Smartphone owners may be familiar with the basic premise, but it's been remixed and added to, essentially making the PS3 release a different game that's worth buying. [November 2012, p79]

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]

We love that Way of the Samurai 4 is batshit insane, and about as Japanese as a toilet that sings and shoots rainbows. Even still, that quirkiness quickly gives way to seriously rough edges. Clunky, repetitive combat isn't helped by comically bad animations, and when the visuals aren't bland, they're shredded to pieces by screen tearing. [November 2012, p78]

Truth is, Tokyo Jungle is addictive as hell, and there's a heap of pride to be felt from outwitting enemies like a Solid Snake gazelle. And you'll positively beam when you defy commonsense by using a beagle to tear the throat out of a sleeping lion. Throw in rad co-op multiplayer, and this simple-looking PSN title will have you shagging, mauling, or "graduating from bovine university" for ages to come. [November 2012, p76]

The game captures the excitement of the sport, forces you to concentrate for laps on end, and can be as much of a time-sink as you choose, either with a full career or bite-sized challenges, and a smart middle ground where you need to beat a roster of chosen rivals for their contracts. [November 2012, p72]

The presentation still bites. Players and stadiums look drab, and PES 2013's overall physics can't compete with EA's replication of momentum, but at least Konami's offering is doing some things differently than FIFA, and doing them bloody well. [November 2012, p72]

DOA 5 is a slick, beautiful mash of fighting polish and icky sleaze. There's a mountain of fun to be had with its characters, combos, and counter system, but it often degenerates into a confusing high-speed mess. [November 2012, p71]

TTT2 succeeds on a number of levels. It innovates within the series itself, the genre as a whole, while simultaneously appealing to hardcore fans and those who have only casually played Tekken since it debuted in the mid '90s. The game you get on your PS3 is based on the 'Ultimate' version of the arcade game with a few added characters thrown in, making the already chunky roster even plumper with 50-odd fighters. [November 2012, p70]

Any PlayStation gamer looking to broaden his horizons really ought to take a chance on this. If you're like us, and you figured 'turn-based' was longhand for 'boring', you'll be shocked when your 1000th (sissy) save reads: 40 hours played. [November 2012, p68]

The bulk of Resident Evil 6 is highly polished, AAA blockbuster stuff. Capcom has bet big here and delivered a tonne of content that not only delivers extreme value for money, but also gameplay to suit every Resident Evil fan type. As impressive as that feat is, one can't help but feel that this sequel is more of a catch-up to other games, rather than a bold zombie into bold new territory. [November 2012, p66]

On the surface it may look the same but underneath and in your hands this is complex and wonderful. With a wealth of updates and the impressive inclusion of the training mini-games, FIFA 13 is for anyone who either wants a friendly kick-about or be completely and utterly immersed in the world of football. [November 2012, p64]

Borderlands 2 is smarter, sharper, bigger and funnier than the game it supersedes. Everything that made the 2009 title so memorable has been improved upon, designed for you to sink your life into. These coming months are going to be packed with excellent titles, but Borderlands 2 has enough potential and sheer stuff to keep you going well into 2013. You need this. [November 2012, p62]

While the world may be a tad derivative, Corvo's powers more than make up for it. Blink becomes second nature, and it's obviously informed the level design's go-anywhere approach. There's just enough inventiveness here to elevate Dishonored above its numerous competitors, and it's quite hard to imagine going back to games where you can't teleport to the rooftops, or possess fish to access buildings' cellars. [November 2012, p74]

If you like Terry Gilliam's work you'll love the art aesthetic here as you romp through art history, visiting historical figures as you go. It's quite funny if you can appreciate its sense of humour, too. [October 2012, p79]

This four-player top-down shooter is a one-note type of game, an ear-shattering drone of gunfire punctuated with occasional soundbites. You're on the ground, shooting guys. Then you're in a chopper, shooting guys. The repetition and lack of character kills any hope the XP system had for making this brown square of a game engaging. Play alone and suffer the AI. Play with mates and... actually, don't. [October 2012, p79]

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

Attacks are doled out with three face buttons and although there's a tights fistful of combos to learn and modifiers on the shoulder buttons for variety and occasional defensive manoeuvres, we literally took down a clutch of enemies by bashing the controller against our butt. No joke. [October 2012, p78]

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]

The time you spend playing the game – when you're on the field – isn't as rewarding as all the stuff that goes on around it. Scouting is a dream, and the commentary on each player in this mode adds a sense of realism and character, backed by a stream of social media feeds. So, yeah, it's still good, but next year ought to be even better. [October 2012, p76]

