A grotesque abomination that should be burned at the stake. [Aug 2007, p.93]

This button-mashing brawler offers decent combat functionality, yet cannot deliver one adversary that you would actually feel good about punching…unless you get a kick out of clocking knights that are as passive as Buddhist monks.

The majority of your time with Infernal (may it be short, for your sake) is spent gunning down goons in the employ of Heaven with one small handful of weapons. [June 2007, p.116]

Part of this game’s success rests on its simplistic design. RTS fans can rant all they want about how it doesn’t come close to offering the same level of micro-management found in Starcraft, or the genre-bending innovations that made Company of Heroes such a hit, but in its simplicity, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars delivers one of the greatest single player campaigns in all of RTS.

The best feature of Driver ’76 is definitely the retro soundtrack, featuring ‘70s musicians such as Funkadelic, Marvin Gaye, David Bowie, and Blonde. Also to its credit, Driver ‘76’s driving and shooting mechanics work well, however recycled and sterile the content may be.

If you liked the boring, archaic gameplay in the first volume of the new .hack trilogy, you can look forward to more of that junk here.

At the most, this game is great for punishing ill-behaved children.

Spider-Man 3’s greatest strength isn’t how accurately it captures the essence of this hero; it’s the game’s ability to keep you in a state of wonder. You never really know where Spidey will be headed next, or what challenge you’ll be tasked with upon arrival. Variety really makes this game stand out above the others.

Spider-Man 3’s greatest strength isn’t how accurately it captures the essence of this hero; it’s the game’s ability to keep you in a state of wonder. You never really know where Spidey will be headed next, or what challenge you’ll be tasked with upon arrival. Variety really makes this game stand out above the others.

My arms are sore from web swinging, I have a headache from fighting monotonous rounds of thugs, and I’m frustrated that in an “open world” I don’t have more control over my destiny. I guess it’s not as fun to be a superhero as I’ve always thought.

Gripes aside, this game can be balls-out fun when it wants to. Tearing through the sky at Mach 3 to sink a battleship and a couple of subs, then doing a 180 to shoot down a sky full of bogeys gets the heart going every time.

Beating levels felt more in the realm of schoolwork than satisfying puzzle action. Presentation is very bland and simple, but that somehow doesn’t prevent loading screens between every stage.

Huge chunks of LOTRO’s design are culled entirely from the "WoW" playbook, but that’s generally for the best.

In its defense, the 360 version does include support for the 360 camera – but I had a hard time getting my motions to track with enough precision to make the process fun.

Although the basis of this PS3 port (the original PC title) is now a couple years old, I'm pleased to report that F.E.A.R.'s taut gameplay can still hold its own with the best of the genre. [May 2007, p.84]

Absurdly unpolished.

I love this title’s core idea of using custom-leveled heroes and their squads of minions to conquer the world (or defend it; same difference) in a turn-based framework. Until I can do that without attending to details that I don’t care about through bland menus, though, I’ll be sticking with "Fire Emblem."

The addition of online trades and battles finally delivers on the promise that the first Pokémon games made. The crucial social interactivity aspect of Pokémon now takes place on a global scale. It only took 10 years!

The addition of online trades and battles finally delivers on the promise that the first Pokémon games made. The crucial social interactivity aspect of Pokémon now takes place on a global scale. It only took 10 years!

The general structure is annoying, but it's really the obtuse design that ensures that every second you play Valhalla Knights is irritating. [Mar 2007, p.107]

Super Paper Mario's seemingly simple concept - giving the player the ability to flip between 2D and 3D worlds - pays off in level designs that are nothing short of brilliant.

Just a little too barebones for its own good. [May 2007, p.97]

If you haven't already, go out and buy it. It's just that simple. [Apr 2007, p.104]

The Wii version looks zero percent better to my eye than the original release of this game, but enthusiasts of the franchise may want to take this for a spin to try out the unique controls. [May 2007, p.88]

I definitely prefer Chocobos when they are being ridden into war, not when they are forced to climb beanstalks and play rhythm games. [May 2007, p.96]

I liked puzzle mode the best, but wanted a little more. There is nothing else to this game. I guess you get what you pay for, but even at $20 it would have been nice to see a two-player mode.

The library with history, trivia, and details for each game, as well as galleries of old artwork are a nice addition to this collection. However, I can’t recommend this to anyone other than fans of the old games.

A great time for younger folks obsessed with the movie, and a reasonably competent but entirely by-the-numbers platformer to more seasoned gamers. [May 2007, p.86]