The premise is fun and the play control is good, but the driving physics are so incredibly unrealistic that the game loses its edge once the action begins. [June 2003, p.137]

A nonintuitive interface combined with difficult-to-decipher puzzles will frustrate everyone but boy geniuses. [Dec 2004, p.144]

Offers action and thrills of the 3-D platformer variety. [Feb 2003, p.159]

The adventure's pace is slow, but the pak is loaded with features. [Dec 2004, p.154]

As with the GCN version, tricks are limited to twists and flips. [Feb 2004, p.153]

The robot-collecting sequel is nevertheless a big step forward. [June 2002, p.154]

Although your jet fighter naturally stays at one altitude, the game's unusual control scheme allows you to dive for a moment by pressing Up on the Control Pad. [Apr 2005, p.100]

The graphics are rich and the dinos are wily, but the play control is lacking. [Jan 2002, p.136]

Not hot enough to melt the snow. [Jan 2002, p.134]

The artwork and special effects are well-executed, but the game's pacing is slow. [Dec 2003, p.146]

Also on the menu are some PDA functions that amount to a class scheduler, an address book and a horoscope. [Feb 2004, p.153]

A tutorial lets you in on the game's nuances, and numerous tournaments provide chances for you to win the game's 300 cards - a good spin for duelists. [Jan 2005, p.139]

Responsive play control and detailed graphics will make you want to venture deep into the story, but difficult battles against incidental enemies may keep you from your goal. [Aug 2004, p.123]

The game has a kitschy classic-television atmosphere that will nevertheless appeal to fans of the show. [June 2004, p.121]

Responsive control helps make the game an enjoyable play. [Oct 2004, p.124]

A compass points to your current objective, but it's still easy to get lost in the game's complex levels. [Mar 2004, p.121]

The poker play is solid, but the AI players are predictable. [Feb 2005, p.117]

The game's colorful graphics and light difficulty are appropriate for the franchise's young fan base. [Dec 2004, p.150]

Play mechanics are lacking, making it difficult to aim and fire at the same time, and computer-controlled ememies are brutal early on. [Nov 2004, p.131]

Looks and sounds like the cartoon, and the cut scenes are packed with laughs, but the flight-based control is frustrating and the game's delivery, collection and fighting tasks can be tedious. [Nov 2003, p.151]

The difficulty level is a tad high for young players and the gameplay is very repetitive. [Jan 2004, p.160]

Unfortunately, there's no cure for nonresponsive control and poorly rendered graphics. [Mar 2004, p.120]

The frame rate suffers in the downsized version. [Aug 2002, p.146]

A lot of story and dialogue leads to little action at the beginning, but it heats up if you stick with it. [May 2005, p.92]

More of a button-masher than the "Street Fighter II" games, Taiketsu is a simple battler that may bore fighting-game afficionados. [Feb 2004, p.153]

A lot of story and dialogue leads to little action at the beginning, but it heats up if you stick with it. [May 2005, p.92]

The standard jump-climb-shoot action is far from out-of-this-world. [Mar 2002, p.137]

The game does not use a 3-D engine for dungeon navigation. Instead, it presents a series of still images. [Feb 2003, p.161]

Control is sometimes cumbersome, depending on the bot design. [Nov 2003, p.152]

The graphics and sounds are nice, and the action can get mean. [July 2002, p.150]

It's a little tricky to target enemy ships at first, and the levels are longer than they have to be, but the game has an unmistakable Star Wars flair. [Feb 2004, p.154]

None of these activities are particularly intriguing, and after playing each one once, you'll have seen pretty much everything the game has to offer. [Jan. 2007, p.116]

All in all, the game would have benefited from less character and more clarity. [Aug 2007, p.88]

Whoever's responsible should be thrown into the Sarlacc pit. [Nov. 2006, p.90]

For those who know and enjoy poker, this game will be a total disappointment. [Dec 2005, p.111]

But what should be At World's End greatest asset--the combat and the use of the Wii remote--quickly turns into its greatest failing, resulting in an overall experience mired in tedium. [July 2007, p.94]

FFF starts simple and later becomes boring and monotonous. [Nov 2009, p.89]

There's no platforming, no puzzle solving, no backtracking, no nothing: you just work your way across the stage until it abruptly ends. [Dec 2009, p.89]

The game may keep toddlers entertained, but so might an empty box (which is a heck of a lot cheaper). [Oct 2005, p.100]

In the future, hopefully Eidos's commitment to rejuvenating the series will carry over to the handheld installments, but this uninspired port feels like it belongs to the crumbling franchise of a few years ago rather than the new and improved Legend. [Dec. 2006, p.105]

However most of them need work--partially because they're not great fun to begin with, and partially because the controls aren't as solid as they should be. [Dec 2008, p.104]

At the end of the day, there just isn't anything special about this release. [Sept 2011, p.74]

2K's Carnival Games for Wii is a fun, pick-up-and-play party game that many enjoyed, but unfortunately the fun factor doesn't translate well to the DS. [Aug 2008, p.90]

Once you're in the boat, the action gets unavoidably repetitive, however--see a fish, catch a fish, repeat. [Jun 2006, p.87]

Disney Universe feels like the result of a Disney executive saying "Those LEGO games sell a lot of copies. We should make one of those too." [Nov 2011, p.86]

Only the most fervent Panda fans will bother dawdling through this sluggish RPG-inspired journey. [June 2011, p.88]

To make matters worse, the game's 50 or so activities are seldom satisfying, and the stylus controls can be frustrating. [Nov 2011, p.85]

Repetitive combat. [Nov 2010, p.91]

Unfortunately, not even cupid's arrow can reconcile my disdain for the DS side-scrolling brawler that bears the name of the object of my affection. [Aug 2006, p.87]

