But in the end, it doesn't serve gamers, not even the extremely forgiving cadre of adventure game fans. [Sept. 2006, p.63]

There's virtually no effort made to adapt the controls to a PC, so make sure you've got a gamepad handy. Although the far better alternative is to just have a better game handy. [Oct. 2006, p.75]

Nintendo sweetened the pot with what feel like dozens of mini-games, and you're liable to find two or three that can hold your attention. [Sept. 2006, p.81]

The 2007 model adds a few necessary tweaks, such as multiple levels of minor leagues. and a more detailed almanac so that you can track more information about your leagues history. [Oct. 2006, p.69]

Following up a grand slam nuclear blast like "Nations" with a bottle rocket may seem like an odd choice. But in many ways, the smaller fiddle plays the sweeter music. [Sept. 2006, p.54]

Even with the negatives described here, SiN Episodes 1:Emergence is a hard game to critique because it isn't complete. [Sept. 2006, p.59]

Like its predecessor, Spellforce 2 is a bad game. It gets so many things wrong. As a real-time strategy game, it's superficial. [Sept. 2006, p.62]

All it does is present some interesting tactical action, a lot of graphically impressive--if somewhat too amber-colored--carnage, and a lot of intense pointing and shooting. And that's more than enough. [Sept. 2006, p.55]

Given the charm, elegance, and imigination of designer Benoit Sokal's best-known work, "Syberia", it is a crushing disappointment that these qualities are almost entirely absent from Paradise. [Sept. 2006, p.58]

Still, if you were intrigued at all by the PvP aspects of the original design but frustrated by the steep learning curve--or if you're just brand-new to the game--Factions is the best place to jump in and experience one of the deepest and most rewarding franchises in gaming. [Sept. 2006, p.79]

If you can stomach the difficulty and the middle-of-the-road graphics, Dark Corners of the Earth offers a lot of suspense-filled gameplay in the 10 or so hours it takes to complete the adventure. [Sept. 2006, p.70]

Second Manassas is not a surprise; it's testimony that these guys know what they are doing. [July 2006, p.67]

Despite a name that sounds like a new blend at Starbucks, there's a lot to like about Shadowgrounds. [Oct. 2006, p.70]

The real treasure here is the addition of new jobs, which is a first for the game's North American player base. Overall, this is a great package, with even more promises down the road, including Chocobo breeding. [Sept. 2006, p.80]

Dreamfall is the adventure-game equivalent of a page-turner, one that doesn't make it a hassle to turn the pages. [July 2006, p.54]

Don't be fooled: Your score is not an accurate measurement of intelligence. But whether you buy this game is. [July 2006, p.91]

Something that delivers the goods this fast and with such a high smile-to-trigger-pull ratio will be hard for anyone to put aside for long. [July 2006, p.83]

It's not quite in the same league as "Out of the Park Baseball" and "PureSim Baseball", but Baseball Mogul is no longer an after-thought. [July 2006, p.67]

All that appeal is present in Legend, but it's attached to only half of a brilliant game. And in the end, half of a new Lara Croft game adventure turns out to be better than none at all. [July 2006, p.55]

It's still over too quickly, and there's little explanation why you're running around these ruined buildings beating up drug addicts. [Sept. 2006, p.76]

Odama may not be much of a pinball game, but it's certainly a choice metaphor. [July 2006, p.86]

Doomsday is a lot of game for 20 bucks. [Sept. 2006, p.71]

Commandos: Strike force tries to shoehorn these series hallmarks into a first-person shooter but fails on nearly every level. [July 2006, p.57]

But there's just too little substance to recommend this to anyone but the "gotta catch 'em all" motorcycle nut. [July 2006, p.87]

Do yourself a favor and forget this Keepsake. [Sept. 2006, p.76]

Not even Hitler's plan to fight the war on two fronts was this painfully ill-advised. [July 2006, p.63]

This Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Columbo meets Medium concept shows potential, but, in the end, Daemonica only creates disappointment. [Sept. 2006, p.75]

Top Spin 2 is the most complete tennis experience on any platform to date. [July 2006, p.93]

This little game is addictive, if not more so, as gems like "Bejeweled", "Bookworm", or pretty much any downloadable puzzle game out there. [Sept. 2006, p.76]

Any way you cut it, Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers is one rigid, uncompromising design with a high frustration factor. [July 2006, p.60]

But for the time being, this is as close you're going to get to a Pocket Diablo, and that counts for a lot. [May 2006, p.93]

The whole thing is an embarrassing reminder that there are still plenty of people making, publishing, and buying games who have a lot of growing up to do. [July 2006, p.93]

