Distinctly underwhelming. [Christmas 2011, p.106]

It'll be big in Japan; over here, not so much. [Christmas 2008, p.94]

Adds very little to the already flawed and tepid Exit. If you didn't buy that, you won't want this. [May 2009, p.105]

Certainly faithful to the fiction but inferior to the last game in almost every single way.

Decent but hackneyed hack-and-slashery, and still a way off feeling comfortable on Xbox.

Everything it does ha been done better many times before - and not least by its own decade-old predecessor. [May 2010, p.94]

Sixteen years on and it's not so fast, or smooth, or fun. The controls are stiffer than cold porridge and the new HD graphics are no improvement. [Sept 2007, p.96]

Too much plot, not enough variety and not nearly enough action. Shame.

Decent, but no especially visually appealing [May 2009, p.105]

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]

Contains a few neat innovations, but it's too clumsy to let you really enjoy them. [June 2009, p.76]

Black Box have taken little in the way of risks but it's not faultless - the streets can feel quite empty (depending on race type) and the framerate can get a bit juddery. But you can't say that EA hasn't given us what we asked for.

This latest entry offers plenty for fans, but makes no concessions to anyone else. [Feb 2009, p.80]

If anything, the fighting is more frustrating than ever. [Dec 2011, p.111]

The front-end, sporting an excruciatingly bargain-basement 'extreme sports' vibe, sums Nail'd up quite beautifully.

EA have created the football equivalent of "NBA Street" - and it's great. [Apr 2008, p.82]

Terrific, original action-RPG that shines despite its ugliness. We're as surprised as you are. [Aug 2010, p.96]

Almost unique gaming for the 360, but the one-note gameplay soon becomes routine. [Aug 2010, p.90]

A gimmick in need of a game. [May 2008, p.97]

A curio piece lacking enough quality games to justify the price tag. [July 2009, p.83]

Great music, but this is prime DLC material and definitely not worth 30 quid. [Mar 2009, p.82]

Tedious, restrictive puzzler which happens to be beautiful and made by Darth Vader's dad. [Christmas 2009, p.120]

A game done better many times before with gags so weak even unfunny art man Strike would scowl. [Apr 2010, p.121]

Spidey 3 certainly has its problems in abundance, but they're far outweighed by its wealth of content. [July 2007, p.86]

Average even on release. If you have "SF2 Turbo," you don't need this. [Dec 2007, p.96]

A big disappointment. [Christmas 2011, p.113]

It won't scare you, but Jericho is an enjoyably slick and bloody shoot-'em-up. [Dec 2007, p.75]

A tedious top-down racer priced at three times its worth. Disappointing stuff from the N+ boys. [June 2010, p.121]

Okay, so it's a kid's game, but some element of challenge would have been nice. [July 2009, p.89]

A by-the-numbers sequel elevated to almost-play status by its terrific multiplayer. [Nov 2010, p.97]

A strategy game that succeeds at what it's tried to do, even if it isn't that clever. [Christmas 2007, p.84]

A bit hamstrung by its need to tease. [Aug 2011, p.101]

Who needs more than one Kinect dance game? Answer: not us, and not you. [Jan 2011]

Get Street Fighter IV first. If you love that but want a change, get this. Cheap. [Oct 2009, p.91]

"Moto GP" is the place to be. [Sept 2008, p.87]

Its well made and has some clever ideas...but still a very average shooter. [Christmas 2008, p.82]

The 'evolved' modern mode is duff, but classic Missile Command has still got it. [Aug 2007, p.92]

Some board games translate well. This doesn't. [Aug 2008, p.99]

"Daley's Decathalon" on the Spectrum was bigger and better, but it was a rip off of the original. Know your roots. [Nov 2007, p.96]

A hard one to mark if you're a Jackson fan. [July 2011, p.96]

The garish look is off-putting, but this sure plays a mean 8-ball. [Oct 2009, p.103]

A good, but flawed game. [June 2009, p.84]

By yanking the dragon's latest into adolescence, both kids and adults will be disappointed. [Jan 2009, p.75]

Mediocre - not through technical incompetence but simply an absence of enthusiasm. [Sept 2009, p.88]

Occasionally innovative, but not nearly hard or fast enough for the game's dedicated fanbase. [Mar 2009, p.95]

No more than a tech demo for the next game - "Smackdown 2009" preview code is twice the game this is. [Dec 2008, p.90]

A blast from the past that should have stayed unblasted. Play the free version if you must. [Nov 2007, p.94]

Surprisingly compelling fare. [Feb 2010, p.90]

A well-made revival of a rotten formula, Bionic Commando is better in your head than on your screen. [Apr 2011, p.121]

Tornadoes suck, blow, annoy and upset. Tornado Outbreak nails all of that. [Jan 2010, p.74]

Grab a shovel. [Feb 2010, p.91]

Balls indeed. [Christmas 2009, p.89]

Were it not for the technical faults Blacksite would be a just-about-half-decent FPS, albeit one with an identity crisis. The graphics aren't all that bad, but you can never really see them because of the staggeringly arse-flavoured frame rate.

