The gameplay is simple yet heavily varied, which in turn keeps the action fresh and fun. [Aug 2005, p.98]

The game fails to innovate on its early mechanics, and it can feel like a chore to master some of the later levels. [Apr 2011, p.96]

With unresponsive skating and stickhandling skills, NHL 2K10 is a troubled hockey prospect. With so many red flags, we recommend passing this prospect over.

A stunning game. Whether you're a hardened RTS veteran, an anxious newcomer looking for a fun entry point to the genre, or just someone who loves colossal action in a World War II setting, you owe it to yourself to give Order of War a shot.

Other than brief moments, no part of The Crew 2 is captivating enough, including the rubberband-based gameplay, the events themselves, and the overall setup of the open world.

Make no mistake about it: Need for Speed: Nitro’s competitive advantage shouldn’t be the motion controls – it should be the series’ penchant for arcade racing, supercharged cop chases, and edge-of-your-seat racing. Unfortunately It doesn’t even come close to delivering on these fronts. But, by all means, have some motion controls.

After a while, the recycled environments and repetitive battles start to feel like a chore rather than a reward. [Mar 2007, p.96]

Digital Extremes provided a rip-roaring play, but neglected to make it mean something. [June 2005, p.124]

Was it worth the effort? That ultimately depends on how much fun you had in performing these basic, repetitious open-world activities.

Wow, generic platform games have reached a new pinnacle of dull and cliche. [Feb 2005, p.113]

Goblet of Fire is the best console Harry Potter action game yet, but it's still a far cry from good. [Dec 2005, p.161]

Pikmin could work in 2D, but Hey Pikmin isn’t the game to make it happen. Nintendo’s low-impact blend of strategy and action flounders between relaxing and boring. I sometimes felt compelled to replay Hey Pikmin’s levels to find the treasures I’d missed the first time around, but I never found what I was hoping to: a richer strategy experience.

Once you’ve heard all the dialogue, you won’t have much reason to come back to Poker Night 2. It features Texas Hold ‘em and Omaha varieties, but the poker isn’t polished enough to stand on its own. After you’ve unlocked everything, there isn’t any reason to come back.

The most painful and obvious flaw is the camera. It hangs up on walls, drifts inside your character, and is otherwise difficult to handle. [Sept 2004, p.109]

If you already like the series, not enough has changed to stop you from enjoying it. And that's exactly the reason why new players may as well just stay away. [July 2006, p.106]

As the third and final installment in the Final Fantasy XIII saga, Lightning Returns tries to distance itself from its predecessors and get back into gamers’ good graces. This results in some bold and unconventional decisions, but they don’t save this entry from being the bottom of Final Fantasy XIII’s downward spiral.

The biggest issue I encountered was the out of control load times. [Jan 2005, p.132]

There are a lot of nice touches...Too bad the gameplay is so damn mediocre and dull. [August 2002, p.79]

Graphically, it's uglier than a backwoods beauty pageant... On the default difficulty setting, the missions offer little challenge and quickly grow boring. The plot doesn't help any either. [Nov 2003, p.166]

The only laughs come from knowing your friends are suffering the same punishment you are...They're cursing this to anyone within earshot, just like you. [Dec 2003, p.154]

Practice makes perfect, though. When you get the hang of the vine system, neat control tricks develop, but the overall gameplay remains basic and boring for far too long.

Blazing Angels is definitely a sight for sore eyes. Its visuals will leave you gazing in wonder, but at the same time, the gameplay will have you fighting back tars. [May 2006, p.94]

Probably doesn't have the depth to give it the long legs of other titles in the genre. [Dec 2006, p.130]

Poorly spaced checkpoints, dank too-similar environments, and magical teleporting allies are a few other annoying and strange traits that cause this game to fall down a few notches.

If your blood pressure can withstand the beatings that may seem unfair, there's a lot to like about Conan's combat system and adventure. [Nov 2007, p.140]

I Am Alive's desperate scenarios and inventive gameplay should not be missed by masochistic gamers interested in entering a world of unrelenting dread.

The Bureau tries to be many things, and succeeds only moderately at most of them. Even so, I’m happy this long-in-gestation project has finally seen the light of day.

