It's the outdoor areas - roughly 25 percent of the game's 20-plus hours of playtime - that host the kind of epic confrontations that you'll tell your buddies about. [Holiday 2003, p.98]

An RTS designed for entertainment rather than e-sport. Colourful, fun and memorable, its elements mesh surprisingly well.

Both genuinely original and a smart physics puzzler, but aggravating in places, Mushroom 11 falls a few inches short of a classic.

As far as looks go, Red Faction is more like the cute girl next door than a hot fashion model from the Upper West Side: It’s pretty, but it won’t make a man drop to his knees and thank God for giving him sight.

A merciless and thoughtfully-designed online strategy game whose clever systems enable a unique and troubling experience.

A great port of a brilliant fighter with a staggering amount of content beyond multiplayer brawling.

The tech specs are demanding, but this is the Middle-Earth game to rule them all.

A thought-provoking and bittersweet adventure that understands that death is part of living.

Directive 8020 is everything you could want from a sci-fi horror game: Body horror aliens, the unwavering dread that all of us are insignificant when set against the great expanse of the universe, and fun QTEs.

A cleverly designed tongue-in-cheek conversion of the show for the main-stream-friendly price tag of $19.99. [Holiday 2006, p.112]

Requiem is a masterful sequel and an exceptional action adventure.

The veteran playmaker is still banging them in and deserves that new contract.

An engrossing survival city builder with intricate production and farming systems.

Any problems are brushed aside by the bent-for-hell mayhem and thrill of combat. [Sept 2000, p.104]

Hokkaido is a confident and experimental end to a great season.

While it isn’t perfect, it does offer up one hell of a good time. [Holiday 2001, p.96]

If the Warhammer universe intrigues you, get this add-on AND "Dawn of War." [Dec 2005, p.82]

You might love or loathe Neon White's willfully cringe anime storytelling, but these blistering platforming time trials are a heavenly delight.

The fantastic Exalt missions, gene mods, and MEC Troopers are an excellent reason to play more XCOM.

May not be the most ambitious follow-up ever, but it does fix most of what was broken in the first game while introducing an attractive, badly needed, 3D makeover. [Dec 2004, p.108]

Somehow in this most well-travelled of multiplayer FPS paths, Insurgency: Sandstorm feels fresh and innovative at every turn.

Resident Evil 4 is still a masterful shooter nine years later. Occasional slowdown caused by the locked 60 fps framerate hampers an otherwise great port.

A great game that narrowly misses classic status due to its bugs. [Dec 2000, p.160]

It’s far from revolutionary, but it is a very well refined version of Football Manager that empowers the player by putting all the information you need at your fingertips.

A fiery test of awareness, speed and accuracy which upholds the series' devotion to teamwork and authenticity, but doesn't nail the asymmetry of modern era combat.

Impossible creatures really shines in its multiplayer mode. [Mar 2003, p.86]

A near-ultimate meat-and-potatoes meal for naval simmers. [Apr 2005, p.68]

A deep, customisable fighter that just happens to include the best video game movie never made.

With a fun concept, superb creation tools, and finely crafted puzzles, Besiege is a construction game to savour.

A classic adventure pumped up with massive doses of adrenaline. [Nov 2005, p.82]

Best in class monster combat makes up for a wilderness that's a touch too streamlined.

A truly magical fusion of tabletop RPG and CCG that’s only missing pizza and beer—and co-op.

Fans of <i>Bone</i> or point-and-click adventures shouldn't hesitate to grab it. [Ju;y 2006, p.99]

Absolutely colossal, Rift aims high and hits its mark, proving that there's room to grow within the traditional MMO format.

A gorgeous world, bursting with personality. Great storytelling makes up for the short length and unchallenging puzzles.

As a one-stop shop for an entire chess-playing and learning family, this package should last until you're all grand masters. [Apr 2008, p.64]

The joy of Culture Shock is clicking on anything and everything that's interactive and listening to the characters riff on it in philosophical brain-gasms. [Holiday 2006, p.112]

A smooth and mesmerising experience that includes nothing it doesn't need.

