Moncage is an intelligent puzzle game, and its perspective-based riddles stretched my imagination as each scene flowed beautifully into the next. The narrative could have hit harder, and it sometimes felt like I had to align things perfectly for the game to accept the correct answer, but Optillusion’s title is a challenge worth picking up.

Saying that Big Mutha needs more freedom and faster driving may sound damning. However, the game's got a great head of steam going already, and it's definitely got more teeth than the other slack-jawed truckers already on the road. [May 2003, p.82]

From a gameplay perspective, Mutant Year Zero is a bold but brief experiment in the turn-based genre that largely pays off. Despite my complaints, I still enjoyed it, and I’d love to see more from the franchise. If you can stomach a huge letdown of an ending, the cleverly orchestrated combat and unique world are worth checking out.

A respectable adventure, but it drives players forward with its visual content and not its gameplay. [Jan 2006, p.144]

At the end of the day, Jungle Storm doesn't do much to stand out in a crowded genre. [Mar 2004, p.106]

Gripes aside, this game can be balls-out fun when it wants to. Tearing through the sky at Mach 3 to sink a battleship and a couple of subs, then doing a 180 to shoot down a sky full of bogeys gets the heart going every time.

A lack of variety notwithstanding, Trenched is an action-packed and amusing variation on the tower defense paradigm. If you're open to some mission replays and a little grinding, Double Fine's latest effort could be worth a look.

It's sequel time and all NFL Street 2 can come up with on the field is one new move. [Feb 2005, p.113]

I'm not saying that Snake Eater is an inferior game; it's my favorite in the series. However, this version is only worthwhile for people who have no other choice. Even then, with the $40 you'd spend on Snake Eater 3D, you could probably buy an old PS2 and the original game, or the HD Collection on 360 and PS3. If you want the real Snake Eater experience, those are far better options.

This title's adherence to both the substance and sytle of the show are what kept me playing it - and I'm not even a fan. [May 2002, p.88]

Fire Emblem Warriors successfully taps into the series’ long history to create an entertaining mash-up of its most memorable characters. Despite some poor storytelling and extraneous systems, I can’t wait to return to the battlefield as my favorite characters to single-handily lay waste to entire armies and look incredibly stylish while doing it.

There's only so much you can do with a semi-realistic jet fighter game, but that doesn't stop us from getting a sense of deja vu. [Issue#209, p.96]

I half expected this game to be a shallow vanity project, but it's got more substance than that. The number of tracks and the career structure expose you to more content than most rally titles, even if the racing itself isn't tight enough to compete with the top dogs.

TrackMania Turbo's charm is immediate, but not long-lasting.

This is a difficult game. [July 2002, p.93]

I’m a big fan of Playdead’s Limbo and Inside, and 7th Sector scratches the same kind of itch, but in much stranger and mathematical ways. It’s a journey worth taking, but just know you’re often left directionless and perhaps in need of a calculator.

As Elite: Dangerous is continually updated, I’m hoping we get a better sense of the overarching story and our participation in it, more opportunities to have an impact in the enormous open world, and more chances to participate in activities with fellow pilots and pirates.

TrackMania Turbo's charm is immediate, but not long-lasting.

Without solid pitching and batting interfaces, you can't help become disenchanted by this title's play. I applaud Blue Shift's decision to innovate, but the formula still needs a lot of work. [Apr 2004, p.92]

Even as a brief game of only a few hours, I felt ready for things to wrap up by the time I hit the credits, but that’s not an indictment of how it all came together. Instead, this new tactical twist on the Turtles knows not to overstay its welcome. It’s a bite-sized chunk of strategic fun with an evident love of these classic characters that shines through, and that’s worth plenty.

Shadow Warrior 3 rushes along with zaniness and gore dispensed in loads, and that combo is oddly satisfying. It feels different, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and is wildly aggressive in how much it wants to make you laugh. I appreciate this approach and had a good time with this game, despite how often it hits the same gameplay and humor notes. When most major releases these days are 100-hour juggernauts, Shadow Warrior 3’s five-hour playthrough is a nice alternative and is worth a look. Just be prepared to groan frequently and be oddly amused by those groans.

What’s really frustrating about this game is that although the puzzles themselves are fun to figure out, all the big mysteries presented by the story are solved for you via cutscenes. The fact that you aren’t allowed to actually solve the questions that have been on your mind all game long is simply a mistake.

In the final assessment, Full Frontal Assault feels like an experiment that produced mixed results. If I squint, I can just make out the vision of the perfect melding of tower defense and third-person action that the game was meant to be. However, the true image of FFA is a game that feels as though it's attempting to complete two different objectives, and failing to fully carry out either one. I admire Insomniac for continuing to take chances with the Ratchet & Clank series, but I'd rather the studio devote its resources to the new action/platformer that fans want.

You can also play the Rapid play mode where you work under the clock with the Brain Age twist, but honestly, there isn't much else to this game. [Apr 2007, p.110]

As enjoyable as it is, Superhot VR is not the essential game that VR needs to sell skeptics. However, it’s definitely worth checking out for those who are buying the Touch controllers for their Rift anyway. I just wish the game didn’t feel like it’s just getting started by the time it finishes.

Millennium Girl won’t change how you feel about Etrian Odyssey, but it may open the door for further improvement.

Xenoverse stands as one of my favorite Dragon Ball Z video games. I like taking my own custom character into familiar battles from the show, and I enjoy acquiring new equipment as I progress. My character may have looked nothing like me, but I really felt like I was actively participating in the flashy action alongside the familiar cast.

Xenoverse stands as one of my favorite Dragon Ball Z video games. I like taking my own custom character into familiar battles from the show, and I enjoy acquiring new equipment as I progress. My character may have looked nothing like me, but I really felt like I was actively participating in the flashy action alongside the familiar cast.