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]

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]

Gorgeous eye-candy (mostly) and tunes that stay with you for decades. But years of rhythm games make the once revolutionary Patapon feel simplistic. [October 2017, p76]

For all its many faults, the script does at least make a valiant effort of recognising and explaining the politics of war and propaganda. That doesn’t change the fact that there’s an army of games more worthy of your money. [October 2017, p75]

For new players, this isn’t the best the series has to offer but it holds its own. If FFXV’s modern magical setting didn’t appeal, this might be the antidote. [October 2017, p72]

Forget all your fears. The 3D platforming games of PlayStation legend have never looked or played better. [September 2017, p83]

Nex Machina is Jarvis’ Robotron retuned, but when those revisions are a rock solid 60fps, swirling voxel storms, and an array of play-extending modes, it’s hard to shoot it down. [September 2017, p78]

Portal Knights takes the blueprint and gives it more of what we always wished Minecraft had: deeper combat and a series of quests that give us a greater sense of purpose. [September 2017, p77]

Kinda ugly and bereft of new ideas, but also challenging and fun. Sets a higher bar for PS VR co-op, too. [September 2017, p76]

There’s simply not enough variety to the various insult chunks on offer to sustain more than a few rounds before the repetition sucks the fun dry. [September 2017, p73]

Veterans should vacay here. New players from Skyrim will still get hit with the culture shock of lots of grinding over emergent exploration and nuanced combat. [September 2017, p74]

Once you strap yourself into the rollcaged bucket seat of Dirt 4 it’ll be extremely tough to extricate yourself from it anytime soon. [September 2017, p69]

Looks like Zelda, totally isn’t. What you’ve got here is a farming concern which deserves to be spoken in the same breath as Harvest Moon. [September 2017, p71]

It can be a little frustrating, but thankfully these flaws are not so insurmountable that Shards of Darkness stops being a diverting and fun misadventure [June 2017, p81]

It’s an imaginative concept, executed poorly. Unless you’re a Lego fan with acres of patience, stick with Minecraft, block enthusiasts. [June 2017, p79]

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]

Rain World may not be the most forgiving adventure, but stick with it through its trickier times, and when it all comes together it’s capable of producing some genuinely brilliant moments. [June 2017, p76]

Much more fun than it is frustrating, and don’t go in expecting evolution. That said, this is still a quill in the cap for a genre that is slowly making a comeback. [June 2017, p72]

Bulletstorm has been lavished with a fine new coat of 4K paint. Its linear, skill-based shooting is worth revisiting, too, even if new content is thin. [June 2017, p70]

While it’s underwhelming in places, there’s a lot to like as you venture into the weirder parts of Andromeda. Frequent technical issues hamper the experience a bit, as does an uninspiring main story. [June 2017, p66]

Alright, the new Overwatch it ain’t – but it’s far from tearable. (Sorry.) [July 2017, p83]

Deck13 has stepped up to take a lash at Souls’ patented sadism. Some swings are short of the target, but the bulk have landed where they should. [July 2017, 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]

You need to sit patiently and wait for the perfect opportunity. Only mark this as a serious target after much time, patching, and price drops. [July 2017, p77]

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

The result is a charmingly clunky yarn that doesn’t wow, but has more to offer than clichés alone. [July 2017, p73]

Put the time into it and get used to its unconventional controls and it’ll eventually wriggle its way into your heart. [July 2017, p72]

Red Barrels has tried to create something rather different to the first Outlast, but the result is a game that, while feeling undeniably grander than its forebear, is considerably less enjoyable. [July 2017, p68]

This is one of the cleverest games we’ve ever played. It constantly wows with many multiple solutions to almost every problem. If you have a talent for thinking outside the box, chances are Arkane is three steps ahead and ready to accommodate your lunacy. [July 2017, p66]

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]

Equal parts style and substance. But a brutal old school nature means low accessibility for newbies. Worth persevering with, however. This is PS royalty. [August 2017, p79]

Even if you spend ages noodling around there, Gnog won’t last you very long. [August 2017, p77]

Get Even needed to get even better to be more than a chocolatey handful of our favourite things.[August 2017, p76]

Greatness was so close, and yet so far. [August 2017, p75]

A large dash-step behind the generous content found in Injustice 2, but still represents a knuckle sandwich we’ll happily chew on for months. [August 2017, p72]

