If you are looking for a handheld multiplayer experience, and are willing to tolerate some control aggravations, you may want to take a gander at Renegade Squadron. But if your desire lies anywhere outside of this, these are not the droids you are looking for. Move along.

It's nothing spectacular, but all systems need good puzzle games and this seems to fit the bill nicely. [Jan 2005, p.149]

Last Day of June paints a world that is visually beautiful on the surface and darker at its core, but its emotional story loses luster quickly. While some narrative twists drew me in nearing its conclusion, I never connected enough with the story and felt distracted by its repetitive nature.

The bar of excellence has been raised to a staggering new height, and High Heat doesn't even come close to touching it. [Apr 2003, p.83]

Sure, I can mow down countless humans in any FPS, but drilling a gentle animal is not my idea of a good time. [Mar 2003, p.83]

Don't buy this for the single-player campaign. It's awful. [Jan 2006, p.155]

The great level designs provide frantic fun, but despite my many fond memories of Sonic, it's difficult to heap praise on a game that makes me feel like I'm still playing the Sega Genesis. [Jan 2006, p.157]

Chroma Squad is an overall enjoyable experience that runs on nostalgia, but falls short of becoming everything it could have been. Though the progression system comes to a screeching halt during the latter portions and gameplay repetition can lead to tedium, I still found enjoyment throughout the lengthy story.

Purple Lamp showcases a clear adoration for SpongeBob SquarePants, with jokes, deep cuts, and characters that brought me back to my childhood. And when they weren’t forced or overused, they worked well in the narrative. I especially loved hearing that one fish scream about his love of chocolate, and hearing “My leg!” brought me great joy. When The Cosmic Shake is at its best, it sounds, looks, and plays like the kind of game I would have begged my parents to buy me growing up. But when it falters, it’s boring. It’s a game I recommend to fans of SpongeBob SquarePants with ease; for those looking for a great platformer, though, better options lie elsewhere in the sea.

The neighborhood is a joy to explore, with its brightly colored environments that look like watercolor paintings. The characters feel lively and real, despite their vague, eyeless appearances. They speak to each other in incoherent murmurs, which means the story is told mostly through body language and visuals. I enjoyed having to piece things together myself, but their high-pitched mutters grew tiring, often portraying exaggerated emotions that didn’t feel authentic.

The Top Spin series, despite its gameplay issues, at least made an effort. Virtua Tennis needs to try much harder if it’s going to regain its title as the preeminent tennis franchise.

It is just unremarkable...Hits that "totally mediocre" target right on the nose. [Oct 2004, p.139]

Square Enix's minimal attempts to address the first game's issues won't win any new fans, but the company knows how to pander to an audience. That's one area where Dissidia 012 is firing on all cylinders. [Apr 2011, p.95]

It still offers frantic side-scrolling action, but doesn't live up to the glorious old-school fragfests of recent titles like "Metal Slug 3." [Dec 2004, p.190]

I'm amazed at the lack of innovation and improvement Dynasty Warriors 4 brings. [Apr 2003, p.82]

It's never been easier to get into the competitive Pokémon scene, and playing Pokémon Champions has been a highlight of my last week. Champions seems to be designed for people like me, who are familiar with competitive battles and want an easier way to participate. However, it also makes moves to cater to completely new players and extremely seasoned players, and by trying to satisfy all three audiences, it fails to properly serve either. With minimal content and a pressure to collect Pokémon in mainline games, it works best as an additional mode for the main series. As a standalone product, it's a game confused about its own goals. And much like the in-game status condition, that confusion only hurts it in the long run.

This title has plenty of flaws, but the main issue is that it's simply too typical and too clunky. [June 2004, p.128]

Those who can look past Locomotion's hideous shell and see its inner beauty will be treated to an economic simulation that is very well-designed, both detailed and accessible, and a lot of fun once you get into it. [Nov 2004, p.167]

This isn't going to change the world, but far be it for me to condemn it for being a run-of-the-mill RPG with a fun sense of humor. [Oct. 2006, p.114]

The majority of the game remains largely unchanged. It’s a solid game, but unlike EA’s successful college football game, it doesn’t deliver content that draws you into the experience. It’s great for multiplayer games, but the barebones season does little to keep players glued.

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

Almost nothing in Rise of Ronin is outright bad, but it is Exhibit A in any argument about why action games are not dozens of hours long or why open-world designs do not fit every mold. For all the inspirations the game wears on its sleeve, it never rises above them, and thus feels like a title in search of an identity and desperate for a specific kind of player. It’s sometimes a good time, just not for a long time.

Cool story moments and combat improvements offset some of The Golden Country’s frustrations, but not enough to entirely redeem the experience. It is missing some of the best parts of the base game (like the thrill of collecting unique allies and completing quests tailored to them), but retains many stumbling blocks that impeded the fun before. However, the way the story fills in gaps and provides insight into the characters makes The Golden Country a satisfying addition for fans who have already built up a tolerance for the sometimes-baffling quirks of Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

Graphically, this game is an ugly stepchild, but it does have a great sense of speed. [June 2003, p.105]

The game’s design is overly simplistic, perhaps as an attempted nod to younger players. It hurts the experience, since it feels like you’ve won every fight before you even begin, even against bosses. It’s rare that any puzzle or battle requires more than the mildest attention. Even knowing that, Dark Legend benefits from its clever premise – one that certainly stands apart from the rest of the Wii ­catalog.

The tricks are nice, but executing them is also uneven. I wouldn't say this title isn't fun, but "Burnout 2" is simply a better experience in almost every way. [July 2003, p.117]

Unfortunately, the entire affair is filled with repeated waves of what amount to the exact same enemies, and it doesn't take long for boredom to set in.

The magic just isn’t here. Repeating the success of Star Wars with a radically different license requires more than Star Wars as a foundation. It really never finds Indiana Jones’ pulse, and ends up being somewhat of a mess, albeit a moderately fun one.