One of the best retro shooters in a long time, Valfaris mixes a smart combat loop with pixelperfect design, wrapped in a bombastic heavy metal silliness that oozes fun. [Issue#170, p.91]

Underneath the cute exterior lies a tough-as-nails sim exposing the realities of prison life. If you can see past a few offences, lock your door and lose the key. [Aug 2016, p.86]

The inclusion of new sandbox maps, accessible crafting, and beautiful as well as genuinely horrific moments, ensures Metro Exodus keeps the series on track. [Issue#159, p.77]

Much buggier than the PS4 version, Dirt 5 is nonetheless a showcase for PS5 gaming, and a much-needed champion for splitscreen racing. [Issue#183, p.86]

Play it right and it builds into a hypnotically rhythmic blur of colour and sound. [Mar 2009, p.91]

Thrilling moments of mid-air diving, twisting, and fighting like a hero are chipped away at by some niggling flaws. And yet, if you overlook it foibles, Ace Combat 7 has enough in its hangar to love. [Issue#159, p.84]

Its total dominance over all contemporaries is beginning to feel routine. [June 2015, p.90]

The most authentic sports game available on PS3 at present. [May 2007, p.112]

An experimental storytelling concept that, sadly, results in a scattered sort of game. Thoughtful design shines, but it's sometimes too clever for its own good. [July 2016, p.75]

There's no doubting Crash's place in history, but this restoration shows its age a little too much at times. One for reliving, rather than creating, memories. [September 2017, p.79]

Yes, you will fail, but failure seldom feels cheap or unfair. [May 2018, p.74]

A short, tightly designed, and satisfying puzzler. Changing perspectives to alter sizes and shapes is intriguing. It stumbles awake but sweet dreams are made of this. [Issue#179, p.73]

The game's relentlessly narrow focus frustrates as much as the repetitious grind of the racing. [May 2008, p.98]

One very welcome addition is NHL 94 Anniversary mode. [Nov 2013, p.94]

This is a very dark story, but it's told with colourful verve and a keen wit. [June 2014, p.85]

Well-paced, well-acted and brilliantly-written. [Jan 2015, p.94]

It may not live up to the standards of its own impeccable presentation, but Hyper Light Drifter is still an intense and affecting retro adventure with lots to love. [Oct 2016, p.87]

Although endlessly exuberant, and often truly original, the sequel fails to fix the first game's issues while introducing new stumbling blocks. Hardly smooth shifting. [March 2017, p.87]

This might have seemed enjoyable 14 years ago, but then again so did MC Hammer. [Feb 2008, p.91]

Expect an open world Hot Pursuit and you’ll be enthralled in the maniac violence of weapon-fuelled cop chases and beautifully rendered exotics. View it as an ambassador for next-gen racing, and it falls a little flat.

"Quotation Forthcoming"

Is it better than FIFA? Will the Arse win the league? No and no. [Nov 2011, p.110]

The multiplayer stuff is so good that without it, the game simply wouldn't be as enjoyable. World Tour is immensely entertaining, but played solo it eventually becomes a slightly lonely, hollow experience. [Apr 2007, p.98]

A Tim Schafer-orchestrated adventure as vivid and bizarre today as the original PC game was 17 years ago, remastered with subtlety for a strong dose of nostalgia. [March 2015, p.87]

It’s the price that makes this a tricky one to recommend, rather than the content. For first-time buyers this £20 bundle (which includes the original game) is a bargain, but for the hardcore player it’s designed for, that same price is a big ask when you already own the main course. Veterans should knock a point off, but curious bystanders have the perfect excuse to enjoy an offbeat gem.

Boasting two exceptional modes in franchise and Longshot, it mightn’t have the cult following of its PS2 years, but this is as good as EA’s veteran NFL series has ever been. [Issue#153, p.88]

A great collection of retro platform shooter action. If you’re wondering what all the Mega Man fuss is about, this is a good place to start. [Issue#173, p.89]

Not quite a classic, then, but Call of Duty 3 can justifiably call itself the best shooter on PS3. Over to you, then "Killzone." [Apr 2007, p.90]

Sadly, the combat doesn’t have enough depth to trouble the genre’s best (it certainly can’t touch Ninja Theory’s DmC reboot), and there’s a disappointing disposability about the whole experience. This is a project that has been rightfully and respectably salvaged, but one that can’t quite cut it at the top.

