Of course, it's better than last year, but it still has a ways to go before it supplants The Life as the reason to get this game. [Nov. 2006, p.134]

A jovial romp of fisticuffs, also known as a decent boxing game. [Mar 2003, p.83]

It's definitely the most fun I've had with a fighting game in a long time, and it's also the one title that's managed to bring my PSP out of storage. [Nov 2005, p.178]

A listless, sludgy slog through a knee-deep slush puddle of suckiness. [Dec 2003, p.187]

"Robotech" has the hot license and nifty cel-shaded look. Where does this leave Gun Metal? Nowhere, I'm afraid. [Oct 2002, p.91]

It makes a good effort at bringing the best of "Splinter Cell," "Metal Gear," and "Hitman 2" together; but it's not in the same league as any of those games. [Nov 2003, p.160]

Manages to maintain a tongue-in-cheek cheese factor that makes the journey entertaining enough...in that shameless softcore kind of way. [July 2004, p.114]

It's commendable that WRC 3 aims to give a full rally experience – complete with the need to repair cars between stages - and not dilute it with other forms of off-road racing. Despite this commitment to the sport and the fact that the game has some fun moments, its middling execution only goes so far.

I can't say any one aspect of this game is broken or terrible, but I also can't think of a single thing it does to make it worth your time. [July 2006, p.113]

Matt Hazard’s debut missed the mark with gamers, and though this entry isn’t a bull’s-eye, his aim has gotten a lot better.

Spider-Man 3’s greatest strength isn’t how accurately it captures the essence of this hero; it’s the game’s ability to keep you in a state of wonder. You never really know where Spidey will be headed next, or what challenge you’ll be tasked with upon arrival. Variety really makes this game stand out above the others.

I do really like the unique way the game uses the touch screen for special moves, but that doesn't make up for the general sense of mediocrity that pervades Snowboard Kids. [Jan 2006, p.157]

Most of Red Steel’s faults lie with the game’s presentation. Enemies shout annoying obscenities in your direction during every firefight, the cheesy score is bad enough to incite chuckles, and the jaggy graphics look worse than many Xbox and PlayStation 2 games.

If you’ve enjoyed past SOCOM games and are looking for a better-looking version of what you’ve played before, check out Confrontation. It’s fun in a way that just about all multiplayer games are — you’re sharing an experience with real-life opponents. If you’d like to play something with fresh ideas and a thick sheen of polish, though, keep marching.

If broken gameplay mechanics and community college acting didn’t weigh down the game, it might actually be worthwhile.

If Scrap Metal was nothing but arena deathmatch missions, it would be much harder to recommend. An awkward camera angle and the lack of creative characters would keep it from being worth the asking price. However, the variety of vehicle types and mission objectives should satisfy car combat fans looking for signs of life in the genre.

As interesting as the question of “What would mankind do?” is, The Station rarely has an answer. Perhaps thinking deeply about the dilemma is part of its charm, but it ended up being a hollow experience that didn’t deliver enough resolve on its alien ambitions.

It’s sad to see so many good ideas go to waste. From the exploration of the wondrous world to the intricate political situation of its denizens, Gothic 3 nails a good chunk of the role-player’s wet dream. The character progression is solid and the core mechanics are good, yet I will never ever recommend this to anyone that I even remotely like. Yes, one broken system can ruin a game this completely.

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]

Cradle of Rome is far from terrible, but it has neither the strategic depth nor the Pavlovian addiction required to be a worthwhile puzzle game.

It's not bad, per se, but the level designs and basic gameplay are just too uninspired to warrant a look from any but the most ardent fans of the genre. [Dec 2004, p.190]

This game screams mediocre from start to finish. [June 2003, p.113]

The good doctor turns corners like he's skating around an ice arena. [Feb 2003, p.101]

On any system the combat stinks, but on the 'Cube, it's absolutely horrid. [Dec 2003, p.159]

The slow pacing, difficulty, and confined historical focus might prove a barrier for some, but I loved carving out my own empire of riches in the roughs on grit and determination alone.

