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.

Rise of the Manhunters makes good use of the Green Lantern license, yet struggles to deliver an intense combat experience. It ends up feeling like an excruciatingly long game, despite it offering only six to seven hours of gameplay.

There’s certainly a lot to love, yet equally as much to shake your fist and scream obscenities at in Lethal Alliance.

The best Turtles game in years, which admittedly is kind of like saying you just got the best punch in the gut you’ve had in years. Nonetheless, TMNT entertains pretty consistently, delivering fast-paced thrills but almost no genuine challenge.

Dead to Rights: Retribution isn’t subtle or refined, but it excels at letting players move from one sleazy place to another and scouring it clean of life.

You always feel like you are a little out of control. The poor collision only makes matters worse. [May 2005, p.136]

A solid game in its own right, with gameplay that continues to entertain long after the novelty of driving around Springfield has worn off. [Dec 2001, p.105]

Any game with 55 single-player missions is worth checking out. Add to that equation Double Helix's excellent graphical system and blistering gameplay and you've got a hit on your hands. [July 2003, p.116]

It's a thumbs-up for the tots, but nobody in their teens or up would choose this over "Tony Hawk" or "Aggressive Inline." [Nov 2002, p.134]

For all the harm the middling presentation does to Jump Force, the fighting does have satisfying explosive moments and the online versus mode does work well. There is depth to uncover in the combat, but it never truly sang to me or made me excited to tackle the next fight. Mostly I was just happy to not have to repeat a fight when I won, even if I was performing iconic attacks from some of my favorite anime.

If this is an accurate representation of what comes out of Russia(with love or otherwise), I can only assume the nation's chief export is boredom. [May 2006, p.113]

Inferior play mechanics and a shoddy framerate limit the appeal of this year's Wii version, despite the nearly complete feature set and satisfying batting mechanic. [Apr 2009, p.81]

The good news is that the game, as dull as it gets, doesn't last for more than five hours. It's quick and dirty. [Apr 2009, p.77]

If you’re going to play Lost Planet 3, PC is the way to go. Texture pop-in is nonexistent, graphics and lighting are improved, and load times are reduced. Even though controllers are supported, mouse aiming adds accuracy and dramatically speeds up turns. Anything you can do to make this game feel faster is a huge bonus.

As far as road trips go, The Crew is about as average as they come. There are some fun times, but you may be surprised to discover that America is a pretty empty place.

Sacred Citadel gets a lot of core mechanics right, and it's always fun to load up on powerful new loot. If you just want to run around and smash stuff and don't care about compelling antagonists or heroes, this does the job. But if you're looking for the total package, plenty of great alternatives are already out there.

Outside of the OR, however, LifeSigns’ bedside manner is far from pleasant.

If you liked the boring, archaic gameplay in the first volume of the new .hack trilogy, you can look forward to more of that junk here.

This is the first licensed game I’ve played that is actually shorter than its movie. I’m not exaggerating; in a little over an hour I had received trophies in all of the main surf events.

Graphically, Nightcaster eats acid. The textures of the ground and rocks are barely N64 quality. [Feb 2002, p.90]

Earthfall just isn’t fun. The game has a solid foundation but that structure doesn’t hold anything that’s entertaining or interesting enough to merit the effort of playing it, especially when there are already several superior games that inhabit the same subgenre.

The game's one noteable feat - online, cooperative multiplayer. This, I am delighted to say, works swimmingly. [Feb 2006, p.102]

Even with its foibles, StarDrive is a rare treat for those with the fortitude to marshal past its rough spots; invest the time it takes to understand, and the galaxy has a lot to offer.

If pushed and polished, Create could have been a rewarding experience. Instead, it feels like EA Bright Light needed some inspiration of its own. [Jan 2011, p.82]

Overall, the game is just average, but the potential is there for something really special if a sequel cam our way. [Sept 2005, p.115]

Perception is a memorable horror experience that thrives because of its unique setup and gameplay. Although more unsettling than downright terrifying, Perception managed to keep me on the edge of my seat, forcing me to solve a compelling mystery by facing what lurked in the dark.

Cyberpunk 2077 wasn’t optimized for last-gen consoles, and no amount of interesting side activities can remedy that. On PC, the world lives up to its title as the “City of Dreams.” For Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players, however, their time in Night City is likely a nightmare.

These graphics look like they missed the PS2 boat entirely. What this game lacks in fun it doesn't even make up for in novelty. [Oct 2003, p.123]