Taking your hands off the traditional controls to manipulate a touchscreen wider than the Nullabor isn't fun. And yet a lot of puzzles in LBP, timed and otherwise, revolve around doing exactly that. You're forever tapping blue blocks to create solid ground, or you're dragging them to solve environmental puzzles. At best, it's disruptive to classic platforming, at worst it'll be the bane of any no-deaths run. [November 2012, p78]

A solid racing experience being far too "extreme" for its own good. [Oct 2009, p.72]

Guitar Hero 5 is proof Neversoft is getting the hang of this caper, but it could've benefited a lot from a more proven tracklist. [Nov 2009, p.70]

Don’t look at its brevity with a frown: Gone Home is a hugely important game with something meaningful to say. [April 2016, p74]

The biggest problem Bulletstorm has is that it's at odds with itself. It wants you to have a blast killing imaginatively, but gives you limited ammunition, uses cheap tactics and saves the best toys until way too late in the game. It wants you to revel in the wonderfully hackneyed story, but then suddenly gets all touchy feely, serious and humourless for no reason. [May 2011 p.75]

Heavily recycled from the PS3 version, but still one of the most rewarding 2D fighters around. [April 2012, p80]

Despite the MP issues, Watch Dogs 2 hacks this series back on track with its gorgeous locales, and silly emergent fun. Marcus isn’t *quite* our cup of tea, but he sure beats the hell out of the last guy. [January 2016, p71]

Less about providing an expansive footballing buffet of content and more about being authentic Cup paraphernalia, it features no club leagues but instead focuses on guiding one’s preferred international squad through qualification to a virtual World Cup Final. [June 2010 p76]

A jazzy, jiving b-ball package, but too similar to 2K8. [Christmas 2008, p.82]

Despite its age, VF5 is still as solid as a palmfist to the midsection from a karateka. This is fast, technical and bereft of 'super technique bollocks' seen in other fighters. If you've never ventured beyond DOA or Tekken try this. [July 2012, p83]

The randomness can grate, leaving you facing a boss with your starter weapon, or having an enemy at the entrance of a room take your last sliver of health. [July 2016, p74]

Visually weak, but delivers in other aspects. [Christmas 2008, p.90]

Things get better with faster cars but too often it feels like you’re trying to guide a brick through thick porridge. Drifting just shouldn’t this much of a chore, and we constantly crave more momentum when we’re loosening up the rear wheels. Online’s more attractive as these problems are masked by the thrill of the chase. [August 2010 p73]

It all feels a bit sterile, too, and the weird floating pool cue doesn’t do much to alter that. Solid, but hardly exciting. [Feb 2010, p.77]

While the episode does provide a conclusion to Max’s bittersweet story, its splintered things apart more than tied them all together. [January 2015, p75]

[P]layers won't get much out of SSX until they put a lot of time into each of the game's courses – packed with branching paths, high ridges, and suicide leaps – and work out a custom plan of attack. Without one, SSX can deteriorate into a discombobulating frazzle of questions like: where am I going? Is this the fastest way down? And how come the CPU is 15 seconds ahead of me? While the required exploration means a tonne of replay value, it also means newbies will have to board up a hockey stick-shaped difficulty curve to feel in the game. [April 2012, p70]

And on that bombshell, may the next fledgling Final Fantasy fly fans to a realm that values a clear plot and strong characters over pinball machines. [February 2016, p74]

Load times are an issue, but this tap-dancer proves to be pretty, and pretty taxing. [May 2014, p83]

Ultimately, RAGE is soulless and short-lived. Jack up the difficulty for more of a challenge, but underneath a few stand-out moments is a shooter that's been outclassed and out gunned. [Dec 2011, p78]

Still hilarious. Still addictive. But while the toy/game mechanics are cleverer than competition, far too much extra investment is required to make Dimensions as satisfying and features-full as ye olde TT LEGO games. [Christmas 2015, p76]

A chill platform puzzler whose dazzling production values aren’t matched by stable framerates or especially memorable moments. Rime’s only reasonable. [August 2017, p79] [August 2017, p81]

Telltale's most creative adventure has promise, we're just holding out for the more alluring loot. [Feb 2015, p76]

Magic 2014 has a perfect UI system but its tutorials aren’t particularly gentle with Magic virgins. Veterans know what to expect, buy with confidence. [September 2013, p80]

Fact is, when Revengeance is firing on all cylinders it’s a great, albeit short (six hours, tops) action game. [April 2013, p78]

More accessible than Rock Band 4, and there are odd endorphins to be had from actors praising your efforts. It’s the tight-fisted nature of DLC that holds this back from greatness. [January 2015, p71]

