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

It loses whatever grip it has on your attention too quickly. [Mar 2009, p.103]

It's an enormous game, but a bit of a shambles. [Sept 2016, p.103]

There's little here to warrant dusting off your spacesuit. [Feb 2010, p.111]

It's a bit jerky and a bit slow. [Dec 2011, p.103]

Unfortunately what could've been a fun tie-in is held back by technical hiccups and an inefficient combat system. [March 2018, p.85]

Despite this the core grind of American Fugitive fails to both tap into the random chaos of classic GTA and the thrill that should come from being a convict on the run seeking answers. It’s a game that sadly can’t outrun the spectre of its own inspiration. [Issue#163, p.86]

Reasonably pretty, totally inoffensive, and crazy cheap at 3.19 quid. [Mar 2010, p.107]

Promise in spades, but I'm glad Season One's kicked the bucket. [June 2016, p.92]

As thin as the walkers you're outrunning and with some glaring flaws, this unnecessary spin-off is ill-suited to Telltale's strengths, only exacerbating its weaknesses. [July 2016, p.80]

It's almost completely joyless. [Oct 2009, p.116]

There are moments of brilliance to be had, but it's hard to appreciate them. [July 2015, p.95]

An interesting misfire. [July 2016, p.84]

Or just implode at the superpower-draining load times. [Aug 2007, p.114]

With "Oblivion" looming, Untold Legends' one-noe gameplay feels woefully outdated. [Apr 2007, p.116]

Sam is implied to be neurodivergent, and is forced to pick between masking his differences for a happy ‘normal’ life or living authentically but miserably in a forced existence. Twin Mirror is bleak, often flawed and far from Dontnod’s best work – case closed. [Issue#184, p.91]

Repetitive missions and drab recitals of dialogue don't justify the price. [Issue#51, p.118]

Sweet, small, but imperfectly formed. [July 2016, p.90]

If Martyr was the Warhammer game you’ve been waiting for, it’s likely to disappoint. [Issue#154, p.80]

In its defence, Retribution is free to play – so while it can’t compete with Killzone Shadow Fall, that’s an unfair expectation to begin with. But it’s still a PS4 release, and in this regard feels like a grubby stowaway that’s snuck aboard a glitzy cruise liner bound for the golden shores of next-gen.

Somewhere in the confusion of half-baked genres, messy visuals and flawed design are some great features. Battleborn does itself no favours trying to convey them. For the persistent only. [July 2016, p.92]

Slightly wobbly on its feet. [Issue#158, p.94]

It's lovely for a brief trip down memory lane. [Jan 2012, p.111]

Proof that style is no substitute for substance. [Issue#158, p.95]

The biggest problem here is the minimal interaction on offer. [Jan 2012, p.113]

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

Some shoddy finishing touches ruin a shooter that's genuinely full of potential. [Aug 2014, p.86]

A decent game. [Spring 2011, p.113]

Star Ocean is essentially a long corridor filled with too many enemies. [Apr 2010, p.100]

Good-looking but with simple repetitive combat, there's not enough on offer here to back up the potential of its two-girls-one-game premise. [Sept 2013, p.89]

It's distracting rather than involving. [Apr 2011, p.101]

The controls...feel counter-intuitive at first and mean that most of your success is thanks to a very forgiving auto aim rather than sharp shooting. [Spring 2011, p.113]

Another half-hearted adventure to leave on the shelf. [May 2011, p.118]

Feels oddly hollow. [Aug 2014, p.94]

The whole thing's a lot like looking at a picture for ages and trying to find tiny objects. [Dec 2009, p.109]

The good stuff is hard to find among the mediocrity. [May 2007, p.120]

A game that screams 'contractual agreement' rather than 'passionate creative endeavor.' [Dec 2014, p.83]

It's pretty much what you've played before. [Dec 2014, p.83]

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

It's never enough to help you forget the game's warts. [June 2014, p.85]

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]

As far as party games with mad quiz show hosts go. Jump Stars is serviceable, but there's better out there. [Aug 2017, p.86]

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

It's a shame Ace Banana can be so flustering, because there is a decent shooting gallery to unpeel here. [Christmas 2016, p.86]

Just a competent arcade game and a dire soundtrack. [Christmas 2011, p.97]

Doomed to averageness. [Christmas 2011, p.97]

Buy the vastly superior "Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters" before going near this. [July 2007, p.114]

As solid as the combat is, there are numerous contemporaries that offer as much challenge and fun with much more visual flair, and without horrendous loading times.

