Turn-based strategy doesn't get any better than this. [May 2006, p.97]

Fast, fun footy with a simulation feel. [Feb 2002, p.114]

It really does feel like an interactive Bond flick. [Jan 2003, p.130]

Even though FIFA 06 came out just six months ago, for fans of the beautiful game, 2006 FIFA World Cup is a must-have. [Jun 2006, p.97

The game isn't a bad addition to the series, but it feels like an expansion at a sequel price. [Jan. 2007, p.86]

Having a real pal alongside to shoot the crap out of the Helghast soldiers takes a bite out of their uncanny accuracy. [Dec. 2006, p.128]

The overall PS2 surfing champ. [Oct 2002, p.148]

The game's simplistic look and occasionally spotty camera might be a turnoff for some, but the pure fun the game provides easily overrides these shortcomings. [Nov 2005, p.91]

Very fun, and the graphics are incredibly endearing. [Dec 2004, p.106]

But Ape Escape 3's presentation is what really hurts the whole package. The graphics are mediocre, especially for a first-party game late in the PS2's life cycle. The voice acting is painfully stilted. And the translation is woeful.

The game's secret weapon this year, though, is the ball-juggling minigame... I killed more hours trying to keep David Beckham's balls off the ground than I can reasonably justify. [Nov 2005, p.123]

Yes, Wasteland has a large, free-roaming world, but it does little to change the game itself.

It is really freaking hard. Holy hell. [Jan 2002, p.136]

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]

Although it boasts a host of innovations that are supposed to set it a breed apart from its predecessor, Monster Rancher 4 never captured me in the way MR3 did.

If I had to sum up the game in one word, I'm not sure if I'd pick "boring" or "stupid." I guess it depends on what mood I'm in. The mission structure is desperately linear, despite pretending to offer a huge amount of freedom.

Unless you have friends already playing or a high tolerance for monotony, you might want to give Frontiers a pass, especially with "Final Fantasy XI" around the corner. [Feb 2004, p.101]

I can't stop playing the game. I'm hopelessly addicted. [Nov 2001, p.155]

The limits to which the team has managed to stretch the PS2's capacity are pretty amazing - it's hard to believe this is the same graphics engine that was used in the first game. [March 2005, p.98]

A fun distraction for the PSP, [but] slow and repetitive, sometimes to the point of boredom. Just keep the sessions short. [Apr 2006, p.90]

It doesn't help that you seem to be shooting the same handful of monsters no matter where you are—or that the vast majority of these look like offspring of Soul Calibur's Voldo. The shoddy framerate, slippery controls, and blocky character models provide an even more low-rent feel.

It still has all of the stuff that makes it a nice diversion from the typical baseball title. But that stuff hasn't changed enough to warrant a purchase.

Offers tons of new things to see and do, but relative newcomers to the game may want to hold off...for now. [Dec 2004, p.102]

Grandia III is a game filled with polish, slick visuals, and a fantastic battle system. It just happens to be bogged down by a fairly mediocre story.

Only if you really, really liked the first one - or if you didn't buy it at all. [Feb 2005, p.84]

Like the previous games, it'll satisfy fans of the franchise while being nigh-impenetrable to others. [Oct 2003, p.126]

What Makai Kingdom lacks in visceral appeal it more than makes up for in complexity and nuance. It's fun in a brain-taxing kind of way, but in the end a bit too cold and piecemeal to love. Though it may be fun and challenging, it never quite hangs together as a compelling whole.

Really, it doesn't get much better than this for 2D fighting fans. [Dec. 2006, p.134]