There's a category of games I think of as Saturday morning cartoon games. They lack depth, but they are fluffy and easy to enjoy. As I look back on some screenshots as Pippin laser blasts a poor marauder into a pile of dust, I realise that's what The Outer Worlds is to me. If you meet it on those terms, I think you'll enjoy it.

Slick and generous, Magic: The Gathering Arena is finally the adaptation the CCG originator deserves.

Action hounds need not apply, but it you're into strategy, there's a lot to like here. [Oct 2000, p.132]

Structural innovations and strong presentation, held back by grind and an old-fashioned business model.

Heaps of fun and plenty chaotic, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is the closest we've ever gotten to Mario Kart on PC… for better and worse.

A game that proves there's plenty of blood left in this genre. [Sept 2000, p.112]

Octahedron gets more mileage than you'd think out of the ability to summon platforms beneath your feet.

I'm not a big fan of the game's pacing, either. Kohan II can be agonizingly slow in the beginning, which on the one hand is nice because it discourages rushing, but on the other hand...well, it's boring. [Nov 2004, p.104]

Sit through seemingly countless deaths, and you'll either break through the system, and master the stats--or bounce off the game and never go back. [Sept 2012, p.71]

A slow-burning but compelling universe in which to indulge your trading, mining and mercenary fantasies. [Sept 2012, p.74]

It also takes tremendous patience to grow your commercial space empire to a healthy payoff stage, but for many, that's part of this franchise's allure. [Feb 2006, p.90]

A joyful mix of stealth and action, the fun doesn't snag on the rough edges.

I would have zero reserverations recommending Dark Crusasde if it wasn't so unbalanced in favor of the Necrons. [Holiday 2006, p.76]

Some of the best boss fights in the genre's recent history, riddled with difficulty spikes in all the wrong places.

The killing-lots-of-zombies genre is overcrowded, but Dead Rising 3 is one of the best, with a lovable dedication to fun, and some of the most inventive, hilarious weapons on PC.

Sea of Stars may not truly recapture the magic of '90s RPGs, but it's still a polished, enjoyable blend of old and new.

A satisfying, moreish take on the roguelike formula, and one that's most likely to appeal to genre naysayers.

When the smoke clears, you're left with a great feeling of satisfaction at having beaten such vicious single-player AI. [Feb 2004, p.66]

A bit on the shallow side, but it's the only D&D RTS game in town. [Dec 2005, p.80]

Yes, it's formulaic - creep forward, trigger an onslaught of attackers, circle-strafe, save, flip a switch, and repeat - but the gameplay captivates in short bursts due mainly to inventive level design. [Sept 2003, p.86]

Smart co-op shooting slightly undermined by poor stealth mechanics and dogged insistence on withholding the best toys.

Look past the murky aesthetic and clunky combat: this is an exciting fusion of immersive sim and CRPG.

While the critical control element isn't as slick as it could've been, it packs one hell of a visual bang, and it can cough up some pretty addictive gameplay. [Dec 2002, p.104]

These are decent enough remasters, but not the outstanding ones these RPGs deserved.

Tense and involving, if just slightly lacking smarts and spectacle. A firm foundation to build a series on.

Despite its minor flaws, RE successfully combines the excitement of the restaurant biz with the deep number-crunching of a dedicated business sim. [July 2003, p.81]

A leaner, smarter take on Magicka’s fascinating combat system, Magicka 2 is the co-op adventure you’ve been waiting for.

A clear and distinct spin on 4-player co-op FPS with atmosphere, ingenuity… and real navigational problems.

Once more with feeling: this is a fine if familiar base game with great creative tools.

Though Ahriman's Gift is far superior to the original Kohan, it still feels like the same experience. [Apr 2002, p.71]

Good, reliable fun that favors atmosphere over innovation. [Dec 2002, p.92]

A very decent Far Cry game, but its handful of genuinely fun, original ideas are overshadowed by an overriding feeling of familiarity.

