The game is abnormally long for a kids’ game, and the enemies are a varied bunch, so be prepared to have the young’uns glued to it for a while.

It doesn't take long for The First Templar, a Crusades-era action-adventure, to rear its low-budget head. [Aug 2011, p.82]

Sure, it's nice to play around with dinosaurs, but the control and framerate issues keep any interest in the game strictly short term. [May 2003, p.75]

Sadly, while mowing through thousands of baddies and flattening entire skylines does hold a certain appeal, your $40 is better put toward other 360 action games. [May 2007, p.78]

Movement and combat never really come together in a cohesive matter. When you're overrun by the undead or your weapon suddenly breaks and you need to defend and retreat, it becomes painfully obvious that the game can't handle multitasking or movements made in quick succession, and will perform only one (and sometimes none) of the many actions you need to survive.

10 bucks isn't bad for a few hours of pleasantly frenzied multiplayer, provided you can coax a few comrades into joining you for the local-only ride.

If you were lucky enough to snag a free copy from the Guitar Hero 5 mail-in promotion, you'll likely be pleased with this adequate iteration. But we can't imagine any non-hardcore Halen fans feeling good about dropping $60 on this half-hearted effort. [Jan 2010, p.76]

The Raven might test your patience in more ways than one, but Zellner remains as endearing a protagonist as we’re likely to encounter.

The game's underpowered scopes and wonky ballistics are often exasperating--long shots are tough, and point blank encounters sometimes are even tougher. [Feb. 2007, p.80]

Eat Lead could have been a better critique of the medium than any reviewer could ever write, but it’s neither bad enough to be a savage commentary nor good enough to feel like a satisfying, stinging satire.

You’ll certainly enjoy the explosive chaos of these Unreal Tournament–style battles; but with only four game modes and limited match options, even blowing your opponents to smithereens can get boring.

Leela's disparate components don't perfectly align, but for meditative newcomers and casual gamers, it's an interesting collection of breezy play sequences. That said, if you're seeking a more engaging Zen experience via Kinect, we recommend the trippy sights and sounds of Child of Eden instead.

Though Mars: War Logs marks an achievement for its ambition, rough patches in presentation and gameplay make it a tough recommendation to anyone not willing to weather them. [Nov 2013, p.73]

Six original Transformers episodes and other unlockables are a sweet treat; if only the rest of the game felt like such treasure. [Oct 2009, p.75]

Unpolished. [July 2010, p.78]

It's a lifeless action game crossed with a shallow strategy game; a game that seems to take the safe route in all things... but one that I still can't stop playing. Arrrrgggh! [Aug 2005, p.80]

Rent instead or save your cash for the DVD. [Sept 2008, p.79]

Quite simply, there's little reason to choose this game over the far superior Top Spin 4.

This is really a review of two games: a derivative story campaign (that you can play solo or with up to three friends in co-op) and a riveting, far superior multiplayer mode that allows you to compete as marines or alien xenomorphs in online matches. Considering Colonial Marines’ relatively long gestation period — roughly six years — it seems more attention was paid to fine-tuning multiplayer than to the campaign.

Also annoying is the frequent, noticeable slowdown when a lot of effects start flashing on-screen, particularly during online play.

A decent hunting adventure. [Dec 2009, p.77]

Continental Drift has the markings of a great family game, but we couldn't help but feel like it overestimates what the human body + Kinect can currently control. Only the most devoted players will enjoy mastering this game for the sake of doing so.

At that rock-bottom price, we can't help but recommend this so-so expansion...if just barely. [March 2010, p.85]

The gameplay is one-note repetitive, the environments are stupidly simplistic, and the product placement is overtly in your face. [Holiday 2006, p.78]

The game's story is so confusing, we didn't understand why things were happening. [July 2010, p.84]

What sours the deal, however, is the lack of care and value put into the package. JoJo's is premium-priced at $20, and there's little here to justify that cost. The "HD" upscale looks blotched and muddy, and there aren't any tutorials, special challenges, or even combo exercises to ease new players into this very demanding fighting game.

Hits just enough right notes to keep a solo player interested. [Feb 2012, p.74]

Call of Juarez could've been a uniquely hard-boiled journey through the late 1800s, but it kicks up too much distracting dust to be worth the trip. [July 2007, p.78]

We would've loved a story-based solo campaign like that in the similar (but infinitely superior) Undertow. [Aug 2009, p.74]

Even with Kraftwerk-esque electronic tunes and adequate multiplayer, it feels too much like a mediocre Flash game--making it tough to justify dropping five bucks on the experience. [May 2007, p.77]

It's a fun, exciting template; hopefully it'll return in a bigger, smoother sequel. [Feb 2012, p.747]

This game’s not just bizarre, it’s downright schizophrenic. And while we’re used to — and even enjoy — some of these sorts of wild hijinks from mad-genius Suda51 and his team at Grasshopper, Killer Is Dead’s individual components never coalesce into a worthwhile experience.

