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

A basic pinball game with a choice of four tables. [Apr 2003, p.138]

I haven't read the book, and the movie isn't out as of this writing, but based on what I've played, maybe the Golden Compass just isn't very well suited to being a video game. [Jan 2008, p.90]

If you choose to drudge your way through the story mode, you'll play all 40 games alongside a largely incoherent version of the Rio movie's storyline. [May 2011, p.89]

Unless you're a die-hard fan of the series, you may want to wait for the bandicoot's next offering. [Nov. 2006, p.88]

It's a shame--the basic concepts are sound, but the execution should have been much better. [Sept 2008, p.86]

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]

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]

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

Overly simplistic and requir[es] very little in the way of actual tactics as you guide your characters into battle. [Jan 2005, p.141]

A complex passing and player-switching scheme makes play control unnecessarily difficult, but the action flows freely and the excitement level is high. [June 2003, p.138]

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

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]

The story, cinema scenes and rendered graphics are in keeping with the Batman franchise, but the game suffers greatly from its difficult control scheme. [Apr 2003, p.134]

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

Only hard-core fans of the Bad Boys movies will find redeeming value in the game. [Nov 2004, p.130]

A cursor-based hitting interface makes it too easy to put the ball into play, and the runners are impossible to control. [Dec 2004, p.150]

The battle action is simple and initially fun, but becomes less exciting as you advance. [Dec 2003, p.150]

A fusion of board-game and trading-card-game rules that most players will not understand until they read the manual thoroughly. [Feb 2005, p.117]

Very young players will enjoy the game's graphics and easy play. [Feb 2004, p.153]

After you place the ball and set the aim, you must manipulate a power meter and a spin meter for unpredictable results - too many meters and not enough explanation. [Sept 2004, p.117]

If you stay with the game long enough to collect bonus coins, you can unlock minigames and send them to friends via a local wireless connection: a good bonus, but probably not enough incentive to endure the rigors of the main game. [Oct 2007, p.89]

If the game was made harder by having a time requirement or more difficult enemies to negotiate, it could be very solid. [Sept 2005, p.84]

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

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]

They say anything is better than nothing, but in the case of this year's sole GBA baseball offering. I'm not so sure that's true. [Jun 2006, p.87]

Almost every element presented in this side-scrolling beat-'em-up feels miscalculated. [Aug 2011, p.89]

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]

I give the creators props for mapping the camera controls to the remote's Control Pad(other developers take note!), but I'd be more impressed if the game were fun. [Nov 2007, p.102]

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

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]

The graphics, while smooth for a 3-D GBA game, are boring and repetitious - the three different cities are virtually identical, and the course designs are unremarkable. [July 2005, p.101]

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

Stiff controls and sloppy collision detection certainly don't help matters, nor do the truly atrocious production values. [July 2007, p.94]

There's a tiny touch-screen control stick, as well, but the miniscule gestures required to maneuver your plane make it nearly impossible to fly. [May 2007, p.88]

It's visually murky at best - sometimes it's difficult to make out what's happening or to find key items. [Feb 2006, p.97]

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

Re-creates the show's fun art style but offers little in the way of engaging gameplay. [Feb 2004, p.154]

While you should be thinking about whether to hit on 15, you'll actually be wondering how to increase your bet or leave the table in the frustration of dealing with a difficult interface. [Feb 2005, p.115]

In the crowded field of high-quality GBA racers, XS Moto runs toward the back of the pack. [Sept 2004, p.117]

While the variety of playable characters is a welcome addition to the genre, there is little else to recommend this action game. [Dec 2003, p.148]

The extremely simple gameplay will appeal to young fans of the film but will not test more-seasoned action gamers. [Jan 2005, p.139]

The battles are well-executed, if a little slow, but the overall experience is one-dimensional. [Oct 2003, p.140]

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

Hit-and-miss action. [May 2002, p.140]

It's not a game for those who would be offended by jokes about A/V club members or for action gamers looking for a hardcore challenge. [Dec 2004, p.156]

Far more cornball than cool kitsch like the films. [Oct 2003, p.140]

The slow decent in "Godzilla" games has finally hit rock bottom. [Jan 2008, p.89]

This dull, clunky mess of a 3D beat-'em-up suffers from sloppy hit detection, brutal sllowdown, and yawn-inducing levels that throw the same basic grunts at you over and over. [Dec. 2006, p.106]

Yet more proof that slapping motion controls on a lousy game doesn't magically make it worthwhile. [Mar 2008, p.87]

Watching the real thing on TV is far more entertaining--and less expensive. [July 2011, p.89]

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]

Only through sheer force of will have I avoided comparing the enjoyment derived from playing SPRay to that of regurgitating a lung. [Dec 2008, p.93]

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

To quote Galvatron, "This is bad comedy. [Aug 2011, p.90]

Local wireless matches add a solid perk, but otherwise Dark of the Moon is a step down from previous entries, and a waste of the beloved license. [Aug 2011, p.90]

Local wireless matches add a solid perk, but otherwise Dark of the Moon is a step down from previous entries, and a waste of the beloved license. [Aug 2011, p.90]

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

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

Midbattle controls are limited to steering your bey and summoning beasts. [Dec 2003, p.144]

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

Although the graphics issues add unintentional difficulty, most players will find the game very easy to beat. [Oct 2004, p.125]

It drops you right into the fight with few options for cover, no auto-aim and limited weapons. [Dec 2004, p.148]

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

Every facet of this game feels sloppy and half-hearted. [April 2012, p.83]

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

The effect is disastrous. [Sept 2005, p.84]

There's absolutely no reason Kung Fu Panda 2 should require you to use THQs uDraw GameTablet. [June 2011, p.88]

Sadly, X-Men Destiny's lone mutant power is the causing of anguish. [Nov 2011, p.79]

A boring, lifeless, bug-filled title. [July 2009, p.90]

This kind myopic, ethnocentric brutality is the stuff that gives video games as a whole a bad reputation. [Feb 2006, p.99]

The game moves painfully slow as a result, with the vast majority of your time spent watching opponents take their turns. [July 2007, p.97]

If you need a comic-book, movie-license game fix look elsewhere. I beg you. [Aug 2007, p.83]

Guiding a new mutant's journey seems futile when the game is boring and half-baked. [Nov 2011, p.79]