Lame story, lame racing, lame A.I. - lame game. [July 2003, p.86]

The gameplay, already uninspired and annoying on the consoles, is an uncontrollable mess on PC and not even worth it for fanboys. [Sept 2003, p.100]

Until someone boxes up syphilis and tries to sell it at retail, Postal 2 is the worst product ever foisted upon consumers. [July 2003, p.90]

A competently done city building game with nothing to set it apart from the crowd. [July 2003, p.80]

Further compounding the game into sheer mediocrity is the downward spiral of the A.I. [Sept 2003, p.102]

All tension drains away as the game turns into the equivalent of a deathmatch against sheep. [July 2003, p.74]

The problem here isn't so much with the game's content, which remains as ambitious and poignant as ever, but rather with Konami's sloppy porting efforts to the PC. [Aug 2003, p.78]

The A.I. in this game is capable of some remarkably human-like behavior. [June 2003, p.99]

If you're a big fan of the show, not a big computer gamer, and not that bright, then this game is well worth your time and money. [Aug 2003, p.90]

I can also forgive the fact that at times, it's just too damn hard, even at the lowest difficulty level. For $20, though, you can get a lot of bang for your buck. [Aug 2003, p.77]

So maybe I'm uncool, maybe not, but I'm old enough to recognize a bad game with a weak hook and no heart. [July 2003, p.89]

While it delivers a much better Vietnam combat experience than you might expect, the graphics can be problematic. [July 2003, p.76]

Once things are set in motion, there's not much to do aside from the occasional tweak. [June 2003, p.85]

Provides solid 3D platforming action with some panache - and the occasional little graphics glitch. [June 2003, p.94]

Shadowbane has jolted much-needed new life into the massively multiplayer genre - a genre that was showing every sign of being drowned in a flood of derivative games. It's a brave attempt at something new, and it succeeds. [July 2003, p.70]

EA Sports delivers an unprecedented level of control and innovation to PC baseball. [June 2003, p.105]

The dated visuals won't grab you, but the game's depth keeps things interesting if not addicting. [June 2003, p.98]

If you're a military sim gamer who's looking for endless hours of action devoid of strategy or tactics, then this is your game. [June 2003, p.84]

A host of revisions and improvements propel Raven Shield way past the original R6 games in design and playability, making Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield the new benchmark in tac sims. [June 2003, p.82]

An exciting puzzle game, and the ending creatively explains the link between the locales you've visited. Despite Stone's imperfections, this nicely improved sequel is worth digging up. [Aug 2003, p.86]

If only the camera system were half as responsive as the bad guys are. [July 2003, p.89]

A prime candidate for Coaster of the Year. You'll have more fun lobbing old potatoes at the squirrels in your yard than playing this mess. [July 2003, p.88]

Poorly designed controls make this pallid Indiana Jones clone unplayable. [July 2003, p.83]

Praetorians never really achieves the gigantic scope of a "Total War" game, but it is more easily controlled and offers much more obvious tactical problems. [May 2003, p.95]

Twenty to 30 hours of gameplay, and not a single one of them worth a damn. [July 2003, p.84]

Despite the amount of stuff to do, JPOG isn't particularly deep. [June 2003, p.100]

The VC are dirty cheaters in this lush but restrictive and nonsensical portrayal of sniper life in the Vietnam War. [July 2003, p.78]

When the most noteworthy feature of your new expansion is the ability to role-play a frog, maybe that's a sign you're running low n ideas. I'm just sayin'.[June 2003, p.97]

A complete lack of mouse support is the painful tip of this iceberg. [June 2003, p.104]

What makes Freelancer a compelling game is the sense of a living universe, vast areas begging for exploration, and the ability to hook up with friends online and start being either total bastards or glorious do-gooders together. [May 2003, p.86]

Any excitement that might have been generated by the explosions and mayhem cannot hope to compete with the boredom of constant reloads, or the aggravation of hearing the same "witty" banter for the fifth time. [June 2003, p.86]

An example of mediocrity dragged much further downward by sheer ineptitude. It could have been another so-so tactical stealth shooter, but the saves, the idiots, the cliches, and the crashes shove it into coaster territory. [July 2003, p.72]

