An acceptable solution for the time-poor, but unless you've played them to death, you're better off with the originals. [Sept 2013, p.90]

This is the first-person shooter distilled, a tribute to PC gaming's glorious days of yore. You need to play it. [Sept 2013, p.88]

Rogue Legacy isn't reinventing the wheel, but it is an incredibly well designed wheel and one that's fun to spin. [Sept 2013, p.86]

A vile, ugly, offensive and ignorant game that should have been left to rot in an old box of floppies. Why did this get Kickstarted? [Sept 2013, p.85]

Disharmony's content is either so buggy or poorly designed that the expansion pack offers an inferior 4X experience to the vanilla of Endless Space. [Sept 2013, p.84]

An entertaining 12 hour romp with some seriously powerful modding tools that promise many more campaigns to come. [Sept 2013, p.82]

There's a steep, daunting learning curve, but DOTA 2 offers one of the most rewarding game experiences you can find on PC today. [Sept 2013, p.80]

Hawken shows that piloting a mech doesn't have to be a complex task, and it gets players straight into the action. [Aug 2013, p.92]

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]

If you're really into a D&D style game, why not just get a bunch of friends together and play D&D? [Aug 2013, p.90]

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

Beneath Gunpoint's trench coat is a witty, devious and intelligent shot of puzzling, systematic gameplay - with a healthy dose of punching. [Aug 2013, p.86]

Real-time strategy doesn't get much better than this. [Aug 2013, p.84]

A game of grand ideas, then, if not grand strategy. There is a core here that deserves further exploration. [Aug 2013, p.83]

Synergistic puzzle gameplay is headmeltingly addictive (and beautiful), though it's more like gardening than being a god. [Aug 2013, p.82]

A masterful expansion that completely revitalises the Civilization V experience. Coupled with Gods & Kings, this is a must-buy. [Aug 2013, p.80]

A sensationally addictive massively multiplayer action RPG, and it's free. What are you waiting for?! [Aug 2013, p.78]

Deep, old-school strategy gaming with all the expected idiosyncrasies that go with it. [July 2013, p.92]

Will amaze for how thorough the dev team were in taking an exciting, original idea and making it as boring as humanly possible. [July 2013, p.91]

Far from a perfect sim, but as a commentary on the industry we follow and love, it's enough to give you pause for thought. [July 2013, p.90]

A masterpiece by any measure. [July 2013, p.89]

The new campaign provides the perfect training ground for newcomers, who can then look forward to an incredible multiplayer mode. [July 2013, p.88]

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

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

Offering very little progression on Dead Island, this is one for the fans. Series newcomers should get the cheaper original instead. [June 2013, p.92]

Anodyne falls between average and perfection, offering a strange, funny, horrifying few hours of old-school action-adventure. [June 2013, p.91]

Some great level design and new abilities await those who take this welcome return to Dunwall, but we wish the visit lasted longer. [June 2013, p.90]

A return-to-roots competitive FPS romp, let down a little by its niche target audience and our smaller local community. [June 2013, p.89]

If Trion can introduce better quest design, this will be a winner. [June 2013, p.88]

The plot, setting and characters are wonderfully strange but the rest of the game feels more than a little unpolished. [June 2013, p.86]

Worth more as a curiosity piece than as a complete and functioning game. This is what happens when you attempt too much. [June 2013, p.85]

A beautiful and creative indie gem. [June 2013, p.84]

If this is what Ubisoft is capable of in ts "spare time", it deserves more time off. Inject this glorious blue neon goop into our veins. [June 2013, p.82]

Monaco offers a new and unique kind of chaotic co-op stealth gameplay, resulting in a work of indie art worth stealing. [May 2013, p.94]

Hardcore aspects combined with uncomplicated play make for an intoxicatingly enjoyable and nostalgic journey. [May 2013, p.92]

The game is addictive as all hell. [May 2013, p.88]

Nicely balanced in many ways, but frustrating for the single player. Not detailed/stable enough for interactive, co-operative play yet, either. [May 2013, p.86]

Problematic plotting and excessive amounts of poorly balanced combat apply friction to what is otherwise one hell of a rollercoaster. [May 2013, p.80]

Omerta's 1920s mobster charm quickly wears away to show its shallowness, and any hope of mob-boss stardom dies with it. [Apr 2013, p.94]

Feels like a focused Bethesda, no longer stretched too thin in its task of crafting a world the size of Skyrim. [Apr 2013, p.93]

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

A great wargame to play with friends, and a very dull one to play by yourself. [Apr 2013, p.90]

Impiously impractical in implementation, impressive only to the impetuous. [Apr 2013, p.88]

Some good old honest space combat fun, with an inoffensive free-to-play model. Worth your time, and possibly even your money. [Apr 2013, p.86]

A cool concept without much game behind it that's ready to be tossed into the growing pile of Braid-a-likes. [Apr 2013, p.84]

A series we're glad to see come to a close. But if you like games with HEAPS of graphics, or for the multiplayer. [Apr 2013, p.82]

Everything you could want from an archeological adventure, except having to press six keys to mantle. [Apr 2013, p.80]

Don't play it as a puzzle game. Play it as a way of recalibrating your perception of reality. [March 2013, p.96]

