Up-'til-3am immersive. [May 2012, p.108]

Not a lot of games – almost no games, in fact – manage to establish the kind of white-hot emotional connection between player, cast and setting that Mass Effect 3 somehow conjures. That's the reason this story of Earth, the galaxy and Shepard's last stand is so harrowing, and why people will be talking about it for years to come.

The quality hits you like a tank - the visuals, the set-pieces, the detail. [Christmas 2009, p.100]

A magnificent, deeply personal tale of a boy and his monster. Smart, subversive and emotionally enriching, this is one of the most evocative games to grace PlayStation in the last decade. Clearly, you can't rush genius. [Jan 2016, p.102]

GTA IV is richer, deeper and more involving than its predecessors. By the time the story threads start to tie up, the mission trees shake out, you're totally invested in the characters and their world. I'm actually jealous of everyone about to experience it for the first time. The greatest testament to GTA IV's brilliance is that I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since putting the pad down. [May 2008, p.88]

The sort of thing you dreamed about while you ate your tea and watched Star Trek. [Feb 2011, p.107]

Naughty Dog's victory lap is a celebration of its past, present and future, with clever pacing and thrilling set-pieces surpassing expectations in its most exhilarating Uncharted to date. No PS4 should be without this. [June 2016, p.74]

Unless you’re anti-games lawyer Jack Thompson, you’ll enjoy Hotline Miami for what it is: an impossibly stylish indie tour de force about playing with your food. With its incredible soundtrack in your ears, neon flashes in your peripheral vision and endlessly, shamefully gratifying combat in your hands, you’ll learn to stop worrying and love the wrong.

Hoops: they did it again. [Dec 2016, p.73]

A compulsive bite-sized gaming chunk.

Combine this game with imported levels from the past two, as well as everything being playable in PS VR, and Hitman 3 is a must-play stealth masterclass. Even the least favourite levels in this new selection are full of memorable moments. The weaknesses seem to lie in limited variety, but you’ll still spend hours unravelling even those. You can spend as much time on an individual destination as you would any Triple-A action game. Dartmoor’s atmosphere and family conspiracy is a highlight; Mendoza’s another, with a fancy party held in a winery fronting some intense security and a guarded villa above. It’s interesting that both feel very much inspired by Hitman: Contracts’ Beldingford Manor and Blood Money’s A Vintage Year, but it’s a testament to the design that they manage to feel so distinct, highlighting just how impressive the near flawless execution of social stealth is here. [Issue#185, p.76]

Whatever happens you'll believe it's a real world and a fantastic setting for the action. It's not as dense or as varied as, say, Oblivion - you'll go somewhere, kill everyone, every mission - but it's utterly convincing and engrossing. [Dec 2008, p.98]

An assured, confident outing with barrels of both quantity and quality. Physical play is more rewarding than last year; attacking play's more excitingly incisive, and The Journey's a great experiment. [Dec 2016, p.74]

A slick, surprisingly heartfelt 2D platformer that excels not in one area but in many. Olija’s a brilliant addition to Devolver Digital’s lineup of experimental indies. [Issue#185, p.83]

Odds on, you'll finish the ride exhilarated. [Dec 2007, p.92]

Unique, dripping in detail, and well worth rediscovering. [Oct 2014, p.83]

This is a fantastic package - a dark, witty tale of death and retribution that can be whatever you want it to. It captures the ebb and flow of tension that stealth games forgot about years ago, but presents it in a way that feels utterly contemporary. [Dec 2012, p.88]

The addition of Reaper of Souls content makes this an essential upgrade for veterans, while the power of PS4 ensures it's smoother than a dolphin's back. [Oct 2014, p.87]

An experience that's less like playing a game and more like setting up residence in the best Pixar movie you can imagine. [Dec 2009, p.118]

A brilliantly put together game, ambitious but not over-extended, lovingly crafted and devilishly designed. [June 2007, p.96]

The whole game is a class act. The fighting is sophisticated but arcade-addictive, the visuals are stylish, and the Lara-like exploration is smartly done. Plus the DC heritage feels all-encompassing like a big blanket. Arkham Asylum is comfortably the best comic book game that PlayStation's ever had, and is up there with the system's best actioners, full stop. [Sept 2009, p.95]

From one angle, you've seen much of it before, but it's never looked so searingly brilliant, or felt so surging. [Mar 2008, p.94]

Thus far the standout episode this season. [Oct 2014, p.93]

A remarkable update of a classic videogame, Rez Infinite is a perfect fit for PS VR. The astonishing new Area X is worth the cost of entry alone. Utterly essential. [Dec 2016, p.86]

From the first bounce, it feels like a genuinely new generation of sports game has arrived. All the depth, drama and longevity you take for granted by now, and even some new ideas to match its next-gen looks.

In terms of doing what it says on the box, SingStar Abba simply can't be faulted. [Jan 2009, p.99]

Not being able to carry over save data is a huge drawback. However, we enjoyed uncovering the bureau’s secrets all over again, with ray-traced drama. [Issue#186, p.88]

It stands out as the most complete version of one of the greatest fighting games of all time. [July 2014, p.90]