Ten quid is a steep asking price. [Apr 2012, p.97]

Slightly dull. [Christmas 2012, p.111]

Had the developer spent a little more time on the haphazard real-time battling, Silverfall could have been so much more. [Sept 2007, p.116]

This souls-lite with an artful anime sheen impresses visually and presents an accessible take on the winning formula but fails to endear us with its bland environments and toothless story. [Issue#168, p.84]

Territory Wars isn't fundamentally broken, it's just not much fun. [July 2008, p.94]

There's just not enough improvement upon last year for me to recommend this. [Oct 2012, p.114]

Bungie’s new DLC falls flat due to its rehashed Moon setting, yet there are still moments of brilliance here. The season pass price is hard to justify, but the free-to-play main game gives us hope. [Issue#169, p.94]

This was sort of acceptable a couple of years ago, but with PSP now capable of tossing around gigantic, detailed cities, it looks a bit old-fashioned. [July 2007, p.108]

In spite of itself, it conveys and rewards a love for the sport. [Sept 2015, p.89]

There's just no lasting appeal. [Apr 2007, p.97]

It works well and is reasonably enjoyable at first as cartoon underlings are crushed by your mighty powers. The difficulty eventually ramps up the challenge, and special characters like element-immune priests are there to shake things up. It only partially works though, and overly long missions and an objective that gets stale too quick stops this building anything impressive on its solid foundation.

A shiny update rather than a new game. [Jan 2008, p.114]

It's also overly familiar, too short and full of irritating load times. [Apr 2012, p.113]

There are just enough endearingly old school boss fights and survival modes to keep you coming back to this. For a day or two, anyway. [Oct 2011, p.113]

Functional and at times enjoyable, but in a derivative way that rarely stands out.

An unmistakably devilish puzzler with a truly hellacious price tag, that it’s so flippin’ brilliant only gives Angry Birds: Star Wars’ exclusive-to-PS4 cost extra sting. C3P-no.

Solid flying, familiar mission structure and some new ideas that don't work out. [Apr 2009, p.90]

Sadly, at more than four times the price of the iPhone version, it's hard to recommend too highly. [Apr 2012, p.113]

Despite its presentational flaws – the script is married to some deeply underwhelming visuals – and lack of true inspiration, solid implementation of both the basic mechanics and the wannabe game-changer mean it floats our boat, even if we're not flipping out.

Draws out deserved enthusiasm from you through its first half, followed by increasing frustration as the wheels start to fall off the wagon. [Sept 2015, p.94]

Throw in spectacular crashes and the ability to rewind time to avoid them and even us Brits have something to enjoy. [Oct 2012, p.119]

The restrictive and repetitious combat is too simplistic to keep your attention for dynastic periods. [Apr 2012, p.113]

Sometimes mechanics aren't enough. [Sept 2015, p.95]

This is a rugby relic from a bygone age. [Oct 2011, p.116]

That no significant improvements have been made in five years is surely the final proof that Medal of Honor's PlayStation campaign has lost its way. [May 2007, p.92]

In the harsh light of modernity, this just [whisper it] doesn't seem that great any more. [Nov 2012, p.105]

If you can keep up with the tunes, this is quite the sensory experience. But unless you're blessed with serious rhythm, Starship Disco's brutal beat will quickly overwhelm. [March 2017, p.96]

A game as flawed as its protagonist. [May 2017, p.96]

Fractured. [Christmas 2015, p.79]

Guns are loud enough to give God perforated eardrums. [Nov 2011, p.106]

Solid, if slightly dreary. [Apr 2012, p.115]

If it stops condescending to gamers, Harada and Ono might have some pressure at the top. [Nov 2012, p.117]

Frantic, violent and definitely worth a bash. [Nov 2007, p.112]

Probably better from a nostalgic point of view. [Nov 2012, p.117]

Maybe the linear route was cheaper, but the lesson is if you want to go to Mars, don't do it on a budget. [July 2011, p.90]

What it lacks in imagination, it almost makes up for in accessibility and variety. [June 2010, p.102]

For anyone already ingrained in the series, the opportunity to build your own team and take them online will be irresistible. But truthfully, for the uninitiated, there simply isn’t enough here to satisfy those of us desensitised by the bombast of bigger budget western games. Deliberately low on story but high on detail, Verdict Day is one for the (armored) hardcore.

