Open for Business doesn't take advantage of the Sims' best qualities and also falls short as a stand-alone idea. [Apr 2006, p.131]

An intriguing excursion into uncharted territory. [June 2009, p.93]

Despite all of these complaints, I can see fans of the original game enjoying this revival. It’s faithful to a fault, and I can think of plenty of older niche games that I would love to see get similar treatment. But if you’ve got no connection to the original, you’ll likely wonder what all of the fuss is about.

With no multiplayer, however, Wolfenstein doesn't seem as attractive when compared to another classic GBA rerelease. [July 2002, p.93]

With the depth of everything and overall graphical sophistication in X2, it could have been a much better title. [Feb 2004, p.112]

Even as the story and gameplay falter, it's hard to argue with the joy of smashing open walls and hunting down demonic threats. [July 2008, p.84]

In the end, the sparse content maims Kof XII. Next time around there better be more stages, characters, modes – more everything. You can’t just rip the five-minute-per-play arcade code straight to consoles and expect people to invest the full $60 over a few coins.

NBA Playgrounds may not revolutionize arcade basketball, but it’s a welcome newcomer. If Saber Interactive tightens its gameplay shortcomings and introduces more ways to play, the game could have a healthy run as an alternative for those who don't want the heavy investment of a sports sim.

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 may as well have come out in 1989. It looks and feels like a game from three decades ago. If that was the only goal, it succeeds with flying colors. Unfortunately, that’s not a very ambitious goal, since the market full of side-scrolling 8-bit inspired gems that cleverly blend genres and make use of modern gaming conventions. Curse of the Moon offers a few hours of mindless action, but there are better nostalgia trips out there.

In spite of grappling with the plot holes and lackluster character motivations, I still took joy in a number of moments peppered throughout the episode.

Unfortunately, the game looks a tad dated and isn't quite as smooth as its PC counterpart. Great action, but mediocre production. [Dec 2001, p.95]

Developer Saber Interactive has never made a sports game before, but NBA Playgrounds doesn’t show many signs of being a rookie.

This game serves its audience of hardcore fans well. However, at this point Patapon needs to take a cue from its titular characters and start the evolution ­process.

The roster itself is a healthy mix of legends like Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain to modern-day stars like LeBron James and Steph Curry. Several team lineups have glaring omissions like Klay Thompson, Isaiah Thomas, and Giannis Antetokounmpo (though Saber plans to continually add new players).

Kid Icarus: Uprising is a series of good ideas that ultimately suffer from its poor controls. There's a lot to do in the game, and more importantly, I felt compelled to do all of it. As the credits rolled I looked back fondly at the experience, as my hand throbbed along with the music. I'm looking forward to doing more with Pit in the future, just not like this.

Man of Medan isn’t the success that Until Dawn was, and it represents a big step back in terms of player interaction and storytelling, but it’s still a thrilling horror experience that made me scream, laugh, and want to jump right back in for a second or third playthrough to see if I could keep everyone alive.

Where are the new modes? Where are the innovations? Not here, folks. This is just another DDR update for those who want more songs. [Oct 2003, p.122]

NBA Playgrounds may not revolutionize arcade basketball, but it’s a welcome newcomer. If Saber Interactive tightens its gameplay shortcomings and introduces more ways to play, the game could have a healthy run as an alternative for those who don't want the heavy investment of a sports sim.

As a reinvented version of a 16-bit game, this looks quite nice on the PSP's sharp display, but it plays like nobody's greased the machinery since its original 1993 release. [Oct 2007, p.127]

Dead Space fans should check it out for the fiction. All other interested parties should look elsewhere for a suspensful shooter. [Oct 2009, p.95]

It's a fun play, but being a veteran of the console versions really pulled out this handheld incarnation's glaring flaws. [July 2005, p.127]

Not brilliant, but it's a competent licensed title that should appeal to hardcore W&G fans. [Nov 2005, p.149]

While I can't recommend playing the game solo, I offer a hesitant thumbs-up to a pair of players looking for something unusual and off the beaten track.

A complete turnaround from last season, and a direction that I hope EA steers clear of in the future. The user should always have control over the most basic gameplay functions. [Sept 2005, p.96]

Perhaps due to its years in development, PDZ just feels antiquated and familiar. [Jan 2006, p.141]

This time around, it feels like an actual game and not just an extended tech demo. If you can shift down your expectations somewhat (and give up your dreams of breaking any land-speed records), Joy Ride Turbo delivers a solid arcade-racing experience.

This series has lots of potential, but has yet to live up to it. [Sept 2002, p.85]

Even for longtime fans of the Metal Gear franchise, Ground Zeroes may not be worth playing. It spreads its strengths thin over too little space, relying on the repetition of a handful of unremarkable missions in the same area. That's the bad news. The good news is that the core stealth is fun, and the innovations on the gameplay front are promising.