The enemy AI is weak, and fog blankets backgrounds like a tarp of ugly. [Oct 2004, p.129]

Last year's game showed promise and a commitment to getting this series back on track. This year's installment is a disaster. There's a decent game of baseball to be played here, but you are more likely to pitch a complete game than play through nine innings without a bug or glitch.

Last year's game showed promise and a commitment to getting this series back on track. This year's installment is a disaster. There's a decent game of baseball to be played here, but you are more likely to pitch a complete game than play through nine innings without a bug or glitch.

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

Umbrella may have filled Raccoon City with horrific creatures, but SlantSix has tainted the fabled town in its own way. It's difficult recommending a return to Raccoon when you have to endure buggy AI, clunky gameplay, and terrible glitches like disappearing floors. Yes, on more than one occasion my friends and I had to ditch whole missions because we kept falling into an empty void.

When I rolled credits on Lords of the Fallen, I felt no joy aside from being happy I was done, which is a shame because its first half left me excited for what was yet to come. A beautiful world, distinctive two-realm mechanics, excellent voice acting, and combat that feels good when not over-encumbered by enemies and artificial challenge, create a solid bedrock. But Lords of the Fallen fails to impress beyond that, instead growing more and more frustrating the further into Mournstead adventurers travel.

In an era where millions of football fans obsess over stats, build fantasy teams, and even tune in to watch NFL combine drills, I'm not sure what audience EA is targeting by stripping Madden of its core multiplayer and franchise mode features. Nintendo handhelds may not always attract hardcore gamers, but that doesn't mean football fans who own the devices don't want a fully featured game.

Umbrella may have filled Raccoon City with horrific creatures, but SlantSix has tainted the fabled town in its own way. It's difficult recommending a return to Raccoon when you have to endure buggy AI, clunky gameplay, and terrible glitches like disappearing floors. Yes, on more than one occasion my friends and I had to ditch whole missions because we kept falling into an empty void.

It's a completely mediocre shooter that's actually weighed down by its distinguishing gimmick.

Wallows in mediocrity. [Oct 2002, p.84]

Not only does GGX not push the 2D fighter envelope, it doesn't even give it the slightest edge. [Dec 2001, p.93]

Gorogoa’s artist and designer, Jason Roberts, clearly had a vision with this game and I applaud him and everyone else at developer Buried Signal for making it a reality. But I struggle to recommend this experience, because whatever emotions Gorogoa was hoping to convey, I simply did not feel them.

If you like this franchise's simple brand of mind-numbing hack 'n slash action, then Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires will deliver exactly what you want: more of the same. [May 2006, p.98]

Shaun may have walked away with the gold, but his games still can’t qualify.

Dungeon Maker has some cool features, but not enough to cross that threshold of having been “done right,” and the title winds up as a simple variation on the level grind we’ve been playing for years.

It’s odd that a franchise that has been so creative with its game designs would settle for such pedestrian pursuits. Putting toppings on a pizza? Carrying luggage? Watering plants? Sounds more like “chores” than a party to me.

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]

Horrible balancing in the single-player game and a decades-old multiplayer frontend further accelerate Heroes of Annihilated Empires on its quick trip to the bargain bin.

An incredibly short game, but still manages to repeat itself constantly over the course of the story. [July 2005, p.120]

So even though Monster House is better than your average kid's movie game, I just have to imagine most kids will put this down long before I did, and go do something more meaningful, like climb a tree or read a book. [Oct. 2006, p.110]

At its best, Friday the 13th is a compelling multiplayer experience that captures the excitement and terror of going against one of the most notorious movie monsters and (hopefully) living to tell about it. At its worst, the game is a frustrating trial of patience, whether you're waiting out the clock or dealing with numerous technical issues.

It’s barely been a week since I first installed XDefiant, but I don’t think I’d miss it from my hard drive. While the gameplay at its core is fun enough, the game is barren compared to most other shooters—including the free ones—with even bare-basic modes like team deathmatch and free-for-all or features like a ping system or skill-based matchmaking nowhere to be found. Its maps are well-made, sure, but with no rank to strive for, daily missions that ask me to commit to playing ten whole matches, and very little to look forward to in the battle pass, I don’t understand why this game would gain any traction over others beyond the fact that it's free.

Not only are the old mistakes revisited in 2004, but the batting and fielding controls seem to have gotten worse. [Apr 2003, p.84]

Not every release needs to have ridiculous triple-A aspirations. That being said, even considering its limited scope, Grow Home doesn’t feel complete. The technology behind the gigantic plant is cool, and seeing it take over the world below you is interesting. However, the game that you play between those realizations rarely blossoms into entertainment.

Grinding for slim rewards during the few hours it takes to finish Desert Child encourages you to think broadly about financial hardship. While that’s a worthwhile topic to consider, the inert world and thin gameplay aren’t enough to translate Desert Child’s core concept into an entertaining game.

It feels just plain dull. [June 2004, p.129]

For all the cool special moves and boss fights, the heart of any RPG is the story. Sadly, Command Mission doesn't just fail in this area; it is a discotheque fire disaster with no survivors. This game's plot isn't merely bad - it's embarrassing and painful. [Oct 2004, p.128]

Dynasty Warriors certainly has a specific and rabid fanbase, and those folks will certainly enjoy Next if they've maintained their interest in the series after so many entries. If you're a member of the gaming population that scratches their head at the popularity of this repetitive franchise, this Vita entry will do nothing to change your opinion.