Sure, you've got to pull off a few tricks here and there to keep up your momentum, but "SSX" it ain't. [Apr 2006, p.96]

Repeating the same mundane tasks every day so that I could do what I actually wanted to do--go exploring, which was great--really got to me. [May 2008, p.87]

This game is a rushed, slapdash effort intended to prey on unsuspecting consumers. [Dec 2002, p.250]

While the different endings are the most interesting aspect of Samurai, they also introduce a whole pile of tedium, as you're forced to sit through the same lengthy cut-scenes over and over. [Aug 2004, p.104]

Shooting centerfolds and putting together a magazine is halfway interesting, but the gameplay is nothing more than a third-rate "Sims" clone. [April 2005, p.114]

Too bad it handles like a remote-control car, bolting from a stand-still to top speed in an instant. I'll pass. [Apr 2008, p.73]

Remind me - what exactly is it about frantic, feverish, and somewhat random button-pressing that's...fun? 'Cause these minigames just aren't. [Oct 2004, p.114]

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

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

And why must I hit <I>left</I> on the right analog stick when my intention is to look <I>right</I>? Talk about counterintuitive. [Nov 2004, p.140]

The controls are stiffer and less forgiving than Ike Turner on Viagra, and when your crash-prone rider respawns after eating dirt, he's often facing a wall. [Sept 2003, p.122]

Pretty dull, even for a first-person shooter. [Dec 2004, p.150]

I literally fell asleep 15 minutes into my first "exciting" mission of taking pictures of fish, so that should tell you something. But stick with it, and you may find yourself inexplicably drawn in. [Mar 2003, p.116]

The developers got so many of the visual details dead-on...didn't they think that maybe the gameplay should be at least marginally decent too. [July 2007, p.86]

Eminently playable, and more importantly, replayable. All the hacking and slashing should get old after a while, but the infamous "quest for stuff" kept me going for the long haul. [Oct 2003, p.168]

Problem is, getting to the good stuff requires battling through a blitzkrieg of banality. [May 2006, p.98]

But between the high frustration factor and the frequent need to crisscross the large city (some kind of warp option would be nice), I feel Rush tries a little too hard to turn me off.

The requisite Franchise mode and instant replays are foolishly MIA - what gives? The graphics also fail to impress, and trying to control more than one runner at a time gave me headaches. [June 2003, p.131]

While it's got heart and spirit in spades - heck, even the cutscenes are up to snuff - it sorely lacks depth. [July 2005, p.113]

Slowdown, crappy animation, dumb A.I., and a laggy control scheme are bad enough, but it's the stupendously awful level design - with impassible areas that might as well be invisible walls - that really takes the cake. [Nov 2004, p.130]

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough the first time: THIS GAME NEEDS VOICE CHAT. [May 2005, p.135]

If you've already hacked through any of the "Champions of Norrath" or "Baldur's Gate" PS2 games, then you'll find little here to hold your interest. [Jan. 2007, p.80]

Fight the war with friends instead: Co-op mode minimizes casualties and lets the otherwise captivating "oh sh***!" moments shine. [Dec 2004, p.156]

Spectacularly bizarre in a good way. [Oct 2001, p.148]

The quick races, which play a lot like a lamer, more grounded version of Hydro Thunder, only draw attention to the ghastly load times. [Aug 2001, p. 109]

It's just too bad the menus and team customization options require more intensity and concentration than the actual game. [July 2002, p.122]

Every good idea here is brought down by bad basic design, including a shoddy third-person camera, a too-slow first-person mode, and bizarre forced switching between the two. [Sept 2008, p.82]

It's unnaturally hard, with save points so few and far between, you'll definitely relate to Wolverine when he goes into a Berserker Rage. [July 2003, p.120]