But an obtuse and under-documented strategic layer with a bad interface can only get you so far when it comes to recycling the same Dynasty Warrior game yet again. [July 2006, p.93]

But an obtuse and under-documented strategic layer with a bad interface can only get you so far when it comes to recycling the same Dynasty Warrior game yet again. [July 2006, p.93]

Toss in s shoddy padlock system that provides dramatic views of your plane but tends to throw off your aim completely, and you end up with an arcade game that's more difficult to play than a full-blown simulation. [July 2006, p.63]

Divided Nation is a step backward. It's a journey to the past in more ways than one, and not an interesting trip at all. [Oct. 2006, p.73]

Though it can be hard on a novice, Space Ranger 2's amazing breadth and considerable depth more than make up for its initial difficulty and intermittent lack of polish. [Nov 2005, p.74]

At least the soundtrack is cool. [July 2006, p.66]

Despite the lack of satire and occasional lack of sense, the game is mostly playable. However, the interface and the odd bugs make it a chore. [July 2006, p.65]

Unsophisticated mission design and racketeering repetition make it less ideal for non-fans. [July 2006, p.57]

Crime Stories is merely tragic, a paranormal murder mystery whose downfall is its over-enthusiam. [Oct. 2006, p.72]

The number of levsls has shrunk with the rest of the package, a bummer revelation that casts a minor cloud on this tropical beach party. [July 2006, p.89]

Controls are so poor that Sam might as well be fighting the forces of evil blindfolded. [July 2006, p.92]

At a good 20 hours and packed with loads of collectible cards, Acid 2 is classy, original work for the PSP. [July 2006, p.89]

Now, however, the game is here, the hype has receded...and we're left appreciating what might be the best role-playing game ever made. [Jun 2006, p.61]

Once you've seen the new tricks, Tetris is still just Tetris. [Jun 2006, p.92]

Hunters is a grand handheld shooter with as darling an interface as you could hope for. Everything else--and ther's plenty--is gravy. [July 2006, p.90]

Forensics is inherently intriguing, and hardcore fans of the show will most likely find the game worth a look unless graphics matter to them in any way, shape, or form. [Oct. 2006, p.74]

You've got a surprisingly full-featured shooter slickly adapted to Sony's PSP. [May 2006, p.93]

Parallel Lines proves that effective story-telling sometimes makes up for mediocre gameplay. [July 2006, p.87]

In Daxter, you get great graphics and not much else. [Jun 2006, p.91]

With this new online mode, it's much easier to admit that you like Metal Gear Solid 3. [July 2006, p.93]

Don't expect to like Red Orchestra Ostfront 41-45 right off, as it's downright nasty for the first couple of hours. After that, however, the depth of the game and the emphasis on skill becomes apparent. [July 2006, p.59]

The translation ot what seem like a bazillion Yu-Gi-Oh! cards to a handheld game isn't easy, but for the most part this is as perfect a translation of a CCG as you could wish. [July 2006, p.88]

Parallel Lines proves that effective story-telling sometimes makes up for mediocre gameplay. [July 2006, p.87]

As such, not only is The Outfit worth having, but it's probably the best reason to have an Xbox 360. [Jun 2006, p.90]

Complaints aside, GRAW is possible the best-produced and most engaging entry in the whole Tom Clancy milieu. [Jun 2006, p.89]

Unfortunately, getting there is a dull journey full of leaden exposition, mouse hovering and clicking, and inventory manipulation. [July 2006, p.67]

Instead, it's a competent but ultimately trivial experience that's only memorable as the weird RPG with Al Capone in it. [Jun 2006, p.92]

It's a modern-day "Spy Hunter", minus the oil slicks and smoke screens, and it's both repetitive and difficult, but in a very old-school "Ghosts 'n Goblins" way that makes it perfect for portable gaming. [Jun 2006, p.93]

All that said, Battle for Middle-Earth II is undeniably a labor of love, a grand work of art, and easily the best-looking game of 2006 so far. [Jun 2006, p.65]

The mythological trappings are nicely done, making it feel more like an adventure than a typical slog through the levels. [Feb. 2007, p.74]

Black may not be terrible, but it's repetitive and mundane. [May 2006, p.89]

There's enough good in D&D Online to make it worth recommending, but whether there's enough meat to inspire monthly donations beyond the 30 days that currently come with the box is questionable. [Jun 2006, p.80]

With the Stetchkov Syndicate, the bar continues to plummet in terms of how much we can expect in our expansion packs. [May 2006, p.46]

Street Supremacy's visuals are as drab as the gameplay, and they are further marred by technical glitches. [Jun 2006, p.93]

Unlike last year's model, it has a career mode that supplements its season and exhibition play. [Jun 2006, p.90]

