With limited-time elusive targets being added over time, and user-created hits, Hitman 2 is a platform that should have more to come. What’s here is superb but we’re already asking “what’s next?” [Issue#156, p.80]

A brilliant must-buy. [Jan 2010, p.104]

A short but sweet turn-based nod to the original games that ends up celebrating Lara's heritage even better than Rise of The Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration. [Feb 2017, p.97]

A glorious, funny, occasionally touching and often maddening tribute to the 8-bit platformer. [July 2015, p.87]

Hitman's developed better than expected - but the onus is now on IO to keep adding content throughout the next year. [Issue#130, p.93]

An important, palate-cleansing release in a crowded genre, Doom is essential playing for anyone who registers as a shooter fan. Heed the call of the FPS daddy and get your ass to Mars, pronto.[July 2016, p.78]

Impactful gunplay bolstered by a telekinetic twist, and a mystery you’ll be turning over for a long time afterwards. Welcome to the Oldest House, Director. [Issue#167, p.79]

You need to know the sport to master it - hence no 10/10 this year - but PS3's greatest sports series is on the verge of once more dominating all contemporaries. [June 2016, p.94]

For once, it's a brilliant update of a genuine classic. [Sept 2008, p.104]

Agent 47's chrome dome has been polished until it positively squeaks. [July 2016, p.88]

Stacking is utterly individual and cat-in-clown-shoes crackers. [Spring 2011, p.112]

A brilliant mix of accessible RPG elements, exhilaratingly fluid action and awe-inspiring environments that consistently captivate. Anchored by the charmingly blunt Aloy, Guerrilla crafts an experience that will live long in the memory. [Apr 2017, p.80]

A game I love like a brother. [Apr 2014, p.87]

Learning is half the fun and even the smallest victory makes you feel like you’re winning with a capital FU.

Places the emphasis back on racing over contrived storylines - and leaves its peers eating its dust in the process. [Aug 2014, p.88]

It's equally confusing and brilliant. [Feb 2010, p.106]

Compelling and respectful in a way few games can match. [Aug 2014, p.90]

A polished labour of love, Velocity 2X is addictive in both its top-down and platforming sections and visually astonishing to boot. A truly triumphant must-have title. [Oct 2014, p.86]

When you combine all of the smart design decisions with superb writing and dialogue, you get a truly memorable game, proving you don’t need a Night City-sized budget to impress. [Issue#184, p.89]

Visually it's so far ahead of anything else out there it shatters your expectations...This is a PS3 showing what it's truly capable of and delivering a landmark piece of explosive entertainment you can't afford to miss. [Feb 2009, p.88]

An online environment boasting razor-sharp hooks even in its infancy. [Dec 2014, p.77]

So much has been improved, and with a tightly scripted plot where a gun known as the Destructor makes a perfect weapon for a Lego Joker, cinematic camera shots and a clear love for the series, TT Games has surpassed its previous titles. This is a huge game, with a world fans won't want to leave.

Though nothing groundbreaking, this version provides a collection of nice-to-have additions which boost an already great game, making it the one to go for (unless you’re a graphics snob). [Issue#184, p.89]

An infuriating test of trajectory skills and patience that will have you swearing, strooping and (perhaps most unbelievably of all) bloody well enjoying it. [Spring 2011, p.113]

Closing your eyes and softly whispering Space Oddity: brilliant. [Christmas 2010]

This is punishingly, mercilessly, remorselessly ferocious. You will never, ever finish it. Until you learn to block. [July 2007, p.98]

As an overall package, the quality and quantity on offer here is irresistible. Slightly smudgy textures and some framerate issues mean these HD upgrades don't match the lofty restoration work seen in the Ico/Shadow Of The Colossus HD combo – yet when it comes to supreme stealthy fun, Snake's collection remains Solid gold.

A playground of destruction like nothing else you can buy. [Apr 2011, p.108]

Making one of gmaing's most complex action RPGs accessible was a tough ask, but Capcom has pulled it off in style. Offline it's a challenge, online it's your new co-op obsession. MHW is already one of the year's must-have releases. [March 2018, p.76]

Helping you keep that momentum is a masterful handling model. [June 2011, p.96]

Huge, diverse and thronging with life. [June 2014, p.81]

Don't expect a transformative HD remaster. [Oct 2015, p.88]

It's a slice of gleefully inventive oddness that's certainly sated our appetite for sackboy on handheld – and it's very nearly perfect.

