The problem is, "Ruby" and "Sapphire" have been out for two years, and Emerald doesn't offer enough new content to differentiate itself. [July 2005, p.116]

Underworld is an excursion worth taking for fans of low-impact, low-commitment adventuring; I just wanted more. [Jan 2009, p.71]

These visuals are mediocre at best and not up to par with today's Xbox standards. [Jan 2004, p.156]

Jak X delivers smooth, intense online action and a solid variety of game types, including a take-out-the-drones death race and an entertaining sport hunt in addition to typical races. Nothing spectacular, but satisfying nonetheless.

This incredible compilation is a dream team of sorts for anyone old enough to remember having to <I>out</I> to play the best videogames. [Jan 2004, p.128]

An attractive, engrossing, complex adventure that easily ranks alongside heavyweights like "Golden Sun" and "Lunar Legend." [Mar 2003, p.134]

It&#146;s not that it&#146;s ugly, but compared to most Xbox games, it looks ugly, but compared to most Xbox games it looks like the boring girl next door and makes the GameCube&#146;s Rogue Leader seem like Pamela Anderson. [Jan 2002, p.231]

Stubbs is required playing for anyone who craves more bold originality than our current gaming culture churns out. [Jan 2006, p.124]

I welcome the Godfather into the GTA family, though I can't say it'll be running the place anytime soon. [May 2006, p.93]

Series fans will devour it as an excuse to flesh out the Resident Evil cannon, but it features enough casual slaughter of the undead for anyone to enjoy. [Jan 2008, p.82]

Yakuza delivers a superbly paced, mature, and well-acted narrative in the spirit of classic Japanese gangster flicks. [Oct. 2006, p.112]

Sucks all these sci-fi staples together into some kind of cliche black hole that also happens to look killer and deliver serious scares and thrills. [June 2005, p.96]

Another age is for Core heads only, and even some of them will be disappointed with more of the same. [Oct 2001, p.145]

I was lulled into a comatose state after playing about six stages of Serious Sam; making it through another 10 had me flatlining. [Dec 2002, p.258 ; score updated, Jan 2002, p.22]

Flow? NHL 2005's skaters have no flow, 'cause they're always lying out on the ice from hit after hit - just like last year. I know hockey is a rough game, but c'mon, I like to control the puck for more than two seconds before picking up my teeth. [Oct 2004, p.99]

Top Spin 2 does a fine job of delivering tense smack-the-ball-back-and-forth action. [May 2006, p.88]

You could quite easily mistake Nanostray 2 for a game in any other shooter series, but it lacks the focus and polish that make series like "Gradius" and"R-Type" great. [Feb 2008, p.84]

An RPG that deftly copies "Final Fantasy X" but is burdened with a story that plays more like a "deleted scenes" bonus DVD than anything coherent. [Holiday 2004, p.104]

Boasting some of the most inspired aesthetics since "Panzer Dragoon," SG conjres a sense of flight and freedom so convincing, you'll want to nose dive out of the sun and into and enemy's blind spot just because you can. [August 2002, p.130]

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

No, Revo's not bursting with originality or play options, but it's a solid racer that feels completely different from the competition. [Dec 2007, p.104]

Flow? NHL 2005's skaters have no flow, 'cause they're always lying out on the ice from hit after hit - just like last year. I know hockey is a rough game, but c'mon, I like to control the puck for more than two seconds before picking up my teeth. [Oct 2004, p.99]

The overarching plot is fittingly epic and the graphics are fine, but plebian puzzles and problem-fraught combat guarantee frustration in this humdrum quest. [July 2003, p.123]

As with the previous MK installment, Midway again augments the core fighting action with binus modes. Unfortunately, they suck. Konquest mode, a rudimentary action-RPG, and Motor Kombat, a widly unfun kart racer, both look and feel like PS1 budget titlees. [Dec. 2006, p.140]

It's just a shame the wonky battle system forces this game to fold. [Nov. 2006, p.132]

Only the not-as-awesome-as-they-could-have-been graphics stump this patched-up Stuntman. [Sept 2007, p.88]

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

My thumb got so sore from the continuous U-turns that soon I was looking for relief in the form of the eject button on my PSP. [Dec. 2006, p.160]

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]

Nice graphics aside, the real strength of Le Mans lies in its superb controls and physics, a well-balanced system that walks the fine line between realism and fun. [Oct 2001, p.145]

