Its attempt at being a jack-of-all-trades could seem quite appealing to gamers who casually approach the driving genre. Connoisseurs, on the other hand, will own the highest quality examples of each trade that do the job better, leaving R: Racing Evolution feeling mostly redundant. [Mar 2004, p.98]

Its attempt at being a jack-of-all-trades could seem quite appealing to gamers who casually approach the driving genre. Connoisseurs, on the other hand, will own the highest quality examples of each trade that do the job better, leaving R: Racing Evolution feeling mostly redundant. [Mar 2004, p.98]

Dilute, disjointed and uninspiring. Feeling more like a staggered set of obstacles than a wholesome game, the action sadly boils down to little more than a tediously dull showcase for your equipment and abilities, which are put into use against some questionable AI stooges. [Jan 2004, 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]

Even regular space travel proves trying; rescued from the unconvincing hands-on control by an efficient autopilot system, your journeys become a case of merely clicking on where you want to go and fast-forwarding time until you get there. This reduces the game to a dirge of menu surfing and loses all the sense of adventure on which the genre was built. [Feb 2004, p.119]

If quality control was an issue, we doubt SpyHunter 2 would have passed the planning stage. This will be back in the box before you know it. [Mar 2004, p.117]

Sands of Time is very much a 21st century product - sumptuous visuals, intuitive control and many unique ideas. Buy it, play it, love it. [Dec 2003, p.92]

Early flaws give way to a masterpiece. The game's countless interweaving pathways will stand out as one of the year's most impressive design achievements, offering a mind-boggling array of routes while readjusting the world to the player's action. [Mar 2004, p.108]

Diluted, disjointed and uninspiring. Feeling more like a staggered set of obstacles than a wholesome game, the action sadly boils down to little more than a tediously dull showcase for your equipment and abilities, which are put into use against some questionable AI stooges. [Jan 2004, p.118]

Early flaws give way to a masterpiece. The game's countless interweaving pathways will stand out as one of the year's most impressive design achievements, offering a mind-boggling array of routes while readjusting the world to the player's action. [Mar 2004, p.108]

A relentless conveyor belt of cannon fodder ensures the carnage is kept at a suitably frantic rate, yet with every wave of cookie-cutter thrown to the mercy of your crosshair, repetition becomes an increasingly prevalent factor. [Mar 2004, p.116]

Rather than force you from one style of gameplay to another depending on which level you're on, BG&E blends the transitions together almost seamlessly. The additional styles never really encroach on the main crux of the adventure; they're always peripheral and therefore serve to enrich the experience, rather than dilute it. [Dec 2003, p.114]

Maybe it's the rather lacklustre music, the numerous side-quests that feel more bolted on than they should, or the forehead-slappingly stupid AI of the enemies and your companion, but the whole experience feels decidedly flat at times; not a good sign for a game that's supposed to absorb you into its world. [Jan 2004, p.117]

A pleasant surprise. It certainly does not offer the same experience that "SSX 3's" genre-leading gameplay does, but because Avalanche is just as good for different reasons, it doesn't necessarily have to. [Christmas 2003, p.94]

As limiting as it may be, the recreation of a Pokemon universe is a delightfully escapist one, but after the first week or so it'll take some serious staying power to keep coming back to your yellow friend. [Mar 2004, p.106]

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]

It's one of those mixed-bag situations - flashes of genius and genuinely enjoyable moments of success, occasionally mired by unbalanced weapon damage, clumsy AI and the odd bit of unfair level design that requires astounding feats of memory. [Dec 2003, p.98]

If quality control was an issue, we doubt SpyHunter 2 would have passed the planning stage. This will be back in the box before you know it. [Mar 2004, p.117]

Rather than force you from one style of gameplay to another depending on which level you're on, BG&E blends the transitions together almost seamlessly. The additional styles never really encroach on the main crux of the adventure; they're always peripheral and therefore serve to enrich the experience, rather than dilute it. [Dec 2003, p.114]

Gamers will revel in the destruction that unfolds as they guide Spanx and Redmond through the Genron labs, but you soon realise that the humorous touches are hiding a basic and rather childish title. [Mar 2004, p.119]

It's one of those mixed-bag situations - flashes of genius and genuinely enjoyable moments of success, occasionally mired by unbalanced weapon damage, clumsy AI and the odd bit of unfair level design that requires astounding feats of memory. [Dec 2003, p.98]

It's one of those mixed-bag situations - flashes of genius and genuinely enjoyable moments of success, occasionally mired by unbalanced weapon damage, clumsy AI and the odd bit of unfair level design that requires astounding feats of memory. [Dec 2003, p.98]

What we have here is the absolute bare bones of the stealth genre mixed with shock video scenes that attempt to add flavour to the otherwise bland action. Essentially, the gameplay works as follows: track down a Hunter, get behind him, hold down the X-button...and...that's it. [Jan 2004, p.122]

Highly entertaining and, above all, fun. Despite being filled with all manner of videogame cliches, Metal Arms somehow feels refreshingly new and not at all like the cobbled together title that it so undoubtedly is. [Christmas 2003, p.103]

While the core game is strong enough to hold its own in the Final Fantasy universe, the dress-up combat and whimsical approach could easily deter less patient or open-minded players. Even for the more easygoing gamer, there are times when the 'you go, girl' attitude can grate a little. [Jan 2004, p.102]

While I-Ninja has borrowed ideas from practically every classic platformer, it's been done with such wide-eyed innocence that you can't help smiling. [Mar 2004, p.119]

This is one of the few examples of real SEGA magic this generation. The classic 'Simon Says' gameplay has been only slightly tweaked... to give the game a better feeling of progression and variety. [July 2004, p.108]

Not only does this look nigh-on identical to the PC version, it still feels as though the two analogue sticks used to control your operative are but a placeholder for the mouse/keyboard combo that shot Counter-Strike to fame. One for Live players only. [Jan 2004, p.112]