The mechanics of Awesomenauts initially feel overly shallow – to its detriment. Combat mostly consists of repeatedly pressing one or two face buttons, and there's no real diversity in your objectives. But as you become more familiar, the game's tactical options reveal themselves, and honing your approach to capitalise upon your favourite character's skillset is an enjoyable process.

Ultimately, it’s more Superhot – stylish, thrilling, reliably weird – and that’s no bad thing. But it’s the first game in the series that doesn’t feel like a revelation. [Issue#179, p.77]

The only truly next-gen element is the powerhouse visuals. [May 2007, p.104]

Beyond its puddle-deep characters, Zestiria is a decent addition to the series. [Christmas 2015, p.86]

It might not have the depth of Solid Snake or Sam Fisher's adventures, but if you love sneaking up behind enemies and murdering them with hi-tech gadgetry (who doesn't?), then take a look into the Dark Mirror. [Nov 2007, p.95]

At just five levels, the price is a little cheeky, so only cough up if giant lizards in ballet pumps get you really hot. [June 2011, p.111]

With patience you can master the fiddly battle menus, and the wealth of content2 banishes any frustrations to a deep, dark dungeon. Outside of combat menus are a joy to navigate on R2. The sense of immersion helps break down the barriers of the game’s PC origins, as whether it’s cooking campfire meals or using a character’s lore knowledge to seek new narrative pathways, there are roles here you’ll enjoy playing for weeks. [Issue#180, p.76]

An enjoyably grotty world hampered by unintuitive controls. [Christmas 2015, p.87]

A colourful feast for the ears and reflexes, Dyad's issues can't ruin this trance party. [Jan 2013, p.114]

This mysterious mish-mash doesn't always work but nonetheless has my interest piqued and keeps my ears pricked up for the next bit of juicy gossip. [May 2018, p.94]

Natural selection has rarely felt crueller. [June 2011, p.112]

It's occasionally fiddly and frustrating, but take one look at the pretty pictures and all that rage melts away. [Aug 2011, p.107]

It's not brilliant, and it's not terrible. Instead, it hovers in a murky region between the two. [Oct 2008, p.90]

A world worth inhabiting; one full of intrigue and murky consequences. [March 2015, p.92]

A twitchy camera inspires ire, but the game manages the neat trick of doffing its cap to Nintendo's N64 classics, while still maintaining its own identity, impresses with its charm and variety. [Feb 2018, p.94]

It feels strangely well-suited to PS Vita. [March 2015, p.93]

Has pleasingly strong gunplay. [June 2011, p.112]

Still an excellent port of the game you know and love. [March 2015, p.93]

Unless you're a disciple of the first "Digital Devil Saga," you'd be better off investing your RPG funds in "FFXII." [Mar 2007, p.116]

Thanks to the insta-death mechanic, there's a lot more error than trial. [Sept 2017, p.85]

One of the best games in the series, but one held back by technical issues and traditional repetition. Get past that, and you'll find hours of zombie slayin' fun. [Feb 2018, p.96]

Swings wildly and rapidly from the incredible to the mundane. [Mar 2010, p.108]

Rough around the edges, yet with plenty of fun to be had. [Christmas 2015, p.94]

A solid tribute act, then, but the handling of the series is too timid to be truly great. [Dec 2008, p.120]

It's still playable, but needs some extra coaching next time out. [June 2011, p.112]

It hasn't quite got the gung-ho brilliance of "COD" or the set-piece pop of "MOH," but a few hours in you'll be happy to have Brothers on your side. [Nov 2008, p.110]

The controls are fiddly but the platforming is fun. [Aug 2011, p.110]

Where some mobile games choke on the big stage, Atomicom's space racer finds new form. Surprisingly grinding after the first few stages, though. [March 2015, p.95]

From side-scrolling platforming to something that reminds us of Super Monkey Ball just a wee bit, there’s a good variety of levels in each world. While we say there are plenty of hidden collectibles to find, Lucky’s game doesn’t quite nail the sense of exploration and discovery in the way its mauve forbear does; you probably won’t need the finest-toothed comb to see all there is to see. But just because it doesn’t resonate in exactly the same way Spyro did for us all those years ago, it doesn’t mean that cute-as-a-button Lucky won’t be some small person’s favourite, or that the game won’t get them all nostalgic years down the line. [Issue#180, p.80]

If there was more variety, action and character to the game overall this would be excellent. [Feb 2010, p.108]

It's much better with friends. [July 2009, p.97]

This handheld version is meant to be less life-sapping and somewhat shallower, but you don’t go around offering weak lager to alcoholics, do you?