"Quotation Forthcoming"

It's decently long, the puzzles are mostly well designed, and it has more than its share of eye candy. [Sept 2004, p.117]

This game controls like junk. [June 2005, p.136]

I hope some developer takes the gaffe that is Raw Danger, extracts the great idea at its center, and creates the blockbuster experience it has the potential to be. [June 2007, p.110]

Sadly, Square Enix’s attempt to update the classic doesn’t live up the original’s legacy, nor does it improve its more problematic elements. I enjoyed the trip down memory lane, but the Secret of Mana remake is middling in every way.

An interesting concept; too bad the real meat of the game (the racing) is as dry and tasteless as roast beef at Old Country Buffet. [Feb 2003, p.98]

Much like your first car, this is a game that has that pre-owned smell all over it. [Jan 2004, p.133]

A little repetitive, but still amusing. [Jan 2002, p.88]

The battle system is unexciting overall, but there is some mysterious draw to seeing all the different beast forms that keeps you playing. [Feb 2003, p.110]

Fans will no doubt ennjoy it, but if you never got into the series there's no reason to start now. [Aug 2006, p.93]

As is, it falls well short of minigame standards like "Brain Age" or "WarioWare". [Nov. 2006, p.144]

If broken gameplay mechanics and community college acting didn’t weigh down the game, it might actually be worthwhile.

The humor is certainly there, but Hypnotix really needs to get the polish onto this simulation before people will revere its hilarity. [Oct 2004, p.125]

What this franchise did to deserve a sequel I really don't know. [Apr 2006, p.118]

This shambling monstrosity is composed of chunks from other, better games. Rather than blend them together into something new like its predecessor attempted, this one just feels like a patch-work mess. [March 2014, p.85]

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, but Sonic’s mimicry of Super Mario Galaxy’s planet-hopping formula is an embarrassment. Sonic Lost World is a confused mash-up of finicky platforming, aggravating level design, and some of the most aggressively annoying villains ever.

SimCity Societies is ultimately a step down from its predecessors, but it doesn’t fall so far to be considered a blunder. You may not sink as much time into this installment, but the reinvention of the gameplay mechanics results in an inventive array of new problems to solve.

Unfortunately these "extras" are the best part of the experience, because the game's odd RE 4-style aiming mechanic(which forces you to be stationary while firing), oddly hyperactive enemies, and wonky character movement ultimately sink what could have been an over-achieving PSP licensed game. [Oct. 2006, p.110]

Now that these two games have been separated, it is all too plain why this substandard adventure has never been able to stand on its own legs. [Aug 2007, p.103]

The technical and artistic talent on display is astounding, but it comes at a price. The clear desire to embrace the cinematic experience comes at the cost of player agency; The Order: 1886 often places you in the passenger seat instead of letting you steer.

Neither the RTS-style combat nor the castle sim elements of the game live up to today's standards. [June 2005, p.135]

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]

Action in the low post can be a mess, the AI is off. [Jan 2006, p.139]

Due to bad enemy pop-up, a lousy camera, and an abundance of crummy underwater levels, it's bad in a different way than intended. [Apr 2003, p.68]

I just couldn't get into the bland fighting half of the game. [Nov 2002, p.128]

Seriously, this is essentially the world's slowest third-person shooter with hoses instead of rifles. [Mar 2004, p.107]

If anything, my largest complaint about this game comes from the fact the number of wrecks onscreen sometimes means that winning a race has a s much to do with good luck as skill. [Dec 2004, p.168]

The graphics can only be described as awful, missions are boring, and combat ranges from dull to frustrating. [June 2004, p.123]

In order to derive any worthwhile enjoyment out of Atelier Iris 3, you pretty much have to be a big fan of both anime and dungeon crawling. [June 2007, p.110]

There's a ton of content here, and even more gameplay to be had. [May 2007, p.97]

Wheels of Aurelia is best when it’s immersing you in the culture it came from, and when it offers you a scope of choice that seems as boundless as the roads you drive on. While it succeeds at that more often than not, the unexciting driving, the stilted and ill-fitting conversations, and the few paths it forces you to take end up taking me out of its fascination with roads not taken.

