Terrific music and some fun moments can't save Spy Hunter from feeling bargain-bin. [Dec. 2006, p.76]

If you and/or your kid love the show enough to tolerate all that…you should still stick with the infinitely superior XBLA game Wits & Wagers.

So-so graphics and straightforward action never tap the 360's potential, but what you get is 10-or-so hours of middling superhero beat-'em-up fun. [Jan. 2007, p.76]

After several stages, it becomes painfully repetitive. [Oct 2008, p.85]

Those intrigued by 19th-century strife should wait for a price drop: $50 is too much to ask for such a slim package. [Jan 2009, p.75]

We had fun with Last Agent's streamlined story and missions, but navigation issues and faults left over from other episodes make it unworthy of the series' legacy. [June 2014, p.78]

A lightly entertaining diversion - but only when played with a controller. The optional Kinect controls can be extremely fussy: using your right hand to aim the reticle works okay, but triggering spells with your left hand often requires multiple exaggerated movements. Having to flail around to launch even the simplest attack is the very opposite of god-like.

No paint job can obscure the fact that connecting blows don't register more than half the time... Worse, basic movement is neither consistent nor natural. [Sept 2007, p.76]

Straightforward, button-mashing combat through the game's Quest mode with up to three friends may clutter up the screen during heated duels against an onslaught of bad guys, but it provides the otherwise muddled Fairytale Fights with its only true high point. [Jan 2010, p.78]

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]

It may flesh out the recent movie, but on Xbox, it feels like a picked-over meal. [Feb. 2007, p.78]

Even at $20, this is a mess. [May 2005, p.80]

BGH feels somewhat real. [Jan 2008, p.69]

You're better off just buying a puzzle magazine at the airport.

You've played this game before, but action-sports fans with a sick sense of humor should still suit up for the ride. [Aug 2006, p.77]

Now, the circle of Velveeta is complete: Jaws Unleashed is as gruesome as it is cheesy. [Aug 2006, p.81]

Between equipment variety, handling differences, respawning pick-ups, and the cunning nooks and crannies of each map, the emergent strategic possibilities deliver surprising depth. [Aug 2007, p.72]

While its gameplay and visuals are better than they were in 1992, what was groundbreaking back then feels merely average 20 years later.

Mostly, it's recipe for frustration. [July 2005, p.85]

What is tedious about BMT2 is the glut of relentless jokes at the expense of gays and hillbillies. They're awfully cheap. [Dec 2005, p.112]

Even when functional, however, Narco Terror lacks intrigue or interest, and feels like a lazy take on a well-worn blueprint.

Unless your nostalgia borders on masochism, let this pointless war rage without you.

Ultra-repetitive, with very little sense of danger. [Apr 2009, p.78]

But most of the time, you're simply playing furniture inspector in an environment that's about as spooky as an episode of Scooby-Doo. [Nov 2010, p.71]

As an extension of Dead Space 3’s story, it’s ultimately a bit pointless — especially with its cliffhanger ending, which effectively deprives you of the closure the main game (minus its end-credits tease) delivered. Unless you’re a hardcore fan or franchise completist, we’d suggest saving your $10 and replaying Dead Space 3 instead.

Whether you prefer the eight-player Live free-for-all or the strictly linear single player campaign, Novadrome delivers a spartan but reasonably attractive vehicular-combat experience with just enough bells and whistles to justify its $10 download. [Jan. 2007, p.74]

Even with our expectations lowered, Yaiba still managed to disappoint. It’s even more sexist than we presumed, uglier than some 360 launch titles, and feels budget-y without the accompanying charm. Hayabusa deserves better.

Dead Rising led by unrepentant killer could be perfect, but Chaos Rising sinks like a stone. [May 2014, p.71]

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

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]

Ultimately, though, it feels like an elaborate gimmick--more a faded star than a true Hollywood legend. [April 2011, p.82]

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

We don't really need video versions that make the game ridiculously more difficult. [Jan 2003, p.80]

Curious why you haven't heard Quentin Tarantino promoting Reservoir Dogs, considering it's the first game adapted from one of his movies? Easy: It's junk. [Holiday 2006, p.74]

Fiddy moves so slowly that you want to reach into the TV to pull up his pants so he can break into a run once in a while. [Feb 2006, p.80]

Harmless fun for every age. [Jan 2003, p.90]

Though Dead Block's zombie combat would benefit from easier targeting, its rockabilly music, amusing characters (zombie clowns, anyone?) and manic pacing more than compensate. The campy madness only gets better in split-screen co-op, so not having online multiplayer is a shame, but for hectic puzzle-action fun, this game delivers.