Melancholy and masterful, the PS2 great deserve this remake. The stripped-down premise will put some off, but it remains a Playstation titan. [Feb 2018, p.87]

This newer, stronger, much more enjoyable Street Fighter V may well be the best entry in the whole iconic series. [March 2018, p.96]

A creative, compelling experience. [May 2009, p.100]

Welcoming back old hands and encouraging newcomers, Tekken 7 beats its own path and ensures that you want to walk it, kicking various backsides along the way. [Aug 2017, p.83]

If the songs, utterly charming design and frenzied drumming don't win you over, if the strategy leaves you cold and the battles don't crack a smile, you might want to check that your heart is still beating out <I>its</I> rhythm. [Mar 2008, p.114]

For those who loved the last game, it's a brilliant treat; a chance for one last blast while we wait for a full-blown sequel. For newcomers it's an inexpensive way to discover what they've been missing out on. [Oct 2008, p.88]

An essential purchase. [Christmas 2016, p.79]

As ever, what it comes down to is the track list - and Vol 2 is a belter. [July 2008, p.99]

Makes the sport feel like it should: sometimes laconic, often dangerous and always, really, really hard. Which, of course, is what makes it such fun. [Nov 2007, p.96]

It's just a shame it's taken so long to get there. [Oct 2015, p.91]

Few puzzles offer the complexity and design smarts that are on show here. [June 2014, p.88]

Respawn could have settled for big dumb fun, but Titanfall 2's eclectic, standout campaign and honed multiplayer make for a smart and unusual shooter. A total rush from beginning to end. [Christmas 2016, p.84]

Unless you're the sort of misanthrope who never invites people over to your place, new Singstar is essential to the PS3 experience. [Oct 2007, p.90]

In a year of shining PSN goodness, Guardian of Light draws its guns against DeathSpank, Shank and Scott Pilgrim and shoots them like endagered animals. [Issue#51, p.102]

A brilliant main story and swing mechanic anchor the many Arkham influences, and ensure Marvel’s Spider-Man is yet another blockbuster exclusive release from Sony. The best Spider-Man game yet? Absolutely. [Issue#154, p.72]

You’ll feel lost, and you’ll definitely feel frustrated. But if you didn’t, the moment of controller-dropping revelation and last-gasp victory wouldn’t feel so precious. A brave and singular RPG. [Issue#154, p.78]

Dark Room's shadow is so long the series' conclusion may struggle to step out from under it. [Oct 2015, p.94]

The rougher edges of WWI make Battlefield a louder, fiercer, more engaging shooter. But the carefully interwoven campaign and multiplayer aspects show a more reflective side. [Christmas 2016, p.86]

A technically brilliant superhero sandbox that empowers players like little else on PlayStation 4. [Aug 2015, p.85]

The most well-rounded Rock Band on PS3. [Jan 2010, p.115]

The most exhilarating driving game Codemasters has created in years, and undoubtedly the best rally game on PS4. Dirt Rally is an essential addition to any committed rally enthusiast's collection. [Issue#122]

Certain standout moments play unlike any other game. Your first play-through may frustrate but the emotional aftermath hammers home the depth of the achievement. It's the nightmare cousin of Journey. [Oct 2016, p.78]

Five years on and Skyrim's quality still stands head and shoulders above all RPGs not named The Witcher 3. It's well worth a revisit, even if the mod support is sorely lacking versus other formats. [Christmas 2016, p.94]

A great solo experience; an extraordinary multiplayer one. [Dec 2014, p.95]

The animations and interaction of on-screen elements ooze character, and add a good dash of humour. [Jan 2010, p.113]

As a means of getting both your head and hands around Vita and its multitude of interfaces, there's nothing better. Forget the pre-loaded Welcome Park – within a few minutes of loading Frobisher Says, you feel at home stabbing, smudging and shaking away at the handheld.

Well worth the upgrade. [Nov 2014, p.88]

A rag-doll requiem of destruction, so gratuitous that it defies moral probity. Like all the best shock and awe titles, the vice is polished so sweetly you'll barely notice you've gone to hell. [Apr 2008, p.105]

Finishing a race carries as much emotional punch as entire other games. [Aug 2017, p.94]

A fantastic game that makes smart, surprisingly comfortable use of PS VR. RIGS might just be the long-hoped-for killer app that VR needs to reach mainstream. [Dec 2016, p.90]

Revitalised and exemplary FPS gaming. Multiplayer trims back to the essentials, campaign shows sensitivity and Zombies...well it's a new excuse to play CoD Zombies. [Christmas 2017, p.77]

Gripping and entertaining, with an identity all of its own, this is easily one of the best indie adventures you can get. Otus and chums will get you hooked. We're not tawny on the verdict on this one. [June 2018, p.82]

It builds into a complex battle of patience and wills. [Sept 2008, p.90]

The constant pressure of combat, fuelled by rapid five-second respawns, keeps the action ripping along at a formidable pace. [Oct 2007, p.94]

