A compelling argument not just for Criterion's continued stewardship of Need for Speed - assuming Hot Pursuit left you in any doubt on that front - but for the reproduction of those inescapable, irresistible online features across rival genres.

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

It looks great and plays amazingly.

A well-done continuation. But if they kill Clem at the end, this score reverts to Zero. [Nov 2018, p.88]

What its "half-modern, half-Attitude" roster might do, however, is appeal to lapsed wrestling fans - those who stopped watching in the early noughties. This is a reminder of why their era was so great and offers a great nostalgia-bomb through a flaming table of joy.

Civilization Revolution is currently the best strategy game available on the console. It has the controls, it has the pedigree, it has the depth, it has the multiplayer and most of all it has the accessibility. [July 2008, p.80]

So far, a welcome and even more brutal return to Telltale's most successful series. [March 2017, p.78]

NHL 11 carries on all the good work of last year's game, but its overall gloss...doesn't quite hide some quirky AI decision making and shonky goal tending. [Issue#66, p.94]

A meticulously designed Live shooter...Few multiplayer FPS games furnish you with unique anecdotes about valiant last stands and over-the-trench assaults but Brink is full of them.

While the 'tough as nails' shoot-outs won’t see this on everyone’s must buy list, Ubisoft's run of creating stunning showcases for the Xbox 360 remains unbroken.

So far, a welcome and even more brutal return to Telltale's most successful series. [March 2017, p.78]

Accessible arcade fun with oodles of depth.

Heaven for the fans, tough love for the rest. [Oct 2009, p.86]

Booty's multiplayer oozes longevity. [Nov 2008, p.101]

A compelling story with a huge amount of player freedom, but overwhelming at points. [Nov 2018, p.93]

A light-hearted take on heavy-duty subject matter is no more than what we've come to expect from Travellers' Tales. In adding RPG features without shattering the returning mechanics, however, the LEGO team have arguably outdone themselves. You shall not pass this one up.

Innovation or execution? We'll take the latter so long as Techland are behind the wheel. A gloriously entertaining, blood-soaked country drive.

The wrinkles are almost entirely showing on the single-player side, with clunky animation and AI being the worst offenders. But for fans of the original the chance to revisit a favourite in new HD clothing - and take it online - is no-doubt one that should be jumped at, and newcomers will also likely discover a surprisingly deep deathmatch game that's still relevant in 2010.

A must-buy game that offers several hours of intense fun. Get blinded by the lights. [Aug 2018, p.90]

A tranquil trip through the great outdoors, rich in atmosphere and fair challenge. [Issue#186, p.80]

Playing alone feels slow and soulless, but the great controls and multiplayer features still make Grand Slam Tennis 2 well worth a bosh.

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

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

As a single-player experience, it's every bit the quality of a full-priced shooter. [Christmas 2011, p.97]

So much content has been wrung out of this game that there's even a reward for the number of miles you bail out of jumps. That's right: you get rewarded for not being very good. Basically, if you don't enjoy this game you're probably dead from the waist down.

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

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

Very good, for the few who can take the pace. [Christmas 2011, p.105]

Daft story, clever puzzles, definitely worth a shot. [Christmas 2013, p.107]

None of this package is new, which is why we've deducted a point. Still Alive is a pricey luxury for Portal fans. But hey, if you've never played it before, feel free to slap that point back on and enjoy one of gaming's tastiest treats from the last few years.

Bulk can work to a game's disadvantage if there's nothing drastically new on offer, however, and Revelations' later stages are a bit of a slog. It's just as well this is Ezio's final hour, because enjoyable as the game undoubtedly is, the base mechanics were showing their age in Assassin's Creed 2. Recommended, then, providing you're not expecting a massive overhaul.

Unsophisticated but effective fun. [Christmas 2011, p.105]

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.

Not quite the evolutionary leap we’d hoped for, but this beautiful and bombastic adventure remains one of the most purely entertaining things you can put in your Xbox One this Christmas.

It's consistently hilarious. [Christmas 2013, p.111]

Sonic returns to his back-to-basics best.

If you've got the space, get involved. [Christmas 2011, p.107]

Few will be utterly blown away by it, given the abiding similarities to Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and Most Wanted, but anybody who can't get through the day without buckling a few fenders should consider this an essential purchase.

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.

An accomplished shooter on the whole, and a fittingly thunderous send-off for current gen Resident Evil. The next instalment needs to tighten the focus, deciding which ideas are worth sticking with, but this could be the definitive videogame blockbuster - huge, colourful and surprising.

The ambition is worthwhile on the whole, however, and if you'll frequently throw down the pad in fury, you'll just as frequently snatch it up again for another try.

Betting on depth of mechanics over breadth of content is a gamble, but one that massively pays off. This is a muscular, versatile slice of stealth, and a great indicator of things to come.

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

Once you've turned off the gesture and voice control, you've got a product that's a simple facelift to a game that scarcely needed it. It's the better of the two, but the game doesn't really stand up to a full replay this soon.

Looks so pretty but plays just the same. [Jan 2008, p.90]

Though disappointingly short, Untitled Goose Game offers an evening of entertainment unlike anything else out there. If you have Xbox Game Pass, download this goosey gem ASAP. [Issue#187, p.79]

The longer you spend in Terraria, the more you discover that the Minecraft comparison, while obvious, isn't fair to either. Compared to Mojang's all-conquering virtual Lego set that encourages creativity, Terraria is more of a "game" with definitive goals, rules and progression that deserves to stand on its own merits.

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.

