Despite being a kids game, F1 Race Stars uses its license to the bone. Cars are properly branded and colored with the right sponsors and every driver of the 2012 season showed up, plus four imaginary drivers, including three women. [January 2013, p.74]

You'll have to think every step through, something we gladly encourage, but it makes the game also boring sometimes. Those who own a copy of Golden Abyss get extra cards if they collected enough treasures, which we think is a bit unfair. [January 2013, p.95]

Orgarhythm mix of strategy and rhythm-based gameplay is very reminiscent of that of Patapon. Using the touch controls you command your troops to the sound of some wicked, hypnotic beats. Too bad the game becomes a bit bland real fast.[February 2013, p.90]

In this very challenging twin-stick shooter levels are randomly generated, meaning you'll never be served the same stuff twice. It looks tight and has controls to match its look, but could have benefited from a bit more variation. [February 2013, p.91]

Aliens: Colonial Marines may not be what it should have been, but maybe you can still get some fun out of this 1991 Amiga-classic. Not that Alien Breed has anything to do with the Alien films or franchise. [March 2013, p.88]

The cutscenes consist of 2D-animations, a sign that Ninja Theory didn't put everything they had into this DLC. But to be fair: playing with Vergil feels like a completely new experience. [April 2013, p.88]

When Code Veronica was released on the Dreamcast in 2000, it was an amazing game. Today it feels outdated, especially after the changes Resident Evil 4 brought to the series. [Nov 2011, p.97]

The exercises offer a lot of variety, but sometimes they are too alike. Jumping away from a ball or catching it for example may seem different, but boils down to the same thing. The exercises are also very intense for people who aren't used to working out regularly. [December 2011, p.87]

Zombies. Twin-stick shooters. Shooting. That's a good description of the gameplay you can expect in this slaughter fest. Not a bad game, but if you want to kill off zombies, you are better off with the comparable, but much better Dead Nation. [December 2011, p.100]

Two shoulder buttons to tilt the screen left and right are all you need to play Puddle. It looks neat, but Puddle is a little bit too much like a really hard alchemy exam. Too much trial and error for our taste. [March 2012, p.98]

The more you explore Silent Hill, the more it becomes clear that Vatra, despite its good intentions, simply lacks the necessary talent. The fighting system, for example, sucks monkey balls. In previous games you could opt to run, but Downpour forces you to a confrontation. [April 2012, p.99]

Anyone who has already played this tower defense game on the iPad will agree that it's one the most addicting downloadable games ever. The setup is simple: protect your home from vast hordes of zombies using all different kinds of veggies, plants and weeds plucked straight from your garden. [April 2012, p.101]

The meter onscreen tells us that our car is a tiny bump away from the scrapheap, but it still drives like it just rolled out of the factory. A serious handicap in a game where carnage and damage is almost everything. [June 2012, p.88]

Every time we solved a puzzle we found ourselves in a totally different locale. Behind the wheel of a car, on a barren surface of ice or right in the middle of an ongoing war. Are they memories? Fantasies? Or is the forest a dream world? And who is that guy with the shotgun?. [June 2012, p.104]

Yet another SNK classic which has found its way to the Minis collection. A typical beat'em up straight from the eighties starring a certain Jackie who looks an awful lot like a certain other famous Jackie. A short game for a small price tag. [September 2012, p.87]

The downside of this more deliberate pacing is that the lack of variation. Every mission goes as follows: take out a few guys or sneak past them if there are too many, get to a high vantage point, rain death from above. Not the worst design in the world, but pretty predictable. [April 2013, p.86]

Anyone remember Marc Ecko's Getting Up or the ridiculous dance game B-Boy? Sideway: New York shares the same urban lifestyle-roots, and combines it with fairly original platforming action. [Nov 2011, p.98]

Although you kill loads of evil penguins along the way, the gameplay is mainly centered around rather basic environment puzzles that get boring quite quickly. [Nov 2011, p.98]

The basics of Choplifter haven't changed one bit since its debut in 1982. You still control a helicopter on a 2D plane, rescuing people. Unfortunately you don't always feel in control of the chopper you're flying, which can lead to some unnecessary deaths. [February 2012, p.100]

