Alone With You is an endearing adventure, albeit a flawed one. Despite its dark subject matter, it somehow remains to have a lighthearted tone with its pastel, washed-out aesthetic. I admired the different locations and existential tone, but longed for a more captivating storyline. Like the holographic cast it chronicles, this experience lacks a distinct personality, leaving it as a charming but forgettable adventure.

The Switch version of FIFA 18 is a better portable experience than you've been able to get on Nintendo consoles up to this point, but it's hampered by Nintendo's insufficient online strategy. Unlike some previous EA Sports titles on Nintendo platforms, FIFA 18 isn't an ill-formed castoff, but it's an uneven performance and not a clear-cut victory.

The sense of speed is rarely heart-pounding, and you'll frequently anger yourself by getting snagged on some piece of the environment. [Dec 2004, p.177]

It comes out of the gate with a strong opening set and sprinkles in a good joke every time the audience gets restless. But the gameplay itself is as diluted as a happy hour special in an 18-and-over club.

There’s certainly a lot here to love, and a lot more that you want to love, but most of your time in Kane & Lynch is spent shaking or scratching your head. The problems are just too visible for it to be taken seriously as a gritty thriller.

Deformers has some rough edges to put up with, but none of them are reason enough to avoid the game completely. Though it may not have the staying power to tussle with stronger multiplayer offerings, at the core of Deformers is a strong multiplayer experience with a great mix of simple basics and potential for the once-in-a-blue-moon moments that define multiplayer games.

Since I was a Huffy riding, "Dukes of Hazzard" watching child of the 80's, I found playing these old classics particularly appealing. [June 2002, p.87]

I love that Milestone is experimenting with new ideas within the arcade racing formula, and while the story didn’t land for me, I applaud the effort at narrative in a genre that frequently doesn’t even try to add meaningful context to its races. Even so, difficulty spikes and arbitrary objectives combine with overly convoluted mechanics to rob Screamer of some of its fun. It’s worth experiencing to see a developer try something new, but this race track might just have too many turns to be a winner.

Simultaneously fun and forgettable, and to me that's the very definition of an average puzzle game. [Nov 2005, p.180]

Meteos: Disney Magic sports nearly identical gameplay as its predecessor, but the music is so uninspired and bland that even the notable improvements to the bread and butter block-clearing can’t make up for it.

The core gameplay offers moments of undeniable excitement, but without more depth, variety, and some sense of progression, Last Year won’t survive long against the competition.

Need for Speed checks off the boxes for the series, but unfortunately it's not a revaluation that necessarily improves on what's already come before.

However, your illustrative prowess doesn't affect gameplay, so in the end you're a little more than a window dresser for what is otherwise a familiar retread. [Oct 2007, p.127]

Spore is an enjoyable (if slightly short) Zelda-lite adventure. However, the creation and evolution aspects -- major parts of what made the original game so impressive -- have taken a back seat to a run-of-the-mill equipment upgrade grind with some minor aesthetic variations. Spore Hero is a fun game; it’s just not necessarily a Spore game.

Sea of Thieves is like the kiddy-pool at the waterpark. They’re both pirate-themed, they both feature fun activities improved by having friends with you, and they’re both shallow in the interest of keeping things entertaining without being dangerous. The stories Sea of Thieves gifts you and your crew are jubilant and silly, but many elements of the experience left me wanting, even when it delivered on the pirate life.

Rocket Arena is a competent game with a clear sense of what a 3v3 rocket match should be from a technical perspective, but it furtively struggles to find an entertaining hook to keep players coming back. In today’s world of countless shooters, it’s destined to be forgotten.

The hook at the end of this episode has me intrigued for what comes next, but be warned, this is the roughest (and slowest) start to a Telltale series yet.

Keep your expectations in check, and there's some fun in the mayhem. [Oct 2005, p.126]

Mana Khemia is different in name and structure, but it still hangs on tight to the process of item synthesis that drives "Atelier Iris", making it a spiritual sequel in most respects. [May 2008, p.94]

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.

With smarter AI and more diverse challenges, this title would be worth noting. As it stands, Robocalypse merely exists.

Moving between moments of greatness and moments of glaring ineptitude, State of Decay leaves me with mixed feelings. It has a great idea at its core, and I want to give the developers at Undead Labs credit for that. But lots of games begin with great ideas; executing those ideas well and letting the player experience them fully is the challenge. That’s where State of Decay falls apart.

Controlling your WRs, the different winning conditions, wall running, and increased Gamebreakers are all smart additions, but they get mired in the poor AI and unresponsive controls.

If playing Street Fighter II anywhere you go sounds like fun, Ultra Street Fighter II isn’t a terrible version of it, and playing with friends brings back fond memories of when fighters were less intimidating. It may even kindle a newfound love for a game that has aged beautifully. But as a package, Ultra feels like the version of Street Fighter II we’re stuck with for now (since it’s otherwise not available on modern consoles), when it could have been the one we’ve been waiting for.

A little repetitive, but still amusing. [Jan 2002, p.88]

Like a relationship that's going nowhere, Catherine has a few bright spots that will make you want to hold on, but it never quite gives back as much as you put into it. [Aug 2011, p.108]

Like a relationship that's going nowhere, Catherine has a few bright spots that will make you want to hold on, but it never quite gives back as much as you put into it. [Aug 2011, p.108]

DJ is a funny guy, but his games have yet to hook me. [June 2007, p.119]