Overall, Grid is an impressive racer, slick enough to forgive its obvious console origins and deep enough to forgive the frustrating AI. [Aug 2008, p.59]

If you loved the first Dead Space, you'll like this one. Just not as much. [Mar 2011, p.64]

While Gone Home must be applauded for the excellence with which its story is delivered, the central thread itself feels unsatisfying and underwhelming, a wannabe-revolutionary call to arms acknowledgeable with little more than a shrug. [Oct 2013, p.88]

A lot of fun, but perhaps a little too polished. [May 2014, p.54]

Excellent offroad simulation almost entirely ruined by terrible, mass-market presentation. Add two points if you can live with the triangles. [Aug 2011, p.62]

WAR is not about redefining the genre, and to complain it resembles WoW is to criticize it for being a fantasy MMO. Where it excels is group-based gameplay. [Dec 2008, p.64]

Despite its by-the-numbers storyline, the game grabs you into its sucking chest wound of a world and keeps you there until the last chitinous spike has been blasted from the final suppurating torso. [Dec 2008, p.67]

A combination of DRM and instability ruins what should be an excellent game. Pick this up on console. [Apr 2010, p.58]

A tribute to Doom that leaps to great heights, but fails to fully stick the landing. [Issue#252, p.60]

It lacks enough pure content to be for anyone but Dawn of War fanatics. [May 2010, p.68]

Though repetitive with stacks of downtime, Frostpunk has a strangely addictive gameplay loop (more so, I imagine, if you emotionally connect with your people).

It doesn’t really push the genre any further forward in terms of gameplay, and as such loses some of the jaw-drop factor that Crysis brought to the market in spades. But then, it isn’t designed to be groundbreaking. It’s designed to preach to the choir. [Dec 2008, p.69]

As PC's only alternative to GT5, Shift 2 is satisfactory at best. But true racing enthusiasts will need to go elsewhere to really satisfy their...need for speed. [July 2011, p.74]

A harrowing, relentlessly grim tale let down by workmanlike combat and puzzles. [Issue#266, p.58]

Fun but unremarkable sim racing that is impacted by various issues and an overall lack of polish. [July 2015, p.58]

Like an oboe, this game gets ruined in the playing. Well, a bit. [June 2013, p.94]

In trading substance for style, Conviction winds up hollow and unsatisfying. Co-op is the only saving grace. [July 2010, p.52]

A flawed gem that's very much worth playing. [Jan 2012, p.44]

An interactive, aural delight which doesn't quite offer gameplay to match its busy artistry. [June 2012, p.61]

Really only compelling for folks who keep their gaming world PC-pure. Otherwise, pick this up on the console of your choice. [Dec 2009, p.66]

A smart, lengthy and logical adventure game that is consistently enjoyable without ever trying to be incredible. [Oct 2012, p.81]

Bulletstorm is perfectly designed to appeal to the 14 year old boys who can't buy it because it's rated MA15+. [May 2011, p.64]

A brilliant treatment of feudalism in terms of strategy and story, but requires major investment to overcome information overload. [May 2012, p.52]

The fur's not flying here - Mists of Pandaria is another solid addiction to World of Warcraft. [Nov 2012, p.68]

A great game held back by poor balance decisions and a layer of petty bugs.

A mostly triumphant return to form for this unique series. [July 2013, p.86]

A potential classic, hamstrung by unkept promises made during 2.5 years of Early Access. [Issue#254, p.64]

DICE, please. Slow down, put the brakes on, and take your time. As Battlefield 4 shows, a two-year cycle isn't worth the rush. [Jan 2014, p.86]

An amazingly deep and unique roleplaying experience but marred by roadblock mechanics and repetitive game elements (Hollingworth). A deep and fascinating world with a compelling narrative and large degree of player agency (Wilks) [Issue#260, p.53]

A surprisingly rich survival horror game that doesn't try to frighten you so much as leave you feeling slightly uneasy. [June 2012, p.65]

Though it oozes atmosphere, frequent and irritating monster encounters tarnish an otherwise solid shooter. [May 2010, p.56]

Fast and flashy combat in a shallow fantasy world. For the solo MMO player only. [Apr 2012, p.62]

