The core gameplay loop is great, but it's too easy to plumb the shallow depths in a few hours. Sea of Thieves needs more meaningful content.

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

Complex without being deep, Brink is a hollow interpretation of Splash Damage's classic teamplay formula that speaks to the very core of what is wrong with multiplayer FPS today. [July 2011, p.58]

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

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

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

For its genre, Beijing 2008 appears to have succeeded. If you’re a hardcore gamer, you already know this won’t be your cup of tea. For everyone else, watch out for the RSI and everything will be gravy. [Nov 2008, p.55]

Solid enough, if not a candidate for natural selection. [July 2011, p.68]

Beautiful to look at and stunning to listen to but lacking any real depth when it actually comes to play. [Sept 2014, p.52]

A great fighting game with horrible presentation, a crappy story mode, limited roster, expensive DLC, and forgettable music. [Issue#267, p.68]

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]

A surreal musical adventure that ultimately fails to capture the spirit and essence of the specific style of house music it clearly loves. [Issue#267, p.70]

The puzzles don't hold up against Wadjet Eye titles, but the writing remains strong. [Feb 2014, p.85]

Evochron gives you the tools and the universe, but it's up to you to find a purpose. [Issue#185, p.66]

A competent, niche title that never fully realises its potential. Fills a gap in the modern game library but little more than that. [Feb 2014, p.88]

In the end, PCM will be of little interest to most people. It has a few reasonable, sometimes even interesting ideas, but manages to execute very few to the level of similar games on the market. [Oct 2008, p.65]

A relatively poor interface and the ongoing need for micromanagement mask the game’s many strengths and risks discouraging both casual players and bored veterans. [Mar 2008, p.59]

The skeleton of Auto Age is solid, but there just isn't enough meat on the bones. [Issue#267, p.75]

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

Intriguing idea but in terms of execution: this ain't no SimCity! [Christmas 2009, p.60]

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

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]

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]

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.

It is not going to set the world afire with a wild reimagining of the format, but Imperium Romanum is a solid and enjoyable city management simulation, with some gorgeous graphics, an evocative soundtrack, and very confident execution. [May 2008, p.64]

A competent take on precision platforming with creative use of stealth elements, but one that offers little reward for taking its punishment. [Oct 2015, p.60]

Dex has a lot of ideas and mechanics, but ultimately feels unfocussed as a result. [Oct 2015, p.64]

A solid strategic base brought low by cheap AI and some shonky net code. [March 2014, p.56]