If you're looking for your next "Halo" fix, make no mistake, you will hate this game. But if you're looking for something different and challenging, Flashpoint is it. [Jan 2006, p.124]

EXA sports the same exact engine, combat system, enemies, environments, and amateur-hour voice acting as 2005's "Shining Force Neo." It's probably more appropriate to think of it as an "expansion pack" than anything else. [Apr 2007, p.89]

Warhammer is so crammed with cliches -- color-coded door keys, exploding barrels, and grimy environments I swear I've already prowled through in "Quake" -- that it feels like it's just going through the first-person-shooter motions. [Dec 2003, p.210]

There’s nothing I hate more than lukewarm games, except maybe lukewarm spin-offs of lukewarm games. [Aug 2001, p.111]

On the sports side of things, this baller is hands-down the most visually stunning game at the 360 launch. Actually, it's the only one that truly looks "next-gen."

But it's mostly mediocre. Fantastic 4 desperately tries to break up the button mashing with lame minigames, like hacking a door by doing preschool puzzles, which just made the game feel like a fantastic chore.

Fans looking for a quick ride through the events of teh book and movie will be pleased with Potter GBA, because that's all it is. [Feb 2002, p.172]

If anyone ever caught you playing this game and heard its so-bad-it's-not-even-good music, it would replace that time you got the porno tape stuck in your parents' VCR as the most embarrassing moment of your life. [Sept 2003, p.112]

Missions degrade into mindless, clunky combat, in which imprecise fisticuffs and useless, fragile weapons abound. Don't bother. [June 2004, p.92]

While the graphics may show a hoops or pigskin player, you’re actually just playing a dressed-up Pong or a simple button smasher. [Aug 2001, p.111]

The clunky control doesn't help; I never got the hang of aiming my rockets, no matter how much I practiced on the herds of sheep. [August 2002, p.124]

I was hoping for more Nazi killing and less clambering over fences, but this is still an interesting stealth-genre diversion. [Nov 2002, p.300]

It begins so poorly, in such spectacularly mediocre fashion, that were I not reviewing it, I'd have chucked it in a drawer until someone invented a way to retroactively make the first half interesting. [May 2004, p.98]

It also looks great, the character classes are interesting, and I appreciate the puzzlelike missions with more ambitious objectives than "kill everyone". [May 2008, p.89]

As with the previous two 3D Sonic outings, Sonic Heroes is a solid platformer that could've been a lot better if the developers had spent more time balancing the levels and tweaking the unbelievably frustrating camera. [Feb 2004, p.108]

Poor Harry’s world slows to a coma-inducing craw whenever he’s running, flying or…well, moving. [Feb 2002, p.170]

Without a doubt, this is the best Digimon game I’ve ever played, but it’s still nothing special. [Mar 2002, p.144]

This game can't even show a bunt without a glitchy flaw or two. [May 2002, p.114]

It's a simple concept that offers a fun twist on the falling-block model of a "Tetris" or "Doctor Mario." [Oct 2002, p.194]

As an "Final Fantasy Tactics Advance" derivative, and despite a few graphic and camera glitches, Tactics delivers a competent and, at times, engaging ride through Middle-earth. [Jan 2006, p.129]

I just wish the camera weren't so horrid (especially during the boss fights) and that the leveling and backtracking weren't so tedious. It's solid enough, but it could have been so much more. [Apr 2005, p.125]

Controlling three characters simultaneously is a breeze, and the complex combo system makes trouncing enemies fun. [Feb 2002, p.156]

Mostly a scenic buzz through Africa and little else. [July 2002, p.120]

Van Helsing may be short and sometimes repetitive, but it's still a fun ride. [July 2004, p.92]

It's tough to overlook its frequent pauses for loading, brain-dead enemies, unrealistic animations, and repetitive graphics. [Aug 2003, p.122]

Almost a wrestling fan's dream come true. But there's one thing that's keeping it from achieving greatness: the incredibly dull Create-A-Superstar mode. [August 2002, p.137]

We’re talking gameplay that swings wildly from being overly simplistic (with brain teasers that couldn’t tease a 1-year-old) to being frustratingly directionless and unintuitive. [Sept 2001, p.145]

Sure, I applaud Sega for attempting to transform the single-player experience into something meatier, but poor voice acting and clumsy storytelling lend the proceedings a cheesy B-movie vibe. [Jan. 2007, p.101]

It's too simplistic. While the game gives the illusion of Splinter Cell-style freedom in how you want to take out your enemies, Batman only really ever has one course of action: knock something over, scare the bad guys into dropping their guns, then come in punching and kicking. [Sept 2005]

A no frills, no thrills watercraft racer, this game proves that even budget-ware can look sharp on Xbox... This game is fundamentally unremarkable. [Feb 2004, p.122]

Funny writing (courtesy of an ex-"Ren & Stimpy" scribe) can't save this uninspired rehash of antiquated Crash antics with lackluster visuals. [Dec 2004, p.170]

