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

A button-masher with a strategy-game pedigree, Koei's Dynasty Warriors DS: Fighter's Battle straddles the line between two genres with awkward balance. [Sep 2007, p.87]

Still, Alien Syndrome delivers solid arcade-style action, and the inclusion of a four-player co-op mode always helps to mitigate a game's shortcomings. [Oct 2007, p.89]

If you crave innovation and have the patience to deal with Cookie & Cream's shortcomings, the title offers a creative, charming, and mostly satisfying adventure. [July 2007, p.93]

As it turns out, though, that's not enough to make up for sloppy controls, frustrating camera issues, and repetitive, uninspired game design. [Sep 2007, p.85]

A clever take on a familiar concept. [Sept 2007, p.89]

Loads of unlockables and a handful of multiplayer modes round out the respectable package. [Aug 2007, p.88]

The Driver series is traveling the same road, to its detriment. [Sep 2007, p.86]

Unfortunately, the first big foray into baseball sims on the Wii strikes out in many ways. [Aug 2007, p.83]

Pokemon Battle Revolution has its ups and downs, but it makes for a decent way to get more out of Diamond and Pearl. [Aug 2007, p.85]

If you're looking for something a little less straightforward than "Clubhouse Games" but not quite as quirky as "Brain Age", then this one's for you. [Sep 2007, p.85]

Compared to your standard strategy-RPG, Hoshigami Remix is hard-core complex. [Aug 2007, p.89]

While the Potter faithful will likely love Order of the Phoenix nonetheless, players who don't know Reducto from Reducio may want to wait for a more-satisfying Potter game. [Aug 2007, p.89]

Order of the Phoenix delivers nice graphics and music, and some genuinely fun activities (including a multiplayer mode) but the endless tasks seem more like prepping for O.W.L.S. than playing a game. [Aug 2007, p.84]

If not for a few minor AI, collision, and camera issues, this game might have been a contender for the first perfect-10 rating in Nintendo Power History. [Aug 2007, p.86]

The Transformers may be vehicles only part of the time, but their DS games--Transformers: Autobots and Transformers" Decepticons--could have nonetheless used a bit more polish before pulling out of the garage. [Sept 2007, p.86]

If you've never played a SimCity game, ask yourself if you like the process of building things or if you like things that are already built. If your answer is the former, SimCity DS is for you. [Aug 2007, p.88]

The extras make Wii Edition tantamount to a super-duper director's cut version of a blockbuster movie; you won't find a better version of RE4 anywhere else. [Aug 2007, p.82]

The Transformers may be vehicles only part of the time, but their DS games--Transformers: Autobots and Transformers" Decepticons--could have nonetheless used a bit more polish before pulling out of the garage. [Sep 2007, p.86]

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

Go ahead and fill up Sierra Entertainment's balls meter--they've earned it. [Aug 2007, p.84]

Given the blandness of the single-player experience, you'll be better off enjoying the scenery during wireless LAN multicard dogfights. [June 2007, p.103]

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]

Overall, however, Planet Puzzle League lives up to the rich tradition of its heritage, and puzzle fans would be remiss to ignore it. [July 2007, p.97]

The most disappointing aspect, however, is the lack of Wii-remote usage--instead of carving up the tide with remote gyrations, you can boost occasionally by shaking the controller. [July 2007, p.96]

It's not a perfect game, but it is a perfect fit for the Wii, and will likely be a series favorite for fans. [July 2007, p.92]

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]

Fans should not be disappointed. [July 2007, p.93]

Even if you make no mistakes and keep all your customers happy, you're still likely to fail. [July 2007, p.94]

What plagues Death, Jr. the most severely is its overall lack of polish--it just doesn't feel like a finished product. [July 2007, p.96]

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]

Naruto-holics are better off sticking with the multiplayer Battle Royale if they want to toss the ol' shuriken around. [July 2007, p.97]

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]

Touch-screen based boss duels add some decent variety, and plenty of collectibles plus a few bonus levels are nice inclusions for the completist. [July 2007, p.94]

For all the frantic zombie-blasting and murky environments, however, the game fails to generate much suspense of horror. [July 2007, p.95]

Freedom reigns in Etrian Odyssey. [July 2007, p.96]

The degree of challenge and polish never quite ramps up to where it ought to be, but Shrek the Third is a good time nonetheless. [July 2007, p.93]

