The mechs are highly customizable--a franchise hallmark--but the environments are sparse and the gameplay experience itself feels ultimately soulless.

Just don't expect any plot to further motivate you through the game, and don't assume that lots of money was spent on localization (clearly a Japanese woman attempted to voice the part of Mama, and clearly she did not earn her paycheck). That being said, where else are you going to find a game that times how fast you can rip the heads off of shrimp?

Fighting Fantasy's writing doesn't do much to differentiate itself from the stock fantasy novels that litter bookstores, but the novelty of seeing what amounts to an e-book with branching paths and light RPG elements may be worth five dollars.

It's ultimately the inspired intermingling of the disparate abilities bestowed on partnered players that makes Too Human worth playing.

Military Madness: Nectaris needs better graphics. It needs more grab-you-and-suck-you-right-in sounds and background noise. It needs to brush up the controls as well. Everything put together equals a real stinker in the long run.

Still, Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors offers a unique blend of game genres that coalesce together into an interesting game experience. [Mar 2008, p.84]

Player-movement controls sport a nice pressure-sensitive touch that presents veterans with a good challenge toward perfecting their skills. But the gameplay stills feels a tad slow.

By dumbing it down with WWF-style presentation and mindless gameplay, 3DO has created a PS2 update of the BattleTanx series that turns what was a fun mission-based adventure into a silly tournament-style game show.

Wonderfully rendered, but when compared to Secret of Mana's engaging narrative, Children of Mana's sparse and slow story falls short.

A disappointingly undersized and shallow RPG experience for GameCube owners. [June 2004, p.91]

Far from perfect but still an incredibly entertaining play, Afro Samurai captures all of the style and substance from the hit TV show with amazingly innovative combat and absolutely stunning visuals.

When it comes right down to it, Atelier Rorona just feels good to play. If you're craving a charming, character-driven game that doesn't involve a looming world-ending crisis and you can deal with a lot of repetition, you'll certainly want to give this game a go.

While the incorporation of stealth may not be the strongest feature in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, it's probably the only change worth noting. Although there are other modes for you to try, they're really not worth the time. [Dec 2004, p.134]

A mix of intense head-bashing against smart A.I. and an occasional crate-smashing balance out to some solid gameplay.

The "funny animals in footraces" genre tends to feel forced. In that tradition, Mad Dash Racing lacks emotional appeal; it’s a character game without likeable characters.

One of the freshest, funniest car combat romps to date.

The weather effects are beautiful (the storm sequences are downright scary), and pulling off a successful ship capture is an exhilarating experience once you manage it.

Still, Dungeons has enough humor and variety to overcome its shortcomings, and the campaign throws enough curve balls at the player to make up for its strategic shallowness. It could have better pacing and a little more variety, but as it is, Dungeons is a very witty, very enjoyable surprise.

Fails to do both the genre and the franchise justice. [Apr 2010, p.87]

Still, if you're a hardcore Dynasty Warriors fan or you're easily enthralled by the idea of mindless hack and slash gameplay, then Strikeforce is a decent enough game. But if you're looking for a more complex battle or can't stand Dynasty Warriors, this title won't change your mind.

Elements of Destruction can get a bit repetitive, mostly because you only have 3 elements at your disposal - a tsunami, flood, or avalanche wouldve been cool - but the enjoyment gamers get from laying waste to a wide variety of environments and EoD's oddball humor (Doc Herbert sending cows flying at a farm in Canada while singing the country's national anthem) more than makes up for its shortcomings.

Quantum of Solace is a good first-person shooter that, in my opinion, is the best Bond game since Goldeneye.

While Resident Evil Code: Veronica X remains an interesting (and difficult) side-story in the Resident Evil franchise, an impressive coat of HD polish just can't make up for terrible controls and archaic game design.

The flawed cursor interface gives you little reason to do anything but swing at every ball—in fact, if you take a pitch, the announcers instantly chide you!

A new arrow on the power meter shows you exactly how hard you should hit the ball-very handy, but it can't be turned off and makes the game a little too automatic.

Anyone who is at least remotely interested in the Dragon Ball Z craze should check out Budokai. For the rest of the bruiser club, however, you'll be sorely disappointed with this average brawler.

The $10 asking price is too much to plunk down for this shallow card game.

The sluggish controls make it hard to maneuver Mister Mosquito from avoiding hand slaps, insect repellent, and everything else that’s thrown at you.