The problem here isn't the looks or the amount of stuff there is to do, it's the controls. [Oct 2009, p.109]

The impact of the visuals on Vita are impressive enough, but together with a solid control set and at least an attempt to include new features make this easy to recommend.

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

Simply a joy to play from start to finish. It allows you to relish the feeling of being an utter nuisance and a white-winged menace without being in any way cynical. [Issue@#171, p.88]

This golfing great's finally close to its best again. [May 2011, p.118]

A fantasy brawler mistaking excess for depth. With no new content, there's less incentive to revisit Dragon's Crown, though new players can still find fun with friends. [Issue#150, p.95]

It's a bit of sensory overload, but definitely worth a look if you fancy yourself an arcade purist. [Issue#51, p.103]

The very occasional framerate stutter aside, LMD is as much of a joy to stare at as it is to play, and PS4’s biggest sporting surprise of 2019. A wheel good time. [Issue#169, p.96]

A pretty picture concerned with memory and mortality that strides through its emotional beats with confidence. A 3D puzzle platformer that trips where so many others have before. [Issue@#171, p.94]

One of the most individual and visually striking games available on PSP. [July 2007, p.110]

Most of the time this feels like a clutter of poorly executed ideas held together with little more than good intentions. [Aug 2007, p.96]

There are thousands of programs, YouTube tutorials and teachers that do a more effective job of teaching, and an army of clicky peripheral-based games that nail the fun element better.

Gorgeous, and instantly satisfying to control, inFamous: Second Son shimmers across the screen in a way that simply wasn’t possible on PS3. The core missions lack sparkle, but this sandbox yarn is heroic in full-flow.

One of 2015's biggest surprises. [Christmas 2015, p.74]

The presentation is brimming with cartoony amusement. [Sept 2010, p.114]

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

It won't win converts to the genre and the plot is problematic, but The Division is a handsome open-world offering, spiked with treachery. [May 2016, p.81]

Underneath the ever-jiggling and moaning surface, Dead or Alive 5 Plus is a solid and addictive fighter with plenty of compulsive brawling to enjoy on handheld. [May 2013, p.115]

A remaster rather than a new game - a Now That's What I Call Puzzling of classic skins and tracks - this is still one of PS4's premiere puzzlers. [Issue#152, p.93]

Stealth Inc’s mechanically fascinating, and holds you in just the right level of contempt as a player to keep you bashing your head against its heavily guarded walls. Now go forth, and break my heart on those leaderboards, you nimble-thumbed dream-stompers.

Best of all, technically it's fairly good. [Apr 2009, p.103]

Seasoned shifters will fall (in love) again. [March 2016, p.86]

What extras there are improve, rather than ruin, the experience. [Christmas 2007, p.112]

Weird yet wonderful, baffling yet beguiling, silly yet symbolic, this is a piece of art to make you appreciate the amazing absurdity of its creation. Safe to say, it's worth 12 quid. [June 2017, p.92]

A must-have. [Oct 2007, p.107]

A winning piece of minimalist game design that manages to do a lot with a little in an industry which far too frequently achieves the exact opposite, and it deserves much praise for that.

While the gameplay is better than ever, the overstuffed presentation makes sticking around long enough to master anything that little bit tougher. [June 2010, p.110]

"Quotation Forthcoming"

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

Big, brutal, and - alas - bloated, Shadow of War is a disappointing follow-up, conjuring battles of grand scale and then deadening their impact through grinding repetition. [December 2017, p.79]

A great Yakuza spinoff that stumbles over its well-meant but clunky detective gameplay. More doing, less talking, and a sense of humour could’ve elevated it. [Issue#164, p.83]

Slick brawling, charming visual design, vibrant set-pieces and that glittering guest star mean it's still well worth crashing this kids' party. [Dec 2016, p.78]

The superior game in the series. [Feb 2018, p.91]

The most subversive and suprising new-gen shooter so far, Wolfenstein delivers heart (and a load of entrails) in a gory FPS that should stay with you for years.

An impressively huge game. [Apr 2010, p.111]

A perfectly executed peep-’emup that makes you feel in control of your investigation, and tells a twisting tale that you won’t easily forget. [Issue#176, p.81]

For a first-season effort, FIFA Football is a seriously impressive achievement.