For the most part even here the game has been improved, particularly on new characters like Black Canary. [August 2017, p70]

Solo’s a tough sell, but there’s a pool of MP players from other VR systems. Not purchasing this is therefore illogical. Make it so. Engage. [August 2017, p68]

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

Plenty of Guts, then, but not enough glory. [May 2017, p80]

Flatout’s schtick is its physics-heavy racing, but that engine is antiquated now. Like the nitro it ungenerously ekes out – fun in short bursts only [May 2017, p79]

While Rhombus is a fun, self-referential, VR puzzle-playroom, it’s also a stopgap. [May 2017, p77]

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

Top co-op, but solo is forgettable. Unpolished, too. Drug addicts with severe delusional parasitosis will see fewer bugs than a Wildlands player. [May 2017, p73]

As slick to play as it is oddly Japanese, Nier should be blinking bright on the radar of serious Action- RPG fans. [May 2017, p71]

Is there a more accomplished, accessible, brilliantly precocious example of the modern JRPG? Can’t think of one. [May 2017, p62]

Trust us when we say this is the best VR game since Batman. Our word is our Bond. [March 2016, p80]

Over time, as you form a pack of new friends who are up for regular games, this could transform into a regular party night classic –albeit one where your party guests are in different houses. And might need worming. [March 2016, p78]

Alongside much lengthier save times at the end of days, the interface issues are irksome enough to mar the special, very real sense of escapism Stardew Valley can so masterfully afford. Still, that escapism is so strong it’s impossible to ignore. [March 2016, p76]

Newcomers, Yakuza 0 is the perfect entry point, and is therefore worth paying the full pinky price (RRP). Veterans will be captivated by these origin stories and a ridiculous amount of minigames. [March 2016, p74]

Beautiful carnage, free gravity cat, and no consequences. How can you not go head over heels about a game like that? [March 2016, p72]

There’s a level of complexity and polish that belies the lo-fi visuals, the gore, the bonkers story and the motley crew of nutbags that you encounter. Under new ownership, Grasshopper has – dare we say it? – grown up. [March 2016, p70]

But for the last round in this mag’s Reviews chamber? This one’s hardly a magic bullet. [April 2016, p83]

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]

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]

Act now, think later’ is the nature of Berseria’s beast, a battle system that thrives on heat-of-the-moment muscle memory and snappy knee-jerk reactions. [April 2016, p76]

This is an exclusive to be coveted. Nioh takes the best of Dark Souls, marries it to Ninja Gaiden, and delivers a surprisingly robust action-RPG. Few will be able to resist the attack of this clone. [April 2016, p80]

We’ve missed the WWII theatre, and Sniper Elite 4 is a rollicking good reason to get back to Nazi-blasting. Story isn’t amazing, but the joy of stealth-sniping – particularly in co-op – is Reich on target. [April 2016, p74]

A preposterously good year of PS4 gaming starts in the best possible way with this. [April 2016, p62]

A stunningly good start to what will surely become a treasured PlayStation series. Brilliant stuff. [April 2017, p.71]

Certain moments of that descent are essential parts of horror game history, and total must-plays on PS4. [February 2016, p83]

Having a plethora of events is all for nothing if it’s just a blizzard of deja vu. If you can’t keep the grind compelling, you’ll freeze players out in no time. [February 2016, p80]

In a budget game, the occasional dino delights would be worth a punt – Crytek has crafted a sumptuous world that oozes effortless depth courtesy of PS VR. [February 2016, p78]

Still oozing with cool. Great game design (shamelessly Frankenstein’d together from other franchises) is timeless. Armageddon board. [February 2016, p77]

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]

By the time the post-credits wrap, this long-delayed production will have earned a place in your heart of hearts, alongside its predecessors. [February 2016, p70]

This gallery space shooter shares the loosest of connections with the EVE mythos, and it lacks the frantic spectacle and VR dogfighting drama of Valkyrie. [January 2016, p80]

CCP hasn’t adjusted the game’s free-to-play Oculus Rift structure, however, despite the game costing $79 on PS VR, and the resulting grind to acquire everything is spirit-sapping. [January 2016, p80]

Though Sports Bar conveys a convincing sense of space, any sense of immersion is nuked from orbit by wonky physics and jittery motion tracking. [January 2016, p76]

