Tense, tough and realistic often to the point of frustration, with a story and an original outlook. Mostly well designed - but sadly never 'fun.' [May 2012, p.110]

Far from spectacular, but Overlord is decent, challenging role-player with plenty of charm. [June 2008, p.76]

Worth 20 quid? For no-nonsense arcade thrills, just about. Worth two years' wait? Sadly, not quite. [May 2007, p.70]

A solid offering. [Nov 2008, p.84]

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

The controls are a little unresponsive and it all becomes a bit painful after a while. [Sept 2006, p.84]

The gorgeous visuals, incredible atmosphere, unique subject matter and immense production values are let down, and ultimately made redundant, by the abysmal pacing, sloppy design and criminal lack of length. [Aug 2007, p.60]

It's still the post-pub game of choice. [May 2007, p.78]

Nasty controls and clumsy visuals mask a truly entertaining game. [Apr 2011, p.76]

It looks and plays nicely, but we prefer "NBA Homecourt" because it has more depth. Still, it's a welcome change from "PES." [Mar 2008, p.68]

Solid, slightly humdrum. [Jan 2008, p.78]

So Haze, as a PS3 exclusive, is far from a reason to own a PS3.

Using a tag team style with two characters on each side, and with solid combo and superior moves this is a far harder and ultimately more satisfying game than Capcom's "Vs" series. [Jan 2007, p.84]

Worth a look for something unique but hippo-watching slower missions can frustrate. [Feb 2009, p.79]

Co-op can be a blast, but solo players will get frustrated by dodgy AI and repetition. [June 2010, p.84]

There's not enough variety to grasp your attention. [Dec 2007, p.83]

Fiddly and frustrating, but not without its stand-out features. [May 2009, p.62]

We've come to expect big things from full-priced racers and this is just a fair racing sim. [Sept 2008, p.74]

Energetic but shallow. [Nov 2009, p.88]

Fun in places, but an uneven fusion of mostly familiar ideas. [July 2009, p.68]

Quickly repetitive, but Wolverine's brutal combat makes for the best film tie-in in ages. [June 2009, p.64]

The high-speed action never takes its foot off the gas, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a reason to continue playing for long. [Dec 2007, p.85]

A decent shooter, but fails to capture the series' classic feel due to a lack of fresh ideas. [Feb 2008, p.68]

A moderately fun game which is more entertaining to watch than play. [Oct 2006, p.80]

Another pretty decent ice hockey simulation. [Christmas 2006, p.99]

Flimsy platforming and lame combat, but so funny it's hard to care. Fans will go nuts. [Christmas 2007, p.70]

BD's narrative smarts and satisfying combat are let down by terrible AI and a lack of polish. [Apr 2012, p.94]

As cheery as it's possible to be mumbling to a Radiohead song. [Oct 2007, p.84]

Value for money, then, if not out of this world. [Christmas 2011, p.111]

It's simple yet rewarding stuff. [Christmas 2009, p.90]

Same old grap, different day. Still fun, but this franchise is ageing. [Christmas 2008, p.82]

It's by no means a disaster but the tweaks have left it wobbling on its feet. [Apr 2011, p.84]

Solid, but no longer unique. [Apr 2011, p.90]

A light-hearted but patchy take on RPG free-roaming, with a personality that will suffocate or delight. [Oct 2006, p.84]

Good set pieces and decent controls, but minor flaws mean it wins a battle, not the war for PSP shooters. [May 2007, p.72]

If you've got even a passing interest in aircraft this is definitely worth a look. [Feb 2008, p.78]

Not the greatest lightgun game we've ever played, but an amusing and suitably impressive shrine to bad taste. [Jan 2012, p.103]

If its girly nature doesn't put you off, you'll have a good time. Otherwise, you'd better look elsewhere. [July 2007, p.85]

Stuffed to the point that it starts to feel like an incoherent mess. [Dec 2009, p.100]

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

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]

Laced with enough ingenuity to be worth downloading. [Jan 2008, p.79]

A refreshingly dry take on a single discipline. [Christmas 2012, p.89]

If you like the idea of sending a small man through a windscreen in to a giant dartboard, this is worth a look. [Apr 2008, p.82]

A zippy mix of combat, platforming and puzzling - enjoyable even if it is a little more punishing than we remembered. [Aug 2012, p.103]

You could do a lot worse. [June 2009, p.76]