This never quite gets free of its cell of mediocrity. [Apr 2012, p.118]

Sorry, Sam old buddy, but its time we dropped you off at the great retirement castle in the sky. [Nov 2011, p.112]

What still comes across is a blistering sense of speed. Sure, it’s missing much in the way of the interesting track gravity you might expect from a zero-grav racer, but tight corridors and hairpin turns can still delight as you shove your pod nearly on its side. Two-player racing is also a welcome holdover. Racer was once very impressive and it still runs well enough, but it all feels basic now. It does raise the question – why haven’t we had a new version that’s as exciting as this was in its day in 21 years ago? [Issue#178, p.76]

It's painstaking but satisfying. [June 2009, p.103]

A solid improvement over the first game, though it still struggles with an identity problem. Don't play it alone - it's best played in co-op with a small child. [Nov 2017, p.80]

Sadly the repetitiveness of the gameplay, despite team attacks and unlockable special moves, gets tiring long before the charms of the world. And so, ironically, Luffy just doesn't quite have the legs

Mostly good news. [Mar 2010, p.103]

Involving if arthritic, boring yet fleetingly brilliant, Carnivores’ cerebral shooting is genuinely unique in spite of its miserly unlocks.

It's essentially an adorably reskinned version of Flash browser game Bubble Trouble, but it's fun nonetheless. [March 2013, p.117]

It's fun, but only in the same way wanging around plastic trucks was back when you wore Bananaman pyjamas. [Apr 2012, p.118]

Relicta, in a lot of places, seems to be a lot more adult-oriented than many other puzzle games. If you can live with the repetition and you really loved Portal, you should find something here to keep you engaged. [Issue@179, p.72]

This feels an awful lot like the Hollywood blockbusters it's trying to out-kaboom - look past the pyrotechnics, and you'll see Full Auto 2 hasn't got a lot of soul. [Apr 2007, p.116]

It's on to combat and back into the repetitive rut that the series has ploughed for the last decade. [May 2007, p.114]

There's nothing really wrong with this game. [Nov 2011, p.113]

Eufloria’s humble indie roots can be seen in the crude visual design.

If you're wondering why pilots don't use tilt sensitive joypads, just try the woeful Sixaxis option. [May 2007, p.120]

Making your men do what you want, when you want, is still clumsy and imprecise. [Apr 2009, p.101]

Assuming you can patch it and it works, what you've got here is a basic shooter that, when it remembers what it is, can be fun, and when it forgets, goes mad.

Neither a remarkable FPS nor RTS, it’s nevertheless fun to zoom around in multiplayer with your gunships blasting away. And sometimes, that’s okay. But it’s never really more than okay. [Issue#178, p.78]

There’s a lot to enjoy here if you need a Monkey Ball itch scratched, but Rock Of Ages 3 is a mixed, scrappy ball of ideas that never quite lands. [Issue#179, p.76]

It's funny, but it's not quite fun. [June 2009, p.99]

More often than not you can mosey on over, scooping up power-ups and territories on the way. Servants’ special attacks are flashy and their character artwork lovingly rendered, but there’s little to recommend to those not already likely to stare longingly at Cú Chulainn’s ruddy great big spear. [Issue#161, p.83]

Sadly, many monsters end up feeling repetitive, and the environments are bland. You only have three true party members too (characters from the first game become usable, but to all intents and purposes aren’t an actual presence in your squad). As enthralling as the horrors in La Choara may be, it can be a slog to reach credits even when the game’s only 17 hours or so long. [Issue#179, p.76]

If it was actually a budget game, rather than just feeling like one, it would be more strongly recommended. [July 2011, p.100]

A rock-solid combat system is held back by the extremely poor story mode and limited offline options. Not a disaster, but Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite still squanders its immense potential. [Nov 2017, p.86]

Silent Hill fans will appreciate the atmosphere, but it's bogged down in old-fashioned gameplay that just doesn't cut it. Sadly, we grew up. Equally sadly, Silent Hill never did.

The real problem, however, is that these are not the kind of games that should be remade in hi-def. With titles such as Shadow Of The Colossus or Metal Gear Solid 3, it figures: these are unique experiences that no game since has been able to recreate, outdo or even capture the spirit of. Devil May Cry was lauded at the time, but the games simply aren't classics in that same bracket.

