Beyond its online career mode, there's not much that leads Juiced 2 to stand out from the pack. It's an unassuming street racer with few flaws, but at the same time, few outstanding qualities. Even the visuals don't inspire much, leaving Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights cold by morning.

All in all, Shaun White's Snowboarding didn't leave me blown away. I liked the terrain they provided, the impressive visuals and the push towards new ways to perform tricks. I hope this title continues on and that all of the little glitches and feedback from fans help create an epic snowboarding game worthy of Shaun White's name.

All in all, this is a very simple game on all accounts bogged down by repetitive gameplay and uninspired levels.

Ultimately, Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces is a game that deserves to be in the library of anyone who enjoyed the film, and a worthwhile purchase for flight sim fans as well.

Merely an interesting take on The Lord of the Rings license instead of the great game it could have been. [Jan 2005, p.103]

Despite the cute retro-styled characters, cheery music, and narrated post-work-out relaxation exercises (which I actually skipped after the first time because they felt like more strain than comfort), I can confidently say this is not the next must-have brain game.

Academy's mini-games looks nice, but just can't compete with Wario Ware's non-stop style of play that is best suited for the stylus-equipped DS.

The control setup just doesn’t work - especially when you’re trading bullets in real time with a bunch of Republican Guards. Directing your entire four-man squad to move, shoot, give cover fire, swap items, heal, and everything else that comes with a Special Forces group constantly on the move is tiring to the fingers.

The difference between the sheer energy in the cinemas and the painstaking gameplay is so striking that it feels like you’re fighting battles less to win them than to see the next visual treat.

If you like old school racers like Off Road and Super Off Road, and have A) Lots of friends who can come over at any time or B) Lots of siblings who want to play there is a lot of potential in this game. However, if you are going for a solo drive, give it some thought first – ‘cause you won’t be playing online.

Like reuniting with a close friend after many years apart and then discovering how they've gone nowhere with their life, Duke's return is a sad engagement that makes you wish you had left the past where it belongs.

Untamed is a pup past its prime. [Mar 2008, p.86]

So, no, Moon Diver isn't the second coming of Strider. Instead, it's carved out its own niche as a serviceable and party-game-flavored action title. Grab three friends, mash some buttons, and you can't go wrong. Just don't expect it to be Shakespeare.

Like reuniting with a close friend after many years apart and then discovering how they've gone nowhere with their life, Duke's return is a sad engagement that makes you wish you had left the past where it belongs.

Revolution is polished graphically, and great at what it is. Unfortunately, it is nothing more than a turn-based battle game. If you're not a true Pokemon fan this really is one piece of cake easily left uneaten.

The poor gameplay sadly ruins the entire experience. [Nov 2004, p.112]

At its core, that's really the game's biggest problem -- Two Towns feels like one of the most dumbed down Harvest Moon titles in years, and whatever addiction you'll get maintaining crops/livestock might not outlast the boredom.

Its hair-raising visual creep-outs and deft handling of foreboding folklore are undermined by a steadfast reliance on survival/horror-genre trappings and boring gameplay execution.

Despite a few fresh ideas, Haunting Ground is no classic. The thin story relies too often on clich? and titillation, the villains aren't terribly frightening, and the gameplay becomes too predictable too quickly.

I loved that collecting the gold and black stars scattered about the randomly generated levels changes the environment, but those environments felt a bit empty without any music, as the game has no soundtrack.

Poor controls, frustrating gameplay and a repetitive single-player mode mean it's three strikes and you're out for Mario and his friends.

Yep, I'm gonna say it, "Lackluster port."

That said, Lords of Shadow, when weighed against both the Castlevania legacy and the games it tries so hard to emulate, doesn't add up.

The biggest problem with Omium is that there really isn't any way for the player controlling the ship to win; he can just survive until the player controlling the baddies manages to finally take him down with a lucky toss.

Although it is not a title for everyone, fitness enthusiasts will get a kick out of this simple title.

Overlord II is a decent game that maintains its predecessor's greatness, but it doesn't show enough progression or improvement. The unforgiving checkpoints and host of other problems make it a frustrating experience, making for a sinfully fun title that forces you to a steep penance for your enjoyment.

All these criticisms may make it sound like Apocalypse is a substandard game, but it isn't. It's just that the stuff that's different from previous MotorStorm games is mostly bungled or simply boring, but the stuff that's the same is still enjoyable. Apocalypse is just a vanilla, if basically solid, racing game that tries to throw a few curveballs at you, but ends up hitting the backstop instead of the strike zone.

It's not the best of The Sims 3's expansions by a long shot, and compared to the other packs seems quite expensive for what it is -- but fans of the series will enjoy the deeper experience it offers.