Lore enthusiasts will appreciate several significant developments, and no matter your choice, both new organizations have memorable characters and conversations. I had a blast returning to Skyrim after a few months away. Even so, Bethesda did such a fine job of entertaining me the first time out that Dawnguard feels more like an added bonus than an essential ingredient of the whole.

The GameBreakers are unbalanced and the new non-interactive GameBreaker 2's are shameful. [May 2005, p.136]

I wanted to know more about the game’s league, but this title doesn’t deliver. With no franchise mode, Crib, or many amenities apart from nice stadiums, it’s the lack of connection with the league itself, not the fact that the NFL is missing, that is a letdown. Bolster this aspect and make some gameplay tweaks, and All-Pro Football will threaten Madden’s NFL more than the XFL ever did.

There are things about Mario Party 9 that make it a better experience than previous entries, but overall it's still a disheartening experience. The best times I experienced with the game were the times when co-workers and I were laughing at each other's stupid mistakes while playing, but you really don't need a video game to fuel stupid mistakes worth laughing at.

Project Spark offers an impressive collection of tools for tinkerers, or even someone who might want to try prototyping an idea, but the experience is what you’re willing to make of it. It won’t make a designer out of everyone, but if you’re eager to invest and study, it can be a versatile and enjoyable tool.

The art direction, character design, and storytelling are all top notch. [Nov 2004, p.146]

A pretty, well-crafted, and well-intentioned chore, but a chore nonetheless.

The second episode bites off more than it can chew, putting you on an emotional rollercoaster exposing you to all kinds of traumatic events. While some scenes end up raw and honest, a lot more are frustrating due to the extremism of the world and the mixed messages sent about how to handle these complicated subjects.

In some ways, Phantom Doctrine is what you make of it. The sheer depth and lack of guidance allow you to focus on the systems you enjoy while ignoring other systems completely, sometimes to your own detriment. Despite feeling burned by the ploy for an extended replay, I thoroughly enjoyed CreativeForge’s stealthy and methodical take on espionage.

Ultimately leads to some truly heart-pounding races, especially on the Race of Champions track in Gran Canaria. [Dec 2002, p.119]

Effectively the Gran Turismo of the F1 video-game scene. [Nov 2001, p.108]

Overall the production value on this game is solid, but since the gameplay is neither groundbreaking nor terribly engaging – the game just falls right in the middle of the pack. [Apr 2002, p.75]

Gameplay-wise, it is probably the company's best effort. Where it fails is replay. [Feb 2003, p.97]

Won't blow your doors off, but it will hide behind said doors, peek around, and blast you with a relatively good time for a few hours. [Dec 2003, p.146]

Gamers looking for a satisfying meal in Temple of the Frog will find themselves going hungry. [Nov 2001, p.131]

Simply put, this title's characters, plot, and dialogue are hackneyed and verging on painful. Every joke falls flat, and every plot twist seems scraped from the bottom of Indiana Jones' barrel. [Apr 2004, p.91]

Even though none of these elements are so astounding as to bring outsiders into the fold, the franchise's debut on the GameCube ("Pokemon Channel" doesn't count) is a trainer's dream come true. [Mar 2004, p.110]

A few months ago, I reviewed LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars. That game introduced some light RTS elements to the series, along with loads of vehicle-based missions, and a huge cast of playable characters. LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean falls short of that high mark, delivering a more traditional LEGO experience. That's not to say that Pirates is a bad game – quite the contrary. It's just puzzling to see a series that has struggled to evolve take a step back. Where are the epic ship-to-ship vehicle battles? Why is the pirate-infested port hub so boring?

Outriders doesn't revolutionize any type of genre, and it's not trying to (nor does it have to). From what I’ve played so far, what Outriders provides is a well-thought-out shooter experience with expertly tailored RPG twists. It's an enjoyable ride that is made infinitely better by playing with friends, but not inherently hurt by running solo either. This game takes the best of looter-shooters and the best of sci-fi RPGs and blends these elements into a game experience that is worth diving into because of its high replayability, customizable play style, and fun story.

ZeptoLab continues to set a high bar with its presentation and gameplay, but Pudding Monsters comes up short in the innovative puzzle department. I ripped through it very fast, and though there is the promise of free additional puzzles in the future, I don’t think I will be returning to stick more blobs together.

While this episode brings interesting themes of its own, I was disappointed at how racial tensions and politics weren't built upon further, and that many consequences didn't tie over in meaningful ways from the previous episode. Instead, Rules feels like a turn in the wrong direction, with choices that never quite hit their mark. Hopefully the Diaz brothers carve a new and more interesting path as their journey continues.

It is practically an exact a port of the original with a few notable exceptions: There are a few Lumines II skins thrown in, the graphics are far less vibrant, and now there is at least five seconds of total silence between skins as the sounds load. Of all of four Lumines games on the market, this one is the least impressive.

Instead of a fantastical jaunt down a rabbit hole, Isuka is more similar to being unceremoniously stuffed into a dingy crawl space. [Dec 2004, p.177]

Ganbarion went out of its way to craft a title that experiments with interesting ideas. Unfortunately, none of its unique elements are refined enough to be successful, making it impossible for me to cheer for this underdog.

I’m glad Activision tried to address some of the problems in the original game (including adding multiplayer), but Showdown suffers slightly by drifting away from what it had already perfected.

The core gameplay is simply tired. Jumping around collecting random doodads is just old - it's time to move on to new objectives in platformers. [Dec 2004, p.167]

I came away longing for the great game that this could have been, rather than the merely adequate game that it is. [Dec 2003, p.141]

I enjoyed my time with NES Remix 2, but it’s ultimately a shallow experience.