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.

Now if it wasn't for the blasted controls! [May 2002, p.108]

It's too simplified and repetitive for even the most desperate of action-starved gamers. [Oct 2002, p.194]

The edgy cartoon trappings kept me interested in this game far longer than its actual gameplay. Which is to say, about an hour - or maybe three, if you count the two times I had to restart because I was still figuring out the Story mode's rules that don't let you retry events.

Too bad the extra content isn't quite as fresh. [Aug 2007, p.85]

Between the terrific cinemas, TV voice actors, and perfectly re-created story lines, you'll really feel like you're playing the show. And isn't that what you've wanted all along? [Feb 2003, p.136]

A simple, solid adventure with smart puzzles and high production values, but it leads its junior wizards through every baby step. [Aug 2004, p.101]

I agree the premise isn't as intriguing as the first game's, but Manhunt 2's still got plenty of creeps and creepy atmosphere--it's the 8mm and Hostel of videogames. [Holiday 2007, p.69]

Distressingly little effort went into crafting this anniversary package: Square Enix merely cobbled together aspects from the PS1 and GBA remakes, touched up the graphics with high-resolution art, and added one new, ultra-difficult dungeon at the game's end. [July 2007, p.95]

Spidey simultaneously fights crime and a bad camera, usually indoors in environments reminiscent of "Spider-Man 1's."[June 2005, p.109]

It's a solid effort, but it just doesn't have the minute-by-minute gravity of 2K7's college game. [Feb. 2007, p.89]

"Motorstorm" does off-road racing better than this. So do "Dirt" and "Sega Rally Revo". [Jan 2008, p.94]

The repetitive challenges are uncreative, and the game's choppy graphics and collision-detection isues make the whole experience head-splitting. [Aug 2003, p.116]

The game’s graphics seem tighter and less warpy than before, all making this a superior game to its predecessor. [Aug 2001, p.112]

Mystical Ninja had a nation of young adults spiking and dying their hair. Or not. [Jan 2004, p.189]

Entertaining enough at first, but lacking any staying power. [Apr 2008, p.78]

Put simply, this game looks awful...An excercise in frustration with clumsy controls and uneven level design. [Nov 2004, p.150]

It delivers ho-hum RC racing that, true to the title, involves inadvertently smashing into things...and that's about it. [Aug 2003, p.112]

While this latest version succeeds in providing a polished, fast-paced, fun game of over-the-top 3-on-3 hoops, it doesn't really offer anything we haven't seen before. [Dec 2003, p.191]

Offers less gameplay than the first and lacks the ingenuity and novelty. [Feb 2002, p.154]

The action on the track is mediocre, especially once you realize you'll have to wrestle with the touchy control on the same tracks in the same cars over and over. [Jan 2004, p.124]

Too much of the good stuff (unlocking new areas, upgrading equipment, and raising livestock) happens either by accidental discovery or hours into the game--after most people will have lost interest. [July 2007, p.97]

There's not much of an actual game here. [May 2003, p.134]

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

Pares down the survival-horror experience to its most basic, frightening form - running for your life. [June 2005, p.100]

A simple, solid adventure with smart puzzles and high production values, but it leads its junior wizards through every baby step. [Aug 2004, p.101]

Solid…if you want something smaller with a focus on character development, give Tsugunai a whirl. [Feb 2002, p.158]

The novelty of the battle system wears thin pretty quickly, and befroe you know it, you'll be wishing you could just skip fighting altogether. [Dec 2002, p.204]