The best addition, though, is undoubtedly the glorious 10-vs.-10 Be A Pro online mode, which lets every participant commit to a single position for the duration.

Traditional baseball-sim junkies will recoil at the ease and simplicity, but kids and casual fans might enjoy stepping up to this plate.

It grows repetitive far too fast, and a few uninspired multiplayer modes do little to extend the fun. [Holiday 2008, p.74]

Coupled with a limited soundtrack(just nine songs, split between J-Pop anthems and corny keyboard jams)and uninteresting original characters, Beat'n simply feels like a half-hearted attempt to introduce an old game to a new audience. [Holiday 2008, p.83]

With the power to shift the very earth beneath your feet, Fracture could have reshaped the action genre. But repetitive missions and a barren plot leave only the multiplayer to shake this shooter loose from the rest.

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

But ultimately, there's very little about Mind Over Mutant that makes it worth your $50 or the four hours it takes to complete. [Holiday 2008, p.67]

Realistic animations anchor that gameplay. When LeBron drives the lane and fades away for a jumper in the paint, or when Tony Parker stumbles around a pick, every elbow, jersey, and sweatband organically articulates their momentum.

Like the New Orleans Hornets of the videogame world. It performs surprisingly well this season, and with a little more experience next year, it could be a title contender. [Nov 2008, p.70]

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.

From its quirky mechanical enemies to its strident strains of deliciously lo-fi music, this run-and-gun platformer honors the 8-bit era.

From its leaden, cheap-shots-aplenty combat to its wild-goose chase through gray, same-y hallways filled with useless, placebo doorways to a story that takes much too long to get off the ground, its entire first half feels like a death march through a clunky hot mess. [Nov 2008, p.73]

Greatness. The one-liners and parodies are still funny, the level design is outstanding. [Nov 2008, p.64]

The successes massively outweight the mistakes here - which, strangely enough, is exactly how we'd describe Matt Baker, the game's troubled hero. [Nov 2008, p.62]

Gameplay depth comes from mastering the basic skills..., but none of this is overcomplicated: Pure delivers that prized "pick up and play" experience with several shots of adrenaline. [Oct 2008, p.72]

Koei fanatics might be satisfied, but everyone else will be as disappointed as ever. [Nov 2008, p.76]

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

This new Cabela's entry is more like "Most Boringest Wanders," thanks to a shoddy objective marker that either randomnly disappears or leads you in circles. [Holiday 2008, p.74]

The refined physics mesh with the superbly slick controls to create and authentically challenging racing experience, chock full of wicked-fast wheeling. [Nov 2008, p.61]

Super-addictive twitchfest with a terrific theme. [Sept 2008, p.74]

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]

With its non-branching storyline and no multiplayer, Force Unleashed is certainly less ambitious than the classic "Jedi Knight" games - and ultimately, its design makes it feel more videogame-y and less of an all-engrossing Star Wars experience than Xbox entries like "Jedi Knight II" or "Jedi Academy." But when the game is on, it's on. [Oct 2008, p.70]

Unless you're a major mech fiend, you'll lose interest within a few hours. [Dec 2008, p.87]

Battle Fantasia may be a niche game for a specific audience, but otaku will live happily ever after.

At its worst, Rock Band 2 feels like a massive expansion pack that fills in the gaps from the original game. At its best, it’s a rewarding and refined excuse to pick up your fake career where you left off — laughing and rocking with friends near and far for a group thrill that few other games can deliver.

Soundtrack worthy of a Danny Ocean and Tarantino showdown. [Feb 2008, p.80]

But with a core game that stands strong, and Live matchups that are fairly smooth, Samurai Shodown II remains an enjoyable beatdown for fighting fans. [Dec 2008, p.93]

A fascinating diversion you could spend the rest of your life pursuing, but this presentation of it is disappointingly short on frills.