Put gaming conventions aside, go in with no expectations other than this is something new and massively good-looking, and you'll be rewarded with a unique experience that lurches between genius and madness, manages to be genuinely emotional, and that you'll be bursting to talk about with your friends. [Feb 2010]

A glorious AK-47 blast form the past. [Christmas 2011, p.105]

This is a brilliantly presented, fluidly playable game of football overflowing with new features. Over to you, Pro Evo. [Oct 2008, p.82]

Believable dialogue from rounded characters who behave as you'd expect real people to. [Feb 2013, p.106]

With a beautiful world you'll repeatedly die for and lethal toys to play with, Assassin's Creed Origins finally delivers the game you always wanted from the series. Brilliant. [Christmas 2017, p.87]

The map is smaller than Oblivion's but it's more tightly packed with action and rounded characters. [Christmas 2008, p.90]

A fantastic superhero story. Miles is an easy lead, and the tight design puts him to spectacular use (and is visually jaw-dropping on PS5). It’s a must-play. [Issue#182, p.131]

Stuffed with clever, creative ideas and brilliant weapons, this challenging sci-fi horror is structured perfectly for PS VR. If you've got the nerve - and the stomach to match - it's a must. [Issue#152, p.88]

Level design is so good – so intricate, yet always presenting the right level of challenge – that you take for granted how effortlessly it pulls off each chapter’s musical finale. Racing through a crumbling castle in sync with a gibberish version of Ram Jam’s Black Betty has no right to be this thrilling.

If you've never sampled the delights of the Shepard saga before, this is as essential as PS3 purchases come. [Feb 2013, p.114]

It offers unparalleled player agency when dealing with From's wonderful third-person combat. [May 2015, p.79]

It actually works on the handheld in a way no other 2D fighting game has before. [June 2010, p.117]

A huge surprise - a nerdy, technically accurate flight sim that's also loads of fun to play. [Oct 2009, p.114]

Capcom revives one of its most hallowed franchises and conjures up one of the most rewarding side-scrolling slash-‘em-ups in recent memory. Loud, proud, and always a blast.

Essential. [Christmas 2010]

There are esteemed shooters to draw loose comparisons with, but The Darkness II essentially exists in a field of one – no graphic novel has been bought to life in such a deliciously gory manner, with offing goons turned an art form. It's the game your inner darkness has waited years for.

Never played Dark Souls II? This is essential, even with Bloodborne out. [May 2015, p.92]

The game that changed games arrives on PlayStation in fine form with an improved crafting system, tarnished only slightly by a cramped map size. Until the full-fat PS4 Edition arrives, this’ll do nicely.

And to think it was given away free on PS Plus. [May 2015, p.93]

Like LittleBigPlanet the scope is there to make just about anything, and you can fully expect to see some amazing versions of familiar songs, but you'll need to put the hours in. [Christmas 2008, p.108]

Frostpunk is oppressive, horrific, and preternaturally addictive. The exhilaration at lasting just one more day is enough to drag you back into the next game, and unlocking new modes and scenarios as you go only adds fuel to the fire. Don’t miss this one. [Issue#169, p.84]

By the end you’ll be exhausted. Relieved. And itching for more. In those dark rooms and corridors, Resident Evil 2 provides a challenge and then some. [Issue#159, p.87]

More game than you can shake a stickman at. [Sept 2015, p.84]

Scarily deep. It demands you play it: there's so much to find it's incredible. [Jan 2008, p.88]

The combat's deep and spectacular, the climbing is slick and intuitive, and the story's got enough depth behind the flashy hero/villain hook to fully merit that all-important second playthrough. There's genuinely nothing else like inFamous on PS3. [June 2009, p.82]

The truly incredible opening half alone makes this an essential horror game. Mixed fortunes later on recall the series post-Resident Evil 4, but it nonetheless remains one of gaming's greatest ever comebacks. [March 2017, p.80]

Nidhogg excels when tackled with a mate in local multiplayer. [Feb 2015, p.95]

Whether you want to play explorer, detective, or Bill Murray, Outer Wilds has you covered. We’ll say it again: one of the best games you’ll play this year. [Issue#169, p.93]

We may have a two-horse race on our hands once again, but the thoroughbred in the lead shows no signs of slowing down. [Nov 2011, p.93]

With a wonderful story that actually makes sense to newcomers to the series, brilliantly varied fighting and a world packed with things to do, this is the best Yakuza yet. [March 2017, p.90]

F1 2010 is fantastic. You'll feel cheated at times, but no other racer makes one overtake seem like popping champagne corks on the podium, or makes you feel like Stirling Moss when you cross the line in seventh. Sure, it's cruel: but it's one of the most terrifying and intense racers ever made as a direct result. [Oct 2010, p.96]