It still manages to feel hackneyed and ignorable. [Issue#208, p.89]

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

While it doesn't to a lot wrong, Made Man's inability to do anything right leaves a drab and boring experience that, given the abundance of vastly superior alternatives, is best avoided by all but the most undemanding fans. [Issue#146, p.96]

A boring waste. [Issue#190, p.74]

Very awkward to play. [Issue#224, p.81]

It recreates the tabletop D&D experience, but ultimately Tactics just doesn't works as a videogame. D&D fans may get some enjoyment out of it, but the bland environments and animations do little to bring the rich world of D&D to life. [Issue#159, p.96]

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]

Disappointingly averge and will only appeal to motorbike fanatics. [Issue#172, p.88]

It's impressive stuff, but there's not quite enough here to keep all but the most committed of aces going. [Issue#217, p.82]

Odd and strangely unengaging. [Issue#220, p.81]

SOCOM Confrontation might have been fun about five years ago, but it’s starting to feel very tired these days. Online shooters need to offer either unprecedented depth or a wealth of personality and skill to stand out. But this does neither.

It’s so well-presented that you’ll want to like it, but there’s no disguising the fact that this is one of the most annoying games ever made. It’s impossible to find printable words to describe how much it upset us.

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

Besides gimmicks, the core Frogger gameplay is untouched and thus lacks compelling high-score chases. [Issue#221, p.79]

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

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

While initially there seems to be quite a lot of fun to be had with Web Of Shadows, ultimately you discover its fluid combat and intriguing story quickly become overshadowed by a web of lazy missions.

Forgettable at best and a massive step backwards for a series that recently impressed so much. [Issue#219, p.70]

Depressingly average. [Issue#210, p.88]

A game for kids, and not for an older generation weaned on more comprehensive gaming experiences. [Issue#203, p.94]

Nier spends hours being impressively boring as you plod through the drab overworld, but the smart progression saves its blushes. [Issue#192, p.86]

It's a workable romp through a pedestrian tale of little interest. [Issue#158, p.91]

A nice idea, but we'd rather play the real deal. [Issue#202, p.97]

Destined to reside in a graveyard of Sixaxis controllers and shattered British medal hopes, but fondly remembered during periods of intense hangover.

Old, safe, and completely uninspired, Untold Lgends is only saved from the humiliation of being the worst of the launch games by its plodding competence. [Issue 148, p.86]

X-Blades is pleasing to the eye – and not just for the obvious reasons – but otherwise lacking in ambition, imagination or charm. Ayumi feels like a massive backward step for videogame heroines. Still, nice bum.

A dull premise and recycled dynamics. [Issue#153, p.87]

If you don't meet these criteria (those with saintly patience), chances are you'll get bored after an hour or two. [Issue#224, p.83]

A perfectly ordinary mini-game collection that fails to excite in any way. [Issue#204, p.84]

Distinctly ordinary. [Issue #151, p.79]

It's just there to make you angry with its dodgy controls and even dodgier level design. [Issue 142, p.80]

It's boring, the AI cheats and it's too expensive for something that can be finished in half an hour. [Issue#216, p.85]

Spyro’s shortcomings have been evident for a few years now and this game will do little to change that. The visuals at least look the part on the PS3, but the disengaging action will only find forgiveness with die-hard fans.

As exciting to the average gamer as eating an entire loaf of dry wholemeal bread. [Issue#220, p.77]

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

An unremarkable, cliched action-adventure. [Issue#202, p.86]

Inoffensive, shallow, sometimes fun but nothing that will engage over a long period of time. [Issue#213, p.92]

We've no problem with Top Gun's short length, but we do have a problem with the dull gameplay and uninspiring visuals. [Issue#198, p.103]

Awkward, fiddly, unwieldy and lacks any kind of atmosphere whatsoever. [Issue#153, p.88]

TV Superstars simply does not have the same class as other party games to truly stand out. [Issue#199, p.94]

It's not worthless and there's actually some fun to be gleaned from it. [Issue#217, p.79]

It's generally below the standard that any self-respecting fan should expect. [Issue#184, p.81]

The multi-player will amuse you for a while, if you've got the patience to load it, but otherwise you'd be better off getting soused on rum. [Issue 143, p.88]

Utterly bland. [Issue#194, p.97]

Make no mistake: Reality Fighters is a reasonably impressive technical showpiece first and foremost. The game, which is unfortunately the main draw and the main reason to buy the thing, is an afterthought. And a pretty poor one at that.

