Not as smart as Defence Grid but more fun, this is brains, brawn and great big balls for ten pounds. [June 2010, p.121]

Revolutionary battle and overworld systems held back by repetitive dungeons and toughness. [May 2010, p.74]

Several hours of unforgettable oddness. This is no Hollywood blockbuster, but we like it for that. [Aug 2010, p.120]

Undisputedly dazzling - but there's an overly familiar vibe. Deserved to be better than this. [Sept 2010, p.94]

Needlessly goofy presentation hurts a game which works well with friends and on a controller. [Sept 2010, p.121]

To fans? The biggest Potter playground they've ever seen. To everyone else? A riot. [Sept 2010, p.103]

A decent shooter with smart time powers and enough atmos to hook you for the duration. [Oct 2010, p.101]

A masterful blend of genres, but with many ideas of its own. Worth the low, low asking price. [Oct 2010, p.120]

Not what you wanted but better than you'd hoped. [Nov 2010, p.118]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Something for everyone. [Jan 2011]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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]

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]

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

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]

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.

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

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

The single and multiplayer demos are both great examples of what this game can achieve when it gets things right. Sadly, they don't prepare you for the immensely frustrating, teeth-grinding periods of shooting-by-numbers and dreadful platforming that spoil an otherwise great idea.

Even the most hardened Brothers In Arms fanboys out there will more than likely get the feeling that this belated entry should have strived for so much more than this.

If Oblivion is the equivalent of a month-long trek across the Serengeti, then Sonata's like being chauffer-driven through Tuscany on a Sunday afternoon.

If you want a game to show off your HDTV and impress your mates go and buy Gears. But if you want a sports game that's deep, rewarding and absorbing then World Snooker Championship 2007 sinks the pink.

A disappointing 24/7 mode and huge repetition betray superb new mechanics. [Christmas 2007, p.70]

Lacks the sheen of "FIFA 08," but plays it off the park. A good placebo for "PES." [June 2008, p.76]

The best new fighting engine around, with a very sparse game wrapped round it.

Not totally slick but crammed full of ideas, and the best Western we've played. [Sept 2009, p.82]

A challenging city builder. Shame it doesn't like you ruling with an iron fist. [Jan 2010, p.87]

The gamiest music game to date by some distance, it'll probably put the 'casuals' off.

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

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

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

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

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

A pleasant surprise and a pretty good introduction to the show. [Christmas 2007, p.80]

But for all the glee of the slaughter, Viking is a game butting its head against the limits of its genre. There isn't great variety in the tasks or the bosses you face and a few more genuinely off-story quests would be nice.

A slick and well-presented game that entertains without alienating hardcore bikers. [Christmas 2008, p.77]

Not the best on 360, but certainly not the worst. [Dec 2009, p.80]

One step forward, two steps back. Konami have shot for realism, but sacrificed the fun.

Eventually great and undeniably epic, but it looks terrible and takes too long to begin. [Jan 2010, p.88]

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

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

As blotchy as it is, it still remains as pure an arcade sports title as you can hope to find.

A massive RPG, which could break the will of all but the most dedicated of fans.

Insanely linear and frustrating, but it absolutely nails the movie experience.

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

In some levels the single player experience feels butchered. So much so, we occasionally found ourselves switching on a second pad, moving the other character into position and then dropping out afterwards.

There are too many classics here to pass up. [May 2009, p.78]

A step-forward for the series. [Christmas 2009, p.78]

More of the same, but with far less reason to exist. A bit like the last movie, really.

Good stuff, but you may well prefer the 2K alternative just across the page. [Christmas 2009, p.91]

A terrific off-road experience in some areas. Shame it feels weak in others. [Apr 2010, p.101]

As fan service this is top notch. It's only as a game that it leaves something to be desired.

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

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

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

The Force Unleashed is more of a highly impressive tech demo with a great narrative tagged on, with any actual game present inserted only as an afterthought.

Bonkers beyond belief, it's not the best in the series, but it's certainly good enough. [Apr 2008, p.74]

Not the best Tekken, but the biggest. Still daft, still fun, still second rate.

A solid attempt to do Diablo without Too Human's annoying consolifications.

The best MotoGP for years, thanks to a great Career mode. Just a pity about the handling.

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

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

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]

When it's bad, it's not too bad. When it's good, it rules. A great Western with a few niggles.

It's a great addition to XBLA and one that stands out amongst the crowd thanks to a level of quality that would support a full price game in itself.

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

Eschews the pugilism of "Fight Night" for top arcadey street fighting. [Sept 2008, p.84]

Looks like the future, plays like the past. Imperfect - but you get your money's worth.

