It took me some time to reach the conclusion that Turok isn’t necessarily a bad game. The biggest problem is that everything Turok does, some other FPS does it bigger and better. [Aug 2008, p.63]

Not for the casual gamer, Europa Universalis: Rome requires patience, the ability to micromanage and, quite possibly, post-graduate qualifications in ancient history. And if you don’t have them before you start playing, you will after. [Jul 2008, p.57]

Overall, Vegas 2 is a solid effort. Gameplay may not be particularly groundbreaking, but is of a high quality. [Jun 2008, p.57]

Play this game like a hack-n-slash violence festival and it just doesn’t work. Play it according to the Creed, and it’s sublime – in the strictest sense of the word. [May 2008, p.53]

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]

Bearing in mind that you’ll need to do some serious thinking, Stranger is otherwise a pretty thoughtful game and one that is worth a good many hours play. [Mar 2008, p.62]

Warriors Orochi is basically a semi-automatic keyboard-wearing-out application. You mash away at the keys while some bad graphics grunt at you and even worse techno grunges its ear-grating way through your speakers. [Jul 2008, p.60]

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]

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]

In a genre that’s looking for new ideas, this would be a nice achievement for a brand new franchise. That Relic has managed to surprise us this late in the Warhammer day is all the more remarkable. [May 2008, p.59]

Via Domus is a game for the fans only. And even then it gives only limited insight into the world of the show. Meanwhile, its puzzle aspects just aren’t strong enough to amuse serious gamers. [May 2008, p.62]

Sadly, I immediately wished I’d left Carson for dead on the girders, saving myself the time and tedium of seeing things through to the bitter end. [Jun 2008, p.60]

For the Sims 2 fan whose enthusiasm has been decaying in the six months since Bon Voyage, prepare to be bombarded by new things. And for those gamers who haven’t yet experienced the world’s highest grossing game series, perhaps The Sims 2 is now exhaustive enough to deserve a second glance. [May 2008, p.61]

Frontlines is a great and engaging game that may not steal your life, but if you are a fan of FPS and online combat, this is definitely a worthy game to have nestled beside Battlefield 2142. [May 2008, p.58]

Lame multiplayer and disappointing weapons aside, The Club is a solid enough singleplayer shooter whose self-improvement-with-guns gameplay will keep you coming back until you hit that perfect score. Go hard! [Jun 2008, p.58]

The exhilarating rush of climbing a hill as a song builds up, and crashing down a slope as the music explodes through the speakers is incredible. At first it may seem like a fancy visualiser, but after mastering the more difficult modes it becomes insanely addictive. [May 2008, p.65]

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]

Denied Ops is strictly for those who want big explosions, with no thought required. Pretty much like actually mercenaries. [May 2008, p.60]

Sins has inherited the most prominent feature of 4X games; the ability to make time completely disappear. [Apr 2008, p.65]

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]

The lesson I learned from The Golden Compass is that children these days can be viewed less as imaginative, problem solving young beings who deserve to be inspired by well made games, and more as an extension of the parental wallet. [Mar 2008, p.60]

We found the different races to be surprisingly equal on the battlefield and if this holds up under super competitive online play UAW could become very popular indeed. [Feb 2008, p.59]

If you ever find yourself staring at your computer monitor longing for a well made, easily accessible and thoroughly enjoyable action game then Aquaria is for you. [Mar 2008, p.63]

Speedball 2 Tournament is not the second coming of Brutal Deluxe. It is an evolution that will provide entertainment for people who are yearning for simple, accessible arcade fun. [Apr 2008, p.67]

In full stride Kane & Lynch comes up trumps. It offers an action-packed ride of memorable settings wrapped around a couple of gritty-as-hell characters. [Jan 2008, p.55]

UT3 has all the elements of a solid, well-executed deathmatch multiplayer game, with a passable singleplayer campaign and some vehicle modes bolted on. [Jan 2008, p.41]

Gone are the open environments. Gone are the police chases. Gone are the FMV cut-scenes. Prostreet probably excised so many features with a view of taking things in a fresh direction, but the result is a bewildering one. [Jan 2008, p.60]

Marketed more towards newbies than the hardcore SimCity veteran, Tilted Mill has found an amiable balance between dumbing down some of the more difficult aspects of the classic game and creating an interesting new system of city management. [Jan 2008, p.59]