It's a simple game--so simple that it's really not good for anyone over the age of 9 or 10--but it's not bad, and the way it's structured makes it perfect for parents to jump in and out to help when kids get stuck.

I'd rather play the Java-based pool game on Yahoo. [Feb 2006, p.84]

Quite simply, the ideal sequel: The developers have managed to not only bolster and dramatically improve the good qualities of an RE title, but also completely drain out the bad aspects of the RE franchise. It's a perfectly executed reinvention of a stagnating franchise. [Dec 2005, p.128]

Tough but ultimately superb gameplay. Only a hero and story are the game's Achilles' heel. [Nov 2005, p.116]

Namco went all-out and put forth a tremendous effort, showing onece again why the series continues to remain at the top of the genre. [Nov 2005, p.80]

It's cotton candy: full of fluffy, sugary goodness but utterly devoid of nutritional value. [Dec 2005, p.110]

Getting 29 games for $20 shouldn't be a terrible deal, but aside from two or three gems, the selection totally blows - especially when compared to the Japanese releases. [Jan 2006, p.91]

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.

Modern Combat loses some points for its lack of realism (some guns don't have any recoil, for example) and forgettable story line (something about Kazakhstan), but it still serves as a decent war game for those of us too fragile to enlist.

As a value proposition, there's nothing on PSP that comes close. It's a gigantic game; the core gameplay will probably take you 40 or 50 hours to get through, and it has 33 additional "games" that have the potential to occupy you another five or even 10 hours, if you really want to push it.

The basic formula hasn't changed, and for some of you (including me), it's probably getting old. [Dec 2005, p.124]

A decent kids' game, but only if you've got at least two people playing. [Jan 2006, p.99]

The key to a game like this is to make combat feel really good, which is something Shining Force Neo does a lot better than those middling Champions of Norrath games. When you swing your sword, it feels like it has impact, even if you're only hitting a barrel.

A shallow racer spread thinly over other game styles. [Jan 2006, p.101]

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

If you can appreciate artistry in games, if you hanker for an experience that transcends genre, if you want to see what happens when a creative design team is allowed to ignore sales numbers and flavor-of-the-month trends, by all means bring yourself into Shadow's world. [Oct 2005, p.98]

The most fun you can have racing and watching vehicles blow up since "Burnout Revenge." [Dec 2005, p.120]

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]

Wins points for originality, and the gameplay works well, but it lacks a compelling narrative (the disjointed mission objectives don't cut it), and it rarely made me feel as tense as I thought it should. [Nov 2005, p.117]

The whole package has a polished look. I even watched a few cut-scenes long enough to figure out that the title Earned in Blood makes reference to how Red tries to gain his fellow soldiers' trust. And Brothers in Arms is beginning to earn our trust, too--as not just "another war game."

This is exactly the kind of game the PSP needs. [Jan 2006, p.106]

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

Buy WPT if you watch poker; buy "World Championship Poker 2" if you <I>play</I> poker. [Jan 2006, p.95]

This barely qualifies as a game. [Jan 2006, p.100]

The gameplay is a bit awkward and quite repetitive, but no game has captured the feel of Dragon Ball Z quite like this. [Jan 2006, p.92]

Perhaps the best licensed game on PS2, and one of the best brawlers in years. [Jan 2006, p.74]

It takes the series back to its roots and makes it even more outlandish and brazen than before. It's almost like a big unfriendly gesture (which may or may not use the middle finger) directed toward the NFL, and it adds much-needed character and intensity to a representation of the sport that has become so watered down, static, and just flat-out boring.

Devil Kings' mailed-in gameplay is a classic example of what developers should avoid at all costs in the future. [Nov 2005, p.117]