Sometimes the touch controls work magnificently, like in a game of Wac-A-Mole. At other times, though, they drive you crazy because the creators tried to cram every single feature the Vita has to offer into their collection of minigames. [March 2012, p.52]

Birds of Steel might be a little dull, but developer Gaijin Entertainment does deliver on the technical side of the game. Not that we are experienced pilots, but the rumbling engines sound believable and the cockpit view is incredibly immersive. [April 2012, p.80]

Even though Tecmo Koei didn't make any technical sacrifices compared to previous outings in the series, they shun any form of innovation. The result is a very traditional hack & slash game in which the touch controls are only used in annoying mini games. [April 2012, p.100]

Episode II is certainly not a bad game, just a little bit uninspired. It also doesn't help that Team Sonic consistently breaks up the (fast) pacing of the game, resulting in quite some frustration. Less frustrating and even fun are the bonus levels who look like they've been hauled over from Sonic 2.[July 2012, p.92]

As much as the developer values Spider-Man as a superhero, they seem to be an even bigger fan of a certain billionaire by day/vigilante at night called the Batman. It would certainly explain why this game is an almost exact copy of Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. [September 2012, p.78]

Believe it or not, but Tony Hawk used to be hip. Recent failures in the franchise have forced the king of skating to step down, so Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD takes you down memory lane to seven stages from a better time. [September 2012, p.86]

The weapon selection is varied, but only has a few standouts, like an explosive catapult or an tranquilizing boomerang. Most of the rifles seem to have been lifted straight from some generic shooter and feel a bit soulless. [March 2012, p.102]

Every once in a while Danger Close breaks the endless mould of duck & cover gameplay by letting you mark a building for an air strike, chase down an informant or provide sniper support. But even these sequences repeat themselves multiple times throughout the game. [December 2012, p.68]

Anyone who has watched more than one episode of Naruto, Bleach or any of the Dragon Balls, knows that the pre-fight exposition/tea party can drag on for quite a while. So prepare to sit through some pretty lengthy and non-interactive cutscenes. [April 2013, p.84]

The biggest strength of The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is its atypical, riveting story and the adult themes and settings it explores. Dark dungeons and maimed corpses accentuate the mental decay of the once great detective. [November 2012, p.72]

In a lot of the minigames a second player can use the regular controller to hinder the main player in various ways. It's a nice way to keep everyone entertained, but actually it is a lot more fun to shove or distract your friends in real life to get them to fail. [December 2011, p.86]

Sexy Kitten Yamgasm has you spinning a ball of yarn (Katamari-style!) through town leaving a trail of destruction. Sad Panda Skyblazing has you floating through the air chasing mascots with a chainsaw. Just a regular day in Steelport. [March 2012, p.98]

Wrecked: Revenge Revisited is the spiritual successor of Mashed, a top down racer for the PS2 and a source of loads of fun back in the day at OPM. Even today the frantic gameplay still amuses, especially if you bring a few friends along for the ride. [May 2012, p.86]

Every overly patriotic football fan - is there any other kind? - dreams about winning the European cup with his own country. In Euro 2012 that dream begins in the finals, since the qualifying rounds have been mysteriously forgotten. [June 2012, p.102]

One thing that won't drive you crazy any more is your flash light. In the original Doom 3 you had to choose. Do you want to shoot your gun? Or do you want to see where you are shooting. Sure, it added to the suspense, but in terms of gameplay it wasn't very practical. [December 2012, p.85]

The brighter ones among you probably know that Angry Birds was already released once as a PlayStation Mini, but that Mini was just a subpar port of the smartphone version. This time around Rovio did its best when it comes to graphics. [December 2012, p.89]

A third person shooter that appeared what seems a lifetime ago on the XBOX 360 and is now available on Sony's hand-held console. The shooting gets boring fast and the graphics are a little bit sickening. [February 2013, p.90]

This remake of the 1984 Karateka game revolves around a simple concept: block an enemy's karate chop and dish out some of your own. Looks fun and is fun, but also way too simple. Bummer. [March 2013, p.88]

Every episode Connor gains a new power and the first one you'll get your hands on is the power of the wolf. With this power Connor can become invisible or summon a pack of wolves. This means that you will be doing a lot of eavesdropping missions, which are not very entertaining. [March 2013, p.92]

