If you're mad for the online modes, this might be worth a look, just to add some variation. [Feb 2012, p.112]

Packs a fancy new jet that can take off vertically. [Feb 2012, p.112]

An RPG backbone adds a meaty sense of progression. [Feb 2012, p.110]

An energetic brawler with deceptive depth. [Feb 2012, p.107]

Hogwarts is the most alive environment TT ever created. [Feb 2012, p.106]

2D platforming is back. [Feb 2012, p.98]

The driving in this driving game is fast, sexy and frequently exciting. [Feb 2012, p.94]

As a remake it holds up better than any other shooter from the same era. [Feb 2012, p.90]

There's no denying the quality of these maps. The Firefight level is superb and the multiplayer levels are design classics. The only downside is the cost, which is as much as some full games.

I never expected Modern Warfare 3 to go toe-to-toe with EA's juggernaut this year, but it came out of the gates with a tour de force campaign and co-op mode. It loses points with a perhaps too-familiar multiplayer that caters to the juvenile on Xbox Live; though don't be mistaken, Modern Warfare 3 is one hell of a shooter and a highlight for a series that just won't die – no matter how much we wish it bloody would, at times.

Still good, still unbalanced like a fat bloke on a see-saw, and Remy is still a crap Guile replacement. [Dec 2011, p.111]

Tighter, playable and surprisingly deep, only the stilted visuals and ability to explain its intricacies prevent it from becoming the XBW favorite again. [Dec 2011, p.106]

This year's game plays ultra-slick. [Dec 2011, p.104]

Shows diminishing returns for the solo gamer. [Dec 2011, p.102]

Matches now have a more combative feel. [Dec 2011, p.102]

Gruelling but rewarding. [Dec 2011, p.101]

An unmissable, unbeatable offering. [Dec 2011, p.95]

The best Dragon Age expansion to date, and well worth the admission price - for a change. Plus, the end-game loot is a decent bonus.

Mind-fryingly difficult but extremely well designed score attack game. [Christmas 2011, p.101]

The best shooter ever...simply isn't. But it's still bloody brilliant fun, even if it's beyond the skills of most gamers. [Christmas 2011, p.111]

A smart mix of retro twin-stick shooter and current tech, and a glorious throwback to arcade blasters of olden times. [Christmas 2011, p.111]

Essential for nubies - not for historical purposes, but because it's still an exemplary shooter, even now. [Christmas 2011, p.109]

A lengthy campaign which stands the test of time. [Christmas 2011, p.108]

The chopper and bomber bits just end up getting in the way. [Christmas 2011, p.107]

It's another sound update but just lacking the fluidity and polish to mark it as one of the great sports sims. [Christmas 2011, p.103]

It captures you imagination like few other worlds in games. [Christmas 2011, p.100]

The best racing game on any platform and a game that works for young children, arcade racers, and the most dedicated sim enthusiasts. A masterly release. [Christmas 2011, p.98]

Predictably and brilliantly mind-blowing. In every way that matters, this really is "The Dark Knight" to Arkham Asylum's "Batman Begins." [Christmas 2011, p.92]

It is, essentially, more of the same...But even having finished the main game multiple times, we can't get enough of this world - if you're the same, just dive in. [Dec 2011]

Suffers from age-old Kinect problems, but more than makes up for it with a totally unique approach and a brilliant brand of freakiness.

It's fundamentally the same game, fourth time round at least, but it has enough new content to warrant a return to Fortune City. The best of Dead Rising.

The best Fallout DLC to date. [Nov 2011, p.112]

A little short and lighter on moral choices than we'd like, but the killer loot and smart new enemies make up for its shortcomings. [Nov 2011, p.112]

A deceptively hardcore and thigh-slappingly funny platformer with secrets and challenges galore. [Nov 2011, p.111]

A multi-directional adventure that plays almost as good as it looks. [Nov 2011, p.110]

Gorgeous on the surface but less stellar on the inside, Bastion's appeal hinges largely on its dreamy visuals and those dulcet Nattator's tones. [Nov 2011, p.108]

A crazy, constantly surprising switch of gaming styles. [Nov 2011, p.106]

Fun, imaginative and eccentric, this is a bold revival of a once moribund franchise and one of the year's bravest, most unexpectedly enjoyable games. [Nov 2011, p.104]

Massive, ambitious and thoroughly brilliant, Deus Ex Human Revolution turns out to be three different games at once, and all of them are outstanding.

Like Burnout with balls, it's a blast. [Oct 2011, p.105]

A puzzle shooter that gets better with every play. [Oct 2011, p.105]

An incredible piece of tech and an even better piece of design, From Dust is a place to lose yourself in. [Oct 2011, p.104]

Essential for committed fans, but a few curious omissions make Arcade Edition an incomplete update. [Sept 2011, p.110]

Not big, but reasonably clever, and like so much else in life, best enjoyed with friends. [Sept 2011, p.94]

Presents an insanely detailed world and a game unlike any you've played before. [Aug 2011, p.96]

They've surpassed themselves - intense, exhilarating, hugely accomplished racing. [Aug 2011, p.94]

Rez resurrected. Brilliant with or without a controller, Eden could last you a lifetime. [Aug 2011, p.92]

Technical marvel with truly unique appeal - a Dead Space without the borders or boundaries.