Creating new items isn’t just the purpose of quests, it helps you get stronger so you can explore further afield. It’s a satisfying loop that makes you feel in control. Each game offers something unique, and together they’re a huge saga that’s still well worth playing, and represents Atelier at its most ambitious. [Issue#172, p.80]

The lack of bullet penetration may prove controversial, but this is one of the best PS VR experiences on offer. Essential for fans of objective-based team shooters. [Issue#154, p.96]

While far from being the Uncharted-meets-Sekiro-meets- Star-Wars we expected, and plagued by problems, Fallen Order still manages to feel like a Star Wars epic. [Issue#170, p.81]

It's a fundamental (problem): you're playing Rock Band on a PSP. [Aug 2009, p.112]

It may be built from pretty basic building blocks, but Inversus combines them into satisfying and strategic shapes. [Nov 2016, p.91]

SOMA's a fascinating interactive story that occasionally wants to murder you dead. [Dec 2015, p.86]

A cycle trip down childhood memory lane that will put a smile on your face. A terrific thesis from the ex-Media Molecule team on charming co-op fun. [Issue#167, p.86]

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]

Despite coming across as that bit drier than its source material, it's a well-realised Vita motor city and easily one of the best racers on the platform.

Planet Coaster is uplifting and allows you to let your imagination run wild. It’s full of charm, wit and is the perfect escapism that fits your every need. [Issue#183, p.94]

A charming puzzler to get your grey matter sweating. [Oct 2011, p.113]

We're approaching unbroken cutscene territory. [July 2014, p.88]

An absurd, slapstick adventure that puts laughs above all else. Jazzpunk's a smartly penned palate-cleanser that shines all the more brightly due to the lack of decent comedy competition on PS4. [Nov 2016, p.92]

Its not the game its forerunner was, but The Fractured But Whole's accessible combat tactics and occasional rib-ticklers ensure most players will have a good time. [Christmas 2017, p.96]

As you'd hope from the series, this is faster than Usain Bolt with rockets on his feet and a perfect showcase for Vita's technical heft. Avoid the new dumbed down controls and this is as pure and addictive a racer as you'll find on any handheld.

For strategy buffs, Legends of War is complex, visually polished, and unyieldingly hardcore. [Spring 2011, p.116]

It's also nicely balanced in gameplay terms. [Jan 2012, p.101]

If you want fun, play Elefunk, but for a sterner challenge, Cuboid is your man. [Apr 2009, p.94]

Stick with last year's. [July 2010, p.118]

One of this year's best indie offerings so far. [Aug 2016, p.88]

While not the masterpiece it could have been, this imaginative, immersive sim provides an impressive, dense sandbox with plenty of exciting toys to play with. [July 2016, p.93]

It can't quite live up the the standard set by its more playable big brother. [May 2007, p.108]

A starry cast, gorgeous visuals and great performance capture makes it burn brightly during the short running time. [Oct 2015, p.86]

The cost of this is a forgiving difficulty level and racing that subsequently feels a bit anodyne compared to MC on PS3. [Christmas 2008, p.119]

A big, fully-fledged comeback from a classic PlayStation series. [Dec 2009, p.113]

The learning curve is spot on, with each new dimension properly introduced and then quickly integrated with the others, so that you're always making progress and never feel patronised.

Less a game, more an endlessly inventive creator kit, LBP3 will disappoint fans looking for ready-made adventure but thrill those looking to craft their own Sackboy saga. [Jan 2015, p.81]

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.

It's a bright, distinctive and hugely playable game, and is a massive slap in the face for other PSP fighters. [Oct 2009, p.122]

One of the best superhero experiences yet - maybe not quite the equal of inFamous, but a genuine alternative for the inner maniac in you. [July 2009, p.98]

It’s such a rare treat to find yourself blown away by a game you had no expectations of. I don’t want to ruin that feeling for you, so forget everything you just read after hitting the ‘buy’ button on the store, so you can enjoy the through-the-looking-glass wonderment of SITTM afresh. I can think of only one reason you wouldn’t go and play this, and it’s that you hate fun.

It’s pretty unforgiving, in that restoring health can only ever be done via scarce consumables, and firearms and their ammo are also incredibly rare. Nonetheless, each mission is a tense delight. You’ll mostly walk to conserve stamina and avoid drawing attention, yet rasslin’ zombies is unavoidable, and you’ll want to be done before the town bells ring. Throw in humans both friendly and unfriendly – who will sometimes even fight among themselves – and you have a wonderfully oppressive, unpredictable world. And, yes, you get to slather yourself in guts. Yay! [Issue#176, p.78]