A commendable remaster of an ambitious game. But we’ve come so far in nearly 30 years, it’s dreadful by today’s standards. Not the shooter you’re looking for. [Issue#39, p.89]

Though the game grows on you with time (more like mould than a friendship), so too does the feeling that it lacks what made the originals great. [Issue#39, p.76]

It looks absolutely beautiful and the mystery is initially intriguing, but where’s the game? Gradually becomes one of the most tedious spacewalks in a long time. [Issue#35, p.74]

Lacklustre original ideas combine with a dull execution of a classic. You’d need a huge magnifying glass to find what little works here. Please read the book. [Issue#34, p.73]

Wholly uninspired and painfully dull, this is a shambolic effort that squanders the potential of its solid FPS foundations through dated design and technical issues. [Issue#32, p.81]

Loop8 isn’t able to present a coherent whole – underwhelming writing, overly simple mechanics, and an annoying loop mechanic simply don’t mix. [Issue#29, p.94]

A superb Gollum isn’t enough to save the game he’s been parachuted into, which is by turns dull and frustrating. It’s destined for Mount Doom (the bargain bins). [Issue#29, p.92]

We’ve said it before when it comes to games that aim to handle like their obvious inspirations: if we’re yearning for the way those games felt rather than what’s in our hands, something has clearly gone wrong. Knowing that in Tony Hawk we’d be able to move around the world with ease, only to be met with Skatebird’s annoying heft and proclivity for us to clip on edges just sucks the joy out of playing. Which is a shame, as move beyond the cringeworthy memery and the writing itself is actually quite delightful. But you never come to a skater for the dialogue, you’re here for action – and this isn’t worth the bails it takes for you to stick the landing. [Issue#29, p.90]

Apart from racing up papery billboards and conjuring spectral trees to propel us over gaps, the platforming bits are spoiled by Gaia’s awkward handling. Combat against the remaining ‘devourers’ is worse, as you run around mashing the trigger to ‘redeem’ your gloopy pursuers. It’s basically a well-meaning but tedious lecture, telling you absolutely nothing you didn’t already know. [Issue#29, p.90]

A pretty, interesting puzzle game… riddled with technical issues, and draped with a limp story. The toy soldiers won’t be the only ones to get wound up here. [Issue#28, p.91]

Even if everything functioned as intended, however, the script itself feels completely toothless and is filled with unsuccessful attempts to satirise videogame violence that wouldn’t have even landed in the late ’90s (seriously, the jabs at Joe Lieberman would be just as embarrassing if anybody knew who he was). Even its potential saving grace, the simple pleasure of rampaging through an open world, has been entirely undone by the dire civilian AI which sees them stand around gormlessly in most situations. [Issue#28, p.84]

All style and no substance. Atomic Heart’s world looks the part but is undermined by poor mechanics and some of the worst writing in gaming history. [Issue#26, p.84]

Altogether, this is not just a keenly disappointing full-price PS5 exclusive, it’s also particularly discouraging as a female-fronted production with a story focused on the magic of relationships between women, and a rare triple-A game with a Black lead. Its message is almost entirely lost in the pyroclastic flow of missteps and missed opportunities. [Issue#25, p.78]

Repetitive survival horror that feels like a life sentence, The Callisto Protocol is as bereft of life as the harsh conditions of the moon on which it’s set. [Issue#23, p.70]

Gungrave anime fans might be able to crowbar some fun out of this, but we strongly recommend that they don’t even try. Destined to become dead and buried. [Issue#22, p.86]

Kamiwaza just isn’t interesting. What was fun in 2006 feels shallow and dated now. Stealth fans might get a kick out of it but with a high price and bare-bones remaster, we’d struggle to recommend this. [Issue#21, p.88]

Thymesia makes us feel like the soulslike genre is completely played out already. A poor and needless Bloodborne substitute. No substance, little style. [Issue#19, p.81]

he character creator still shines, but frustrating mission design and a disappointing plot make this reboot difficult to recommend. Far more sinner than saint. [Issue#19, p.92]

Hell Pie has some fun mechanics marred by pre-juvenile humour and platforming that always feels a little bit off. It’ll be fun for some, but not worth sinning for. [Issue#18, p.86]

Unless you’re desperate for a new stealth game, give this a miss. A lot of small annoyances add up to create one big reason to save your money. [Issue#15, p.88]

An utter disaster. A studio responsible for developing some of the best action games in recent years can now claim to have made one of the worst. [Issue#13, p.90]

Wants to be a faithful throwback to the beat- ’em-ups of old with a unique 3D polygonal 3 spin. Unfortunately, the transition to another dimension is far from smooth. [Issue#11, p.89]

All-Star Brawl never gets beyond that uncomfortable phase that you normally have to push through with a new fighting game. Instead, that horrifying state of confusion in which you don’t quite know what you’re doing is all you can expect from it. It might be enough to keep younger kids satisfied, but they’re also not going to recognise the characters, so it feels like a bit of a bust. This is not the Smash Bros competitor we’d hoped for. [Issue#8, p.84]

Has all the hallmarks of a PSVR hit – great ideas, action, and visuals – but playing it will make you feel ill. Even seasoned PSVRers should play with caution. [Issue#6, p.89]

While Jay and Silent Bob diehards may get some enjoyment out of this, possibly with the aid of certain cigarettes, most people will struggle to do so. It’s often difficult and frustrating, more down to a rigid determination to mimic 30-year-old game design than by intention. Even when things are going smoothly, it’s all too simplistic to have much fun with. It’s memorable for the wrong reasons. [Issue#3, p.127]

It’s a shame, because Wonder Boy is fantastic to look at, and the original soundtrack is sweepingly sumptuous. This title opens up a dialogue as to whether these games should mechanically look to the past, or partly adapt to modern gaming conventions in order to make for a more pleasing experience. [Issue#2, p.83]

Ultimately this lacks variety and depth, despite the cute idea. [Issue#2, p.73]