I consider myself a MercurySteam fan, and even after gleefully closing the game when I saw credits (and deciding the lengthy, extended final quest for the true ending was not for me), I remain a fan. Blades of Fire feels a bit like the developer’s attempt at bringing something new to what has now become the overpopulated Souls-inspired genre. It was unsuccessful in this instance, but some of its ideas around combat and the world it created are exciting. They just couldn’t overcome the parts that made me want to give up on the game.

It tries to tell a story about animals overcoming adversity in a large interconnected forest, but falls short in just about every aspect.

With its distinct art style, melancholy tone, and ambiguous story, Fe tries its best to run with the artistic indie video game crowd. While its heart is in the right place, Fe comes up short in nearly every way, delivering an experience that is frequently frustrating and consistently bland.

The sounds, graphics, and controls are all painfully ported from the PC, and all of them are worse for wear. [Apr 2003, p.89]

Explodemon isn't a broken game by any accounts, but the presentation, controls, and level design are wholly unoriginal and unsatisfying if you enjoy action platformer. Those that dig deep enough may find some fun buried beneath the repetition, but it won't last long. If you're looking for a downloadable distraction on your PS3, there are many more fulfilling options than Explodemon.

This is a fetch quest of unparalleled proportions. [Jan 2004, p.160]

The game's pace is painfully slow, and like most puzzle games of this type, the payoff is far from satisfying. [Jan 2002, p.83]

The races, which conclude each tournament, offer smooth controls and track designs loaded with jumps and tight turns, but given how frequently players get power-ups, they end up being more of a crapshoot of who is dealt the best hand.

I've been a big fan of the series' portable outings in the past, but htis is just a big dud. [Feb 2006, p.113]

If you have such a child in your household, I would do everything in my power to ensure they never catch wind of this game.

With the startling amount of missing content, kneecapped modes, and uneven gameplay in NHL 15, either EA Sports isn't giving EA Canada the same level of resources as its other sports franchises or the development team is woefully incapable of negotiating a console transition. If the publisher doesn't care to put a winning effort into its NHL series, hockey fans have no reason to jump over the boards and buy the game.

At its best, Blade Dancer offers familiarity, along with a half-hearted attempt at multiplayer. [Aug 2006, p.93]

Don't let the allure of authentic arenas and improved NBC-branded commentary fool you - NHL 15 is a colossal disappointment. Missing modes like the six-on-six EASHL, GM Connected, and Live the Life, NHL 15 starts the game down a man. When you add the fact that existing modes like Be a Pro and Be A GM have been fundamentally stripped of essential features, it's downright insulting to hockey fans everywhere.

The one saving grace of Flower, Sun, and Rain is the story. [July 2009, p.90]

Urban Trial Freestyle may throw in the occasional little tweak, but they aren’t enough to elevate the game past the level of a flattering wannabe. If you're into the idea of a platforming-heavy motorbike game, stick with the tried and true Trials series.

The control scheme is poor. While it “works” on a basic level, steering Sonic through levels like an Excite Truck vehicle while flicking the remote to attack enemies is, more often than not, a mess.

What you do in the first ten minutes is what you're going to be doing for the rest of your excruciating experience with this game. [July 2003, p.106]

The controls give no feel of racing, the graphics are bland at best, and the sound is forgettable. [Dec 2002, p.144]

I can only say one good thing about War in the North: It could have been awesome.

With unresponsive skating and stickhandling skills, NHL 2K10 is a troubled hockey prospect. With so many red flags, we recommend passing this prospect over.

I can only say one good thing about War in the North: It could have been awesome.

As much as I enjoyed the world of the original Blue Dragon, I'm just going to pretend this dismal follow-up never happened. [Mar 2009, p.95]

Collecting puzzle pieces and 3D figures should be a nice distraction, but they're certainly not enough incentive to replay these tedious levels. Rabbids Travel in Time 3D offers no real sense of what you're doing, who you're fighting, or why you should care. This wouldn't matter if the platforming was interesting, but its low difficulty and lack of variety make this an entirely forgettable experience.

I kept waiting for Daemon X Machina to pull the curtain back and reveal some sophistication in its gameplay, or some narrative twist that might make the uninspired combat worth slogging through. Those things never arrive. While the game ostensibly scratches the itch for players who have longed for something like Armored Core on the Switch, it’s a model that feels out of step with recent innovations in the sphere of action games. There are better worlds to save than this benighted future.

This game will please neither action fans nor followers of the "Tekken" franchise, and comes off as a marketing scheme gone horribly awry. [March 2005, p.132]

I want to say there’s something enjoyable, interesting even, buried beneath the flawed execution of Code Vein II, but that something is the corpse of other games in the genre this vampiric creation is feeding on for inspiration.

With Beholder's no frills (and I'm not exaggerating) isometric combat, there's little here that really screams out for attention. [Mar 2003, p.91]

Just rent "Hackers" again and forget this junk heap. [Oct 2005, p.134]