Since some of the titles, such as the window-treatment simulation Venetian Blinds, have no rules or scoring systems, it would be difficult to qualify them as games. [Mar 2004, p.119]

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

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

It doesn't stay interesting for very long. [July 2009, p.88]

Plays like a gameplay experiment gone wrong. [Dec 2005, p.120]

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

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

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]

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

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

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

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

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

A mediocre mess of a vehicular battle game that contains an excessive amount of violence and strong language. [Feb 2004, p.150]

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]

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]

Marvel Trading Card Game's voluminous stack of cryptic rules, absolutely brutal learning curve, and terrible in-game tutorial make it virtually impossible to play. [Mar. 2007, p.87]

As you might expect, facing computer-controlled opponents in an RPG-themed board game is a dreadful bore. [May 2009, p.89]

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]

You'll get the most fun out of the game if you're a fan of the show. [June 2002, p.150]

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

Isn't much of a value. [June 2010, p.88]

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

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]

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

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

Although Hugo: The Evil Mirror is set up like a puzzle game, there's nothing really puzzling about it. [June 2005, p.98]

THQ's new WWE game for the DS gets only one thing wrong. Unfortunately, that one thing is pretty important. [Holiday 2008, p.89]

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]

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

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

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]

If this game didn't follow the early-days Dragon Ball storyline, the dreadful simplicity of the card-battle gameplay mechanics (you could probably complete several battles with your eyes closed) would likely be even less tolerable. [July 2007, p.97]

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

This boring mess of a sequel should KO the franchise for good. [May 2006, p.94]

Even the classic "TMNT: Turtles in Time" bonus arcade game doesn't run as smoothly as it should. [Jan 2006, p.114]

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

Jambo! Safari might have some merit as an educational tool(the animal facts you unlock are interesting), but as a game, not so much. [Jan 2010, p.89]

We'd love to see a Wii MotionPlus-enahnced version of this game, but until then leave this one in a galaxy far, far away. [Holiday 2008, p.89]

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]

Adventure games could get away with cheap trial-and-error challenges 20-odd years ago, but that definitely doesn't wash anymore. [July 2009, p.89]

There's a story to hold the action together, but not a very strong one. [Holiday 2009, p.89]

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

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]

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]

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

The audio effects sound crude and the view of the action tends to be awkward for the downhill and Curling events, but the game gets a gold medal as far as variety and graphics. [Feb 2002, p.154]

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

Repetitive combat. [Nov 2010, p.91]

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

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

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]

The slaphappy activities lack punch. [May 2002, p.140]

Maintains the lighthearted atmosphere of previous Tak games but is weighed down with unneeded difficulty in its jumping game. [Nov 2005, p.116]

For portable X-Men enjoyment, I highly recommend a comic book instead. [July 2006, p.91]

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

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

The top-down view of the action is a tad tight, so it's hard to anticipate upcoming turns. [July 2002, p.152]

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]

There's just nothing clever or satisfying here. [June 2011, p.87]

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

NBA Live's Wii struggles continue with another lackluster effort plagued by glitchy animation, unresponsive motion controls, and atrocious AI. [Nov 2008, p.104]

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]

All in all, Baroque has few redeeming qualities, and your money is better spent elsewhere. [Apr 2008, p.90]

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]

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

Even with the younger set, this game offers little in the way of challenge--you can purchase health upgrades if necessary, but if they're necessary, you've got other problems to deal with. [July 2006, p.95]

The makers of Excitebike 64 return to the motocross circuit with a disappointing wreck of a Wii game. [Feb 2008, p.89]

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]

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

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

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]

But the gameplay is so simplified and dull that after a few minutes in the cockpit I was ready to crash into a nearby mountain. [Apr 2006, p.86]

It may look and - thanks to strong voice acting - sound like a potentially compelling anime series, but as a playable video game, Lux-Pain is a nonstarter. [Apr 2009, p.85]

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

Unfortunately, Driver Renegade is yet another disappointing entry in a series full of them. [Sept 2011, p.73]

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

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

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

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

Summer Sports is boring at best and aggravating at worst. [May 2008, p.89]

Add to that the clunky combat mechanics, and the only pleasure you get from beating a level is the relief that it's over. [Aug 2011, p.89]

The graphics are big and bold, but the play control is slow to respond, making some situations difficult, bordering on frustrating. [June 2004, p.122]

For older gamers, E.T. offers little to phone home about. [May 2002, p.142]

With a big-budget movie comes a subpar video game adaptation--that seems to be the rule. So it should be no surprise that The Incredible Hulk on Wii is...not so great. [Aug 2008, p.90]

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

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]

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

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

Given that it's a little more than a lazy arcade port, Tank! Tank! Tank! has no business as a $50 retail release. [Dec 2012, p.82]

It's no fun facing monsters that are suddenly too tough to kill. [Dec 2009, p.89]

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

The gimmick of tilting the Wii Remote like handlebars is as engaging as this game gets. [Apr 2009, p.87]

Suffers from one of the worst cameras in recent memory, killer slowdown and bland levels rife with invisible barriers. [Feb 2006, p.97]

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

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

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

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]