It's aspirational, inspirational, educational, and eminently valuable. It's not only an achievement within its own genre, but a landmark for the entire medium as well.

If Costume Quest is a success, it's because it looks cute, it's instantly appealing, and it's very funny. But it's not a very good game. [Issue#66, p.88]

Would make a better movie than a game.

It's an inconsistent package that doesn't fully deliver on the single-player, nor distinguish itself enough in multiplayer to make it an Xbox Live contender. A real shame.

Better still is the four-player competitive multiplayer - it's exactly what was missing from the Dead Rising experience. A gory, obscene gameshow which revels in the whimsical and moral dilemma-free dismemberment of the formerly living.

It's three hours you won't want back. [Oct 2010, p.106]

Sonic returns to his back-to-basics best.

The combination of a compelling plot, plausible characters and a stunning world to explore means that, while rather brief, this is one of the more memorable experiences on the Xbox 360 this year.

Much of Front Mission Evolved is simply surviving until the next repair kit, and there's not enough customisation to make the online battles truly compelling. However, that saving grace - the intense, supersized combat - should be enough to see you through the short single-player campaign.

Fallout: New Vegas does betray the age of its engine every now and then, but it also shows why it has aged so well, powering the same tasty mix of great gameplay, endless side-quests and a world to get lost in.

This may well be the best tenner you ever spend.

The main reason you'll keep returning to DJ Hero 2 is for a love of the music. Simply playing along with any of the tunes in the game is a thoroughly entertaining experience - particularly when you get the chance to commandeer the crossfader or perform some freestyle scratching and sampling.

So PES steps on FIFA's toes in a massive move forward but in doing so has opened itself up to criticism it could previously dodge thanks to a different take on the game. But for PES to be able step on FIFA's toes yet again after a lengthy drop in form is a big achievement, and one that should please fans and newcomers alike.

It's tough, but also bloody funny.

But these disappointments are dwarfed by the game's vast imagination, ambitious scope, entertaining combat, boss battles, Titan battles, puzzles and power-ups. Lords of Shadow is an epic and slightly unexpected triumph.

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

Awful - a crushing disappointment. [Oct 2010, p.102]

The interesting power mechanic and the return to fun, exaggerated rock and metal aesthetics are there to be enjoyed, but this is a series in dire need of a reboot.

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.

F1 2010 is a brilliant recreation of the sport, but as a complete package it can't quite top the dizzy heights achieved by DiRT 2. [Oct 2010, p.96]

Lacking tension, variety and punctuation, Blade Kitten is a pretty cutscene sandwich with no filling. [Issue#66, p.101]

The FPS epic comes full circle. Pure quality.

Co-op is the highlight, adding mechanics like floating sun energy that's reaped by both players hovering their cursor over it, and dividing the job of dropping plants by giving each player four seed packets. It's well-balanced strategy that isn't hardcore, but is fertilised by adorable comedy.

It's unfriendly to navigate, but the basic enjoyment from jumping around like a robot who wants to be a real boy is intact. It's just well buried and overpriced, considering what else is out there.

Features like these mean Shattered Dimensions would actually work as a Spidey game even though it's not an open-world swingers' party. It's just a massive shame they're housed in such a linear and grindingly predictable format.

Playable, but no real advance on the original. [Oct 2010, p.100]

A multiplayer game that doesn't work solo. [Oct 2010, p.108]

It's never nice being mean about a game with as much ambition as this, but if we're talking sheer value for money then halfway through the 14 hours it takes to complete Maria II you'll have experienced one really good shooting mission and absolutely no decent car chases, of which there are only a couple in the entire game. [Sept 2010, p.81]