It's essentially an adorably reskinned version of Flash browser game Bubble Trouble, but it's fun nonetheless. [March 2013, p.117]

It's a bit dull, sure, but there's also something oddly soothing about it. [March 2013, p.117]

Sadly, the central story missions are where Thieves in Time trips up a little. [March 2013, p.117]

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

Nauseatingly basic. [March 2013, p.114]

Refreshingly different. [March 2013, p.108]

This is a rollicking and hugely enjoyable adventure, filled with spectacular set-pieces, emotional highs and lows, and – thankfully – not an oversized sports bra in sight. Crystal Dynamics has set a shining example of what can be done when reimagining a franchise from the ground up, and all of the elements on show have been well-conceived and well-crafted, and they come together to form a cohesive whole.

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.

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.

With an engaging main quest and a multitude of extra goodies to keep you entertained, Dragonborn justifies its price tag. If you’ve rinsed Skyrim’s dense main map – and let’s face it, you probably have: it’s now been a whopping 14 months since the game came out – this is a meaty, if long overdue, slice of additional adventuring to finally get stuck into.

If Gearbox’s quality scale has Borderlands 2 at one end and Duke Nukem at the other, Colonial Marines sits somewhere in the middle.

If you’ve played the previous games you’ll be able to spot the scares a mile away... and you’ll likely pine for the panic and purity of the original in the face of so many changes. But taken in isolation, Dead Space 3 is still an enjoyable and worthwhile experience: well-produced, polished and with enough narrative ups and downs (emphasis is very much on the downs) and set-pieces to sustain its ten-hour duration.

Yes, 47's animations and shonky plotting have hardly aged gracefully. But when this killer's aim is still so precise when pulling off thrillingly executed puzzles, I can overlook a couple of wrinkles on that barcode branded bonce.

Repetition also puts a smear on the game's charm, turning initially ingenious tasks into a chore. [Feb 2013, p.117]

If you've never sampled the delights of the Shepard saga before, this is as essential as PS3 purchases come. [Feb 2013, p.114]

As a Lord of the Rings property, this is disappointing. [Feb 2013, p.112]

Occasionally exasperating and more than a little repetitive, but it's certainly not hateful. [Feb 2013, p.107]

A platformer in a supremely pixellated visual style. [Feb 2013, p.107]

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

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]

Believable dialogue from rounded characters who behave as you'd expect real people to. [Feb 2013, p.106]

Whichever way you play, you start seeing the same levels repeated within 15 minutes. [Feb 2013, p.105]

Gameplay is sandwiched between terrible cut-scenes. [Feb 2013, p.104]

Dropping bombs is fiddly and inaccurate - and they do as much damage as releasing a blancmange from a plane's undercarriage. [Feb 2013, p.101]

The hooning that ensues is heavily derivative of both Mario Kart and also ModNation Racers, copping the funky weapon pickups of the former and the screaming drift mechanics of the latter. It plays just like you're imagining, with the added gimmickry of the "Transformed" bit in the title giving rise to certain moments where your car will literally transform into a hovercraft (boring) or jet (radical). [January 2013, p70]

Living up to its developer's name, this puzzler is double fine value at £9.99. Just be warned that its own see-saw of fun counterbalances every five belly laughs with a mildly exasperating headache.

I'm saying this deserves to be picked up by so many more people than the niche of role-players and Studio Ghibli fans it immediately appeals to. I'm saying it's so finely crafted it could warm the heart of an Army Of Two player and soothe the perpetual anger of a FIFA-phile… if they'd only let it.

It looks, sounds and feels like nothing else out there, and while you might not squeeze quite as much out of it, you're still looking at the first great gaming experience of 2013. Welcome back, old pal.