What this shooter lacks in depth, it makes up for in fun factor. [Holiday 2003, p.114]

My main complaint is that there isn't enough of it—clever puzzles, shooting, and platforming have zero fat, and make its four hours fly by.

A lifelike and heartfelt celebration of a beloved toy that overreaches in later levels.

Real-life roster or no, the AI is ruthless about trades, always demanding a pound of flesh for any desired player, and the off-season progression is especially well-modeled, with realistically unpredictable swings in the fortunes of your farm-league prospects. [Nov 2004, p.90]

A bizarre, confronting and darkly funny descent into hell, Indika takes a lot of risks and mostly sticks the landing.

Its resplendent scenery, changeable weather, and exquisite lighting and particle effects are absolutely mesmerizing. [Holiday 2004, p.104]

Bat-brawling shows wear, and Batman's a charisma void, but the freedom and depth of the open world are mesmerising. [Feb 2012, p.62]

Not a sexy action shooter, but an intricate, richly detailed game of serious turn-based strategy. But hex-heads and "MechWarrior" aficionados will find lots here to suck them in. [Nov 2003, p.122]

While the concept is anything but original, the game is polished and enjoyable. [Holiday 2002, p.114]

A strange, intangible experience, with style that transcends its own rubbishness.

Bloodroots is a brutally good slasher that often outstays its own welcome.

A deep, and potentially rewarding alternative to Hearthstone that suffers from underwhelming art design and desperately needs an injection of players to grow the scene.

A solid improvement over the original, though still not up to the standards of prior classics. [Jan 2001, p.137]

Fast, fluid and fun first-person platforming tied together with a warm narrative. Pace slows near the end, though.

Cloudbuilt’s platforming-as-time-trial-racing premise puts Sonic to shame, but its visual design detracts rather than supports it.

Me like game. Me like unlocked mini-challenges, movie trailers, and other extras. It only $29.99. The Hulk is strongest one there is. [Aug 2003, p.63]

If you're looking for something new, you're certainly not going to find it in The Phantom X. But if you're cool with gacha games and are down to see a different set of Phantom Thieves, this game'll carry you through at least a few months of fun. Budget-friendliness depends on you, of course.

An energy infused concoction of style, action, and music that will give you one heck of a musical hangover.

Take an indie platformer like VVVVVV or Downwell and up the ultraviolence, that's Shotgun Cop Man.

Busy friends list but short of local pals? This safe but solid sequel was made for you.

Waiting tables is reduced to repetitive and frenzied clicking in Diner Dash, a $20 restaurant sim that turns simple game-play into an addictive treat. [Apr 2006, p.100]

An incredible trip through a stunning post-apocalyptic world, let down by some uninspiring FPS combat.

A novel perspective on totalitarian surveillance. Orwell may not make you think, but it should keep you entertained.

The best in tis underrated series, but the gameplay hasn't kept pace with the FPS genre. [Feb 2001, p.90]

Disc Room provides hours of high-stress fun for daring adventurers, and a few mysteries to solve.

Shadow Warrior 2’s combat is gleefully expressive and varied, but undermined by tired, dated humor.

It seems that the difficulty in scoring is the developers' way of balancing out the appalling defensive AI. [Feb 2003, p.63]

The imaginative setup is deliciously inspired, yet Moai Better Blues stands as one of the weaker entries in the Sam & Max series. [Apr 2008, p.62]

Moonlighter is a cute and casual revival of an uncommon mashup but doesn’t stick around to push the boundaries.

Old-school Japanese shooting, platforming action reminds us just how fun the simple games of the ‘80s could be.

Even if you have the skill to complete the single-player game, you'll have only scratched the surface of this thorough war simulator. [Aug 2007, p.62]

Any Spidey freak will have a blast, and comics fans will delight in Spider-Man’s right-off-the-page super-powered antics. If you want the PC’s best superhero game, this is it.

