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]