Strange missteps abound in Heroes Over Europe, but glimmers of fun WWII arcade flight shooting shine through from time to time. [Oct 2009, p.90]

The Lego Movie 2 Videogame rarely pushes the player to do anything other than go into their building menu to select one object, and ends up being a shockingly bland experience in a series that has been mostly consistent in doing fun things with different properties.

Unfortunately, bad mechanics and ho-hum gameplay progression bring things down.

Gat Out of Hell comes up short in mission variety, but concludes in a tantalizing way: with five different endings.

Clever class design accepted, Torchlight III doesn’t offer tremendous innovation or nuance in its systems or gameplay. The gratuitous destruction is often great fun, right up until the hour marker when it’s not, and it all starts to feel a bit tedious. Thankfully, there’s always a new magic sword to collect, a respec to try out, a new character class to discover, or a dungeon to delve. Torchlight III is an approachable action/RPG that’s especially welcoming to newcomers, or simply players who don’t want to focus too hard on their evening’s entertainment. Repeat conquerors of heaven and hell may wish to look elsewhere, but if your desires for fantasy destruction are more about high-octane action, Torchlight III rarely disappoints.

Dungeons may not be for everyone, but it will more than satisfy the needs of anyone who takes a shine to it. Better yet, it probably won't imprison you and drain your life energy afterward.

Like an antithesis to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, it proves that two great flavors don't always taste great together. [Issue#203, p.87]

While it becomes a bit repetitive late in the game, Dillon's Rolling Western is a good fit for anyone tiring of the same old tower defense formula. Combining the charm and wide-open exploration of The Legend of Zelda with town defense proves to be an addictive recipe. The game's cartoony Wild West visuals and terrific sense of humor is the icing on the cake. This is a must-download eShop title for anyone finding their 3DS becoming as dusty as Dillon's trails.

The gameplay shows potential, but the rest of the game isn’t strong enough to lift it up into an experience that any gamer needs to see.

This HD version of Resident Evil: Code Veronica X rewards players armed with patience, resourcefulness, and plenty of ink ribbons with a harrowing but memorable trek through the series' heyday. If you've got the grit, try downloading this affordable piece of Capcom history on PSN for PS3 and Games on Demand for 360.

No flash, no pop, just a straight-up baseball game that looks great and plays okay. [Apr 2002, p.76]

If you don't lust after balls of dragons, you'll see nothing more than a mediocre fighter with a really confusing plot and characters in dire need of haircuts. [Dec 2003, p.159]

The improvements to the fundamental gameplay in Madden 24 continue to pay dividends with some of the most authentic football the series has ever seen. But, like an ill-timed penalty, the dreadfully slow menus and funneling toward tedious minigames wipe out any forward progress and move the series backward overall.

Pretty uninspiring stuff, but I guess if you’re a parent looking for a (relatively) harmless game to pick up for a small child it might do the trick. I’d like to think your kids deserve better.

There is something to be said for this title due to its pure outrageousness. [Apr 2002, p.77]

There is one and only one good thing to say about Two Worlds: the game truly gives you the freedom to align with any faction and change the gameworld by your choices. Everything else – and I mean everything else – sucks.

Jimmie Johnson's game isn't the championship win that the man himself is probably accustomed to, but it's a fun title that will have no problem fulfilling anyone looking to have a good time with a kart racer.

Is it great? Heck no. Does it offer little substance, but an enjoyable handful of thrills? It does, more often than not. [Aug 2005, p.97]

Whenever the guns are pumping, it's a legitimately blast to play. That’s where the experience shines, and everything else around it holds it back from being truly engrossing. This is one of those games that frustrates because you can see the greatness within it, but it's always just out of reach.

With an archaic graphics engine, dreadfully awful camera tracking, extensive load times, and some of the most atrocious mission challenges known to man, it becomes quite clear where this game went wrong. [Jan 2003, p.89]

While the plot and Depression-era ambience still held me rapt, the gameplay itself was, quite frankly, pretty dull at times. [Mar 2004, p.104]

If you've ever played "Super Smash Bros.," you'll immediately be comfortable here - even the fighter select screen is strikingly familiar. [Mar 2004, p.104]

While Legends does offer you the most comprehensive Rocky experience to date, it just plain fails to deliver in the ring. [Dec 2004, p.165]

I love the gamplay, but there really needs to be a more engrossing game around it. [Aug 2004, p.107]

For a game that has been around for three years, it still performs admirably and stacks up well against today's most sophisticated fighters in terms of graphics and replay value. [May 2003, p.91]

Rising Sun seems content to merely maintain the status quo. [Dec 2003, p.168]

Dynasty Warriors 8 attempts to change the series’ long-standing formula with the addition of the Ambition mode and history-altering storylines. Combat is tedious, however, and it still defines the majority of the experience.