A game so fresh and unique, it just begs to be experienced despite its flaws. [Feb 2003, p.138]

Provides the most intense street-racing rush I've ever experienced in a video game. [July 2002, p.124]

Good, but could have been so much more. [Dec 2002, p.240]

Like a mediocre Buffy episode: Decent plot, predictable Scooby-gang hijinks, and lots of fighting action and bad vampire puns... It also throws in...the iffy graphics engine that produces lifeless character movement and collision issues. [Oct 2003, p.134]

Kids weaned on "Final Fantasy VII" likely won't have the patience for it, but questers of the appropriate age(and/or nerdy enough to dig the Yuzo Koshiro soundtrack)should dive in. [June 2007, p.92]

Aside from the boss battles, not one of those stages offers any kind of depth or variety; 10-year-old Bomberman games were more interesting. Multiplayer, however, delivers.

A good game that would've been great if it ran as fast as the PS2 version. [Nov 2002, p.300]

It's hardly original (not to mention short and sometimes ugly), but Namco's got both the control and the difficulty level just right. [Dec 2003, p.184]

The good news: The on-foot segments are mercifully short. They only spoil about a third of the game. The other two-thirds - the deep-space dogfighting, speederbike racing, and other vehicle missions - are as thrilling and stunning as ever.

Feverishly pressing on a D-pad the size of a piece of Lucky Charms get tiring quickly. [Apr 2002, p.137]

Apparently, someone out there was itching for a game that combines the witless banality of "Jake and the Fat Man" with the absurd chase scenarios of "CHiPS." [Apr 2006, p.106]

Like most of Koei's games, Crimson Sea 2 has a learning curve as steep as a black-diamond slope. But put in the training time, and Sea 2 plays like a faster-paced "Phantasy Star Online." [May 2004, p.95]

It's a real shame, though, that the developers thought that simply putting the name of a Hall of Famer on the jersey was enough. [Sept 2007, p.86]

For what's ostensibly a collection of minigames, Feel the Magic seems amazingly cohesive.

The always-excellent controls and wide assortment of different planes are fairly entertaining, but <i>Zero's</i> a huge step down from either of the last two games. [Jun 2006, p.113]

Much like "Katamari Damacy", Elebits is continually taking baby steps toward bigger and better things, only without the personality. [Jan. 2007, p.64]

It's not a mind-blowing epic, but Folklore's style alone is worth experiencing. [Dec 2007, p.110]

If you luck into a smooth, bug-free game, it can be a blast. But right now, that just doesn't happen very often. [May 2008, p.86]

FM4 is taxing on the ol' noggin...But you just can't beat FM4's deep (and plentiful) gameplay and high production values. [July 2004, p.99]

This may be blasphemy, but I have a feeling Me & My Katamari would have been a really excellent game...on the Nintendo DS.

I love what this game offers - classic 3D platforming with a supercool mini-ninja dude. The problem is, I-Ninja doesn't offer a whole heckuva lot of it. You can blast through the entire game in a few sessions. [Dec 2003, p.192]

The series' much ballyhooed new FielderCam is underwhelming - this behind-the-fielder view controls well enough, but it's virtually impossible to know the tragectory and speed of the ball, leaving you to rely on onscreen indicators. [May 2004, p.90]

I'm ready for this series to advance its gameplay, rather than just continuing to add new objects and locations to interact with.

The interface may be intimidating, but the strategy is deep, and the many come-from-behind victories are near exhilarating. [Feb 2008, p.82]

I'm ready for this series to advance its gameplay, rather than just continuing to add new objects and locations to interact with.

"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]

But maybe words like "solid," "competent," and "fine" tell you why it's also hard to recommend Quake 4: It's exactly what you've come to expect from a modern first-person shooter, and nothing else.

Younger gamers won't be disappointed. [Mar 2003, p.134]

Playing good or evil has little effect on the loopy story; although the game kept me entertained, I didn't feel the need to replay for the alternate ending.