The action is smooth, but in this advanced age of 3D gaming there's no excuse for not being able to fight and move at the same time. [Aug 2007, p.88]

Its blocky character models, chronic frame-rate issues, and N64-quality cityscape left my Spidey sense tingling--this game wasn't quite ready to scale the Empire State Building. [July 2007, p.95]

After a couple of mediocre attempts to capture Spidey's movie magic on the DS, it seems that Vicarious Visions has finally gotten it right. [July 2007, p.95]

The presentation is capped off with detailed graphics and special effects, and live-action FMV sequences that would've been right at home in the jet sims of the genre's heyday. [May 2007, p.89]

Just as the Legend of the Dragon TV series comes off as a faint echo of "Dragon Ball Z", The Game Factory's Wii adaptation serves as a reminder that it takes more than two battlers and an arena to make a memorable fighting game. [Aug 2007, p.84]

More than seven years later, this unexpected DS follow-up doesn't have quite the novelty of its predecessor, but it is one of the better card-battling games out there. [May 2007, p.86]

But for those hoping for a solid third-person action game on Wii or an experience that goes beyond that of the GameCube game, Bionicle Heroes doesn't fit the bill. [June 2007, p.101]

Armed with a host of new Pokemon, an expansive new world, and the functionality of the DS, Diamond and Pearl constitute the ultimate Pokemon experience. [June 2007, p.102]

Armed with a host of new Pokemon, an expansive new world, and the functionality of the DS, Diamond and Pearl constitute the ultimate Pokemon experience. [June 2007, p.102]

If you've played one "Bust-A-Move" game, you've pretty much played them all. [July 2007, p.95]

For a paper adventure, it's amazingly solid. [June 2007, p.100]

More variety and enhancements for this PC port would have made the DS version a lot sweeter. [June 2007, p.103]

If you haven't played "The Two Thrones", Rival Swords is definitely worth a look. [May 2007, p.84]

Chocobo Tales serves as an endearing diversion for FINAL FANTASY fanatics, and provides an affable introduction to the franchise for newcomers. [June 2007, p.104]

Classic game compilations are strangely uncommon on the DS, but the handheld's finally getting some significant retro love with this collection of 15 Konami arcade hits. [Apr 2007, p.84]

Although the core gameplay is built around a solid base of exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat, Meet the Robinsons suffers in some technical areas that become especially noticeable when the action heats up. [May 2007, p.85]

Yes, Vanguard relies heavily on all the cliches of a World War II shooter, and what little new material it has fails to make the same impact as those now-standard genre elements once did. [June 2007, p.103]

The dot-com's DS companion packages five of its world and puzzle games into a board game set on a deserted island, and throws in a handful of simple action games that help advance the escape-from-the-island story. [May 2007, p.88]

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]

Still, the game's biggest problem is a simple lack of mission variety. [May 2007, p.87]

More importantly, Cook Off doesn't fix the one glaring flaw of the DS game: There's still no story/career/arcade mode to sink your teeth into--just a bunch of individual recipes. [June 2007, p.104]

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]

If you don't mind sifting through GTA-style filler, Blackhand Edition's The Godfather ties and offer-you-can't-refuse machismo are well worth the play. [June 2007, p.101]

Solid production values and a highly polished presentation(including an excellent soundtrack)round out the fun-but-understated package. [May 2007, p.87

The real shame is that TMNT once had a legacy of good video games--recent titles such as this one have sent that history to the sewers. [May 2007, p.85]

Success gives you a feeling of accomplishment, but the path is paved with frustration. [Apr 2007, p.87]

It's too bad, really, because the core gameplay is quite fun and uses the Wii hardware in some interesting new ways. [May 2007, p.85]

If listening to constant nagging about starvation, dehydration, and lack of relaxation and finding the corresponding cures for such ailments is your cup of tea, then you're in for an extradelicious treat. [May 2007, p.86]

The game does have a whimsical charm, however, and the majority of play control is touch-activated and intuitive. [May 2007, p.86]

Nevertheless, regular gamers and TMNT aficionados alike will enjoy the tight gameplay and quality fan service. [Apr 2007, p.87]

If you can get past the bland '80s-era look of the robot designs and a lack responsiveness in the fighting controls, you'll find Custom Robo Arena has hidden charms. [May 2007, p.88]