We’re looking forward to the kind of stuff people are going to come up with here, and as the software is designed with different entry points there should be no limit to the type of content that comes out of this game. [Christmas 2009, p.79]

Let’s not pull any punches. This PS Vita version features the exact same pugilism, panty-service and pendulous paired appendages of Dead or Alive 5 on PS3, just in the palm of your questionably-callused hands. [May 2013, p75]

A lacking update from the 2007 collection. Not sure it's needed. [Apr 2009, p.76]

Thomas Was Alone comes together into something more than the sum of its multiple simplistic parts. [July 2013, p79]

This is the meanest Sonic game ever. Springs will punt you into spikes, the layout works against you as it's hard to get the blue fella up to speed, and the 3D special stage (a rip-off of classic SNES game F-Zero) is tripe. Bummer. [February 2012, p.76]

Pre-canned cutscenes suddenly give way to in-engine sections where the characters continue to converse, only silently – via slabs of text you need to click through instead of pre-recorded speech. There doesn't appear to be any real rhyme or reason as to when this will happen – it just seems like a cheap way of extending the cutscenes. All it does it undermine the atmosphere – the game goes from a modern, cinematic action-drama to a static, dusty old RPG in the blink of an eye. [Apr 2010 p.70]

Yeah, the puzzles are moderately difficult, and (we think) the levels are linear, but there's simply no denying childlike wonder Unfinished Swan engenders, nor the indelible mark it leaves upon your heart. [December 2012, p70]

An above average shooter that suffers from a lack of imagination. [Mar 2009, p.74]

While engaging modes shake things up when it all gets a bit shallow, think twice if you’re looking for a fighter with depth. But as a series send-off for obsessives? It’s a knockout. [May 2016, p75]

What LEGO Harry Potter is, then, is most probably exactly what you're expecting. A robust yet simple homage to an international phenomenon unleashed upon the world via the medium of coloured, plastic bricks. It's not going to give your PS3 an aneurysm, but it may cause children to spontaneously combust in excitement. [August 2010 p75]

Two games deep and two systems later, the grappling simply still isn’t as much fun as slugging it out, especially for those who have a more casual interest in MMA. [June 2016, p75]

Its inventiveness means there's a lot to like, and the price is definitely right. [October 2012, p79]

There’s no co-op, which is odd (there are cooperative modes in multiplayer though) – but there are some truly memorable moments, like your first shootout at high noon. Horse mounted battles and even stagecoaches get a look in. [Aug 2009, p.70]

If you have an existing library of Rock Band tracks you'll dig this. [December 2012, p83]

The campaign might disappoint, but the game’s one-on-one online duels will take you to Valhalla. [May 2017, p75]

And you thought visual novels were niche. [Feb 2015, p78]

Endearing, gorgeous platformer that tugs on the heartstrings early, but ultimately winds up feeling mechanically threadbare. [April 2016, p77]

Toybox mode is where the game hits its peak, offering open-world style gameplay packed with mini challenges geared towards a generation of kids far too young to be powersliding buses through parked cars and prostitutes in Liberty City. [August 2010 p77]

It’s still far from perfect – main menu freezes abound and the EU and NA servers will frequently fail to even show up, so you’ll probs find yourself on a JP one – but when it works, it really works. Finally. [November 2013, p84]

A genuine improvement over previous titles. [Christmas 2008, p.85]

Mercenary is a big budget FPS on a handheld, done as right as it can be, but it’s still not quite good enough. [November 2013, p80]

Not exactly taxing in the puzzles department, and its price-to-runtime ratio is a little out of whack. But gorgeous, memorable and oozing with atmosphere and love. [July 2017, p78]

Controls could’ve been tighter, given the high-stakes nature of things. Otherwise, this randomising, very replayable experience is hard to put down. [April 2016, p78]

We didn’t get even remotely close to any sense of rapture. We had long since gone to the napture. Great as an exploratory piece of art. Average game. [November 2015, p76]

For every moment awed in the presence of a monumental celestial body, there are ten in which you’re lonely, humbled, and really quite bored. [October 2017, p79]

Like its forebear Skylanders Giants won't tax the skills of the mature hardcore gamer. But it is a worthy expansion that'll keep the youngins amused on the TV, and in the schoolyard, for hours. [Christmas 2012, p76]

Not bad, but it's something of an acquired taste. Best to try it before you fork out. [Nov 2008, p.103]

