Though Space Ark is a visual riot of bright pastels, sparkly special effects, and supermarket-circular-burst graphics, it'd be a stretch to say it ever becomes truly exciting. [July 2010, p.85]

A super-accessible, stylish, over-the-top slaughterfest. [Dec 2009, p.80]

So yeah, Stranglehold does a great job of aspiring to the qualities of Woo's movies, but unfortunately, it just doesn't aspire to be a truly great game. [Nov 2007, p.86]

It absolutely nails the atmosphere. [July 2010, p.81]

It's a cute toy without enough pieces to build anything truly great. [May 2005, p.84]

It shines as a fun but pricey distraction. [May 2008, p.76]

If all you want is Knuckles' debut, this is a fine $5 deal. [Oct 2009, p.77]

Fluffy ultraviolence. [Sept 2010, p.79]

Lips: Number One Hits certainly isn't a full-fledged sequel to Microsoft's singing debut, nor does it come across as a quick cash-in with new songs. [Holiday 2009, p.83]

With 20-plus cars to unlock (and upgrade) and modes ranging from straight-up, no-weapons racing to missions where you protect a VIP--all of which are seriously more fun when up to four buddies join in--Scrap Metal is more than worth the $10 download. [Jun 2010, p.81]

The central story mode follows December's movie with players unlocking successive sets of songs and stages. Free play and same-screen co-op modes round out the package, with all content generously unlocked from the start. Between the kid-friendly dance-a-thon and the Chipmunk singing, Chipwrecked is equal parts adorable and grating. Your young ones will have a blast getting down with Alvin and his pals while you can at least take solace in the easy Gamerscore boost.

But it’s still a letdown. If only this had been packaged with more goodies or delivered digitally for a more reasonable price.

It's not the most spirited or original game, but Realms' raw intensity and chaotic excitement will keep you playing.

That nostalgia isn't worth 15 bucks. [July 2009, p.84]

Fighting tanks, getting ambushed, and creeping through jungles provide enough variety to keep armchair generals satisfied. [Nov 2004, p.85]

Amazing speed, fluid graphics. [Feb 2006, p.81]

Dreamfall's downfall may be that it's too ambitious. But control issues aside, its epic story has us wishing that we won't have to wait another six years for the series' final resolution. [Jun 2006, p.80]

Prizefighter is definitely a contender in the guilty-pleasure category: its story mode trumps the competition’s, and though its fighting mechanics won’t dethrone the current champ, they still pack a simple, straightforward wallop.

Assault Heroes is a no-nonsense blaster with plenty of co-op chaos and a lust for making hordes of things go boom. [Feb. 2007, p.77]

Plus there's no Quidditch - what's with that noise? [Aug 2004, p.78]

Battlestations may not be the deepest or prettiest WWII-themed 360 game on the shelves, but it still hits a solid broadside. [Mar 2007, p.80]

But none of those gripes can compare to the biggest crime committed here: no co-op! In a game that focuses more than a little on the exploits of two seemingly inseparable brothers, why would we not be able to bring a friend down the dusty trail? That absence is completely inexcusable, and the addition of pointless, paint-by-numbers competitive multiplayer only adds insult to injury.

With your $60 on the line, however, it's only multiplayer that rescues TimeShift from the throes of average-dom. [Holiday 2007, p.74]

Sadly, infuriating difficulty spikes--exacerbated by unskippable cutscenes and a lack of mid-chapter checkpoints--occasionally lead to frantic, fun-sucking button-mashing, as do moments of what-the-hell's-happening chaos. [Dec 2011, p.78]

With better tuning, this could be a much more fun game. As it is, we'd strongly advise you to check out the game's finicky controls for yourself in the demo before you commit. [Jan 2008, p.66]

While Lego Batman is loaded with goofy charm and humor, its original storyline is paper-thin.

All the glitches make single-play stumble, but the game looks good, sounds great, and runs smooth like butta. [Jun 2006, p.86]

FaceBreaker delivers fast online brawls, and the constant back-and-forth of counters, stuns, and outrageous signature moves yields a surprising amount of room for strategy and style. As tiresome as solo scuffles become, exciting multiplayer bouts against unpredictable humans save FaceBreaker from a TKO.