But alas... Trauma was a game I wanted to love, but found more curious than transcendent. Still, any game that requires this much psychological analysis is a welcome departure from the norm.

I didn't find myself particularly enthralled with Laevatein -- the dull as dirt presentation did little to augment a game system I often found flawed.

Harkening back to when simple games and concepts entertained us all, Battle B-Damam reinvents the classic marble games of yore with mixed results.

All in all, Wanted: Weapons of Fate isn't so much a game for fans of the shooter genre, but it's a game for fans of Wanted.

If there's one feature that's unique to SRS, it's the "official" ladies of street racing as seen in the many import tuner magazines. If that's your main interest in the game, then you'll find plenty of incentives to keep playing. [Oct 2004, p.83]

Whether you're in the EA or Konami camp when it comes to soccer, you're probably better off waiting for "Winning Eleven" when it comes - less rushed - to the 360 later in 2006. [Jan 2006, p.48]

Worth looking at for its high production values, but its gameplay lacks depth. If your favorite part of "Final Fantasy X" was seeking out rare items to upgrade your weapons, you will love this game. [Sept 2004, p.82]

The fighting world has a brand new and addictive style of gameplay. Kengo pays homage to an art form that's rarely seen, and plays as a well-crafted and fun experience that no fighting-game fan should miss.

Lovers of Le Matrix should play just to see all the official Wachowski peripheral story stuff—it’s really quite cool, and actually adds to the story—but the PS2 game was jacked out of its own development Matrix too early.

Unfortunately, the game doesn’t maintain any long-term interest: defusing problems and room-swapping tenants are more work than fun and the process becomes tiresome after the third stage or so.

If you played "SOCOM" for the chat, however, then you'll probably abandon this game early on.

It's a no-brainer for Koei to bring its cash cow franchise Dynasty Warriors to PSP--what is surprising, however, is the handheld version's flawed controls and fractured gameplay that makes it a harder-than-usual sell for longtime Lu Bu aficionados.

Flight Control is a great game, and a perfect example of what makes casual gaming great. The version for WiiWare, however, is somewhat lacking. Everything the WiiWare version does, other versions do the same backwards and in heels. That doesn't make Flight Control on WiiWare bad at all; it's just not the definitive version of this addictive and awesome game.

Feel[s] more like a legitimate game rather than a rushed tie-in.

By delightfully melding combat and puzzle solving with solid pinball physics, Mario Pinball is not only the first pinball action/adventure game, but it's also a damn good one at that. [Nov 2004, p.130]

Odama is imaginative and is proof that you don't need to be more annoying than Jessica Simpson, like Katamari, to be a successful whacky videogame.

A game that tries exceedingly hard to avoid any attempt at innovation, or for that matter, any pretense of being fun.

If you own any wrestling game from the last five years, I can almost guarantee it'll have more match types, story lines, and custom moves than this one.

One of those "universally fun" titles that gaming fans of all genres can take to instantly.

If monotonous gaming and skimpy Pokemon action aren't your thing, then this is one mystery that's best left unsolved.

A solid RPG experience that is muddled by some unfortunate pathfinding and UI issues.

Played alone, against the computer, the game is barely worth popping out of its case. But, having even one other human opponent ups the fun exponentially--you just can't get the same satisfaction out of trash talking against a faceless computerized enemy.

Even without the camera and control problems, Chantelise struggles to stand out amidst other similar games. It's disappointing, because you can tell there's a lot of heart and personality poured into the game, but it's just not that enjoyable to play.

Unfortunately, once you level up enough, you can get through the game simply by mashing the "attack" button, which doesn't say much about the game's complexity. [Nov 2008, p.103]

A solid, fun mix of mini-games directly descended from Track & Field’s royal lineage. If you think vigorous button-mashing is the lowest form of gameplay, however, stay far, far away.

Straddles the line between arcade and simulation nicely. Players move, look, and behave in a realistic fashion, but fatigue, substitutions, and playcalling don’t interrupt the fun.

Only mildly amusing and the violence and gore gets tired after a while. If you're into movies like Eli Roth's Hostel then this game's right up your alley. But, if you're looking for a thriller with a little more substance, you might want to look elsewhere.

24 isn't the ambitious action opus it should've been, but its engaging quirks and variety of gaming experiences still raise it above the cash-in gutter.