A stupidly fun fighter: fast, aggressive and oozing with love. [March 2018, p.74]

A comprehensive off-field package that also delivers on its perfectly manicured turf. [Dec 2018, p.78]

Strong, satisfying melee combat and smart levels make for a great sequel. Best with friends. [October 2018, p.92]

Still brilliant, even by today's standards. [Dec 2006, p.99]

There are very few ways that Gears of War 2 could be improved on. Only the story and the final boss in particular are a slight disappointment. Fanboys will love the fact that only one of a multitude of story arcs is concluded; everyone else will feel slightly unfulfilled. But aside from this, Gears 2 is not just the most exhilarating game you'll play this year, but possibly the most heady and downright shocking piece of entertainment full stop. Hollywood, your days are numbered. [Dec 2008, p.61]

Xbox's underrated sports sim delivers again - digitised hockey has never been better. [Dec 2018, p.83]

A beautifully executed stealth game. [May 2016, p.76]

At 800 MP, Forces of Nature is hard to resist. Epic's final and most dramatic dose of Season Pass content turns out to be its most conciliatory, a club sandwich of new and warmed-over jollies that belongs on every menu.

On the surface this might look like just another pixellated roguelike, but enter the nightmarish rabbit hole and you'll find a mastery of the genre that is relentlessly addictive. [Oct 2015, p.84]

The best bit of Fallout DLC so far.

Simply a must-have puzzle game. [Sept 2010, p.101]

Shadow Complex is a stunning demonstration of what you can squeeze onto the service. Play it, marvel at it, and hope that it's the future of downloadable games.

If you never played RAGE, buy it. Then buy this. Play it, love it, and when the "Insert Disc 2" prompt pops up, simply walk away, smiling.

Madden 11 is without a doubt the best American football game on the Xbox 360. [Issue#65, p.85]

Hydro Thunder Hurricane is absolutely what we hoped it would be - a colourful, anarchic arcade racer. Your mileage will vary depending on how gripped you are by score chasing, but the multiplayer should keep you busy - not least because you can bring three split-screen friends online with you. For a measly tenner, Hydro Thunder Hurricane is a steal.

Like all things immoral, this is tremendous fun. Buy it now...No better way of spending 400MP. [Dec 2007, p.109]

The story has a lot more heart than any movie offering from the DC Comics stable. [Sept 2017, p.65]

Diablo 3 isn't an experience for the time-poor, though it's surprisingly possible to nip in for half an hour, just to level yourself up. But treat it like a casino: set yourself a limit, and stick to it. Otherwise, you might find yourself wide-eyed on Nephalem Glory at 5am.

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

Ubisoft has taken a huge gamble by not making wholesale changes to Rainbow Six Vegas 2, but it's come up smelling liike roses. It's still one of the very best-value, high-quality FPS packages available on the 360. [Apr 2008, p.72]

Those worried that World War II has been done to death, fear not. Treyarch's willingness to push the boundaries has uncovered a side to the war few developers even knew existed, and we'll be damned if it doesn't make for one hell of a game to boot.

As good as we were expecting and hoping, it delivers on its promise to make an 'always on' Xbox Live race world, plus the car handling, sheer size of its island and the way you're left to make your own fun in your own way makes it a breath of pine-scented air in this world full of bland race games. [Oct 2006, p.108]

It’s the realisation of a vision Rocksteady has been working towards since 2009. Now that gaming tech has finally caught up, we’ve been given the swansong the Dark Knight deserves.

This is how re-releases should be done – Ninja Theory has put a lot of love into emphasising what was great about DmC, and fixing all the niggles that could realistically be fixed. Thoroughly recommended.

The car handling is incredibly complex and varied, and the superb modding Garage lets you tweak handling beyond belief - but only if you want. [July 2007, p.88]

Juggling impossibly huge gaming areas with varied, consistent, imaginative gameplay, it has managed to create a slice of Southern American comic violence that begs to be played. [Oct 2006, p.64]

Ironically, Fight Night Round 4 may be the best argument for banning boxing yet. After all, when a game can get this close to the fluid, organic technicality of the real thing, why does anyone need to get hit in the face?... Solid, satisfying and totally revolutionary. [July 2009, p.81]

Yooka-Laylee smartly ditches 3D to instead focus on perfecting 2D platforming. [Issue#184, p.77]