A workmanlike, uninspired racer that just doesn't do enough to sutain my interest. [Aug 2003, p.93]

Despite my preconception that handling baggage at an airport is not enjoyable, I wanted Aero Porter to surprise me. Unfortunately, it didn't.

Collectors will get a kick out of it for some of the extra data, but the games don’t quite have the same luster as they do when you play it on an actual unit (although "Astrosmash" is much easier to play using the PS2). d-pad)

The levels are linear and dull, and for some reason you can only take cover in specified circles in the environment, which takes away any sense of reality or spontaneity. [Dec 2004, p.168]

As much as I’d love to own a panda, after an eight-hour shift in the dullest pet shop in the planet, I was ready to tell my mom to stuff the allowance.

Soulstorm retains the series' signature charm, but it's not enough to forgive its tedious and dated design as well its litany of swear-inducing technical issues.

Sadly, the gameplay is buggy. [June 2002, p.79]

Shadow Labyrinth is such an odd concept that I optimistically assumed it came from a specific, focused creative pitch, but it's one of the least focused games I've ever experienced. The story, art design, and structure are messy and underbaked. It's middling at best and maddening at worst. It doesn't have enough Pac-Man for fans of that franchise, and its Metroidvania elements are too weak to appeal to fans of the genre, so why did they make a Pac-Man Metroidvania? After spending 40 hours with the game, I still don't know, and that makes it difficult to recommend.

Natural Motion’s Euphoria technology is a great building block for a football game, but Backbreaker suffers from too many rookie mistakes. Only the most hardcore gridiron fans dying for an alternative to the EA Sports offerings should bother bringing this one in for a look.

The general feeling this game conveys is confusion and chaos, akin to being flushed down a jet-powered toilet. [Apr 2006, p.118]

It's a pretty loaded disc, but how much do you want to eat at a buffet where everything tastes like crap? [Feb 2006, p.109]

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, but Sonic’s mimicry of Super Mario Galaxy’s planet-hopping formula is an embarrassment. Sonic Lost World is a confused mash-up of finicky platforming, aggravating level design, and some of the most aggressively annoying villains ever.

The game looks okay, but combat is dull and it doesn't compare to its PC counterpart. [Dec 2004, p.168]

This series has great potential, but with each new season, it continues to degrade in quality. [Aug 2006, p.81]

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]

Devoted players may find some depth and strategy in these nuances, but with such underwhelming modes and gameplay, there's no reason to become devoted in the first place. After a few matches, most players will be ready to move on to a bigger, better game.

There may be a very deep and interesting strategy game laying somewhere within Generation of Chaos, but you're going to have to work to find it. [May 2006, p.111]

The only saving grace that this game has is its combat mechanic. By no means is it good, but it’s competent, and successful in making you feel like you clocked someone pretty hard. If you have some friends over, you can delve into four-player co-op.

This game should have stayed dark for another few months, because it's not ready for the field. [June 2011, p.95]

Same crap, different console. [Dec 2001, p.109]

Ubisoft must think the Vita audience is brain-dead to try to sell them a flawed, unimproved port of an already mediocre game for $39.99.

The gameplay is fairly one-dimensional. [Feb 2002, p.100]

If you're going to ask people to buy your content it's a good idea to make it compelling in the first place, and Ridge Racer doesn't do that.

I’m all for blowing things up, but after tooling around for a while, I was more interested in turning the guns on myself instead. [Feb 2002, p.91]

This series has great potential, but with each new season, it continues to degrade in quality. [Aug 2006, p.81]

Nintendo’s handheld systems used to be the last refuge for quality Sonic titles, but the series’ awful 3D gameplay has infected that lineage with Sonic Lost World. This portable version of Sonic’s latest adventure hits the same sour notes as the recent console games, while maintaining the subpar side-scrolling feel established in the 3DS version of Sonic Generations.

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

Replicates the movie's charm wonderfully, but its lack of variety hardly qualifies it even as a party game. [Dec 2002, p.130]