Ninja Gaiden 3 is not a complete train wreck, but it does suffer from a multitude of problems. The action can be fast-paced and engaging at times, but many design decisions significantly bring down the experience. Dumbed-down A.I., a limited arsenal, the series' notoriously difficult camera, no inventory/currency system, and an incoherent story combine to make this the most disappointing title in the series.

Dense with the most boring, tedious, and limp gameplay this side of sewer-water. [Nov 2005, p.180]

Alone in the Dark can be applauded for its innovation, but it cannot be saved from its dysfunction. Had Eden Games added polish, or dare I say it, play-tested the game, it could have been a welcome addition for survival horror fans.

Fundamental gameplay mistakes and atrocious designs run rampant through every inch of this miserable PlayStation 2 application. [June 2003, p.104]

The addition of weapons and two-player missions are welcome indeed. [Jan 2003, p.78]

Dynasty Warriors may have once provided a novel experience, but like metrosexuality and Jennifer Aniston's hair, things that fascinated us a decade ago eventually grow tiresome.

The three-dimensional game world is basically linear, but a brave attempt to add verticality adds some scope.

The gameplay really needs an upgrade before I can recommend this series again. [Nov. 2006, p.130]

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.

This bird will need a true miracle to rise again from this disaster. [June 2005, p.130]

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.

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

As forgettable as that time I backed into a parked car and immediately drove away. [Apr 2003, p.95]

After the novelty is gone, it's an adequate, if goofy, golf title with passable technical execution. [June 2004, p.123]

Street Hoops is so bush league it's not even funny. Call it "Barkley Shut Up & Jam 3." [Sept 2002, p.89]

This release, though graphically superior, just doesn’t stack up in terms of intensity or execution of gameplay. [Feb 2002, p.90]

Denied Ops offers the bread and butter of deathmatch, team deathmatch, and conquest, but nothing about this tacked-on feature set stands out. I suppose you could say the same thing about the entire game. [Apr 2008, p.86]

A bigger focus on action (like fighting wild animals) and a wider variety of activities make this more enjoyable than the original, but it still failed to make me care about the characters enough to suffer alongside them.

I definitely enjoyed Essentials and how it ties into the rest of the series, as will other Splinter Cell fans. [May 2006, p.112]

4X fans should be able to extract plenty of entertainment from this Danish import.

The linear missions and worthless squad AI were my biggest issues with this game. [Feb 2005, p.116]

ReCore is a poster child for wasted potential. At its heart is a good (though not great) game, marred by long load times, technical problems (including frame rates dips and the occasional crash), and bad pacing. The infuriating and frivolous road blocks may have doubled the length of the 20-hour game, but they also halved my fun.

There's absolutely no reason to put up with the frustration of doing the simplest of tasks in order to check out the futuristic abilities that you'll eventually command here. [Mar 2007, p.105]

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.

After squeezing off I don't know how many rounds into untold numbers of bodies, I'm more prone to being lulled into a nice nap than a frenzy. [Oct 2005, p.128]

The camera is troublesome, hit detection feels odd, and the characters are completely unbalanced. [Nov 2005, p.180]

Foremost among these flaws is the camera, which is so poor that it almost defies imagination. [Dec 2001, p.113]

Prime World: Defenders had an exceptionally low bar to clear to get me on board, but the staid design and brutal grind managed to miss even that simple goal. Because the power differential between basic and improved cards is so great, the difficulty ticks over from impossible to trivial out of nowhere. Neither extreme is much fun, and unfortunately neither is Prime World: Defenders.