Leans heavily on nostalgia and sentimentality, but Gone Home is an affecting game that challenges you like no other.

Joe Danger 2: The Movie manages to build on the fun of its predecessor--and make it even more preposterous. [Oct 2013, p.68]

You'll watch as much as you play, but Max's story of non-redemption is as fun as his theatrical slow motion headshots. [Sept 2012, p.62]

Slow, weird, and indulgent, but a true original, and a journey that will linger in your mind long after it's over.

Deep, brutal, and hauntingly atmospheric, The Long Dark is a survival game done right.

Diablo 4 is packed with powerful class builds and exciting loot to find, but clouds its most creative aspects with an overly bleak world and restrictive endgame systems.

A great buy for Sims junkies; and if you missed the first one, go out and buy both. [Nov 2000, p.137]

If you're after an infinite action RPG then Destiny 2 is a few DLC packs and expansions away from that, but if you're after a regular light dose of beautiful sci-fi shooter fun, the perfect post-pub co-op jolly, or the game that will have your fireteam shouting in joy at your monitors when a raid boss goes down, Destiny 2 is a very well-made shooter and one of the best co-op games on PC.

A massive, challenging retro-flavoured shooter that takes the Metroid formula and runs with it. Old school, but with a modern edge.

A decent port of a great Final Fantasy with one of the cleverest combat systems in RPGs.

Though visually attractive, it's still hampered by graphical glitches that have plagued the series over the last several years. My biggest gripe, though, is that this year's edition still doesn't get the number of penalaties correct. [Dec. 2006, p.120]

This light touch remaster makes a perfect pairing with Nightdive's far-reaching System Shock 1 remake.

With a newfound litheness on the pitch and deep data analysis, FM21 gives you an easy excuse to relapse.

A superb multiplayer RPG that moves the boundaries of what an MMO can be. [Aug 2005, p.64]

Installing and playing through S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was like discovering and opening a long-forgotten Christmas present. [June 2007, p.54]

Sifu will test your patience, but learning how to coolly dismantle a room full of goons with virtual kung fu is worth the pain.

As Sheogorath would state in a melodious Scottish accent, Shivering Isles is "more of the same, only completely different." [July 2007, p.62]

Has something to offer for anyone with a working trigger finger, a penchant for aerial destruction, and $10/month to spare. [Mar 2003, p.92]

Travelling along a plane at a constant pace has never been so much fun – Runner2 is an addictive and rewarding experience.

A triumphant return to the top for footballing’s favourite son.

Those of you still playing UT2K4 won't find many core gameplay changes in UT3; the advancces here are primarily aesthetic. [Feb 2008, p.66]

If you ask me, and you have, a real and formidable talent has emerged in Original Fire Games. Somehow, using some cute little cars, a camera perspective from the arcades of yesteryear and surprising sim touches, it makes all-out racing sims feel a bit like doing a tax return by comparison.

Overall, however, pet lovers and fans of The Sims 2 will find this expansion disc more fun than licking yourself silly--and believe me, it doesn't get much better than that. [Jan. 2007, p.74]

Trials of Fire's list of features may read like a videogame word salad, but the resulting combination makes for a fine RPG feast.

A must-play for serious tacticians and World War II buffs. [Nov 2005, p.85]

The only downside to this excellent new content is that you still have to play it using ArmA II's awkward command interface, which, sadly, this DLC does not attempt to improve. [Nov 2010, p.83]

With deep strategic systems, omnipresent dread, and clean turn-based combat, Xenonauts is a triumph of rebooted game design.

Blade Symphony's duels are electrifying and intimate, more than making up for a lack of content.

Tremendously fun and mostly pothole free, this gorgeous and flexible off-roader has something for every driving fan. [Sept 2011, p.70]

This great adventure is entertaining for adults and children alike. [Sept 2011, p.73]

Huge, open and beautiful. Sapienza offers up a different sort of challenge to Paris, and is a promising sign for Hitman's future.

