Bigger and more stable than ever, Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion will happily strip-mine your life of its free time.

Heavy grind will rightly put people off, but make it to grouping and its combat shines. Some of the races are still creepy though.

Tactical systems and satisfying ballistics marred by irritating levels and punishing sight-detection by the enemy.

It's a changed game, but it's never been such spectacular fun to play, or so creative to tinker with.

Clunky quest structure and uninteresting main characters shoot this weirdly compulsive RPG in the foot.

By some creative miracle, modest difficulty and interaction are outweighed by genuinely great survival storytelling.

The best-yet marriage of third-person gunning and MOBA spellcasting.

Confounds your expectations to create a racing game as much about finesse as destroying buildings.

A smart, unembellished survival horror adventure which rewards patience and inspires introspection.

To be clear MLB 2K12 is hardly a terrible game. It simply lives the worst fate imaginable for gamers: It's never fantastic, but it also perennially avoids being too terrible to merit blowing up and rebuilding from scratch. [June 2012, p.81]

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

A brilliant resurrection of a classic. Speed and skill-driven mechanics separate Tribes from other modern shooters.

If you like to set your own goals and don't need a high-score table to know you're having fun, then Pineapple Smash Crew is well worth the $10. [May 2012, p.81]

While not broken, ugly or terrible, SOL: Exodus settles into a mediocre rut, making it impossible to recommend when games like X3 and Evochron Mercenary offer a bigger, better spacefaring experience for a bit more money. [May 2012, p.81]

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

It took its sweet time, but it's still a genuinely skin-twitching survival game with an original twist to the combat. [May 2012, p.78]

It's light on the strategy, but an intriguing dark fantasy tale and RPG elements lift King Arthur II above the average. [May 2012, p.76]

Held back by a difficulty that isn't satisfying to overcome, but annoying for its fiddly controls and cheating AI. [May 2012, p.77]

A good squad-wargame for those patient enough to forgive the awful interface for making the strategic component a chore. [May 2012, p.74]

Great combat and mountains of loot can't compensate for Amalur's generic world design and familiar story. [May 2012, p.72]

At $10, Shank 2's hardly a regrettable purchase. Just a largely forgettable one. [May 2012, p.71]

Syndicate's confused story gives way to passable shooting with a pointless layer of hacking mechanics. [May 2012, p.68]

As a game, there's not a lot of challenge to Eden--but as an experience, it's well worth spending time with. [May 2012, p.67]

With unconventional subtleties like plotting, matchmaking and title distribution, CK2 never cramps your creativity with mundane victory conditions. [May 2012, p.67]

A glorious scramble for power elevated by some fantastic new units. Shame about those boring boat battles.

The end of the series is a mixed bag. Satisfying in some ways, nonsensical in others, and ultimately too simple. But the sheer scale of the adventure it's ending – and the music, which is gorgeous throughout – gives it an emotional impact that goes beyond its plot payload.

Plenty of progress, especially in the areas of graphics and air traffic control, but don't toss aside Microsoft's FSX yet. [Apr 2012, p.69]

This is an immense disservice to the Flatout franchise, and one that makes Flatout 2 look like a vehicular ballet. [Apr 2012, p.72]