It's not even technically impressive. [Jan 2009, p.103]

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

It's almost worth playing Chronicles just to appreciate how bad it is. Almost, but definitely not. [Apr 2010, p.112]

Creaky old level design, a loathsome entourage of heroes, and a lifeless open world. [Nov 2017, p.81]

A surprisingly thoughtful narrative accompanies each scenario from 1947 to present. [Sept 2012, p.102]

Shallow, but also attractive and a lot of fun. Take Destruction AllStars for a spin, and you’re guaranteed a good time whenever you slip into the driving seat. [Issue#186, p.91]

While action is thin on the ground and the performances gave me flashback to my Drama GCSE, I enjoyed my time on the OPM sofa staring at Doctor Dekker's couch, refreshed by its willingness to lean in so intently to its own silliness and B-movie aesthetic. [Issue#151, p.88]

While the story sheds light on why solving these brain-teasers matters so much, it lacks the sense of unease the premise warrants. Devoid of any threat, Blind loses its way and you’re left to stumble from one (albeit good) puzzle room to the next with little tangible danger to spur you on. You’re not so much fumbling in the dark for a sense of direction as you are coerced towards a not-so-subtle twist. But you will have fun getting there. [Issue#155, p.90]

Kane & Lynch 2 is as much an online grudge generator as it is a video game. [Issue#51, p.120]

Everything a Burnout fan could want is here, but it’s let down by poor AI. If you have the patience, however, Dangerous Driving is a worthy addition to PS4’s bare racing roster. [Issue@162, p.96]

Periodically, a malicious doll-like girl appears to stress-test your sphincter.

As a whole, this is a step back for the series and an insult to those who know that Vita and Gotham deserve more. This is not the Batman game that you need.

For all of its novelty value, there's no chance of it leaving your feet on fire. [Apr 2013, p.119]

While this fishing simulator is visually a-lure-ing for a virtual reality game thanks to its Final Fantasy heritage, the snags are packed in like sardines. [Jan 2018, p.95]

It just isn't very fun. [Mar 2010, p.115]

As ever, the platforming pair shine especially brightly durding combat. [May 2008, p.115]

The tech might be impressive, but for long-term fun we'll take "Super Stardust" any day. [Nov 2007, p.111]

The obtuse solutions in later puzzles require a horrible amount of trial-and-error, mind. [Nov 2011, p.115]

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]

For all its intricacies, Outward is surprisingly easy to enjoy, but preparation is key if you want to explore everything that this RPG has to offer. A game worth exploring. [Issue#162, p.80]

Without any upgrade path and thus little reason to invest in a character, your fun with Zombie Army Trilogy will ultimately be short-lived. [May 2015, p.94]

Most people will be put off by the shallow gameplay. [Apr 2008, p.106]

This might jus be the most stupid game on PS3. [Dec 2008, p.121]

Robojam's sole aim is to provide wholesome good times for the under-10s. And it does just that. [July 2007, p.111]

Gimmicks aside, however, this is fairly rote and restrictive by modern tower defence standards. [Nov 2015, p.108]

A swing and a miss, but a game that at least delivers an easily wieldable flying model and holds your attention for the first few missions by virtue of endless 'splosions. [Sept 2013, p.95]

The puzzles are simple but require the exact kind of precise control this doesn't provide. [June 2008, p.106]

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

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

By far the game’s biggest problem: a crippling lack of invention. Riptide exhausts through repetition. Your flooded playground lacks the visual variety of the first game’s Banoi and missions never blossom into fresh concepts, merely escalating in difficulty and frustration.

Thoroughly relaxing. [Spring 2011, p.113]

A nightmarish virtual reality world that scares and sickens in equal measure. [Christmas 2016, p.86]

Look past the scruffy visuals, because Flatout 4's penchant for vehicular violence means it passes its madcap MDT. [May 2017, p.92]

The choice of missions in the open world is disappointingly limited. [Aug 2011, p.110]

A reskinned arcade game with tacked-on multiplayer. [Oct 2012, p.117]

Even in 1080p it's excruciatingly tricky to tell which lane you're in, leading to a lot of unnecessary collisions. [Dec 2007, p.113]

Any environmental message (or fun) that might be hidden within is scorched by the fury of having to pay an astonishing 7.99 quid for the privilege. [Apr 2010, p.113]

While its underpinnings are strong, it never fulfils its potential, and there are probably some lessons on how not to write a visual novel in here. If you came for cool werewolves, you’ll probably be bogged down by all the deforestation stuff. If you came for an environmental story, you may well be overwhelmed by World Of Darkness lore. Either way, it’s a miss, but it does at least aim in the right direction. [Issue#187, p.81]

Only hardcore annelid lovers need apply. [May 2012, p.116]

It quickly becomes repetitive nonsense. [Apr 2012, p.97]

That those thrills are buried beneath so much frustration, however, is utter madness. [Aug 2014, p.94]

A jarring experience that tries (and fails) to marry a wildly ambitious gameplay dynamic with some of the most disappointingly generic art design we've ever seen. [Nov 2008, p.106]

The game’s animation and performance are lacking but its art direction is colourful, and the dialogue has the same infectious energy as it does in the show.2 Only die-hard Adventure Time fans should check this out. [Issue#153, p.89]

As a solid, enjoyable aerial Mario Kart alternative, this is a pleasant surprise, especially if you're someone who finds Simlish consistently hilarious. [Issue#51, p.109]

A fine addition to a flagging empire. [Aug 2009, p.119]