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

Ninja Gaiden serves up some Hollywood setpieces with a rock-solid combat system. Forgive the hyperactive cameraman and choose the right difficulty, because the wrong one will ruin your game.

There's a lot of fisticuffs packed in, with a massive 114 fighters from the world of UFC to choose from, as well as the ability to create your own brawler (though the customisation options are more serious than THQ's WWE games - you won't be fighting in a zombie mask).

There's no denying that PES 2013 is a huge improvement over the last few offerings. However, the years spent fixing the football side of things have allowed FIFA to eclipse it in terms of game modes, so that's what Konami should now focus on evolving for next year's edition.

At 15 hours long, and with the unlockable Son Of Sparta mode upping the difficulty while switching enemies around, Dante’s latest is both stylish and generously stuffed. Though occasionally intimidating and repetitive in places, you’ll still relish making Satan sing.

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.

There's no denying that PES 2010 is an excellent game of football - it's just that PES's 'E', Evolution, is more suited to its chief rival.

Much more than the sum of its parts, but unfortunately said parts are only an okay FPS and an okay RPG, both fairly no-frills and functional. It's a roast dinner without gravy followed by an apple pie without custard. Nothing's wrong, but you can't shake the nagging feeling that something's missing. Borderlands is a good time, but it should have been a great time.

It's not an exact fit for Xbox, so we find our thumbs longing for the portability and accessibility of the mobile version. [Feb 2015, p.74]

Electronica genocide is RTS addiction.

A game that celebrates the HD-era Sega rather than the old, forgotten one. Good job it's such a blast to play, then.

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]

An original and intriguing stealth puzzler that will test your investigative skills.

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.

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

A compelling way to stay healthy. [Christmas 2010, p.108]

Still, there's no denying that Ninja Gaiden II has tons going for it, and when the combat works, which it does for most of the game, it can be a beautiful ballet of blood and steel with you at the centre, devising and scrapping split-second plans as you rip your way from alamo to alamo. If you've got the stomach for it, Ninja Gaiden will reward you. They just could have been a little less mean.

Things are heating up...[Aug 2014, p.85]

The Missing Link is an elegant, self-contained campaign-in-miniature that packs almost as many options and exactly as much atmosphere into a third of the space.

Prince of Persia may not be a world-changing nine, but it is a fantastic eight. The look, the feel of the game, is one one that turns back time and makes what was once the waning memory of an ailing genre fresh once more. [Christmas 2008, p.58]

A propulsively paced romp with a surfeit of ideas, SuperChargers reinvigorates a series that appeared to be on the wane. [Dec 2015, p.77]

Marred only by its own unreached potential. [Aug 2011, p.98]

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

Its gameplay isn't breaking any moulds, but the presentation makes it well worth recommending. [Feb 2015, p.83]

Trials at its finest: simply to play it is to have a blast, and you can’t ask for more than that.

Replay value is immense too, thanks to open tactics, large maps and good Xbox Live modes including Co-op.

An unusually exotic cake. [Aug 2014, p.93]

The game's the best it's ever been, but it's more of an update than a revolutionary overhaul. [Dec 2013, p.84]

The genre's star might be fading ever so slightly, and this game is no revolution, but it does deliver great music and a more refined band experience.

It IS "Micro Machines," right down to the dinky size of the cars and power-up based racing buffoonery. [Aug 2007, p.101]

Returning base commanders might want to ponder whether new classes, maps and foes are worth a second investment, but those who slept through the original extra-terrestrial invasion should pick Enemy Within up immediately.

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

Though its more advanced controls can frustrate, this is a bold brawler that just wants to have fun. Just don't play when hungry - you'll be craving an enchilada before the first act is through.

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.

For a price that is a fraction of boxed, retail games RRP, it's a surprisingly lengthy and substantial experience. [Nov 2010, p.102]

The changes, especially exploit fixes, will please most but annoy those who feel FIFA 10 didn't need to be messed with - but there's a simple solution there: don't buy it. To everyone else, this is a mighty refined football game, just not quite the Earth-mover FIFA 10 was.

Extremely bizarre, but still a retro classic. [Mar 2008, p.102]

This is b-ball for the hardcore. You know it!

Deathmatch in pure, concentrated form.

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.

It contains great ideas, like the obstacle courses, that we would have liked to seen fleshed out. [Dec 2015, p.87]

A fantastic re-creation of the spirit of "Scarface," and a brilliantly in-depth urban game. A bit repetitive at times. [Nov 2006, p.60]

A creaking but stellar current-gen send-off. [Dec 2013, p.91]

The definitive version of an already excellent fighting game, Ultra Street Fighter is the pinnacle of Capcom's tinkering with the title, and shows just how far one game can go with a little bit of love from its fans. That said, we're ready for Street Fighter 5 now, please.

Resurrection makes a compelling case for a proper sequel.

As with much of the game the enhancements outweigh the frustrations, and while it's by no means a revolution of the franchise, the improvements in PGA Tour 2014 warrant fans giving it some course time.

It has a solid, unrelenting challenge that will remind veteran gamers of years gone by when games made no apologies for being so stupidly, frustratingly, agonisingly tough.

An essential buy for any Xbox fight fan. [Aug 2015, p.82]

Yarny's co-op adventure is a wickedly inventive devil in sheep's clothing. [Sept 2018, p.80]

A third-person action-adventure with the beating black heart of a survival horror, Alone in the Dark is a game that needs to be experienced by everybody. Its novel approach of applying shocks into an episodic structure, eight hourly segments in all, is a masterstroke.