Overall, I didn't like this as much as the first game, but there's still plenty worth checking out when you get around to it. Rearmed 2 isn't a "must-play instantly" game by any means, but it still ranks above Spencer's awful console reboot.

Good fun - nothing more, nothing less. [Feb 2005, p.113]

The target audience is children, but only for the young tykes out there who are new to the gaming scene. The pacing is just way too slow to appease anyone else. [July 2003, p.107]

The best Turtles game in years, which admittedly is kind of like saying you just got the best punch in the gut you've had in years. Nonetheless, TMNT entertains pretty consistently, delivering fast-paced thrills but almost no genuine challenge. [May 2007, p.82]

If your preference is single-player or co-op, Dog Days' lack of personality (both in the characters and on the battlefield) results in one of the blandest shooters out there. Given how little the story matters, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck could have been swapped in as the protagonists and I probably wouldn't have noticed.

If you don't die of boredom playing the game, you'll run headlong into the most disappointing aspect of P.N.03: It can be completed in a measly four hours. [Sept 2003, p.111]

Even though it drove me nuts, I couldn’t put it down. It’s not a must have, but it’s well worth a look.

Just when you thought the updates and lack of people online couldn't make PlanetSide any worse, Sony Online Entertainment drops perhaps its biggest turd in history: Core Combat. [Jan 2004, p.157]

If you're not able to get your hands on a next-gen system, C-12 is probably the best thing to satiate your Playstation desires. [July 2002, p.89]

Something special lies at the heart of The Occupation, but the gameplay and technical issues get in the way of its most interesting qualities. The storytelling happening beneath all the clunky stealth is great.

Elite Squadron’s big problem is its controls. The game has a couple control schemes, but I couldn’t find one that didn’t feel both clunky and inaccurate.

I might have recommended this simplistic formula for younger gamers except for the fact that encounters with Omnidroid are some of the most tedious and unforgiving bouts I've ever fought. [Jan 2005, p.118]

It's a shame that the career structure isn't better considering I like the new XP format and the fact that your rider unlocks skills as you go. You can select two skills at any one time, and they include helpful boosts like increased clutch effectiveness or faster crash recovery time. THQ is promising additional DLC through its MotoClub Depot, but enough has been taken out of the game in the first place that I don't think you can gain it all back simply by adding some new gear.

Warmind effectively rounds out Destiny 2’s first year, and represents a franchise in a strange period of transition. The game seeks to maintain some of its successful new features, like better destinations and clan integration, even as it simultaneously tries to recapture some of the magic and investment that characterized its predecessor. The weapon is aiming at the right target, and now it just needs to hit that precision shot.

This game is stuffed with things to do, but it doesn’t take long to figure out that you’re just going around in circles. The gameplay fails to elevate this title, and players are unable to take advantage of the possibilities all around them.

"Quotation Forthcoming"

If chaotic, over-the-top shootouts are your thing, there’s plenty to like in Fuse amongst the frustrations. Just be sure to bring some friends along for the ride.

None of it has the magic supplied by the much better "Mario Kart," and the game starts feeling less like a drive to the finish and more like a time waster.

Playing Sonic 4: Episode II co-op is like returning to your favorite family vacation destination as an adult and bringing along a friend. You point at the broken attractions and try to convince them how good things used to be, but no amount of nostalgia can change the fact that the powers that be have let your beloved memory deteriorate.

