When The Past Was Around is an endearing game that is a celebration of two people’s shared love of music. It teeters on being sappy, but its dreamy, abstract nature brings it back from the brink. It’s an endearing pocket-sized tale and a wonderful gem from the Indonesian indie game scene. [Issue#184, p.86]

Oozing with things to do and inventive classes to do them with, it elevates the act of shooting plants and zombies to fresh heights. [Issue#169, p.97]

Puzzles are clever, if occasionally finicky and for a long time you’ll wonder where it’s going. But when it finally shows its hand, The Missing becomes a heartfelt tale about identity, and the contortions we go through as we work out who we really are. Grab the Krispy Kremes and settle in with one of 2018’s most distinctive, memorable adventures. [Issue#156, p.86]

This is evocative and immersive but will leave you cold - also like space. [Sept 2017, p.88]

An HD remake of the highest order. [Dec 2013, p.84]

A boiling pot of real time strategy, vehicle combat and third person shooting, designed for gruelling tugs of tactical war. If the space setting appeals and you like shooters with a cerebral bite, there's plenty to love. Just don't buy it for the solo campaign alone – the story is thinner than the lunar atmosphere and essentially an elaborate training tool.

Yakuza is really where Sega took much-mourned Dreamcast classic "Shenmue." [Nov 2008, p.108]

Not as confident as Telltale's selection of flagship franchises so far, but the ethos of the show is there in terms of tense confrontations and oh-so-tricky power games. [Feb 2015, p.90]

Great stuff for masochists who think progress ended with 8-bit gaming - not so much if you're looking to have fun. [Dec 2008, p.121]

My advice? Play it alone and relish the fan service, which is truly exceptional. [Apr 2010, p.108]

The result's a game where, though the quality of the fighting is almost as good as the competition's, a whole load of tiny details make the finished product a bit of a mess. [Issue#51, p.114]

Such customisation even translates to Hardcore Mecha’s multiplayer mode, where you can duke it out with another person’s mech either locally or online. The result is an incredibly robust package, and the ultimate small-scale homage to robot anime. [Issue#172, p.86]

As levels progress, the collateral damage skyrockets, which sadly, gets a little tiring. [July 2016, p.94]

Like the game that started all those decades ago, this is a puzzler at heart, but one played out at a lightning pace. A brave, loving, essential update to a bonafide classic. [Nov 2016, p.87]

The best couchplay fighting game you can play right now. Both party-starter and competitive tool, its sheer sense of fun will inspire everyone to rise up to the challenge. Reliant on solo or online thrills? Wait for the updates first. [Apr 2016, p.78]

An infuriating test of trajectory skills and patience that will have you swearing, strooping and (perhaps most unbelievably of all) bloody well enjoying it. [Spring 2011, p.113]

An involving story. [June 2011, p.103]

Difficulty spikes are common and may be off-putting to some players, but the addictive nature of what is a seriously smart battle system will usually see you determined to persevere, just as the Mother did in times gone by. After all, like Mother, like Daughter. [Issue#179, p.72]

A small but mesmerising Firewalk-esque tale inspired by Twin Peaks and The Outer Limits. Just beware: unpicking the ending is a case for Mulder and Scully. [Nov 2016, p.86]

Yes, it’s clunky at times, but get past that and you’ll find a deep, beautifully written RPG set in a massive world heaving with treasure, monsters, and moral dilemmas. [Issue#172, p.83]

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

It’s a unique genre mash-up that doesn’t utilise the best-quality ingredients, but its two core elements complement each other well enough to result in a winning recipe. [Issue#182, p.156]

A cheerful, compulsive and enormously likeable action-RPG, it should convert a few Dynasty Warriors non-believers, though DW fans may not be quite so convinced. [Dec 2015, p.78]

Such is the strength of the online modes, it lifts the overall package comfortably above the scant story offering. It pains my digits to write ‘technical tour de force’, but it’s hard to describe Crysis 3 any other way. Though lacking soul in places, this striking Prophet can still channel the divine.

The one notable downer is that the AI can be unforgiving. [Nov 2007, p.107]

One hell of an invigorating game. [Aug 2010, p.108]

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]

Gradual improvements mean FFXV is in slightly better shape than it was when it launched in December 2016, but it'll take more than a few additional cutscenes to make its story feel complete. [May 2018, p.96]