Its mechanical foundation - like this Foundation Release - crumbles at the lightest touch. [March 2013, p.94]

Gorgeous levels, light story and simple puzzling, though necessary replayability is undermined by backtracking and repetition. [March 2013, p.93]

A conflicting mash of awesome and awful, with awesome maybe just edging out on top. [March 2013, p.92]

Developer Keen Software House has overextended its reach. [March 2013, p.90]

A fantastic package, and a genuinely unique take on the puzzle platformer. [March 2013, p.89]

If the first episode is a fair indicator for the rest of the season, this could very well be 2013's The Walking Dead. [March 2013, p.88]

A lot of potential with disappointing execution. [March 2013, p.86]

If you want to spend a night out with FreeSpace 2 in a slinky red dress, this is your game. Just don't expect thrilling dinner conversation. [March 2013, p.84]

While we're left feeling a little cold, it's possible a half-price sale or similar could rekindle the flame once more. [Feb 2013, p.85]

A tense, grueling, ultimately fulfilling survival experience that's low-fi in nature but brain-melting in execution. [Feb 2013, p.84]

A unique puzzler which will scratch you creationalist itch. [Feb 2013, p.83]

A fresh, solid roguelike platformer that kills time with as much efficiency as it kills the player. [Feb 2013, p.82]

A strange and effortlessly charming game that rewards those who take the time to parse its various idiosyncrasies. [Feb 2013, p.81]

It's not really worth going to town on this one. Try one of those crazy finished games. [Feb 2013, p.80]

If you enjoyed Dishonored for its supernatural systems alone, Dunwall City Trials is worth its meagre price. [Feb 2013, p.79]

A fresh take on the survival simulator with a few key innovations that instil contrasting moments of zen and sheer terror. [Feb 2013, p.76]

A short experiment based around a fairly oblique puzzle system, Litter Inferno succeeds as a compelling curio. [Feb 2013, p.75]

A true exemplar of intelligent game design, Waking Mars is a compelling and imaginative masterpiece. An absolute must-play. [Feb 2013, p.74]

It doesn't reinvent the genre, but Primordia's rich script, interesting world and solid puzzles make up for its minor annoyances. [Feb 2013, p.72]

An incredibly powerful, emotionally engaging experience; a watershed moment for videogame narrative and storytelling. [Feb 2013, p.70]

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

An indie platformer that never quite gets past proclaiming "Me too!" It's enjoyable in parts, but also forgettable. [Jan 2013, p.83]

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

The Corn Flakes of multiplayer first-person shooters. We've been sick of eating it for some time, now. [Jan 2013, p.80, 81]

Despite some less-impactful tweaks, Natural Selection II remains a hardcore, quintessentially PC multiplayer shooter. [Jan 2013, p.78]

Bloated and hubristic, Assassin's Creed III is a shocking disappointment. If you adored Assassin's Creed II, you would be better served replaying that and forgetting this even exists. [Jan 2013, p.77]

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

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

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

Burn through the plot so you can unleash yourself upon Far Cry 3's open world for a worthy FPS experience. [Jan 2013, p.66]

Plot holes, broken scripting and offensive self-contradiction makes Warfighter one of the worst games we've played all year. [Dec 2012, p.85]

This gets three bonus points for being less snooty than Agricultural Simulator 2012 which clearly has some kind of underdog issue. [Dec 2012, p.84]

An unfinished game that requires much more attention before it can realise its incredible promise. [Dec 2012, p.82]

The most comprehensive football aim on the market just got a little less comprehensive - and is all the better for it. [Dec 2012, p.80]

Far from elemental, Fallen Enchantress will have you under her spell. [Dec 2012, p.78]

Lightning fast gameplay with an unexpected depth of subject matter. A surprise indie gem. [Dec 2012, p.76]

The foundation for a sophisticated swordplayer is here, but War of the Roses misses the jugular by forgetting to include the rest. [Dec 2012, p.74]

An immersive, interesting and addictive take on the competitive multiplayer FPS. Go into this one swinging. [Dec 2012, p.72]

Massive in scope without sacrificing strategy or teamplay, PlanetSide 2 shows us what only PC gaming is capable of. [Dec 2012, p.66]

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 pinnacle of full-scale multiplayer warfare, Armored Kill is Battlefield perfected. [Nov 2012, p.85]

Difficult, ucompromising and obtuse, Inquisition will appeal to fans of the hardest of hardcore old-school RPGs. [Nov 2012, p.84]

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]

I may be alive, but I am completely dead inside. [Nov 2012, p.82]

Always fascinating, this devious puzzle-platformer makes up for in creativity and charm what it lacks in polish. [Nov 2012, p.81]

Admirably essential in its space-tradingness, but should have stayed on the tablets. [Nov 2012, p.80]

Reactionary, not revolutionary. [Nov 2012, p.78]

Tryst makes you wonder what it is about StarCraft II that makes Blizzard's game at all tolerable. [Nov 2012, p.76]

This blast from the past arrives with not a bang, but a whimper. [Nov 2012, p.74]

FTL posits that managing oxygen and engines is but a metaphor for balancing the noxiousness of hope with the crushing weight of despair. [Nov 2012, p.72]