I was even less impressed by the game's fighting system. There isn't an ounce of technique involved. Just walk up to an enemy and rapidly punch it until it goes down.

Too short, too straightforward, and too limited to recommend to all but the staunchest snowboarding aficionados. The game can be beaten in two hours on your first go. [Jan 2003, p.49]

The gameplay is equally unbalanced. Taiketsu's a button masher that requires very little skill. [Jan 2003, p.44]

Oh, and "thumbs up" to the completely inane grappling system, awkward control, and megabuggy "visuals." [Jan 2004, p.59]

The physics are off, the referee makes questionable calls, the line changes are ridiculous, and the gameplay is too sluggish to be fun. [Jan 2004, p.63]

First of all, there's the asinine boost system. As in the previous game, you must link powerslides to keep your boosts going, forcing you to keep your kart at a 45-degree angle during races. Blech.

Anytime there are more than a couple cars onscreen, the game chugs and stutters like crazy. That's unforgivable on hardware this powerful. [Sept 2003, p.60]

First of all, there's the asinine boost system. As in the previous game, you must link powerslides to keep your boosts going, forcing you to keep your kart at a 45-degree angle during races. Blech.

First of all, there's the asinine boost system. As in the previous game, you must link powerslides to keep your boosts going, forcing you to keep your kart at a 45-degree angle during races. Blech.

What a horrible disappointment... Worst of all, BG is a difficult game; I mean, it's hella hard...The first level alone was nearly impossible and there's no training mode! [Jan 2004, p.64]

You practically need a magnifying glass to spot your tiny units on the map. [Jan 2004, p.67]

A boring, repetitive snoozefest that can't decide if it's for kids or adults. [Jan 2004, p.64]

What could have been an exciting and graceful fighting system instead feels dull and stilted. [Nov 2003, p.51]

Capcom basically flushed our beloved series straight throught its proverbial airlocks and created a blatant and mediocre "Aliens" knockoff. [Oct 2003, p.54]

Tries to capture the excitement and intensity of old-school 2D shooters, but the end product is just a boring hodgepodge of gaming cliches. [Oct 2003, p.49]

While the online component is nice, actual gameplay is where things really fall apart. [Nov 2003, p.53]

What sort of waste of time is this vulgar mediocrity? [Sept 2003, p.55]

Rookies and vets alike will become annoyed at the tiny area of each lake and river they're actually allowed to fish in, as well as the fact that they get absolutely no hints as to where they should cast their lines for the best chance at catching the fish. [Sept 2003, p.56]

Aside from its lousy story, poorly designed levels, and uninspired character design, Alter Echo does have some good points - tight control, pretty visuals, decent cameras, and smart A.I. [Nov 2003, p.58]

The longer you play, the worse this RPG gets... After a few hours, the hate sets in. [Nov 2003, p.64]

Cheap play mechanics and absurd difficulty level totally sink the experience. [Sept 2003, p.58]

There's almost no sense of strategy once you learn that bum-rushing the opposition is the best (and sometimes only) course of action. [July 2003, p.62]

This game may be deep and technical, but playing it is almost as fun as getting beat up. [Aug 2003, p.34]

The PC version has better visuals, more comfortable control, and fewer bugs. And online patches might stamp out the bugs that do exist. [Sept 2003, p.51]

FMX is crippled by a trick-modifier system that makes big combos too irritating to complete. [Aug 2003, p.34]

The sloppiest major game release I've ever played... an inexcusable mess. [Sept 2003, p.50]

Just an average Resident Evil knockoff with a gimmick. [July 2003, p.58]

This version isn't as good as the original. There's a lot of choppiness going on, most of the lighting effects have been dialed down, and the soundtrack is scratchy and distracting. [June 2003, p.39]