While I continue to respect Klei Entertainment's art style and devotion to bloody fantasy above all else, it needs to design less frustrating levels and encounters before its games truly click for me. The upgrades in Shank 2 are a lot like the act of revenge: It feels satisfying in the short term, but in the end you're left with the empty feeling that maybe it didn't improve that much at all.

Persona 5’s soundtrack helped define its captivating sense of style when it released last year, and Dancing in Starlight is a good celebration of it. The clumsy dancing interface and short tracklist make it fall short as a rhythm game, but some great remixes and fun progression hooks make it a worthwhile way to revisit the look, feel, and sound of one this generation’s most stylish RPGs.

Character progression is interesting at first, but the game quickly becomes trivially easy. [Issue#203, p.95]

Yes, there are exclusives here (single and multi-player maps and offline multiplayer split-screen), but the shared maps are shorter - which can cut down the strategy of using your Zulu go codes. [Apr 2004, p.96]

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

The main single-player mode remains way too clunky for me to award this game high marks. That said, the great parts of this game are really something to experience.

This franchise's attempt to step out from its own shadow is only half successful, and not because it dared to do so in the first place, but because it didn't dare enough. It also lacks a singular vision, and instead feels like a collection of parts pieced together.

Arctic Edge looks good for MotorStorm’s first appearance on the PSP, but gone are the days when I can be impressed with simply squeezing down a console title intact onto a handheld. Let’s ask for more so we can get more.

Stick with it and you'll find a unique puzzle game that's quirky enough to redeem most of the bad bits. [Issue#204, p.96]

It works well enough with a bit of practice, though, and 50 complete scenarios in the single-player challenge mode add up to plenty of time spent playing god. [Oct 2008, p.106]

Young Horses has created a silly but heartfelt story and adventure game, but the creature-capturing gameplay never really hits its stride.

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

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

The crafting system is superficial but pretty much all of Brutal is that way. Its most interesting qualities are gimmicks – the ASCII visuals, the procedural generation, a shield that you can throw like Captain America because why not?

Although Max may provide a better realization of the "draw-in-your-solution" sub-genre of creativity-driven platformers than what has come before, the Wii remote still cannot offer the accuracy truly needed to make a game like this shine.

This is worth a look for Cooking Mama noobs, but veterans might find it a little stale.

If you’re a die-hard Might & Magic Heroes fan, this addition to your collection is probably justified for the skirmishing alone, but it does little to tread new ground. If you’ve always wondered about breaking into the series, one of the classics would be a better choice.

The game controls like an awkward 6'7" giant. [Nov 2005, p.148]

Farpoint is not the system-selling game the PSVR desperately needs. This competent shooter sews together a few VR thrills and benefits from the excellent PlayStation Aim controller, but the linear design feels dated by comparison to contemporary shooters. Therein lies the rub for virtual reality right now – you can’t innovate with dated concepts, even if they have a sheen of novelty overlaying them.

The courses are twisted and the mud splatters nice and thick. [Dec 2001, p.95]

If you want a looter-slasher that’s all about the stat bumps and the delight of seeing enemies suffer from the enchantments you worked hard to unlock, Godfall delivers plenty of that and is backed by a hell of a combat system. It hits that one note and holds it from start to finish.

The dancing game has that perfect mix of embarrassment and fun that makes it just as entertaining to watch as it is to play.

The gameplay is easy to pick up and surprisingly deep; but more importantly, it's continually fun. [Aug 2003, p.99]

All of this represents good progress for the franchise, but while NASCAR Heat 2 adds racing series, rivalries, and other features, it misses an opportunity to make them meaningful and expand the actual scope and excitement of the game.

It became clear at this point that Horizons follows the MMORPG cannon to the letter, that the graphics are very average, and that there's no reason to play outside the social aspect. [Feb 2004, p.111]

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]

Worthy of a rental, and it may just spawn its own little cult. [Jan 2004, p.151]

Like last year’s Thrillville, Off the Rails, requires some research on the part of the player to discover which things are fun (designing faulty rides) and which are a waste of time (talking to guests). Unfortunately, even the content that survives the cull isn’t enough to make the whole experience more than a diversion. [Dec 2007, p.143]