If you appreciate well-crafted stories over carnage, it's an adventure that genre fans won't want to miss. [Sept 2002, p.84]

A simple design that's devilishly clever at messing with you.

Graphics aside, Geneforge 2 is a terrific game to start with if you're fairly new to the RPG genre. It's easy to just dive in and start playing, and all the help you need is built into the interface - just a mouse-click away at all times. And the game's virtually bug-free. [Apr 2004, p.80]

Marred by inconsistency and in need of a polish pass, this vast new sci-fi frontier nonetheless rewards dedicated exploration.

A beautiful but short-lived expedition that left me wanting more of its best ideas.

Provides nice visuals, new buildings, and some fun options for crafting and managing your city.

A brilliant and rewarding combat system propels a story that never becomes as interesting as it seemingly should.

Polished city-building that goes the extra mile to create character and meaning to your block-dropping feats.

Don't expect a miracle. Duke is still the hero we love, but struggles to keep up with modern times. Crude humor and classic weaponry keep him in the game.

Citizen Sleeper 2's broader scope stretches its mechanics thin, even while its story flourishes.

An approachable 3rd-person space sim with a vast, and often beautiful, universe to explore.

A great place to learn the ways of Magic. The lack of deck customization is appalling, but it nails the card game experience. [Nov 2010, p.82]

With its emphasis on roleplay rather than combat and borrowings from Disco Elysium, Sovereign Syndicate feels like another step forward for the CRPG.

Dragonflight isn't the most thrilling expansion in the MMO's lineage, but it's a fresh start, which is a rare thing for a 20-year-old videogame to get.

An engrossing survival and crafting game with flawed but engaging endgame systems.

Coffee shop philosophy with a side of comedy banter, plated attractively.

A fun throwback to the feel of Dark Souls, but easier than we’d hoped.

Changing weather and festive traditions enrich the four-year-old life sim.

Despite - or maybe because of - its stripped-down gameplay, RC Cars surges ahead as one of hte better recent miniature-car racing games. [Mar 2004, p.80]

So Two Point Campus doesn't really rock the boat, fitting firmly into the mould of its predecessor—but replicating one of the best management games of recent years is a smart strategy. Genuine surprises are few, and I hope the UI flaws are fixed promptly, but this is still a guaranteed good time, bursting with energy, charisma and slapstick shenanigans. You should definitely consider enrolling.

Snapshot is a charming, challenging platformer with innovative puzzles and a generous helping of good ideas. [Holiday 2012, p.72]

The most exciting new feature for many Capitalism II players is its multiplayer game. [Apr 2002, p.80]

This episode suffers a little from puzzle bloat, but they're strong puzzles with only a couple of weak moments, and some great story bits make up for the padding. [Jan 2010, p.79]

The wonderful chaos of the open world and your choice of how to tackle it is occasionally stifled by bad boss fights and worse boss speeches.

Omori's ending is brutal, but its characters and humour put some heart behind the horror.

The Matrix Online has done a rare thing: it's taken a movie license and made me feel like a contributor, not a spectator... Captures the feel of The Matrix and delivers a sharp massively multiplayer game. [June 2005]

Making a major impact to every basic combat operation in Arma 3, Marksmen is a substantial and successful overhaul.

The game's RTS and FPS elements aren't anything exciting on their own, but the combined whole makes Savage a fun, fresh game that will likely get better over time as its technical kinks are worked out, better maps are created, and organized clans begin to pop up. [Dec 2003, p.97]

Hilarious, bursting with charm, and satisfying to play. Untitled Goose Game is a winger.

Planet Coaster 2 may not be the deepest management sim you can buy, but its powerful creation tools and newly added water attractions make a sufficiently satisfying splash.

A very devoted homage that nevertheless brings back a golden era – provided you lived through it the first time.

Engrossing tension between empowerment and disempowerment, greed and fear, across an eminently replayable system.

Watch Dogs Legion's play-as-anyone gamble just about pays off. Most of London's citizens are way too ordinary to be much fun, but the few I grew to care about wound up feeling more important to me than most videogame protagonists ever do. Not bad for a group of randomly generated misfits. And I even wound up loving all those drones.

An excellent horror game burdened with action pretensions – but it still delivers a fraught, polished experience.

A gripping experience, despite an ending that kicks itself up the arse.

Although not as flashy or well-funded as EA's "Need For Speed" series, Flatout 2 blazes a unique trail through the arcade racing world--one collision at a time. [Nov. 2006, p.118]

Beyond Light is a fun campaign on a beautiful and expansive new world, but Destiny 2 is still some way from being the best version of itself.

Modern Warfare evolves the series for the better, but it could be so much more.

Building the best decks will cost you, but Artifact is an intricate and rewarding card game.

An engaging, vibrant and challenging platformer that adds narrative to a genre often shy of it.

A rich world and amazing dungeon design more than make up for dips in the story.

An exciting, kinetic single-screen multiplayer with excellent level design, but little to reward the solo player.

It’s quite fun being “bad” for a change. [Jan 2002, p.73]

Awesomenauts has fantastic potential, but is not quite there. Tweaks to the balancing and AI will make this one a star.

If you like tactical shooters and you're into WWII, you must have this game. [Jan 2004, p.112]

Blending classic stealth mechanics with puzzle-y sniping, Contracts 2 gets the job done.

A brutally enjoyable stealth shooter that revisits and builds on the success of the original Escape from Butcher Bay. [May 2009, p.84]

Gorgeous and endearing, Rift Apart is a supremely likable adventure and a solid port—but at this price, it's hard to recommend over more substantial experiences.