I was ready to love WrestleQuest, and some enjoyment can be found for those with the patience and fandom to fireman carry them along. But the imaginative ideas die by a thousand cuts that hold Muchacho Man and his friends back from world title contention. The game has cool ideas; it just needs more refinement and a serious reexamination of certain systems before it’s ready for the big time

A mixed bag from beginning to end. [Dec 2005, p.161]

The most interesting addition is the ability to create your own AI in Arena mode. [July 2003, p.107]

What starts out as a promising romp through a demented Wonderland devolves into a few good ideas stretched across redundant gameplay.

While it's not the next evolution of competitive FPS by any stretch of the imagination, a clean frontend with good party support and matchmaking at least lets those players who can forgive its faults an easy way to play the game the way it was meant to be.

Multiplayer is amusing in that hanging out with your friends is fun anyway, but the single-player content is truly terrible. A series of boring one-off challenges punctuated by simplistic exploration and the occasional full game makes up Mario’s quest to foil Bowser Jr. via baseball. Yes, it’s as insipid as it sounds.

Without spoiling the ending, I enjoyed how the team reminisced on some of the major plotlines of the series. I had fun remembering the team's adventures over the last 11 months, but I wish the story had spent a little more time on the events in this episode. Despite some awesome action scenes, the events of the episode feel rushed and the overall conclusion ends abruptly, leaving me unsatisfied with how everything plays out.

Even though you are the coach in this game, you're still little more than a bystander. [Aug 2006, p.84]

All the monsters look like cold-blooded killers that just crawled out of hell. [Aug 2004, p.75]

The Brain Age series has a certain charm about it, but this installment is easily my least favorite. If Devilish Training were some unlockable throwaway mode, I’d be OK with it. As the main new concept in a series, however, it makes the experience more annoying than it is entertaining or educational.

State of Decay 2 has a lot to love, but it’s overwhelmed by legacy issues and a slew of all-new ones that came along for the co-op ride.

The Wii version is hindered with noticeably weaker graphics and the inexcusable exclusion of the great multiplayer mode.

Wow, generic platform games have reached a new pinnacle of dull and cliche. [Feb 2005, p.113]

It pains me to level a harsh judgment against a game that’s trying something new and innovative, but Octodad doesn’t balance the frustration with the funny.

Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is ultimately more of the same, just seen through a slightly different developer lens. Most of your time is still spent fending off waves of marching ants, which is still somewhat fun in an overly familiar way.

Heroes of Ruin is a functional lootfest, but its poor economics balancing, uninteresting weapons, and boring combat don't do it any favors. It's like listening to a terrible band cover your favorite song. All the musicians are holding the right instruments, but it just doesn't quite come together.

If you like the genre or really graphic material (the first three hours are especially disturbing), Clock Tower 3 is a no-brainer. [May 2003, p.82]

Probably one of the least exciting racing titles I've played recently. [Dec 2003, p.146]

If you never clicked with the series' ball-rolling insanity, Touch My Katamari isn't likely to win you over. However, I do think that the morphing is a significant enough tweak to warrant giving it another shot.

Boom Beach gives you more strategic options than its predecessor, but it is still designed to create lulls that encourage you to pay to speed up the clock, limiting the average player’s access to its best features.

If you've got a lot of friends to compete against, Crash has a good amount of life in it. Otherwise, single-player doesn't take long to dry up.

Unlike the God of War and Team Ico collections, the Silent Hill games have a more polarizing legacy, meaning the series may not be for everyone. Hardcore survival horror fans itching to return to the corrupt town of Silent Hill in the second and third games will enjoy the enhanced graphics and new and improved voice acting. Gamers unfamiliar with the era's clunky controls are better off hunting for more modern thrills.

As one of those perhaps misguided fans, I find myself returning to the game repeatedly, if only to see what happens next. [June 2005, p.134]

The Madden NFL series has long had a solid gameplay foundation, maintained by small improvements year over year. Madden NFL 23 is the first iteration in a long time that rebuilds that foundation, and that’s where this year's greatest success lies. Some slippery collisions aside, the more physics-based action is a good change, and the control over ball placement from Skill-Based passing is a welcome addition. This comes at the cost of only minor updates to the core gameplay modes, but it was ultimately the right call to make, and Madden is a better game for it.

With its juvenile humor and low difficulty this is probably targeted for kids, but it's a decent holdover until "Super Mario Galaxy" comes along. [Nov 2007, p.142]

TT Fusion followed instructions to create this game’s foundation, but the art on top of it is the work of master builders. The visuals are a surprising hook in this Lego entry.