Personality, guns and destruction are Bad Company's strongest cards and it plays them hard. [Aug 2008, p.98]

Quite the bizarre experience. [March 2012, p.96]

Quality split-screen titles that bridge generation gaps are few and far between. Cars 3 achieves this, but it’s a bit of a tough sell for solo-only players. [September 2017, p75]

It's very similar to last year's game and still lacks a little magic, but the more organic-looking visuals, team creation feature and superb handling make this the best bike racer on PS4 so far.

The Unfinished Swan deserves high praise for being inventive, unique and absolutely beautiful. But this shouldn't obscure the fact that these things apply more to the look and the core mechanic than the gameplay and how said mechanic meaningfully develops. The engagement with the narrative and characters isn't on a par with that of the top titles in a similar vein, and there's a lingering sense of what might have been.

An intriguing but all-too-brief 3.19 curiosity. [July 2010, p.118]

A little extra ambition and depth wouldn't have gone amiss, but this is definitely more treat than trick. [Jan 2015, p.86]

A horrifying affair that will have you flinging the pad across the room in terror, ending any hope of a restful night's sleep. In the best possible way. Job done then. [Apr 2016, p.88]

It's an endearingly anarchic twist on arcade racing. [Jan 2011, p.119]

There's a massively deep fighter hidden here. [Aug 2011, p.115]

Dandara's restrictive controls mean it often feel frustrating. [Apr 2018, p.85]

While engaging modes shake things up when it all gets a bit shallow, think twice if you're looking for a fighter with depth. [Apr 2016, p.89]

It's a genuinely clever use of the guitar controller. [Aug 2010, p.115]

It's a bumpy ride, but one worth taking. [Apr 2018, p.85]

It's still worth going back to see where [Little Spiky's] come from. [March 2012, p.103]

It's a close as you'll ever want to get to an actual walking dead scenario. [Sept 2017, p.91]

Bizarrely, BG drops the open-world setup that's made the most recent Lego games such grand experiences. [Jan 2015, p.86]

It's mainly gore-splattered fun. [March 2012, p.103]

An interesting story means Rogue is essential for fans of Creed lore, but it rests on its laurels by using Black Flag's naval combat wholesale, just in a chilier setting. [Jan 2015, p.87]

A beautiful game with a committed vision you'll enjoy getting lost in, especially in its charming opening hours. Sadly, uneven and poor signposting mar its latter half. [Apr 2018, p.86]

If you love racing sims and the WRC, you’ll get a lot out of this; but for the second year running, if you can only pick one rally game, Dirt 2.0 is the better choice. [Issue#180, p.75]

It's sensory overload at first, but immerse yourself in the sometimes clumsily designed levels and there are solid laughs underneath. [June 2007, p.110]

With new online modes, capable and fun split-screen, and one truly great fictional racetrack (Rusty Ravine), it’s only really let down by its slight low-budget feel and sense of déjà vu. But being enjoyable to play is surely the whole point of a videogame, and this is very enjoyable indeed. [Issue#187, p.81]

More than an (unsteady) walking simulator, Among The Sleep is still in need of a bit more game than the comfort blanket of puzzles it cuddles. The payoff's great, though. [Jan 2016, p.90]

Charming. [May 2012, p.107]

Sadly, things get rather grindy towards the end, and Anodyne 2’s refusal to be clear about anything can make finding the last few items you need harder than it should be. Nonetheless, this is an enjoyable trip unlike any other. If you’re looking for something that differentiates itself from the ocean of grim shooters and angsty apocalypses, you won’t be disappointed with this. [Issue#187, p.81]

You'll get plenty of enjoyment from the younger touchdown slinger too. [Nov 2009, p.131]

This is exactly the kind of simple but hugely playable offering that the PlayStation Store was made for. [May 2007, p.93]

The real issue is there’s no sense of tension. You’re trapped in an abandoned mansion hidden in the woods, surrounded by ‘dark science’, at the beck and call of a mysterious imprisoned being, yet at no point do you feel threatened. Torn? More like slightly frayed. [Issue#155, p.78]

Unfortunately, Wild Arms 5 lets itself down by using the tiresomely repetitive structure of "visit dungeon, fight boss, return to village, proceed to next dungeon." [Apr 2008, p.112]

Overall, it's a deliciously addictive experience. [Apr 2016, p.92]