As complete a chess package as you could want, although it's missing a few friendly touches. [Oct 2004, p.88]

Rust is a malicious experience rife with betrayal, cruelty and greed. That can make it both frustrating and sublime in equal doses.

The heights of Warzone 2’s combat and stunning map design are held down by a rocky launch rife with issues.

The true Achilles heel of Substance is hardware support. [July 2003, p.92]

The third episode maintains the series' excellent standard for laugh-out-loud writing and voice-over work, and the puzzles, while tilting toward the easy side, are enjoyable and witty. [Apr 2007, p.54]

Few will see the more remote corners of Rain World’s relentlessly dire stretch, but those who do are unlikely to forget the experience.

BF4: Second Assault is a sound purchase. [June 2014, p.81]

A delightfully monotonous chore sim that tweaks the original powerwashing formula just enough.

The fixed nature of the Trials precludes major excitement once you've burned through them. But for the money, this pack offers a fun Atlantean holiday. [July 2004, p.75]

It's not a sim, but it's the best rally game in years.

But, overall, Lord of the Rings Online serves as proof that a major license can inspire an excellent MMO that immerses you in a beloved setting. [Aug 2007, p.58]

My problem with I-War 2 is its vertical learning curve...Combat is brutal and fleeting — some dogfights ended in my destruction just scant seconds after the first shot was fired.

Stardew Valley’s blend of pixel charm and gentle pacing makes for an excellent little escape.

It might be a little conservative, but this is a smart, faithful remake and easily the de facto way to play System Shock in the modern era.

The gameplay is quite excellent, but Tim Curry is so off-putting that it almost makes this one a tough call. [Mar 2000, p.90]

A strong sports sim, with depth to spare. [Jan 2005, p.83]

In a field of one, it's king. [Feb 2001, p.71]

Other than its being a bit too simplistic, I have no complaints about this game. It's the best PC Potter yet. [Feb 2004, p.88]

Funny, philosophical, and deeply, deeply weird, there’s nothing else quite like Everything on PC.

A masterpiece of audio and visual design, SOMA is atmospheric, cerebral, and occasionally frustrating.

A good RPG provides players with the opportunity to role-play characters of their choosing through an experience that's ultimately personalized by their decisions. Judged on that basis, this game delivers in spades. [Feb. 2007, p.60]

Come for the neck stabs and stay for the surprisingly great combat, Assassin's Creed Shadows is a stealth action buffet with a story to forget.

Company of Heroes 2 is the USSR of real-time strategy games: huge, powerful and just a little bit broken.

Telltale's character drama is as strong as ever, but Clementine's boldest dialogue options end up making her more capable than the adults around her.

A gentle and engrossing underwater sci-fi game that will have you thinking about more than what lies beneath the waves.

For a measly 30 bucks, you won't find a better deal anywhere. [July 2007, p.64]

Long story short, if you own the first RCT and its two expansions, then you already own about 80 percent of RCT 2. [Holiday 2002, p.97]

We're given lots of initial wow factor, but Battlefont can't go the distance against the likes of the "Battlefield" series. I can't complain too much, though, because I still left the experience with a wide grin on my face. Battlefront is definitely a Star Wars geek's dream. [Holiday 2004, p.110]

Not as unique as you’d perhaps expect given the premise, but still a very stylish, characterful and funny adventure.

One of the most exciting online CCGs released yet. It could use more singleplayer content, but for PvP, it's tough to beat.

Vermintide 2's combat and level design are so feverishly fun that I'll put up with its bad matchmaking and RPG progression if it means chopping more ratmen in half.

An excellent idea, not perfectly realised but still ambitious and compelling enough to deserve your attention.

In a genre overstuffed with guns and grenades, this cute and cuddly battle royale stands out.

A stylish, elegant brawler with an absurd sense of humour. More of this sort of thing on PC, please.

Satisfyingly freeform missions and rich systems to play with, set in one of the prettiest cyberpunk cities on PC.

Not as rich an experience as it should be, but it is finally fun to play again. [Oct 2005, p.62]

Five hours of fun, frantic platforming that’s unwieldy and all the better for it.

While not the most ambitious add-on we've ever played, Athena Sword packs enough solid, challenging content to appease "Raven Shield" vets. [June 2004, p.72]

Shovel Knight lovingly recreates the simple pleasures of 8-bit platformers and improves on them with modern ideas that make every level different and worth playing.

It's slow at first and may get a little repetitive, but Bronze is one of the purest strategy games of the year. [Feb 2011, p.74]

A successful revival of the mid-90's shooter. Shadow Warrior's combat is fun despite an irritating sense of humor. [Jan 2014, p.66]

Developer Telltale has built a sterling reputation on making smart, creative episodic games based on existing intellectual properties (see exhibit "Sam & Max), and Homestar Ruiner is no exception. [Nov 2008, p.75]

Despite some shallow ancillary systems, Bannerlord is the master of medieval warfare

A fun, refreshingly light-hearted, and deviously challenging sim with genuine charachter-driven comedy. [Jan 2004, p.108]

Tooth and Tail is an elegantly simple RTS that’s perfect for newcomers or anyone wanting to play on the couch.

It's not fancy, but Drakensang: The River of Time is a well-made RPG in the tradition of the genre's classics. [July 2011, p.64]

Whack-a-mole warfare done right with terrific weapon handling, but the missions keep you on too short a leash. [July 2011, p.66]

Its graphics may be bland and its sound effects cheesy, but I can't stop playing the damn thing. [Nov 2002, p.126]

Creepy, mostly excellent gameplay marred by a few glaring technical and design problems. [Feb 1999, p.216]

A confident remaster of a true classic. The puzzles have aged badly, but the sparkling humour and world design still shine.