Some fans will consider Sen a diamond in the rough, and if you’re playing with friends and can overlook its problems, there’s some decent action to be had. The more I played the game the more it grew on me, but I never shook the feeling that fans deserve a lot better than what Sen has to offer.

Ultimately, CT just doesn't have a whole lot of staying power. [Mar 2002, p.88]

Despite the mind-numbing repetition, I was compelled to continue, if only because I became quite obsessed with buying new decals and accessories for my lowrider. [Feb 2004, p.102]

Gives you plenty of targets, but no real reason to keep pulling the trigger. [Dec 2001, p.113]

The poor A.I., repetitive design, and technical problems had me waving a white flag long before the war should have been over. If Starbreeze plans to turn this into a long-running service game, it has a lot of work to do.

The graphics have translated nicely to the GBA, and the control works just dandy, but the level design drives me absolutey insane. [May 2004, p.108]

Even diehard fans of the original Fear Effect should stay away from this mess of broken gameplay, system-breaking bugs, and slapdash narrative.

In the end, Sonic nuts will love it. Everyone else should stay away.

The lack of online racing and leaderboards makes this game even more useless. If you want arcade racing on the Wii, dust off your copy of Excite Truck or just wait it out for Mario Kart.

Movement feels floaty, hit detection and collision issues are everywhere, and enemy AI is painfully stupid. [Jan 2005, p.118]

This is a shameless cash-in on a popular formula. Don't give Konami the satisfication of duping you. [Nov 2008, p.126]

This Wii shooter is hardly worthy of its namesake, delivering a predicable and ultimately forgettable shooter hampered by poor controls and uninspired level design. Let's hope Future Soldier has a more promising battle plan.

Daggerdale is a lengthy adventure, but most of the monsters and quests start to feel reiterative after the first couple of hours. Nonetheless, there are few other places to go right now for a downloadable fantasy game with co-op included. Someone should really get on that problem, because Daggerdale isn't the solution.

You can go bargain-bin diving and come up with a better purchase for five dollars than this disaster, so do yourself a favor and take that option. [July 2005, p.125]

Saw II doesn't just take a step backwards from the first game – it performs a reverse swan dive off a balcony into a swimming pool filled with razorblades.

Finding entertainment in Tank Tank Tank is like panning for gold in the bathtub – you're not going to find anything. I can see a group of businessmen amusing themselves with the game at a bar during happy hour, but they'd never want to bring that experience home. Like a culturally sensitive foreign joke, Tank Tank Tank fails to translate.

With no engaging story or personalities, this title doesn't even come close to hooking you with its shifting, convergent story lines - unlike Without Warning's supposed inspiration, the show "24." [Nov 2005, p.148]

I wish I had nicer things to say about Impire, but my disappointment with its failure to turn any of its concepts into interesting interactive gameplay is total. As cool as the concept is, gamers interested in building an underground lair and tormenting would-be heroes are still stuck waiting for a worthy successor to 1997's Dungeon Keeper.

The game is nothing but an exercise in pressing X at the right time. [Nov 2001, p.110]

Interaction within the environment and the board game movement and structure are tedious and archaic. [June 2003, p.102]

The nuts and bolts of gameplay are apocalyptic failures, but the awfulness doesn't stop there. Managing games is utterly pointless. [Feb 2009, p.85]

You could reductively describe tennis as a sport where you hit the ball back and forth. That would be unfair, since it strips away the strategy and physical feats – which is exactly what Tennis World Tour does to the sport. In real-life tennis, when you're so frustrated that you yell and throw your racket like a brat, it's decorous for your opponent to ignore you and tighten the strings on their racket. At least the A.I. in this game mutely shares a sense of embarrassment, hoping that the moment passes.

With no engaging story or personalities, this title doesn't even come close to hooking you with its shifting, convergent story lines - unlike Without Warning's supposed inspiration, the show "24." [Nov 2005, p.148]

Every conceivable feature is executed with a class-B mentality. [Apr 2005, p.136]

Needless to say, I played this entire game tense, angry, and praying that the next level would be the last. I never really felt like I was in control at any point during the game. The summer movie games usually bring misery, but I never expected them to bring this much pain.

EA should be ashamed that it’s trying to bilk some kid out of $50 while offering so little in return. I can understand simplifying the controller in an otherwise button-heavy sport, but that doesn’t mean the gameplay itself has to become uninspiring and so lacking. [Feb 2008, p.96]

Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back underwhelms and disappoints at every turn. Bland level design never improves, and tedious boss battles are unrewarding and unsatisfying. Bubsy's return 21 years later could have reminded us why he was once considered a potential peer to the likes of Mario and Sonic. Instead, The Woolies Strike Back only serves to remind us why the mascot hasn't seen a new adventure in over two decades.

Whether you are defending the colony from a hornet invasion by manning goo cannons, racing an obstacle course with a team of ants, or foraging for food, the game keeps things fresh. Too bad none of it is exciting.