Like an antithesis to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, it proves that two great flavors don't always taste great together. [Issue#203, p.87]

Surprisingly boring. Murakumo's plight is the result of shallow and uninspired game design. [Mar 2003, p.88]

The AI is horrendous, all the great tweaks in "NBA 2K3" are MIA, and most of the fun is gone, too... People in dorms are going to have to get pretty drunk to get any enjoyment out of this. [Jan 2003, p.96]

The biggest problem with Rivals is that it doesn't feel like you're skating ice. [Dec 2003, p.174]

"Quotation Forthcoming"

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.

It pains me to level a harsh judgment against a game that’s trying something new and innovative, but Octodad doesn’t balance the frustration with the funny.

If you don't die of boredom playing the game, you'll run headlong into the most disappointing aspect of P.N.03: It can be completed in a measly four hours. [Sept 2003, p.111]

The stealth gameplay is repetitive and unoriginal, sucking all of the cheeky fun from the Japanese franchise. [Feb 2004, p.103]

While the GameCube has several genres it excels at, the tactical shooter field clearly isn't one of them. [Sept 2004, p.112]

The huge level of frustration is not worth the time it takes to master the awkward gameplay idiosyncrasies. Instead, it’s more tempting – even as someone with experience – to just spam the waggle movements for a passable high score.

I enjoy challenging games when there’s a rewarding payoff. With Thumper, the reward of doing well is just more Thumper. If you’re really into the game’s bleak conceit, you may have the patience to hang with it for the duration. Personally, I was ready to leap out of the trough and never look back.

NBA Live 15 may not be ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with its competition, but with much improved presentation and mechanics the series is trending in the right direction. The remaining gameplay issues and lack of mode depth, however, makes it tough to recommend this particular version.

Sunset has some great elements, especially in terms of diverse characters and intriguing subject matter, but that doesn't excuse its shortcomings. As beautiful and contemplative as the writing is, I spent too much of the game frustrated by glitches and bored by exploring the same surroundings.

Do yourself a favor and steer clear of this one or there's a good chance that your Xbox will come to life, beat you to a bloody pulp, and steal all of your valued possessions. [Feb 2003, p.105]

You'll pray [the Banner] stages end quickly. But, of course, once they do come to a close, you find yourself back at square one - bored to death by The Hulk's repetitive nature. [July 2003, p.109]

The huge level of frustration is not worth the time it takes to master the awkward gameplay idiosyncrasies. Instead, it’s more tempting – even as someone with experience – to just spam the waggle movements for a passable high score.

Without question, the only suitable home for this game is in a molten river on Mustafar right next to Anakin's legs and arm. [July 2005, p.117]

Although Narcosis’ runtime is fairly short (about four hours), it’s padded by frustrating stealth segments and banal puzzle-solving that get in the way of some great storytelling and voice-acting. While captivating, those aren’t enough to make this experience worth wading through.

My favorite level was when I chased a car around for 10 minutes, trying to destroy it. Wait, that was my least favorite level. Wait, that's EVERY level! [Oct 2003, p.123]

Oh, how many restless nights have I spent yearning for a Koei game that would combine the worst parts of "Dynasty Warriors" with those of "Samurai Warriors"! [Oct 2007, p.113]

Like an antithesis to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, it proves that two great flavors don't always taste great together. [Issue#203, p.87]

As a party game, London Games succeeds rarely, but its implementation of recognizable (and unrecognizable) characters from Mario and Sonic is perfect. It definitely has all of your favorite characters in it, but that's not enough of a reason to play.

Oh, how many restless nights have I spent yearning for a Koei game that would combine the worst parts of "Dynasty Warriors" with those of "Samurai Warriors"! [Oct 2007, p.113]

Two dorks driving around in an incredibly ugly and generic city chasing bad guys with laughable AI doesn't qualify as good entertainment. [Oct 2003, p.136]

In this day and age, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a game based on a movie fares poorly, but for a character who has survived since 700AD, he deserves better treatment than this.

I was ready to love WrestleQuest, and some enjoyment can be found for those with the patience and fandom to fireman carry them along. But the imaginative ideas die by a thousand cuts that hold Muchacho Man and his friends back from world title contention. The game has cool ideas; it just needs more refinement and a serious reexamination of certain systems before it’s ready for the big time

Even in this realm of sub-average platformers, you have several better options than Mushroom Men. [Dec 2008, p.124]