But for this season, pay the extra bucks and go with EA's NHL 07 instead. [Nov. 2006, p.110]

An excellent game crippled by bad control. [Aug 2006, p.82]

Ultimately, it's a good, pirate-heavy distraction but, thanks to the game's repetitiveness, it won't do much to keep your attention past the first few levels. [Oct. 2006, p.91]

Straightforward, short, yet ultimately fun arcade port. [Jan 2002, p.142]

If you think toying around with the track editor sounds like $10 worth of fun, check this out. If not, don't bother. [Apr 2003, p.87]

Yet another pretty--but shallow--anime-based fighting game from Bandai that offers some good fun for about an hour.

The grandaddy of all PS2 baseball sims needs a big face-lift. [May 2004, p.99]

Incredibly shallow and boring. [Apr 2004, p.102]

Look, I appreciate a challenge as much as the next guy, but frankly, I'm tired of getting my ass kicked. [Nov 2003, p.142]

A bummer - it's a tragic tale of missed opportunities, as a funny, engaging platformer shines through the me-too muck. [Nov 2004, p.124]

NASCAR lacks a rearview mirror option, which is crucial in a game where you're almost constantly surrounded by other cars. [Nov. 2006, p.122]

Boring. [June 2001, p.98]

The season and extra modes are all pretty standard, offering little beyond what's been out there nearly since the inception of videogame basketball. [Jan. 2007, p.70]

The game's still shallow, but on the PSP, ease of play becomes a virtue. It's still not fantastic, but it's a passable novelty with a great license. [Nov 2005, p.121]

When I was a kid, I used to play my sister in "Summer Games" on our Apple IIe. In Athens 2004, I discovered that Olympics-type gameplay hasn't evolved one iota in the past 20 years. [Aug 2004, p.93]

Ironically, MCL turns out to be a better boobtastic party game than "The Guy Game." [Dec 2004, p.118]

There just isn't enough here to hold your attention. [Aug 2005, p.83]

It's dull to look at, and, due to a lapse back into the more tactical, strategic gameplay that categorizes all of Koei's other war games, it's also fairly dull to play. [Apr 2004, p.100]

Solid voice acting from the entire cast of the show, unlockables aplenty, and cool quips almost - but not quite - sweeten the sour medicine that is Futurama to the point of redemption. [Sept 2003, p.92]

A sloppy fighting game that may be good for a few laughs and nothing more.

Monster Rancher Evo would've easily succeded in attempting to build a stronger RPG element, but as it stands, the game just falls short of offering a complete RPG experience. [July 2006, p.75]

A new beginning is a step in the right direction, but Spyro still has a long way to go before being "good" again. [Jan. 2007, p.89]

It's a run-of-the-mill game that's fun for playing in spurts just to shoot stuff, but that's about it. [Oct 2002, p.150]

The handling and difficulty levels are completely screwed up. [Nov 2001, p.153]

The Snowboard Slalom is a framerate abomination and, regardless of your adjustments, it controls like you're half-drunk. [Apr 2002, p.105]

A definite improvement over the first PSP Gretzky, but Gretzky NHL 06 still fails to thrill. [Jan 2006, p.105]

Proves that cel-shading rocks for some games. If only gameplay rocked, too. [August 2002, p.110]

A mediocre game, not a bad one. However, when you consider how far short it fell of its original promise, it comes across as less than average. [Sept 2004, p.97]

If you've played "Frogger 2" on the PS1, that's all you really need to know; this is pretty much the same game. [Jan 2003, p.136]

As a racing game, it's pretty much par for the course. You race, you win, you open stuff up...seen it before, thank you. [Jan 2002, p.140]

Gives you an adequate adrenaline rush and provides a realistic experience (minus the bruises and broken bones, of course), but it lacks the polish of other EA Sports titles.