The turn-based combat is Gust at its best, and watching skills evolving into stronger versions, rather than characters learning new moves and making old ones irrelevant, is a nice way to show the characters growing in strength that feels right out of the anime. Mechanically it’s punching above its weight and is more magically charged than some bigger JRPGs, but it’s let down outside combat by stiff animations that feel a generation old, actions rarely feeling like they match up in conversations. Plus, multiple tedious side-quests to level up your guild bottleneck story progression. We love the characters and combat, and it feels like a beloved PS3 game we missed out on, but in 2020 the magic wanes. [Issue#179, p.76]

The likes of Spider-Man and Just Cause are many knots ahead of this one. Even when you upgrade to get more skills, everything feels oddly stiff. Movement lacks momentum, and fights are either trivial or annoying as you’re peppered with gunfire. World Seeker is an entertaining take on an anime open world game, but this ship’s a fixer-upper. [Issue#161, p.83]

Mindless fun. [Christmas 2010]

It is, very much, a game of two halves. The production values are low – like kicking a three-legged kitten low – but the combat system is a crazy, unique joy. If someone, er, liberally 'borrowed' it in a title with a triple-A budget we could be looking at something really special.

Right now we're in a mid-season lull. [June 2015, p.94]

ProStreet bursts onto the stage dropping frames like a drunken juggler. [Christmas 2007, p.90]

There's much more exciting elevator action you could be having. [Nov 2011, p.117]

A game so retro it feels like the illegitimate offspring of early Castlevania and Final Fantasy titles. [June 2011, p.109]

A poor, watered-down substitute that even the most devoted space junkie can afford to skip. [June 2011, p.110]

Clunky loading times. [July 2011, p.105]

A game that forgets its key strengths, builds on its weaknesses and throws in a novelty first-person mode that you'll play for ten minutes. [Feb 2008, p.88]

To be fair, SBK-08 feels built down to a [stringent] price rather than unloved or uninspired. [Oct 2008, p.105]

A functional dancer, with no signs of its subject's genius. [June 2011, p.110]

It only takes a few matches to feel like you've seen it all. [Nov 2017, p.92]

Likeable at times, but the lack of variety will have you reaching for the bottle long before the end. [Feb 2010, p.115]

The alluring design of the world and excellent soundtrack undoubtedly elevate matters. [Jan 2013, p.113]

An innovative PS VR shooter that too often puts the political message ahead of the fun. It's destined to become a cult classic, but not an essential experience. [May 2018, p.90]

There are promising ideas here but it's too messy overall for anything to really shine through. [Christmas 2007, p.100]

Sker Hotel is a beautifully realised survival horror location to get lost in for an afternoon– it’s just a shame about the monstrous staff. [Issue#179, p.81]

File this alongside Early Grey and Eastenders: things that some people apparently enjoy, but for reasons entirely beyond me. [Jan 2013, p.113]

Possibly the most disappointing aspect of Shadows is that we know these developers could have made this awesome. [Aug 2011, p.102]

Not as inventive as Wes Anderson’s films, as bizarre as Twin Peaks, nor as quirky as Double Fine, Trüberbrook is merely a casual, occasionally surprising, but always gorgeous adventure. [Issue#161, p.90]

Open world Spyro though? Maybe next time. [Jan 2009, p.97]

It's all pleasingly brightly coloured. [June 2011, p.111]

The mechanics just can't rival other PS Plus freebies for depth. [March 2016, p.94]

Technically, this is a pretty half-hearted "in no way super" port. Yet Re-Elected remains a beefy package with a heroic amount of content and a set of enjoyable mechanics. [March 2015, p.90]

It's never dull or ordinary. [March 2015, p.91]

Oddly compelling. [Christmas 2010]

You'll reach the labyrinth's end in under two hours. [Sept 2017, p.85]

No classic, but Go! Puzzle gives you plenty of puzzle for minimum outlay. [June 2007, p.101]

The difficulty is pitched just right. [Jan 2011, p.115]

FIFA 08 is a workmanlike effort from EA. [Dec 2007, p. 98]

Three-player online means co-operative carnage and the chance to torture yourself with high-score whoring leader boards. [Aug 2008, p.104]

The novelty is short-lived, but in terms of tactics and squad-building it's nearly organised and surprisingly playable. [Nov 2009, p.135]