I'm looking forward to the great stuff Ubi has on the horizon, but looking past Double Agent. [Dec. 2006, p.114]

The game just isn't much fun. It also isn't fun to look at. [Nov 2009, p.89]

But the basic gameplay is flawed in every way, especially during the unresponsive fight sequences. [Oct. 2006, p.92]

Rock Revolutiion is one Rock Band copycat you can afford to skip. [Dec 2008, p.96]

Times are tough, but this is one job offer you should pass up. [June 2009, p.90]

The execution feels both overly simplistic and loose. [Dec 2010, p.87]

Steel Horizons, a WWII naval combat game, attempts to bypass that balancing act by integrating classic turn-based map movement with the urgency of "real-time" battles--and ends up delivering a hollow experience on both counts. [Apr 2007, p.85]

RIR is an interesting attempt at delivering arcade-style touch-screen thrills, but it falls short in execution. [Oct. 2006, p.90]

It's immersive gaming that develops at a slow gallop. [July 2002, p.151]

The fun on the fairway is a bit easy and the timing of the swing meter is a cinch to master. [June 2002, p.152]

Stumps stop your truck cold, and small bumps cause it to turn over. [March 2005, p.108]

After you cast the lure, it's almost enirely up to luck to determine whether the mindless back-and-forth-swimming fish bite - not an engaging play. [Dec 2004, p.154]

Probably not cool enough for experienced gamers, Ice Age is perfect for beginners. [Apr 2002, p.152]

Control is touchy and moves are limited, but the game has great atmosphere. [May 2004, p.121]

The puzzles are also frustratingly nonintuitive. [Feb 2004, p.154]

While the stylized visuals are AWOL, Army Men's classic objective-based missions return for duty. [Jan 2002, p.132]

The competitions are consistently fun in keeping with the zany sense of humor that made the Shrek movie so memorable. [June 2003, p.138]

Rough hit detection, nonintuitive puzzles and small characters make the game difficult to play at times, but the payoff is a fun story and beautiful film stills that make up the cut scenes. [Mar 2004, p.120]

Since manual landings are a real trick, you'll likely let the autopilot do the work. [Feb 2005, p.115]

The games are simple and suitable for very young players. [Dec 2003, p.148]

An exercise in difficult play control and low visibility. [May 2004, p.122]

Although the controls are a little sluggish, the variety (badminton and volleyball mixed with point-A-to-point-B running and jumping levels) is impressive. [Dec 2004, p.152]

A freestyle section during each song lets you improvise and employ your special moves. [June 2003, p.140]

The kookiness gets hairy since the objectives tend to be fuzzy and the graphics and controls are sloppy. [Aug 2002, p.147]

A fist-flying, flame-belching 2-D romp in a twisted fairy-tale world. [Dec 2002, p.218]

Advanced players may find the games to be too simple, but novices will appreciate the simplicity. [Nov 2004, p.132]

You'll have a difficult time mounting an effective defense since opposing teams drive the ball with lightning speed. [Nov 2003, p.156]

Flight levels between adventure sequences look cool, but an angled view throws a wrench in the vehicle-piloting works. [Dec 2004, p.156]

Since the characters have unusual strides, the movement can be slow and unpredictable. [July 2003, p.146]

Good for short sessions, but not one that you'll spend hours playing. [Feb 2005, p.117]

Controls are slightly sluggish. [June 2005, p.97]

It's basic kart racing that's gigantic fun if you're a Shrek fan. [May 2002, p.140]

It boils down to a monotonous and unsatisfying experience. [Jan 2005, p.141]

They have such wonderful monsters to draw from, but don’t really use them. [Jan 2002, p.127]

Essentially a poorly executed flat-ground version off "Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam", BMX Challenge provides very little payoff for our excitement. [Oct 2007, p.89]

Stays firmly in the for-fans-only bin. [Oct 2009, p.89]

Designed for a keypad-equipped Controller, the games are almost unplayable after their configuration to the GCN Controller - it's a frustrating experience. [Jan 2005, p.138]

Unfortunately, the ThunderCats game we finally got is an incredibly simple side-scrolling romp through boring levels populated by similar looking enemies.

A bonus garden simulation allows you to grow unusual hybrid plants, though the goals and gameplay are difficult to interpret. [March 2005, p.108]

With no multiplayer support, very little replay value, underachieving graphics and weak sound effects, Space Invaders fails to revive the franchise's former glory. [Oct 2005, p.97]

But the tie-ins and unlockable minigames are not enough to make the game any more entertaining than counting sheep. [Dec 2008, p.94]

Someday, somebody is going to make something fun out of this concept, but the folks making this game haven't gotten there yet. [Jan 2009, p.91]

It's too bad the execution fails so miserably, because many of the ideas are great. [Holiday 2007, p.85]

As cute as A Witch's Tale is, its weak gameplay and slopped-together feel aren't to be appreciated by anyone. [Nov 2009, p.86]

Multiple characters and unlockables provide some incentive to play, but only the most devoted Naruto die-hards need apply. [May 2006, p.94]

Unfortunately, all of the goofy personality of this movie tie-in is quickly trampled by irritating level designs and an inconsistent difficulty curve. [Sept 2010, p.90]

Also, the fact that enemy AI just happens to execute almost every move with near-perfection by lining up multiple turns in a row makes for some frustrating gameplay. [May 2007, p.87]

Poor hit detection and sluggish controls make the game's challenges more frustrating than fun. [Dec 2003, p.150]

If you vallue quantity over quality in your game collections, Games Explosion! fits the bill. If you prefer polish, you'll do better by sticking to the WarioWare games or established classics compilations. [Oct. 2006, p.92]