The lame-o difficulty (the first game was probably too hard, but come on, I've played tougher "Rugrats" games) means that you'll blow through it in a night. [Mar 2003, p.114]

A seasoned gamer might find Vs. easy at first, but mastering each stage in an attempt at beating the high score proves much more challenging - and ultimately rewarding. [July 2004, p.108]

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

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.

She's less a game and more an interactive vacation - something I can play whenever I have time and not get completely lost. [Mar 2003, p.130]

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]

Light on story, this Onimusha saga spin-off is almost all slice and dice. Think of it as "Super Smash Bros." with Bushido instead of butt stomping - simple fun for four players, with strategy based not so much on <I>how</I> you swing your sword ("Sword Calibur" it ain't), but when. [Apr 2004, p.119]

Army of Two definitely doesn't deliver the genre revolution some were expecting, but I still had a good time spraying bullets with a buddy. [May 2008, p.82]

It's not going to change your life, but it will definitely make you smile. [Dec 2002, p.268]

The snazzy visuals will initially draw you in, but you'll stick around for the instinctive, responsive gameplay. [Dec 2003, p.201]

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]

Does one thing really well: the Zen feeling of hitting a jump just right, catching the curve of the dirt like a stylus in a record groove. [Apr 2005, p.116]

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.

If nothing else, Wrath of Heaven succeeds where it absolutely must - executing stealth-kills as a ninja is simply exhilarating, and the animations rock. [Apr 2003, p.118]

If you're a fan of films like "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch," you'll feel right at home with this twisted tale. [Mar 2003, p.122]

It'd be easy to write this one off as child's play, but it has a hidden depth that reveals itself over time. [Jan 2008, p.80]

Using the same game engine as its NBA counterpart, 2K5 plays better than it did a year ago, in part because the A.I. is way smarter. [Jan 2005, p.128]

Finally, a SmackDown game that's paced like real wrestling and veers away from the usual arcadey button-mashathon.

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.

There's a good and varied crop of creeps to slaughter, but, sadly, using the Xbox controller with its imprecise analog stick to blast said creeps is more chore than it is pleasure. [Dec 2002, p.250]

Repetitive, primitive and even a bit tedious...and I dug every minute of it. [Nov 2001, p.220]

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]

Get rid of the drama, though, and Burst Limit becomes a delight. [July 2008, p.78]

Anyway, 07 plays just fine, but once again this edition leaves you wanting (and expecting) much more. [Dec. 2006, p.132]

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

Get some friends together, though, and you've got one seriously fun multiplayer RPG. [Jan 2004, p.164]

Chronicles has the classic formula I&#146;ve come to know and love. Frustratingly good difficulty, cool extras &#150; an oldie but a goodie. [Nov 2001, p.216]

Business as usual. [July 2008, p.84]