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

Far from a must-have. [Feb 2012, p.112]

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

There was no need to reheat this, and no need for you to suffer it. [Feb 2012, p.111]

A slick port of still-great gameplay and distinctive visuals. [Feb 2012, p.111]

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

It's a sprinkling of glitter rather than an overhaul. [Feb 2012, p.109]

We often found shooting to be off-target. [Feb 2012, p.109]

Richer than most kiddie Kinect options. [Feb 2012, p.107]

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

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

Bond's Ops are crude, overlong slogs - padding, pure and simple. [Feb 2012, p.104]

Some amazing moments, some truly abysmal. Saints Row is wildly imaginative but the lack of technical polish and the weak combat mar the creativity. [Feb 2012, p.100]

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

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

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.

A waste of time, of money and of Marketplace space, it's packs like these that give DLC a rotten name. [Dec 2011, p.112]

It would score higher if it was a quid. [Dec 2011, p.112]

The brainy who apply will find a lot to like in the conundrums. [Dec 2011, p.112]

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

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

It's an arse-ugly game to watch, but not without charm. [Dec 2011, p.]

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]

It's a game of two halves, but the good half carries the bad. [Dec 2011, p.103]

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]

It eventually becomes too much of a grind. [Dec 2011, p.101]

Niggly, thoroughly uninspired, and lacking variety, Bodycount is destined to sink without trace in 360's deep pool of generic shooters. [Dec 2011, p.100]

A wasted opportunity - frustrating to play and too ugly to love. [Dec 2011, p.98]

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

Unfairly difficult platforming lumbered with controls that aren't up to task. Fight against both for a rewarding experience, or climb back into your coffin.

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]

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

A colossal waste of cash. [Christmas 2011, p.112]

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]

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

Still manages to crawl under your skin. [Christmas 2011, p.109]

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]

Not enough depth for the purist, but on the cheap it's a simple brawler packing an enjoyable, no-nonsense punch. [Christmas 2011, p.106]

Distinctly underwhelming. [Christmas 2011, p.106]

Vision of the future, relic of the past - after such a long wait, Rage turns out to be both a triumph and a tragedy. In 2011, this just doesn't cut it. [Christmas 2011, p.104]

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]

Even for the notoriously shabby ghetto of licensed-games, X-Men Destiny represents a new low. Activision have sent this one out to die. [Christmas 2011, p.102]

A real chien of a historical slasher. Its camp appeal is offset against its tendency to crash mid-game. Sheer hell. [Christmas 2011, p.101]

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.

Moon is a clever zombie map fraught with panic and drama - something which CoDBLOPS already has in ample supply. Bluntly put, a rip-off.

Marbling madness epitomised, but Rock of Ages' rough mechanics could have done with more smoothing. Top marks for sheer oddness, nonetheless.

A mostly decent stand-off. [Nov 2011, p.113]

Functional but bland. [Nov 2011, p.112]

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

Generous blast of DLC. [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 messy, boring, button-mashing waste of time. [Nov 2011, p.111]

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]

Not perfect. But it's a welcome way to fill time between real games once the tournament kicks off Down Under. [Nov 2011, p.107]

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

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]

An enjoyable but brief rundown of the events of the film. As missable as a Decepticon attack. [Oct 2011, p.89]

As much as we love EDF's template, the sequel needed to impress more than this. [Oct 2011, p.88]

The best Cars game yet, but it fails to dazzle on the tarmac. [Oct 2011, p.88]

MLB-standard presentation can't cover up for junior league gameplay. [Oct 2011, p.85]

It's still cheaper than a month at Fitness First. [Oct 2011, p.85]

Workmanlike design scuppers rock solid shooting. Not great FEAR, but not all awful. [Oct 2011, p.81]

A pretty good recycling of a braingougingly boring gameplay template.

An inept shooter that manages to make Duke Nukem Forever look like Modern Warfare.

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]

A lightweight gimmicky kids' game made completely verboten due to messy controls. [Sept 2011, p.93]

A bit of fun, a lot of violence. Despite the cheapo presentation, we give it a nod. [Sept 2011, p.92]

Fails to make any great strides after a decade away, but for a 360 platformer, it's a wonder. [Sept 2011, p.90]

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

Tries to coast by on nostalgia, but even fans will see this as a total waste of 14 years. [Sept 2011, p.86]

A defiantly old school shooter that bleeds imagination, but feels stuck in the past. [Sept 2011, p.81]

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

Another insultingly uninspired stab at fooling fans of the comics and the movie. [Aug 2011, p.100]

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

A dull, zero budget hack-'n'-slasher with a mad plot and easy Achievements. [Aug 2011, p.95]