Content here, like the fighters’ costumes, is slight, and mechanically it only goes so deep. But that’s sort of the point, and it pulls off the look it’s going for very well indeed. [Issue#155, p.78]

Somewhat cynical and clearly a little low budget, it isn't always easy to pull for Survive. Thankfully, some of the best wave combat on PS4 saves the day. [Apr 2018, p.91]

The difficulty curve is satisfying. [March 2012, p.115]

It's initially very engrossing, but once you've established a colony or two, there's very little left to keep you hooked. [Sept 2017, p.91]

The increased frequency of kills, assists, neutrals and captures certainly act like metabolic steroids for your rank, feeding you XP like it's going out of fashion, and for some players that'll be enough to warrant Close Quarters' existence.

Early frustrations aside, it's compulsive experience that plays heavily to PS Vita's strengths in both the core gameplay and its structure. [Jan 2016, p.93]

What this package lacks in character, it makes up for in fan service, content and incredible mechanics. [May 2013, p.104]

Lacks the finesse and charisma of its inspiration, and the exhilaration of nippier titles such as Bloodborne. A decent action RPG that finds itself in with a tough crowd. [July 2016, p.83]

Once Season 2's open gets going it's a solid adventure story that's best enjoyed with a friend. Just don't expect to be directing too much of the action yourself. [Sept 2017, p.91]

This playful space is engaging and sequesters some neat solutions but we wish Maquette thought more outside the box and followed its own fun. [Issue#187, p.86]

This first season doesn't skimp on shocks. [Jan 2016, p.93]

Bookbound Brigade is an enjoyable, colourful and quirky game. A good read, but maybe not quite a pageturner. [Issue#173, p.84]

It's hard to be cross with any game that has you rescuing space rabbits. [Apr 2016, p.94]

A technically accomplished, visually impressive game that you'll struggle to work up an appetite for. [Feb 2008, p.82]

Even with its lack of storyline and focused goals, the micro-mangement gameplay is as insidious as it is familiar. [Mar 2007, p.116]

Just keep this endgame glory in mind when pressing through the chore-like opening.

A little too tough for its own good. [Feb 2011, p.96]

The maps and monsters are pretty lacklustre and its storyline is basically all fluff, but a unique cast of characters and a fluid aerial battle system give this one a sugary sweet coating that's hard to resist. [Jan 2016, p.94]

If Railway Empire is a toy, it's too often like the one you unwrapped on Christmas morning only to realise you need adult supervision to get it working. [Apr 2018, p.95]

The main attractions are set-pieces that play heavily on the series' combat systems. [Apr 2016, p.95]

Butcher revels in its ever-increasing difficulty. [July 2016, p.84]

It’s fun and twitchy, and it really shouldn’t be as good as it is in VR. The game runs at a chaotic pace (this remaster in traditional mode is 60fps in 4K) as you zip around the screen and zoom up close for melee strikes. But it does work, as it’s effectively teleporting you from enemy to enemy if using melee, and playing out like a classic arcade shooter if using homing lasers. If you’ve never played the series, it’s time to start; if you have, then there’s no better reason to own PS VR. [Issue#155, p.90]

Never bad. [Apr 2013, p.111]

If you liked Shank before, you'll still get on alright with this. [May 2012, p.116]

While gameplay isn’t super-deep, you’ll still find yourself returning to the slime ranch again and again. [Issue#155, p.90]

A pleasantly filling 7.99 cod supper. [July 2010, p.107]

Shaky at second glance, but deserves the PS4 promotion. Remix mode and stats screens provide a fresh way into Jodie's story, should you revisit it. [Jan 2016, p.95]

This quirky platforming exercise raises man smiles. [May 2012, p.116]

The big-pixel graphics look sparky in HD, and crucially for massive babies like us, there are some easy Trophies to be had. [Sept 2009, p.112]

Then there's the combat, which just isn't fun at all. [Christmas 2009, p.104]

A bit like go-karting. [May 2013, p.109]

Less a rise to glory and more a stumble towards modest success, Creed feels good but lacks the depths of its closest rival, Knockout League. It’s good fun and a visceral experience, but it’s over too soon. [Issue#155, p.90]

IF you're into this kind of thing, you'll probably play it until you go temporarily blind. [May 2013, p.109]

A brilliant multiplayer battler with a combat system that captures meaty melee battles like no other, but a mediocre single-player unfortunately drags it down. [Apr 2017, p.86]

Despite being primarily a story-focused experience, the action proves just as enjoyable. [Apr 2018, p.96]