Go in expecting a “next-gen” evolution of Rock Band 3, and you'll wind up booing. Expect a slick, party-in-a-box, and you'll be wolf -whistling. [Christmas 2015, p65]

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]

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]

Great games have a simple concept and message. Don’t Starve will leave you feeling full. [March 2014, p78]

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]

This remaster retains and showcases Heavy Rain’s best assets (we’re so sorry). Some wobbles, however, have also made the jump to PS4. [June 2016, p76]

The rhythm genre isn't dead, it just got better with lasers. [November 2012, p79]

Infinity Ward has taken its foot off the accelerator here. The marketing department might as well have called it Call of Duty: Coasts. [Christmas 2013, p68]

Smart subtractions and extremely worthwhile additions make this the best Worms in years. Ignore solo, enlist for multi. The more people, and the more local, the better. [November 2016, p77]

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

Enough has changed here to warrant a lazy capture. [December 2014, p81]

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]

Taken as a whole, El Shaddai is a remarkable achievement, as beautiful as it is baffling. While its quirks prevent us from recommending it wholesale, for those of you who crave innovation and imagination in your gaming diet, this is something you simply cannot afford to miss. [November 2011 p78]

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

PES still isn’t ‘better’ than FIFA, but by the golden boot of Beckham it’s the best one yet. [November 2013, p78]

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]

While it great barrier reeks of quality, Abzû is not as breathtaking as it could be. [October 2016, p72]

For hardcore nerds, it’s a wet dream made real; for everyone else, it’s a spectacle like no other. [June 2013, p72]

It’s not perfect, but Outlast still succeeds at scaring the pants off you. [April 2014, p80]

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]

There’s a wealth of new content here, and it’s all been given the love and care this beloved franchise deserves. Whether you’re a veteran, or somebody who doesn’t know the business end of a keyblade, give this a shot. [October 2013, p81]

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]

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]

A solid introduction to Telltale's darkest world yet that looks to keep Thrones fans happy. [Feb 2015, p74]

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]