Smarty Pants is fun. It doesn’t pretend to be anything more, nor does it need to. I will say that it’s not quite at the addictive level as the much-missed You Don’t Know Jack series (it’s missing the catty humor), but it’s certainly successful in accomplishing its modest goals.

The problem is that neither the physics nor the graphics have aged particularly well; if you're looking for a next-gen FPS, this is not it. It is, however, a decent update to one of the best titles of yesterday. [Apr 2004, p.108]

Most of this game’s content is in betrayal of the license, and it’s not all smut, either. In one mission, you are tasked with assassinating Fidel Castro, an act that ends up being just as comedic as The Naked Gun’s assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth II. Unfortunately, the intent of this sequence isn’t to make ­players laugh.

It has one major flaw - the gameplay is downright appalling. A blind man on ice has more control than your character's general movements. [Jan 2004, p.130]

Horrible balancing in the single-player game and a decades-old multiplayer frontend further accelerate Heroes of Annihilated Empires on its quick trip to the bargain bin.

I've been a big fan of the series' portable outings in the past, but htis is just a big dud. [Feb 2006, p.113]

A solid rental if you like bloody action games.

Oogie's Revenge stacks up against the original about as well as "Devil May Cry 2" or "Blues Brothers 2000." [Nov 2005, p.149]

Simply put, outside of the boss battles, fighting is boring and often times sloppy. [Feb 2003, p101]

I couldn't help but wish the game was organized into traditional levels with beginnings and ends. The arena combat lends nothing to the story when every level is just a fight to defeat a certain number of enemies, and without the need to move from area to area, there is no reward or even a feeling of progression. Fighting lots of dudes is well executed, but it's not exciting.

In terms of open-world game design, World Seeker isn’t an innovator, but it borrows and re-imagines familiar mechanics well (from the Batman: Arkham games, in particular) and proves why they are perfect for the One Piece universe.

Shadow Labyrinth is such an odd concept that I optimistically assumed it came from a specific, focused creative pitch, but it's one of the least focused games I've ever experienced. The story, art design, and structure are messy and underbaked. It's middling at best and maddening at worst. It doesn't have enough Pac-Man for fans of that franchise, and its Metroidvania elements are too weak to appeal to fans of the genre, so why did they make a Pac-Man Metroidvania? After spending 40 hours with the game, I still don't know, and that makes it difficult to recommend.

The nonstop action Chaos legion exhibits is unparalleled. [June 2003, p.101]

As a debut title, it's a straight-forward affair. [Dec 2008, p.112]

Ultimately, Rango's another example of how to do a licensed property justice. Rather than simply rehash the movie's story, EA and Paramount are giving players a new adventure to experience. It's a little on the short side – and even then it starts to get repetitive near the end – but it's definitely one of the better tie-ins I've played over the years.

Frogwares doesn't pull any punches in its irreverent yet thoughtful portrayal of the detective, and is similarly unflinching in the intelligence and attention to detail it demands of players. The Testament joins that small, respected group of M-rated games that actually require maturity from players; recommending this case to adventure game fans is elementary.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a complicated package. Its core combat and attention to character detail are great, but everything around that is bone dry. Playing as these lovable Nicktoons may interest some, but I didn’t want to stick around for the no-frills matches. Hopefully, Ludosity and Fair Play Labs can keep adding to Nick Brawl post-launch and flesh out what's missing while getting Nickelodeon’s full backing to make it a better product for the fans.

There’s certainly a lot here to love, and a lot more that you want to love, but most of your time in Kane & Lynch is spent shaking or scratching your head. The problems are just too visible for it to be taken seriously as a gritty thriller.

Need for Speed checks off the boxes for the series, but unfortunately it's not a revaluation that necessarily improves on what's already come before.

Go to your local game store, hand the clerk your money, and buy something other than Opoona. [Apr 2008, p.95]

In the right environment and with the right people, Divekick offers some fun. But the lack of online lobbies drastically limits those opportunities. Like most novelties, the fun of Divekick is short-lived.

The games are a blast worth remembering. Old racing is the new hotness. [Oct 2005, p.128]

With no gameplay enhancements and only surface changes to presentation, this FIFA 12 expansion is a cosmetic add-on with no redeeming new features. The UEFA tournament mode is a lazy attempt to capture the glory of the competition, and the new Expedition mode is a boring grind. Only the most devoted of national fans should bother with this otherwise forgettable expansion.

