Certainly playable, but without the adrenaline charge of actual surfing, it feels like I'm playing one endless Tony Hawk level. [Oct 2002, p.84]

It’s easy and accessible fun, but Zoo Tycoon has a long way to go before it has the depth to make it rewarding.

Convoy has its heart in the right place and handles the whole post-apocalyptic tactical roguelike approach well, but it feels rough around the edges. Gameplay degenerates into a slog as you struggle to deal with the monotony of the myriad encounters that lurk around every map.

If you’re a fan of the franchise it’s a fun dip into the prehistoric pool, but the water isn’t deep enough to satisfy a voracious carnivore.

The gameplay is simple yet heavily varied, which in turn keeps the action fresh and fun. [Aug 2005, p.98]

Unfortunately, THQ changed absolutely nothing, which means that "Golden Axe," in particular, looks and sounds extremely dated." [Dec 2002, p.150]

As rewarding as the hand-to-hand combat is, Rise to Honor's thrills are short lived. It's an enjoyable play, but much like Jet Li's films, is nothing more than a lazy afternoon of fun. [Mar 2004, p.98]

The tactile sensation of pointing at a popcorn cart and flinging it into the stratosphere is interesting and fun, but simple movement and navigation will occasinally be a needlessly frustrating obstacle. [Jan 2007, p.106]

Catching fish is less fun than in "Sega Bass Fishing 2," even though managing the drag settings on your reel can be demanding. [Nov 2001, p.112]

The amount of content is a bit disappointing. Three levels just aren’t enough nowadays, despite a handful of variations on each. The fact that they play out exactly the same way every time doesn’t help, either. Playing through solo or with a buddy is definitely worth an afternoon, though, regardless of the game’s relatively short legs.

If anything, my largest complaint about this game comes from the fact the number of wrecks onscreen sometimes means that winning a race has a s much to do with good luck as skill. [Dec 2004, p.168]

The choppy animation and jerky controls, along with the small move list, keeps Legends of Wrestling from hitting the pay window. [July 2002, p.88]

Overall, Boyfriend Dungeon is an enjoyable experience for fans of both roguelikes and visual novels. I like that it gives you the option to make the adventure live up to the romance simulator hype, or just meet some great characters to become friends. Boyfriend Dungeon offers a charming gameplay experience despite its simplistic mechanics and redundant enemies. With more characters teased for the future, I can’t wait to dive in to see what’s next.

Tackling the relatively brief career mode is sweat-inducing fun in the harder difficulties, and I enjoyed the retro Power Pad appeal. However, the pad constantly needs to be re-centered in front of your TV and it’s not wide enough for two adults to squeeze onto.

Despite my hangups, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn never plummets to being actively bad. Instead, it coasts along a solid line of mediocrity that results in a moderately good time. It often feels like it wants to say or do more but is held back by its scope and execution, not to mention some technical hiccups. Though it occasionally shows flashes of brilliance, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn falls short of achieving true godhood.

Ridiculous gags involving our well-meaning hero experiencing caffeine for the first time or arguing with a bitter old granny to get her to teach him a song put a smile on my face. However, the gameplay distracts from these whimsical delights instead of complementing them. I walked away from my time with Wandersong having enjoyed the story beats and being charmed by both the world and its characters, but I wish I had more fun actually playing it.

Shades of Darkness is a fine addition for fans of Heroes VI, but I cannot recommend it without the serious caveat of rampant AI cheating and a sad sigh for a game that I want to love more than I do.

It's not an unqualified success, but it's the kind of points racing that gets the job done and which helps build toward that championship. It has that competitive spirit that a racer has to have, and that's not something that can be taught – it has to be inside of you the whole time.

I look forward to the day when Tak gets the game he deserves. [Oct 2005, p.128]

Legends has a very unique gameplay style and makes good use of all the GameCube controller's buttons. [August 2002, p.82]

Innovative, different, and oddly compelling. [Oct 2005, p.152]

Ace Patrol shines in its mechanics and may very well become a good game after a steady progression of updates. As it stands now, this one could use some more time in flight school.

If EA can branch out of the canned animations to make the controls more responsive, the already decent gameplay could take a dramatic leap forward. The core at the heart of NBA Live still shows promise, but chalk this one up to a year of growing pains.

Even though I’ve got the gas pedal down as far as it’ll go, the game fails to satiate either the need or speed parts of the equation.

Despite its several technical issues, the on-the-field action of Madden NFL 22 continues to improve in small ways. However, the upgrades and improvements are largely overshadowed by the game's problems and the series' overall stagnation, making it difficult to recommend for week one.

My time with Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 was filled with peaks and valleys. It has great moments where everything is clicking, followed by lulls where it all falls apart. The story never really gets going, however, but is a fun exploration of all things Marvel. For that, it delivers a little bit of fun, but this experience is all about the character reveals and getting to test them out, even if the worlds they explore and challenges within them often lack excitement.

With its interesting premise, evocative opening sequence, and clever variation on multiplayer, Homefront has a strong foundation. It's a shame that technical limitations and a derivative single-player campaign keep the game from realizing its potential.

Sacred II nails the unfettered joy of exploring a wide-open fantasy world and ties it to the always-amusing process of building a heroic avatar to meet the stiffest of challenges. To dismiss it merely because of its (dozens of) missteps is to lose out on the many things it does well.