The defining moment came when, having spied a particularly rare class of collectible, we sent the Overlord in to smash the crate that held it. Before he could reach it, a little pointy-hat-wearing gnome, not even a foot high, darted in and nicked it, gibbering all the way back to its grubby little warren. Our clichéd expectations of fantasy gaming had been shattered. [Aug 2009, p.72]

The graphics are utterly gorgeous, and the soundtrack is a wistful selection of haunting folk music. In a lot of ways, this game conjures up nostalgia for a time that never was; but this matters not. This is a game that single-handedly moves PSPs in Japan. Now we can see why. [Aug 2009, p.76]

Robust, charming and impeccably presented. Impossible not to enjoy. [July 2009, p.79]

A shade under 50 tracks feature on the disc itself and they’re pretty passable. It boasts a better hit/miss ratio than Guitar Hero World Tour to be honest, even though career mode is a bit nobbled (and not entirely crucial considering every track is unlocked the moment you boot up the game). [Sept 2009, p.68]

A truckload of guilty fun, Prototype offers a lot of freedom. Beneath it all it's a simple kill-fest, but it works well. [July 2009, p.72]

The top seed of tennis games made even better. [July 2009, p.83]

Maddening at times this rock-hard puzzler demands a ton of practice to reach perfection. [July 2009, p.89]

The graphics are solid, the level design more than adequate and the game itself surprisingly fun. Plus it’s AU$15.95 – so unless you loathe tournament shooters you might want to grab this one. [Sept 2009, p.79]

A total package. Intriguing without being obtuse, epic without making you feel lost. [June 2009, p.54]

A mess in need of a thorough overhaul. [July 2009, p.81]

We desperately wanted to give Damnation the benefit of the doubt, but everything about it just feels wrong. You need to do far better than this to cut the mustard. [July 2009, p.82]

Another surprisingly good game feature is the story. Objectives and allegiances chop and change, and the radio chatter drips with comic book melodrama. [July 2009, p.68]

A misguided farce. Offensive. [Oct 2009, p.75]

Exceptionally presented, additively brutal. [June 2009, p.62]

An abysmal failure. No sense of excitement, fear or anything. [July 2009, p.76]

There are some great moments, but they're few and far between. [July 2009, p.80]

Just follow the quest arrows, and spank everyone in your path. Rinse and repeat. Mental patients weave baskets because it’s calming - this is the same deal. [Sept 2009, p.70]

At some point during the development any wit and/or charm the series had left was quietly escorted out of the building and shot. [Sept 2009, p.67]

A worthy sequel to a true PSP classic. [May 2009, p.68]

It's a head-slicin', chest beater of a slash 'em up. It's derivative though. [June 2009, p.58]

A hodgepodge of intergalactic hard arse, this is a must for those wanting something moody and fresh. [May 2009, p.60]

The Godfather II starts off as a robust crime caper, but it alienates fans of the film and confuses those who haven't seen it. [June 2009, p.67]

Arguably the best Guitar Hero game since "Guitar Hero III." [June 2009, p.66]

It was a worthwhile dig, but it just isn't a patch on genre leaders. [May 2009, p.64]

Cack-handed. [May 2009, p.67]

Feels positively ancient, gets by on retro charm. [May 2009, p.65]

Killzone 3 this ain't. Avoid. [June 2009, p.68]

Tenchu's in a dire need to go back to its roots. [June 2009, p.70]

Well built with minor flaws, this is definitely one to get hold of. [May 2009, p.70]

A step in the right direction for the franchise. [Christmas 2008, p.84]

A grand, bloody, epic adventure. [Apr 2009, p.66]

Solid, but not quite what we expected. [Apr 2009, p.70]

Above-average Rogue-like space RPG action. More-ish. [June 2009, p.71]

I'll say it again: Killzone 2 is the best console first person shooter ever. It will be bested one day, and that is as it should be, but this game has set the proverbial bar so high we reckon it'll be the king for a good long while... Hail to the king, baby. [Feb 2009, p.66]

After a weekend with Hazard, you may want to return him. [Apr 2009, p.77]

So dumb it's dangerously good. [Apr 2009, p.72]

A tight-fisted gut blow of wow! Must own. [Mar 2009, p.70]

The Nippon Ichi crew are masters of turn-based strategy so there was no guarantee that they could do an action game, any more than Madonna was guaranteed any success in her acting career. But succeed they have; gamers can dive into their wicked anime universe with pick-up-and-play accessibility [Aug 2009, p.78]

