A decent example of the genre and has some creative design, but it won't blow any minds or win many awards.

The whole game becomes rather monotonous, despite attempts at adding replay value. [Nov 2004, p.124]

As anime-based games go, there have been far worse. Unfortunately, there have also been better. [Dec 2004, p.125]

It's suitably goofy, but with a little bit of heart and a good bit of homage. [Dec 2003, p.82]

Short, linear, and in its best moments, incredibly difficult. But for those who long to feel their hands cramp up around the cold, hard plastic, that might be enough. [Nov 2004, p.108]

Brings style aplenty, but it rarely stoops to substance and is easily surpassed by its videogame brethren. [Jan 2005, p.85]

More extreme sports fun, but this time it's all wet. Finishing is only half the battle: performing tricks factors into the final standings. [Feb 2003, p.92]

Encounters in Space makes up for its inevitably repetitive lock/dodge/shoot action with tons of replay value.

Unless you've got serious Atari nostalgia, most of these won't keep you occupied for more than five minutes. [Feb 2005, p.103]

A hateful creation, demanding more attention than a sugar-buzzed toddler and never showing you what you need to see, including anyone who might be shooting holes in your stomach.

A root canal, a disfiguring car accident, a "Suddenly Susan" marathon - these are things slightly less amusing than Freaky Flyers. [Oct 2003, p.72]

Powersliding, for a start, is a disaster. It's nearly impossible to do with any level of consistency, and no amount of fiddling with the car's setup will fix it. [May 2003, p.60]

Lacking in the production department, with awful slowdown at times and a camera that makes life difficult. [Feb 2003, p.70]

It's just that there's not much game here. [Jan 2004, p.68]

Except for the emphasis on female persuasion, there is little to differentiate SRS from the plenty of other street racers either available now or coming soon.

The best DBZ game yet. It's a fighter with enough personality and depth to appeal even to all seven nonfans of the franchise. [Jan 2004, p.56]

Bruised offers a motley band of pugilists (a pry Irishman, a fat convict, etc.) and the opportunity to win every brawl by randomly jamming on buttons. [Apr 2003, p.72]

A feature-lite driving simulator that neither offends nor excels in any particular area of design, and one that doesn't elicit a sense of excitement, rather a feeling of déjà vu.

Most combat objectives are immediately recognizable to anyone who's logged a few hours in either "Ace Combat" or "Airforce Delta". Not that htis is really a bad thing, because ultimately, the sci-fi story and design is sufficiently compelling. [Mar 2004, p.88]

The fact that Jaguar's flame katana - a standard weapon - can take down most bosses in less than five slashes...well, that just shouldn't be possible. [Dec 2004, p.128]

A rousing, gravelly, NFL Films-style introduction immediately gives way to slippery, sloppy, and outdated PS2 football. [Oct 2003, p.69]

This is quality gaming that's both fresh and exciting. [May 2004, p.92]

Its levels come in short, overly difficult bursts that routinely send you hurtling back to the title screen with whatever heath you had when you hit the last checkpoint, be it a full bar or a mere sliver. This basically railroads whatever fun is to be had in the RPG-like character development system. [Nov 2004, p.134]

The textures aren't quite as sharp [as the Xbox version] and the framerate is a little dodgy, but Indy controls slightly better on the PS2 controller, thanks to the additional shoulder buttons. [Sept 2003, p.69]

We'd feel good about recommending this game to RPG fans if not for the stuttery framerates. [Sept 2003, p.75]

When all is said and done, Mafia still has a lot to offer: The competent graphics, incredible music and dialogue, top-notch story, cinemas, and ambience all work to create a virtual time machine.

A solid game that shines in multiplayer, Blade Warriors is a great take on the "Smash Bros." formula that would truly excel if it were applied to the entire Capcom roster. Imagine the potential. [Apr 2004, p.84]

There's plenty to unlock, and training games break up the pace a bit, but the motivation to return to the ring isn't there. [Dec 2004, p.119]

What would have been the game's ultimate saving grace - infinite human opponents online, courtesy of Xbox Live - isn't available either. [June 2003, p.75]

Feels a bit like Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor in that an attempt to make an epic WWII Pacific Theater experience results in a product with brilliant touches mixed with mediocrity.