Classic Monkey Ball, with some nice stages. Lacks depth, though, and the shoddy use of Vita's controls takes the shine off. [Christmas 2012, p.103]

There's nothing particularly special or exciting in this game. [Jan 2007, p.81]

Bouts also feel genuinely three dimensional. [Aug 2008, p.81]

A perfectly OK game, let down by monotony - but with "Syphon Filter" and "Vice City Stories" around, why bother? [Sept 2006, p.82]

Inconsistent, but the tactical play will appeal to some. [Nov 2008, p.68]

They might as well call it Dynasty Warriors 7/10 and be done with it. [June 2011, p.93]

A quality driving game disguised as child fodder. [Sept 2006, p.84]

The best bike racer you're likely to find on PS2. [Dec 2007, p.83]

Dull levels and characters, but the Lego block puzzles are as unique as ever. [July 2008, p.74]

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

Even the "fixed" PS3 version can't atone for the game's flaws. [Christmas 2008, p.86]

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

If you're looking to bolster your post-pub tracklist then you can't go wrong with this. [May 2009, p.76]

Sometimes superb to look at but always unremarkable to play, Downpour lacks the nerve to be either great or terrible. It need reinventing - fast. [May 2012, p.104]

It's a decent first stab. [Nov 2011, p.110]

Shamelessly simple, gloriously fun when it gets going, but it can be a wee bit shallow. [May 2012, p.109]

It's hard. Harder than talking Dracula into a booking a beach holiday. [Mar 2008, p.80]

Very addictive. [May 2011, p.92]

Three platformers give great value for money, and they're still playable. [May 2012, p.111]

The big problem is the price tag. [Sept 2009, p.76]

A perfect PS3 port that could have been better if only it had been a little less perfect. Strange but true. [May 2012, p.113]

A pricey, dumbed-down follow-up. [Christmas 2011, p.107]

"Quotation Forthcoming"

It's more user-friendly than the other PSP brain trainer "Mind Quiz." [Sept 2007, p.80]

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

A good looking, fun brawler with all the depth of a paddling pool. [Mar 2009, p.72]

It's free, but average. [Christmas 2011, p.110]

Let down by a lack of creative spark. [Apr 2012, p.95]

Unique combat, but lacks depth for an RPG and would benefit from bolder set pieces. [Nov 2007, p.80]

The odd mindblowing set-piece aside, Lost Planet is rarely truly exciting - just functional. [Mar 2008, p.64]

Worth a look for multiplayer. [Aug 2012, p.105]

Crap squadmate AI and a lack of advancement online. Got any other SOCOMs? Then don't bother. [Apr 2007, p.70]

It's old-fashioned, but definitely worth playing for a little bit. [May 2008, p.79]

Flawed, but if you're a fan of Warhammer, this is worth a look. [Jan 2008, p.80]

Warfighter isn't big or clever, and it's definitely not original. [Christmas 2012, p.88]

Stick to playing NBA Street Homecourt instead. [June 2007, p.83]

A sillier and simpler game than "Smackdown" but a viable alternative. [Nov 2008, p.70]

It all gets a bit dull. [Christmas 2007, p.82]

Shabby. [Jan 2008, p.66]

Fun, deceptively deep, but the 'globe' physics fail to distract from a lack of variation.

A decent game, released at completely the wrong time. [Nov 2009, p.92]

If you can survive the near-vertical difficulty curve, Mega Man 9 is an entertaining blast from the past. [Dec 2008, p.86]

Decent. [Christmas 2009, p.93]

Despite the dodgy tunes and questionable hair styles it's worth the cash for fans, if only to keep your strum skills strong until "Legends of Rock." [Oct 2007, p.85]

Derivative and clumsily presented, but not without its charms.

A quality golf sim, but "Everybody's Golf 5" takes the major this year. [Nov 2007, p.83]

Amusing in a sick kind of way, but too repetitive and unwieldy. [Aug 2009, p.74]

If you're of the mind that the Zelda series has been recycling the same ideas for far too long now then 3D Dot Game Heroes will only exacerbate your grounded frustrations. [June 2010, p.88]

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

Visually, what might have looked quite adequate on the small screen looks slightly old and tired on the bigger console. [June 2008, p.68]

About as challenging as sitting in a ball pool, but still pretty fun. [Issue#174, p.66]

There's the odd difficulty spike, too. [Apr 2011, p.90]