It may seem like a bit of a stretch to make a full-blown DS title about finding the differences between two nearly identical drawings. And it is. [Apr 2007, p.87]

The short response is that it works well, but it's not quite a hole in one. [may 2007, p.87]

The game definitely has its roots in the Pokemon world, but provides enough new features to give it its own identity. [Apr 2007, p.86]

The game is far from perfect, but it fills a niche for those wanting a fun and funny 2-D platformer on the DS. [Apr 2007, p.85]

Despite its shortcomings, Master of Disguise managers to deliver a moderately enjoyable platforming romp. [Apr 2007, p.86]

Like 2005's "On Tour", Blue lets you choose between boards and skis, but the rails and narrow passages of the environments are definitely built for shredding. [May 2007, p.84]

Meteos: Disney Magic does more than provide a Mouseketeer-friendly facelift to one of the DS's best puzzle games; thanks to the ability to move blocks horizontally, the sequel has a thoroughly different dynamic than the original block launcher. [Apr 2007, p.85]

After several attempts to modernize Sonic for the 3-D gaming landscape, Sega has taken a big step back in their approach, and that's a good thing. [Apr 2007, p.84]

You'll be thrown into the deep end right at the start, and will probably have to play each dungeon over and over again to master it. [Mar. 2007, p.88]

The alternate name for falling-piece puzzler Trioncube could be My First Tetris. [Mar. 2007, p.89]

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]

All of the games in the Wii collection sport a surface-level cleverness that makes them brilliant demos of what the Wii means for the future of game design, but only a few of them offer enough depth for repeated visits. [Mar. 2007, p.86]

Lunar Knights, the first title from Kojima Productions for the dual-screened handheld, is a supremely polished action-RPG in which you slay the bloodsuckers and their monstrous minions with two very different protagonists. [Mar. 2007, p.89]

Like its predecessor, Diddy Kong Racing DS has a Mario Kart game to compete with, but also enough unique features to make it a kart-racing contender. [Mar. 2007, p.87]

FINAL FANTASY VI Advance is as close to a perfect RPG as you're going to find on any system. [Mar. 2007, p.87]

It's a decent enough RPG with dull turn-based combat, story integration and item-management conventions that were state-of-the-art in 1992. [Mar. 2007, p.88]

Impatient gamers looking for a little more action may want to look elsewhere, but they'll do so at the risk of missing our on yet another groundbreaking DS title. [Mar. 2007, p.88]

The verdict is in: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice for All is another superb graphic-text adventure from the folks at Capcom. [Feb. 2007, p.96]

Though Smooth Moves may not seem deep, the fact that it offers physical play and draws a crowd should make it a permanent fixture in a lot of Wii consoles. [Feb. 2007, p.92]

The battles are fun, but not very significant in the overall Star Wars universe. [Feb. 2007, p.96]

Fans of classic, side-scrolling, 2D action will love Metal Slug Anthology. [Jan. 2007, p.108]

If making a mess without cleaning it up appeals to you, plug in Elebits. [Feb. 2007, p.94]

The Far Cry series is built largely upon its ability to absorb you in its sun-drenched vistas; subtract that high level of immersion, and you're left with an otherwise unremarkable first-person shooter. [Feb. 2007, p.93]

The game boasts as much story content as it does action, but there's so much plot condensed into the cut-scenes, the tale is sometimes hard to follow. [Feb. 2007, p.97]

Super Swing Golf takes the same arcade-style approach as titles like "Mario Golf" and "Hots Shots Golf", yet it manages to stand out thanks largely to the controls. [Feb. 2007, p.94]

It would be easy to dismiss Ace in Action as yet another lukewarm, movie-licensed cash-in, but it would also be a mistake--there's actually an impressive game here, at least for a little while. [Feb. 2007, p.94]

Twilight Princess was a long time in coming, but the game's depth will make it last even longer among the Zelda faithful. [Feb. 2007, p.95]

Portrait of Ruin provides a whole lot more of a very good thing, and Castlevania fans won't be disappointed with the results. [Jan. 2007, p.114]

The good news is that Squeak Squad doesn't need a whopping dose of DS innovation or pretty environments to make it enjoyable--it's a big, midly challenging adventure with gobs of gameplay variety and replay value. [Feb. 2007, p.93]

The result is hinky control as you try to fight wave after wave of monotonous enemies and navigate past lasers and pits. [Feb. 2007, p.95]