Storywise, The Betrayal is a shade sillier than The Infamy, and a few moments in its missions are strange to the point of absurdity... If you’re invested in its alternate-universe narrative, though, The Betrayal is an important piece of the puzzle, and its ending hints at something potentially amazing for the final chapter.

The frenzied pace makes for a pleasant enough co-op diversion, but it's also one that's devoid of meaning or longevity. [Feb 2008, p.79]

Despite its flashy razzle-dazzle, Ninja Blade feels surprisingly shallow.

It's less enjoyable, more difficult, and at times blatantly creepy. [Jan. 2007, p.68]

Every arcade needs a good pinball game, and Pinball FX fills and obvious hole in Live Arcade. We just wish our 10 bucks got us more variety. [May 2007, p.79]

Not a notable upgrade over Number One Hits. [May 2010, p.83]

Newcomers will find its plodding pace and lifeless visuals tedious, but old-school tacticians will happily breathe vintage moon dust for days. [Holiday 2009, p.81]

Level designs lack the magic of "Splinter Cell," the fighting and stealth can't compete with "Everything or Nothing," and the story follows its plot progression by the numbers. [June 2004, p.76]

It's a decent experience for core genre fans, but not consistently sharp enough to stand out from the competition.

It's fine for the PS2, but we would have liked a little more polish for the Xbox. [Feb 2002, p.73]

A lot of us are baffled that snowboarding has been so deathly quiet on 360, and if you’re dying for the next SSX or Amped, Shaun White Snowboarding won’t be the game you’re hoping for. If you’re a serious boarding fan, the mini- MMO multiplayer is totally worth a look, but otherwise, you have better games to play.

Gearbox piles on the wit and humor more thoroughly than it has with its other holiday-themed DLC, but the lack of Valentine's Day-themed environs leaves it feeling too much like the base game. [May 2014, p.77]

The individual layers of variation don't run terribly deep, and offline exhibitions only cast a harsh light on amateurish A.I. flaws, but Double D Dodgeball's offbeat mix of arcade action and online sporting teamwork still packs enough fast-paced intensity and simple strategy to be worth inviting to recess. [Sept 2008, p.77]

It's a decent port to 360 with some key changes to the controls to make it work better on a console, but this recipe of Diner Dash lacks some spice. [July 2009, p.77]

Blood Bowl's disjointed real-time mode is hard to control and keep track of, making it a complete waste of time. [Apr 2010, p.81]

The game is fun in short bursts, but won't hold your attention for too long. [July 2008, p.66]

Obvious problems (the shaky camera, poor targeting system, and inconsistent frame rate) match up with sheer annoyances (the 25-second-long, unskippable death sequences) to degrade the expectedly repetitive experience, but that’s not all that stuck in our craw. Capping the enjoyable online co-op at just two players (with no local play) seems ludicrous in this day and age; even PSO was rocking four players on a 56K connection in 2001!

Instead of Gears' gritty realism, Quantum employs flamboyant machismo, with less impressive graphics. [Nov 2010, p.79]

It’s over far too fast (we explored a bit and finished in roughly 90 minutes) and it’s missing two major Dead Rising staples by omitting co-op play and "psycho" battles. While the single-player focus applies to all Untold Stories, we’re left hoping the other three heroes of Los Perdidos have longer, crazier adventures in store.

Armored Core 4 might be uninspired and forgettable, but beggars can't be choosers. [May 2007, p.74]

Problem is, the aesthetics are disconcerting. [Aug 2009, p.76]

It's a solid approach in both concept and execution, but the game just doesn't offer enough to keep you interested for long. [Mar 2010, p.81]

Demolishing a city may make for a fun weekend rental, but not quite an incredible one.

It basically boils down to Marble Madness with guns. [Oct 2009, p.80]

The combat sequences feel like afterthoughts and the story is ultimately a bore, boasting no memorable bosses or a reason to be told other than to bring the two Spideys together...sorta.

With washed-out textures and an overall lack of detail, the visual impact doesn't match up to Xbox standards - and unfortunately, neither does the rest of the game. [June 2003, p.84]

While executing attacks is refreshingly easy, Generations lacks depth: bouts often devolve into who can escape and button-mash to counter first. Likewise, fighting the CPU - especially in Story Mode's later stages - can feel frustrating and unfair. Meanwhile, the online-versus options are bare-bones, with the only frill being a replay-recording feature.

After 20 minutes of watching people run around crazily and aimlessly, you realize that they're mostly just window dressing for very basic, uninspired, beat-'em-up gameplay that we've all played before. [May 2003, p.74]