A joyous adventure and fitting swan song for one of Japan's great RPG directors.

So, an expertly crafted space adventure? Yes. One of the best examples of this genre we've ever seen? Also yes, with the caveat that it's a style of game that's been sadly under-represented in recent years. The lack of heavy simulation elements and emphasis on combat makes this a game that's perfect for a quick blast as well as longer play sessions, but it's also a satisfying and, thanks to all the side missions, really quite long adventure that'll keep you looting and shooting through space for up to 90 hours.

A chaotic(yet surprisingly deep)tower defense game, Revenge of the Titans is as charming as it is challenging. [July 2011, p.76]

Aftermath retains most of the polish present in DICE's previous expansions. [March 2013, p.79]

Not as satisfying a city builder as the original, but the society simulation is still on point.

A must-own for "SimCity 4" fans, and for those who found the game too tough out of the box. [Holiday 2003, p.104]

An excellent implementation of the BUILD engine that makes for a tuly wicked shoot-'em -up. [July 1997, p.208]

Packaged with the rest of the Master Chief Collection, it’s an easy way to hop in and see what all the fuss was about 20 years ago. If you’ve spent the last 20 years moulding Halo PC into a custom content chimaera, it’s a harder sell. What Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is offering a clean slate.

The short campaign isn't as replayable as it should be, but Retribution's three bloody modes each offer great combat options. [April 2011, p.68]

A captivating journey into a beautiful, atmospheric wilderness, with a touching story that doesn’t always hit the right notes.

Stealth and pursuit haven’t changed much in Outlast 2, but it excels as a beautiful, brutal journey through extreme spiritual anxieties.

By making excellent use of its procedurally generated world and wacky gadgets, Heat Signature is a mission worth taking.

Westwood must have felt that the RA engine didn't need improving - add 7% if you agree. [Jan 2001, p.118]

Hard science, harder simulation, and narrative innovation make Per Aspera a real gem.

Hardly revolutionary, but still a hell of a lot of fun. RTS fans should pick it up. [Sept 2004, p.64]

A powerfully evocative and beautiful subversion of point-and-click rote, but occasionally opaque and disorienting.

Life is Strange elegantly meshes time-travelling with nostalgia-riddled teen drama, producing a sympathetic debut.

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

This is still the most fun I've had with a singleplayer shooter since Bulletstorm, and the most substantially well-realised setting for a shooter campaign since Metro 2033. Its writing, music and environmental art all achieve far more than you might expect from the game about a preternaturally durable testicle with a revenge fetish and a gun in each hand. In a genre that is often overtaken by derivative or exploitative games, it's a pleasant surprise—a reminder of a time when a shooter's singleplayer campaign was the main event. A time when these games were made with attention to detail, care, and a bit of love.

Funny, fresh, and full of surprises, Typhoon’s debut blends genres expertly. Co-op doesn’t add much, though.

These four fantastic maps are pricey, but they're more than just a nostalgic throwback. They present Battlefield 3 at its best. [Mar 2012, p.74]

Unlike most Eastern Front wargames, Unity fends off overdone unit counts and dull AI. Wargame of the year material. [Mar 2012, p.80]

Lovely Planet Arcade is a fast, challenging deconstruction of old school FPS design that can be frustrating, but makes up for it with heaps of charm.

Visually, Painkiller is sumptuous. I won't disclose the awe-inspiring setting of the last level except to say that it's one of the most dazzling displays I've ever seen in a game. [July 2004, p.76]

Some of Blizzard's best work in years wrestles with bugs and design issues, but still comes out on top.

The game's still far from perfect, but NBA Live 2004 is much more enjoyable than last year's version. [Mar 2004, p.77]

Despite an annoying story mode, Anno 1800 is the biggest and best entry in the series to date.

The quest for outrageous items makes Risk of Rain 2 a strong action roguelike, but its unlockable secrets give it that little something extra.

A very satisfying wargame, if not the end-all-beat-all game we'd hoped for. [Aug 2000, p.88]