Of Orcs and Men is all about two greenskins whose mission it is to kill the human emperor to free the Orcs of slavery. An interesting set-up, considering these two greenskins are no sissies. The dynamic between them reminded us of Kane & Lynch. [December 2012, p.81]

Killzone only started turning heads when part two came around, so it's no surprise that the eight year old part one is no more than an interesting history lesson coated with HD smudges of paint, rather than a must have for shooter fans. [December 2012, p.92]

Because new weapons are found instead of bought, every bolt you collect is used for upgrading your base with turrets, shields and mines. Despite all that carnage, it is still necessary to jump into the fray yourself most of the time. [January 2013, p.78]

Operation Raccoon City is an endless chain of bland and repetitive shootouts filled to the brink with zombies who are nothing more than lambs to the slaughter. Rooms seem to be randomly filled corpses, Lickers and commandos, all too dumb to even tie their own shoes. [April 2012, p.72]

Destroying stuff is the key element here. Unfortunately it isn't always clear if that one concrete pillar will break or bend. The destructible buildings are indicated with big, inviting signs, but only when you're boosting. [May 2012, p.76]

Perhaps the biggest flaw is the lack of a sense of speed. You know there has to be something wrong when you're asking yourself whether the car is moving forward or the road and its surroundings are moving backwards. [September 2012, p.76]

Still, Book of Memories is not a bad game. There are elements of Catherine, Persona and even the classic Gauntlet to be found. Just don't except a riveting horror experience, because that is not what Book of Memories is or tries to be. [December 2012, p.77]

The idea of having two synchronous time periods that influence each other is a good one, but there are too many shortcomings that make Edge of Time a frustrating experience. The story is told in a confusing way, the graphics are bland and so is the overall action. [Nov 2011, p.68]

Remember how you got shot in the head at the beginning of New Vegas? Well, that bullet was actually meant for the courier Ulysses. Sounds good, but it actually isn't. [Nov 2011, p.97]

After you finish the game – which you can do in about four hours – you can replay the special sections with Bobby, Haddock and all kinds of vehicles in the Challenge mode. But there is more fun to be had in the Haddock mode, which drops you in a dreamlike world. [December 2011, p.98]

It takes some time getting used to all the different sports, but once you've mastered them, winning becomes incredibly easy. The first time you set a new world record is thrilling, the third time in the same discipline, not so much. [July 2012, p.84]

Lemmings is the big stinker in this collection. This puzzle classic will always be a good game in its own right, but trying to control the suicidal Lemmings with a PlayStation Move actually makes you want to kill yourself out of pure and utter frustration. [December 2011, p.87]

We would like to write that Sumo Digital has successfully transferred the PS3 version to the Vita, but alas, a whole list of shortcomings prevents us from doing so. The broken AI and broken controls ensure that you'll never cross the finish line in one piece. [April 2012, p.100]

An exceptionally colourful platformer in which you control a groovy dead rabbit. The game often surprises you with its visual style and funny cut scenes, but drops the ball here and there when it comes to precise controls and navigation. [November 2012, p.93]

This feels like an educational game because the main theme is all about saving nature. You play as two clouds that have to clean up the polluted Okabu-world. The art design is quite attractive, but the puzzles that you need to solve are too simple to be interesting. [December 2011, p.101]

Yet another twin-stick shooter involving brainless, brain-eating monstrosities. All Zombies Must Die tries to change things up a bit by throwing in RPG-elements en co-op, which unfortunately you can only play locally. [February 2012, p.100]

Judging by how bizarre some of the fighters are (like a Polish punk rocker who also happens to be a dentist) we're guessing that the guys over at Novarama are definitely on some kind of drug. Which would also explain why the actual fighting is so crappy. [March 2012, p.55]

Pretty funny and even entertaining at first. Unfortunately it also gets boring pretty fast. Army Corps of Hell lacks variation by recycling the same environments over and over again and lacks a certain tactical depth you'd come to expect from an RTS. [March 2012, p.65]

After finishing Binary Domain we remember its great setting and atmosphere, but that's only because the overall story is the only thing worth remembering. No matter how exciting the setting may be, the characters populating it have the psychological depth of a goldfish. [March 2012, p.84]

In its many trailers Sumioni: Demon Arts promised to make perfect use of the PlayStation Vita's unique capabilities and it actually does just that. Unfortunately the game is a bit of a one trick pony and turns into a grind pretty quickly. [May 2012, p.87]