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

Few games will make you smile more vibrantly. [Jan 2009, p.70]

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

Does the job, but will disappoint even fans of the anime. [Apr 2009, p.80]

Undoubtedly the best extreme sports game ever. [Feb 2009, p.72]

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]

It might offer spurts of fun, but Lord of the Rings: Conquest is mediocre in every way. [Feb 2009, p.76]

The least awful Sonic game in years. [Jan 2009, p.74]

The story, on call dialogue and expansive world make its most recent rival for parkour champ, "Mirror's Edge," look poorly executed. [Summer 2009, p.56]

A fantastic fighting title that will ensure your thumbs are well ready for SFIV. [Mar 2009, p.85]

Post-"Dead Space," this just doesn't cut the mustard. [Summer 2009, p.72]

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]

Taken on its own, this is a vaguely competent racer let down by some horrible technical issues. [Summer 2009, p.64]

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]

Fanging through the snow just gets old far too quickly. [Summer 2009, p.79]

Only for those desperate for a winter escape! [Jan 2009, p.80]

One of the most original titles we've seen this gen. [Summer 2009, p.70]

The white-knuckle thrill ride of the year. [Summer 2009, p.60]

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

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

Absolutely terrible. It's simply broken. [Christmas 2008, p.92]

Fighting section is good...RPG section is problematic. [Summer 2009, p.74]

Strategy and RPG heads alike cannot miss this gem. [Summer 2009, p.82]

It plays like Bond, feels like Bond and sounds like Bond, if only it moved a wee bit faster and was as smooth as Bond. [Summer 2009, p.66]

If this game could be summarised with one image, it would be walking out of a bunker and seeing the city of San Francisco being torn apart by hundreds of Chimera ships - large and small. [Summer 2009, p.52]

Bare-bones stuff, really, but the music makes it worth it. [Mar 2009, p.76]

A flawed masterpice for the ages. [Summer 2009, p.76]

A title that needed another couple of months in the oven. [Christmas 2008, p.68]

Rev-heads will adore it, others will struggle. [Christmas 2008, p.93]

I think the fact that you can go to sleep dreaming of a game, thinking of not just gaming but creation, breeds new life into an industry that is already known for its creativity. [Christmas 2008, p.62]

An absolutely awesome all-round package. [Christmas 2008, p.78]

Better than most kids games, but has issues. [Summer 2009, p.80]

And while 2K make up for this downgrade via added content, this isn't as extensive as we had hoped. [December 2008, p.64]

A tidy little game that will please comic book fans. [Christmas 2008, p.88]

A technical bell ringer, FC2 is set to be a cult favourite. [Christmas 2008, p.72]

Great synthesis of styles. [Feb 2009, p.78]

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

The best music game currently available. [Feb 2010, p.72]

A game destined for the chopping block. [Summer 2009, p.78]

A sturdy, dependable effort that fails to excite. If it was a colour, it would be beige. [June 2009, p.64]

A one-finger salute right up the arse of the free-roaming crime genre. [December 2008, p.68]

Short, but brilliantly executed. [Christmas 2008, p.74]

The best soccer game on the market. [December 2008, p.74]

Multiplayer pushed the score up, but the overall experience left us wanting. [December 2008, p.84]

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

Konami will want to get Team Silent back for Silent Hill 7, we think. [Apr 2009, p.74]

The most authentic WWII shooter yet, but often at the expense of fun. [December 2008, p.72]

The best arcade racer on the market bar none. [December 2008, p.76]

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

A brave competitor to Sony's mud king, but it's all a bit too bland to get revved up over. [Nov 2008, p.96]

A Force bonanza that plays a good game of Sith but fails to use its idea to max effect. [Nov 2008, p.90]

We're happy with the decent foundations that TNA Impact! has laid out, but the content - which is a big deal in wrestling games - is paltry. [December 2008, p.80]

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

Although multiplayer rocks, the single player loses its shine rather quickly. [December 2008, p.78]

Fun. It's three little letters that seem to have been lost - Mercs 2 has it in spades! [Nov 2008, p.98]

A surprisingly deep and addictive golfing experience. [December 2008, p.82]

Aesthetics aside, this is a feast for SRPG wonks. [May 2009, p.66]

A lame attempt at bringing parody to the world of gaming. Avoid. [Nov 2008, p.100]

Completely average. [Nov 2008, p.102]

It's slickly presented, but it's just not R-Type. [Jan 2009, p.79]