As much as I disliked lumbering through levels as Sonic’s hulky Werehog, I disliked hunting through the hub worlds looking for coins even more. Sega, if you really want to fix Sonic, the first thing you should do is stop trying to fix him. [Jan 2009, p.67]

It all feels like after-school study when you just want to be entertained. All the hallmarks of a first-party Nintendo release – overflowing charm and impressive technical aptitude – are here. A lot of thoughtful work went into Welcome Tour to make me understand and acknowledge its $10 price tag, but it’s just not a tour I would recommend taking.

On one hand, the lack of polish and the glitches cause me to give the game a less-than-stellar score. On the other hand, I can’t deny that my co-op partner and I were laughing and enjoying ourselves for the large majority of the campaign. As a mindless co-op shooter, it delivers.

Outside of clips stolen from the motion picture, you won’t find any kind of story here, either. Pandemic worked wonders with Star Wars, but couldn’t grasp the One Ring. Conquest is a joyless trip through familiar territories, and sadly, nothing more than that.

Sumo and Elbow Rocket’s insistence on treating a game from 2007 like a sacred text is strange. The original Crackdown was fresh and exhilarating, and bounding across the city as a superhuman agent was a thrilling sensation. Since then, a lot has happened in the genre. Developers have found ways to incorporate destruction into the action as they weave interesting choices and competent world-building into their narratives. Crackdown 3 aims far lower, and manages to hit that disappointing target.

The humor and style will charm many, but those looking for a hardcore experience in any of the game's genres should look elsewhere. [Jan 2005, p.125]

If there’s anything nice to say about Race O Rama, it’s that it provides a teachable moment for parents: Sometimes it’s best to leave well enough alone.

A lesson in what happens when there is an unwillingness to evolve or risk new ideas. [June 2005, p.126]

The uninspired single-player campaign, uneven multiplayer execution, and rampant presence of glitches undermine Medal of Honor: Warfighter's efforts to join the Tier 1 of military shooters.

The Legend of Korra is a great TV series that is ripe for a strong video game adaptation, and Platinum has laid the groundwork for an interesting combat experience. However, missteps in balancing, combat timing, and level design add up quickly, and even Korra’s sassy quips can’t pull the game back from the brink.

Everything in this title borders on barely functional, from the blurry graphics (no, that isn't Vaseline on your TV screen) to the imprecise targeting. [Aug 2004, p.96]

Not a bad game overall, but there's much better stuff out there. [Feb 2002, p.100]

Even if Sports Story was polished and bug-free, it would still fall strikingly short of the first title in the series. The new sports don’t play well, the fetch quests are tiresome, and the story is tedious and less charming than that of Golf Story. What remains of the retro golf experience is fun, but the whole game feels like a textbook example of being unable to deliver on lofty ambitions.

The four-player Xbox Live mode may offer some thrills for devoted brawler fans, but everyone else will want to stay away from this stale relic. [June 2005, p.132]

This game expands the show’s fiction and reveals a few mind-blowing twists, including one that has completely altered all of my theories about the show. As of the time of this writing, it is one of the biggest reveals yet.

Lacks the planned skill of the criminals that the game portrays; and instead, comes off as a mindless licensed product. [Aug 2003, p.98]

Without its many technical issues, Save the Light could have been a good video game adaptation of an excellent show. The involvement of its creator is apparent and the voice cast gave the game the same consideration they do the source material. I even liked the combat and storytelling, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the frustrations of having to frequently restart the game or watch helplessly as Steven’s run animation looped while he stood next to a rock.

Omerta fails to close the loop that XCOM managed so adroitly by having a strategic layer so simple as to be a pointless afterthought, with no simulation depth to make up for a game world that turns the other cheek to the most egregious of criminal offenses and a combat system that doesn't rise above basic adequacy.

It’s a decent brawler that doesn’t do anything new or interesting, and it stars a skeleton on fire. I’ll gladly take it over yet another collect-a-thon platformer.

This title's biggest problem is its lack of ambition. [Feb 2003, p.105]

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.

For better or worse, Rise of Nightmares doesn't support a standard controller. Even if it did, the game would still be just as guilty of blandness. Combine this sin with the constant control struggles, and it's tough to recommend this game for even the most desperate Kinect owner.

It feels like National Geographic and Ultimate Fighting mushed together in a bad, bad way. [July 2006, p.106]

Avoid this game like you would a laser beam to the head. [Dec 2003, p.150]

Leave this one stranded on Ceti Alpha V – it’s of no use to you or the cause of the Federation. [Feb 2008, p.96]

Eureka Seven could have been decent if the LFOs didn't feel like they were slliding on thin ice, or the lifting delivered any sensation of speed or excitement. [Oct. 2006, p.100]

Whatever critical punishment you can level at the game, its gameplay core packs enough punch to survive your flurry.

In the end, Transformers delivers over-the-top action with wild abandon, and leaves most of the more complex elements of good gameplay behind coughing from the dust kicked up by a giant transforming war machine.