It fuses a boring turn-based strategy game with a lackluster one-on-one fighter...In short, two half-assed components combine to make...well, you do the math. [March 2004, p.114]

My biggest gripe is with Apokolips' level design, which usually involves beating up the same enemies over and over again. [Dec 2002, p.218]

As a car-combat game, it's passable but not exceptional. As a postacopalyptic "GTA" clone, it falls well short of the mark in terms of story, mission diversity, and replay value. [Nov 2003, p.171]

Relocating Suidoden's established gameplay to the vast and choppy seas doesn't do it any favors - instead of exploring diverse geography on foot, you're steering a boat across a bleak, boring ocean. [Feb 2005, p.108]

This game actually slows down time. Its characters move at the speed of Elmer's glue. [May 2005, p.124]

Gamers weaned on faster smackdowns and who aren't turned on by the idea of a showdown between Megalon and Destoroyah should proceed with caution. [Holiday 2004, p.106]

The new "Incredibles"-esque visuals and accessible dribbling mechanics are welcome, but this arcadey pitch still needs grooming. [Mar 2008, p.75]

It should be illegal for you to own money if you even considered buying this crap. [Jan 2004, p.189]

The game doesn't require you to spend too much time leveling up and upgrading weapons(though you can certainly take your time with that)--it cuts right to the action. [Nov. 2006, p.133]

Take the "Touch" portion of the title with a grain of salt, as it's nigh impossible to maneuver your way through the Monkey Ball gauntlet using the stylus controls. [Apr 2006, p.105]

Problem is the game is about as friendly as a Cylon; there's no tutorial to ease you into all those moves or the different mission types, and the difficulty spikes at odd moments, making some levels painfully tedious.

The new "Incredibles"-esque visuals and accessible dribbling mechanics are welcome, but this arcadey pitch still needs grooming. [Mar 2008, p.75]

If Sapphire put as much emphasis on the combat as they did on conjuring gritty stories to back each fighter, Barbarian could have been a lot better. [July 2002, p.115]

In more than 20 years of playing games, I have never seen a console game as obviously unfinished and rushed to market as Enter the Matrix...This game is a complete mess, and that's the only complete thing about it. [Aug 2003, p.114]

Wii Music's biggest downfall, oddly, is its music. [Dec 2008, p.64]

The most frustrating thing about Bruised is that, to be successful, you've either got to memorize a lot of combos or just mash and hope for the best. [Apr 2003, p.111]

The fakeout mechanic that allows you to maximize your gambling dollar is pretty cool, and the over-the-shoulder camera gives a neat Punch-Out!! vibe...but that's about it for the highlights. The rest of the game, from the shallow fight mechanics to the load times to the bland backgrounds, is very mediocre.

The missions themselves are similarly uninspired, like the dreaded escort mission we've seen done a hundred times before. [Oct 2002, p.204]

Besides the poor enemy A.I., the paint-by-numbers gameplay (requiring surgically precise cursor movement for actions like jumping or climbing) makes the action feel canned. [Dec 2003, p.195]

Van Helsing may be short and sometimes repetitive, but it's still a fun ride. [July 2004, p.92]

But Heroes II doesn't really offend on any level. It just doesn't excel. [July 2006, p.94]

Webslingin' remains the selling point, but the combat--although built from the ground up for this game--still consists of random button mashing. [July 2007, p.88]

Once you strip away the nifty new controls, you're left with a flawed shooter that does nothing I haven't seen a million times. [Jan. 2007, p.62]

Jericho is a mess of a shooter with nonexistant A.I., frustrating timed events, vague puzzles, and PS1-style load times. [Dec 2007, p.107]

A cool team-play aspect makes up for the lackluster fighting. [May 2003, p.132]

The worst problem is that certain jumps are damn nigh impossible - it's not even a question of skill. [Nov 2003, p.176]

An unforgiving difficulty level and harsh time limits <I>severely</I> undercut the fun... [and b]am-powing hordes of goons becomes achingly repetitive over time. [Nov 2003, p.172]

The controls feel sluggish and unresponsive, the difficulty balance is ridiculous. [Jan 2002, p.222]

This game simply represents the show faithfully, and it&#146;s fun to play. [Jan 2002, p.232]

If you can look past the ugly visuals, grab a friend and tackle this in Cooperative mode (but skip the dull four-man face-off) [Feb 2003, p.158]

Why my laziness? Because some of the "minigames" here are actually mind-numbing test of mental endurance, about as fun as working in an Indonesian sweatshop. [Nov. 2006, p.134]

Ultimately, Square Enix really ought to have put this and the first game on one UMD... [Aug 2007, p.82]

Addictive and fun whether you're entertaining a group of friends or a party of one. [June 2002, p.110]

Proves that battling blazes is not only a hazardous profession, but it's also tedious, frustrating, and a real head trip (wait till you face fire-possessed flying laundry and fireman-hating robots.) [Apr 2004, p.120]

Ostensibly a real-time strategy title, Future Tactics is really a glorified game of hide-and-seek: You either fall into your enemy's sights or manage to luck out for another turn. [July 2004, p.94]