A deeply flawed yet passably entertaining co-op genre mash-up. [Christmas 2009, p.52]

The missed potential of the Napoleon story and some dodgy AI make this one a fun, but not essential, Total War game. [Apr 2010, p.50]

A bold experiment in semi-interactive narrative that doesn't quite succeed. [Issue#249, p.58]

A celebration of speed and movement. [Jan 2010, p.86]

Revenant Kingdom is one of those games that suffers for being a sequel to something that was a bit special. It's a good oddball JRPG. But Wrath of the White Witch had great storytelling, compelling characters, and epic boss fights. Revenant Kingdom just feels... smaller.

A loving celebration of bullet-hell, which relishes its intricate perfection without the distraction of a whole game's worth of content. [Sept 2011, p.63]

It's not perfect, but it's a worthy successor to the now 20-year franchise. [Aug 2015, p.58]

An ambitious game hobbled by laborious, unsatisfying combat and a "ready-made" approach to quest design that undermines player autonomy. [Dec 2015, p.58]

A prettier but more generic experience overall. Still fun, but somewhat lacking in the skill department. [Dec 2011, p.62]

The series' new benchmark for quality. Don't let these bricks get lost under the couch. [Sept 2012, p.62]

A solid GTA clone that ticks all the boxes but forgets to add the magic ingredient of improvisation. [Oct 2012, p.77]

Sleek and competent and detailed and not really very exciting. [Issue#263, p.62]

Your typical Obsidian experience sans compelling companion characters. The foundation's there for a good sequel, at least. [Issue#258, p.70]

FM 2017 is the best the series has been, and thus the best football management game around. But the improvements are too incremental and the new features too disposable to make this a value-for-money day one proposition.

A definite step above the original but still not without its problems. [Issue#268, p.60]

For all its flaws and shortcomings, The Banner Saga's ambitions shine through well enough. [March 2014, p.52]

The rest of us might like future instalments to try something else, or at the very least tweak the formula rather than copy its shortcomings. [Mar 2008, p.61]

Incredible potential squandered by a focus on action and dull quest design. Still a decent romp in co-op, but it could have been so much more. [Nov 2011, p.54]

Chalk this one up as another PC adaptation hemmed-in by the need to make it all work on the PlayStation 3 If Lara's got a saving grace, it's that she's the archetypal 'pub game' girl. To the sozzled, life isn't an intricate cornucopia of detail and possibility, it's a pinball machine one gets hurled through, head first; linear and idiot-proof. [January 2009, p.53]

Pricey, but five hours well spent. [Oct 2009, p.80]

Hardcore tank combat clashes with a casual business model, ensuring only the most dedicated tread-heads will get the best experience. [Nov 2011, p.60]

Rather than wheel out a new car for this year's season, F1 2012 is content to dust off last year's model and slap on a new set of tyres. [Nov 2012, p.83]

A solid but unremarkable entry in a venerable franchise. [Jan 2012, p.56]

Family-friendly smash-ups and a goofy concept. There's something refreshing in this game's profanity-free self-confidence. [Christmas 2011, p.64]

Elegant and gorgeous but surprisingly difficult. [March 2012, p.64]

Absolution shows the developer is capable of presenting Hitman's systems with a previously-unknown cinematic gravitas without resorting to scripting and cutscenes. Yet, the majority of Absolution sacrifices its full potential for the wrong kind of storytelling.

The basic feel of this instalment is that it’s a slightly better than normal football yearly re-release, than a drastic overhaul of the game play. [Dec 2008, p.7]

Surprisingly deep city-building sim with lots of neat quirks. [Christmas 2009, p.62]

Wholesome adventure fun for Threepheads and newcomers alike. [Oct 2009, p.78]

Fun for a while, but less than the sum of its parts. [Issue#250, p.57]

So without trying to sound too overjoyed by a game which satirises, and celebrates, a culture of nonchalant melancholia, it would be very difficult to hate this episode. In the words of Max: “You have a castle and a zombie army. What do you have to be so down about?” [Apr 2008, p.68]

The darker story and high production values make this one worth a peek, but otherwise its nothing special. [May 2010, p.70]

