Obviously Potter-ignorant muggles need not apply, but would-be wizards (or witches) looking for a lil' magic this year should give Secrets a try. [Dec 2002, p.228]

It's so-so styleless graphics fail to impress, and the whole thing's too short and easy. [Jan 2003, p.107]

You won't be disappointed with this game's high octane pace, simple arcade controls, and flamboyant finishers. [July 2003, p.112]

A videogame can only live on "visceral" for so long before you're yawning, longing for better A.I., a more involved story, or...well, just about anything with more substance. [Apr 2006, p.94]

But Stranglehold is choked by some mediocre level design, unreliable controls, and a point of view so tight on the creepy virtual Chow Yun-Fat that it feels almost claustrophobic. [Nov 2007, p.104]

It's still Monster Rancher, though, and it's still great for fans like me, but it's not the step forward I was craving. [Jan 2004, p.142]

It's so-so styleless graphics fail to impress, and the whole thing's too short and easy. [Jan 2003, p.107]

This is the kind of game that you have to sink many, many hours into, so you might just want to wait for the vastly superior "Final Fantasy XI." [Feb 2004, p.120]

The combat’s more fun and involving than anything in Pokemon Stadium. But the rest of the game hasn’t changed much. [Nov 2001, p.210]

Aside form a handy save-game feature, though, it doesn't feel like much has changed here from the last game - at least not in terms of gameplay. [July 2002, p.126]

An excellent compromise between old-school SNK fighters and faster-paced, more fantastic Capcom titles on the DC today. [Oct 2001, p.148]

It's great fun and forces cooperation unlike any other racer. [Dec. 2006, p.132]

As I paraded through the areas killing similar tiny enemies over and over (even the "big" monsters don't intimidate), it took forever to find any exciting rare items to wield. Without those incentives, things got monotonous. [March 2005, p.123]

Technologically well crafted, with good controls, graphics, and story - but without the freedom of superior mentalist "Psi-Ops." [Nov 2004, p.130]

But EndWar's biggest flaw? Insane micromanagement. [Dec 2008, p.68]

Ubisoft's become the go-to publisher for quirky, portable puzzle games, it seems. [Mar 2006, p.115]

The story loses steam about two-thirds of the way through; solving puzzles, which are few and far between, requires little brainpower; and it's far to easy to survive your sentence with so much free ammo and health lying around. [May 2004, p.86]

Admittedly, I would rather go through a season of the deep-pitching "MVP Baseball" or option-heavy "ESPN" over this, but if you don't ahve someone to play alongside you, SlugFest ain't a bad consolation. [Aug 2004, p.100]

Grandia's semi-real-time battles are superb, offering just the right balance of strategy and visual flair, and the new aerial combos are a blast. The plot starts to suffer a bit on disc 2, and the quest is fairly linear, but the fun battles and quick pacing will keep you hooked.

For the first half of the game, varied missions keep the action interesting. After a dozen sorties, however, it get old, and all but the most patient pilots will want to pop the canopy. [Jan 2004, p.109]

Deception can be mindless fun, but I can't help but feel that the developers are just trying to do too much with this game. [May 2005, p.138]

Offers the kind of over-the-top, seesaw multiplayer experience that keeps you reminiscing long after the game concludes, but also has a deep, fun single-player experience, thanks in part to the new minigames. [Feb 2005, p.98]

If you can get past the deja vu, you'll most likely have a great time with BN3. Let's just hope the next one offers something new. [June 2003, p.133]

Look past the low-brow trappings, and you'll find a kick-ass competition that's easy playing for parties yet complex enough to warrant practice. [Sept 2003, p.132]

It all feels so, well, irrelevant--pushing around a bunch of tiny characters and dealing with their assorted toys provides loads of intellectual satisfaction, but I found it hard to make a real connection.

The majority of the game is one long gunfight, shifting between a traditional free-looking aim to lock-on, slow-mo shooting. It's good stuff, if you don't mind your foes acting like targets in a carnival game. [Jan 2006, p.119]

The remake sports improved visuals, some new battles, and a top-notch updated localization, but sadly, the battle animations are terrible. Otherwise, though, my complaints are few. [July 2004, p.107]

The majority of the game is one long gunfight, shifting between a traditional free-looking aim to lock-on, slow-mo shooting. It's good stuff, if you don't mind your foes acting like targets in a carnival game.

