Crap combat aside, this great open-world game finally builds on Mirror's Edge's potential. [Aug 2016, p.73]

The moment-to-moment action of narrowly avoiding explosions and falling buildings produces hundreds of those heart-in-mouth moments that Burnout is so famous for. While comparisons to Critereon's superlative series are inevitable, Black Rock's effort is, if anything, even more spectacular.

An extremely satisfying and often hilarious campaign.

Wicked and mean-spirited it may be, but you'd have to dig deep to find a more generous DLC offering than this. [Dec 2015, p.91]

Kids will obviously adore it, but if you've ever enjoyed inching through Disneyland's campy haunted house, you'll be equally at home in Haunt.

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

Some N Sane platforming precision, but Crash sets the remaster bar high. [Sept 2018, p.88]

Doesn't reinvent the zombie-killing wheel, but it's the most polished Dead Rising yet. [Feb 2017, p.74]

More than any other Pro Evo, this one spits in your face and laughs at your pathetically predictable attempts to play it, again and again, until your old ways are eventually stamped into the dust...It still plays a beautiful game. [Dec 2007, p.80]

The slow pace is a welcome formula change. [May 2015, p.91]

It’s strategically strong, with custom setups, objectives and teams available. The ten or so maps are, as always, well balanced though uninspired, and the AI can be a beast – humans even tougher.

An all-out assault on the brain, a gruesome spectacle to behold. A horrific beauty has once again been born by Monolith. [Mar 2008, p.87]

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

A generous expansion in both content and spirit. [Aug 2015, p.96]

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

Another generous helping of horror. Occasionally frustrating, but more often tense, inventive and satisfying. [July 2015, p.84]

A vision of retro loveliness. [March 2013, p.85]

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

Makes Elite's vast sandbox richer, deeper and more varied, but missions still need work. [Aug 2016, p.87]

Essential for lapsed fans of Harvest Moon and anyone looking to just get away from it all. [Feb 2017, p.88]

You'll love beating the beast in this satisfying, sasquatch-smashing expansion. [May 2015, p.97]

Simple, slick and satisfying, Halo Wars 2 is the undisputed chief of the console RTS. [April 2017, p.79]

It's a smooth, slippery Sonic that takes another step away from it's single-button origins without losing any of the hog essense. With local and online co-op, it offers just enough entertainment to justify its steep episodic price.

Densely packed, tightly scripted and ripe with potential for those prepared to put in the hours. [Aug 2016, p.91]

For those who fancy something different. [Apr 2010, p.102]

It's slicker than a blood-drenched balcony and the dev's best fascist-smasher yet. [April 2017, p.82]

Hitting a difficulty sweet spot, Top Spin 4 is deep enough to let you spend hours mastering the perfect volley, but won't turn its nose up at you if you don't fancy anything more than an occasional late-night session of backhanding with Federer.

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

A great continuation of one of the greatest sports games on 360.

In 60 minutes, this will change you from tentative, stodgy muppet to an all-round offensive terror. A terrifically balanced platformer that'll coax out the perfectionist speedrunner in us all.

An amazing world full of promise, but currently rather empty. More updates will be key. [May 2018, p.74]

Castle is another opportunity to celebrate how well Halo does vehicles without ruining things for pedestrians, then.

Monaco is a stylish and considered game that's all the more remarkable for being the work of just one man. It's absolutely worth your money.

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

Kevin Spacey might take top billing, but it's the array of powerful PMC tech that's the real star of the show, making the stalest formula in contemporary videogames feel remarkably fresh.

Charming, beautifully odd, if a little taxing, this hunter will devour your nights.

Everything's improved except the controls. [May 2010, p.87]

Totally gripping from start to finish.

A pleasing fusion of brawler and bullet-hell, this is a co-op game brimming with personality.

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.

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.

The magic hasn't worn off yet. [Jan 2012, p.102]

Fast, furious, if a little fussy, this blistering remaster rejuvenates a cult classic. [May 2018, p.89]

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

On its own, The Gunstringer might have been tough to recommend. As part of this bundle [with Fruit Ninja], it's a unique, funny, flawed and downright loveable Kinect experience. Buy it before your soul turns sour.

Let's just say there are no huge surprises, but it's extremely well executed. The narrative has always been the strength of ACIII, and the DLC campaign is no exception.

Strategy fans will be in heaven, but thanks to the slick production, amusing cutscenes and accessible controls it could also get a few converts to the RTS cause. It's certainly a great place to start.

Probably the best budget game we've ever seen...You'd have a frozen heart not to love it. [July 2008, p.95]

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

The wackiness never clicks, but the relentless combat momentum certainly does. It won't change the world, but does a very good job of splattering it with mutant blood.

A very competent expansion, albeit one that's way too brief. Story mode can be finished in around six hours. It's also one of those add-ons where you rarely feel the developer has stretched itself creatively. [Apr 2006, p.67]

The production values are consistently impressive, and we've learned at least six new things about bears. You can't say that about Gears of War 3.

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 high-speed change of pace. [Aug 2012, p.117]

This compelling exploration of war’s human cost is also a tense strategy game, with kids giving it real heart. Proof you can make an engrossing game, no matter how bleak the subject.

