Sticking to a basic and virtually flawless RPG format isn't necessarily a bad way to introduce X and his frieinds to a turn-based style of gameplay. [Nov 2004, p.156]

Confusing level design, repetitive action, and the vile villain called slowdown eventually start to grate on the nerves. [Apr 2004, p.86]

While the quirky game play and novelty of random content may not keep younger gamers coming back for dungeon runs, Izuna will certainly entice old-school RPG fans simply as a challenge to their gamer's ego.

Killer force powers and intense action can't fully save an otherwise inconsistent effort. Still, it has its moments.

Espionage action games have evolved beyond the standards this series helped establish, but Syphon Filter's combat and accompanying controls remain too old-school for their own good. [June 2004, p.65]

An adequate entry into the emerging Vietnam-sub genre that offers plenty of simplistic shooting fun, but fails to capture the depth and grandeur of similar titles like "Battlefield Vietnam" or even "Call of Duty" despite the obvious inclusion of so much historical information.

Slick, detailed visuals are marred by inane camera work, and while the creature, explosion, and limb-whacking sound effects are all boffo, developer High Voltage should have jettisoned the dance beats and synthetic guitar strains for something more along the lines of Slayer.

For its $20 PSN price tag, I'd definitely recommend My Lord 2 to hardcore SRPG fanatics in search of a good (yet brutal) challenge.

I recommend the paddle controller. If you're up the import, Arkanoid DS becomes quite interesting, but otherwise it's a well-done, extremely casual affair.

If the satisfying melee combat was tied into a better game with a compelling story, I'd praise Red Steel 22 as the next step in the Wii's evolution. But the nonsensical narrative, the repetitive nature of the gameplay, and the poor pacing keeps it from being anything more than a promising glimpse at the future of FPS games on the Wii.

The actual fighting is simplistic and repetitive, and takes place in only a handful of non-interactive environments. Worse, truly horrendous load times plague every last element of play, making even something as simple as cruising by the shop a thumb-twiddling chore.

But the frustrations of the game, including its limited replay value and annoying sound and controls, keep this game from being a "must-own" for all action addicts.

By far, the best part of Micro Machines v4 is the level design. There are oodles of levels to speed through, such as a butcher's shop, a pool table, and a hair salon.

It's obvious a game is unpolished when you have to sit through a patch download each time you want to play. Auto Assault may be fun for the hardcore Mad Max fans, but the steep learning curve and frustrating controls are red flags for the casual gamer.

For those faithfully dedicated to Mega Man, such affronts will be perfectly forgivable, but for anyone else Maverick Hunter X proves to be a pretty, if rather pedestrian first outing on Sony's handheld.

The game uses an on-screen d-pad to control movement, but it seems like a slight reworking of the game could've allowed tilt control, which would've really help clean up the screen, which can get pretty cluttered once you start picking up weapons.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 certainly builds upon the ideas of the original, but the minor changes make the upgrade seem more status quo than truly super-powered. It's still (mostly) fun to blast and claw through large groups of foes, but it's also much harder to overlook recurring issues when so much time has passed.

While I think of Dance Central as a better video game (and Just Dance doesn't come close to matching the game's choreography tracking) I'd still rather play Just Dance whenever I have friends over.

This Jet Ski racer looks fine, but it lacks the addictive gameplay of its aqua-racing predecessor.

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 "Rocky III" of video games: There isn't much suspense, the acting's cheesy, and the production values could be better, but you can't help but get sucked in. [June 2004, p.70]

Once I got past all of the problems in the collision-detection and accepted the fact that as long as my ninja stabbed the floor within a three foot radius of a bad guy, it was a kill, I had a mild amount of fun.

While the new game-engine changes are a definite added welcome, glitches and all, the omissions of the Story and Create-A-Wrestler modes leave this title rather pale and without substance compared to teh GameCube edition. [Aug 2004, p.68]

Matt Hazard is not a great game. It falls victim to a lot of the cliches that it pokes fun at and Matt Hazard doesn't have the star appeal of a Duke Nukem or a Marchs Fenix. It doesn't take the spoof thing far enough-they totally waste the voice over talents of the awesome Will Arnett-and the action needs three more coats of polish but it definitely has its moments. Despite its faults, I more or less enjoyed it.

It's hardly a masterpiece of gameplay or character development, but it was quite successful in keeping me intrigued and entertained on a few different levels.

Wizardry is still fun in its own way, but you should be prepared for a very slow-paced affair with a sparse story and few bells and whistles.

If you didn't buy SF4 the first time around the horn, you're getting the most value from the newer app.

Is $8 a bad price for a game like Spaceball: Revolution? No. Is putting the game on a console rather than a mobile device such as the iPhone or iPod Touch limiting its appeal? I think so.