If you're looking for an ethereal, Limboesque puzzler that will challenge your intellect, this isn't it. What's required of you is always obvious, thanks to a predictable mish-mash of platforming and box puzzles. [October 2012, p76]

Risen 2 gets worse when you lash that hideous combat to a graphics engine from five years ago, complete with a lurching framerate and sloppy interfaces. If you're charting a course for Risen 2 because you've heard the phrase 'pirate RPG' and figured nobody could screw that up, your hopes are about to swan-dive from the crow's nest to the poop deck. [October 2012, p75]

Persevere past the tail-happy nightmares from Ferrari's silver age and there's a wealth of content here to play with. To the average gamer, looking for something to tide them over until DiRT 4 arrives, this will be seen as a barebones experience that only gives up the goods after a very long courtship period. This is more geared towards the people who remember Richard [Ball Busting] Burns' Rally on the PS2, or the diehards who will do anything to have a sado-masochistic relationship with all things Ferrari. [October 2012, p75]

Sound Shapes' ready-made content is refreshing, creative and fun – but it's also in very short supply. That said, there's a more than capable platformer waiting for you here, and it's backed up by a versatile level editor that's pregnant with possibilities. Queasy has laid one heck of a good egg, and we honestly can't wait to see how many ways the community will cook this up. [October 2012, p74]

Transformers newcomers will be sated by the solid shooting and platforming on offer, provided they don't expect anything revolutionary. But if you are a fan, the many fan favourite cameos conspire to make the stock-standard feel special. [October 2012, p.72]

Ugly to look at and tiring to play. The real thing is much better. [September 2012, p75]

Clever, colourful and enchanting. You'll be hypnotised from the start. [September 2012, p75]

The camera work is tight on this rollercoaster, and the generous unlockable content makes this feel like much more of a love letter to fans. [September 2012, p75]

Shaky camera work is the mortal enemy of the on-rails shooter, and it raises its ugly head far too often here. [September 2012, p75]

London 2012 is not a pretty game. In fact, it's rather horrid in most respects: athletes are modelled competently, but move with all the poise and grace of a stop-motion Terminator. Menus and other interface elements are all rendered in that garish, angular style that has sadly come to define the London games. [September 2012, p74]

Once you earn and understand how to flick between the dimensions (on all four shoulder buttons) Conundrum will have you calling people over to the TV to boast how "S-M-R-T" you are. That joy is offset, however, by Airtight Games' insistence on pinpoint first-person platforming, something that's a source of intermittent frustration. [September 2012, p74]

There is no story. There is no characterisation; just bland characters and blander NPCs with stupid names like "Ed Orable" who speech-bubble the same banal crap over and over again. What this game ultimately boils down to is playing a ton of repetitive and often laborious turn based battles in a bid to do nothing much at all. It's an RPG without the "RP," and the "G" that's left doesn't really have much to say for itself. [September 2012, p73]

The robust character progression is your first clue that Disney isn't dumbing down the formula, the second arrives with the puzzle sections. Some of them are fairly taxing, as they require a lot of doo-dad flicking and switching between the three 'solver' bears at your disposal. Kids may get annoyed. [September 2012, p72]

After a slow start it builds to a thundering crescendo and slaps on the action thick and fast, and you'll find a city that's yours for a good time, but not necessarily a long time. Dodgy vehicles aside, this has a belter of a combat system and is a lot of fun while it lasts. Get it. [Sept 2012, p.66]

The overwhelming feeling that shines through in Darksiders II is that this is an all-or-nothing bet that's been painstakingly crafted by a team who's all too well aware of the price of failure. Clearly there's been a lot of love put into this. So, should you cross over to the dark side of this underworld, one more time? Grinding nether-regions for 20 hours straight has never been this satisfying. [Issue#72, p.70]

Along with an overreliance on stick waggling, Sixaxis tilting features frequently and it's shoehorned in at crucial points in the proceedings. As you can imagine, it's frustrating, inaccurate stuff and can only be avoided if you set the game to the easiest difficulty 'Instant Fun'. Which is a lie. [August 2012, p80]

Superb concept, poor execution. Needed more balancing. [August 2012, p81]

Short and puzzling in more ways than one. A clunky oddity. [August 2012, p81]

Short and puzzling in more ways than one. A clunky oddity. [August 2012, p81]