All the pipe crawling and shadow sneaking give SC diversity other GBA adventures lack. [June 2003, p.127]

It's like an action movie that, if you don't set your expectations high, you'll end up enjoying. [Aug 2003, p.109]

After three games, the developers should be full-fledged M.D.s...so why do they keep making the same med-school mishaps? [Jan 2008, p.87]

Prepare for some frustrating deaths. [July 2008, p.79]

Aesthetics aside, this is no ordinary marble game: it's deeper, tougher, and generally pretty great. [Nov 2007, p.102]

I just wish the game offered a wider array of activities...simple arithmetic has only so much staying power. [Jun 2006, p.120]

Thanks to the awesomely balanced difficulty curve, I haven't had this much fun dungeon-crawling since "Diablo II." [Apr 2008, p.82]

Gorgeous, fast-paced and balanced enough to offer fleeting fun whenever it's booted up. [August 2002, p.126]

Sonic's tables aren't especially innovative, but they do offer quite a bit of variety, and the gameplay is fast-paced and fun. [July 2003, p.117]

The core gameplay is essentially the same as last year's "Two Towers," though the graphics have been given a minor facelift and the stages are a bit more varied. [Dec 2003, p.236]

Losing the NFL license is the best thing that ever happened to Blitz-it's finally the hardcore, over-the-top pigskin game Blitz is supposed to be.

On the up side we have an excellent create-a-biker mode, some wonderful tutorials, and some surprisingly good control. [Aug 2001, p.109]

The lure of later levels, and their larger waves, kept me shooting the pipes. [Jan 2002, p.231]

While this hectic pace isn't realistic, it does make your palms sweat. [Apr 2002, p.143]

Tony, you are lookin' haggard. Even though I like American Wasteland's country-boy-in-the-city story line much better than last year's World Destruction Tour's, the annual sequels will drive this franchise into the ground if publisher Activision doesn't take a break, and soon.

But in the end, Rabbids feels more like a Wii-mote demo than a full game--not enough flesh on the bone. [Jan. 2007, p.66]

The new modes help to streamline group play, and the radically diverse song selection rules. [Aug 2004, p.103]

A frenzied student section, suffocating full-court presses, Dickie V. shouting about God knows what - that's college basketball, all right. And it's exactly what you can expect from EA's university hardwood. [Nov 2005, p.131]

Globe-trotting Laura gets new weapons and vehicles. [Jan 2004, p.189]

An enjoyable game that's always challenging but never frustrating. [June 2002, p.118]

Spidey's radioactive powers aren't enough to ward off poor collision detection. [June 2002, p.124]

The single-player modes hold XIX back from being the ultimate grappler. [Nov 2003, p.198]

I like how it's pretty easy to complete any of the levels, but achieving a gold star on each and collecting all the various coins and cards require strategy that's just challenging enough to stimulate the noggin here and there. [Nov. 2006, p.139]

It also introduces a cerebral angle to a genre that's left little to the imagination and makes it all the more unnerving as the hell on the other side of the hole in your wall closes in. [Oct 2004, p.96]

The repetition and generally dated gameplay kept me from ever getting overly excited about playing it. [July 2002, p.118]

Phantasia still has an awful lot of charm for such an old game, and fans of traditional RPGs will appreciate its long, varied dungeons and action-packed, real-time battles. [Apr 2006, p.108]

Sadly, the game still doesn't quite live up to its high-concept premise. Battles often degenerate to button-mashing, the difficulty is still wildly inconsistent, and the dungeons are woefully unimaginative. [June 2003, p.127]

Technologically well crafted, with good controls, graphics, and story - but without the freedom of superior mentalist "Psi-Ops." [Nov 2004, p.130]

When you get into the game you're gonna experience a major case of "been there, done that" if you're an experienced Tony Hawk player...Other than that, Mat 2 is a killer game. [Sept 2002, p.148]

The game's short length, infinite continues, and co-op mode make it an excellent rental for older folks, while kids will be happy to replay the levels to death and track down every last secret. [May 2005, p.125]

Of all the light gun games I've ever played, Elemental Gearbolt definitely has the best atmosphere. The 3D graphics are beautiful and very Panzer Dragoon-esque in design, while the music is just...soothing. [Aug 1998]

"GTA" cribbed from Scarface and Scarface returns the favor, except Scarface has better controls on-foot, in-car, and in-boat. [Nov. 2006, p.122]

Easily the best Harvest Moon yet. [Jan 2002, p.222]

A better effort overall, but a few mishaps away from competing with the big leaguers. [Mar 2007, p.92]

Even though gameplay is pretty much the opposite of innovation (with the exception of the multiple characters, and more chances to drive a tank compared to the PC version), the presentation is second to none. [Jan 2005, p.124]

A gory good time. And that's really all that matters.

