The garage feature in Midnight Club 3 offers so many different customization and tuning options that it could've easily been its own car customization game.

Maneuvering and combat are both very clumsy, and the whole game leaves you wondering about the choices the game designers made. [June 2005, p.95]

A nice puzzle compilation for those who are dexterous of hand rather than mind. [July 2005, p.78]

Despite the more simplistic nature that could seem to "Nocturne" fans like a step backward, this might make it a better game for FF fans needing their fix.

Rise of the Kasai proves that a game can still be compelling without being impossible to play. The real fun is in seeing the story unfold—and once in a while, that's OK.

Oh man, General Grievous is a cool boss. He has four lightsabers! Four!

It's a very basic portrayal of the ninja lifestyle, and as such, there's nothing that will really keep your interest, particularly considering the poor camera and spotty controls.

The action might draw fighting-game fans, but Dynasty Warriors has no real back-and-forth. [May 2005, p.89]

Patience, careful planning, and a certain tolerance for trial and error are far more important than quick reflexes and an itchy trigger finger, which means it's not really for everyone. But if you're willing to put forth the effort, you're in for a supremely satisfying time.

It's a bit unfortunate, though, that after a few missions the game starts to feel monotonous.

Although Darkstalkers doesn't really possess a level of depth that hardcore fighting fans can appreciate, there's still an inherent layer of novelty in playing an arcade-quality fighting game on the go. [June 2005, p.100]

1) Real players make the game 10 times more fun. 2) Deathmatching across the continent on your PSP makes you feel like you're from the future.

An extremely solid - if uninspired - port of the Tiger franchise that's every bit as addictive as its PS2 counterparts. [June 2005, p.99]

Remix is a damn fine port of a very solid game—it's better than anyone had any right to expect on a handheld and a pretty impressive showcase of what the PSP is capable of.

A thoroughly solid, if short, spin on the franchise. [June 2005, p.100]

People do not play games because they break new ground. People play games because they are fun. And fun is God of War's greatest strength... This is not a perfect game, but it is a great one.

Crap aiming and a crap camera combine with boring, nonsensical missions to translate into horrid gameplay for the main story.

Pros: Beautiful art, unique team mechanic. Cons: Repetitious battles, poor A.I., slowdown. [March 2005, p.101]

If you're a Ford nut, you've got a nice little virtual showroom here, with a competent racing game to boot. [July 2005, p.76]

Uninspired art and level design. [June 2005, p.95]

Scoring opportunities are too easy and mean too little, and the "wow" moments - scoring a goal, beating a defender - serve up more yawns than adrenaline. [Apr 2005, p.109]

There's just an undeniably addictive aspect to Ridge Racer's single-player and multiplayer modes. [May 2005, p.111]

It's just too bad that Sega didn't take more time with these games since some of them, in their original form, could still hold up after all of these years. [March 2005, p.97]

As solid as the turn-based gameplay is, I still have to warn you that your brain might fold in half as it comprehends how the game works. [May 2005, p.114]

The only real strike against the game is that there's no random setting for the backgrounds and music. [May 2005, p.115]

Both utterly forgettable and strangely addictive, the ultra-simple hack-n-slash model works surprisingly well in a portable format. [May 2005, p.111]

I eked a few enjoyable play sessions out of One the Loose, but the camera-control difficulties prompted me to ditch it for "Lumines." [June 2005, p.101]

So say what you will about TimeSplitters being too arcadey or too cartoony or not serious enough—I'll just be over here having a hell of a time. Last I checked, that's what games were for.