Bioshock leaves you to figure things out for yourself. It's a gruelling game of resource management, and as the ammunition dries up, you end up having to improvise. And more often than not, Bioshock will reward you heavily for thinking outside the box.

Five of the very best games you will ever, ever play - all in a forty quid box. [Christmas 2007, p.64]

Mass Effect 2 may not have quite the depth and consequences of Dragon Age - although it's impossible to tell, as both games contain so many variables - but it's the more polished and confident of the two. It is arguably the best RPG of recent years, and as a standalone game, a sequel, and a lead-in to the final part of the trilogy, it's an unqualified success.

Everything that we loved about GTA IV but with its own voice. A gaming goldmine. [Aug 2010, p.81]

A huge and stunning sequel, as witty as it is brain-bendingly challenging. [July 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's smoke and mirrors and a host of cheap tricks...but it's wonderful. [Jan 2008, p.56]

Halo was remarkable in the ambition and innovation that made it so fresh, but the mighty number three doesn't have quite that same freshness - instead, it has a reassuring maturity to it, crafted as it is by a team who have learned from every mistake they've made and every word of feedback the community has offered over the years. Halo 3 is the best Halo has ever been, and you won't find a greater accolade than that.

Doesn't change the record but pumps up the volume. The last essential FPS of the decade. [Jan 2010, p.64]

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

Amazing ideas, achievement, logic, pride, beauty, and a game so good it makes every other Xbox World five-star game look a little silly. In a world without Mario and Valve and the Bethesda hit factory Braid is indeed the best game ever made; in this world, it's among the best games of the generation, and is unquestionably and immediately the best game ever to have been released on Xbox Live Arcade.

For scrubs, for masters, for everyone: SFIV is the best beat-'em-up you'll play. [Apr 2009, p.72]

In almost all respects, Fallout 3 is a staggering, genre-defining achievement - marrying an utterly immersive world, memorable characters, incredible production values, some of the most inspired RPG mechanics ever devised and so much heart. It might not steamroll the epic "Oblivion" in the manner we all hoped, but maybe that was simply asking too much. Instead, Fallout 3 stands as the perfect companion piece - a near unparalleled RPG that stands so far ahead of the majority of the games on 360 that it would be a crime against gaming not to laud this title as anything other than a masterpiece.

Gears does what it does flawlessly. It's not the best shooter ever, but it's definitely the best Gears. [Christmas 2008, p.50]

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.

There's plenty of diversity here, but not so much in the songs. If you like heavy rock, you're well catered for. Otherwise you won't recognise half the tracks.

The best bits will match any adrenaline high a game's ever given you. [Mar 2008, p.62]

Not just for car nerds now, it's a huge game where every element works. [Christmas 2009, p.68]

A massively impressive licensed game. Without a license holding it all together Arkham Asylum would have been a stunning game with striking features. That it's all wrapped up in Batman's world makes the experience so much more appealing, and it works both as an extension of lore for Batman enthusiasts and an entry point for those less familiar with the DC universe. [Oct 2009, p.84]

HG's victory is an academic one. [Jan 2009, p.81]

It's consistent, it's measurable, and it's the best fighting game ever - but now even more awesome.

A so-so campaign isn't the send-off that Halo deserved. Incredible online options are. [Dec 2010, p.71]

Never before has storytelling been so competently ingrained into a videogame, and never before has a player had so much freedom to dictate the course of a linear storyline. Mass Effect isn't the laser-spewing monolith of a game we expected it to be, but it is far, far, far from a disappointment. [Christmas 2007, p.56]

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]

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

A sandbox with unparalleled scale, this comes close to even topping GTA IV. [Jan 2010, p.80]

The first hack-'n'-slash game which genuinely belongs to this gen, Bayonetta also sets a new standard. [Jan 2010, p.94]

The best value DLC your MS points can buy an a new benchmark for additional content. Own it. [May 2009, p.98]