While they look lovely, the puzzles aren’t quite challenging enough, and more brain teasers would have been welcome in the game’s three-hour run time. [January 2016, p76]

It’s a shame Ace Banana can be so flustering, because there is a decent shooting gallery to unpeel here. [January 2016, p76]

For all its face-plants, still offers a reasonable amount of entertainment for what you’re paying. Maybe just wait a little while for Ubisoft’s Steep instead. [January 2016, p83]

Buy this for the best hero and plot of the series, and insane hours-for-dollars value. [January 2016, p81]

Thankfully, the base game itself remains as utterly essential as always. [January 2016, p78]

There are wonderfully horrifying moments and some lovely little details, but they’re too few and far between – and getting to them is an exercise in resilience rather than pleasure. [January 2016, p77]

Far from the footnote it could have been, Titanfall 2 is a huge, headline shock. In a standout year for the shooter, this interstellar adventure dares to go big and beyond the familiar. What it finds out on the frontier is worth seeing. [January 2016, p74]

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]

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]

While patrolling that retail space, you’d be mad to ignore this as it lurks in the corner. It’s every inch a killer game, and worthy of Lasting Possession. [January 2016, p68]

Enlist the right team, and this is an incredibly rich adversarial experience where no one match ever plays out like the last. [Christmas 2016, p82]

Positively hypnotic in PS VR, this is an ideal showcase for your new virtual reality kit. [Christmas 2016, p80]

Positively hypnotic in PS VR, this is an ideal showcase for your new virtual reality kit. [Christmas 2016, p79]

Want a robust, strategic, deep VR game? Grab this, but be prepared to digest it in small chunks over time. [Christmas 2016, p77]

Even if you’re not coming into this with a brain full of nostalgia, the astonishing, zen-like freedom provided by Area X is unmissable VR. [Christmas 2016, p76]

Until Dawn doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but the sense of immersion is real, as are the heart palpitations. [Christmas 2016, p75]

A compelling companion piece for the Arkham franchise, and an impressive PS VR proof of concept. Held back by a high asking price for not a lot of content. [Christmas 2016, p74]

Thankfully, PlayStation VR Worlds is a crowd-pleaser solution. It’s essentially the Wii Sports of Sony’s PS VR. [Christmas 2016, p73]

Minor gfx hiccups aside, Battlefield 1 is as mustard as the gas it depicts. Winding back the clock and rediscovering its infantry roots has let DICE craft one of the best Battlefields in the series. Oddly, we want more solo DLC. [Christmas 2016, p70]

Redeems Infinity Ward, but is uninspiring. In the face of DICE’s efforts over the fence, this wasn’t the year to stick to the old formula. [Christmas 2016, p69]

Ironically, those who overindulged on Minecraft will appreciate it most of all – its structure turns out to be exactly the fresh spin on the genre we’ve been waiting for. [Christmas 2016, p67]

Slick brawling, charming visual design, vibrant set-pieces and that glittering guest star mean it’s still well worth crashing this kids’ party. [Christmas 2016, p66]

The dialogue choices aren’t exactly Mass-Effect-calibre, but it’s a welcome means of disrupting the match-match-match routine. And of finding new ways to insult Reigns every week, should you so desire. [Christmas 2016, p65]

While it’s a shade short of perfect, there is no comparison: you will find no finer strategy game on PS4. [Christmas 2016, p64]

All combined, you’re looking at the biggest and one of the most enjoyable Tomb Raiders yet. Here’s to 20 more years. [Christmas 2016, p62]

It’s never a good thing when gamers have to blindly drop their hard-earned cash on an unpolished ride. Especially one whose engine needed way more time spent up on the hoist in the tuning phase. [Christmas 2016, p58]

A modern masterpiece flanked by an okay sequel and a round-off that still delights. This isn’t the Big Daddy of PS3 trilogies, but it’s a circus of value. [December 2016, p83]

Veterans should hold onto their hard-earned pesetas for a future budget buy. If you’re a newbie to the series it’s ok to buy it at a high price, stranger. [December 2016, p81]

As any standup will tell you, the key to a successful joke is the execution – and Jazzpunk tees up its titters masterfully. [December 2016, p80]

In the end, the most meaningful change to FIFA 17 is The Journey. It, along with the increased big-match atmosphere provided by the Frostbite engine, make very compelling reasons to trade up. [December 2016, p78]