Hopefully, we'll see more expansions like UEFA Euro 2012 in future sports games - they do have the potential to really revitalize the game. But with half-finished rosters, missing features, and a solid-but-not-amazing world tour–style mode, this add-on never fires us up the way the original game did.

If its presentation wasn't so poor(wooden voiceovers, bland graphics, annoying music), it's be a much better game, but at least it nudges the genre in the right direction. [May 2008, p.72]

As with many simplistic racers, winning comes down to judicious use of power-ups and figuring out where the shortcuts are. [Jun 2006, p.81]

"Quotation Forthcoming"

Family and kid-friendly throwaway fun. [Aug 2010, p.75]

It looks like a last-gen Disney reject, but Brave does a great job of showing children the basics of different genres. [Oct 2009, p.74]

There's just not enough here to warrant even a $15 price. The game includes only eight fighters in two divisions, and no real career mode to encourage long-term play. With more fighters and more easily unlocked bonus video content, the game would've offered a better introduction to this relatively new fighting league.

Meet the Robinsons is both uneven and disjointed, hampered by an awkward third-person view and targeting-control scheme. [May 2007, p.77]

If you don't know what a BunGun is already, then Were-Rabbit is best left to the big screen rather than the small. [Holiday 2005, p.68]

Unless multiplayer's a must, stick with one of XBLA's older (and better) tower-defense games, like Defense Grid or Orcs Must Die.

While it looks like a second cousin to the Ice Age films, Freefall Racers is utterly devoid of personality, and it's also rather slight, with just eight tracks split between a handful of drab cups and no real long-lasting pull in sight. Frivolous as it may seem, however, it's still a rare bit of Kinect-enabled fun, especially for little ones.

All mini-game are extremely simplistic, and range in difficulty from absurdly easy to hair-pullingly frustrating. [Holiday 2004, p.80]

Parents won't like this one, but the rugrats will enjoy it. [Jan 2003, p.92]

The star of this show is the new Lost Mission expansion for Doom 3. You'll tear through its mild terrors and pedestrian repair and retrieval errands in under three hours, but the final 45-minute trek through a bloody, lava-strewn outpost in hell is the prettiest and most entertaining part of the package. It's not enough to make the BFG Edition feel like a true bargain.

Mediocre. [Nov 2009, p.78]

The defensive players move at the speed of John Kruk dragging Tony Gwynn behind him. [May 2002, p.76]

From its unspectacular graphics to its utterly predictable, objective-based spin on Horde mode’s wave-based skirmishes, Fuse never fully comes together.

Fruit Ninja's amazingly simple gameplay is strictly designed to be taken in small, party-based doses - nothing more, nothing less. And for $10, we were kind of hoping for more.

The target audience is gaming kiddies, and Open Season manages an attractive string of 25 short and bloodless missions for the prepubescent set, plus a few basic minigames. [Holiday 2006, p.86]

But the gameplay is unnecessarily complicated, with the busy HUD being the worst example. [Nov 2008, p.75]

The button-pounding boss showdowns are challenging, and cutting a gory swathe through goons with the help of a half-dozen dim Thanes is crude fun, but you're likely to regret the expense than sing Beowulf's praises at the end of its eight hours. [Jan 2008, p.65]

Fifty bucks. That's a lot to pay for what's basically a movie-licensed action-platformer aimed at a younger audience, but color us surprised that this ogre-cat-donkey sim earnestly plays to the rafters with a multi-tiered carnival of goofy fun. [Aug 2007, p.73]

In reality, what's here is competant, but this version just doesn't stack up to any Xbox Ghost Recon--next-gen or otherwise. [Jun 2006, p.76]

It's the current best of the "Warriors" bunch, and long-time fans will eat it up, but everyone else should keep expectations in check. [Nov 2007, p.99]

From its mind-bending control scheme to its smorgasbord of play types, Street Trace's learning curve hews closer to "Catan" than "Hexic". [Aug 2007, p.81]

Sadly, this is the second year in a row that the Tiger series has been light on upgrades. [Sept 2010, p.79]

Triggerheart Exelica is the kind of brutally difficult bullet orgy that shooter otaku love. [May 2008, p.76]

Otherwise, expect to get bored rather quickly with collecting spilled spheres and waiting for floating cube-movers. [Dec 2007, p.66]

Yar's Revenge isn't bad, but all its pleasures are decidedly short-lived. [May 2011, p.71]

Until Koei takes the time to enliven the painfully monotonous action, this is one samurai best left an honorless ronin--especially since Empires inexplicably abandoned the two-player Live action of its predecessor. [Mar 2007, p.79]

Granted, the controls are easier to manage than those in this game's Wii counterpart, but the playbook is as thick as they come. [Holiday 2009, p.85]

We wish THQ had squeezed more out of the formula, like offering more than two playable characters and a more gratifying campaign progression, but Surf & Skate Roadtrip remains a decent Kinect pick for a few hours of amusement, especially for young SpongeBob fans.

The lack of jump-in play — particularly on the couch — is very disappointing considering the game’s coin-op origins. Bummer, dude.