While the controls are a bit too sensitive making some levels torturous (especially the bonus stages where touching the environment means instant death), Velocity ends up being one of the most addictive and rewarding games ever made. We honestly can't get enough. [August 2012, p81]

With rewarding physics and plenty of content, our main complaint is the tech used to render the game. To be blunt, it looks damn average. Racers are known for pushing the PS3 to its graphical limits, but SBK looks like it's running on two cylinders. While the frame rate and anti-aliasing is tight, the tracks are utterly devoid of detail. The world also appears to be lit by fluorescent tubes, giving it a stark, artificial feel. [August 2012, p80]

The fact is that having flawless portable versions of Sons of Liberty and Snake Eater (plus the two MSX originals) in a box is worth an exclamation point and a purchase if you're patrolling past it in your local games shop. [August 2012, p79]

The sad reality, though, is that most will probably dismiss LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes as just another block-based kids' game. Don't be one of those chumps, because it's a valiant shot at the stars, built upon a solid brick foundation, which should be applauded. Is it simple? Yes, but often devilishly so, and that doesn't stop it from simultaneously becoming one of the best superhero outings and the definitive LEGO game thus far. [August 2012, p77]

Welcome to brown town, ladies and gents. Escape is impossible. [August 2012]

Three undeniable classics made even classier. A nut-worthy purchase. [August 2012, p74]

Arkham City is arguably the best superhero game ever made, so it makes sense that Beenox would look to it for inspiration. And while The Amazing Spider-Man seldom succeeds entirely in emulating the accomplishments of its illustrious antecedent, it makes a pretty decent fist of it, for the most part. [August 2012, p72]

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]

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]

A riveting cerebral experience. Has that 'one more episode hook'. [July 2012, p83]

Think: a cheaper, slightly nastier version of 2008's Pure, and you're not too far off the track. [July 2012, p83]

Combat is turn-based stuff that's a hasty facsimilie of Dragon Age: Origins. It's hard to get a kick out of any of these battles when your enemies are clones with all the guile of Hodor the village idiot. Expect no thrill from the grind, either, as the skill trees unlock stat 'boosts' more miniscule than Tyrion. Likewise, rare items are ridiculously so and the purchasable gear is so unattainably priced, not even a Lannister could pay their debts. [July 2012, p83]

It's incredibly fast-paced and responsive. Nailing some of the intense combos may twist your fingers off as there are no touchscreen specials except for the X-ray moves that can be initiated once you have a full meter, but fatalities can be executed with finger swipes that match the d-pad inputs. Most of the extra modes, such as Test Your Slice, are gimmicks that either borrow heavily from smartphone games (let's just say you'll slice fruit whilst playing as a ninja) or rely on 'been there, done that' mechanics that use the Vita's hardware. Balancing a man on a beam is old hat, even if he's perilously dangling above a pit. [July 2012, p82]

As a single-player thing, Sorcery is just okay. You run, you stick your shimmering shield up if things get hairy, you wave spells at shambling horrors, and a lot of the time our boy Finn does something completely mental because the control scheme is a very delicate thing indeedily. It's simple but frenetic, with some surprisingly nutty moments and even nuttier boss battles. [July 2012, p81]

Familiar foes and even familiar ideas await to present a paint-by-numbers challenge. Despite occasional clipping, frequent atmosphere-breaking occurrences of bodies blinking out of existence, and an ally who literally warps to your next objective point, Burning Skies isn't a terrible game – it's just horribly average. Admirable ideas are matched by disappointing decisions. [July 2012, p80]

Buoyed by a promising concept and Suda51's reputation, we expected and experience comparable to God Hand or Bayonetta. What we got is witless – an embarrassment that shames itself and the industry as a whole. It's idiocy that outstays its in record time. [July 2012, p78]

While Codemasters have made this look the goods from the glossy cars to the vibrant environments, the edge-of-your-seat events are few and far between, and the carnage is limited due to a small field of competitors. You'll either feel indifferent to its attitude or loathe it outright, and your gut reaction will tip you either way. We, and we suppose many others, will be curious to see how this sideshow influences DiRT 4. [July 2012, p76]

Kudos to Santa Monica for the online code as it's top-notch. We were rarely looking for a match, and although there's only a handful of modes (Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Zones and Capture The Flag, with the latter responsible for many late nights) they're all tried and tested. If you're not online there's a pleasing if short-lived single player campaign and a co-op mode where you'll battle waves of enemies. While the purpose of the campaign is to make you familiar with each of the units in the IKEA-in-the-sky, it's still fun if ultimately forgettable. There's a tale of sibling rivalry, friendship and love lost, but we'd have to hit Google to find the name of the main character. [July 2012, p74]

