The one-note level design fails to inspire. [Mar 2011, p.96]

Best stick to Monster Hunter. [Mar 2011, p.96]

Sadly, it's awful. [Mar 2011, p.96]

Poor balancing. [Mar 2011, p.96]

An enjoyable puzzler, but a haphazard port. Big shame. [Mar 2011, p.96]

An uninspired, dated arcade racer that fails to stand out. [Mar 2011, p.94]

Solid and captivating for old MMO hands. For new comers, not so much. [Mar 2011, p.90]

Visually epic with stunning 3D, but same daft plot and one-note thrills. [Mar 2011, p.78]

The battle system is surprisingly accessible and doesn't suffer from that modern over-eagerness to hold your hand...Great stuff. [Mar 2011, p.96]

A strange mix of Western and Japanese RPG that fails to excite. [Mar 2011, p.88]

A fanboy production through and through. As a straight-up fighter it has depths both visible and invisible. But it feels without focus: there's so much going on that there's no core, nothing for anyone below expert level to latch on to. All the best moves are here, but where's the heart? [Mar 2011, p.84]

Some of the smartest gameplay available on PS3. [Feb 2011, p.101]

The stages are dynamic. [Feb 2011, p.101]

Stripped of the mass destruction, Split/Second: Velocity is just a mediocre arcade racer. [Feb 2011, p.100]

The combo-based action is utterly ridiculous. [Feb 2011, p.100]

None of it's quite enough to stop the repetition getting you in the end. [Feb 2011, p.100]

The concept is imaginative, and not many RPGs are set in Venice, but the ideas are nearly always let down by the execution. [Feb 2011, p.100]

PS Eye functions add novelty to this otherwise solid PSN game. [Feb 2011, p.100]

Richer, yet more accessible - builds on everything LBP did so superbly. [Feb 2011, p.88]

Perfect if you can't go to the gym, but frustrating for workout fanatics.

"Quotation Forthcoming"

For Wild West virgins, it's an entertaining package, if just shy of an essential purchase. [Jan 2011, p.96]

Blacklight has shortcomings, but style isn't one of them. [Jan 2011, p.96]

Dark, confusing. [Jan 2011, p.96]

Some edge-of-your-seat gameplay. [Jan 2011, p.96]

At 10 quid, this'd probably score in the mid 70s. Shame. [Jan 2011, p.96]

Fit-to-bursting with fun, Castle Crashers is a rare PSN treat. [Jan 2011, p.96]

A steal at 30 quid. [Jan 2011, p.94]

Has all the right influences, but uses them in all the wrong ways. [Jan 2011, p.92]

Wonderfully polished. [Jan 2011, p.90]

It's 2010's most uninspired shooter. Only with Bond in it. [Jan 2011, p.86]

Demanding, but with a fine track list and immaculate presentation. [Jan 2011, p.84]

Conservative, messy and patchily designed, GT5 only intermittently excites. [Jan 2011, p.79]

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It's beautiful, that goes without saying, and a relentless beast in combat. But more than that, it understands how players play - what they look for, listen to, and most of all what they expect. That's why, and this is a considerable achievement, it can genuinely scare you with a common sprinkler system. [Feb 2011, p.82]

"Quotation Forthcoming"

"Quotation Forthcoming"

"Quotation Forthcoming"

"Quotation Forthcoming"

Satisfaction in Vietnam doesn't come from being quicker than an opponent, or having better kit, but from being smarter and using what you have to wisely.

"Quotation Forthcoming"

Even next to Uncharted 2, ME2's shooting holds up well.

"Quotation Forthcoming"

2K's gameplay is still miles ahead of EA's elite. [Christmas 2010, p.91]

All too often it feels like you're playing nanny to a thick, elephant-sized child. [Christmas 2010, p.91]

It's better than Tony Hawk: RIDE, which isn't really saying much. [Christmas 2010, p.90]

It just isn't that interesting. [Christmas 2010, p.90]

Comprehensive? Damn yes. [Christmas 2010, p.90]

The tracks are still awesome. [Christmas 2010, p.90]

An acquired taste, but streamlined and authentic. [Christmas 2010, p.90]

It can be compelling, in short bursts at least. [Christmas 2010, p.89]

