With less personality than a Dynasty Warriors game, totally forgettable story and sparse content, Arslan is only somewhat redeemed by its minor combat improvements. [Issue#268, p.76]

Despite some technical issues and minor frustrations, this parody of American patriotism and action hero stereotypes offers a hell of a lot of destructive fun. [Issue#268, p.74]

Not A Hero tries so hard to be irreverent that it hurts, but, in the grand scheme of things, the game is still fairly fun. Just don't be astounded if it fails to hold your attention for long. [Issue#267, p.76]

A lifeless case of quantity over quality that strives for great heights but technically falls short in every department. Despite the name attached to it, it's not a winner. [Issue#267, p.74]

It's gorgeous, it truly is, but Unravel falls short of being the emotionally engaging game we were expecting. It's still fun, but feels much hollower than it clearly intended to be. [Issue#267, p.70]

Brilliantly written on a small scale, Firewatch creates believable and engaging characters but is let down by the nonsensical tale they become embroiled in. [Issue#267, p.68]

Despite a few little things that we'd change, this is an interesting and, at times, thought-provoking experience that deserves to be exposed to a wider audience on PS4. [Issue#267, p.66]

While it's shackled by its source material and clearly running out of steam, there are nonetheless flashes of brilliance in TT Games' latest Lego adventure. [Issue#267, p.64]

Certainly charming and different enough to be worth a look, especially given the relative lack of decent Vita titles. But its core structure lacks finesse, and some won't see this fairytale through to its end. [Issue#229, p.83]

Amazingly bland and perfunctory vehicular action, with seemingly no-one online to play with. Instantly forgettable. Our advice: just keep playing Rocket League. [Issue#266, p.68]

Sumptuous visuals disguise a somewhat lacking and repetitive game. [Issue#266, p.66]

Frustrating technical issues are never far away. [Issue#265, p.78]

Spectacular production values help to make this game enjoyable in the early going, but it soon enough shows that it is painfully lacking in terms of maps and depth in its current form. [Issue#265, p.72]

SuperChargers gambles by mixing up the Skylanders formula, but overall it pays off. Vehicles are a welcome addition to another solid (if prohibitively expensive) adventure. [Issue#263, p.72]

An excellent Lego crossover game, and it's a solid toys-to-life-tie-in. The price is pretty steep, but Dimensions gives you plenty of reasons to invest. [Issue#263, p.68]

Even with its lack of features, Rock Band 4 is still as fun as the series has ever been with friends. Expect the score to rise as Harmonix comes good with updates and new content. [Issue#263, p.64]

While numerous changes and enhancements have been made to Tearaway Unfolded, it never flows quite as well as the Vita original. It's still fun, mind. [Issue#262, p.68]

The difficulty will leave some cold but there's immense satisfaction to be had here. [Issue#261, p.68]

There's a good game hidden in here somewhere, but believe us when we say it's been buried pretty well and we're pretty sure that it's not going to surface any time soon. [Issue#260, p.72]

The core game mechanics and systems are as solid as ever for the most part, but the game engine is wobbly and the sheer lack of content is just impossible to ignore. [Issue#260, p.70]

It feels like the franchise does need a rethink. [Issue#259, p.70]

Graphically stunning, dynamically awesome, aurally beautiful. This is what Project Cars could have been if pest control had done a better job exterminating those pesky bugs. [Issue#258, p.66]

Beneath the lavish art style and the high quality production..., Broken Age ends up feeling rather empty and desolate. [Issue#257, p.72]

It's problems lie in design, though - the largely empty world seems almost superfluous and you'll come away from each encounter triumphant, but lacking any sort of reward. [Issue#257, p.70]

China's overall simplicity and blandness means you won't be returning soon. [Issue#257, p.68]

Bad pacing. [Issue#256, p.70]

A passable and unspectacular campaign is unlikely to win any new fans, but Hardline's fresh take on Battlefield multiplayer makes it worth a shot. [Issue#256, p.68]

Fan service galore can't save this one from mediocrity. [Issue#255, p.70]

The definitive version of a good fighting game, but the limited visual upgrades for PS4 fall way short of our expectations. [Issue#254, p.68]

With the right people on your side, Evolve can be a surprising blast. However, get lumped with utter idiots, or the shoddy AI, and it quickly becomes very, very frustrating. [Issue#254, p.66]

