If any game deserves George Lucas-style tampering, it's this one. [Feb 2005, p.53]

It may be just a pretty face, but damned if Comanche 4 doesn’t have enough hot-looking curves to take your mind off its lack of brains. [Feb 2002, p.70]

Some good fun to be had here; just odn't expect an RPG revolution. [May 2001, p.80]

The entire game is just one big jumping puzzle... Right from the get-go, Rayman 3's puzzles are irritatingly difficult. [May 2003, p.78]

A rare example of an RTS game that's a much more satisfying single-player experience than a multiplayer one. I doubt we'll see anything like the huge groundswell of online fandom and support that its predecessor earned, but solo strategists will still have a whale of a time.

We love the new look, but we're not thrilled about the tarnished gameplay. [May 2004, p.64]

A fine purchase for Simholics, but don't expect too much bang for your buck. [June 2001, p.58]

Strategically delicious, Phoenix Point’s biggest problem is lackluster technical execution.

Invigorating arcade racing let down by lightweight multiplayer and campaign modes.

Relaxing and brisk, but lacking in the substance needed to please genre fans and live up to the SteamWorld name.

At launch, SFV is merely serviceable for the seasoned online warrior. For the beginner, it is simply abysmal.

A potentially solid game design desperately in need of a good patch-up job. TalonSoft, are you listening? [Nov 1999, p.180]

Proof that the "kill...reward" paradigm still works. [June 2001, p.78]

Definitely an RTS for cerebral types, but it's a welcome change from tank rushes. [May 2003, p.76]

The result is an endearing, intelligent little game that's sadly a bit wobbly at the knees. [Feb 2013, p.79]

Wattam is a fun colourful playground for players to goof around in, even though it's controls have a few screws loose.

An excellently-crafted shooter, especially with friends. Just don’t expect much in the way of brains.

FIFA 21 fixes some on-pitch issues, though it stops short of giving the series the meaningful overhaul it needs.

An entertaining roguelike deckbuilder held back by irritating design decisions. Frustrating, but far from a bust.

A game all about gliding and exploring trips over its own feet.

Unmechanical dazzles with its gorgeous artwork and smart physics-based puzzle, but its ending is ultimately unsatisfactory. [Dec 2012, p.66]

An established D&D group may love transitioning from paper to monitor for Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach; casual players, however, will be left holding the dice bag. [Jun 2006, p.86]

Fuser feels like a natural evolution for Harmonix and, scoring system aside, lets players take control of the music more than ever before.

An inventive puzzler with rapid-fire gags that'll make you groan as much as guffaw.

Delivers the most engaging interpretation of grassroots dirt track racing on the PC. [Jan 2003, p.90]

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]

FEAR 3 spends too much time being a mediocre horror game and not enough innovating, but it's still a wild shooter.

HighFleet has appealing vision, but breaks down due to opaque systems and lack of difficulty options.

Scott Pilgrim EX is a palatable fresh helping of retro beatdown goodness, but it's too brief and easygoing to deliver more fun than its inspirations or its best contemporaries.

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

Familiar, lightweight but almost impossible to dislike, this is an effortlessly enjoyable action RPG.

Not a classic, but it's a desperately overdue addition to the tank-sim library. [Sept 2005, p.58]

Cris Tales never manages to build its curious premise into an entertaining tool.

A promising setting and clever systems are let down by simple enemies, simpler characters, and strange balancing.

The weak combat and MMO padding hurt the experience, but The Secret World has innovation, atmosphere and charm.

Though Warhammer 40K: Darktide needs more time to develop, its core gameplay is the best Fatshark has ever created.

The imperative to cash in on Black Flag is transparent, but as it turns out a location swap works wonders for igniting the hooded pirate in you again.

A decent boost to the already feature-packed gameworld. [June 2003, p.86]

When you insult your audience by coughing up some of the weakest physics and AI ever coded for a PC racer, then kudos quickly turns into Bronx cheers. [May 2003, p.62]

An innovative format for a mystery but lacking in story and performances, and overly reliant on peer approval.

A wonderfully absurd tale of insurrection and kicking stuff in a cheery-looking world.

Refreshingly, cheating is often the best way to go. [Sept 2004, p.70]

No other game comes close to the major league statistical detail offered in this addictive simulation of our national pastime. [Sept 2007, p.60]

Even if you have the skill to complete the single-player game, you'll have only scratched the surface of this thorough war simulator. [Aug 2007, p.62]

People don't typically play action-RPGs for their riveting narratives. They want fast-paced combat, lots of environments and beasties, and tons of cool magic weapons, armor, and loot. Sacred's got all that in spades. [June 2004, p.69]

While it doesn't fulfil its potential, Flat Eye is an intriguing management sim that's more than the sum of its parts.

Tiny Glade is a stress-free building game with some lovely ideas, but it too often feels restrictive rather than meditative.

Though hokey, tired and periodically shambolic, the campaign has a few new tricks, but it's the fulsome multiplayer that saves Blops 2 from shame.

Though much too easy, Dead Rising 4 is sandboxy zombie-killing adventure that recaptures the series' fun.

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

Destination: Treasure Island may not break any significant new ground, but it nevertheless delivers one of the PC's better adventure-gaming yarns since "Monkey Island".