Consistently slick in almost every regard: animation, level design, and combat. Stylish and memorable. [July 2011, p.119]

Looks generic, but hides happy complexity. [July 2011, p.118]

A huge and stunning sequel, as witty as it is brain-bendingly challenging. [July 2011, p.98]

Unremarkable, but it's puerile charm makes it more than the sum of its (body) parts. [July 2011, p.87]

Three hours of classy content for a classy game and the franchise's best take on multiplayer yet. [June 2011, p.119]

The best fantasy looter on 360 (Sacred II included), but the lack of multiplayer hurts the package. [June 2011, p.118]

Even pros will struggle to outsmart the caddy, but every other change is for the better. [June 2011, p.99]

An arcade triumph, betrayed a little by a slim choice of modes and match types. [June 2011, p.96]

Unites casual gamers and tennis fanatics in the best game in the series. [June 2011, p.95]

A solid, thrilling but aimless racer, given firm direction thanks to the genius of Autolog.

Lacking genuine belly laughs but excess ingenuity stacks the books in this one's favour. [May 2011, p.121]

A gently challenging head-scratcher with lovely presentation and a worthwhile story to tell. [May 2011, p.121]

A technically impressive and deeply detailed fantasy adventure, but one lacking in vision. [May 2011, p.102]

Liberal sprinklings of stardust outside the ring complement solid improvements within. [May 2011, p.92]

A game for the forgiving gamer, TDU2 is a hundred hours' worth of clumsy brilliance. [May 2011, p.88]

Whether it's worth adding to your FPS library, however, depends largely on your own multiplayer desires. [May 2011, p.83]

A monster adventure at a stunner of a price. People who don't buy this shouldn't call themselves gamers.

Makes killing into an artform, and backs it with a Score Attack which was nearly great. [May 2011, p.94]

Excellent value standalone game - best played by Dead Rising fans (new and old) in co-op. [Apr 2011, p.121]

Superbly well-realised and balanced shooter that delivers a cerebral high-score challenge. [Apr 2011, p.99]

An absurdly bombastic beat-'em-up that's built for rock-hard stick-ninjas and casuals only. [Apr 2011, p.91]

There's almost too much game in there. [Feb 2011, p.121]

Some of the best DLC ever. [Feb 2011, p.119]

Always-fantastic flight physics and map design make up for the occasional duff level. [Feb 2011, p.106]

Visceral Games has managed to create a stunning single-player adventure and has made an encouraging, if imperfect, first step into the realm of multiplayer. Buy it. Fear it. Love it. Dead Space 2 is the undisputed king of action horror.

Not the most glamorous of titles, but one of the most well-rounded. [Jan 2011]

Terrific entertainment for kids the right age. [Feb 2011, p.76]

Something for everyone. [Jan 2011]

Kinect's best launch title. [Feb 2011, p.102]

A big chunk of new game and a chance to play as one of Mafia's best characters. [Jan 2011, p.113]

Riotously good value for the money. [Jan 2011, p.112]

A bold experiment in storytelling that shines all the brighter for its many imperfections. [Jan 2011, p.93]

Incredible graphics. [Jan 2011, p.82]

Very solid, if slightly unspectacular. [Jan 2011, p.81]

The first full-fat Sims experience on consoles. [Jan 2011, p.78]

The best Need for Speed in many years, and the best Burnout ever/never made. [Jan 2011, p.74]

A better game than Assassin's Creed II, albeit one with extra niggles to contend with. [Jan 2011, p.]

A furious and intense shooter that just won't let up - even when it probably should. [Issue#98, p.95]

Bland story mode meets sensational multiplayer. If you're not online, you can safely deduct 20%. [Issue#98, p.77]

Ballsier, brassier and better than anyone could have expected - including Obsidian. [Issue#98, p.82]

Needed to feel more brutal, but still a very accessible fighter made by fans of the sport. [Issue#98, p.86]

It's a stonking sports game, but even the commentary repeats lines from old version. [Issue#98, p.90]

This is hardcore fighting perfection, given a light polish. One for Fighter fans bored of SFIV. [Issue#98, p.88]

A confident and oddly fresh-feeling adventure, packed with oodles of unusual charm.

Everything you ever wanted from a music title, and so much more besides. It doesn't matter how you want to play Rock Band 3, just know that you really do need to play it.

The same great Dead Rising, issues included, with some teeny-tiny nips and tucks.

Don't expect it to last longer than a good book. [Nov 2010, p.121]

Enslaved is a rare game: a title with shades of Beyond Good & Evil great-ness set in a decimated world that's genuinely striking to explore. You'll have played better adventures before, but you'll be hard pressed to name a more captivating one.

A more arcade-like play and much better than last year. Still a distant second to FIFA, though. [Dec 2010, p.85]

Water Castlevania's roots and a rollicking adventure sprouts forth. Brilliant, bloody fun.