Mass Effect deserves a spot on your shelf next to the rest of the PC's great RPGs. [Aug 2008, p.58]

But it seems that developer Frogwares spent more time attending to the genre's flaws than crafting an engaging adventure game. [Sept 2008, p.72]

Fans of Penny Arcade will get a good laugh out of playing alongside Gabe and Tycho, but the game is a little more than interactive comic strip fun. [July 2008, p.82]

It's not quite there yet, but since it did launch with a substantial load of content, it will keep 95 percent of players busy for at least a few months. [Sept 2008, p.64]

Shame on you SEGA, for disrespecting fans with this sad excuse for an action game. [Aug 2008, p.65]

GWN: Sparta offers little desides gameplay as ancient as the Spartans themselves, and should probably fall on its sword. [Aug 2008, p.72]

Old school still rules. [Aug 2008, p.67]

Turok is a shooter that never comes close to fulfilling its potential. [Aug 2008, p.68]

Also disturbing is how readily the game plays itself, with little to no input necessary from the player. [July 2008, p.64]

A fine extension to the original story, but its lack of tactical depth gets tiresome. [July 2008, p.54]

Both Holmes and Lupin deserve better than this middling. [Aug 2008, p.71]

Though not quite as genre-pushing as "Chariots" is, Beelzebub masterfully ties up every single loose end left dangling in the first and second seasons. [July 2008, p.69]

But the eye candy is really secondary to its amazing action. [June 2008, p.86]

Unless you're jonesing for an adventure game fix, your time's better spent rearranging your Netflix queue. [Aug 2008, p.72]

This Cleopatra is no legendary beauty, but it is an adventure that will appeal to genre fans. [Sept 2008, p.69]

A sophomore effort that should have been held back a grade. [July 2008, p.66]

Whatever charm the campy dialogue provides wears off after about 10 minutes, leaving you with a game that suffers from obstructive camera angles, tedious gameplay, and uninspired combat. [July 2008, p.70]

These design flaws--along with some pedestrian puzzles and those aforementioned protagonist miscues--ultimately turn Belief & Betrayal into a servicable but largely forgettable European church tour. [Oct 2008, p.70]

With a huge load of content comes unforgiving difficulty and complexity. Challge seekers inquire within. [July 2008, p.58]

If you've been following Sam and Max's adventures, your life won't be complete until you play this episode. [June 2008, p.76]

On top of the mediocre graphics, translation bloopers, and occasional crashes, these flaws will greatly hasten XIII's fade into history. [Oct 2008, p.70]

Overly simplified combat. [July 2008, p.60]

I wouldn't necessarily recommend Soulstorm for players new to the series, as mastering the interactions between nine different races is a serious endeavor, but you're getting a lot of game for $40. [May 2008, p.62]

Be forewarned though: Once you launch Arctic Stud Poker Run, it can become every bit as addictive as real poker. [May 2008, p.64]

Between the scares, your interactions with living characters are hampered by poor voice acting, an inability to skip conversations, and constant dialogue sync issues. [June 2008, p.71]

Mabinogi offers a lot of engaging play for a free game, but you'll quickly wish that its "free" price tag included WASD controls. [Aug 2008, p.74]

Rhem 3 doesn't reinvent the graphic adventure genre "Myst" pioneered in the 1990's--it downgrades it, if anything--but it does make the argument that sheer quantity can sometimes trump visual quality. [June 2008, p.72]

But, even if it were more stable, lackluster controls, awkward camera angles, and a too brief story would still make Via Domus a game fit for fanatical completionists only. [June 2008, p.77]

This isn't a bad console port--it's a bad game, period. [June 2008, p.74]

Frontlines genuinely feels like a game made by Battlefield fanatics for other fans. [May 2008, p.54]

Mindblowingly generic. [Nov 2006, p.86]

The Club is a good diversion, but it lacks the depth to keep the gameplay interesting beyond a few hours. [June 2008, p.70]

Audiosurf is about experiencing music with more than your ears. [June 2008, p.75]

Black Plague actually made me scream aloud in fright at one point. Even horror movies don't have that effect on my anymore. [July 2008, p.68]

Cringeworthy voice acting. [July 2008, p.60]

Night of the Raving Dead lacks a truly memorable, show-stopping sequence to really put it over the top, but it's Grade-Z(for zombie and zany)through and through. [May 2008, p.66]

