Maybe little kids would like it. But do kids really want a game where you sneak up on dull robots because you're not allowed to kill anything? [Feb 2004, p.82]

The Tackle Alley mini-game is fun. [Aug 2010, p.77]

The game was expressly designed for co-op play, but that makes the enemy A.I., poor vehicle mechanics, and the inability to save on command hard to accept, considering it costs you and a friend a combined $120 to play the game “as intended” over Xbox Live.

Weakened by a bland story, uninspiring graphics, and grating voiceovers. [July 2010, p.84]

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]

Feels totally manufactured and formulaic. [Sept 2007, p.76]

The game's impressively creative in parts, but regrettably, the blend of combat and driving never feels very fluid or cohesive.

There’s so much lovely intelligence lurking under Alone in the Dark’s hamstrung, occasionally glitchy surface (unforgivably, we found a few crash bugs in even the retail version!) that it’s hard to let this one go quietly into the night.

Powerstar Golf has its enjoyable strokes, whether playing solo, with local buddies, or while challenging an online rival's best score in an asynchronous mode, but truly head-scratching skill and progression choices diminish what's already an uninspiring clone.

The controls are almost always downright woeful - mostly being either way too sensitive or barely responsive at all.

It's a minor relief to compete against slower-moving humans, and the option to play as robots who behave a bit differently injects a smidgen of variety. But even in online games, paltry tactical options and awkward controls makes Planets feel shallow and clumsy. [Nov 2012, p.77]

A madcap, farcical mishmash of both online and offline multiplayer options, along with a fairly weak, platformer-centric single-player Story Mode. [July 2005, p.89]

Two-player co-op is okay, but it's still fans-only for this one. [June 2005, p.88]

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

Little errors such as collision detection are present, and the bland visual effects result in a game that controls poorly, looks bad, and is generally not much fun at all. [July 2003, p.79]

The gameplay takes its cue mainly from games like "Phantasy Star Online," except simpler, a lot rougher, and yet plenty more convoluted. [Sept 2005, p.80]

Quality standards may have been different a year or two ago, but as a "new release" today, Yager ultimately crashes and burns as a poor "Crimson Skies" imitator. [Nov 2004, p.74]

With better graphics and better (read: more fun) controls, Crash 'n Burn could be a standout racer. [Holiday 2004, p.87]

The FIFA Street series has enough interesting ideas to sustain a fully realized, sports remix, but after three lackluster entries, it desperately needs to work on its finishing technique. [Mar 2008, p.92]

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

By virtue of Season Two's weak core collection of mini-games, Basketball slots in as the second-best sport on-hand (after golf). And this DLC's 10 Basketball-themed Achievements are some of the easiest 250 Gamerscore you'll ever earn.

Both Cave fans and challenge hounds will bask in Nin2-Jump's oft-arduous tests. All others, proceed with caution. [July 2011, p.75]

As a free Flash game, Bliss Island would be mildly entertaining, but in light of Live Arcade's more engaging offerings, it just doesn't cut it here. [June 2008, p.81]

The Fancy Pants biggest problem, though, is that it's just plain dull. [July 2011, p.77]

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

It's not terrible, but not even the ability to make Grylls drink urine or hollow out a camel for shelter are enough to make it compelling. [July 2011, p.77]

While a few arcade ronin might still hold on to the old ways, most will find this Samurai is an obsolete relic. [Feb 2006, p.82]

Sadly, significant omissions derail this misguided offering, making it fairly unfulfilling. [July 2011, p.78]