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]

Me like game. Me like unlocked mini-challenges, movie trailers, and other extras. It only $29.99. The Hulk is strongest one there is. [Aug 2003, p.63]

FATE has all the touchstones of a BIT.TRIP game--the hunt for flawless execution, the grueling score optimization. It serves up the same boiled-down punishing appeal. [Nov 2013, p.74]

A confident mishmash of a few different Resi games. [July 2015, p.70]

A lovingly crafted action RPG with challenging, satisfying gunfights and an extraordinary cyberpunk setting.

This is a game about smashing up artwork with a big rock, and there's nothing wrong with that. [Holiday 2011, p.79]

A solid tactical RPG frustratingly buried under a terrible port.

John Wick Hex is a movie tie-in that doesn’t go for the lowest common denominator. What could easily have been a generic real-time action game works wonderfully in this form—converting the pace of the movie action into a very elegant illusion of it. It works admirably despite the within this somewhat sparse presentation, and feels like an idea that the developer could evolve into something really special in the future—with or without the John Wick license.

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

The city builder sequel is packed with big improvements but a fair share of disappointments.

Despite the missteps with combat, and another storyline that is just too dry to get invested in even with well-produced cutscenes, I still recommend Catalyst. It’s annoyingly close to being the ideal Mirror’s Edge game, but retains a few of its predecessors’ issues, even if those problems have manifested in different forms. If you loved the first game as much as I did, there’s so much to enjoy about running around this big, gorgeous playground—I just wish DICE had stuck the landing.

Fun for kids and adults alike(the original <i>Pac Man</i> is even included in emulated form)--just be sure to bring a quality game-pad to the party. [July 2006, p.99]

A slick cinematic thriller, but interaction is limited and the story loses focus in the final act.

Dead in Vinland combines resource management, RPG combat, uneven writing, and a lot of diciness into something I couldn't stop playing until I finished it.

Fresh out of the box, it's disappointing. But with patches, it could be the king of RPGs. [Sept 2000, p.95]

It's far outshined by older flight sims that are available at the same price. [Jan 2004, p.110]

Definitely a solid strategy game, but lacking in depth and story. [June 2004, p.70]

Tilted Mill has given us more of an ancient relic than anything new and compelling. [Jan. 2007, p.82]

BPM is a great concept somewhat fumbled, redeemed when it breaks its own rules.

Narita Boy's digital twist on a classic fantasy tale is engrossing if a bit disorientating.

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]

Realm of Shadows indicates that it might tell an interesting Batman story, but takes time to get there and suffers from Telltale’s tired design and engine limitations.

A significant step forward for the king of military simulation offset by inconsistent graphical performance.

Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a brief but fun foray into a well-worn genre. The mode-swapping and elemental attacks are enjoyable, but the game is over just when it starts to reach a proper crescendo, with 100 percent of the map revealed (and presumably all the gear and spells) in under six hours. Not quite a full symphony, but a fun little ensemble.

Partisans combines a classic real-time tactics structure with more flexible systems for a winning formula.

A fun, if repetitive, kart racer whose charms are sullied by its predatory microtransactions targeted right at young children.

Marvel Rivals is a well-made hero shooter that is easy to enjoy, and while it's managed to distinguish itself from Overwatch 2 in terms of heroes, it's fallen into the same pitfalls.

Just about every piece of military hardware you see, from mortars to halftracks to 88's, can and MUST be used to get through a given mission. [Jan 2003, p.78]

This is yesterday’s MMO by the merits of its own content, but compensates by potentially ushering in a DIY revolution.

A fun, serviceable update to the 4X legend that brings little memorable to the genre aside from its personality.

The best in tis underrated series, but the gameplay hasn't kept pace with the FPS genre. [Feb 2001, p.90]

This game has evolved from admirable statistical sim to full-on addiction. [July 2005, p.57]

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

Beautiful, well-written, and with an exciting finish, this is a strong start for Inquisition DLC.

Interesting classes, engaging melee gameplay, and an exciting arena mode have the wind taken out of their sails by deserted servers.

A perfectly good 4X game with an innovative combat system that feels a bit bland when framed against the richness of its setting.

While Toy Story 3 may not be all that it could've been, there's still a lot of enjoyment to be had while interacting with the Toy Story cast of characters in their natural environment. [Nov 2010, p.83]

Problematic in some areas, but overall a really good, thoughtful move towards better sex games.

A so-so start to this new series. The multiple character stuff is interesting, but weak shooting and bland environments let it down.

A decent but cliched mob story and bland, frustrating gameplay make this the weakest Mafia yet.

Also disturbing is how readily the game plays itself, with little to no input necessary from the player. [July 2008, p.64]

Mainlining is mostly a success. Even though many cases are simple to solve, how to solve them remains satisfying throughout [April 2017, p.91]

It's Far Cry 5 again, on a smaller scale and with a post-apocalyptic paint job.

An inventive puzzle game that’s too short and easy to recommend—worthwhile only for the novelty of its concept.

Not as groundbreaking as it could have been, but still an excellent game. [Nov 2000, p.138]

A solid 4X that fails to capture the spirit of its colourful setting.

Satisfying sailing in a beautifully soggy apocalypse. I've never felt so connected to a vehicle in a game.