Full of promise, but let down by unfortunate control and balance issues. [Mar 2010, p.73]

Gorgeous presentation and clever level design are only held back by mild control issues. [July 2010, p.61]

The most detailed Pets expansion for the series. Horses, in particular, are an exciting inclusion. [Jan 2012, p.60]

The game suffers from a major lack of restraint - next time they should focus on a smaller, more varied city with a limited set of better-balanced powers. [Sept 2009, p.70]

A curious relic, uncovered by a freak sandstorm, and soon to be reclaimed by the desert. [Issue#248, p.58]

If you're into twitchy, fast-paced multiplayer shooters, Altitude might just be worth a look. [Mar 2010, p.75]

While technically a great expansion, the core game simply can't compete with its recent peers. [Jan 2013, p.74]

There is a great game under all the bugs, but for now my experience of the game makes it hard to recommend.

A skilled remastering of an important title - just one that fails to excite as it once did. [Jan 2013, p.70]

Enormous potential, but desperately needs a modding community to realise it. [Issue#252, p.64]

Before it resorts to some rather cliched horror tropes, Observer is a gritty, oppressive cyberpunk nightmare. [Issue#266, p.60]

Not bad, but certainly not essential. [Jan 2013, p.82]

Dead Space 3 brings refreshing gameplay options without sacrificing the gritty, believable universe, but scares are few and far between. [Apr 2013, p.92]

If you own any previous COD, there's little reason to buy MW3. [Jan 2012, p.50]

More "Young Guns" than "Unforgiven" but still worth it. [Sept 2009, p.64]

Investing in this quirky take on RTS risks a return of buyer's remorse. [Issue#251, p.58]

Conquest of the Aegean has the niche market cornered when it comes to simulating the German attacks on Greece and Crete, and the impressive Pausable Continuous Time engine strikes a reasonable balance between moving symbols around on maps and real-time play. [May 2008, p.63]

For now, though, Bohemia's opus is a boy that would be king; the potential is there, but it's just not ready yet. [Oct 2009, p.70]

A quick, occasionally funny, RPG piss-take, and a welcome diversion for a few nights' gaming. [Jan 2010, p.69]

Arguably the best in the series, but also very much a retread of F1 2012. [December 2013, p.95]

An intriguing strategy/RPG hybrid with a lot to offer those who can conquer its more obvious flaws. [Aug 2013, p.88]

Where it all falls down is in the core game. The reality is that this is more or less the same FIFA we've had for the last couple of years. While all of PC FIFA's console brethren have married and moved into nice engines, our favourite platform is left with the gaming equivalent of a washed out, beaten up trailer. [Christmas 2008, p.81]

This isn’t the greatest expansion in the series, but it remains 100% Command & Conquer and that counts for a lot. EA knows their fan-base and with Kane’s Wrath have dished up more of the same to ensure you get your recommended daily dose of the franchise. [Jun 2008, p.55]

An interesting change of pace for fans - or, on the flipside, it could be just the thing to get you interested. [Aug 2013, p.91]

An enjoyable puzzle platformer wrapped in boundless charm. [Jan 2013, p.76]

Despite pacing issues, Teslagrad's strange blend of science and fantasy prove that opposites do indeed attract. [Apr 2014, p.58]

It's slowly getting there, just like mould. Except this is better. [Nov 2009, p.56]

The kind of eccentric humour and senseless attention to detail makes this worth a look, even if it can seem somewhat short, repetitive and claustrophobic. [Aug 2008, p.61]

There are some strong gameplay elements in Watch Dogs, but overall it's merely an adequate open world game. [July 2014, p.46]

Such well-executed atmosphere and level design could greatly improve with just a few tweaks to the items and systems. [Nov 2013, p.86]

Beautiful to look at, challenging to master, over in the blink of an eye. [Jan 2013, p.84]

Unique puzzle mechanics provide some intriguing conundrums, but things end up stuck in the flat dimension. [Aug 2012, p.62]

At times too slavish a recreation of tabletop action, Armada is nonetheless entertaining and challenging. [Issue#250, p.68]

Great card game, and dangerously addictive, but fails to realise the potential of both the Magic system and platform. [Sept 2011, p.70]