The ultimate Sega party game. [Apr 2008, p.90]

Pretty ugly, but it has a nice personality. [Sept 2008, p.84]

Good stuff, then, but hard to get too excited about. [Christmas 2013, p.106]

The basic act of playing the game is still enjoyable enough, but with FIFA adding loads of great new features like 10 vs 10 online multiplayer, this seems like a step sideways instead of forwards.

Breaking no moulds, but good solid fun. [Christmas 2007, p.90]

A magical evening in, and makes you think in a way that's novel and immensely rewarding. But be warned: the limited camera, the fineness of the controls and the tribal AI will occasionally annoy you, and it leaves you positively starving for more.

There are still a few cracks, but this still rocks. [Nov 2011, p.101]

We really enjoyed our time with Miss Croft, but it is more of the same and 'dependable' isn't exciting enough. When you take a look at the gaming world around her, you wonder if it isn't time for another re-invention, not of the character, but her universe.

It's just simply not as good as the large number of awesome driving games that are already on Xbox 360, and, in current form, it's always going to come in behind the pack. [Nov 2007, p.100]

Pleasure and pain come together at last. [Aug 2007, p.102]

Disney Universe is a sweet game, as you'd expect from the saccharin mouse. But it's not an ambitious game, and after playing for a couple of hours, the illusion of the dense level design wears off, and you might feel it's a little bit thin. With more going on, and more reasons to go back to conquered levels, this could have been brilliant.

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]

Eventually fun, if you can stand the grind. [June 2011, p.105]

An HD re-relase of a beloved series. It's a pity that it hasn't received the remaster treatment. [Nov 2018, p.78]

Enjoyably frenetic war zone action. [July 2011, p.100]

Ancestors contains all manner of intellectual joys – whenever you launch an evolution, for example, your efforts are rated against what science projected – and while it might not feel like much of a game at first, it certainly does when you fathom out how to approach it. As long as you aren’t afraid of games that make you work hard before yielding their rewards, you’ll find that Ancestors comes closer to letting you play god, while still entertaining you, than any game we’ve ever come across previously. How’s that for vaulting ambition? [Issue#186, p.72]

Behind the dreary single-player campaigns is a game that'll provide you with a strong distraction, for as long as other people are playing it.

Better is good, but it isn't great. [Nov 2011, p.110]

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]

Armored Core is best enjoyed with other enthusiasts, and For Answer has an impressive array of online options. [Sept 2008, p.88]

A game that may tickle your fancy. [July 2011, p.101]

A likeable shooter and a solid weekend's entertainment. [Apr 2009, p.78]

There are still moments when you can't know for sure if an individual failure is down to your own skill rather than the sensor itself. But for everyone else KSR represents a new high point for the genre, proving it can work as much more than just a passing gimmick. A huge leap in the right direction, then, but it's got a way to go before it's entirely frustration-free.

Beautifully made if somewhat linear. Fun to play through even though the town is quiet. [Aug 2018, p.82]

Even with EA's Need For Speed-branded gloss stripped away and replaced by rudimentary menus, there's still a satisfying, if bare-bones, driving game beneath.

An arcade-style 2D platformer that is as fun as it is frustrating – boasts a quirky premise, a pleasingly chaotic style of gameplay, and an array of imaginative death-traps.

A compelling science fiction drama that just misses the mark of greatness. [Nov 2018, p.90]

Stylish, competent, but a bit too familiar.