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.

The never-ending waves of vigilante violence appeal to my stubborn side. [Nov 2012, p.117]

A briefly brilliant bug hunt, then. Just don't expect the war against these aliens to last. [March 2013, p.115]

It's also a meaningful exploration of the frustration and release of boss battling. [June 2015, p.86]

We'd be happier of the frame rate didn't stutter like a cartoon pig on busier corners. [Christmas 2008, p.115]

Sexually frustrated robots aside, the gimmick of captaining two spacecraft means this is worth a look. [July 2011, p.91]

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]

The sharp dialogue and heartfelt narrative are let down by the shoehorned relationship between the lead characters. Nonetheless, it's a worthy sequel. [Nov 2017, p.78]

Thief is worth it for the setting and hardcore stealth, but it’s marred by some poor AI and passive gameplay.

Weirdly charming. [July 2011, p.91]

It's never demanding. [Christmas 2010]

This is still a fine package, though. A new Country Clubs feature enables you and your friends to compete against one another and rival clubs, boosting your XP and coin-earning potential all the while, and the career mode is still huge. There's also the new Tiger Legacy Challenge, where you relive Eldrick's career from the age of two right into the future – it's a massive, well-executed addition narrated by the man himself.

As well as transforming abilities, you unlock room-affecting powers as you progress, and these are a lot more iffy– indications of where to use some are irritatingly lacking. The lack of map markings for currently impassable objects or collected heart pieces also feels a bit annoying.2 Still, it’s a lot of fun throughout its short duration, and the cartoony surface is backed up by plenty of heart. It’s not the best game of its type, but it’s an example worth playing. [Issue#178, p.76]

When a game brands itself "bizarre", I expect something a little more off-the-wall than a 2D fighter. [Nov 2012, p.119]

If Just Dance 3 was another girl on a nightclub dancefloor, I'd probably be a bit intimidated by her. I can practically feel her derision seeping from the TV as I awkwardly flail my limbs, Move controller in hand, in an attempt to emulate the steps shown on-screen.

If you like it quiet, Afrika's peacefulness and sense of freedom offer something to savour.[JPN Import; Nov 2008, p.116]

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

An absorbing mix of ideas: an intense retro-tinged shooter with an unusual level of complexity. [Nov 2017, p.81]

Falls slightly short in substance. [June 2015, p.88]

A decent enough racer. [Nov 2011, p.113]

Although the gameplay and character models feel refreshed (Patrick’s limbs are delightfully floppy), the level design pales when compared to newer 3D platformers. Fully remade,2 including a remastered soundtrack, Battle For Bikini Bottom proves to be fun on a technical level, but the barren worlds, many NPCs you cannot interact with, and vexing objectives (the rolling ball in Mermaid Man’s lair, anybody?) make it fun and frustrating in equal measure. Fans won’t want to leave this one at the bottom of the sea. [Issue#178, p.82]

The level of control this system gives is compelling, and creatively arranging dialogue fragments is rewarding. The need to find the ‘right words’ creates an interesting tension throughout – unless you’re a people pleaser in real life, in which case this may hit a little too close to your everyday. Its short length and focussed story allows for an engaging variety of dialogue options and social scenarios, but it does also feel more like a proof-of-concept in the end. But it’s less than a tenner, which feels like a reasonable price, and we’re going to enjoy seeing how Insatiable Cycle fleshes out this dialogue system in future as what we’ve overheard here presents a tantalising snippet of conversation. [Issue#179, p.72]

No mere spinoff, this is a beautiful addition to the series. [June 2015, p.89]

It's no Diablo, but this is decent nonetheless. [July 2011, p.95]

It's also more predictable, with fewer affecting decisions than the first part, but that's not to say that you won't umm and ahh over what to do on multiple occasions. This is still an excellent piece of narrative-driven gaming, where you grow attached to the cast and enjoy/endure the consequences of your actions. It's where Heavy Rain meets the zombie apocalypse, and that should be enough to sell anybody.

Wicked local multiplayer appeal. [Nov 2017, p.81]

Coupled with a sedate soundtrack composed by Austin Wintory, a sonic sensation that enters your ear like waves lapping at a shore, it’s a relaxing experience from beginning to end. [Issue#161, p.84]

"Quotation Forthcoming"