Given time and space we finally appreciate RE6 for the dumb actioner it is. Nice port, too. [June 2016, p.84]

Attractive game reworked properly for the younger types. Help make Spryo truly famous once more. [Christmas 2006, p.125]

A classic old-school adventure whose story and characters are strong enough to overcome the terrible action parts. [July 2006, p.68]

Despite slightly tweaked controls and a few other improvements over "06," it's still the same - for ice hockey fans only. [Nov 2006, p.70]

All these mode-switching features and momentum bars don't make the game any more fun, or more like playing the real thing. It just gives you more to think about. [Nov 2006, p.71]

A quality party game, so it's a real shame that the biggest new feature - the Quest mode - is so poor. And good though it is, it's only worth getting if you missed the previous one or you're an obsessive completist. [April 2006, p.86]

An idiotic, stupidly playable romp from beginning to end, with such baffling diversions you can't help but love it. [April 2006, p.72]

Surprisingly polished for a movie tie-in, this is a fun puzzle adventure let down by a dull hack-n-slash ending. [April 2006, p.87]

The fantastic visual detail and easy controls make it immersive and challenging, and if you're into flight sims or WWII games will really enjoy it's sinister atmosphere, powerful score and deeply satisfying explosions when the bullets hit home. But everyone else will quickly grow tired of the repetitive missions, and once the game's finished there's very little replay value. [May 2006, p.72]

If you're a newcomer to the phenomenon of all this Jesus-themed, impossible code-breaking malarkey you'll find parts of The Da Vinci Code pretty bloody annoying. However, you'll find more to like as you explore, especially if you enjoyed Broken Sword.

Presentational quibbles aside, though, this is a really good game. A bit more polish (and by 'a bit' we mean 'a lot'), a few more career options and some recognisable licensing and this could become an essential purchase for poker fans.

Fun and chap but largely inane, this stuff would have served better in the full game. [Aug 2012, p.117]

It ends up feeling more like a retrospective than a game in its own right. [Jan 2015, p.80]

It's still the ever-compelling plot that reigns supreme, and whilst they're not giving anything away until the final episode there's definitely enough going on here to ensure a thoroughly enjoyable romp.

It's a good job the multiplayer's so enjoyable because, if we're being honest, the single-player mode is pretty shallow.

Once you've clocked enough playthroughs to upgrade your character's stats and worked out each enemy's attack patterns, the game starts to open up and you'll find yourself enjoying the run-throughs.

A brilliantly unique indie escape-'em-up that combines stealth, strategy, and simulation to great effect, but you'll need saint-like patience to get the most out of it.

A fun but deeply familiar karter.

Strong, frequently brilliant fun, but it's still only GRID 2.5. There's variety compared to its predecessor, but it never escapes the feeling that it's just a stopgap for whatever's coming next.

A great story mode and superb presentation, but gameplay clearly lags behind PES. [Dec 2016, p.70]

To paraphrase Bret Hart, it's the best there is, the best there was, but next year's will probably be a little bit better again.

This GTA-a-like will make you nostalgic, and grateful that AI is a lot better now. [Issue#179, p.86]

It's beautiful, it's comical, but it's a shame that it feels so lacking in solo play. [Dec 2014, p.82]

An honest and charming attempt to reinvigorate the 3D platformer genre.

Where Rocksmith 2014 triumphs is in teaching through engaging challenges rather than through rote learning. [Jan 2015, p.89]

Maybe a bit flat compared to previous seasons but still pretty nerve-jangling. [Aug 2017, p.78]

The best way to experience gaming's most loved, if not best, shooter series. [Dec 2016, p.76]

Type-0 is a modern Final Fantasy, with all the good and bad that entails. However, it's also a pretty good JRPG, on a system where they're not exactly bursting at the seams.

Simulates all the slam dunks and shoe contracts, but it could use a little polish. [Dec 2016, p.79]

Charming but infuriating puzzler. [Feb 2010, p.113]

A ravishing journey across a magical landscape. It's kiddie, but quite irresistible too. [Jan 2017, p.86]

Like sipping a mojito while resting your panda-skin boots on a pauper, there's something nasty yet refreshing here, as it pushes you to maintain control in marvelously illiberal ways. [Feb 2015 (US), p.72]

A mechanically sound shooter that's hampered by a lack of scale and inventiveness. [Jan 2017, p.88]

Very tough but seldom unfair, Furi is an unyielding and tantalising taskmaster. [Jan 2017, p.91]

The new Steel Battalion is going to divide people, in case you hadn't guessed. Some players will choke on the interfacial blunders, gag at the sporadically entertaining missions and walk away calling it the worst game ever. Others, however, will regard even the flaws as a thrown gauntlet.

The sweeping world map is brilliant, but married by subpar presentation and frustrating AI. [Dec 2016, p.91]

A game that feels both very new and very old at the same time. [Dec 2014, p.87]

Vanquish plays a one-note song, but thankfully that note is 'slow motion exploding robot face'. [Issue#66, p.92]

Intense shmup-ing but overpriced. [July 2012, p.107]

It's a good solid beat 'em up, if occasionally a little unfair. [June 2007, p.95]

It's by no means perfect, but Undead Labs has won itself a high level of forgiveness, with an atmospheric world that's as compelling as it is flawed.

The complete lack of boundaries means it's a totally unique challenge, in which standard racing skills often need to be thrown out of the window. Despite this, with such exciting technology at its core, we can't help but hope that Asobo gets another roll of the dice to create something truly, and consistently astonishing. [June 2009, p.84]

It's just a pity there isn't as much variety in the fighting as there is in the outfits, as we could've been looking at an even higher score. [Apr 2007, p.91]