The gameplay is ageless and timeless – probably because it’s a shameless copy of a certain plumber’s racing adventures on another console. There are weapons and powerups for both offensive and defensive manoeuvres, powerslides mean turbo boosts, and while the racing’s a bit bland in single player there are missions that earn money in order to unlock more of the cast, music and courses to race on. [Apr 2010, p.76]

It's also a problem that punches and kicks don't usually feel as powerful as you'd like. In Fight Night haymakers sounded like truck accidents. Here they kind of feel like slightly over-zealous high-fives. [January 2011 p75]

We're not entirely sure who's going to play this game, or even who it's ultimately suited for. People who are fans of Mikami and Suda will no doubt snap it up without a thought, and so will those who are tired of the 'usual' slew of action games. Sure, Shadows of the Damned has character and shows of incredible, grotesque and inventive beats, but as a game it's left lacking. [August 2011 p70]

This is the prettiest and most polished Omega Force game to date. [Christmas 2015, p72]

This series is no longer for football puritans. Its for Pro Evolution puritans, and has the same strengths and weaknesses as its last few iterations. The animation and player models are brilliant, but there's still an oppressive, drab tone that could suck the fun out of a happy meal. [November 2010 p70]

A pretty spesh experience that asks a lot of your time and, yeah, sometimes your patience, too. [April 2014, p79]

Very pretty, but pretty shallow. Unchallenging – both emotionally and as a puzzle-platformer. [September 2014, p71]

Our biggest gripe is it's just too cheap and mean, leaving you very alone and swamped in single player against the hordes of enemies and overpowered bosses. Foes come thick and fast and players who charge at the edge of the screen whilst it's scrolling will get a sudden foot to the face for their eagerness [Oct 2010 p.76]

Currently an uneven mix of old school vs. new, and goofy vs. serious. A somewhat shaky start. Hopefully this won’t make for a receding heir line. [November 2015, p75]

There are many little bits to love in WOFF, but there’s far less cohesion than there should have been when it’s all thrown in together. [January 2016, p72]

Unfortunately Ninja Storm 3 doesn’t really do anything to distinguish itself from its predecessors utilising the ‘bigger is better’ formula, and while novel in the short term, the huge character list isn’t enough to hide the glaring simplicity of its combat. [April 2013, p77]

While the predecessor was a solid albeit short outing with optional co-op, this sequel seems less polished. The backgrounds lack the eye-catching finish, the plot is just a discombobulated mess strewn together and while Klei Entertainment has evened out the difficulty spikes it lacks the charm of the original. [April 2012, p71]

Where Spec Ops succeeds – just – is with its themes of the end justifying the means, the ravages of war on a man's psyche and its portrayal of extreme violence. This is simultaneously its downfall as the team haven't quite nailed the execution until the final moments, where the full extent of what's happened over the last eight or so hours dawns on the protagonists. We wish Yager had teased and fleshed out the concepts sooner than leaving it to the beguiling endings; we doubt many players will bother reaching the credits. A year and half ago we might have been more impressed with The Line, but its poor presentation and boring shootouts completely let it down. [August 2012, p70]

The game looks crusty. The sprites introduced last year are pixilated and their animations limited. Plus the game lacks any creative flourishes during the massive super moves. We love the idea of a stunning 2D fighter, but there's no technical or artistic creativity here. Note to SNK – invest some money to make it look like a cartoon made by a ninja Walt Disney. [January 2012, p.76]

Don’t put out an APB on what is a hilarious yet technically flawed Lego adventure. Apprehend it for little ‘uns at a reduced price. [June 2017, p77]

But no mask – no matter how flamboyant – can fully hide The Sexy Brutale’s faults. [July 2017, p74]

Far from mindless but further from brilliance, War for Cyberton is fun without being engaging, ideal for an undemanding audience. [September 2010 p.76]

While it feels a bit old fashioned with a lot of story to get through, Tales of Graces f is a decent translation. If you've shied away from JRPGs in the past this is as good a point of re-entry as any. [October 2012, p78]

Essentially, Dot Game is a next-gen homage to early NES RPGs. This is a 23-year-old game design with a 3D graphic 'overhaul' - no more, no less. If you pine for the past, this should keep you entertained, but it may frustrate new gamers. [July 2010 p75]

Easy to get into, difficult to master, and free as a bird. Definitely sample-worthy. [February 2014, p79]

At this point you’re probably wondering: if 2.8’s best bit is that brief, is 2.8 even worth it? Honestly, you’ll have to follow your heart on that one. [April 2016, p77]

The touchscreen moments are pretty lacklustre, but the biggest waste of the Vita hardware comes from the lack of co-op. multiplayer. Solid, but never spell-binding. [May 2012, p81]

