WWE 2K18 features some incremental additions, but the action is largely similar to last year’s game. In fact, there were moments where I worried that I’d accidentally booted up 2K17. As it stands, 2K needs to do more to expand its reach beyond the hardcore audience that comes back year after year.

When you look past the mask of satirical humor this game puts on, My World, My Way is just a parade of tired mechanics orbiting a single cool concept.

What this franchise did to deserve a sequel I really don't know. [Apr 2006, p.118]

As beloved as the subgenre and the original Nexuiz mod are among a certain crowd, this Xbox Live Arcade remake is nothing more than a haphazard port of a 2005 mod for a game that came out 10 years ago – except you have to pay money for it. Those of us older folks who are nostalgic for the gameplay Nexuiz emulates likely have a PC that runs any of the dozens of excellent alternatives, and the younger console crowd has plenty of more modern shooters to choose from.

Boom Beach gives you more strategic options than its predecessor, but it is still designed to create lulls that encourage you to pay to speed up the clock, limiting the average player’s access to its best features.

A fairly well-rounded angling title that doesn't really jump off the deep end in any particular area. [Feb 2002, p.100]

The root of the problem is gameplay balance and enemy AI. [Feb 2003, p.96]

I applaud the ambition, but not every grand venture ends with triumph.

Apart from the animal stuff, the core game has also undergone some tweaks, like a greater sense of ownership of your surroundings. It doesn't make Pets more fun, though; the lack of sufficient rewards and direction neuters the whole experience and makes it a chore to play.

The problems with the passing game are major, including a lack of touch on the ball, receivers who stop to catch passes, and iffy collision detection in general. [Jan 2002, p.83]

When you’re dancing Spotlight is fun, but it is easily the weakest game in the Dance Central series.

Simply put, this title's characters, plot, and dialogue are hackneyed and verging on painful. Every joke falls flat, and every plot twist seems scraped from the bottom of Indiana Jones' barrel. [Apr 2004, p.91]

The level designs are simply atrocious and have no flow to them whatsoever. [Jan 2005, p.145]

The novelty of playing around with augmented reality will quickly wear out under the weight of the game's shallowness and obnoxious demeanor.

A great concept, but I just don't think the PS2 version of the EyeToy technology has the horsepower to pull it off. [Dec 2005, p.176]

The brightest moments are when the action gives way to pure chaos. I watched electricity arc between humans, made brains pop out of heads, and turned a secret base into smoldering ruins with my spaceship’s death ray. But like a person floating above the ground in the glow of an abducto beam, those moments aren’t connected to anything substantial; they just make some noise and get flung aside.

I had a good time playing Cloud Patrol for a few minutes here and there, but I could never see myself playing for extended marathon sessions. That addictive "one more game to improve my score" quality isn't there.

How does this game handle? Well, to quote "Airplane"'s Ted Striker: "Sluggish - like a wet sponge." [July 2002, p.83]

The story may be new, but the boring battle system and frustrating quests are all too familiar. Its simplicity is charming at points (especially in the dialogue), but ultimately isn’t enough to salvage the whole game.

It’s a unique take on open world play, and its almost nihilistic fixation on violence for the sake of violence has a satirical and darkly comedic edge. Unfortunately, the repetition and lack of substance behind the flash left me cold.

During Dawn of Fate, I would get so turned around, I found myself back at the beginning of a level, instead of pressing on into the next sections. [Oct 2002, p.91]

What makes Regeneration falter is the fact that it's bland, repetitive, and uninspired - like Carson Daily. [Oct 2005, p.126]

An almost totally uninspired 3D brawler that doesn’t avoid any of the common pitfalls of the genre. Locking the camera close in behind the character’s head is almost never a good idea, and certainly not in this case. The automatic targeting mechanic bugs out at least once every five minutes of play. Enemies are too predictable.

With various weapons, mobility enhancements, and a sprawling series of connected maps, Kunai appears to have all the right components, but they aren’t assembled into a cohesive whole.

By the time the final encounter came around, I wasn't looking forward to a satisfying conclusion. I was just ready for the game to conclude.

Playing through State of Emergency 2 is a lot like watching a decent actor try to produce a real performance in a straight-to-video horror movie. [Apr 2006, p.122]

For all the improvement Sarge's War shows over its predecessors, it's still only average at best. [May 2003, p.86]

With multiple collectible gear sets, magic-infused combat, and characters with distinct powers, building up a fun rhythm of play is possible, especially if you choose to tackle the entire game with a consistent group of players who stay in pace with each other’s progress. But even then, the cracks in the core experience are apparent. I wanted to have fun with Dark Alliance’s breezy adventures through a familiar fantasy world, but too many elements left me disappointed, and even the flashing weapons wielded by the Companions of the Hall weren’t enough to blind me to what was missing.