Except for a few totally jive songs, this game is as solid as a rock-steady beat...It's deceptively simple. [Nov 2004, p.151]

The Club certainly brings nothing innovative to the venerable shooter genre. [Mar 2008, p.83]

Relatively short for an RPG - just around 25 hours - but the sheer character and locale variety make up for it. [Apr 2006, p.102]

The first Phoenix Wright game was a little bit better, a little more fulfilling, but DS owners looking to tackle another caseload will get a kick out of this. [Feb. 2007, p.96]

No slowdown, now flicker, no nothing. Most importantly, it's still among the best 2D action games ever created. [July 2004, p.102]

It's hard to complain when you're getting two classics (and "PSIII") at such a bargain price - just be prepared for a challenge. [Feb 2003, p.158]

The most addictive gameplay this side of "Virtua Tennis." [Oct 2002, p.194]

This baseballer does a good job of simulating the minor-league quality of college ball (read: errors seem more realistic and common), but the overly convoluted functionality of the game kills it for me. [Feb 2006, p.106]

Although billed as the bridge between the first and second PS2 "Kingdom Hearts" adventures, Memories feels more like a "Golden Girls" clips episode - lots of reminiscing and recapping in lieu of new hijinks. [Jan 2005, p.143]

The camera doesn't swing around fast enough after a change of possession, causing some turnovers and missed fast-break opportunities. Plus, the dynasty mode, slam-dunk contest, and three-point shoot-out have all basically gone untouched.

On the whole, Command's an average shooter buoyed by some commendable bursts of innovation. [Oct. 2006, p.117]

A solid, sometimes engaging action-platformer, but nothing more. [Apr 2003, p.116]

The action is hectic, and more importantly, every unit on the battlefield enacts its role very effectively, from the largest artillery carrier to the lowliest ground troop. [Feb 2003, p.147]

There’s just not much here to keep me coming back. [Oct 2001, p.150]

Slightly better than last year's game, but it's still nothing special. [Oct 2005, p.119]

With its $30 price tag, the game is perfect for pinchpennies, but there might've been more: more hilarity, more reflex testers, and more ways to tap Nintendo's rich history. [May 2004, p.106]

Such humor made me stick with this tale, which otherwise suffers from mind-numbing hack-and-slash combat and dull dungeons--action-RPG cliches that are anything but funny. [Holiday 2004, p.102]

But $40 is a lot to ask for yet another PSP port with tacked-on content--especially when you can find free versions of the game online. [July 2006, p.94]

It’s so fulfilling, almost therapeutic, to layeth the smacketh down on a few of your buddies. [Jan 2002, p.221]

Bursting with an ingenuity cure for jaded RPG gamers, JC2 inspires the sleeping role-play addict to awaken. [Feb 2002, p.148]

Midway did an excellent job of retaining the old Blitz flair and trademark never-say-die-gameplay while introducing more players, tons of killer animation, and funnier commentary. [May 2002, p.108]

But EndWar's biggest flaw? Insane micromanagement. [Dec 2008, p.68]

The game has a great sense of humor, and I enjoyed the story missions, but the side quests hardly vary at all from one level to the next. Just screwing around and messing with citizens isn't as fun as it could be, either.

All the constant hiding and tiptoeing and sneaking doesn't scream "action-packed!" after all. [Feb 2004, p.118]

Overlord has a neat idea, but it really needs more direction. Or should I say directions? [Aug 2007, p.77]

This latest case of sequelitis attempts to keep things fresh by making a few minor changes to the familiar Mega Man formula. Notably, the nonlinear world gives some freedom to the series--but at a cost. [Oct. 2006, p.118]

It's real-time-strategy warfare made simple, complex, and messy, all at the same time. [Nov 2005, p.152]

Once you suss the A.I.'s intricacies, the game holds little mystery or reason for replay. [Jan 2006, p.125]

The lack of a season mode or player development helps make this the perfect Friday night pick-up before (or after) hitting the town. [Oct 2005, p.118]

I wish I had room to mention all of the game's cool nuances; suffice it to say, compared to last year's edition, Superfly is a more well-rounded title. [August 2002, p.126]

Ironically, Summoner 2's strengths (faster action, computer-controlled allies) expose the game's many weaknesses (poor camera during combat, enemies that swarm you, sluggish controls). [Nov 2002, p.70]

It also introduces a cerebral angle to a genre that's left little to the imagination and makes it all the more unnerving as the hell on the other side of the hole in your wall closes in. [Oct 2004, p.96]

Nearly every aspect of the game impresses, except for the airborne Quidditch matches. [Dec 2002, p.272]

It satisfies your need to do stuff - fun tasks like picking up passengers, tailing mob bosses, and running jalopies off the road - as well as your need for speed. [Aug 2003, p.119]