When the dust from the dirty bomb settles, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier looks noticeably grimy and raw in a few spots, but its mission has still been achieved. The visuals can be iffy, but the feeling of being an elite soldier of the future has been faithfully rendered in other ways. The pace is fast, the gadgets are empowering, and your job can shift from shrewd predator puzzles, to battles of attrition fought on a knife's edge. [July 2012 p.72]

There are a bunch of new modes from previous versions to challenge your timing and they're insanely addictive. It won't just be your gems that'll disappear, it'll be your life. Our (life-crippling) highlight is the Poker mode. [June 2012, p 81]

It'll put your reflexes and your memory to the test. Addictive. [June 2012, p 81]

Stupidly charming visuals add to the sense of weight of your floating cloud god as he rains blasts of energy on the demons who are impeding your pilgrims' progress. Damn tricky, too. [June 2012, p 81]

Thankfully, Sega's made some tweaks to its Sonic 4-mula that manage to both advance the platforming while bringing the 'feel' of things closer in line with the series' halycon days on the Mega Drive. [June 2012, p 81]

The single player mode is quite challenging at any difficulty level as the momentum of any battle frequently shifts. There are some balancing issues (particularly on the easier difficulties), which may make going it alone less appealing. Versus and online, however, is where Skullgirls really shines and will keep you equally entertained and frustrated. [June 2012, p80]

If you've been looking for an excuse to dust off your Move controller, this is it. [June 2012, p80]

It's the kind of game you'd hire on a rainy Saturday night because you got to the video shop too late and all the good games were already gone – but then you get it home and it's actually alright. It's plain, simplistic, and totally no-frills, and you'll want to mute the "angry white man" soundtrack immediately, but on the other hand… sick jumps, bro. [June 2012, p79]

Battleship could never work as plain shooter. It's a facsimile of a facsimile that tries to pay homage to some of the biggest shooters out there but ends up ripping them off and in turn ends up being bland, characterless yet functional. The RTS elements definitely add an extra layer, but the strategic payoff is muted by near-constant nannying needed to keep them – and the game – afloat. [June 2012, p79]

A splendid mix of free-roaming action, RPG leveling, and sexy visuals. [June 2012, p77]

Never before has a game so gruesomely represented the impact that 9.3 grams of lead travelling at almost one kilometre per second has on the human body. Thanks to this game's disturbing X-Ray Killcam, players are treated (subjected?) to a clinical view of each bullet passing through their target's vital organs whenever they pull off an especially good shot – and by 'good' we mean 'life-ending'. It's brutal, it's disturbing, and we're not quite sure how it got past Australia's over-eager censors. [June 2012, p76]

Being a Japanese attempt at Skyrim, Dragon's Dogma gets a bit overly ambitious in places. Exploration is not a case of 'if you see it, you can go there'. Firstly, because seeing the horizon is difficult; Dogma's graphics engine renders vistas with all the detail of a waterpainting. Secondly, you're held back by locked border towns, or high level enemy mobs, until you have some hours and major quests under your belt. Just as irking is the lack of authenticity to the towns and the NPCs within. You can ransack a house and sell the crap back to the homeowner (while happily stabbing them), or you can score XP by killing their pets. [June 2012, p74]

In the end you have a sequel that improves upon its predecessor. It's a better game in terms of presentation and content, and if you didn't play the original then you're going to rip through this with a silly smile on your face. We're not sure that it's going to hold your attention though, and that's a shame as Heller's brutal adventures are amongst the best you'll have. [June 2012, p72]

There are also some breathtakingly elegant scene shifts where you play stints of classic, NYPD detective Max. Punchy script and Max's metaphor-ridden inner monologues are milked for all they're worth via action-text and motion comics. Some may find the constant artefacting effects distracting – but we found it accentuated emotional beats nicely, and suited Max's boozehound view of the world. Whichever way you look at it, Max Payne 3 is slicker than owl crap on an iceberg. [June 2012, p68]

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]

A dodgily produced cash-in of a chestnut anime. [May 2012, p81]

Features; criminally stupid AI, rehashed enemies, ear-defiling voice acting and paint-by-numbers levels. This is 'so bad it's bad' gaming. [May 2012, p81]

Wrecked is the remake of the PS2 game Mashed. To anybody possessing gaming experience and at least three friends, that opening sentence was the end of the review - the verdict received: must-buy. [May 2012, p81]

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]