It's good for fans of the series, but you can get better standalone DLC, or a more satisfying open world. [Issue#253, p.62]

Sure to have us hooked for the forseeable future. [Issue#252, p.70]

Despite some awkward dialogue when you make the "wrong" choices, stilted movement, and laughably fickle facial expressions, we're still looking forward to the rest of the series. [Issue#252, p.64]

Temple of Osiris struggles to captivate or entertain, even in its strongest moments. [Issue#252, p.62]

While it does a good job of showing off Batman's past, its haphazard level design and disappointing hub worlds mean that this is a step back compared to Lego Marvel Super Heroes. [Issue#252, p.60]

The ambition of The Crew is commendable, but either the concept is fundamentally flawed or the execution is way off. Either way, this is one race you should enter at your own risk. [Issue#252, p.58]

Plays like a greatest hits album for the series so far. [Issue#251, p.72]

There's a catch to more or less every improvement Unity makes. [Issue#251, p.58]

Our time on the Moon was fun, but not nearly as much as Pandora. [Issue#250, p.60]

It's a good JRPG but not a great one. [Issue#249, p.72]

Experimentation is rarely encouraged. [Issue#249, p.70]

It still plays a great game of hockey but in losing game modes and features that long-term players will miss, NHL 15 on PS4 is pretty hard to recommend to fans. [Issue#249, p.68]

It's beautiful, but a little empty. [Issue#249, p.60]

Hampered by inconsistency and a lack of depth, CounterSpy ends up being painfully average, though it does at least have some good ideas, particularly its player-controlled campaign pacing. [Issue#248, p.70]

It's crying out for a larger selection of maps and a few more top-tier game modes, but Garden Warfare remains highly entertaining all the same. [Issue#248, p.64]

Cheap, ugly and terribly written, Sacred 3 is still quite fun in co-op, in a simple sort of way. [Issue#247, p.70]

Unfortunately for franchise fans, it is going to leave the podium without spraying any champagne. [Issue#246, p.74]

There’s good puzzling to be had, and some engaging stories here, but a lean towards either fictional fun or serious stories would have worked better. And while this was an interesting experiment, we //really// don’t want to see a WWII game presented the same way.

But this is progress, all the same. Sure, Sniper Elite III is rough around the edges, but it offers just enough that it makes up for all that. It succeeds as a shooter thanks in large part to that crunchiness, yet as a sequel it is improved in clearly defined, tangible ways.

While never truly bad, Bound by Flame is rarely much better than serviceable either. [Issue#245, p.60]

While undeniably amusing, Octodad just doesn't have enough content to make it worth the asking price. [Issue#244, p.64]

It would've been much better it it had conviction and went fully role-playing Lego game. [Issue#244, p.63]

Still a fine game of football, but starting to show its age. [Issue#244, p.56]

An inferior entry in the series to its predecessor. [Issue#243, p.68]

Pleasantly absorbing. [Issue#243, p.62]

A good game, but one that feels a bit emotionally bankrupt after the wonders of Infinite and the original BioShock. [Issue#243, p.56]

Decent towards the end but dull and unsatisfying up to that point. [Issue#242, p.72]

A decent twin-stick shooter with one outstanding feature. [Issue#242, p.70]

A great example of the new wave of indie horror, Outlast isn't revolutionary or particularly terrifying, but some great jump scares and a fun, cheesy story make it well worth checking out. [Issue#241, p.72]

It all feels like a brilliant framework held back by a few unsavoury elements. The hub-based world and other problems would’ve been less apparent if there was actually a decent narrative to prop the game up, but instead we’re left with a half-baked tale that feels shallow and dissatisfying by the time you reach the end. Still, there is still plenty to be happy about here, with a wealth of great gameplay flares and a strong aesthetic.

It's short for an RPG, but does offer plenty of replay value. [Issue#240, p.70]

Tiny Brains is a game that isn't so much improved by co-op as made for it. [Issue#240, p.68]

As a cheap PSN download, this is a fairly solid addition to your fighting library. [Issue#239, p.72]

While never truly bad, Knack's simple gameplay and dull level design make it tough to recommend. [Issue#238, p.64]

There's an engaging narrative here focused on an everyman just trying to do the best job he can, but everything surrounding it is just so disappointing, from the truly awful Akrid to the limp guns and the unbalanced and irritating multiplayer. [Issue#236, p.78]

Quite unlike anything else on PS3. [Issue#236, p.76]

Beyond also seems to have less narrative choice than Heavy Rain, with your ending being mainly decided by a couple of large decisions toward the very end of the game. Choices up to that point can affect the specifics of your current situation, but the end result is rarely affected. Again, it’s similar to The Walking Dead: the end destination is the same, but how you got there might be a bit different to someone else.