Lichdom: Battlemage is an interesting and enjoyable take on first-person fantasy with lots of customization to dive into. I’m hoping this initial effort leads to an even more polished sequel for Xaviant down the line.

Even with the man who created the 007 persona back in the starring role, this sequel just can't measure up to the standards of excellence set by the Bond films or by the action game genre in general. [Dec 2005, p.160]

For all my frustration with unwelcome tutorials before every level, slow speech, having to replay levels, and hiring helpers, I enjoyed the core action and running my store. The muck you must wade through before you get to the action is unavoidable, but when you do finally get through, it’s compelling. Speeding around the levels as Dillon, slamming into enemies and pulling off last-second saves as animal versions of my friends and family cheer me on is exhilarating.

If your blood pressure can withstand the beatings that may seem unfair, there's a lot to like about Conan's combat system and adventure. [Nov 2007, p.140]

This simply plays like a buggy military training application, and forgets to deliver the entertainment that you'd expect to find in a video game. [May 2005, p.121]

I wanted to love Pier Solar HD. I grew up playing the titles it emulates, and seeing the look and feel so authentically captured gave me high hopes. However, I grew increasingly bored with Pier Solar once the initial wonder wore away.

Xenoverse stands as one of my favorite Dragon Ball Z video games. I like taking my own custom character into familiar battles from the show, and I enjoy acquiring new equipment as I progress. My character may have looked nothing like me, but I really felt like I was actively participating in the flashy action alongside the familiar cast.

The bonus stunt mode is cool, but Downforce ultimately lacks depth. [July 2002, p.83]

The devil is in the details, and Ejay Clubworld's clunky controls will wear on you after a while. [Aug 2003, p.91]

It succeeds through its intoxicating fluidity and the way it turns the dream of the movie into your own reality. [Apr 2003, p.90]

The strategy is intricate, the creatures are totally awesome, but some sketchy execution on the combat side of thigs keeps Wrath Unleashed from oattaining immortality. [Feb 2004, p.108]

Hidden levels, new features, and cheats all await the dedicated gamer. However, it will take a seriously patient player to not only finish the game, but to go back and earn the gold medals. [May 2004, p.94]

Last year's game showed promise and a commitment to getting this series back on track. This year's installment is a disaster. There's a decent game of baseball to be played here, but you are more likely to pitch a complete game than play through nine innings without a bug or glitch.

The Dynasty Warriors games are brain-dead fun, but each new title is no more or less fun than the one that cam before or the 30 that will come after. [May 2005, p.116]

The super-group function and solo campaign level designs are particularly awesome. [Dec 2004, p.188]

Even when Twisted Dreams is firing on all cylinders, levels inevitably devolve into a tedious hunt for gems. Some platformer fans may enjoy Twisted Dream's unabashed adherence to '80s game design, but even as a fan of old-school platformers, my enjoyment was hampered by some significant shortcomings.

Each level follows the exact same progression path, and this dull repetition ultimately makes what could have been a great tornado game nothing more than a funnel cloud.

Sadly, not only does Amazing Spider-Man fail to deliver, it may also diminish my enjoyment of this summer's film.

Liberation Maiden, for better or worse, is a brief, fast-paced experience. I found myself laughing at the game's opening, and even though I never became genuinely engaged in the plight of Shoko and New Japan, I enjoyed taking it all in.

Sea of Solitude provides an insightful look at how mental health devastates the lives of not just those it affects, but also loved ones on the outside. Kay learns a lot about herself by understanding the value of listening, coming to term with her flaws, and not just empathizing with family but also accepting that a simple fix isn’t always possible.

Finally, everyone will be able to see everything these games have to offer. [June 2005, p.127]

Unfortunately, the entire affair is filled with repeated waves of what amount to the exact same enemies, and it doesn't take long for boredom to set in.

I kept waiting for Daemon X Machina to pull the curtain back and reveal some sophistication in its gameplay, or some narrative twist that might make the uninspired combat worth slogging through. Those things never arrive. While the game ostensibly scratches the itch for players who have longed for something like Armored Core on the Switch, it’s a model that feels out of step with recent innovations in the sphere of action games. There are better worlds to save than this benighted future.