This is either a great standalone expansion pack or a slightly underachieving sequel. [June 2003, p.96]

The aggravating and lame discussions are enough to make you lose your head. [June 2003, p.90]

A game for which the adjective "tolerable" was invented. There's nothing terrible about Harbinger, but there's nothing much good, either. [June 2003, p.89]

The degeneration continues. [Aug 2003, p.90]

The overwhelming masses of numbers and options make MOO3 harder to comprehend than its more intuitive predecessors. [May 2003, p.88]

Combine Splinter Cell's pure stealth action with the world of Tom Clancy and you've got one hell of a techno-espionage title made even better on the PC. [Mar 2003, p.82]

While I found the game a refreshing diversion from the usual slash-and-loot online fare I've become a little worn out on after years of play, I did find the heavy focus on interaction with other players to be too much of a good thing. [July 2003, p.82]

This year's model leaves you feeling like it's nothing more than one big, full-priced retail patch. [May 2003, p.98]

While the Career mode is a little too steep for beginners, it's still a good day at the races. [June 2003, p.91]

Despite a spectacular-looking engine, intriguing units, and some original gameplay, Generals doesn't capitalize on opportunties to be a shining light in the genre, and instead ends up as just decent. [Apr 2003, p.74]

While the game starts off strong, its personality steadily dribbles away, leaving you feeling you've played enough of it and never need to play it again. [Apr 2003, p.102]

The engineer's bayonet kill might be the most satisfying frag since "Half-Life"'s crowbar kills. [May 2003, p.92]

A chunky mix of features from other titles in a fully 3D bladder that has some merit, but will probably leave most gamers why on earth they should take a bite. [May 2003, p.91]

The shift in emphasis to tending the whims of your Sims has left the economic model a bit shaky. [Mar 2003, p.84]

It's a good concept set against an intentionally silly story. But the game is all style and little substance. [Apr 2003, p.110]

You'll be praying for at least a competent if not sparking conversationalist... For now, the game is pretty boring. [Apr 2003, p.104]

This system lacks some of the tension of a tactical game, but it bodes well for the follow-up scheduled for this wiwnter. [Sept 2002, p.88]

Maybe I'm way off base here, but I expect my games to contain actual gameplay and not be a series of ong, poorly acted cut-scenes, lightly salted with puzzles that require the intelligence of a gnat to solve. [Oct 2002, p.114]

No one should play "DAOC" without Shrouded Isles. [Apr 2003, p.106]

With its lackadaisical pace, clumsy action sequences, and surreal atmosphere that's more disjointed than disturbing, Silent Hill 2 is a nightmare, but only to play. [Apr 2003, p.116]

If you want carpal tunnel syndrome, there are far more entertaining ways to contract it. [Feb 2003, p.80]

Simply the most incompetently crafted shooter in living memory. [Mar 2003, p.98]

A.I. nations will usually disintegrate, and you can conquer half the world without much trouble. [Feb 2003, p.94]

A disturbing combination of poor control and frustrating, repetitive gameplay that feels more like a guerilla "Groundhog Day" than "Platoon." [Mar 2003, p.99]

Why pay when they can find plenty of custom scenarios to download for free? [Apr 2003, p.106]

Despite all the cool tweaks and additions, the repetitive gameplay still nags at me. [Mar 2003, p.92]

Archangel's plot is almost nonexistent... The light at the end of the tunnel needs a new bulb. [Apr 2003, p.112]

It's easily the best yet, in the sense that it's the first Dragon's Lair you generally won't hate playing. [Mar 2003, p.90]

There are at least three or four games lurking in Europa 1400: The Guild, each of them enjoyable and addictive. [May 2003, p.93]

From the moment you enter CDV Software's postacoptalyptic online world, you'll be confused, bored...and lonely. Which is shame, because as far as concepts go, Neocron has promise. [Apr 2003, p.118]

It's the perfect setting for the players' own stories of daring rescues, bold ambushes, and swashbuckling high adventure. [Mar 2003, p.88]

It falls into this trap, sacrificing gameplay and strategic choice for the "drama" of heavy scripting. [Mar 2003, p.109]

