While the overall control scheme works well enough, kicking long range field goals through the notoriously tight uprights is far too simple. The limited playbook also gives the game a stale feeling and the half baked telemetry system fails to save the gameplay with largely unimportant statistical minutia delivered in eye-straining small fonts and obnoxious menus.

One of the most challenging match-your-fingers-to-the-onscreen-button-presses game since the sub-genre’s conception.

Casual twitch gamers may be turned off by the flying learning curve and amount of strategizing required to complete each mission, but you can’t deny the hedonistic thrill of buzzing over a desolate desert landscape and letting loose!

The sex appeal factor is just okay, so it’s not going to blow you away if you’re mainly in the market for eye candy or compromising situations.

Any game that kicks off each stage with the phrase “Kick Their Ass!” can’t be all bad, and Gungrave is far from a dog.

Worms 2 is here to rectify the mistakes made with the first game, but I'm sad to report that it isn't entirely successful. Yes, there are tons of new weapons and modes, and online multiplayer is finally here; theoretically, Team 17 did everything they should have to deliver the ultimate Worms experience, but a still-clunky UI and shoddy graphics make this an inadequate sequel.

For those of you who party religously, you won't be disappointed. [Jan 2006, p.80]

Despite its shortcomings, Onimusha Tactics is a solid game with an engaging story. If you're looking for a casual strategy game without the tedious character setup options, then Tactics is for you.

So while Spyborgs' target audience might leave a few scratching their heads, it really shouldn't deter those who remember and enjoyed repeatedly beating up various things through the use of combos and co-op teamwork. Because ultimately, this rare Wii game has a lot more going for it than its questionable target demographic.

High Voltage's shooter sequel is certainly not a vast improvement over The Conduit, but its campy campaign and decent multiplayer is enough to make Conduit 2 worth recommending to fans of the first game. And if you're a fan of shooters who's willing to look past the game's many flaws, you might want to give the game a chance.

The de-emphasis on micromanagement is welcome, but the feeling that the game is doing too much for you might kill it for intergalactic armchair generals.

It's a fair package -- more expansive than Dead Money but not quite as rich as Point Lookout, which is the current gold standard for Fallout DLC. And, of course, it's a long way from the expansion packs of yore, where $30 could occasionally yield what amounted to an entirely new game. Ten dollars is a fair price for what Honest Hearts brings to the table, but its ultimate appeal is down to whether or not you're still in the middle of a campaign. As it is, this four hour romp through Zion National Park isn't quite worth dusting off your seven-month old copy of New Vegas.

The game features physics that wouldn’t be caught dead in a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

The icing on the cake is the game’s superb production value, which includes beautifully crafted sound effects like devastating explosions and the eerie whistling of radioactive wind, solid voice acting, and copious visual details that flesh out a nightmarish world decimated by nuclear warfare.

It’s a topnotch shooting game but hardly one that you’ll play for days on end.

No online multiplayer! Not like we generally expect that from Wii games, but we should be able to by now.

As a shooter fan and someone who watched all eight films that make up the Alien, Predator, and Aliens vs. Predator series, I had high hopes for the title, but it fails to do both the genre and the franchise justice.

Even with these few legacy issues and the limited multiplayer functions, Samurai Warriors: State of War is a far better game than its previous Dynasty Warriors PSP brethren, and worthy of checking out for your portable gaming hack-and-slash tactical strategy pleasure.

The game is easy to pick up and great to look at, but there's little to it.

One of the better 'toon-to-game adaptations you're likely to find.

Aero Elite’s true failure, though, is its boring gameplay. Dog fighting and attacking ground forces just isn’t entertaining.

Graphically, EX3 is mediocre (compared to "Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore" and "Tekken Tag Tournament"), with its unrealistic, blocky characters and sparkly effects.

Although the scriptwriters are straight from the show, Marshall and Vaughan's dialogue feels a little forced; otherwise, the large cast of participation and television soundtrack give the game exactly the authentic audio flavor fans would want. [May 2004, p.70]

If you're an action RPG fan, don't make the mistake of ignoring Spiral Knights just because it's an MMO, as it is a sublime example of where you can take the genre.

The journey across America is beautifully rendered, capturing the varied landscapes spectacularly as you travel over the Sierra, across the Great Plains, and head towards the East Coast. The quality of the movies is very good too, and the characters' faces are nicely rendered to convey emotion. But the story and the gameplay just don't hold up their side of the bargain, and the game ends up falling short of its considerable potential.

Maybe it would be more exciting if there was some actual challenge involved, but most of the battles amount to a rock, paper, scissors competition where your opponent is limited to 'rock' for their arsenal.

Clothing rippling in the wind is just one of the smooth graphic touches, and the aggressive punk/hardcore soundtrack matches Palmer’s bad-boy persona—but the sound effects aren’t terribly impressive.

While the online upgrade and improvements in the wireless multiplayer make it a feat to behold, just make sure to play the DS version instead of its unattractive, very unpolished console port.