Abbyss defaults to basic roleplaying conventions too often to be unique, but it's hard to hate this well-rounded, classic RPG. [Dec. 2006, p.142]

Hardcore quirky-game fans will want to slow down for a peek at this car wreck, while everyone else is better off speeding on by. [Nov. 2006, p.125]

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]

"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]

"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]

It is simply a portable piece of ugliness that lacks humility, wit, or any entertainment value whatsoever. It is singularly unpleasant in the way it handles its subject matter, and it lacks the style or panache to carry its inadequacies with any dignity.

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 spectacularly unrealistic collision of "Grand Theft Auto's" swipe-anything-that-moves sensibilities and "Mercenaries'" revolutionary warfare.

"Need for Speed Underground 2" did two years ago everything this game does, but with much more style and variety. [Nov. 2006, p.124]

Finally, a Japanese role-playing game for everyone who hates how talky and slow-moving the genre has become--Silmeria thrusts you into an action-packed quest laden with complex dungeons, tricky puzzles, and plenty of intense, strategic combat. [Sept. 2006, p.104]

What this amounts to is a classic example of how a simple yet typically enjoyable experience can fall apart due to poor game design. [Nov. 2006, p.132]

A game of chess could take forever, but when you pick up a piece, it doesn't take an hour to move it. But that's what Souls' slowdown-laden mess is like. Souls is one of the worst-optimized PS2-to-PSP ports I've played.

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.

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]

In the end, Live 07 reminds me of Shaq at the charity stripe: It throws up way too many bricks. [Dec. 2006, p.126]

The game plays substantially better than last year's 360 debut, with a greater sense of rebounds and loose balls being tipped around and more control on defense. [Nov. 2006, p.119]

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

Okami developer Clover obviously put a lot of love into its creation and, as you travel the countryside, painting barren landscapes into bloom, that love radiates from the screen. [Sept. 2006, p.100]

Rocket Slime is that rarest of breeds: a kid's game that completely rocks. [Oct. 2006, p.118]

Samurai Warriors 2 offers nothing new over any other single-button-mashing sequel. Pass. [Oct. 2006, p.110]

Samurai Warriors 2 offers nothing new over any other single-button-mashing sequel. Pass. [Oct. 2006, p.110]

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]

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]

You have to give credit to the brilliant blockhead who forced this awesome yet fundamentally bizarro idea on LucasArts. [Oct. 2006, p.111]

You have to give credit to the brilliant blockhead who forced this awesome yet fundamentally bizarro idea on LucasArts. [Oct. 2006, p.111]

Sure, it's fun, but it's hard to plop down your dough considering last year's "Bomberman DS" allowed eight-man fragfests. [Sept. 2006, p.108]

The more time I spent with the game, the deeper I delved into its defects. [Oct. 2006, p.114]

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]

Instead, you get a short, straightforward adventure game with predictable puzzles and tedious, sloppy combat. [Oct. 2006, p.113]

The revamped control is an interesting step forward; now all that's missing is a thick layer of polish. [Oct. 2006, p.106]

And 2K7: time to innovate. More is not better at this point. [Oct. 2006, p.106]

But mostly the gameplay comes down to trading fire with enemies who have way too much health and not ennough variety in battle tactics. [Nov. 2006, p.140]

You have to give credit to the brilliant blockhead who forced this awesome yet fundamentally bizarro idea on LucasArts. [Oct. 2006, p.111]

You have to give credit to the brilliant blockhead who forced this awesome yet fundamentally bizarro idea on LucasArts. [Oct. 2006, p.111]

Seriously, this one might as well be called Mario Hoops 1-on-3, as your teammates don't know the first thing about moving without the ball or helping out on D. [Oct. 2006, p.116]

Is it a game or is it a simulation? Yet again, it's neither, and Tiburon has failed for the second year running to strike the gllorious balance it achieved with NASCAR 05. [Oct. 2006, p.110]

Is it a game or is it a simulation? Yet again, it's neither, and Tiburon has failed for the second year running to strike the gllorious balance it achieved with NASCAR 05. [Oct. 2006, p.110]

