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

Happy Feet Two may not be as broadly appealing as its Lego co-op competition, but is a decent kid's movie tie-in. Certainly much better than the first game, as KMM's attachment to the IP shows. [February 2012, p.78]

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

Every console release has to have its well-intentioned but ultimately not-quite-there launch title. Unfortunately, Knack appears to be that game for the PlayStation 4, despite some cool ideas and genuinely fun moments. [Christmas 2013, p76]

Truth is, Batman is the hero the Vita deserves, but Blackgate just isn’t the game it needs right now. [Christmas 2013, p78]

Few differences from last year. [Feb 2010, p.75]

This year's game is also more of a sim than ever before as the handling model is tougher to crack than a Kevlar-coated walnut... Yet, it's ultimately not worth your time. There's an amazing sense of speed but the feedback's muted in the way the bikes brake, and the first time you jam on the anchors you'll still cascade into the gravel. Adjusting to this is by an approximation of feel – there's little visual indication or general feedback that your rider is yanking on the front lever and squeezing the ball of his foot on the brake pedal, so you just need to guess how much space to give yourself. It's also about as pretty as a bag full of elbows. [June 2011 p.79]

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]

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 handful of extra content and a bit of a spit-shine do not a great next-gen package make. [May 2014, p75]

Gameplay-wise, marginally better and prettier than the last. Content-wise, the worst example in recent memory of the tight-fisted annual sports game model. [Christmas 2014, p79]

A hard sell even for die-hard Transformers fans, Rise of the Dark Spark brings nothing new to the table. [September 2014, p72]

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]

Fun in small doses with a mate, otherwise monotonous, ugly, and done better elsewhere. [January 2015, p82]

This is a random dungeon roguelike where if you die, or don’t use an ‘exit item’ in time, you lose half your cash, all of your stash – and it’s thrilling. A must-have for old-school masochists. [Christmas 2013, p83]

The overall presentation is pretty dire and it's got no spark. Daly's been on the wagon since July this year but that doesn't mean you can't still have a little fun. We've seen the guy tee off from a beer can. We're talking about a man who has admitted the only reason he doesn't lift weights is because his health club doesn't let him smoke there. As it stands ProStroke Golf is about as sedate as a sloth on a triple course of tranquilisers. [December 2010 p75]

Unfortunately we just found the system makes the fighting itself feel quite alien and unsettling. It's that feeling of only partial control you get when you're reaching in from behind someone and using their own arms to teach them perform a task, combined with those dreams you occasionally have where your punches are all weak and flaccid despite the fact you feel like you're putting enough energy behind them to punch the rings off Saturn. [December 2010 p79]

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

Though your moves become bigger, faster, flashier, you'll rarely feel like Spider-Man. We've often thought of him as being a fluid, dynamic character and in Shattered Dimensions he's anything but, as he gets 'stuck' for a moment when transitioning onto a wall from the ground, or not being able to stick to certain objects. Not all surfaces can be clambered, and forget about web swinging and leaping onto a wall in one motion. Also, why have we gone back to swinging from invisible hooks in the sky? Hadn't we done away with that [December 2010 p80]

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]

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]

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

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]

All the PC features, just hastily stomp-ported onto your Vita screen. [June 2014, p83]

This game is surreal. So much so we’re not entirely sure if it was rushed (doubtful, given the 360 original came out in 2010), or if the game designers are deliberately trolling us. [June 2013, p80]

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]

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]

Shallow combat, annoying upgrade system, and a forgettable plot. Rainbow Moon is no pot of gold. [January 2014, p83]