We see Defiance’s potential in the little interactions and grand moments alike, and while our first impression has been rougher than hoped, we’ll be back in six months or a year to see how the concept has been expanded and refined. It’s just unlikely that we’ll spend much of the meantime watching Defiance struggle through its growing pains.

It all moves at such a slow pace that there's no feeling of excitement or achievement in finishing a level. [May 2009, p.84]

Understone is cheap, but that's hardly enough to make it a worthy purchase. [Feb 2011, p.83]

Old-fashioned gameplay with a pretty new face. [Mar 2010, p.81]

Your journey quickly settles into an endless slog of interchangeable shootouts, broken up by little more than hold-the-door-for-me-bro tedium and boss battles that range from serviceable arena showdowns to infuriating cover-free patience-drainers.

The game simply doesn't play well with a controller. It looks and feels as if it were designed for a PC. [Sept 2003, p.78]

Because the co-op mode adapts the same structure for its 100 new levels, rather than implementing new ideas, this redux feels pretty out of touch. [Oct 2009, p.73]

Problems — like a confusing camera (which, for whatever reason, is significantly better in mega-fun split-screen play), slippery vehicles that clip through the ground, and a mere five arenas on which to destroy opponents — make Vigilante 8 a questionable $10 purchase. But competitive smack-talk-athons and co-op multiplayer are a blast thanks to the diverse array of attacks.

At $15, Death Tank is ludicrously overpriced. [Feb 2009, p.85]

Its tough-love formula offers fun and challenge in the short-term, but there’s just not enough variety or depth to make a lasting impression beyond those initial thrills.

If Pokemon had 487 fewer monsters and only one tournament, it would still be more thrilling than this movie-based game. [Jun 2010, p.82]

From the initial menu screen, it’s clear that little has changed over the course of a year beyond pasting in David Price as the cover star. The interface is essentially identical, the play modes are unchanged in execution, and the on-field action is precisely where it was last season. Even the Achievements are carbon-copied.

Odds are, if you can stomach Two Worlds' first hour and get into the meat of the gameplay, you'll enjoy what it has to offer. [Nov 2007, p.90]

Apart from some death-by-bad-camera-angle moments and a few aggravating perfection-focused “challenge” sequences, Marlow Briggs is enjoyable enough. Just don’t expect to remember any of it next week.

It lasts just long enough to justify its humble asking price, but better online island vacations await you elsewhere.

Its monk-like devotion to pure racing simulation is remarkable...and kind of a turn-off for the rest of us. [Feb 2009, p.80]

Blades isn't bad; it's just very average and uneven. For every innovative desert level (that forces you to stick to the shadows lest you be seared by the sun), there's a lot of jungle straight out of Avatar.

Jimmy's Vendetta packs plenty of content--six-plus hours, easily--but you'll feel like you're getting your $10 worth for only the first hours or so. [Nov 2010, p.81]

You'll find some bloody good times scattered throughout the journey, but not nearly as many as we'd hoped. [April 2011, p.78]

Overall, Dance Paradise is exactly what the game's name advertises: a respite from the sweet-inducing, mind-boggling physicality of titles like Dance Central and Dance Masters. [April 2011, p.79]

The entire experience, however, is tarnished by a framerate that bogs down any time a ball is put in play. A simple 5-3 putout turns into a noticeable slideshow as the camera pans across the diamond — which is a shame, as fielders sport some great animations this year.

Just entertaining enough to buy when it’s accumulating dust in the bargain bin. But for a richer sniper experience with more gruesome kill shots, last year’s Sniper Elite V2 is a better bet.

Madness Returns shows substantial flashes of being equal to its predecessor, but its strongest detractions - middling gameplay mechanics, the rushed ending, and that last tier of weapon upgrades being available only as paid DLC - hold it back.

Joy Ride Turbo is exactly what its title promises: a fast, fun experience that unfortunately runs out of value far too quickly. Even at $10, it's hard to recommend, as you could buy Sonic & Sega's All-Stars Racing from a bargain bin for just a few bucks more.

We honestly wanted to like this game a lot, but really, it's worth liking only a little. [Feb. 2007, p.76]

Dated gameplay and gags. [Sept 2010, p.81]

A solid choice for couch time with the kids. [July 2009, p.84]

The gameplay follows a predictable pattern: Spidey and a sidekick(friends, like Black Cat and Iron Fist, or foes, like Doc Ock and Sandman)enter an area, Venom-ish enemies teleport in, and you have to clear the room of bad guys to open the door to the next area. Repeat ad nauseum. [Dec 2007, p.62]

And between the bland menus and creepily animated singers, Karaoke Revolution even looks the part of a last-gen holdover. [Holiday 2009, p.83]

There's no reason to play The Golden Compass unless the movie or book absolutely monopolizes your imagination. [Jan 2008, p.62]

It's the ultimate game for, like, 10 people out there, and they'll love it like monkeys love bananas. [Aug 2007, p.74]

Maddening difficulty spikes. [Nov 2009, p.84]

If you've got a few friends, it can actually be pretty fun. [Apr 2008, p.76]