Crush zombies under your wheels, customize your vehicles with knives and kill some more of the undead. This game wants to be a tribute to the pc-classic, but forgets a few things. Like humor. [Nov 2011, p.98]

There's no active dodging and opponents move like they're from a 90`s PC game. An absolute low point was when we were given control over an archer who slowly fired his arrows at his targets, his animation unhindered by the brutes who were slicing him to pieces with their giant axes. [July 2012, p.80]

With the Gravlink - an alien, but poorly designed technology that Russ carries around on his back - you can pick up objects and throw them or lift enemies out of cover. Unfortunately the controls are so imprecise it takes ages before you get the right object to levitate. [July 2012, p.86]

After thirty hours you're still discovering new islands in the enormous ocean surrounding Fenith Island. You're still trying to manage your plantations more efficiently or be a better cook. There are no tutorials, which means that you'll spend a lot of time wondering what you're supposed to do. [July 2012, p.88]

After the dozens of cooking shows on television, it seems that even our PS3 won't escape the hype. Order Up serves us a Wii port and yes, it doesn't look very tasty. Just like with the Wii version you have to prepare ingredients and run your kitchen like a true Gordon Ramsey albeit with less cursing. [July 2012, p.92]

You can build a house. And put stuff in it. That's about it. [April 2013, p.88]

Saying Burning Skies is a bit too linear for its own good would be a little bit unfair since the FPS genre has become synonymous with heavily scripted and action packed events. But that's exactly what is missing in Burning Skies: the action. [June 2012, p.84]

About the only thing done right in WRC 3 is the staggering amount of properly licensed content, ranging from the tracks and locales to the cars and their drivers. Unfortunately there is no compelling gameplay to accompany all of this. [December 2012, p.78]

Like in the previous Eyepet-games you never really get the feeling that you are actually petting the animals. Yes, the animal reacts to the Move, but the interaction is very limited. It's fun to toy around with the technology for a while, but after that it gets boring. [December 2011, p.89]

As expected, Shinobido 2 is no return to developer Acquire's former glory. A lot of gamers will be bothered by the unfinished look and feel of the game. Sometimes you even wonder if the developers remembered to program the AI. [March 2012, p.64]

Besides the lack of tension or even jump scares, the abominable quality of the game's graphics and animations is another one of Colonial Marines' biggest flaws. The aliens stumble towards you, looking like the local town drunk who just stole an Alien mask. [March 2013, p.78]

It is nearly impossible not to compare Wheels of Destruction with Twisted Metal. Visually it all looks great, but once you get playing, you're immediately confronted with frustrating controls that will make you want to drive your car into a wall. [May 2012, p.87]

With a game title this weird, you definitely need a crazy story to match it. You're Doc Clock, an inventor who turned his cat into a plant and sent his time machine to the future, instead of the past. A future filled with clumsy platforming. [June 2012, p.99]

Dungeon Hunter: Alliance does nothing similar games didn't already do ten years ago and stubbornly refuses to make use of the unique capabilities of the PlayStation Vita. There are no voice-overs, there is no visual flair whatsoever and there is very little strategy to be found. [March 2012, p.65]

This PSN sequel to the violently bad 2010 Naught Bear game is just as bad as its predecessor. The only improvement made is that it costs less, meaning you won't get screwed over so badly. But still pretty bad. [November 2012, p.93]

The biggest problem is the god awful graphics. Even the Bond logo on the background of the menu looks like it was imported directly from a PlayStation 1 game. And that's just the menu screen, the actual game doesn't look much better. [December 2012, p.88]

Jurassic Park: The Game is best described as a low-budget Heavy Rain knock-off filled to the brink with quick time events. But where the buttons you had to press in Heavy Rain made more or less sense, they are completely random in Jurassic Park: The Game. [February 2012, p.104]

No matter how hard you slam your car into a concrete wall, you will never lose control over it (no matter how fast you are going). You don't even feel any difference between cars. You just have to floor it, boost it and drift it. [March 2012, p.65]

Once in a while you get a break from the shooter action in the form of a sea battle. With a single press on the L2 button you can command the human fleet towards the alien invaders. Unfortunately the strategy is about as shallow as the obligatory weather chat at the baker's. [June 2012, p.97]

