Rebel Galaxy appears complicated out of the gate, but it hits a steady pace after some acclimating to the ship controls and menu-based features like upgrade shops and the commodity market. The progression loop of grinding out missions, earning credits to beef up your ship, then taking it back out again is fun, but the mission design felt too familiar to keep me hooked for the long haul.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia does everything pretty adequately, but there’s also nothing all that remarkable about the experience. I felt like I was going through the motions without anything meaningful to keep bringing me back for these tedious takeovers. The repetition just dulls the adventure, and everything plays out predictably. The game is decent and functional, but it doesn’t have any surprises, big innovations, or memorable moments.

A small group of hardcore gamers will revel in Don't Starve's punishing difficulty, but without a better sense of overarching progression or purpose, there are more entertaining and rewarding gaming experiences to spend your time on. I'm interested to see what Klei introduces in promised future updates of the game, but even when playing in a world that's customized to your liking, the thrill of Don't Starve is fleeting.

The most interesting addition is the ability to create your own AI in Arena mode. [July 2003, p.107]

Albeit lackluster in some categories, I give Cubivore high marks for creativity in plot, gameplay, and bad lyrical references during cut scenes. [Nov 2002, p.132]

The perfect party game for nerds. [May 2005, p.111]

Exploring Knytt Underground's vast world and learning about the eccentric cast of characters and surprisingly deep lore can be fun – just don't expect any kind of rewarding conclusion to be awaiting you at the end of your adventure.

If you never clicked with the series' ball-rolling insanity, Touch My Katamari isn't likely to win you over. However, I do think that the morphing is a significant enough tweak to warrant giving it another shot.

I enjoyed my time with the game, and I can see it grabbing a rabid cult audience. I'd recommend it to anyone who can relax their expectations a bit, particularly when it comes to the voice recognition. The more you're able to focus on where it succeeds and look past its obvious failings, the better.

I enjoyed my time with the game, and I can see it grabbing a rabid cult audience. I'd recommend it to anyone who can relax their expectations a bit, particularly when it comes to the voice recognition. The more you're able to focus on where it succeeds and look past its obvious failings, the better.

The core action is top-notch, and the roster rocks, but the Fusion attacks and half-hearted story hurt the experience, turning a once great play into a punchless grind.

The game succeeds because it mixes the glitz with real-life soccer fundamentals. [Apr 2002, p.78]

Prizefighter definitely has its frustrating moments, but there was enough fight in it – in and out of the ring – to keep me from needing the smelling salts.

I don't regret my time with The Simpsons one bit and would have downloaded the game whether I was reviewing it or not. I'm sure plenty of brawler fans are in the same boat and won't be swayed one way or the other by reviews. However, if you've never heard of this game before now, it probably won't have the same sprinkling of magic dust as it does for longtime fans.

I like aspects of Madden 20 like the addictiveness and slightly easier progression of Ultimate Team, the way players feel, and the new abilities. But too much remains stagnant and unchanged. It’s like expecting a few free agents to change the course of an entire organization when there are key areas the franchise needs to have addressed yesterday. Instead, its roster has gotten old fast and the problems are mounting.

This game's got enough depth and challenge to warrant a purchase. [July 2002, p.93]

The disruptive menu-tinkering and poor checkpoints cause plenty of frustration, but Charlie Murder can be a blast if you’re playing with three friends who understand the game. Ska Studios has created an entertaining 2D brawler, even if it doesn’t stand alongside the elite entries in the genre.

Take 2's under-rated Mafia is still the closest video games have come to capturing an atmosphere similiar to that of this legendary film in a gameplay context. [May 2006, p.99]

I don't regret my time with The Simpsons one bit and would have downloaded the game whether I was reviewing it or not. I'm sure plenty of brawler fans are in the same boat and won't be swayed one way or the other by reviews. However, if you've never heard of this game before now, it probably won't have the same sprinkling of magic dust as it does for longtime fans.

I like aspects of Madden 20 like the addictiveness and slightly easier progression of Ultimate Team, the way players feel, and the new abilities. But too much remains stagnant and unchanged. It’s like expecting a few free agents to change the course of an entire organization when there are key areas the franchise needs to have addressed yesterday. Instead, its roster has gotten old fast and the problems are mounting.

I like aspects of Madden 20 like the addictiveness and slightly easier progression of Ultimate Team, the way players feel, and the new abilities. But too much remains stagnant and unchanged. It’s like expecting a few free agents to change the course of an entire organization when there are key areas the franchise needs to have addressed yesterday. Instead, its roster has gotten old fast and the problems are mounting.

EA is definitely focusing on an area of the sport that I feel that all developers should be, but the series has fallen far behind "NBA 2K6" in nearly every category. [Nov 2005, p.145]

It’s not polished enough to hang with the games that inspired it – the action gets messy to the point of frustration far too often, and the level designs are rudimentary to say the least – but if you’re looking for a weekend sugar-rush you could do much ­worse.

For fans of games like Harvest Moon, spending some time on the farm is an entertaining getaway from the world of high-octane blockbusters. Unfortunately, the pastoral scenes feel too similar and mechanical day after day. Once the thrill of starting a new life wears off, all you have left is your chores.

Times change, and games must change with them. Animal Crossing, while still a charming and often engaging experience, seems stuck somewhere in the last generation of gaming.

Forspoken's story and combat fail to reach the heights of its movement and exploration, but thankfully those two latter elements make up most of the experience. I sprinted, often literally, through the campaign in about 15 hours, and now I have a large world filled with nooks and crannies I'm eager to run through and explore. The narrative won’t linger with me, and I avoided combat in the open world often, but I loved making Frey leap and fly through Athia to discover all its treasure chests and secrets.

The environments are graphically tedious, the targeting system is downright baffling, and unless you have a USB keyboard, you'll spend so much time navigating the cursor around to enter text, you'll think you should be getting experience points for it. [Feb 2004, p.103]

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined has just as much heart as its previous iterations, but is now also much more welcoming and modernized. The presentation is endearing, and the new gameplay mechanics, as well as the plethora of modifiers, will help new players navigate uncharted territory. Even if the challenge isn’t always there, those who’ve set sail on this adventure before will find plenty to love in this latest expedition.