Better than Rebellion's recent fare, but still not great. [Issue#214, p.80]

Stop living in the past, these games aren't good, they're just old. Old and tedious and simplistic. Grr! [Issue#139, p.93]

So pretty, yet so broken. [Issue#158, p.70]

Like the film this will keep you amused for a good hour and a half but not a lot more. [Issue 142, p.94]

The execution leaves a lot to be desired. [Issue#188, p.81]

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

Boring. [Issue#190, p.80]

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

Dungeon Hunter: Alliance is a bland port of a bland game doing bland things on an exciting system. Nothing else to see here. Move along.

A pale imitation of a good survival-horror game. [Issue#186, p.83]

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]

You'll not learn anything by buying this, except maybe not to buy rubbish puzzlers in the future. [Issue 141, p.104]

It makes you wish Harmonix would release the superb Dance Central on PS3. [Issue#201, p.94]

Not really worth bothering with. [Issue#216, p.80]

A crushing disappointment for those who thought Sonic had finally found his feed in 3D. Uncontrollable, twitchy, awkward and confused, this game will kill off all hope of there being another decent Sonic outing ever again. [Issue # 149, p.66]

The Incredible Hulk initially delivers a suitably destructive experience, but the novelty soon disappears. Samey missions stretch the premise to breaking point, while a rushed game engine shows flaws early on, making it hard to recommend.

A thumbs down, we're afraid. [Issue#206, p.94]

There's certainly something here for those willing to put the time in. [Issue#209, p.93]

It’s clear what has happened here, Pandemic was chosen to make a Lord Of The Rings Dynasty Warriors game, but it messed it up even more than if Koei had handled it itself. It’s best you leave this well alone.

Hamstrung by a long list of issues, Front Mission Evolved is just not a very good game. [Issue#198, p.93]

The sort of simple, dumb, licensed game that causes the shelves of your local game shop to buckle under the weight of sheer undesirable mediocrity. [Issue#210, p.94]

Stick with PixelJunk Shooter instead. [Issue#202, p.97]

You'll be fed up in no time. [Issue#186, p.78]

Horrible linearity. [Issue#146, p.90]

Slow, clunky, unresponsive, ugly, stupid and dated. [Issue#198, p.97]

A banal experience that features some of the flimsiest mini-games we've ever had the misfortune to play. [Issue # 149, p.87]

A brave attempt to tackle the strategy genre in a new way, but Stormrise is still left wanting in every area. If you’re looking for a brand new RTS, check out the more conventional Red Alert 3 instead.

Mediocrity. [Issue#204, p.97]

Showing its age both mechanically and visually, there's still fun to be had here if you've got the patience and the right mindset. It'll send everyone else to sleep, however. [Issue#220, p.79]

The PS2 version has a few more multiplayer modes, but good luck trying to get someone to play. [Issue#156, p.93]

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

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 impossible to score as all that kept us playing was the burning desire to conquer the game's staggering difficulty. [Issue#210, p.96]

Whichever path you choose, Conflict: Denied Ops still leads to a primitive set of cliched objectives. [Issue#164, p.92]

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

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]

A waste of time once you've mastered the strike technique. [Issue#163, p.86]

It's not entirely broken, it is entirely pointless. [Issue#193, p.95]

A game that's best left on the digital shelf. [Issue#184, p.85]

Trials of Topoq is tedious, and you really need floating arms to play it. [Issue#159, p.97]

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]

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]

Another year, another exercise in abject mediocrity, another Yuke's WWE Game. [Issue#212, p.96]

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

Far more likely to make you fall asleep than feel any excitement. [Issue#217, p.82]

It's a little slow to draw in today's wham-bam crowd, so the score reflects those coming in cold. [Issue#220, p.81]

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]

This is average stuff, and occasionally it's worse than that. [Issue#154, p.76]

Worth a punt for its paltry asking price. [Issue#186, p.87]

It's so obviously a "Micro Machines" rip off that it's just insulting. [Issue 144, p.92]

Fails miserably. [Issue#186, p.87]

Fuel is just too ugly, unpolished and lacking in focus to have any impact on the genre, crossing the finish line on just the wrong side of average.