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]