Dying repeatedly to learn the magic path can get tiresome, even in a short game. [Feb 2003, p.81]

The only time the game comes close to evoking WWII is in the cleverly done faux-newsreel footage that is a backdrop to the game credits. [Mar 2003, p.104]

It sounds great, it looks even better, and it's the most original RPG not named "Morrowind" released in 2002. [Mar 2003, p.94]

One of the most satisfying games of 2002. [Feb 2003, p.86]

Unfortunately, this stellar tactical engine serves as the only highlight in a game with a lifeless campaign and enough technical problems to give Data a run for his money. [Mar 2003, p.100]

Nice graphics and a good physics model can't hide the inflexible playability of a game that could have been a real treat to play. [Mar 2003, p.107]

It's somewhat strange that Tribunal, the first official expansion, is so confining. [Mar 2003, p.96]

A year later, the presentation isn't dazzling anymore, and the shell is even emptier. [Mar 2003, p.108]

The game presentation is like a television broadcast with an Emmy-winning director in the booth. [Mar 2003, p.106]

Unit A.I. is pathetic. [Mar 2003, p.104]

Graphics aside, the final nail in O.R.B.'s coffin is its pace. Ships crawl across the screen, and even at triple speed (as fast as it gets), it seems to take an eternity for anything to navigate the map. [Mar 2003, p.86]

It does so much right that the poor defensive A.I. is much more of a disappointment than it would be in a lesser game. [Feb 2003, p.76]

I'll still marvel at the design and balance of the game. But deep in my heart, I'll still be waiting for something new to make me excited about RTS games again. [Jan 2003, p.98]

Although it offers a mix of strategy, vehicle-based shooting, and third-person action, none of these elements surpass mediocrity due to the lukewarm gameplay. [Feb 2003, p.84]

Offers exhilarating combat in a fantastic setting. [Feb 2003, p.85]

With its low price tag, it's definitely recommended for shooter fans with even an inkling of interest in WWII. [Mar 2003, p.103]

With a superb game system, unrivaled detail, great graphics for the genre, and outstanding multiplayer, CMBB is more than enough to please any wargamer. [Feb 2003, p.70]

Offers the most accessible, best-looking EverQuest yet, but it's still getting awfully dated, both in looks and gameplay mechanics. [Feb 2003, p.77]

Numerous bugs and missing features indicate Strike Fighters was pushed out the door a few months before its time. Again. [Mar 2003, p.105]

The worst implementation of multiplayer gaming in recent memory... An utter debacle. [Feb 2003, p.91]

By far the best-looking and most entertaining simulation in the series so far. But the improvements are marred by A.I. oddities and performance problems. [Feb 2003, p.82]

Isn't as bad as getting trench foot or being castrated by shrapnel, but it's still so full of tedium and frustration that paying for the game is pretty much an act of self-flagellation. [Feb 2003, p.98]

I found myself really disappointed by this unwelcome shift away from the giddy worm-versus-worm combat of earlier games. [Feb 2003, p.88]

Anyone who wants a game of this sort will be happier with one of the modern versions of "Gauntlet." [Jan 2003, p.120]

Like the original ZT, the difficulty level involved in the gameplay is practically nonexistent. [Mar 2003, p.108]

There's some high-flying fun in this racer, but the numerous unnecessary hurdles will send you cruising back to the store to return Beam Breakers. [Feb 2003, p.88]

Too bad the lame Career modes can't match the rest of the game's quality. [Feb 2003, p.74]

A solid racing game that still pales in comparison to Papyrus' "NASCAR Racing 2002." [Feb 2003, p.92]

A good game, if not ground-breaking like the original. [Jan 2003, p.108]

Confusion and frustration are your only companions in Revolution. [June 2003, p.87]

The game is riddled with bugs that will bring your computer to a standstill... Just as bad are the incredibly long load times. [Mar 2003, p.102]

Imagine the frustration of being Batman and still getting your ass kicked by a bunch of thuggy mimes. [Jan 2003, p.121]

IO Interactive has fixed almost every flaw for Hitman 2; the result is an almost perfect blend of action and stealth. [Jan 2003, p113]

The A.I. is far superior to the original, having gone from pathetic to passable. [Feb 2003, p.97]