In 1982 Peter Pepper baked his first burger in BurgerTime and his cooking hasn't changed much since. This is still a simple platformer in which you have to pick up ingredients to make a delicious burger. Too bad that the transition to 3D made us feel a little sick to our stomachs. [May 2012, p.86]

In Babel Rising you have to prevent hard working labourers from building the titular tower by conjuring wind and raining fire down on them. Fun and entertaining for a while, but also very monotonous. [July 2012, p.93]

We love our PS3, but we love virtual board games as well. That is if they are any good at all, which the butt ugly Dungeon Twister unfortunately is not. Tutorials which seem to have no end and a lack of any form of offline multiplayer spoil the fun for everyone. [October 2012, p.78]

Whether you believe God(s) or not, you have always wanted to be one. Wouldn't it be great to invent strange creatures all day and decide which ones can live and which ones can't. Too bad it takes about just as long to create something in this game as it does in real life. Unless you pay up. [November 2012, p.92]

Without spoiling too much, you could say that apparently Dead Space 3 didn't really end, because this Awakened-DLC could be considered to be an epilogue to the whole mess. Unfortunately, it is way too short and contains recycled content. [April 2013, p.89]

Despite a familiar control scheme, movement is very "floaty" and will get you seasick within seconds. The best tactic to counter these controls is to find a nice hiding spot, step sideways out of cover and shoot and shoot and shoot. And shoot. [January 2013, p.97]

Another videogame based on a popular motion picture, another bad review score. Even though it has no shortage of bullets, The Expendables 2: The Videogame fails to hit the bulls-eye. This 4 player co-op shooter is no action hero.[October 2012, p.79]

Based on the movie. In 2020 boxing is no longer practiced by humans. Matches are fought by huge robots controlled by humans outside of the ring. You build your own robot and gradually unlock more parts. It's a shame that the fighting system sucks. [January 2012, p.84]

We're pretty sure the guys over at Gaijin Entertainment mean well. They have genuinely tried to improve the mediocre X-Blades, but that game didn't exactly raise the bar for the genre. This time Ayumi (now with more clothes on) travels to - wait for it - Dragonland. [May 2012, p.85]

Unfortunately for Back To The Multiverse, success is not always inherited. Whereas Family Guy consistently delivers quality (except for a few hiccups here and there), the game starts exploring the deepest regions of abysmal pretty fast. [January 2013, p.82]

Voltron is an anime series from the eighties in which a team of fighters controls tiger-shaped (we 're not making this up) vehicles that can combine with each other to form a huge robot. The sad news? We've waited 20 years for this and the result is rubbish. [January 2012, p.85]

It's not just the ball that will be rolling when you're playing Chronovolt, your eyes will be clocking in overtime too. It might be free if you're subscribed to PlayStation Plus, but you won't be doing yourself any favours by downloading it. It's boring. It's got a ton of bugs. It sucks balls. [January 2013, p.94]

After surprisingly decent superhero games like X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, it's a major disappointment that Silicon Knights can't do better than this rubbish. We're amazed that Marvel and Activision let this one through. [Nov 2011, p.37]

Besides the graphics, which look like they are from the early 2000's, and the horrible voice work (both Javier and his buddy Carlos sound like they were born and raised in Buckinghamshire), the compass and map marking system barely work and collision detection simply doesn't exist. [September 2012, p.82]

We don't want to offend the longtime fans of the series, but we honestly can't understand why anybody would want to play an archaic RPG like Wizardry when there are fantastic games like Skyrim around. Being nostalgic is one thing, being ignorant another. [January 2012, p.85]

Instead of focusing on Ridge Racer's strengths, Namco Bandai decided to try out a bizarre new business model. The game ships with just a measly five cars and three tracks. Yes, you read those numbers correctly. [March 2012, p.64]

If you're a fan of the television show, you might feel an irresistible urge to buy the official game. Especially since the voice acting, music and motion capturing are all wonderfully executed. Unfortunately those are the only things this buggy platformer does right. [July 2012, p.93]

With the exception of a few scary moments Amy is anything but frightening. The puzzles are uninspired, the controls awkward, the voice acting horrible and the checkpoint system is one the worst we've ever encountered. [February 2012, p.100]