QUBE packs a remarkable amount of variety into its three-hour campaign. [November 2015, p74]

The result? A flawed, beautiful contraption – which is appropriate, given how common those are in Tides’ Ninth World. [May 2017, p82]

Perhaps one of the best things we can say about Sonic Generations is that it feels complete, and that it looks absolutely stunning. 20 years offers a lot of time to draw inspiration from, and Team Sonic's determination to show off everything that Sonic has accomplished is to be applauded. As an homage it's without peer. As a game in its own right it's flawed, but it'll leave you with more smiles than frowns. [Dec 2011, p70]

For every idea that’s been given care and thought, there’s one that is far past the realm of cliché. This is less a diminishing return and more a warning that the series is flirting dangerously close with creative extinction. [May 2016, p66]

Just as robust as we’ve come to expect, although the over-zealous censorship grates a lot. [Feb. 2010, p.74]

Critically the balance from FIFA 12 has been exaggerated and attackers now have emphatic control when set. So aggressive defence is out, replaced instead by ad nauseam jockeying that slows the action to a grind while attackers dangle the ball with footloose poetry. It's fist-in-thetelevision frustrating at times, and at one point we perused the pause menu looking for the "Hire cartel sniper to take out dribbler" option. [April 2012, p68]

In some matches it almost feels like the AI is taking the piss, effortlessly stringing together combinations and reversals, when it is nowhere near as easy to do this yourself. There's a lot of assumed knowledge and familiarity with the franchise, which can be disconcerting to newcomers. Positioning is key for finishers and signature moves and can get frustrating when your opponent is whaling on you almost effortlessly. [December 2012, p77]

So why should you bother to make it to the credits? Even in the weakest moments, there’s a rich mystery to this world that remains captivating. [April 2016, p78]

As visions of the future go, EndWar is stuck in the '80s. [Christmas 2008, p.96]

All-in-all the features add up to a game that is one of the best replications of the real thing thus far, especially with some top notch presentation. Just watch out for those damn ghosts. [November 2013, p83]

A deja vu update of last year's Don Bradman 14. Minimal graphics tweaks and not much else. [May 2015, p81]

Dares to ask us how we deal with mistakes. It’s a shame the answer it provides is flat and unfulfilling. [April 2016, p76]

It sucks then that getting Diggs out of the frying pan takes a scant three hours, tops. Do that and you’ll unlock the option to replay and use the Move as a virtual camera to scour the augmented environments for hidden objects and other goodies – but that gets old pretty damn quick. While it lasts, Diggs Nightcrawler is full of surprises. If you’re looking for what Wonderbook can do it’s the best eggs-ample out there. [September 2013, p75]

While it won't satisfy technical fight-fiends, it's definitely a sterling lounge room fixture for a crowded night in of mashing each other into opposing franchise paste. [Summer 2009, p.68]

If you're into old-school RPGs, then its dose of sci-fi fantasy is good enough to bring a smile to a Klingon's face. [May 2009, p.69]

Leaving you with no indication on how to progress might have been quirky, innovative game design in 1996, but in 2012, it's an exercise in pure frustration. Replaying the initial laps over and over again, just so you can have another crack only makes matters worse. The original Saturn version of the game is on offer too if you are so nostalgically inclined, but it still doesn't manage to escape the fundamental inadequacies NiGHTS possesses. [December 2012, p80]

Pure Pool is as succinct a product as its name suggests. Expect solid ball-on-ball action but little more. [October 2014, p82]

After Burner is pretty simple kind of game, though that’s not a bad thing at all. Like Outrun, this is an exercise in getting better and better by looking for paterns and refining your skill in twitch gameplay, but the arcade thrills wear off pretty fast due to repetitive gameplay. [July 2010 p76]

Superhot VR was a proof of concept that won the hearts and minds of any non-gamer we handed it to. But for serious gamers, this is an offering lazier than the bullets depicted. [October 2017, p77]

Nowhere near as visually impressive as new-gen GTA V, Re-Elected is still wildly entertaining. [March 2015, p74]

A gorgeous explore 'n' experiment experience. Can be too directionless which can harsh one's buzz. [October 2014, p83]

What bothers us most about the entire package is this: quite clearly Tomb Raider Underworld was created without the intention of delivering a functional game...Honestly, post "Uncharted", there is absolutely no excuse for a game such as Tomb Raider: Underworld. [Christmas 2008, p.94]

It's a hell of a slog to win a match and characters are fairly underpowered at the start. It is tactically deep and responsive, but make sure you have mates to play with. [May 2012, p80]

Fans of Batman will love it, others may want to wait until the next LEGO title. [December 2008, p.79]