Generic and ultimately forgettable. [Sept 2006, p.81]

Games based on kids' movies are getting somewhat better, but Over the Hedge reverts to the same old beat-up-a-bunch-of-bad-guys- formula. [Oct. 2006, p.88]

Rocky's programmed punch placement and combination systems can't help but seem slow and artificial. [Dec 2004, p.108]

Cripplingly bad load times and no infrastructure play. [May 2006, p.96]

Overall, it's a disappointing effort at best, and only recommended if you're a sports-,car-,and gun-allergic PS3 owner grasping for something to play. [Jan. 2007, p.74]

It's hard to call a game good when it features such shoddy controls and camera positioning. [July 2002, p.102]

Trouble is, the designers seem to be unaware of the fact that occasionally the player may die and be forced to restart an area...and listen to the same, unskippable, longwinded intro each time. [Jan. 2007, p.86]

The bigger problem is that 2000 and 2001 aren't the best games in the series. [Jan 2004, p.123]

The game is really beatiful... But here's the problem: The game is HARD. [Nov 2001, p.152]

Too much choice, not enough direction, and the characters are really creepy looking. [Dec 2005, p.118]

Up to this point I've been recommending "Stacked" for the advanced poker player, and "World Poker Tour" for newbies. I don't see any reason to change that recommendation. [Nov. 2006, p.112]

The big problem is that none of the tasks are that engaging, and are made less so by the graphics. [Sept 2002, p.118]

Formulaic and unchallenging. [Apr 2006, p.94]

An oversimplified career mode, lack of game modes, shoddy dribbling physics (the ball seems magnetically tied to a dribbler's feet), and complete lack of responsiveness mean you should wait for the sequel to get your kicks.

Despite all the effort clearly put in to make it otherwise, FIFA Street is still boring. [Apr 2006, p.78]

It is without a shadow of a doubt the perfect example of the most mediocre racing game I've ever seen. [July 2002, p.100]

The fighting system isn't particularly deep (throws and specials tend to win fights), and the graphics are the antithesis of PSP quality. The levels are bland. [Nov 2005, p.121]

The difficulty alone is what takes this game a solid five hours to beat. Even hardcore fans are only looking at a rental for this one. [Dec 2003, p.152]

A really basic game for the genre. It's not completely unplayable, but it has more than its fair share of problems. [Dec 2003, p.172]

The moments of inspiration are there to be found, but they're much less common than the moments of wanting to throw your controller in disgust. [Dec 2004, p.114]

Trouble is, the designers seem to be unaware of the fact that occasionally the player may die and be forced to restart an area...and listen to the same, unskippable, longwinded intro each time. [Jan. 2007, p.86]

After [a dozen or so matches], Galactic Wrestling's lack of depth creeps in, followed by boredom. [July 2004, p.96]

The simple infrastructure multiplayer adds some replay value, but overall this port is poorly thought out. [Mar 2006, p.97]

But this year EA slapped handcuffs on gamers trying to shoot over 50 percent from the field. [Dec. 2006, p.126]

GameBreaker does a poorer job of fulfilling its duties as a college game than "GameDay" does as a pro simulation. [Oct 2003, p.118]

GameDay has earned my respect, but "Madden" has earned my $50. [Oct 2002, p.148]

Tales of the Abyss starts off as a carbon copy of every RPG ever made. [Dec. 2006, p.119]

It's roughly animation-free. [Jan 2003, p.138]

Decent is about the most I can say for it... Frustrating, checkpoint-free stages only furthered my desire to quit playing. [Feb 2003, p.108]

There's enough here for die-hard UFC fans to sink their teeth into, and it's worth their time to check it out. Everyone else, though, should stay away. [July 2002, p.102]

Decent for tween girls, not anyone else. [Jan 2006, p.99]

An ugly, ugly game. [Apr 2006, p.80]

A racing game packed with features that you've mostly seen before, hiding behind a veneer of graphical mediocrity. [May 2004, p.96]

The fighting itself is simplistic, and button-mashing will serve you just fine, but there are a few combos to ferret out and master. Sadly, the movies' smart humor is missing, and most of the dialogue is immature at best.