Puzzle Fighter alone might make this worth the $30 for a lot of folks.

It's generic in just about every way, from cheesy dialogue to predictable enemies. [Dec 2001, p.95]

This obscure video game brew not only sounds like a garbled mess, it plays like one as well. [June 2003, p.60]

Seems to easily fall flat into the clutches of mediocrity. The multiplayer mode is nice, though. [April 2002, p.89]

While the multiplayer modes are nice, poor targeting, underwhelming graphics, and erratic movement make this game a mere blip on the radar. [Nov 2002, p.144]

The choppy animation and jerky controls, along with the small move list, keeps Legends of Wrestling from hitting the pay window. [July 2002, p.88]

The biggest problem with Rivals is that it doesn't feel like you're skating ice. [Dec 2003, p.174]

It's definitely different, but in ways that are detrimental to the experience you'll have with it. [June 2003, p.108]

Wii Party U is meant to be played in a group of four, if only to have more people to talk to while you grind through an hour-plus board game session. Still, that means you need two Wii remotes in addition to the one in the box and your GamePad - another $60 to $80 dollars down the drain if you don't already have them.

Spore is an infinitely more unique and nuanced experience than Darkspore, but in the end, Darkspore is much more likely to stick around in the gamer psyche. It may not do anything particularly new, but the way it polishes and riffs on known gaming conventions should leave you happily clicking on bad guys and collecting new body parts late into the night.

While Risen 3 doesn’t have great combat or an enthralling story, there’s a lot of content to delve into for those hungry for an open-world action/RPG, and that might be enough to entice fans to give it a try.

Explodemon isn't a broken game by any accounts, but the presentation, controls, and level design are wholly unoriginal and unsatisfying if you enjoy action platformer. Those that dig deep enough may find some fun buried beneath the repetition, but it won't last long. If you're looking for a downloadable distraction on your PS3, there are many more fulfilling options than Explodemon.

When Nintendo first announced Dr. Luigi during the most recent Nintendo Direct, Operation L mode took center stage. While this turns out to be the least enjoyable part of this farewell to the Year of Luigi, Dr. Luigi does offer other competent updates to the classic gameplay. I can’t get the classic tune out of my head or the smile off my face.

Multiplayer is what’s really going to get the fans riled. After fine-tuning your ideal mech in single player, you can bring it online and face off against anywhere from one to seven opponents. Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot of match variety outside of deathmatch and team deathmatch, and there’s no respawning so matches don’t last much longer than five minutes tops.

Despite the improvements made to this year’s title – including a noticeable bump in graphical quality – it still doesn’t have all the corners dialed in yet. AI cars take better racing lines than in 08, but they still don’t show near enough variety or smarts to pit at different times, take rim-riding race lines, or avoid plowing into each other during a caution.

I’ve wanted a solid follow-up to Yoshi’s Island for years, and this game is the third in a trilogy of follow-ups that range from half-baked to decent. Considering how unimpressed and apathetic I was towards most of Yoshi’s New Island, it might be time to just be happy with my Super Nintendo memories when it comes to this series.

Many points where the puzzle design, level layout and management of the teens' special skills are just plain clumsy and almost unusable. [June 2005, p.127]

A colossal disappointment, largely because Acclaim lost sight of what made gladiators cool in the first place. [Nov 2003, p.144]

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]

Like sitting alone in the woods with a bottle of peepee tends to be, this game is damn boring. [Nov 2003, p.171]

With the remarkable hip-hop infused soundtrack and strong voice acting from all the lead actors of the show, the game is worth it for action fans willing to tackle this bloody exploration into the nature of vengeance.

Zoe Mode is new to the golf scene, but Powerstar Golf plays a like a seasoned pro, nailing most of the fundamentals of the sport, and establishing its own identity by applying little magic to a gameplay formula we know well.

Pretty visuals can only get you far, however, and Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising doesn’t offer enough entertaining or unique content to keep it from being anything more than a passable RPG. At the very least, it introduces the Eiyuden world and some characters involved in Hundred Heroes, but that’s very little incentive for putting up with tedious gameplay and boilerplate characters.

I had a lot of fun with Brave. The core action is simple, but the progression and element-based combat offer enough flexibility to keep things interesting – at least in the short term. Brave doesn't break the licensed-game mold as far as longevity is concerned.

