A buggy, uninspiring and formulaic shooter. [Issue#186, p.74]

We can’t imagine that general Rock Band players could justify buying a whole disc just for 18 songs from one band. [Feb 2009, p.123]

L.A. Rush isn't so much bad as uninspiring. Driving round the city is fun for a bit but after that nothing but the mediocre races, ill-conceived stunt sections and the meandering extra missions remain. [Nov 2005, p.110]

For or five mindless hours stretched to more than double that. [Issue#154, p.127]

The cosmetics and style that FaceBreaker offers in spades fail to raise the mechanics and gameplay above average. [Oct 2008, p.125]

Even if Xbox Live does prove Chromehounds’ saviour, there’s no denying that the single-player mode will be relegated to little more than a tactical playground to warm up for the online battle because it’s just a little too one-note, a little too slow, a little too lifeless to truly engage. [Aug 2006, p.112]

This sounds like Batman, but it's more like a knock-off of Punch Out. Competent middle-tier filler, and little more. [Issue#154, p.128]

Most of the game's levels end up feeling like never-ending drudgery. [Issue#154, p.129]

The resource management and skill chasing on offer is sound, but everything else is repetitive, undemanding, and forgettable. [Oct 2008, p.110]

On a next-gen console, Strikeforce is a far more humdrum expenditure of time that could be better spent elsewhere. [Issue#93, p.130]

Even though each puzzle is explained before it gets tough a few stages down the line, there are still a few that are a little too complex for their own good (as if the game wasn’t frustrating enough already.) [Aug 2005, p.96]

Like many of the revivalist action films we've seen in recent years, it is little more than a slick homage that lacks the bite of the real thing. [July 2008, p.123]

Combat is surprisingly basic given that this is from the man behind the Ninja Gaiden games. [Issue#165, p.86]

Essentially it's the same five minutes of entertainment repeated over and over again and it quickly becomes wearing and repetitious. [Sept 2006, p.118]

Many of the puzzles are somewhat straightforward in design, and while ensuring players are less likely to hit those infuriating brick walls typically found in the genre's great titles, your input into the proceedings once again tends to feel slightly shallow and less rewarding than before. [Christmas 2003, p.108]

Not broken, just woefully mediocre... No doubt someone will like it… we just don’t know who. [March 2005, p.102]

Nice enough, but not exactly groundbreaking. [Issue#159, p.110]

While boredom can set in as you perform the same handful of actions time and time again, there is just enough variety to keep you entertained. [Issue#165, p.98]

One of the most frustrating aspects is the unbalanced difficulty curve. You're thrust into some tough and often unfair opening levels, only to find the challenge dropping dramatically as you progress deeper into the admittedly enjoyable storyline. [Sept 2004, p.116]

We're all for survival, but when Captain needs to huddle down for a glass of milk and a roasted gerbil in the middle of the final boss battle, you know it's a step too far, and that's without the sodding microtransactions. [Issue#198, p.70]

If you have high levels of patience then there are some excellent moments that are worth staying around for, but we’d wager that most will hang up their controllers by the second or third forced Werehog mission. [Jan 2009, p.102]

The action is a little too samey, and things become just too repetitive. Aside from scenery variations, FMV cut-scenes and the odd boss fight, the game is practically the same from start to finish. [Jan 2004, p.125]

The game's tagline speaks volumes; calling Battlecry III "The original role-playing strategy game" is a fine way of declaring the game's legacy, but at the same time it highlights just how little has really changed since the first title was released. [Aug 2004, p.108]

The problem of a distinct lack of variety persists, of course, and the lack of an arena-based dogfight mode feels a wasted opportunity. [Issue#115, p.108]

With just as many levels where you'll pray for it to be over than where you're actually having fun, the game turns out to be a mixture of styles that don't meld together as solidly as they should, as well as having several frustrating joypad-throwing moments and often demanding extraordinary feats of memory from the player. [Mar 2004, p.114]

There's just not enough to do besides the main tasks to justify stealing the GTA concept ... the distinct lack of content reduces the amount of enjoyment you'll get out of it. Better than you'd think, but still very basic. [Nov 2003, p.118]

If you don't mind poor gameplay, this will entertain. [Issue#191, p.81]

We can't fault the solid feel of firing a weapon; there is a degree of variety spread across the chapters; and the game’s engine is reliably stable, but none of this stops the game from qualifying as a major letdown. [July 2008, p.110]