Not as tough or as deep as it could be, Omerta is still a destination well worth a visit.

Mask of the Rose's writing and characters shine, but the game underneath them never fully gels together.

Basically a Star Wars mod for "Age of Empires II." That’s pretty cool, though. [Holiday 2001, p.100]

A much-needed and fun refresher for Blizzard’s card battler, although the next card expansion will need to be more sizeable.

Tennis Masters would be much more fun to play, however, if it weren’t for a bunch of annoying niggles. Chief among them is a strangely stuttery style of animation that goes totally against the seamless, fluid feel you’d expect.

It's all a lot to handle for new players. [May 2010, p.65]

Excellent combat and a stunning sense of scale help steer Lost Ark through its more tired MMO conventions.

Easy going in tone but frantic and stressful by nature, Screencheat seizes on a single novel idea and builds an enjoyable couch shooter around it.

Old-school Yakuza for better or worse, but still a good point of entry for newcomers.

An elegantly simple adventure that proves this new genre has legs.

The Paris Hilton of motorcycle racers: rich, pretty, but a little too easy. [Nov 2005, p.72]

Despite a little turbulence, The Falconeer takes you on a memorable ride.

What makes each Conquests scenario so compelling is that it demands a unique strategy. [Feb 2004, p.75]

Destination: Treasure Island may not break any significant new ground, but it nevertheless delivers one of the PC's better adventure-gaming yarns since "Monkey Island".

In the weeks ahead--maybe even by the time you read this--Silent Hunter 4 will likely grow into the sub-sim classic its ambitious designers intended. It's just too bad that the out-of-the-box version narrowly missed the boat. [June 2007, p.64]

If you're an RPG junkie, Beyond Divinity is definitely worth your time and money. Just don't expect to extract any extra gameplay hours out of the random dungeon generator - it's just not going to happen. [July 2004, p.64]

Tomb Raider Remastered is an impressive and authentic update. Too authentic in some places, though.

Worth it for the two vibrant mini-campaigns, but only if you're dying for more KB. It doesn't sex up the formula at all.

Fun, but it lacks depth compared to other PC roleplaying games. [Nov 2005, p.78]

Any repetition is mollified by the fact that you really do have the run of Springfield. [Jan 2004, p.105]

Atomic Heart aims high and, even if it doesn't quite pull it off, is a decent shooter in an exceptionally realised setting.

Rosewater tells an engaging Western story despite a well-worn formula.

If you're maxed out your character, the 10 new levels alone make "Desert of Flames" a must-buy, but newer players should hold off until they hit that wall. [Holiday 2005, p.70]

An accessible strategy game tied to a powerful, dynamic story generator.

Visually drab and a bit too taken with its own story, but otherwise a clever and fun exercise in creative problem-solving.

A quality-made but unsurprising multiplayer FPS that offers refined versions of the current most popular modes and top-tier shooting.

There's a lot to like in this expansion - but it's no replacement for "UO2." [July 2001, p.71]

War Thunder rules the air but the lack of polish hurts, as does the dull ground warfare.

It may be just a pretty face, but damned if Comanche 4 doesn’t have enough hot-looking curves to take your mind off its lack of brains. [Feb 2002, p.70]

It isn't a challenge or an epic, but for an arty game that's worthy of a seat next to Limbo, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet knows how to give you a good time without taking very much of it. [Aug 2012, p.69]

An ambitious and atmospheric adventure undercut by some simplistic mechanics.

Plenty of progress, especially in the areas of graphics and air traffic control, but don't toss aside Microsoft's FSX yet. [Apr 2012, p.69]

A few fouled spark plugs turn a potentially great off-road racer into a good one. [Jan 2001, p.126]

Satisfying, suspenseful multiplayer is more than the sum of its parts, but marred by bugs for now. Ignore the single-player. [Holiday 2011, p.64]