Isn't a bad game by any means, but it feels like a definite step in the wrong direction. [Jan 2002, p.147]

There's a Jamaican bobsled team joke in here somewhere, but I'm too disappointed to figure it out. [Apr 2006, p.78]

I can't recall a recent game story that's left me more puzzled. [Jan 2003, p.128]

Overall, it's just a great pick-up-and-play game, but I don't want to give up depth just because a game is portable. [July 2006, p.84]

I am spectacularly disappointed... Because aside from looking gorgeous, Auto Modellista is an absolute pig. [June 2003, p.102]

I want to like The Fast and The Furious, because somewhere under all the excruciating load times and arcade setting menus(I have to load a menu to change my camera angle? Ugh!)lies a solid game. It's a real shame. [Nov. 2006, p.119]

If I could've set things up more like the controls in "Quake" or "Half Life," I think I would've enjoyed it more. [August 2002, p.108]

The game gets unreasonably hard near the end, where you really start to hate the archaic continue system. It frustrates me that I haven't beaten Shredder--I can't even get to him. I feel so turtle powerless.

Samurai Warriors 2 doesn't introduce any new problems to the series and corrects a few of the glaring inadequacies of the first game. Nevertheless, it fails to add enough to the series to justify being a full-priced sequel. [Oct. 2006, p.85]

Ultra-simple, dash-and-bash gameplay. [Jan 2003, p.128]

A limited trick set, tiny levels, unresponsive controls and exceedingly bland level design all hit Evolution where it hurts. [Dec 2002, p.160]

This game makes me want to puke. [July 2003, p.99]

The control flat-out sucks. I had a rough time moving my fielders, and I can't imagine a chid who has yet to add a second digit to his age faring any better. [June 2004, p.95]

Surprisingly playable. [Jan 2004, p.118]

While the shot aiming is smart, the shooting meter is funky - you have to use timing to ensure the biggest blast. [Jan 2005, p.111]

Its cold, sterile presentation and crazy list of components for the armored core itself make it, in reality, a game for veteran AC gearheads. [Nov 2005, p.101]

The stealth is way too easy, and the exploration is too open-ended. [Aug 2006, p.76]

Battle Assault 3 is almost, not quite, a clunker, existing in the space between serviceable and irritating.

The underlying game is solid and would have been great had Activision taken the time to iron out the myriad bugs and glitches.

The game is very mechanical…and it’s so…painfully…slow. [Feb 2002, p.108]

As far as gameplay is concerned, absolutely nothing has changed since last year's addition (and, quite possibly, the one before that...and the one before that). [June 2004, p.95]

Rarely more than mildly diverting at best. From the first moment, the game left me feeling decidely underwhelmed. [Mar 2003, p.110]

The main problem is that Rio recognizes more than 5,000 words, but you don't know what those words are...The innovative concept is fun for a few minutes, but an entire game is tedious.

It doesn't hurt that the controls are spot on, the sound is good, and the graphics move at a fair old lick, either. Saturday won't win any awards for presentation, but it's all competently put together. [June 2004, p.96]

When I wasn't short-circuiting the game myself, there were bugs to contend with--about once an hour, the game would freeze and I would have to restart. [Mar 2006, p.94]

The few new modes exclusive to the PSP can't offset the lack of unlockable content when compared to the console. [Aug 2006, p.83]

You have to be a huge Mega Man nut if you want to get these games--especially since many of them are newer than the games released in the original Mega Man collection, meaning that all-important element of nostalgia just isn't quite there.

Underneath the offensive layer of crap that coats every facet of this version is a more than adequate game desperately trying to get out. [Feb 2002, p.113]

Despite some gorgeous visuals and intriguing gameplay elements, Kya simply isn't any fun. And just like the wind, that really blows. [Jan 2004, p.123]

Playing MTX a month after playing "MX Unleashed" is sort of like driving a Taurus after a month of driving a Viper. [May 2004, p.100]

The puzzle aspects of Cy Girls is about as fun as watching the cheese-creation process. [Apr 2004, p.99]

It's very fast paced and probably about as close as a hunting game will ever get to mimicking a typical first-person shooter. [Jan 2004, p.114]

Your typical "Twisted Metal" knock-off, complete with a ho-hum lineup of vehicles, bland weaponry, and uninspired courses. Gameplay's no better. [May 2003, p.97]