An epic adventure is hiding in here somewhere, but AI3 doesn't bother getting around to it till it's done boring you. [June 2007, p.91]

Excitement wears thin when you realize you're fighting the same enemies and running down the same corridors over and over. There's not even a real story to cling to, so players are left with little more than a few hours of tedious button mashing. [Oct 2003, p.163]

With all these hiccups, I'm shocked this war lasted one year, let alone 100. [Dec 2007, p.109]

Short-lived but fun. [Sept 2001, p.145]

It's all here in one craptastic package that's destined for the bargain bins. [July 2002, p.128]

The Incredibles game had some great material to work with, but the energy and humor that really made the movie great just isn't there - out-of-context voice clips and poorly connected cut-scenes certainly don't add anything. [Jan 2005, p.132]

File this under "Why Bother?" [Mar 2007, p.93]

Yeah, the game's pretty--consider that half the battle. Now, we just need the basketball-fundamentals part. [Jan. 2007, p.80]

Just look at the screenshots of Ridge Racer for the PSP to get an idea of Namco's priority as far as the next generation of handhelds - it ain't DS. [Jan 2005, p.140]

No way would I recommend this game to legal eagles with the superior "Phoenix Wright" titles already out there. [Feb 2008, p.78]

Besides 5-year-old girly-girls who like, love Britney, the banal set of revolving cominations and a suck-it-for-all-it's-got song list will send you surfing on a contagious yawn-wave. [August 2002, p.123]

An unforgiving difficulty level and harsh time limits <I>severely</I> undercut the fun... [and b]am-powing hordes of goons becomes achingly repetitive over time. [Nov 2003, p.172]

The robust gameplay will keep you coming back. All three level types are totally engaging, and a wealth of secrets (hidden stages, dragons, and weapons) means that a weekend rental won't be nearly long enough. [Apr 2004, p.120]

A Zelda: Wind Waker&#150;esque cartoony graphics style would have been perfect for Jack, who, now that he's 3D, looks kind of like Jay Leno or John Kerry what with his freakishly long chin. And the cut-scenes&#151;often the only good part of a licensed game like this&#151;are embarrassing. [May 2004, p.89]

Expect a stale, low-tech dungeon crawl that feels like it fell out of 1999. [Feb 2003, p.144]

You'll never get lost instantly die from misjudged jumps, or have to play through difficult parts ten times over. Consequently, it's also a little too easy. [Oct 2003, p.135]

Something is wrong with a football title when you spend more time laughing at the instant replays than actually playing the game. [Oct 2001, p.154]

None of this stuff is actually much fun - I just had such a good laugh watching the awkward character animations that I figure this sucker's a must-rent for comedy value alone. [May 2004, p.98]

SRS just lacks the certain something that made "Need for Speed Underground" so exciting. It's disappointing, because SRS covers all the bases except for the two most important in this genre: There's no real sense of speed, and the handling lacks weight or feel. [Oct 2004, p.98]

Tight control and unlockable combos keep you from falling asleep, but the rote, dungeon-hacking gameplay wears think quickly...especially solo. [Sept 2004, p.100]

In more than 20 years of playing games, I have never seen a console game as obviously unfinished and rushed to market as Enter the Matrix...This game is a complete mess, and that's the only complete thing about it. [Aug 2003, p.114]

It&#146;s a good thing to see a change from the usual block-dropper, but this is tough stuff. [Nov 2001, p.216]

This budget-priced shooting gallery would be more thrilling if your plane didn't control like a garbage truck sliding across ice. [Dec 2004, p.170]

The U.S. Delta Force puts up such a piss-poor fight in this game, playing through it might actually boost the Republican Guard's morale. [June 2003, p.130]

This game is either unoptimized or taxing the PSP to the limit, because there's plenty of awful slowdownt to boot. [May 2005, p.96]

It almost seems like a kid's game - until you encounter bosses and trick shots that push your temper to full tilt. And speaking of tilt...where is it? [Nov 2004, p.152]

You do get a sense of accomplishment when luck favors you and you can clear a board or topple a boss, but rarely does the fun reach full tilt. [Jun 2006, p.119]

For one thing, storing and retrieving items is too much of a hassle. And second, whoever came up with the idea or permanently losing your valuables every time you die(which makes going back to finish the job much tougher)should have their head examined. [Nov. 2006, p.138]

It's just such a waste to see "Mario Party" get a frsh start here, only to have us turn the Wii-mote on its side to use it like any other motion-control-free controller. [Aug 2007, p.72]

The Incredibles game had some great material to work with, but the energy and humor that really made the movie great just isn't there - out-of-context voice clips and poorly connected cut-scenes certainly don't add anything. [Jan 2005, p.132]

Like being the hot-dog vendor at the Olympic park. You get to watch all the events, but don&#146;t really have all that much fun being there. [Mar 2002, p.139]

I found myself longing for more precise control over my players. [Sept 2002, p.150]