But here, the stop-and-go progression between books and battles presents an identity crisis: Is this an RPG or another DS "minigame"? Either way, it didn't keep my attention long. [May 2007, p.86]

I liked it. In fact, after the rather bland first level, I couldn't put it down. There's just so much to do. [Dec 2002, p.202]

Kinda like last year's "Metal Arms," this over-the-shoulder robo-shooter totally ambushed me with how unexpectedly awesome it is. [June 2004, p.103]

Give this one a try to experience something truly different, though be warned, it's a seriously hardcore game. [May 2005, p.90]

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]

I have to hand it to developer Skip and Nintendo--they tried their best to get me to hate their new domestic adventure game, Chibi Robo. [Mar 2006, p.108]

It's compelling enough to keep you retrying the more frustrating match types, plus put up with the stealth missions. Sure beats watching the History Channel. [March 2005, p.119]

More rehash than reinvention. [July 2005, p.118]

The controls are sluggish, and combos are difficult to pull off because of the GBA's tiny directional pad. [Sept 2003, p.134]

I love Hoffman&#146;s superb soundtrack, and if you dig hip-hop, you will too. [Nov 2001, p.216]

It's a Mario game draped in pink and dipped in a vat of sparkles. [Mar 2006, p.110]

EOJ's longevity will depend largely on the planned release of new cards (building your own deck is crucial to the fun), but this is a solid start to a potential phenomenon. [Dec 2007, p.110]

On the field, 06 mostly nails the Madden feel. [Nov 2005, p.156]

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.

My idea of fun does not involve a tedious repetition of something that makes no sense. [Dec. 2006, p.156]

The finicky grappling hook controls lack the intuitive ease you'd like from such an integral control element (never mind the fact that you can't hook onto buildings or trees...wha--?). Even by the game's end, I'd still stumble when trying to sling from car to passing helo.

A rocket ride with airtight controls and quicksilver pacing that's rarely interrupted by aimless wandering. [May 2003, p.132]

DAH2 still suffers from its share of frustrating escort missions, cross-map fetch quests, and ugly graphical pop-up, but Pandemic's strides make second contact more pleasing than the first. [Dec. 2006, p.138]

Unfortunately, flashy pixels and Wi-Fi features aren't much more than tinsel on Trozei's knockoff foundation. [Apr 2006, p.104]

It's one of the most polished games I've played since "The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction." [Nov 2005, p.138]

Unfortunately, the game takes way too long to come together. The result is slightly reminiscent of "Fable" and "Suikoden"--and too disjointed.

It's more fun for folks who just want to remember two or three key moves and make those last through a night of clunky combat with a few buddies. [Apr 2002, p.144]

If only the developers had spend half as much time fine-tuning the enemy A.I. as they did finessing the graphics, XIII would be incredible. [Dec 2003, p.196]

The only noticeable difference between this and the PS2 version of PMW2 is that the load time has been reduced significantly. [May 2002, p.113]

You must buy this rad $20 collection of 20 good, bad, and butt-ugly games. [Dec 2004, p.170]

For a game called Rivals, I expected a little more personality...you know, maybe some actual characters or confrontations. [May 2005, p.94]

Greater emphasis is placed on timing and position to execute effective shots on the court, which makes it a little more difficult to get into than "Virtua Tennis"-style games, but ultimately more rewarding. [Aug 2004, p.104]

So long as you stick with the multiplayer, this game is a decent monkey-filled ball. [Dec. 2006, p.116]

Yeah, F1 looks great, but I felt more like I was guiding the camera around the track on a flyby than driving a 19,000-rpm racing beast. [Apr 2007, p.84]

It's just an overall final layer of polish that keeps March Madness from the National Championship. [Jan 2003, p.176]

It's when you stand back and think about the tacky, clunky graphics and the intrinsically repugnant battle system that you realize what's wrong here - and what another MMORPG needs to do right. [Mar 2003, p.118]

As a game, it's merely OK, but as a creative toolbox, it's exceptional. [June 2003, p.121]

You must buy this rad $20 collection of 20 good, bad, and butt-ugly games. [Dec 2004, p.170]

It's hard to recommend picking up Killer7, even as a curious experiment or artistic statement, when so much of the actual gameplay screams to put it down. [Aug 2005, p.108]

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.

A solid smash-em-up. [Nov 2005, p.145]

But the tricky puzzles and problems here offer more complexity and variety than "Brain Age's", making this a must-buy for the phenomenally addictive multiplayer action alone. [July 2006, p.97]

Because the controls are overly ambitious (read: complex), instead of being a crack shot with mad skillz, Jake Slade is about as easy to control as a 6-year old kid. [June 2002, p.110]

The visual upgrade will get you bby this season, 2K, but come back peddling the same lackluster feature set next year and I'm sendin' you to the minors. [Apr 2007, p.89]