With a dearth of co-op shooters, Conflict is a passable alternative to the lonely job of saving the world. [Apr 2008, p.71]

Still, if you can get beyond the cluttered interface and the tedium of reading so much text, ardent adventure fans might find the clever concept worth checking out. [June 2008, p.75]

Sins of a Solar Empire bucks the current RTS trends of break-neck speed and small-scale battles, and allows strategy gamers to think big and control an entire war in real time. [Apr 2008, p.58]

If you're tired of cold weather, Castaway Stories could be just the thing to warm you up. [May 2008, p.61]

Toss in some dated graphics, a clunky arcade flight component, and some carryover stability issues, and Pacific Storm: Allies just barely keeps itself afloat. [June 2008, p.72]

Even if you're not the seafaring type, Pirates of the Burning Sea offers genuinely enjoyable core gameplay that, despite a steep learning curve and a few rough spots, will capitivate even the driest of landlubbers. [May 2008, p.60]

Rail Simulator only offers a handful of structured scenarios in its four routes, and once these are complete, there's little else to do but muck around the sandbox mode or develop your own routes and content. [May 2008, p.58]

If you can get past the steep learning curve, Savage 2 can be a lot of fun, whether you want to hack and slash or work with teammates on coordinating tactics. [May 2008, p.68]

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]

It's far from perfect, but Universe of War accomplishes what few RTS games have dared to attempt--introducing three sides that have completely unique gameplay experiences. [Jan 2008, p.76]

You're better off buying DVD's of History Channel shows. [May 2008, p.59]

While not an objectionable gaming experience, it's not something you should go out of your way to try, either. [Feb 2008, p.70]

Your current life is too short to waste on this next one. [Mar 2008, p.77]

Those of you still playing UT2K4 won't find many core gameplay changes in UT3; the advancces here are primarily aesthetic. [Feb 2008, p.66]

Sega Rally Revo kicks up some of the best mud in the genre. [Jan 2008, p.74]

Still, Survivor's variety of characters, aliens, and weapons deliver enough diversity to keep you entertained, especially for a game that will set you back a mere $20. [Apr 2008, p.70]

Payback is a disservice to the Soldier of Fortune franchise, and in no way captures the exciting action of its pedigree. [Feb 2008, p.86]

Destined to be a classic, Crysis is a creative and technological marvel that eclipses every other shooter released this year. [Holiday 2007, p.60]

ProStreet delivers a deeply enjoyable ride, but it would have been considerably more rewarding without the restrained(and ultimately compromised)physics. [Feb 2008, p.74]

Out of the box, the game falls disappointingly short of its promise--there's plenty of content here, but not nearly enough challenging ways for gamers to use it. [Feb 2008, p.80]

Instead of spending $50 on Beowulf the game, read the poem instead; this game isn't epic, it's just epically tedious. [Feb 2008, p.74]

Guitar Hero III's shortcomings feel like the unfortunate consequence of being a hastily made port. [Jan 2008, p.86]

If BlackSite were merely bland, it might be a good time waster, but it has a large helping of technical issues, too. [Feb 2008, p.76]

Like a movie you'd only watch when your PC's fried and the cable's out, Fantasy Wars may satisfy a turn-based strategy fix when the well runs dry. [Mar 2008, p.78]

These concerns aside, Clockstone Software has crafted a magically entertaining spell-casting experience--and an unexpectedly decent game. [Apr 2008, p.67]

Aside from a somewhat anticlimactic ending, Santa ranks as one of the series' best and sharpest-written episodes. [Feb 2008, p.86]

EEIII aims high, but falls victime to over-ambition--there's a lot going on here, but not enough of it has been effectively refined into an entertaining gaming experience. [Jan 2008, p.84]

For SupCom owners, Forged Alliance is a must-have expansion. [Holiday 2007, p.70]

Still, Gears of War is a fantastic action game worthy of your time if you've never played the Xbox 360 version. [Jan 2008, p.72]

This lack of innovation is disheartening. [Feb 2008, p.72]

Crashes booted me to the desktop a dozen times. And a save corruption resulted in the loss of a level-17 garden and my last shred of patience. [Feb 2008, p.83]

Darkness Within oversells its Lovecraftian theme because there's just way too much reading and not enough adventuring to keep our interest up. [Mar 2008, p.81]

Call of Duty 4 is an exciting shooter package that represents the best of last-generation gameplay. [Jan 2008, p.70]