Can be very demanding. [Christmas 2010, p.89]

Why didn't they make it better? [Christmas 2010, p.89]

Move doesn't fix Heavy Rain's clumsiness. [Christmas 2010, p.88]

Fun for a while. [Christmas 2010, p.88]

A minor story told in the most major of ways. This is as big and ballsy as PSP can be. [Christmas 2010, p.82]

A rich and bast game designed to treat fans. Great value, lacks 'wow'. [Christmas 2010, p.72]

A super package with a clever story. Some patchy execution. [Christmas 2010, p.68]

But this hardly matters, because this is time well spent, being gently humoured and greatly entertained. Like a candy-induced sugar rush, it's short but sweet, and liable to induce lots of hysterical giggling.

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There are some brains here; why waste them by splattering them all against the wall?

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Star Wars zealots should enjoy it - especially the Yoda cameo - but sequel we hoped for, this is not. A shame, it is.

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And in that respect, as a life simulator, it's depressingly authentic; an endlessly-looping cycle of tedium interspersed with brief moments of happiness and, eventually, death.

Sonic 4 harks back to the days when video games tested your dexterity, timing and patience. It's challenging, immaculately designed, super-fast, and a fitting return to form for a character who is - next to a buxom archaeologist and that dungaree-sporting plumber - arguably one of the most recognisable icons of all time.

New Vegas is disappointingly similar to Fallout 3, but the improved story and wealth of new content and features makes up for it - just.

It doesn't make you feel as involved as GRID or feel half as realistic as GT5: Prologue. [July 2009, p.77]

Will only captivate the very young. [Jan 2010, p.94]

If Castlevania wasn't on your radar before, you need to get it on there now. In truth, it does little to innovate a genre dominated by games like God Of War 3 and Bayonetta, but it executes all its ideas with surgical precision, wrapping them up in a presentation so polished - yet so tastefully understated - it could easily have been crafted by Kojima himself; all the more credit to Dave Cox and Mercury Steam.

An odd fit for PSP, but manages both staggering depth and accessibility. [Oct 2010, p.92]

A bit of a stinker. [Oct 2010, p.96]

Competent but doesn't rectify the criticisms of Ace Combat X. [Oct 2010, p.96]

Good fun, but we long for a proper PS3 sequel. [Oct 2010, p.96]

Rich, atmospheric, memorable and measured. [Oct 2010, p.87]

Style over substance. [Oct 2010, p.97]

A stylish, violent but awkwardly executed cover shooter. [Oct 2010, p.90]

Great retro scrapper. Superb in co-op but can drag when playing solo. [Oct 2010, p.84]

Finally appeals to both novices and seasoned fans. [Oct 2010, p.97]

Hasty. [Oct 2010, p.96]

Consistently miserable. [Aug 2010, p.96]

Happy, funny and tiresome, DeathSpank is the Will Ferrell of games.

This really is a special edition. [Sept 2010, p.94]

Won't insult your intelligence and won't exclude younger players. [Aug 2010, p.94]

It ends up feeling dreary. [Aug 2010, p.97]

This travels back to a simpler time, but is still a decent blast-fest. [Sept 2010, p.86]

Genuinely difficult to put down. [Sept 2010, p.92]

Technically inept and morally desolate. [Sept 2010, p.94]

It gets the job done. [Sept 2010, p.94]

There's very little for bike-sim fans to complain about, but equally little to win over new comers to this niche genre. [July 2009, p.76]

Combines glossy but vapid action with thoughtful sandboxing. [Sept 2010, p.94]

It's more than good enough to call Peace Walker a genuine Metal Gear Solid 5. There's almost too much game here - there's no bigger game on PSP and no more varied game in the entire Metal Gear series. It's a technical showcase, sure, but Peace Walker is also a creative showcase that proves that nobody on Earth makes games like Hideo Kojima - because nobody else ever could.

A must buy for fans, but not as accessible or rich as RB: Beatles. [Aug 2010, p.92]

Feels dated, but still a solid golf sim. Needs a FIFA style overhaul. [Aug 2010, p.96]

Innovative and deceptively deep. Another PSN masterpiece. [Aug 2010, p.90]