Combat is totally hit and miss thanks to a crippling camera. [Apr 2008, p.112]

Visually it's everything you could have hoped for, but the compromises required to reach that fidelity, and moments of narcissism as a result of it, are hugely damaging. [Apr 2015, p.81]

It's an odd game, this. [June 2014, p.92]

Bizarrely, Disney Universe offers up no incentive to not die. [Christmas 2011, p.103]

What Pixel Gear does is accomplished, but it isn't satisfying enough to make you hit reload. [Christmas 2016, p.91]

Between the travel sickness, the lurid colours and the nightmare-inducing soundtrack, one level is the playable equivalent of food poisoning. Another over-used puzzle has you rolling around collecting stars as time ticks away in a manner horribly reminiscent of a smartphone app that would cost around £17 less.

Its simplistic design means TESO feels like little more than an Elder Scrolls-themed amusement park. [Aug 2015, p.88]

Just bang-average. [Christmas 2016, p.91]

Sadly, though, you'll spend more time fighting the controller than the enemies on screen. [June 2018, p.88]

Reveals itself to be a lot like space: beautiful, but mostly empty. [Christmas 2016, p.96]

There are too many niggles here to make it a must-have. [Christmas 2016, p.96]

A lot of fussy distraction from the one-note combat. [Apr 2015, p.94]

Even seasoned fans of the genre will find little that stands out in the overall presentation. [May 2018, p.79]

The only guarantee this brings is tears before bedtime. And that's with two ADULTS playing. [Jan 2009, p.99]

Congratulating Rugby 18 for its base functionality is like cheering for FIFA because they remembered to include the ball. [Christmas 2017, p.83]

A severe lack of polish. [Oct 2016, p.94]

Like the periodic table? You're in luck, because Mercury HG is flipping obsessed with it. [Christmas 2011, p.109]

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]

There's probably more fun to be had in sticking a packet of pink rhinestones to your DualShock while sipping a bottle of Tesco Value Cava. [Feb 2013, p.107]

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

Blandly serviceable. [Sept 2014, p.102]

A lewd, crude on-rails effort that occasionally offers sharp blasting thrills, yet shoots itself in the foot (and mouth) with misjudged gags and gyroscope problems. [Sept 2014, p.104]

Only marginally more enjoyable than trying to read the original poem. [Jan 2008, p.104]

Does exactly what it says on the tin. [Feb 2013, p.107]

Perhaps this return is 17 years too late. [May 2018, p.80]

The Walker feels like a first-gen PS VR release compared to where devs are now taking the technology. If you can look past the dated design you'll have some fun. [Issue#152, p.92]

It's homework dressed up as fun. [Apr 2008, p.96]

Setting you up with key scenarios from across this period of Chinese history, there’s plenty to play through. The only problem is that with the zoomed-out approach to the map, the detail has become more passive. Unlike in the last game there’s no direct control of battles, no debate system, and no smaller-objective story mode. It’s an interesting evolution, though one that leaves you bored on the throne more often than not. [Issue#174, p.86]

It's mostly rubbish; the focus is on combat, and the combat's tied to a camera that flops around like, well, a brain in a jar. [Dec 2007, p.114]

The original's art style divided fans, but at least in Epilogue we can all agree to being disappointed. [June 2009, p.107]

Three-quarters of the way through, the experience becomes much more enjoyable, as you get a new mode of transport2 that expands and speeds up your exploration. This doesn’t last long enough, though, and the game ends as it begins; on a slow, confusing note. [Issue#174, p.86]

Final Exam is for completionists only. [Feb 2014, p.94]

The challenge drops out of the game entirely. [Apr 2008, p.112]

There's enough ambition here to elevate Mulaka above a disappointment. [May 2018, p.88]

A suffocating ooze of obtuse controls and repetitive button bashing. [Sept 2008, p.104]

The end result remains a clunky curio that only diehards are likely to endure. [Sept 2014, p.110]

You always cringe at the collision detection. [Feb 2008, p.97]

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

This is not destined to join the pantheon of action greats. [Mar 2009, p.90]

Beautiful and bizarre, the likeably certifiable antics on show are ultimately undone by a repetitive structure, lack of ideas and undercooked scraps.

It's the glitches and game-breaking annoyances that most let things down. [Christmas 2012, p.96]

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

Wonderful visuals mask a messy, unnecessarily frustrating stomp. [Sept 2015, p.86]

The addition of a couch-play co-op mode with its own story is nice, but the procedurally generated maps lack the finesse of the main story. Rogue Corps is an odd release. It’s not Contra enough for fans but just about fun enough for the casual shooter crowd. [Issue@168, p86]

Note to Sony: next time, just make us a game where we can chuckle at our distended faces. It's funnier. [Dec 2007, p.113]

There's some serviceable twin-stick multiplayer shooting under the cowboy fancy dress, but sadly it's below some glaring technical problems, too. [Feb 2015, p.95]

It's a shame all of its potential is squandered with dull gameplay and horrible bugs. [May 2017, p.90]

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

Repetition limits the fun. [Oct 2011, p.115]

The game certainly doesn't make things easy for you. [Nov 2011, p.99]