A fantastic old-fashioned fighter that's maybe a little too...safe. [Mar 2009, p.78]

Outdated and barely altered since 2007, this is still a brilliant spot of golf. [Aug 2009, p.93]

Solid and very playable hockey game that's a clear number two in its field.

A very decent kart racer with plenty of Sega goodness and a solid multiplayer offering. [Apr 2010, p.98]

Still a great game - but a game treading water for years now. [Sept 2010, p.100]

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

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

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]

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

No matter how advanced the combo system, that constant button-pounding action begins to grate, especially since there's no co-op mode (which would have rocked). But it's testament to Conan's spark that the sheer fun of the execution moves and combos will pull you through the bad times.

Starts off bravely but gives way to 'fraidy cat design. Balls of steel, knob of butter. [June 2008, p.86]

You'll feel frustration nearly as much as exhilaration, but the concept shines through. [Apr 2011, p.96]

A superb technical showcase, but the engine will be put to bolder use in time. [June 2011, p.85]

As much as Alone In The Dark deserves to be criticised for its problems, it equally deserves to be lavished with praise for some outstanding ideas and set-pieces. A gracious failure, AITD should stand as a lesson for other developers to see what they should be striving for.

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

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.

A solid romp, but Dante's Inferno fails to live up to its promise as EA's Next Big Thing. [Apr 2010, p.87]

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

Should have been this good the first time out. [Feb 2011, p.104]

An enjoyable and solidly designed Nati-fragger, but one with a series of small niggles. [Nov 2007, p.82]

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

Finally a lag-free online shooter! A shame it comes at the expense of the Campaign.

Shabby around the edges - but that only adds to the charm of this daft playground. [Dec 2008, p.86]

The infrastructure is definitely in place for a corker of a kickabout but the important thing - that intangible soul - is still frustratingly missing.

Undoubtedly the best tennis game on 360 featuring Sonic. Except for... no, this is the best.

Gleefully naff fun, bristling with good ideas, but it never feels like a 360 game. [Jan 2009, p.71]

The series' next gen debut plays it safe, but will doubtless charm the pants off fans. [Aug 2009, p.80]

A very welcome strategic slant to the genre. [June 2009, p.70]

A beautiful little game; just a shame that everything is so overly familiar.

It's good, but not good enough - proving the loudest car on the grid is rarely the healthiest. [July 2010, p.88]

One of the best kids games on 360 but, unusually for Pixar, with little grown-up appeal. [Oct 2010, p.99]

Brilliant bloodbath or bizarro bollocks? Both, actually. Terrible, superb and weird. [Nov 2010, p.90]

A solid debut, though the package will be a little over reliant on the community for many. [Jan 2011, p.88]

A short campaign which is never spectacular and never very clever, but always solid enough. [Feb 2011, p.99]

Top quality grinworthy action only slightly marred by haste. Not just for the kids. [May 2011, p.90]

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

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

Although we've been here many times before, Timeshift is still a slick shooter with some neat ideas. [Christmas 2007, p.83]

Single player's alright then, is the conclusion we've come to. But this is a game that was either going to live and die on its Live play, and while it is better than the slightly buggy Arcade title Texas Hold 'Em, it's not quite the definitive poker game we'd have asked for.

Forget the censored movies, this is the real Wolverine: gore, guts, blood and huge great sideburns.

The best Transformers game for ages - but it's still a one-dimensional shooter, lacking guile.

Another great Rock Band outing - but half of Green Day's classic content is missing. Uh? [Sept 2010, p.101]

The Blazing Angels' boys best game yet but IL-2 Sturmovik still has the edge. [Nov 2010, p.88]

A very decent update of a game that's sadly years - no, generations - past its prime. [Jan 2011, p.81]

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

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

Basically, it's just extremely generic and has that 'safe' feel about its design that suggests that its spent more time with the marketers than it has the artists - but the other side of this coin is that in a functional sense, Turok is dependable.

Fun enough, but not the facelift we were hoping for. Plus, online totally carries it. [Sept 2008, p.70]

It's certainly a good game, but we want to wage war against Sawyer from Lost, not our 360 controller.

A fan-pleasing extension of canon, but not the game it should have been. [Sept 2009, p.90]

Full of different modes, but it's ultimately just too easy and riddled with nuances. [Dec 2007, p.82]

The bold change of direction is to be applauded, but everything feels too bitty. [Jan 2008, p.70]

A bit pricey for a game so close to "Bejeweled," but the RPG element genuinely adds to the package. [Christmas 2007, p.98]

Not quite the number of the beast - but from Schafer it's a minor disappointment. [Christmas 2009, p.94]

A nondescript but very decent rendition of a nationally-derided sport. [July 2008, p.82]

We don't care what the film's like, this is one of the brightest kiddie romps ever. [Sept 2008, p.73]

Enjoyable and silly, but if you want a fighter to go the distance, wait for SFIV. [Jan 2009, p.86]

A good game, but one which feels eerily out of place and out of time. [Sept 2008, p.79]

Individually this game should be superb and if you’ve never played a previous version this should be your first point of call. However, taken as part of a continuous series, this is a fairly pointless offering as it offers very little in terms of innovation.

