Would make a better movie than a game.

An unremarkable shooter by modern standards, but the satisfaction of its cinematic kills is hard to deny. It's just a shame that these moments are encased in a generally shoddy gameplay experience.

It does get repetitive, but when it hitting its stride, Shiftlings is worth letting rip with.

Almost exactly what meets the eye. [Sept 2009, p.89]

"Quotation Forthcoming"

Rough and ready, silly and ugly, this survival sim is charming, but hugely uneven. [May 2017, p.78]

That seed of potential excellence is frustrating, when the execution falls so regularly short of great.

A budget stealth romp that'll please the old-school crowd and frustrate everyone else. [May 2017, p.80]

Frustrating combat game with little reward to make the effort worthwhile.

Far from being the ultimate edition of the game, we end up with another case of nominative determinism. State of Decay, sadly, is a mess. It’s a mess with good intentions, perhaps, but the result is the equivalent of a wooden barricade infested with dry rot – it seems like it should hold up just fine, but ends up crumbling under the slightest pressure.

As good as ever, but no better.

A lower-tier fighting game that mech fans may nonetheless appreciate.

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

Simple stealth with a theme you're not likely to forget, but it lacks cohesion and polish. [May 2017, p.90]

A basic, functional puzzler that has a nice idea it doesn't really know how to use successfully. [May 2017, p.91]

When Unleashed 2 is good, it's really good. The stage-long, multi-tiered showdown against the skyscraper-high Gorog, though mechanically uninspired, is guaranteed to take your breath away. But the contrived and insignificant plot undoes the majority of the improved gameplay's good work, and the whole absolutely fails to live up to LucasArts' earlier promises of Empire-grade grandeur.

A nice idea, with several fun bits, let down somewhat by poor action sequences.

A challenging fighting system is only the bare bones of what could be a better game. [Issue#225, p.84]

There's no multiplayer, and even on the Hard setting this game is a piece of cake. It's fun while it lasts, but it ends so quickly you're bound to be disappointed.

It's a great game in short spurts, but isn't good enough to play in the big leagues. [Apr 2007, p.95]

Proof that big thinking PC-based RPGs can totally work on pads, and how not to implement the weighty interfaces that come alongside them - but trudge through this and there's much to love.

Creepy and confusing, this cartoon chiller still delivers some unique scares.

Tedious puzzles and repetitious level design makes Overlord become very predictable all too quickly. [July 2007, p.90]

Tiger's looking a bit tired. [Aug 2010, p.107]

Chronically average. [Apr 2008, p.86]

An interesting curio for Halo fans, but expensive. [Oct 2007, p.96]

But if you are one of those four ardent fans, you'll find this is a remarkably faithful representation of NASCAR and a vast improvement over last year's edition. [Aug 2008, p.88]

Jetpac Refuelled has a lot of charm, and the inclusion of the Spectrum original is a nice bit of nostalgia, but the game lacks the depth and intelligence of other arcade games from that era.