​Stunningly rendered close-ups of nature make Unravel’s somber fable and irritating death traps just worth surviving.

The early game promises an instant strategy classic, but Stellaris is unable to maintain that pace.

Great for RTS newbies or serious "WarCraft" fans, but gaming vets will feel major deja vu. [May 2001, p.39]

A hugely fun, mega frenetic co-op shooter that embodies the soul, and depth, of 90's twitch shooters. [Mar 2012, p.78]

Quotation omitted. [June 2000, p.112]

Come for the one of the scariest environments you’ll sweat in, but try not to leave for the punishing level of difficulty.

Jett: Far From Shore has some epic highs but fiddly ship controls and unanswered questions weigh this space adventure down.

Story-wise, the device would work better if the player characters were more likeable. [Oct 2007, p.56]

A decent, but not essential, two-hour expansion for Mankind Divided that’s ultimately more of the same.

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

A blissfully fluid action game with a compelling twist, let down occasionally by tedious encounters.

It doesn't have much depth, but BloodRayne 2 delivers on its simple promise of offering non-stop carnage. If that sets your blood a-boil, give it a shot. [Oct 2005, p.65]

Hell Let Loose is a fun and accessible introduction to milsims, but I miss the complexity.

A decent enough expansion, but it doesn't reach the great heights of previous post-launch outings.

AI flaws and a limp campaign let down an otherwise-accomplished RTS revival.

A drab campaign doesn't do the history justice, but Call of Duty: WWII’s multiplayer recalls the glory days of Modern Warfare.

For $19.99, Warpath is a good deal--in quantity, if not quality. [Jun 2006, p.50]

A nice change of pace for city-builders, but it loses momentum once the immediate urgency of survival goes away.

Strider is a liberating, free-form action platformer studded with frustrating callbacks to an arcade era better left behind.

One of the most exciting racing game environments for years, unfortunately bound to a slew of dull races and superfluous story.

Rebel Galaxy’s combat can be a lot of fun, but there's little depth and a lot of repetition.

Free-to-play limits player choice and hurts the game's longevity, but Champions remains a pretty, if passable MMO.

When it comes to RTS design fundamentals, Achron is frustratingly primitive, which depreciates its brilliant twist. [Nov 2011, p.81]

Whispers of a Machine is like a good episode of your favorite police procedural: familiar and fun, no more and no less.

A weird and funny story with a lot of surprises, but control and camera issues dampen the fun.

A beautifully presented and accessible game in a sometimes obscure genre, Ara: History Untold is a pretty picture book rather than a deep tome.

Veterans of previous Patrician games will no doubt feel at home, but new players may be scratching their heads at the vague objectives. [Jan 2004, p.88]

Flawed and overfamiliar, but still as joyously OTT and hilarious as ever.

Wonky mission design and technical issues drag down a solid stealth game that still has enjoyable multiplayer.

Admirably back to basics, eschewing fancypants gimmicks to focus entirely on the ancient, noble art of hitting balls into holes. [Holiday 2014, p.58]

Better than Borderlands 3, but not quite reaching the heights of Borderlands 2 at its best.

The best Shadowrun to date, but the series is starting to go grey.

Micromanagement is emphasized, explaining its popularity(in Germany)--so if you're into that, <i>Emergency 3</i> is an enjoyable RTS. [July 2006, p.67]

The new design focus has created a schizophrenic game in which neither single-play nor multiplay is successful. [Holiday 2004, p.90]

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

Sworcery is worth a look for the presentation and music, but despite the upgrade to HD the mobile version is still the one to go for. [Aug 2012, p.77]

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

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

Still awfully limited relative to the encyclopedic scope of regular FIFA games, 2006 FIFA World Cup features just enough content to sate footie fans who aren't getting enough of a World Cup fix from their tube. [Aug 2006, p.91]

Ota Imon has something interesting to say with Wolfstride. I just hope it finds the right voice to say it with next time.

If you can look past its graphic belmishes and gratuitously protracted conversation pieces, however, Culpa Innanta is a solid point-and-click adventure game with significant depth and replay value. [Feb 2008, p.85]

Legends of Eisenwald is a slightly rough-hewn romp through Germanic legend that's engaging and entertaining despite its lack of depth.

Strike Vector’s aerial combat is brilliant and beautiful, but it needs to be put into a package that does it justice.

A beautiful JRPG that captures the spirit of the genre's early hits while playing things a tad too safely.

The shooting is precise, but the overwrought customization system sacrifices depth for brute-force completely. [Aug 2012, p.62]

While the new zones look nice, they're not getting heavy use, at least on my server. [Jan 2005, p.82]

Charm and a solid formula go a long way to smoothing over this roguelike deckbuilder's ungroomed edges.

A modest remaster of a fun but flawed RTS that’s stuck in the ever-lengthening shadow of its predecessor.

For a paltry 10 bucks though, there's plenty here to enjoy, and the new cards and decks make it a worthy upgrade for those who own last year's Duels of the Planeswalkers. [Oct 2011, p.81]

Egregious DRM and poor matchmaking mar a surprisingly fun and accessible multiplayer shooter. [May 2012, p.80]

A cheap and cheerful action game that won’t win any awards, but provides solid knockabout laughs.

Fiddly at times, and cursed with a lousy tutorial, the intricacy and scale of Cities in Motion 2 eventually shines through. [July 2013, p.74]

It's a shame to think that a great franchise could be tarnished by sheer carelessness. [June 2002, p.53]

Still, Bionic Commando is packed with enough challenges and modes to woo even the most suicidal Spencer back into battle. [Dec 2008, p.58]

For $20, this European import is quite a steal, and should provide plenty of hours of heated gameplay. [Nov 2003, p.112]

Call of Duty's strongest multiplayer offering in years is dragged down by a tedious campaign.

