Dark, ambiguous and deathly refined, Dishonored delivers a world as strikingly beautiful as the stacked simulations within. A masterpiece. [Nov 2012, p.58]

Nothing short of a stealth masterpiece, Mark of the Ninja highlights everything we love about the genre. [Nov 2012, p.77]

Though the strategic side suffers, this XCOM remake still offers a worthy tactical experience.

A fantastic idea for a game that's been stripped of its valuables by the wrong approach to free-to-play. [Oct 2012, p.85]

An ingenious, original puzzler hiding behind a highly difficult barrier. [Oct 2012, p.84]

Design and technical implementation issues mar a promising adventure. [Oct 2012, p.83]

Like trying to solve a cryptic crossword whilst blind and being repeatedly stung by mosquitoes. [Oct 2012, p.82]

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

Looking for the greatest pick-up-and-play top-down car-combat game ever? This isn't it. [Oct 2012, p.80]

Has its pieces of heart in the right place, but its unholy retro-modern mechanics will leave you unsatisfied. [Oct 2012, p.79]

Not serious to be legit, not funny enough to be, well, fun. [Oct 2012, p.78]

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

Busy and discordant. [Oct 2012, p.76]

Not bad, but far more likely to be remembered for its stunning artwork than for its plot or puzzles. [Oct 2012, p.74]

An impenetrable mess with almost nothing to recommend it. Cast this one into the void. [Oct 2012, p.73]

Hypnotic experience. [Oct 2012, p.72]

A polished revision of the famous multiplayer shooter that chooses to play it safe. [Oct 2012, p.70]

Loot interacts with combat far better than Death's abilities. [Oct 2012, p.68]

Strange, brilliant, and exceptionally well-crafted, this action-RPG deserves your love despite the lack of care from its developers. [Oct 2012, p.66]

A triumph of polished design. [Oct 2012, p.64]

Delivers on every promise of the original, being an instant classic that proudly stands alongside the PC's finest shooters. [Oct 2012, p.62]

A solid enough effort, but pacing issues and a sense of obsolescence leave it firmly in 'if you like that sort of thing' camp. [Sept 2012, p.63]

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

Atavistic PC racing for when you want to party like it's 1995. [Sept 2012, p.61]

Like finding out your happy childhood home was full of asbestos. [Sept 2012, p.60]

A more-than-capable shooter that is a blast to play. Shame about the pings. [Sept 2012, p.59]

Borrows a little too much from the original game but features some fantastic moment to moment action. [Sept 2012, p.58]

Broken in nearly every single aspect, Fray fails to meet any criteria that would qualify it as a game. Do not buy. [Sept 2012, p.57]

Authentically strange, and effortlessly entertaining. [Sept 2012, p.56]

This shoddy console port has cast a shimmering invisible cloak over what would have been a serviceable third-person shooter. [Sept 2012, p.55]

Slow and meandering but gently enjoyable. [Sept 2012, p.54]

Hardly essential, but worth it if you loved Skyrim's Daedric quests. [Sept 2012, p.52]

It's as though someone took military shooters and asked why their protagonists aren't psychological trainwrecks. [Aug 2012, p.66]

Exceptionally clever, thoughtful, exciting and even heartbreaking. An excellent point-and-click adventure. [Aug 2012, p.64]

Too muddled to be a good experiment, but it's still an interesting game. [Aug 2012, p.63]

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

Miles deep, loaded with options and gorgeous art, Sins: Rebellion is a great, genre-transcending strategy game. [Aug 2012, p.60]

As a singleplayer campaign, Gratuitous Tank Battles is a glancing hit, but it still offers a deep and intricate take on tower defence. [Aug 2012, p.59]

The rarest of all expansions: the one that's better than its base game. [Aug 2012, p.58]

Jumping out of nowhere with a confidence that beggars belief, Endless Space is galactic strategy at its best. [Aug 2012, p.54]

The Secret World is a breath of fresh air in a stale genre. It is the adventure reimagined for a new era. I love this game, unequivocally. And I sincerely hope you do too.

A poorly-made, unashamedly dumb game that nevertheless offers equally dumb entertainment. [July 2012, p.69]

A slow-burn character study, some quick thinking and a constant air of menace make for a gripping start to a new adventure. [July 2012, p.68]

The mechanics are competent but in no way fun. [July 2012, p.67]

Less Hot Shots and more Hot Fuzz. [July 2012, p.66]

A ballsy take on the WWII shooter formula. [July 2012, p.65]

Martin's world deserves better than this. [July 2012, p.64]

As ridiculous and over the top as Max's loud shirt, with similar undertones of tension and internal conflict. [July 2012, p.60]

Not bad as an exercise in softcore shooting, but why wasn't this Alan Wake spin-off more, you know, Alan Wake? [July 2012, p.59]

We haven't had this much fun since Destruction Derby on the PS1. [July 2012, p.58]

When it works, Diablo III is the best of the Diablo games. When it doesn't, all it does is make you mad. [July 2012, p.54]

Effortlessly enchanting, deviously creative and stacks of inventive puzzle solutions make this a game worth getting into.