Complete with its stunning re-creation of Oahu, Test Drive lets you live the fantasy of driving the tires off exotic cars better than any prior attempt. [Nov. 2006, p.118]

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

LocoRoco is a simple game, one that doesn't challenge you except, perhaps, in perseverance--pick it up, and you'll be able to blow right through its whimsical, intuitively designed levels. [Oct. 2006, p.114]

Like so many PS2-PSP ports, you won't find much compelling new content, either. [July 2006, p.93]

For a Japanese role-playing game on the decidely un-Japanese 360, this turned out to be surprisingly predictable experience. [Oct. 2006, p.109]

Fun dance patterns, not great music, make dance games worth playing. It's an interesting idea that doesn't quite work. [Sept. 2006, p.106]

The fact that I greeted each completed level with relief rather than satisfaction ain't encouraging. [Sept. 2006, p.108]

Xenosaga's long, strange trip comes to an early yet oddly satisfying end with this climactic finale. [Oct. 2006, p.112]

Sorry, B-Man, you went from hero to a big zero. [Sept. 2006, p.97]

If you regularly immerse yourself in the crazy s*** that comes out of Japan, Disgaea 2 probably won't faze you. Everybody else: You've been warned. [Sept. 2006, p.99]

An overhead shooter mash-up of "Dead to Rights" and High Voltage's own "Hunter: The Reckoning", Fiddy's PSP game fails in the same way his songs succeed: by taking one element and repeating it over and over. [Oct. 2006, p.116]

For wannabe thugs in upper-middle-class houses countrywide, Saints Row will seem like a sleek glock from the gods. [Oct. 2006, p.104]

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

As you'd expect, another year of learning the ins and outs of the 360 has translated into the developers producing a more polished brand of football. [Oct. 2006, p.107]

Though it's a solid entry to the staid genre, World Rally is a bit too kid friendly to recommend to anyone who reads past a fifth grade level. [Sept. 2006, p.99]

Though it's a solid entry to the staid genre, World Rally is a bit too kid friendly to recommend to anyone who reads past a fifth grade level. [Sept. 2006, p.99]

The manual flight controls are overly sensitive and take serious getting used to, forcing you to rely on autopilot. [Aug 2006, p.92]

Ultimately, the game simply isn't that engaging: The unique FFVII setting feels totally wasted here, as you're often running through boring corridors looking for keycards. [Sept. 2006, p.103]

Technological feats aside, N3 doesn't do much else....er, make that anything else that you haven't seen from this stuck-in-the-mud genre. [Sept. 2006, p.96]

Wow, is Deep labyrinth ever boring. [Sept. 2006, p.106]

No game encapsulates that apocalyptic dichotomy like Dead Rising, a million-zombie-march brawler that just happens to be the best s***ty game you'll ever play. [Sept 2006, p.92]

Flatout 2 is pretty much like the first "Flatout", which was pretty much like a poor man's "Burnout". [Sept. 2006, p.98]

Play Adventure for the solid traditional modes and adequate multiplayer, but don't expect to get too much enjoyment out of the dull platforming. [Sept. 2006, p.98]

Flatout 2 is pretty much like the first "Flatout", which was pretty much like a poor man's "Burnout". [Sept. 2006, p.98]

Play Adventure for the solid traditional modes and adequate multiplayer, but don't expect to get too much enjoyment out of the dull platforming. [Sept. 2006, p.98]

Pick up Resurrection and you'll discover how robust a PSP game can be--the great fighting just sweetens the package. [Sept. 2006, p.109]

This Frankenstein seems to have been assembled from the Pariah spare-parts bin. [May 2006, p.104]

If you can get past the learning curve, you'll find a rich, deep RPG - by PSP standards. [Aug 2006, p.94]

It's hard not to look at all those features on the current-gen version - monster playbooks, Campus Legend mode, trick plays, special-teams tweaks - and wonder why a football game coming one generation after "Madden" on 360 doesn't have what you'll find on the PS2 or Xbox. [Aug 2006, p.84]

With its forgettable characters, interminable load times, and mind-numbingly dull battles, Blade Dancer assaults players with such profound mediocrity that only the most tenacious questers will make it beyond the first few hours. [Aug 2006, p.93]