It's a bit muddled, but the action is positively debilitating.

"Quotation Forthcoming"

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

At a full $60, there's absolutely no reason to touch this with a ten-foot-pole, especially with so many other, better shooters on the market in this record-settingly awesome holiday season. [Jan 2008, p.62]

Where Voltron completely falls apart is in its ridiculously poor boss battles.

Body-slammed by slipshod control, uninspired storytelling, and AI that flips between hyper-brutality and empty-headed idiocy. [Dec 2003, p.106]

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

Frustrating core gameplay problems overshadow the edgy urban setting. [Jan 2006, p.64]

It's fun, it's wacky, and it's quintessentially Saints Row - but it's also crazy-short. Each of these four new main missions unlocks a similar activity on the world map where you'll earn new crew, respect, money, and vehicles, but that's it - and eight new scenarios aren't worth $7, we say.

As clever as its core concept is, the Yoostar series still struggles to be more than a half-baked party trick - and it's one that's losing appeal with each lackluster performance.

What could have given other wrestling games a run for their money ends up winded before the ring bell even sounds. [Jan 2011, p.66]

Realistically, Eragon's appeal won't expand beyond its Potter-like fan base. [Feb. 2007, p.78]

A solid if shallow BMX racer that actually uses a story as an impetus for pulling off tricks. [Jan 2003, p.70]

While the game strives for a balance of realism and playability, the bottom line is, it's not much fun. [Sept 2006, p.79]

This Kinect offering works well enough, but Teen rating aside, it's best suited for younger fans looking to live out their anime daydreams.

Just enough to satisfy the console fishing vet. [Sept 2003, p.83]

When stages start stretching past 10 to 15 minutes apiece thanks to minimal checkpoints and dozens of cheap deaths, though, the game known as a breezy pick-up-and-play classic on phones instead feels like a bitter grind on 360.

Emulating and amplifying the bloodier side of fighting was, conceptually, a great way to separate Supremacy from other MMA titles. But because of its crippling issues, it stands alone as the one clumsy, bad brawler of its kind on Xbox 360.

Really, it’s the same old story — if you like all things Warriors, buy this with confidence. If you don’t, then don’t. Easy.

At least the game thoughfully provides a Yee Haw button for sharing its thrills...not that it'll get much use. [Holiday 2004, p.87]

Shrek's gameplay is sub-par. [Jan 2002]

Kids or casual players may find some fun here, but serious sharks will seek cleaner waters. [Dec. 2006, p.84]

NFL Tour doesn’t go to cartoonish extremes, and its self-imposed limitations send some long-term potential off the field on a stretcher, but the smooth play and slick presentation keep it a worthwhile sport.

While we miss the tactile feeling of physical pieces, the incredible customization options make Puzzle Arcade a great option for both dabblers and jigsaw enthusiasts. [Feb 2009, p.85]

Could the Xbox 360 use a fun and frantic throwback partier? Sure. But this mess isn't it. [Mar 2007, p.82]

After 13 years, Duke Forever is ultimately and thoroughly mediocre, with heavy bouts of boredom and frustration mixed in. And yet, for anyone with an appreciation for videogame history, we absolutely recommend giving it a playthrough.

Local co-op play requires constant communication and generates some small excitement, but isn't enough to make Shrek-n-Roll more than an overpriced novelty. [Jan 2008, p.69]

Fanciful flight modeling aside, Trickstar did an admirable job with the individual aircraft renders, and when things blow up, they do so spectacularly. The lengthy and sometimes meandering campaign missions could use a rewrite, but Damage's diverting pyrotechnics and shallow learning curve should earn it solid points with the plug-and-play arcade crowd.

These bloodless battles just aren’t very exciting; they’re more likely to elicit yawns than trash-talk. Dollar Dash might briefly amuse younger gamers, but everyone else will feel robbed.