Tortures your mind while tickling your funnybone. [June 2012, p.67]

A pure distillation of old-school gameplay, decanted into a laser-cut crystal goblet of 21st Century awesome. [June 2012, p.66]

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]

A very basic adventure game, but more than capable of planting a big dumb grin on your face for its duration. [June 2012, p.64]

Invites you into a beautifully realised, wholly consistent and ever-so-slightly alien ecosystem and keeps you wondering what you'll see next. [June 2012, p.63]

A monotonous attempt to relive the glory days of RPG combat. [June 2012, p.62]

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

An appropriately simplistic arcade update that hits the fun/challenge sweet spot. [June 2012, p.60]

Despite the puppeteer's strings getting caught, Risen 2 puts on a good show that you'll see through to the end. [June 2012, p.58]

Don't hope to be blown away. Little stirs in this valley. [June 2012, p.56]

A strangely serene and evocative game, lying somewhere between strategy and chaos. For the resourceful and imaginative player. [June 2012, p.54]

Classic dungeon-crawling brought back to life. [June 2012, p.52]

A few tweaks and concessions aren't enough to stall this brilliant revival of the fastest multiplayer shooter on PC. [June 2012, p.50]

A clever take on traditional tower defence, but little real longevity. [May 2012, p.64]

A buggy, ultimately dull recreation of a 90s classic. [May 2012, p.62]

Scant new features of gameplay are unsatisfying and unbalanced. Suitable for the stalwart fan, who doesn't mind repetitive tasks. [May 2012, p.60]

The equivalent of a man in an art gallery playing a kazoo. [May 2012, p.58]

It might have had a bumpy take-off, but with a bit of hard work Flight should grow into a competent sim worth flying. [May 2012, p.56]

When it's not going out of its way to be terrible, Syndicate is simply mediocre. [May 2012, p.54]

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

A surprisingly detailed add-in for this controversially received sequel. New approaches to encounter design and smarter enemies stand out, although story remains a strong feature.

A disjointed approach to play harms The Missing Link's value to Human Revolution's main story arc.

One of the best bat-and-ballers since Breakout itself.

Don't let the name fool you: Unepic is huge, but whether players will want to see the quest to its ends is another matter. [Apr 2012, p.66]

An amateur effort that comes together well in places, but also one that gives no real incentive to buy it. If only the writing was a little funnier. [Apr 2012, p.67]

An intriguing idea that the franchise is yet to live up to. [Apr 2012, p.64]

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

Simple controls don't mean a simple game. A great game for those of you up for fiendishly complex battle. [Apr 2012, p.60]

A masterful rendition to the franchise. [Apr 2012, p.58]

A frustrating, obtuse, weirdly satisfying experience, covered in yayness and cute. [Apr 2012, p.56]

The real-time combat isn't the problem; it's everything else, which was done with a depth and confidence 13 years ago that this reimagining lacks. [Apr 2012, p.54]

"A gripping rollercoaster ride." - Stephen King. [Apr 2012, p.52]

An intriguing exercise in interactive fiction, let down by shaky writing and a major lack of emotional engagement. [Apr 2012, p.50]

A game that's more shooter than role-playing, and a conclusion that's more spectacular than dramatic. [Apr 2012, p.47]

An enjoyable, finely crafted puzzler that's over far too soon. [March 2012, p.66]

A decent indie effort, but the sims from ten years ago still show how it should be done. Pick up FreeSpace 2 instead. [March 2012, p.65]

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

The guiltiest of pleasures. Indulge yourself and a few friends, but go read a book afterwards or something. [March 2012, p.62]

Solid puzzling, decent combat and gorgeous art - all for cheap! [March 2012, p.60]

Both challenging and elegant, Unity of Command is perfect for both novices and hardcore gamers alike. [March 2012, p.58]

So good that it's become the only way to play Battlefield 3. Buy this now, and enjoy a bit of nostalgia in a new light. [March 2012, p.56]

A competent but confused and occasionally irritating shooter with wavering tone and unashamed intent to set up for the final installment. [March 2012, p.54]

A significantly more accessible setting makes this latest Anno a must play for all city management fans. [March 2012, p.52]

An indie classic on par with Braid or Limbo. [March 2012, p.50]

A few poignant moments make this worth checking out, but what you'll truly feel is the emptiness of unfulfilled potential. [March 2012, p.48]

An average MMO but an excellent Star Wars game. [March 2012, p.42]