At times it's great, at other times, it's buggy and unfinished. What a waste. Condition Zero does not do the Counter-Strike name proud. [Mar 2004, p.90]

"Fu-Ma" (the included game) is both useless and boring. It's blurry graphics and awkward control (in an RPG?!) provide a sickening surety that no matter how much time you spend in design, the final result won't be worth playing. [Feb 2004, p.88]

Brings not only addictive, up-tempo hack-n-slash action, but also a great new A.I. system that raises the bar on computer-assisted beat 'em ups. [July 2003, p.78]

Average but suitable shooter with weird characters. [May 2004, p.95]

The pace is so fast, however, that you'll likely finish the entire game in less than three hours. [July 2003, p.76]

What it does do well is capture the back-and-forth flow of hockey, especially during odd-man rush situations, neutral-zone navigation, forechecking, and power plays around the goal. [Jan 2004, p.84]

With a less-frustrating difficulty level, revamped weapons system, and a graphical look that wasn't so...dull, Transmission could have been very good. [June 2003, p.72]

While the action portion of Commander is a leaky dinghy, the strategy elements are the Titanic, pre-iceberg. [May 2004, p.82]

The graphics and sound are far from revolutionary, the weapons basic, and the story a total throwaway, but when the gameplay is as fast and frenetic as this, no one will care. [June 2004, p.86]

Even the most uninspired games in this class (read: "Brute Force") have, at the very least, a solid technical foundation. But Omega Strain is janky, and uninspired on top of it. The series was better off left buried rather than marred with a subpar effort like this. [June 2004, p.80]

Sporting spiffy 3D graphics but little in the way of bang for the buck, Tao Feng quickly sinks into mediocrity and takes up permanent residence there. [May 2003, p.65]

These ladies are hamstrung by weak animation, dinner-theater accents, and brain-dead A.I., and you can't appreciate their asses - uh, assets thorugh the long-range camera or motion-blurred replays. [Sept 2003, p.69]

It's more significant for the plot threads it weaves than the gaming innovations ti offers. [Feb 2004, p.92]

Then there's the weak, arbitrary enemy A.I., the impenetrable interface, and the absurdly incomplete documentation. [June 2003, p.70]

Games like B.O.S. tend to become tedious and long, compelling you to continue simply so you can level up and get stronger armor and bigger weapons. There's not really any roleplaying to speak of. [Mar 2004, p.84]

A hateful creation, demanding more attention than a sugar-buzzed toddler and never showing you what you need to see, including anyone who might be shooting holes in your stomach.

Graphical shortcomings aside, hardcore fans shouldn't fret. AE is easily one of the most full-fledged flight sims available on any console. [Apr 2003, p.71]

Surma's camera is a hateful creation, demanding more attention than a sugar-buzzed toddler and never showing you what you need to see, including anyone who might be shooting holes in your stomach. [Feb 2004, p.86]

A competent and, at times, genuinely fun platformer, but it will have to rely heavily on its license for a successful run. [Feb 2005, p.99]

Maximum Impact is trapped in a weird place. It got most of its soul from the series' 2D legacy, but elements of the latest in 3D fighters have been sprinkled liberally on it. [Dec 2004, p.133]

What holds Fire Warrior back is some rather uninspiring gameplay. You play the entire game as a single lowly Tau warrior and must fight your way through legions of increasingly difficult enemies. Pretty standard stuff. [Nov 2003, p.77]

Incredibly dull and uninspired, full of weird A.I. behaviors, bad graphics, and crushingly boring ennvironments. [May 2003, p.72]

Stealth, ostensibly, should carry the game. It does not, simply because players are given little incentive to be stealthy. [June 2004, p.78]

The only thing unreal that awakened while playing this game was the uncontrollable urge to vomit. [May 2004, p.80]

The glorious 3D speed rush is still broken by moments where you will scream with rage inspired by whatever sadism or idiocy has kept Sonic Team from fixing its camera and control schemes after five years of 3D Sonic games.

A perfectly competent single-player shooter with neat space-sim elements (and Henry Rollins!), but if you absolutely need multiplayer replayability, look elsewhere. [Aug 2003, p.77]

Ratings have cooled and Stone Cold had some run-ins with John Law. This is irrelevant, as wrestling games always sell. [Feb 2003, p.96]

Uninspired level design rounds out the package, with the designers relying far too much on impassable mountain ranges and forcing players to find roundabout routes to their targets. [Sept 2003, p.77]

Wrath's only problems are small but important: Loading unfortunately breaks up the game's pacing, the fighting engine could be deeper, and there's no online mode.

Between its immature "Mature-rated" content (naughty language is prevalent) and rough gameplay, RoadKill narrowly misses excellence.

But it's been streamlined much too much—redefined as absolutely average.

