Toy Story 3 ultimately succeeds in the same way that Pixar's films do--it's attractive to young people who get a great surface experience and for older audiences who appreciate extra layers of depth. [Aug 2010, p.107]

The opening scene of Rhythm Thief professes, "Imagination rules the world," and what it delivers follows suit. For its minor slip-ups, the game still innovates in the rhythm genre by offering a real story. If anything, the final product proves that extra creativity can make a difference, but it needs to be spread through all aspects of a game to make it a top contender.

LawBreakers delivers in terms of neat weapons, lightning-fast kills, and aspirational skills. You’ll look back in awe at performing feats like landing a triple kill while blasting yourself backwards into a zero-g environment. Despite the adrenaline-fueled highs, the title falls back to earth due to uninteresting environments, generic characters, and a lack of variety.

Repetitive gameplay loops aside, the cooperative tactical variety and vast open world make Ghost Recon Wildlands a singular experience unlike any other shooter on the market. Wildlands may not succeed with all its ambitions, but it’s a compelling direction for the series that points to a fertile future.

Even if you never played the tabletop game or the original Shadowrun console games, Harebrained Schemes has crafted a potent argument for joining in on the fun. Here’s hoping this reawakening is just the beginning of a new lease on life for the Sixth World.

Star Fox Command isn't the second coming, but it is a great start to repairing a franchise that had crashed and burned. [Oct. 2006, p.113]

The Evil Within 2 is a solid horror game that expands the scope of the series to extend out of the shadow of a titan in the horror genre, even if it sometimes leans heavily on borrowed ideas. Its progression and difficulty curve create a satisfying loop that repays resourcefulness and strategy, but its set pieces and structure don’t build enough on the many ideas they borrow to make them feel new or interesting. The result is a ride that offers some fun thrills in the moment, but I don’t think I’ll lose too much sleep over these particular nightmares.

Little touches like the DCMs and base-building elements help keep the action fresh, and the frenetic Conquest mode offers plenty of replay value. For a budget title, Section 8: Prejudice offers a lot of content. It doesn't rank alongside the Call of Dutys and Battlefields of the world, but it's worth a look for FPS fans itching for a new experience.

I didn't feel as connected to Alan's world or story, which were the main draws for me in the first game, but the gameplay is streamlined and improved in this sequel. American Nightmare is not quite as gripping of an experience, but I certainly got my mystery-laden, flashlight-burning fun out of it.

You're playing it to marvel at the gorgeously rendered environments, giggle at Globox's antics, and enjoy some good old-fashioned platforming done with a fresh twist. [Mar 2003, p.82]

It's every bit as good as the full-size version, only smaller. More focused on action than role-playing, Baldur's Gate is one fun little fantasy (not in the dirty way) title. [Feb 2004, p.114]

To say that I was bored while playing this game would be accurate... The quintessential throw-away game. [Feb 2003, p.102]

Twelve Minutes is ambitious, both in its narrative and gameplay. It restricts players to its brutal rules, and its tragedies truly horrified me. And while its gameplay never let me experiment as much as I wanted it to – I still wish my cup of water plan had worked – I can’t stop thinking about the experience. I don’t want to be trapped in the game’s time loop any longer, but the entire adventure will stick with me. Twelve Minutes is a case study on a game thinking outside the box, playing by its own rules, and it’s a worthwhile experience for that alone.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions lands just shy of being the full package, but it delivers a non-stop action ride with something new around every corner. Though its story leaves something to be desired, it's one of the best Spider-Man titles in recent memory, if not the best Spider-Man title to date.

If you're only a casual wrasslin' fan, is it worth checking out? Eh. Sorta. [Oct 2005, p.138]

Super Mario Run hits its stride when you’re making your way through new levels. The platforming is great, and the level design surprised me on multiple occasions. In these moments, I forgot I was playing a mobile translation of Mario. That fades fast, unfortunately, as Princess Peach was kissing me on the cheek thanking me for my service just as I felt I was getting started. Rewards exist for replaying those levels repeatedly, but they simply aren’t enough for me.

Almost nothing in Rise of Ronin is outright bad, but it is Exhibit A in any argument about why action games are not dozens of hours long or why open-world designs do not fit every mold. For all the inspirations the game wears on its sleeve, it never rises above them, and thus feels like a title in search of an identity and desperate for a specific kind of player. It’s sometimes a good time, just not for a long time.

Journey to the Savage Planet presents you with a well-constructed world full of fun collectibles to hunt down and interesting wildlife to survey, but the way the world design encourages and rewards exploration is its biggest accomplishment.

It’s hard to take Band Hero out of the context of its recent music game brethren. Band Hero is the least innovative of the bunch, but that certainly doesn’t make it bad. For players who found previous releases too hard-edged for their tastes, Band Hero is exactly what they’ve been waiting for.

Toy Story 3 ultimately succeeds in the same way that Pixar's films do--it's attractive to young people who get a great surface experience and for older audiences who appreciate extra layers of depth. [Aug 2010, p.107]

The final moments of this episode are beautifully captured, and show us that Telltale is just as skilled at putting heart into sequences as it is stabbing one to death.

From beginning to end, it’s an entertaining mix of bracing combat, polished platforming, and a good dollop of humor.

I think this game will be best suited to two groups: those who missed the GBA version, and hardcore WarioWare freaks. [Apr 2004, p.100]

Before the tedium set in, I had fun with Garden Warfare.

I was let down by how slow-moving Episode 2 is; it feels more like a bridge in the story than a complete chapter. Still, I can't deny that the world and the mature tone are captivating.

WarioWare: Get It Together's lively visuals are temporarily engaging, but this candy shell has a hollow center; like any sugary snack, the experience doesn't stick with you. As soon as I'd wrapped Get It Together's brief single-player campaign, I was content to move onto something else. These microgames are a nice treat if you're in an eccentric mood, but these miniature experiences only offer short-lived joy.

Although Heroes is far from the first WWII flight sim, it soars high above other games thanks to its incredible attention to detail. [Oct 2005, p.124]

The hardcore fans that don't want any handouts can stick to the arcade mode. You start off with set abilities and limited health and lives. At least players can learn the stages and patterns in Rising Mode beforehand. Even then, it's tough to imagine anyone but the absolute best making it all the way through arcade. I guess that's why Konami put the word "hard" in the title.