Technical issues, iffy storytelling and some questionable choices make for an uneven experience that fails to capitalise on what a fantastic license XCOM is. [Issue#235, p.76]

Next time Ubisoft: more focus on stealth and, please, better checkpointing. [Issue#235, p.72]

Fans of the series will be pleasantly surprised. [Issue#234, p.78]

The combat system works and is intricate and balanced enough to provide for the tinkerers. But the rest is just so banal, so by the numbers that, honestly? We often found ourselves bored. [Issue#234, p.74]

It may not be the best-looking thing on two wheels, but MotoGP 13 translates the art of motorcycle racing onto the humble PlayStation 3 controller. That's no small feat. [Issue#233, p.80]

Sub-standard gameplay. [Issue#233, p.78]

The gameplay is depressingly familiar, but it's worth preserving purely for the endless onslaught of gags and rare flashes of innovation on show. [Issue#233, p.74]

Undeniably funny and entertaining. Too bad it's a dreadful poker game. [Issue#232, p.83]

Plus,it's got Chris Redfield in it. [Issue#232, p.80]

A wonderful co-op game, but only an average one on your own. [Issue#232, p.72]

A near miss in so many regards, Remember Me's lack of ambition is what ultimately hobbles it - with the balls to go bigger on some of its more original concepts, this could have been something truly special. [Issue#232, p.68]

As always, one for the dedicated. [Issue#231, p.83]

Ugly and full of bugs, but also quite fun and possessing some good ideas - an interesting start for an MMO. [Issue#231, p.73]

Despite a few issues Star Trek: The Video Game turns out to be a surprising amount of fun. [Issue#231, p.72]

The same slightly wonky fun we had in the first one, and we mean the exact damn same. [Issue#231, p.66]

Wonderfully realised, atmospheric environments and uninspired, slightly dull shooting combine to create a game just above average. [Issue#231, p.62]

Well made, but hard to recommend to everyone. [Issue#230, p.78]

Stunning to look at, but the experience within its gorgeously rendered environments ultimately lacks substance. [Issue#230, p.76]

A good game, but poorly converted. [Issue#230, p.74]

A budget shooter in every sense. [Issue#230, p.72]

It's messy, and it gets repetitive too. For some, it'll just be headache-inducing. But for those who yearn for quirkiness, this could become a cult hit. [Issue#229, p.82]

It's not as good as other Double Fine efforts like Stacking and Costume Quest, but there's enough character and intrigue in The Cave to see you past the iffy platforming and sometimes dull puzzles. [Issue#229, p.79]

No real progression means this one is for the hardcore fans only but the staggering amount of content plus online co-op does help make up for disappointing changes elsewhere. [Issue#229, p.78]

The occasional flash of design ingenuity isn't enough to save Sly's revival from being just slightly above average. There are too many boring sections with Sly's extended, arbitrary cast, and levels that aren't weighty enough to sustain interest - a patchy return for Cooper. [Issue#229, p.74]

It's fresh Skyrim and a lot of it, which is obviously good. On the other hand, the wonky design of the Vampire Lord undermines what should be the standout idea, and so there's a strong whiff of disappointment also present in Dawnguard. [Issue#229, p.72]

Diehard fans of the previous two games will have just as much fun this time around, assuming they aren’t expecting broad innovations. Everything is polished and this is clearly a title with a lot of funding behind it, but all the money in the world can’t buy innovation. By no means a bad sequel, it doesn’t quite offer a way for Dead Space to evolve as a series beyond its past two instalments, even if the formula here is still potent.

As card games go, this is actually not too bad. [Issue#227, p.77]

It just ends up feeling like a slog. [Issue#227, p.70]

The game itself is in need of a good bit of work. [Issue#226, p.82]

An engaging, if light, co-op platformer. [Issue#226, p.78]

Sharp when played in short bursts. [Issue#225, p.83]