Bloodlines 2 is a let-down, but not irredeemable. Despite a sparse open world and a story that's inflexible until the later hours, there's fun to be had here. Action and stealth gameplay help fulfill the vampire fantasy, and strong performances from the voice cast make the noir narrative one that I didn't mind revisiting each session. My 22 hours with Bloodlines 2 were mildly entertaining, but like an insatiable vampire, I'm left feeling a little empty.

Combat feels more like a slugfest than an intense tactical experience; not once was I able to recover from bad odds through strategic expertise. [May 2004, p.107]

The noticeable graphical uptick and the Sixaxis controller are not nearly enough to warrant a purchase over Sony’s own current-gen NBA title, and certainly not over the 2K series.

I didn't think a side-scrolling boxing game would work in this day and age, but Rocky comes through as a solid, if unspectacular, GBA title. [Jan 2003, p.122]

Though you can get used to the sub-par controls, there’s still no real reason to play Vanguard, from the uninspired level design to the tired subject matter. Sure, it works on a basic level in that you shoot Nazis and they fall down. Beyond that, there isn’t much here to enjoy.

The problem I had is that you cannot calibrate your cars' steering wheel to your liking in order to get rid of its large dead spot. [Jan 2005, p.145]

In the end, the sparse content maims Kof XII. Next time around there better be more stages, characters, modes – more everything. You can’t just rip the five-minute-per-play arcade code straight to consoles and expect people to invest the full $60 over a few coins.

The touchy controls, coupled with an uneven difficulty curve, result in a game that fails to live up to its promise. [July 2009, p.83]

It's not the sort of game that works well when you want to cozy up on the couch for a few hours. It becomes repetitive, and you will come up with all sorts of new profanities when doing the same thing over and over on the same level miraculously works because that one brick fell slightly to the left. Angry Birds is a fun game, but the console is not where it belongs.

The game is more enjoyable than the movie, but only if you intend to put your skills to the test in the competitive arena.

Fracture comes close to greatness, but the story’s disappearing act, half-hearted approach to level design, and poor enemy AI holds it back from being anything other than mediocre.

Call of Cthulhu may not be fun to play, and often feels like an amusement ride that is just pulling you along, but succeeds in delivering a mind-bending story that lives up to the Lovecraftian breed of cosmic horror. In the end, I’m glad I played it, but for roughly five or six hours, I questioned why I was subjecting myself to it.

Has one of the coolest interfaces of any title in the music genre. [July 2002, p.83]

The best thing going for it is the very well done graphical style. [Mar 2004, p.114]

Arcania isn't what anyone thought Gothic 4 would be. It's a marginally competent action/RPG with all the depth of a kiddie pool, not the huge open-world role-playing epics the series was previously known for.

It's interesting to see how pinball has progressed through the years, noting the considerable point score inflation that's taken place. [Feb 2005, p.113]

As a fan of Michael Jackson, I can say The Experience on Kinect is fun despite its shortcomings. Working through each track and learning the routines is a refreshing reminder of his greatness as a performer. I may never dance like MJ, but after my time with The Experience, I am much closer to perfecting the moonwalk.

Lacks all the fundamentals that a game of this type so desperately needs. [Nov 2003, p.143]

Yes, it's simple and not terribly original, but it does provide plenty of fast-paced action and some solid visuals. As action games go, you could do much worse. [Mar 2004, p.100]

Probably a great game to give someone who isn't really familiar with the genre. [Dec 2002, p.130]

I liked the quirkiness of Weapon Shop De Omasse, but I was never truly captivated by it.

Journalism is far from a glamourous job, but stories that make a difference are the most gratifying part. Unfortunately, The Westport Independent never made me feel that was possible.

I don’t completely regret playing Goat Simulator, but I also don’t recommend it to anyone looking for more than disposable entertainment involving goats making people fall down and blowing up gas stations. I appreciate that Coffee Stain Studios is in on the joke, but acknowledging a game is bad doesn't suddenly make it good.