For all the cool special moves and boss fights, the heart of any RPG is the story. Sadly, Command Mission doesn't just fail in this area; it is a discotheque fire disaster with no survivors. This game's plot isn't merely bad - it's embarrassing and painful. [Oct 2004, p.128]

After previous publisher THQ folded and 2K took over this series with WWE 2K14, I had hoped the WWE games would see a slow crawl out of mediocrity, and that wrestling fans would eventually have a wresting game they could be proud to show non-wrestling fans. Unfortunately, the 2K series has carried forward with the same by-the-numbers combat we’ve seen for years. 2K’s next WWE game doesn’t need to check off a list of incremental improvements – it needs a complete overhaul.

Ultimately, New Tales From The Borderlands feels like more of the same and fans of the first are likely to enjoy this, but given it’s been nearly eight years since that first one, I wanted more of an evolution.

The biggest reason that I'm not ga-ga about this game is that I don't feel like I know Kya as a character. Because of that limitation, your desire to spend some serious time in her company isn't as high as, say Voodoo Vince. [Nov 2003, p.145]

The single player story mode is unspeakably repetitive, and the multiplayer games can be equally frustrating since the eight playable characters are seriously unbalanced. [Apr 2004, p.110]

Just as addictive as its predecessors, but features more thoughtful challenges and conquests. [Mar 2004, p.97]

Children are much more capable than we sometimes give credit for, and Kao’s by-the-numbers design would likely bore all but the most nascent of gamers. Kao the Kangaroo isn’t a total disaster by any means. It just feels aggressively average and forgettable which, sadly, has been the case for the mascot for years.

Rune Factory 5 is rough around the edges, but I still loved my time with it. Something about how all the parts work together keeps pulling me to it. Even after completing the main story, I’m still playing, as I have recipes I haven’t unlocked, a romantic journey I’m embarking on, and many upgrades I can still do to the town. It has its flaws, but Rune Factory 5’s enchanting loop of constant progression and discovery helps mitigate a lot of these annoyances, so they don’t sting so much.

A serviceable, inexpensive RPG that will satisfy fans curious about this "lost" chapter in the KH series and the few people who really enjoyed the ­original CoM.

While somewhat shallow, My Sims will spark your imagination and awaken the inventor in you with its ingenious art-driven gameplay. [Oct 2007, p.121]

It's a little unfair--there are certainly plenty of gamers who lack the gaming PC to play the original--but at the same time it's hard to get excited about a port of a game that is exactly the same as the one I played a year ago. [Oct. 2006, p.106]

Goblet of Fire is the best console Harry Potter action game yet, but it's still a far cry from good. [Dec 2005, p.161]

NCAA Basketball 09 may not offer the wealth of options or polished gameplay of its former competition, but it’s still a decent baller worthy of a look from hardcore college hoops fans.

Lost Sphear has some good ideas and mechanics working together when it comes to battle, but everything else falls short and feels dull. The reused dungeons, backtracking, and slow-paced story don’t give me much to fight for, even if the end does come together in an interesting way. Sadly, the tedious grind through a milquetoast adventure is sour for far too long before coming together.

While I love that Metrico doesn't hold your hand, there were times when I felt I could have used a bit more to hang on to - especially the levels where some of the on-screen "hints" are actually obfuscating the true course of action. However, for every moment of frustration, there were greater feelings of pride and the thrill of discovery.

What you are really buying when you pick up this bundle is a fun minigame that comes with a packed-in controller novelty. [Feb 2008, p.99]

Tiny Metal’s visual style pays homage to Intelligent Systems’ dormant Advance Wars series, but its under-baked action isn’t as cute. The battles never feel like a chore and I enjoyed basking in my easy victories, but Tiny Metal needs a few more tools in its arsenal if it wants to take on the legacy of Advance Wars.

As rewarding as the hand-to-hand combat is, Rise to Honor's thrills are short lived. It's an enjoyable play, but much like Jet Li's films, is nothing more than a lazy afternoon of fun. [Mar 2004, p.98]

Apart from the animal stuff, the core game has also undergone some tweaks, like a greater sense of ownership of your surroundings. It doesn’t make Pets more fun, though; the lack of sufficient rewards and direction neuters the whole experience and makes it a chore to play.

About the best definition of average that I could ever imagine. [Nov 2002, p.144]

It's simply so boring that my mind wanders to the chores waiting for me at home. [Jan 2004, p.151]

I'm really pleased to see the inclusion of a good selection of original arcade ports as well. [Jan 2005, p.119]