The vehicle handling is awful, the graphics are rudimentary and the soundtrack is a three-riff wonder. Keep your cash and avoid. [May 2012, p80]

Depending on how brave you are (or your peripheral set up) the handling model can be altered from reasonably forgiving to brow-mopping stressful. Knuckle down and learn the nuances and you'll lose yourself in some glorious moments, recreating key battles and moments, swopping through the air and perfecting the art of dogfighting. [May 2012, p80]

A sequel nobody asked for, and it knows it. Hugely unnecessary. [May 2012, p78]

Offline, it's a slightly better game than last year. To make it a substantially better sequel you must be willing to be perma-connected to the PSN. That's all fine-and-on-the-fairway for hooked-up Aussie gamers, but it's a sizeable sand trap for the many who aren't. [May 2012, p78]

This third game in the Ninja Storm series is going to feel like a small step backwards from the previous title for longtime fans. Conversely for newcomers it's perhaps the easiest game ever to get into despite the manic on-screen action – if you have a sense of timing. [May 2012, p77]

Essentially, the most entertainment here comes from (finally) tweaking your 'AC' to a preferred fighting style, applying tactics to infiltrate enemy lines and using the rocket boots to skate about and scale buildings. Frustration creeps right back in again when you realise how counterintuitive the menus are. [May 2012, p77]

We could have forgiven the ugly presentation of this collection if more was packed in. Given the second game is a dud, two rushed re-releases of DMC and DMC3 make for an expensive trip down memory lane. Where's DMC4? Where's the demo of the upcoming Devil May Cry reboot? Where's the value? [May 2012, p76]

True evil never dies. It gets a decent facelift. [May 2012, p76]

It has a lengthy runtime for the asking price, but it's basically a trap laced with nostalgia, and is only fun in very, very short bursts. To paraphrase Maverick's commander, we think many of you would rather fly a cargo plane full of rubber dogshit out of Hong Kong than finish this. [May 2012, p74]

Ridge Racer Unbounded has pace, looks amazing, and when you're flat-chat and in the zone it can bring a smile to your face. Unfortunately, that buzz is too often killed by archaic game design and a host of frustrations that scuff this pretty ride up, badly. [May 2012, p72]

The Tekken draftees are the new Street Fighter characters you don't want to go home. Apart from integrating them visually into Ryu and co's saturated universe, each has had their exhaustive move set refocused to align with Capcom's different play style. It doesn't just work, it's brilliant. [May 2012, p70]

You're still mindlessly hacking 'n' slashing your way through clones, but now you'll also engage in mini-games that use the gyro and touchscreen in very inelegant ways. [April 2012, p80]

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

For the skim readers out there; there are two ninja launch titles for Vita. This one cuts the other one a new butt crack. [April 2012, p80]

You can easily lose a few hours stabbing your Vita to Smooth Criminal, Thriller and Beat It. It sucks then, that those hours (two of them) represent the entire runtime of this. [April 2012, p79]

Great value despite its brevity and funny too. More charming than Michael Parkinson. [April 2012, p79]

The solo content is phenomenal value for money and the cross-play with PS3 works insanely well. One price gets you both versions and they share players and results. Couple that with an seamless Autolog-style challenge system and this is a must-buy. [April 2012, p79]

The only way this Vita version differentiates itself from the umpteenth Ridge Racers out there is the way it feels like a demo. You only get three cars and five tracks and no solo career. Want more content? Start paying, sucker. [April 2012, p79]

The integration of tilt steering and rear touchpad gear shifting is nice, but beyond that, this is a wafer-thin, learner burner experience best left to racing rookies. [April 2012, p78]

There are 14 different rule sets to check out, but all of them fall victim to repetition. Gameplay revolves around dragging your finger across the front display to choose the area where you wish to hit, before pulling it down and then flicking. Rinse. Repeat. Woo. Pass. [April 2012, p78]

Surprisingly polished and great value for money. Touch controls work rather well, too. [April 2012, p78]

Super Stardust Delta represents phenomenal value for the pittance asking price. You'd need space rocks in your head to pass this up. [April 2012, p78]

[I]t's the Vita-specific features that may well entice new players to the otherwise hardcore fighting series. The lower difficulty settings actually let you dominate in fights on the easy setting (and there's 'very easy', too), unlike easy on Street Fighter IV, while a wholly touchscreen fighting mode lets you finger your enemies to death. It's not the best way to play the game, but it means that even the greenest newbie can win a fight without having to remember increasingly complex combat commands. [April 2012, p77]