Entertaining, ultra violent American sports without a great deal of depth. [Christmas 2008, p.73]

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

It still definitely has its charms, but - on court - it's feeling older than Ilie Nastase. [Aug 2009, p.84]

A slow burner which eventually grows into entertaining smaxploitation. [Christmas 2009, p.88]

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

"Quotation Forthcoming"

More immersive than Kinectimals, with more freedom - but shabby around the edges. [June 2011, p.101]

Satisfyingly vacuous. [July 2011, p.102]

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

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

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]

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

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

We simply can't stress this enough; if you're planning to play this game on your lonesome, STAY AWAY; if you're all about the human co-op and the multiplayer modes go ahead and jump right in. This is undoubtedly some gamers' idea of blasting heaven; it just isn't quite ours.

One for shoot-'em-up experts. [Dec 2010, p.98]

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

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

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

Ultimately though, when you start to crave any given section of the game to end just because you're so utterly bored of it, when you're hacking your way through another swarm of metal enemies utterly identical to those you fought in the last twelve (almost) identical rooms, you're inevitably going to start to feel like there's something not quite right with Too Human. And you'd be right.

Promises much but proves to be a limited, lacklustre take on the RTS. [Apr 2009, p.77]

Hugely, hugely frustrating but there is a good game hiding deep beneath.

It's yet another game in which the mind-numbing clichés of platformers haven't been challenged, but embraced, oh-so-ironically.

A prototype for others to follow, but the concept doesn't support an entire game. [Jan 2009, p.72]

An okay-looking action game. [Apr 2009, p.90]

An entertaining expansion, but it needs to be gack to the drawing board. [Sept 2008, p.74]

Kudos to them for trying, but the action/RPG mix doesn't quite convince. [Dec 2008, p.84]

Lacks the epic feel and skills of "NHL 09" but does offer lots of goals. [Christmas 2008, p.62]

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

Stiff controls and samey puzzles hamper what is otherwise a fun, enjoyable romp.

A step forward for the Potter series, but still a country mile behind the next big guns. [Sept 2007, p.74]

Despite our reservations about the plot, we had an entertaining time with Velvet Assassin. It never hits the highs of the average Hitman mission, but the game's palpable atmosphere, and solid sneaking mechanics, should satisfy anyone suffering from stealth-deprivation - and help keep your mind off the agonising wait until Agent 47, Sam Fisher and Garrett finally emerge from the gloom.

A by-the-numbers JRPG punching above its weight thanks to decent borrowed ideas. [Christmas 2009, p.85]

Good skins, though. [Feb 2010, p.87]

A charming gameworld. [July 2010, p.92]

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

Marginally superior to the original but too many rough edges remain. [Nov 2007, p.85]

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

Inadequate next to EA's title. [Jan 2008, p.79]

A so-so game on an engine so old it's literally powered by steam. [Christmas 2009, p.92]

Too much streamlining has blunted FFXIII's hooks. This isn't epic, it's arduous. [May 2010, p.67]

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

It's a smarter, more tactical shooter than most, but not worthy of the Flashpoint name. [July 2011, p.94]

At 35 quid this is pretty good value for money - even if it does star the worst character in videogames. [July 2007, p.97]

An average game made all the worse for having come from a superb team. A letdown. [Jan 2008, p.64]

Lacks the punch or variety to be a serious contender in the crowded shooter genre. [May 2008, p.86]

Too expensive, but find a cheap copy and it has a bit of fun to offer stealth fans.

There's nothing broken here, but combat lacks flair and strategy is insignificant. [Jan 2008, p.68]

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

It's sort of like reinventing the wheel, only to realise you were making a boat. [May 2009, p.65]

Quite easily the best not-very-good game we've played in a while. [July 2010, p.96]

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

Switch off your critical faculties and there's a decent enough weekend rental here. [Issue#98, p.104]

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

A decent idea that falls short for a variety of eminently fixable reasons. [Feb 2010, p.80]

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

The emo-tastically tasty Ms Witch can flip and twirl like an ant-infested Lara Croft, but there's rarely ever any handy platform for her to clamber onto. The levels are as flat and one-dimensional as the gameplay - but despite its problems, you're quite likely to find it, well, a bit of a blast.

Okay if you're looking for feature-filled b-ball - but EA do it better. [Jan 2008, p.78]