Warrior's Code is one of the better action/RPG's to hit the market recently, on any platform. [Apr 2006, p.133]

While the controls aren't as big a deal on the PC, the spotty AI, poor pacing, and lack of depth doom both versions. [Nov 2008, p.118]

The ideal way to play FBC: Firebreak is as a group of three friends on a Discord call, coordinating moves and synergizing kits, which is a decent way to spend an afternoon. Unfortunately, it's difficult to achieve anything similar while matchmaking, and even then, there's just not much to do. On paper, I don't mind the lack of story, competitive modes, or procedurally generated content, but when the gameplay isn't engaging or interesting enough to keep me playing, the lack of other game modes is especially glaring. Recent updates have eliminated the tedious grind for upgrades, but the lack of a strong foundation underneath leaves FBC: Firebreak with too little, too late.

Bizarre clearly set out to make Blood Stone feel like a part of Bond's movie canon, and it's certainly successful on that front. The weapons are anemic, and the driving sections can be dodgy, but it delivers a dose of spectacle and intrigue worthy of the character.[Dec 2010, p.114]

The problems with the passing game are major, including a lack of touch on the ball, receivers who stop to catch passes, and iffy collision detection in general. [Jan 2002, p.83]

Unfortunately, my impressive creation was forced to engage in mundane missions and unexciting encounters - it was like watching Superman pay bills or walk the dog. [Apr 2004, p.98]

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]

The environment designs are not as creative, the stages are way too short, and the boss battles are surprisingly easy. [Feb 2002, p.94]

There is no battery backup to save with, and $40 is pretty steep for another version of Tetris. [January 2002, p.98]

Overall, the title feels disjointed when going between map strategy and RTS combat. [Jan 2005, p.138]

This puzzle element is actually a lot deeper and more clever than I expected, but that doesn't change the fact that the core of the game is over 20 years old. [Dec 2005, p.190]

The gameplay shows potential, but the rest of the game isn’t strong enough to lift it up into an experience that any gamer needs to see.

After Us poses some well-tread but timely questions about our impact on the world and its living things. However, optional discoveries throughout the game suggest that Piccolo is trying to present a slightly more ambivalent take on the subject. Some of that is best left for the player to discover for themselves. I recommend After Us strongly as a piece of visual artistry. It’s less successful as an interactive experience, but none of its problems are so glaring that it should dissuade someone from discovering its striking and haunting world.

The dialogue is actually charming and sometimes clever, but the loose controls found in the main game also plauge the arcade port to a degree, which to me, is the biggest bummer of this outing. [Jan 2006, p.138]

I appreciate the opportunity for some 4-player local (but not online) cooperative play, and some minor strategy is involved in combining different minerals during a dig to create more valuable objects. These small wrinkles aren’t enough to keep players invested. Play Super Motherload if you love the pure joy of the Dig Dug-style carving out of the ground, but don’t be surprised if there’s not enough buried beneath that layer.

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D delivers a fleshed out, faithful, yet slightly flawed version of the gripping bonus mode. Imperfections aside, playing The Mercenaries 3D with a friend is the most thrilling handheld co-op experience I've ever had. Fans and 3DS-owners looking for a shot of pure portable action with a rewarding progression system should definitely check it out.

Wada says he named the game Birthdays the Beginning because he sees this as the start of a larger series. Perhaps there are some elements that didn’t make it here that could redeem Birthdays down the line. For the time being, it’s a tedious and obscure simulation that, more than anything else, made me yearn for another SimEarth.

Focusing on detail over substance is definitely an interesting design, but without a solid gameplay package, it amounts to nothing. [Nov 2003, p.168]

The sense of speed is fantastic and the visuals are divine, but the openness of the tracks, cautionary AI opponents, and fact that you really have to go out of your way to wreck serve to suck all of the excitement out of the experience.

LKA made the best recreation of an Italian setting I’ve ever seen in a game and I wanted nothing more than to enjoy it. However, LKA’s love of Italy is the only warmth I felt in Martha is Dead. The rest left me feeling as cold as Giulia’s dead sister.

The only downsides to this game are the slightly unimaginative campaigns, and the oh-so-annoying voice-overs, which feature the worst "foreign" accents I've heard in a while. [Mar 2002, p.89]

Some of the missions are a bit ambiguous, the respawn ponts don't work as well as they should, and the visuals really haven't evolved too much since the previous installment, but as a whole, The Omega Strain emerges as one of the PS2's most irrresistable online titles. [May 2004, p.98]

A good example of the "graphics first" mentality that results in disappointing next-gen games. [Apr 2003, p.92]

The result is a game that is segmented well for easy pick-up-and-play sessions, but which is not necessarily more fun because of it. [Aug 2006, p.93]