The roster is incomplete and months out of date with the sport itself. [Christmas 2014, p.91]

Such a simple yet intensely satisfying and addictive experience. [Apr 2007, p.102]

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

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

Feels right on time. [Aug 2017, p.87]

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

It's that need to unlock and level a new historical hero that spurs you on. [May 2018, p.80]

Largely decent, if derivative, but glinting away in the torchlight are constant hints of what might have been. [Aug 2016, p.94]

What excitement there is gets suffocated by the inert tracks. [Aug 2011, p.107]

Much like Laser Quest this is theoretically brilliant but a disappointment in reality. [Issue#51, p.109]

The repetitious enemies and rail-line progression make this occasionally thumping adventure little more than an aerobic ghost train. [Christmas 2011, p.109]

Just mildly incomprehensible. [May 2011, p.118]

Repetitive, Godfall isn’t the Destiny-withswords we’d hoped for. But there’s fun to be had from its core combat, Dreamstones mode, and next-gen visual wallop. [Issue#183, p.76]

Occasionally fun. [Aug 2011, p.110]

Muddy textures, horrendous voice acting and repetitive gameplay plague an otherwise functional hack 'n' slasher. [Issue#51, p.103]

A lightweight but enjoyable outing. Comparatively high praise in the world of PS2 movie tie-ins. [June 2007, p.109]

Basic but fun. [Dec 2009, p.125]

Perhaps worst of all, Wanted just doesn't progress after the first couple of hours. [May 2009, p.105]

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]

An ambitious hybrid of racing and role-playing that fails to deliver a meaningful story or make the most of its extraordinary setting. [Feb 2015, p.85]

PaRappa will always have a place in my heart, but if the original game was Snoop Dogg, this disappointing upscale is Lil' Bow Wow. [June 2017, p.87]

An incoherent mix of unattractive art styles and an absurd plot. [Apr 2011, p.114]

Oddly compelling. [Christmas 2010]

A slightly strange fit. [Jan 2012, p.114]

When it goes the way you want, though, Victory VS is a bold, enjoyable mess. [Sept 2015, p.94]

In a game as average as this humour is the X-factor. For some, Deadpool elevates it; for others, he renders it nigh-on unplayable. I call it nearer the latter and – for the sake of your taste – hope you do, too. Like the main man himself, this is utterly chaotic: funny, fun, rubbish, forgettable. Sadly, the hit rate of that first attribute is too poor to save it.

Race Stars makes sense when taken as a distilled caricature of everything F1 – rainstorms sweep in and temporarily change the landscape, safety cars slow down the leaders and bobble-headed heroes shout insults in vastly exaggerated (casually racist?) accents. It's a chocolate pretzel of a racer that's worth a spin for anyone looking to avoid the chin-stroking of F1 2012.

This has its moments but it’s barely worth the patience needed to find them. Or anything else. If you want a Metroidvania experience on Vita then get the excellent Guacamelee instead.

There's still fun to be had here if you're a mutton for punishment. [Dec 2014, p.87]

But MLB 09 instead. Now. [June 2009, p.96]

Ticks all the boxes and delivers a decent, playable experience, but it's hugely derivative and feels far too familiar, especially if you've played The Crew. [Jan 2017, p.92]

A disappointment. [Jan 2010, p.109]

There's a huge selection of activities. [Christmas 2011, p.111]

If there were no other racers on PS3, or indeed on the planet, buying this would still be a mistake, but with the likes of Dirt already out there, and Motorstorm: Pacific Rift on the horizon, spending money on Baja would be nothing short of madness. [Dec 2008, p.113]

Despite the shonky performance issues and woeful combat, there's still something that compels you forward. [Aug 2014, p.91]

A painfully slow and aged Millionaire quiz. [Jan 2012, p.114]

It never reaches the breakneck speeds you're hoping for. [June 2012, p.115]

Copies Arkham Asylum almost to the point of plagiarism, but it's a decent imitation. [Sept 2011, p.112]

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

Wacky character models and environments can only distract you from the repetitive action for so long. Be prepared to submit. [Issue#181, p.97]

90% of the game consists of twatting robots all the livelong day, and it takes just half an hour for these parts to grow dull. Perhaps naively, we expected a bit more from the motherland's best selling PS3 game. [JPN Import; June 2007, p.112]

It's still spooky and largely enjoyable but it you're going to play it, do so alone. [Oct 2007, p.109]

This is a game jam project spread too thinly over a full release. [Aug 2017, p.87]

Daft boss battles and duel modes in cramped, pace-sapping spaces mean only real Sega fan boys will stick with this for long. [Feb 2008, p.98]

A stripped-back, branching narrative with nice production values that is nowhere near as slick overall as the likes of Erica. You’d better be here for a B-movie. [Issue#175, p.71]

It's not as if previous game adaptations have set the bar high, but this manages to fall below even those minimal standards. [Jan 2010, p.116]

A miserable cash-in...A poorly conceived and clumsily executed waste of time and money. [Mar 2009, p.101]

Swapping pairs of blocks is unwieldy. [Sept 2007, p.116]

The fresh concept gives a shot in the arm to one of the stalest genres around. [Christmas 2010]

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

This kiddie platformer couldn't be more by-the-numbers if it was presented in binary. [March 2012, p.95]

The added HD treatment is a bit of a disappointment though. [Jan 2011, p.118]

The puzzles and platforming challenges never really require you to get creative. The result, sadly, is an idea that’s more interesting on paper than in practice. [Issue#183, p.65]