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]

Quarterbacks lead out receivers with passes much more effectively and realistically, and there’s much less of a "pro" feel - mistakes are made that open up holes in coverage for you to exploit.

Adults will blow through Space Chimps in under three hours. [Oct 2008, p.85]

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

Schizoid proudly bills itself as "the most co-op game ever," and it ain't lying. [May 2008, p.74]

Civilization Revolution's sunny presentation and bountiful depth might not be sufficient to draw legions of newcomers to turn-based strategy, but it easily the single greatest example of the genre ever to grace a console. [Aug 2008, p.70]

Poorly conceived controls destroy what otherwise promised to be exciting and challenging. The simplest tasks become monotonous chores as you exhaust your hands in an effort to keep pace with world-record A.I. athletes.

It sometimes feels overwhelming to navigate labyrinthine passageways while directing a team and trying to not get flanked by a flak cannon, but that’s exactly the kind of chaotic depth that helps replay value.

Hail to the Chimp might lack presidential polish, but it still earns an unexpectedly agreeable term in office. [July 2008, p.73]

Soulcalibur still controls like a dream, allowing button-mashers to unleash a flurry of unintentional moves, and even better, rewarding seasoned stratetists with a sophisticated set of beat-downs. [Aug 2008, p.79]

Crucially, the difficulty has been adjusted: whereas GHIII wanted you to bleed, GHA simply expects that you come ready to rock.

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

This three-player scrolling shooter has that old-school, spray-and-slay mojo that your inner rageaholic craves. [July 2008, p.62]

It's nice to feel engrossed by a board game again. [July 2008, p.66]

Diehard fans might forgive, but everyone else should just forget. [Aug 2008, p.75]

No quantity of vamires, werewolves, and undead zombies can salvage its dreadfully tedious gameplay. [July 2008, p.70]

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

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.

It’s the perfect military shooter for Halo and Unreal Tournament players who find the Clancy titles too real to be fun.

All of this boils down to gameplay that is slower-paced, more realistic, and lightyears more satisfying than "Top Spin 2's" or anything with "Virtua" in its name. [June 2008, p.74]

The game's force variations and library of over 50 maps make it a solid online contender, assuming you can forgive the fact that major battles still reduce an otherwise attractive presentation to a slow and unresponsive slideshow.

Ignoring the PC-to-console porting issues, RTS games simply don’t get any bigger, deeper, or more voluminous than this. So if you missed out on the Windows chapter, the Xbox 360 edition of Supreme Commander will keep you maneuvering, battling, and strategizing for weeks.

My 4-year-old said the worst part of the game was "having to turn it off," which probably tells you all you need to know! [July 2008, p.64]

Obliterating futuristic forces and corporate landmarks with upgradable lightning, earthquake, and tornado attacks could've made for some stunning natural fury. But you'd never know it from Elements' main campaign, which spans 90 tepid minutes.

We say, stick to the show. [Sept 2008, p.79]

A formidable--and utterly indefensible--$10. Why, Konami!?! [Sept 2008, p.79]

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.

Even if you’ve never owned a Budweiser jacket, NASCAR 09’s slick physics and engaging new racing options - including some addictive Sprint mini-challenges and absolutely seamless 14-player action on Live - will have you burning donuts in Victory Lane in record time.