A winning but wayward chimera of survival game, surrealism and storybook adventure.

Solasta's storytelling may not be up to much, but its tactical combat and accessible approach to D&D rules make it worth considering for CRPG fans.

Starting a medieval crime family may not be everyone's idea of fun, but for those who are willing to place a daggar in a rival's back or to bribe a magistrate to get ahead, Pirates is a worthwhile expansion to its predecessor. [Oct 2007, p.70]

As far as cool new shooter innovations go, playing with time ranks up their with portal guns. It just hasn't quite reached its full potential. [Jan 2008, p.78]

As a PC gamer, I'm frustrated the PC, the most powerful gaming platform, is stuck getting sloppy seconds. [Feb 2008, p.81]

Toca Race Driver 3 offers advancement over its predecessors, but until Codemasters recognizes and repairs the game's physics and AI weaknesses, this franchise will continue losing track position to the superior offerings from either side of the Atlantic that currently steer this game. [Apr 2006, p.98]

Not too shabby, for a console port. [Oct 2008, p.64]

A more gritty survival horror experience than Stay Human, but Techland's new first-person parkour game still stumbles a bit.

It might seem gimmicky, but Chess Royale is an effective introduction to an often-confusing genre.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's gorgeously realized world is let down by its emphasis on combat, marred by a few fatal stumbles.

A compelling cyberpunk story told in an imaginative way, and one that will really test your moral compass.

Windjammers 2 is a blast when you get into its zone. But despite that joyful core, it feels like a failure to bring this classic game to a new generation. Just as its style is trapped in the aesthetics of years gone by, so too is its approach to design. There a lot to like about it, and for some the stripped down challenge will be a welcome callback, but I imagine most will be left wondering what the fuss is about.

If you've been away from EverQuest for a while and you're thinking of coming back for this add-on, don't bother unless your goal is to eliminate corpse-runs. [June 2005, p.74]

There's nothing in its new content that can be considered absolutely essential. [Holiday 2006, p.76]

In terms of the game experience, that’s great. In terms of labour politics, the substitution muddies how I feel about the studio and the game. It’s worth reading the various interviews and points of view online to make up your own mind whether you want to support the studio and this outing for the franchise. With that caveat in place, Before the Storm benefits from being more focused and more of a character piece than Life Is Strange. It gets rid of most of the clunky puzzling, provides emotional payoffs for Chloe fans, and puts a gay teenage girl front and centre in a valuable way.

Technically impressive but just not as fun or innovative as its predecessor.

Beautiful and challenging, but the relentless and over complicated micromanagement can be exhausting. [Jun 2010, p.76]

The bare bones of a hugely exciting strategy RPG hybrid. The the AI just isn't good enough to make it special, yet.

The challenge RUS presents is well worth your time if you can deal with its no-frills presentation. [Aug 2011, p.79]

It's light on features for an expansion, but Mercenaries adds some welcome volatility to the 4X sandbox.

While Ubisoft was right in aborting its earlier incarnation--as a standalone subscription-based game, it would've bombed--Myst Online is a fantastic fit for Gametap.com, letting you drop in for brief visits without feeling like you have to linger. [July 2007, p.60]

Dungeonland is nowhere close to perfect, but in multiplayer it’s a brilliant bastard of a game. Just add friends – or enemies.

Field of Glory 2: Medieval is the closest to a tabletop miniatures experience you'll get on PC.

A surprisingly good time when you're not forced to reload your checkpoint after a game-breaking bug.

Deadbeat Heroes' might sometimes be unintuitive, but emphasizing player experience, challenge, and aesthetics isn't a bad approach.

An entertaining superhero power fantasy, let down by awful Batmobile combat, a laughable villain, and serious performance issues.

A flawed but fun action slaughterfest with a great NPC-possession hook.

A smart, peculiar city builder that ends in a gruelling uphill battle against a rival city.

Not too shabby for fans of the comics, but there are better FPS games out there. [Oct 2000, p.114]

While it succeeds in being a happy, positive game, Dream Daddy's simulation doesn’t go far enough.

Not the finest physics simulation ever, but good enough to convey a uniquely challenging discipline—plus, all the customisation items in the world.

Not much innovation, but a solid 3D RTS that purists and online addicts should enjoy. [Oct 2000, p.139]

A gripping horror story, but one where the interactive elements struggle to sustain the tension.

It's a solid few hours worth a look. [Apr 2013, p.111]

Fun, but without enough new elements to distinguish itself from its RTS breathren. [Dec 2002, p.120]

Despite being free to download and play, Requiem is fully featured, and arguably better than many subscription-based MMOs out there. [Oct 2008, p.60]

The games provide a compelling diversion as you dream of those virtual dollars being real. [Oct 2005, p.74]

A sensational audiovisual experience that starts to drag around halfway in.

Despite its strengths, Solar Ash fails to skate free from the gravity of its influences.

An average shooter tied to a compelling, confident story, but the TV show is ultimately an expensive, if entertaining, gimmick.

In its maiden campaign, there are glimmers of hope for future greatness, but this rookie offering is sufficiently weak in enough areas to keep it lagging behind 3DO's "High Heat" series. [July 2003, p.74]

Lovely and challenging with enjoyable crafting and survival elements, but poor river controls make it harsher than it should be.​