While it's a fun enough brawler, it's not exactly "Virtua Fighter 4." [Jan 2005, p.114]

The visuals aren't as impressive as the movies, but the underwater aesthetic and various effects (currents, bubbles, steam) are pleasing to the eye. [Sept 2003, p.77]

As a third-person space shooter, Galactica barely holds its own. [Jan 2004, p.64]

While DBS2 does an admirable job of capturing the platform jumping and heated brawling of Nintendo's more famous franchise, the game still falls flat. [Oct 2003, p.80]

Bruised offers a motley band of pugilists (a pry Irishman, a fat convict, etc.) and the opportunity to win every brawl by randomly jamming on buttons. [Apr 2003, p.72]

The graphics are horribly bland, the freeways never end, and apparently all of Tokyo's traffic is represented by a single yellow van. [Feb 2004, p.91]

It's vexing to play a meticulously crafted and pretty 3D platformer when it's devoid of fun. [Apr 2003, p.71]

You might even turn a blind eye to some of the dull, repetitive levels because they don't last too long. But can you forgive the control set that has you shooting your nozzle with R1 while aiming with the right stick?

Lacks elastic A.I. to keep the cars close together. [Jan 2005, p.87]

Boring and repetitive... The best part of the game is when Vanessa flaunts her futuristic T&A as the credits roll. That's right, it's more fun than playing the game. [Oct 2003, p.73]

If you're a fan of firefights, Core Combat gives you access to the complete PlanetSide experience, but if you've already got the original, the expansion isn't really necessary.

But, as usually happens when you try to put too many spices in your gumbo, the whole thing would up tasting like an armpit. [June 2004, p.91]

Competent on all levels, offering solid if unexceptional value. [Feb 2005, p.110]

Once all the moves are unlocked, this is a rather decent game. But since thye're not immediately available, the monotony will have you bailing before the second level. [Nov 2003, p.78]

None of the game's various segments is better than the source material that inspired it.

Looks like it should be a fun game, but when you spend some time with it, it makes you want to chew your arm off. [Oct 2003, p.66]

Fails at almost every level. The framerate shudders like a dying horse. [June 2004, p.86]

Just don't expect anything new. [Oct 2004, p.102]

This is one of the slickest-looking games on the PS2. [Sept 2004, p.88]

99.99 percent of us should be completely befuddled by this incomprehensible "game" of a day-planner simulator. [Nov 2003, p.80]

As passive entertainment, ETM isn't bad...As interactive entertainment (as a game, that is), this Matrix is quite simply spectacularly average. [Aug 2003, p.76]

Each of the 19 planes is drawn in astounding detail, but unfortunately, for all the modeled damage and intricate cockpits, the game physics are a little too arcadey. [Dec 2004, p.133]

Players will find themselves replaying missions again and again because, as in real war, life is cheap and death is all too common. [June 2003, p.75]

A monumental bore. [Nov 2004, p.130]

The game doesn't handle nearly as well as games like "Mario Kart: Super Circuit." This is especially frustrating when paired with a track that blends a bit too well into the surrounding environment, and there are quite a few of those tracks. [Apr 2004, p.90]

If hauling junk from A to B holds any sort of appeal, it withers in record time. [Aug 2003, p.72]

This MMORPG is so difficult, long, and slow that playing it feels more like work than a game. [Sept 2004, p.85]

Diehard EQ addicts and RTS junkies will get some fun out of this game (especially with its monstrous 12-player LAN/Internet support); everyone else should probably just stick to "Warcraft III."

DemiKids has a finer pedigree than most, but the rest of us are still waiting for these things to grow a spine. A curiosity at best. [Nov 2003, p.91]

The best Tube Slider can come up with is a fancy-looking plate carrying a healthy portion of "been there, done that." [July 2003, p.75]

If you play only one game set in Middle-earth this year, don't make it this one.

Competing and breaking records proves to be the main source of excitement, but wearing out your fingers gets old fast. [Sept 2004, p.82]

Misses on just about every cylinder. [May 2003, p.71]

For the most part, goofy fun and challenges requiring excellent tactics rule the day. Still, Tactics does a good job of reminding players that yes, it is a bargain-bin title. [July 2004, p.90]

Gone are the cel-shaded cartoon graphics, replaced with rougher texture-mapped models that lack the same action-figure sheen. [July 2004, p.90]

It's a dull action-heavy first-person shooter emphasizing run-and-gun play rather than tactical warfare - with some noticeable slowdown when enemies and friendlies clog the screen. [Aug 2004, p.96]

The authoritative presence of Hal of Fame sports announcer Keith Jackson significantly enhances what would have been an otherwise poor showing. [Oct 2003, p.68]