If you can look past its graphic belmishes and gratuitously protracted conversation pieces, however, Culpa Innanta is a solid point-and-click adventure game with significant depth and replay value. [Feb 2008, p.85]

Pirates of the Caribbean Online is only good for those who want to feel tangentially connected to the movies. [Feb 2008, p.82]

It doesn't redefine the action RPG, but in a genre laden with derivative games, Hellgate is a refreshing concoction that's likely to have enduring appeal. [Dec 2007, p.48]

With its fast-paced combat, Tabbula Rasa offers a fantastic change from the usual elvish offerings in the MMO landscape. However, its lack of community-building tools and single-path progression may hinder its long-term appeal. [Feb 2008, p.78]

The Witcher is a fantastic RPG, and an amazing achievement for first-time Polish developer CD Projekt. [Jan 2008, p.82]

As far as cool new shooter innovations go, playing with time ranks up their with portal guns. It just hasn't quite reached its full potential. [Jan 2008, p.78]

As a PC gamer, I'm frustrated the PC, the most powerful gaming platform, is stuck getting sloppy seconds. [Feb 2008, p.81]

As a one-stop shop for an entire chess-playing and learning family, this package should last until you're all grand masters. [Apr 2008, p.64]

Stick with GTA for your gangsta fix. [Mar 2008, p.80]

Considering its budget pedigree, Overdose's $39.99 price tag may seem a bit steep. But for fans of mindless fun, it's worth every penny. [Jan 2008, p.88]

The end result is just to routine to be scary. [Holiday 2007, p.84]

My advice? Forget about this accursed game and play "Diablo II", "Dungeon Siege II", or "Titan Quest" again. [Apr 2007, p.68]

Expect many sessions of "just one more click/match/deal". [Apr 2008, p.64]

Flight Simulation X: Acceleration is the company's first official expansion pack for its Flight Simulation franchise since 1990, and the $29.99 release adds a trio of new aircraft, dozens of new missions, and a long awaited DX10 graphics upgrade to the best-selling flight simulator. [Jan 2008, p.85]

Developer dream teams should get together more often. AoE III may be an elder statesman in the RTS world these days, but BHG has dipped the game in the fountain of youth with this revitalizing add-on. [Jan 2008, p.80]

This phlegmatic Poirot caper will likely appeal to hardcore adventure game and Agatha Christie fans, but for the rest of us, Evil Under the Sun is all talk and no action. [Jan 2008, p.80]

Death to Spie's dry technical approach isn't for everybody, but its 10 challenging missions will still put sweat on your brow and a pounding pulse in your ears for under $30. [Jan 2008, p.90]

When you realize, after a while, that all there is to Fury is to either fight or not fight, you may just decide to take your ball and go home. [Jan 2008, p.90]

Dated graphics, poor AI, buggy gameplay, cumbersome controls, and uninspired design choices make playing Conquest an exasperating experience. [July 2008, p.64]

Rome seems rushed and poorly realized. [Apr 2008, p.70]

Leave it to Valve to deliver the goods on such an ambitious game package...The Orange Box is one of the finest compilations of gaming content ever produced. [Nov 2007, p.58]

Mask is much more polished than NWN2's initial release, and while there are still a few loading and scripting bugs, they shouldn't deter you from enjoying this classic D&D adventure. [Holiday 2007, p.78]

Race 07 may not reinvent the genre, but for $29.99, you won't find a better new PC racing option this year. [Holiday 2007, p.74]

Thrillville is family friendly enough for younger gamers, but has enough creative content to entertain your inner child. [Mar 2008, p.72]

This is a game perfectly suited for the tournament scene, where players are being tested for tactics and teamwork and care less about immersion. [Holiday 2007, p.76]

The Chosen is single-player only, which is probably for the best--you'd be hard-pressed to find many other people playing it. [Mar 2008, p.74]

The game is only entertaining with all the help systems (of which there are many) disabled, so that you're forced to decide which tools should be used on which splatters and spatters. [Jan 2008, p.74]

There's simply too little to do. As a result, there's not much of a challenge to be had--at least any intentional challenge that is. [Holiday 2007, p.72]

I cannot recommend the Company of Heroes series enough, and if you haven't tried it yet, Opposing Fronts is a perfect opportunity to join up for a tour. [Holiday 2007, p.86]