Not outrageous enough to mark itself out as a must-have arcade WWII flight game. [Dec 2009, p.82]

They stopped making Shrek games. And we all lived happily ever after. The end. [Oct 2010, p.98]

Unleash this on an unsuspecting child and social services could very well come knocking. [Feb 2009, p.81]

The actual racing is sluggish and generally skill-free, but the mini games are top fun. [Sept 2007, p.96]

You'll learn plenty, and it's nicely put together - but it's a wildlife quiz that costs 40 POUNDS. [Sept 2010, p.105]

Technically messy but definitely likeable. It's fun, satisfying, and silly schlock-horror.

A solid and well-implemented offering, but also shallow and lacking in variety. [Jan 2011, p.85]

A deluxe compendium of cliche, worth a tenner to be fans of the film. [Jan 2010, p.90]

Lack of imagination and repetitive combat send this hurtling into Mount Doom. [Feb 2012, p.96]

Shaun White's foray into defrosted gameplay is silly, lacking depth, but frequently fun. [Issue#98, p.69]

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

Comfortable in its saggy skin, and really quite good at what it does. A bargain bin gem. [July 2010, p.94]

A total non-event throughout. [Jan 2011, p.80]

When you make Michael "Bayhem" look smart, something's gone very wrong. [Oct 2009, p.94]

A whole lot of average. [Feb 2011, p.105]

Weak action, poorly executed characters, and an odd plot. [Feb 2010, p.92]

A brave concept fails to disguise a lame racer not worthy of sniffing "F-Zero"'s fumes. [Oct 2007, p.84]

Tepid platforming action. [June 2010, p.88]

Fantasy co-op for the desperately bored. Tip: never compare your game to Gears... [Sept 2011, p.88]

The worst RPG on 360 by a wide margin. [Christmas 2009, p.99]

A questionable franchise makes for an awkward game. It's not terrible, just utterly miserable. [Issue#98, p.105]

A fun-packed playable cartoon. [Jan 2009, p.74]

Best wait for "Stoked" instead. [Jan 2009, p.79]

A competent knock-off of Arkham Asylum which stands head and shoulders above Sega's other Marvel tie-ins. [Nov 2011, p.107]

Not beefy enough to warrant the fat cash. [June 2009, p.96]

A refreshing change from the norm for the Xbox 360, but it's no LittleBigPlanet. [Feb 2011, p.106]

A slightly smaller game would have been preferable to one padded out with Werehog.

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

Dry, charmless rundown of the Olympic events with a direction-less single-player. [Aug 2008, p.49]

Faint praise = damned. [July 2011, p.97]

Simply, one of the most fun games on 360. Defy those who say it won't sell! [Aug 2007, p.74]

Identikit levels and a dumb premise make for one average Spidey game. [Christmas 2007, p.72]

It's rubbish. Of course it's rubbish - it's a game where you bang one button, forever. [Oct 2009, p.103]

"DMC4" kicks DW's face off all night long. [May 2008, p.88]

A piss-poor port. [Feb 2011, p.121]

Workman-like, forgettable shooter with a poor story and no multiplayer.

We'd be happier with a full rebuild of the original game. [Christmas 2011, p.110]

Incredi-potential half realised and half squandered. The makings of a future Must Have are there.

As it is, buying this overly, overly, overly familiar reprise would be akin to sticking two fingers up to every decent developer out there, then murdering their pets. Please Koei, no more. Please.

An enjoyable run through the film's events, but it's barely a game in places. [May 2008, p.89]

As painfully endless and mind-numbing as ever, but it does at least try to add something new. [Apr 2010, p.96]

A pretty good recycling of a braingougingly boring gameplay template.

An unplayable mess lacking all the polish we expect from EA. Stay well clear. [Oct 2007, p.85]

An acquired taste, and horribly aged, but the ultra camp bloodletting isn't especially poor. [Issue#98, p99]

Innovative, pretty, interesting at first glance... but ultimately: boring, boring, boring. [Oct 2007, p.96]