A well-made, technically solid shooter, but its dedication to realism kills the fun. [Aug 2006, p.88]

Spend a couple of hours globe-trotting Prey's extraterrestrial fun house and witness your mind turn to mush as it soaks in all the bizarre gimmicks--portals, walking on walls, immortality--that help the game stand out from other ho-hum shooters. [Sept. 2006, p.94]

Each campaign mission plays out in wonderfully designed stages created specifically to capture your imagination. [Aug 2006, p.86]

It may be stupid fun - and it certainly gets monotonous - but at least it is fun. Apologetic kids should be thrilled. [Aug 2006, p.89]

Unfathomably derivative. [Aug 2006, p.90]

Only players with a "Top Gun" level of dedication will persevere. Everyone else will start looking for the eject button. [Aug 2006, p.88]

The overly sensitive dirt bikes simply don't have the physics for the rigors of competitive driving, leading to spill after spill. [Aug 2006, p.90]

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

If you need a simple gunplay fix this could maybe see you through a weekend... [July 2006, p.92]

While something is lost in the translation [from the arcade], the irreverent goofiness and addictive gameplay remain pleasantly intact. [Aug 2006, p.91]

If you need a simple gunplay fix this could maybe see you through a weekend... [July 2006, p.92]

With 2K Sports nabbing the exclusive third-party baseball-sim rights to the MLB license, it had a golden chance to nab the hardball crown from EA's NCAA-license-relegated MVP series. Instead, we get this scattershot effort. [May 2006, p.94]

Too bad the actual b-balling action has been done before and better. [July 2006, p.92]

It's painfully obvious that Astonishia does nothing to ebb the flow of downright disappointing roleplayers on the portable Playstation. [Aug 2006, p.92]

Too bad the actual b-balling action has been done before and better. [July 2006, p.92]

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]

While the A.I. could use some improvement (one guard spots you, and they all suddenly know where you are), it's the save system that totally knocks a point off for me. [June 2006, p.112]

While the A.I. could use some improvement (one guard spots you, and they all suddenly know where you are), it's the save system that totally knocks a point off for me. [June 2006, p.112]

Rogue Trooper, I thank you for the important lesson you've taught me about judging a game by its cover art: That's now onlt accurate 99% of the time. [June 2006, p.111]

Yeah, it controls fine and looks <i>fantastic</i>, but it suffers the same "been there, done that" feeling as other PS2-to-PSP ports, in this case with the added handicap of no online play. [Jun 2006, p.118]

Field Commander isn't bad. It just lacks "Advance Wars'" energy and verve, leaving you with a game in traditional military drag with solid but uncompelling gameplay.[June 2006, p.118]

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]

Rogue Trooper, I thank you for the important lesson you've taught me about judging a game by its cover art: That's now onlt accurate 99% of the time. [June 2006, p.111]

When it comes to creating an accurate table tennis simulation, Rockstar aced it. [July 2006, p.89]

The play-style variety may be decent--and you get to upgrade abilities--but each character's level sets grow horribly repetitive and pointless, with stingy checkpoint placement compounding the frustration [July 2006, p.91]

The play-style variety may be decent--and you get to upgrade abilities--but each character's level sets grow horribly repetitive and pointless, with stingy checkpoint placement compounding the frustration [July 2006, p.91]

The play-style variety may be decent--and you get to upgrade abilities--but each character's level sets grow horribly repetitive and pointless, with stingy checkpoint placement compounding the frustration [July 2006, p.91]

The play-style variety may be decent--and you get to upgrade abilities--but each character's level sets grow horribly repetitive and pointless, with stingy checkpoint placement compounding the frustration [July 2006, p.91]

You've gotta give it up to Nintendo for bundling a phenomenal suite of over 25 Wi-Fi multiplayer minigames with the single-player game. [July 2006, p.96]

Oh, and if you already own OutRun 2 on the Xbox, don't bother with this update. [Jun 2006, p.110]

Online multiplayer matches fare a little better, as the thrill of assaulting your friends with monster rushes and souped-up spells momentarily overshadows the lingering control and A.I. issues. [Jun 2006, p.121]