Sadly, the basic objectives in each level rarely change. [Oct 2008, p.81]

The clean, simple interface serves Domino Master well, but complete games (composed of several matches) drag on too long, and the tile-placement guides slice too much of the plotting and planning from the experience. [Dec 2008, p.73]

No amount of staring at Bionicle will allay the feeling that you accidentally booted up a PSOne game. [Jan 2004, p.63]

Death would have been better than lifeless mess. [Aug 2004, p.80]

It both gets old quickly and also feels frustratingly similar to plaing a Roadrunner cartoon in which your target is the fleet-footed bird and you're the poor, starving schlub strapped to the rocket and headed straight for the cliff. [Apr 2003, p.86]

Though long interrogation sequences are tedious, the stories are wonderfully macabre: every character is guilty of something, and only forensic science can separate the red herrings from the incriminating evidence. [Dec 2007, p.65]

You still get a decent value for your $10, though, including fun (if simple) combat, a several-hour career mode, engaging character customization, and serviceable online matches. Plus, minor hiccups are easy to overlook when you're Marcus Fenix flying off the top rope.

It’s not the most standout piece of work in Xbox One’s launch lineup, nor does it pull off any amazing technical tricks — but it’s a fun, cheap ride busting at the gills with an absurd amount of charm.

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.

It's frustrating, it makes no sense, and it just makes everyone involved want to play something else. [Aug 2011, p.76]

If you've ever wanted to be a wheezy, out-of-shape hunter tramping through the snowy Alaskan wilds of Ketchikan and Sitka, then this game's for you. [Holiday 2006, p.76]

Tries too hard to imitate the big boys and is a few Shaq-sized steps behind in nearly every respect. [Jan 2003, p.74]

Realistically, Eragon's appeal won't expand beyond its Potter-like fan base. [Feb. 2007, p.78]

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.

SeaBlade does have a few solid moments. Sadly, they are few and far between. [Dec 2002, p.102]

Even at $40, it's hard to recommend to anyone besides serious thrashmasters. [Nov 2010, p.76]

Sonic Adventure may have been a 3D revolution for Sega's storied franchise when it debuted in 1999, but in these HD-ified days, it just feel dated. [Nov 2010, p.69]

A rental at best. [July 2009, p.81]

The game features split-screen and online multiplayer, but two people flailing their arms next to each other is a disaster waiting to happen. The real killer, though, is that Phelps isn't a good pick-up-and-play game. It's initially confusing, and ultimately, it's not nearly as fun as it should be.

Combat is sluggish and mediocre...Merely a shell of the quartet's former glory. [Holiday 2004, p.68]

It's sad to see an under-the-radar favorite tank so spectacularly in an attempt to revitalize the brand, but Cartel is one call you can clearly push to voicemail.

It's a joyless, grace-free slog dominated by repetitive stop-and-pop shootouts, lifeless linear environments, and inconsistent weapon physics, not to mention full-stop gameplay pauses during certain actions (like detonating a robot with an EMP grenade), obnoxiously tacky dialogue, missed audio cues, and overwrought enemy death screams that replay incessantly.

Coupled with atrocious cutscenes and a pathetic story (how can a shadow be "ancient," anyway?), this is a real toad of a game. [Holiday 2005, p.73]

The Guy Game's trivia-based party-game core isn't fun or interesting enough to justify the ooze you'll feel covered with after watching one dumb, drunk, or disinterested girl after another reveal her chest to a horde of sweaty virgins. [Nov 2004, p.89]

It's an interesting piece of Sega history, but not one that's aged particularly well.

While the formula feels a bit dated now, the result is a shooter that is still incredibly fun. [Dec 2008, p.90]

Even Jigsaw's most ardent apostles should spare themselves this torture. [Jan 2011, p.76]

Unfortunately, it mostly feels like you're being charged $40 for something that offers little beyond what you've seen in previous games' GM and Owner modes. [Feb 2009, p.84]

Synetic's World Racing 2 presents a compelling argument why middle-of-the-road arcade racers shouldn't reproduce. [Nov. 2006, p.81]

If Mayhem 3D emphasized convincing handling and powerful impacts over graphic-novel gimmickry, we might've spent less time grinding gears and more time high on adrenaline. [May 2011, p.75]

A few control problems prevent the game from being as fun as we'd like and the fighting engine is repetitive and too simple (even for kids). [Dec 2002, p.102]

The game's biggest issue, however, is still iffy core gameplay. Compared to Mark of the Ninja and Dishonored, which let you perform greater acts of stealth against enemies that react more naturally, Panic's fodder is a bit too brain-dead and the stages don't make kills as rewarding.