There's enough new stuff to see to last maybe three or four sim lifetimes, which is a pretty good deal for your $35. [July 2006, p.58]

Black may not be terrible, but it's repetitive and mundane. [May 2006, p.89]

Super Princess Peach...an unremarkable platformer that plays like an introduction to the genre. [Jun 2006, p.91]

TOCA 3 is just TOCA 2 with a lot more stuff, but that makes it just about perfect. [Jun 2006, p.66]

Galactic Civilizations II may not lead to a resurgence of space conquest games, but as long as it's available, the renaissance can wait. [May 2006, p.53]

As an urban sandbox, Tycoon City: New York is passable. As a strategy game, it's the dumbest deal since that urban legend about the Indians selling Manhattan to the Dutch. [July 2006, p.61]

But this isn't so much a racing game as a slapdash splash of smeared color that never quite captures the feeling of hurtling down a track. [Jun 2006, p.92]

No real surprises; this is a fine expansion if you have a higher level character, but, beyond the Alternate Advancement system, there's little to entice you if your entire stable of Everquest II characters tops out at level 23. [Jun 2006, p.82]

You buy the potions and upgrade your skills and weapons in order to keep winning the chip wars, the Sisyphean point of which is to afford superior preparations for the next war, and so on. [Jun 2006, p.83]

But this isn't so much a racing game as a slapdash splash of smeared color that never quite captures the feeling of hurtling down a track. [Jun 2006, p.92]

But this isn't so much a racing game as a slapdash splash of smeared color that never quite captures the feeling of hurtling down a track. [Jun 2006, p.92]

Basically, there are just enough tactical elements in Lockdown to ruin it as an action-oriented shooter, and just enough action elements to ruin it as a tactical shooter. [May 2006, p.50]

There is very little luck involved, lots of direct conflict, lots of room for both tactical brilliance and strategic planning, and a much more complex rule-set relative to popular American games. [Apr 2006, p.61]

Who would have guessed that some of the most seasoned real-time strategy veterans on the planet would take one of the most well-worn licenses in gaming and turn it into one of the most inventive game in years? [May 2006, p.45]

Flaws like this keep State of Emergency 2 from being anything more than a straightforward third-person shooting gallery. [Jun 2006, p.92]

"Advance Wars" is well and good, but this is a more mature, varied, and sophisticated strategy game, arguably as deep as you'll see on a handheld. [Apr 2006, p.93]

It's missing the polish of the games from that era, and it eventually succumbs to a samey sameness. But until it reaches that point, it satisfies the need for speed and shotguns. [May 2006, p.92]

Taken purely as a game, Getting Up works. But whoa, its message is a mess. [May 2006, p.49]

The combat is frequently challenging, especially by the time you get to the second disk, and it certainly sets the game apart from the party-based monotony found in most games of the genre. [Apr 2006, p.90]

With its jazzy score and terrific art design, it's a sublime bit of style over substance. With most games seemingly afraid of not being generic, that goes a long way. [May 2006, p.93]

Imagine a WWII tank game with lots of pyrotechnics and hearty sound, with fancy graphics of destroyable terrain and tens of friendly and enemy tanks blasting away at one another. This isn't that game. [May 2006, p.51]

If you got a Nintendo DS, there are just too many better way to, ahem, feel the magic. [May 2006, p.91]

Normally, mining the license library to populate new hardware is a move that smacks of laziness and creative bankruptcy. In this case, Capcom seems to be on to something. [May 2006, p.91]

Instead, it offers some of the best old-school 2D platforming this side of Mario's jump to 3D. [Jun 2006, p.91]

And it's another clever import from Japan that will remind you why you're not done with your Gamecube just yet. Last generation talent will always trump next-gen technology. [May 2006, p.90]

Over the course of seven games and three acronoyms, the Tony Hawk series has inexorably morphed into the Hot Topic of the videogame universe, a game that glitzily packages and commodifies the skater subculture it glorifies. [May 2006, p.54]

There's an odd balance of atypical race cars and super accessible gameplay in GT Legends, but it's a successful one. [Jun 2006, p.67]

If golf was indeed dull, as many non-fans wrongly suspect, True Swing Golf would be the perfect golf game. [Apr 2006, p.90]

The only addition is Online Everywhere, which lets you check out the live ESPN ticker while still in the game, and it's hardly essential. [Apr 2006, p.93]

The only addition is Online Everywhere, which lets you check out the live ESPN ticker while still in the game, and it's hardly essential. [Apr 2006, p.93]

As a third-person action game, 25 to life is kind of a "Max Payne in the Hood," only without the quality gameplay. [Apr 2006, p.62]