path to greenskin genocide. [Dec 2011, p.99]

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

All it's lacking is confidence. The game might not once dare to underwhelm, but moments of true brilliance tend to emerge from the art direction - creeping into the mouth of a supertanker, shooting your way out of a dank church, clambering through a shattered Nigerian school. That the most impressive thing in a game about wholesale murder is the visuals suggests that Ubisoft might be using the drawing board the wrong way - but regardless, it's produced a shooter that's well worth your time.

It looks the same, plays the same, feels the same and, praise the lord, actually is the same. Maybe a bit too 'the same' if you've played it every year for the last five years, but still. It'll do.

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]

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.

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

Spectacular but spotty, this demanding sim both fulfills and frustrates. [Issue#225, p.76]

It's warm, frequently funny, and stylish. It's extremely good value at 800MP. It's just hard enough to keep you biting. And most of all, it's just bloody great.

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.

Because it's so similar to the previous games, we can't recommend this as a Must Buy to all - despite all of its cracking quirks it is just that bit too familiar. But if you're a Potter fan and/or looking for a game that both you and your kids can enjoy together, look no further.

It suffers from a slow and repetitive first act, but once Chloe and Rachel meet, sparks fly. [Nov 2017, p.74]