Has all the pieces in place but one. The lack of a good career mode keeps it from being the first must-have wrestling game of this console generation. [Oct 2003, p.128]

Despite the grievances I have with the action and impact on the story, this is an enjoyable and evenly paced episode that effectively wraps up the Wither Storm arc for Minecraft: Story Mode, and delivers an ending that tugs on players’ heartstrings.

The battle scenes themselves can be bland, but fledgling commanders will have no trouble grabbing this game's reigns of power. [Mar 2003, p.83]

Tense, certainly, and I jumped at more than a few surprise xenomorph encounters, but the environments and action fail to instill the sense of dread that the movies or other horror games have inflicted on fans. Despite taking more than its share of inspiration from the Alien series, I found Dead Space to be scarier than Isolation, even if playing through the genuine article is far more appealing.

FIFA 08 is the most playable version of the series yet in the next-gen era--including a cool Superstar-like mode--but ghosts of old gameplay still haunt this release. [Oct 2007, p.110]

While it is admittedly superior to the original, fails to ascend to the top of the squad-based shooter class. [Nov 2003, p.169]

Superhot is a short-but-sweet experience. Its basic mechanics don’t evolve much after the first few levels, but the unique brand of bullet-time proves that games don’t have to be fast to feel action-packed.

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is best suited for two types of Vita users – those obsessed with the series who can't tolerate having it out of arms reach, or anyone looking for a good fighter who hasn't played it yet. If you've even spent a single night with Capcom's comic crossover, you've already experienced everything the old workhorse has to offer.

The only downside is the sometimes-frustrating level of difficulty and obtuse level design. [Nov 2005, p.182]

Although Outlaw Golf isn't on the same level as "Hot Shots 3," It's about 10 times as funny. [July 2002, p.87]

I felt that for every step forward it took, it went a half step to the side. [Feb 2002, p.92]

Loot Rascals introduces plenty of clever twists to turn-based strategy games. The deck-building is smart, the combat is breezy, and the strategic layer is interesting. But the combination of procedural generation and haphazard difficulty made me feel more like a victim of chance than a mastermind.

If you’re already a Blood Bowl vet, the Blitz mode makes this version worth your time. But even though I find satisfaction in pulling off even the simplest of the game’s maneuvers, setting up all of its dominos is just too exacting for my taste.

While there's a lot to love about this series, and this entry in particular, Agent 47's world still foesn't offer the subtlety necessary for this great premise to really be satisfying. [June 2006, p.110]

It’s a short experience, clocking in at only a few hours, but it’s an adventure I enjoyed taking.

Regardless of the fact that you can pass now with the right analog, this game is for anyone who yearns for a simpler time when hockey was arcade-like and EA wasn't afraid to hit it on the ice--unlike the next-gen version. [Oct. 2006, p.94]

I just didn't find myself very addicted to this game. [Nov 2002, p.134]

All in all, Street is more of a pure multiplayer experiece. [Mar 2004, p.96]

I'm not sure there is enough content here to appease all but the most diehard Sims fans. After what I thought was a pretty good add-on in World Adventures, this second Sims 3 expansion just feels uninspired and lacking.

With more responsive movement controls and a better transition game Top Spin 3 could have been king of the court, but for now it will have to settle for being tagged as a promising but flawed prospect.

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

The difficulty level never escalates to a fevered pitch, and the stages are short, simple in design, and entirely too linear. [Jan 2003, p.90]

MLB 2K10 is heading in the right direction, but it’s not quite where it needs to be yet.

Although Mad Riders might not feature anything in the way of innovation in either its core gameplay or race modes, I appreciate how developer Techland has honed its racing craft and made it so I never have to let up on the throttle.

I think kids are going to find Tarzan Untamed cool enough, but due to its oft-frustrating difficulty, only the most determined will make any headway into the game. [Jan 2002, p.78]

Despite the overt repetition, both by design and through over-design, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate effectively channels the spirit of the most well-liked games that have come before it in the franchise. Though I sometimes succumbed to frustration after falling short during a promising run, the experience only galvanized me to excitedly take what I learned from my failures into the next run.

It’s not that Clear Sky is a bad game. It just doesn’t strike the same resonant chord that made the original’s many flaws forgivable.

The racing genre has been loking for a new hook for a while now, and I htink that Monster has started its own fun method of mayhem. [Oct 2004, p.123]