My party of seven felt like a little army when explosive Arts and flashy Ouroboros combos lit up an already-chaotic battlefield. And the quality-of-life improvements like customizable shortcut hotbars and in-game GPS streamlined menu-surfing and traversal. Still, the narrative and world designs left much to be desired as critical plot twists are frustratingly obvious, character growth is virtually nonexistent, and navigation in each uninspired environment proves to be a tiring exercise. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a double-edged sword that needs a bit more sharpening.

Terrible batting collision and awkward fielding control are just a couple of things keeping Sega's hardball title from getting into the majors. [Apr 2003, p.70]

Instead of the brain-bending adventure with scares and gore that I had so desperately hoped for, it turned out to be a sloppy, monotonous bore that nearly put me to sleep.

Despite the addition of greater physical damage to your cars this time around, I rarely feared for my life, which is something I look forward to in a rally game. [June 2004, p.131]

If you find yourself hankering for a simple game of Hearts rather than saving the galaxy for the billionth time, Ultimate Card Games is for you. [Sept 2004, p.118]

Something always felt a little off when using the touch screen. I just don’t think this kind of touch interface is well suited to the rhythm game genre. After awhile I actually did start to enjoy myself a little, but Nintendo was never able to convince me that the game works well.

The art and combat are killed in their tracks by the game's downright shameful dialogue. [Nov 2004, p.158]

Nothing even comes close to touching its encyclopedic approach toward statistics. [Apr 2003, p.83]

A decent game, but its lack of depth makes it the poster child for an average game...On a side note, the music is some of the best I have heard in a game in a long time. [Mar 2002, p.83]

The journey can be fun; I liked collecting and growing familiars and watching the breathtaking world before me, but Ni No Kuni doesn't come without frustration. Enter for the beauty, but know it comes with a price. [Feb 2013, p.90]

It's a decent play, but it didn't steal my heart the way that I had hoped. [July 2004, p.113]

While the first episode fails to evoke the fond memories I have for Telltale's superb work on The Walking Dead, I haven't completely abandoned hope for the adventure to come.

If you can look past the archaic game mechanics and have the patience to trudge through the early missions, Monster Hunter Tri offers a lengthy and rewarding experience like nothing else on the Wii.

Gorogoa’s artist and designer, Jason Roberts, clearly had a vision with this game and I applaud him and everyone else at developer Buried Signal for making it a reality. But I struggle to recommend this experience, because whatever emotions Gorogoa was hoping to convey, I simply did not feel them.

I enjoy challenging games when there’s a rewarding payoff. With Thumper, the reward of doing well is just more Thumper. If you’re really into the game’s bleak conceit, you may have the patience to hang with it for the duration. Personally, I was ready to leap out of the trough and never look back.

Streets of Rage 4’s simple approach to combat and content is enjoyable in short bursts, but it doesn’t have the hooks to keep you coming back. This beat ‘em up feels like an homage to the ‘90s, but it’s also stuck in that era.

I began Xenoblade Chronicles X filled with enthusiasm for its intriguing world and gorgeous visuals. But like the hackneyed songs that play ad nauseum throughout, the gameplay doesn’t have enough depth or entertainment to sustain such a prolonged experience.

Baba is You makes you feel brilliant as you transform the properties of each puzzle to get the win in the early game – but then things get complicated.

I quite enjoyed looking at Sayonara Wild Hearts, even though interacting with it left me cold. In fact, I probably would have liked it just as much if it were just a short film. As it stands, it’s an impressively stylish title with a disappointing amount of substance.

Agent 47’s ultimate skill has always been patience, and the newest Hitman demands the same from the player more than ever before. Some may enjoy devoting hours to planning and pulling off the perfect hit, but the supersized levels have made 47’s latest adventure an overly drawn-out affair, above and beyond the initial episodic release schedule.

Kid Icarus: Uprising is a series of good ideas that ultimately suffer from its poor controls. There's a lot to do in the game, and more importantly, I felt compelled to do all of it. As the credits rolled I looked back fondly at the experience, as my hand throbbed along with the music. I'm looking forward to doing more with Pit in the future, just not like this.

Disappointingly average. [Nov 2005, p.154]

I was harsh towards the console version, and although this edition shares many of its faults, it's still pretty good. [Apr 2006, p.133]

It’s a unique take on open world play, and its almost nihilistic fixation on violence for the sake of violence has a satirical and darkly comedic edge. Unfortunately, the repetition and lack of substance behind the flash left me cold.

The character animations are incredibly fluid and impressive, and several of their conversations are good for a chuckle. Unfortunately, these scattered bits of life aren't enough to bring Sissel's adventure back from the dead.

Good, but not good enough. [Apr 2003, p.93]

Playing cards in connection to successfully racing a horse is a bizarre overlap I did not expect to enjoy.

This game makes me yearn for "Ghost Recon," with its on-the-fly command structure and passable NPC intelligence. Rainbow Six 3 not only lacks these two very important features, but it also penalizes gamers who play by its own rules. [May 2003, p.93]