We accept there's a place for this sort of thing, but it fails on the standard of its minigames. [June 2010, p.78]

Will probably create a future generation of keyhole surgeons. [July 2007, p.84]

A muddled shooter where a lack of braaains and finesse derail any brief undead thrills. [Sept 2016, p.73]

Awkward design and stiff controls make Dark a royal pain in the... [Sept 2013, p.70]

Proof that the best idea ever on paper translates into B-grade mush. A stinker. [Sept 2007, p.73]

Unrefined and full of flaws, but entertaining - in as may good ways as bad. [Nov 2009, p.86]

The shame here isn't that this is a a bad beat-'em-up. It's that it's a good one saddled with so much nonsense and tedium that you're unlikely to care. [Aug 2014, p.78]

At some point, From Software must have been aware that their game was literally unplayable, but by then it was too late and they had to grit their teeth and carry it through to its infuriating, fumbling conclusion. [Sept 2012, p.100]

Shallow scraps and a painful pace suck the fun out of what should have been a grand monster mash. [Sept 2015, p.69]

A magical menagerie of neat ideas, ruined by horrid execution. [Feb 2011, p.81]

The graphics would shame a third-party N64 game - theyr'e that bad. [Mar 2007, p.74]

Frustrating stealth sections, uninspired puzzling, and dull action make Agony gaming hell. [Aug 2018, p.73]

Passes the time of day in multi-player but single player is slow and dull. [Christmas 2006, p.101]

A joyless mess that would have looked dated five years ago. In 2007 there's no excuse. [Sept 2007, p.82]

A seed of a good idea prematurely chocked by numerous technical and design shortcomings. [Feb 2012, p.96]

Needs a control pad option or a gameplay rethink. At the moment it just doesn't work. [May 2009, p.74]

A terrible "Mario Party" clone that offers nothing for gamers over five. [Nov 2007, p.85]

Okay, so the AI is dumb and the gameplay largely repetitive, but to quibble on these points would be to miss the point of this simple, fun arcade fighter. [Oct 2011, p.85]

Get past the obtuse mechanics and there's a unique retro charm here. [Feb 2012, p.97]

Atrocious. [Jan 2013, p.83]

Not quite so bad it's good but not so bad it's awful either. It's worth a rent, but just for laughs. [Aug 2009, p.82]

Tedious in a way we can barely describe, and almost broken in places. Don't buy this. [Sept 2006, p.76]

A game so crap you're intrigued to see what happens next. [June 2012, p.88]

A dull story. [Jan 2011, p.89]

A point-'n'-click with minimal pointing and telegraphed clicking. NCIS fan? Still avoid this. [Feb 2012, p.98]

Rancid. [June 2011, p.85]

Frustrating and joyless. [Apr 2009, p.74]

This is not "funny bad," it's just plain abysmal. [May 2014, p.79]