I'll say it again: Killzone 2 is the best console first person shooter ever. It will be bested one day, and that is as it should be, but this game has set the proverbial bar so high we reckon it'll be the king for a good long while... Hail to the king, baby. [Feb 2009, p.66]

The white-knuckle thrill ride of the year. [Summer 2009, p.60]

The best music game currently available. [Feb 2010, p.72]

A tight-fisted gut blow of wow! Must own. [Mar 2009, p.70]

If you're for the West, you will latch onto Redemption like an ornery rattlesnake. If the old West is of no particular interest to you, you still ought to find it difficult not to appreciate the incredible level of workmanship and depth on display here. It is a true opus. [July 2010 p.69]

The spectacular combination of generation-defining visuals, high adventure and cinematic intensity makes Uncharted 2 absolutely essential. There aren't any reasons not to own this game. [Nov 2009, p.64]

"History is written by the victors" says one character. Infinity Ward has just written history. Modern Warfare 2 is fast paced, deep, flexible and utterly, totally belongs in your console. [Christmas 2009, p.64]

The graphics are utterly gorgeous, and the soundtrack is a wistful selection of haunting folk music. In a lot of ways, this game conjures up nostalgia for a time that never was; but this matters not. This is a game that single-handedly moves PSPs in Japan. Now we can see why. [Aug 2009, p.76]

Amazing value for the money. This isn't so much SF5 as it is "Street Fighter 4.9". [May 2010, p.76]

Braid deserves success for being bold, original, and brilliant. Get it as soon as you can. [Jan 2010, p.83]

This game earns our highest accolade because it is a thoroughly entertaining ride from go to death throe. It finds a perfect balance between taxing platforming, cerebral puzzles, and glorious set-piece battles that loosen the bowel when you realise they're in-game graphics. Top that off with masterful camera work – that makes us totally rethink our hatred of fixed-camera action games – and you have a sequel that easily eclipses anything out there and reclaims it's rightful place at the pinnacle of its genre. [April 2010, p.61]

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is a more than a worthy addition to the series canon. The similar setting of renaissance Italy will trick folks into assuming this is a half-arsed expansion, but honestly, this feels like Assassin's Creed 2.99. Don't be fooled by Brotherhood's cunningly familiar disguise. Mark it as a fresh target, pounce and take it down. [January 2011 p66]

Yes, ME2 isn't perhaps the most technical RPG ever created, but it's easily one of the slickest, bearing the unmistakable master craftsmanship of RPG luminaries, BioWare. Not only is this supersized Sony edition of ME2 outstanding value for money – it also represents a sound long-term investment. If the Mass Effect 3 reveals are anything to go by, the conclusion of this saga will be similarly unmissable and the galactic apocalypse will be decided in our own backyard: Earth. [March 2011, p70]

It's a game world that makes you feel like a tourist, like anything and everything is worth looking at. If Team Bondi's Los Angeles was a skirt she'd be a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window... Combining slow-paced adventure gaming with well-executed open-world action was an audacious experiment. Infusing it with state-of-the-art animation tech that pits you in a game of wits against virtual liars was equally bold. Staging all of that in the most richly detailed videogame environment we've ever seen was outrageous. Not only does it work, it works extraordinarily well. It's the evolution of the adventure game, merging slow-burning discovery with the freedom associated with an open-world backdrop. It's the Concorde of its category, rendering fondly-remembered classics like Police Quest akin to simply flapping your arms. [July 2011 p.78]

Just so there's no confusion, let's state it plain: Batman: Arkham City is not only the best superhero game ever made, it's one of the best games ever made full-stop. Batman: Arkham City takes the already superlative original and gloriously expands on it. It's a deeper game, more complex, more inventive, more mature. In our view it brings the caped crusader's world to life better than any comic, movie, or television show before it ... To say it one last time: this is what it means to be Batman. And when it comes down to it, who the hell doesn't want to be Batman? [Nov 2011, p.62]

Mass Effect 3 is an amazing experience in and of itself. It's also the perfect capstone to a true AAA franchise, offering a poignant conclusion that'll stick long after the credits have rolled. You're standing on the precipice of one of the best games Earth money can buy. [April 2012, p.60]

A fantastic fighting title that will ensure your thumbs are well ready for SFIV. [Mar 2009, p.85]

Borderlands starts out great and only gets better from there. If you're up for an epic, awesome and subversive good time, get your arse to Pandora and explore the Borderlands. [Dec 2009, p.72]

A one-finger salute right up the arse of the free-roaming crime genre. [December 2008, p.68]

Short, but brilliantly executed. [Christmas 2008, p.74]

If God gave rock 'n roll to us then it is settled: Tim Schafer is God. A must play. [Dec 2009, p.62]

Robust, charming and impeccably presented. Impossible not to enjoy. [July 2009, p.79]

The best arcade racer on the market bar none. [December 2008, p.76]

A total package. Intriguing without being obtuse, epic without making you feel lost. [June 2009, p.54]

It looks a treat, plays a treat and you can beat the crap out of Anthony Mundine, and unless Kyle Sandilands or Uwe Boll decide to lace up their gloves, it just doesn't get much better than that. [Aug 2009, p.66]

A flawed masterpice for the ages. [Summer 2009, p.76]

An absolutely awesome all-round package. [Christmas 2008, p.78]

If this game could be summarised with one image, it would be walking out of a bunker and seeing the city of San Francisco being torn apart by hundreds of Chimera ships - large and small. [Summer 2009, p.52]