Problems plague the player models, the camera is too high, the Dynasty mode is still shallow, and Fever's announcers make Madden's demented ramblings sound smart. [Sept 2003, p.125]

Bravely straddles the border between action and strategy, but it needs to take a step deeper into both territories.

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]

Scrapland's cool murder mystery is wasted on a series of lame fetch quests. It's got a lot of heart - just not a lot of brains. [Apr 2005, p.125]

It'd be so much better as just a driving game. [Feb 2008, p.84]

I won't be playing this one for hours on end, but it's easily the best classics compilation ever put together. [Oct 2005, p.121]

So even though Live is lookin' better, it could still use more time in the gym. [Nov 2007, p.103]

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

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]

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]

Control is stiff and floaty, while boss battles often require stubborn persistence instead of strategy. [July 2004, p.95]

Gorgeous graphics, inspired combat, fun minigames, and cool puzzles and platform challenges bolster play immensely. [Apr 2003, p.130]

The "hurt Vince to hurt meanies" premise really shines through in the boss battles, most of which are brilliantly hilarious - but they don't come often enough. [Dec 2003, p.226]

When all of its gameplay modes and disappointing multiplayer options are handicapped by game-ending obstacles (you can actually become trapped by a fence) and unnecessarily fussy controls (rotating the stick to maintain balance sucks), the once-mighty 1080° is relegated to benchwarmer status in no time at all.

The streamlined motives are a tremendous improvement in alleviating tedium - so why the heck is the skill advancement so painful? [Holiday 2004, p.108]

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

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

Only tried-and-true multiplayer modes with smooth Net play save this from utter mediocrity. [Oct 2007, p.86]

You really have to concentrate on becoming a multitasking fiend - it may look simple, but there's a lot of strategy. [Apr 2005, p.135]

Moves at a blisteringly fast pace (unlike some other PSP sports games), looks comparable to its visually impressive big brothers, and is simple to control. [May 2005, p.98]

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]

Lots of SS's gameplay mechanics don't really work; it gets too fast and chaotic at times, leaving you disoriented, out of control, and bouncing off objects like a pinball. [May 2002, p.109]

I found myself losing interest quickly... Pride is a bit too one dimensional for most fighting fans. [Mar 2003, p.126]

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]

Gone is the great adventure, lost to the simple need to collect stuff, and in its place is the carrot and the stick - which even the most dedicated mule will only chase so far. [May 2004, p.88]

The story mode in Colosseum is surprisingly dark (by Pokemon standards), but with its lifeless characters and endless torrent of dialogue windows, it's not quite the full-fledged RPG fans may be hoping for. [Apr 2004, p.130]

It takes true talent to consistently orchestrate the chaos (four times the falshy signature strikes amount to a psychedelic supernova). [Dec 2004, p.161]

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]