A lot of the ideas we loved in the original have been pared back to nothing. In their place: brutality. [June 2015, p79]

Obsidian has interpreted ‘be an aggressive hardcase’ as ‘be an obnoxious brat’ and, when it comes to suave, Thorton is about as subtle as sexual assault. It doesn’t help that his voice is about as intimidating as a slightly larger-than-usual cupcake. Basically Thorton is a jerkbag in need of a major identity realignment. [August 2010 p72]

A respectable take on the Gundam metaseries that's sure to please the faithful. Not particularly approachable for anybody else though. [September 2014, p80]

The bargain basement price should entice fans into reliving their glory days but offers very little else. [Christmas 2012, p.80]

A reboot for the God Of War generation, but one in which the combat sadly lacks the tight flow and impact required to keep up with Kratos and co. Still, it’s an interesting misfire. [August 2016, p73]

For all its unfamiliarity and family-over-friendliness Legends of Chima is a technically solid production that should please its intended audience. Oldies can skip it and continue to vainly hope for LEGO Die Hard. [September 2013, p75]

While not an outright disaster, this offshoot leans heavily on the past while misplacing all the elements that make Lee and Clem’s tale so compulsive. [August 2016, p74]

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

Many set pieces simply do not work smoothly, and sacrifice fun for punishing perfection. Even replaying the tracks to memorise when to open the throttle or the best way to land can’t counteract this, and Urban Trial Freestyle ends up being not just unforgiving, but also plain unfair. [May 2013, p77]

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]

Shines where it ought to, but much too soggy around the edges. [March 2012, p76]

An entertaining distraction needing more variety for true longevity. [Feb 2015, p79]

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]

This has all the content you'd expect. But, technically, this production is more troubled than Crazy Earl. It's not watchu want. [July 2014, p82]

You can go online and play with your mates, but it doesn’t do enough to be exciting or even pretty to look at. Diagnosis: take one dose of Final Fantasy XIII and start another of Valkyria Chronicles. [May 2010 p.79]

It’s gaming’s equivalent of the earnest-but-terrible B-movie; its manifold flaws made enjoyable and riotously funny by its good intentions. [February 2015, p75]

Hard on the thumbs but just as hard on the eyes and ears. Wait for a markdown and play with friends. [November 2014, p77]

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]

Your dyslexia serves you well, this should have been called 'Akiba Strip'. Par for the course brawling with lite-rpging, bewbs, but also some man-bulge, too. [September 2014, p75]

Only comes alive with the right four-player crowd. Soloists, avoid. [February 2014, p83]

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]

Liberation has plenty of interesting things going for it, but is only essential for completionists. [March 2014, p80]

WRC 2 is a game that, if you were to it to someone, sounds like the perfect rally game. Once it's in your hands, though, you can't help but feel a bit glum. Whether it's a lack of time, money or skill, we're hopeful that Milestone comes back next year with a title to do the license proud. [Dec 2011, p76]

Warframe is an enjoyable free-to-play co-op shooter that's held back by confusing interface. [January 2014, p81]

It’s a world that feels remote, hostile and bloody mysterious, and you’ll want to persist in order to unthaw its buried secrets. [June 2016, p78]

[O]nline modes can be great fun, but they have one glaring weakness – within a week of release, they were all but deserted online. Getting into a 2v2 competitive match – which is the only thing that anyone has been playing at all – has been a struggle since launch, which is never promising. If you've got friends who also bought the game, this won't be a problem, but if you're hoping for something to play against random folk online we wouldn't expect this one to have a sudden huge surge in players. [February 2013, p76]

Sadly Dead Souls simply bolts a zombie apocalypse onto Yakuza 4's broken template, without making any effort to improve it. What is it about Dead Souls that feels painfully dated? The clunky and overly complicated combat and camera controls, combined with inconsistent rules are the main offenders. [April 2012, p72]

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]