As a pure adventure game, Situation: Comedy can be fretfully easy, but I appreciate that Telltale has tried to implement some kind of showcase moment into each episode. [Mar 2007, p.66]

The main problem I have with this sports sim is the wild inaccuracies I found in its generated stats. [Apr 2007, p.49]

While Rainbow Six veterans will surely miss the familiar pre-planning elements of the hallowed franchise, most of the changes made for Vegas successfully ramp up its intensity, and more importantly, its fun. [Mar 2007, p.60]

I had high hopes that Legacy would be the game that rejuvenates the dormant Star Trek franchise, but it's just another addition to my pile of disappointing Trek games. [Mar 2007, p.58]

More LOTR action is always welcome, be aware that Rise doesn't add a whole lot on. [Feb. 2007, p.67]

There are a handful of intriguing puzzles, but with its sumptuous atmosphere and superb voice acting--slightly stylized and exaggerated to pump up the melodrama--Murder succeeds less as a classic adventure game than as a splendidly illustrated piece of interactive fiction; in this case, a subtle but important distinction. [Mar 2007, p.65]

But even with so much free material competing for the attention of Oblivion fans, Knights of the Nine offers a compelling package of polished content. [Mar 2007, p.64]

It's amazing what you can do with quick reactions and a restart button. [Sept 2007, p.56]

Only terrible AI, Starforce copy protection, and a semi-rare game-crashing bug ruin Heroes' otherwise enjoyable gameplay. [Mar 2007, p.66]

As it stands, it's an almost-there game that you can't stop playing in the hope that it eventually gets better. It doesn't, but that might change if developer Koios Works goes back to the drawing board in a few areas. [Nov. 2006, p.76]

Despite these issues, the game mechanics and Warhammer atmosphere make Mark of Chaos a must for fans of tactical wargaming, and unlike the tabletop game, it doesn't cost a fortune. [Jan. 2007, p.78]

Despite these small issues, BIONICLE Heroes is a successful extension of the buildable toy line that delivers an enjoyable gaming experience for kids of all ages. [Feb. 2007, p.76]

A good RPG provides players with the opportunity to role-play characters of their choosing through an experience that's ultimately personalized by their decisions. Judged on that basis, this game delivers in spades. [Feb. 2007, p.60]

But if you aren't a "Heroes" diehard, you probably don't need Hammers of Fate. [Feb. 2007, p.64]

A bigger, prettier, and more addictive game that leaves even the series' most recent efforts in the dust...If you think "Rome: Total War's" battles looked good, especially for the number of units on-screen at once (i.e., thousands), Medieval II will blow you away. [Dec 2006, p.28]

Before its release, someone should've poured a big bottle of polish on D.I.R.T.--it needed the clean-up. [Jan. 2007, p.66]

A tightly written story with multiple endings and difficult choices would make this the best "Splinter Cell" game to date...if it had been released in a finished state. [Feb. 2007, p.62]

The moral of the story is, if you're looking for a half-decent real-time strategy game, skip Left Behind. [Feb. 2007, p.66]

While not quite a work of staggering genius, and a bit laborious in parts, the brazenly intricate 1701 A.D. handily sails into position as the best empire-builder of 2006. [Feb. 2007, p.67]

Those errors and omissions not withstanding, Snoopy vs. The Red Baron still does the Peanuts legacy proud with its engaging characters and compelling pick-up-and-play simplicity. [Jan. 2007, p.66]

It's less polished than the original, but it's a more epic D&D adventure. [Holiday 2006, p.90]

These niggles aside, Need For Speed Carbon delivers an entertaining blend of racing, performance tuning, and professionally acted FMV storytelling. [Feb. 2007, p.64]

Tunguska's lush, atmospheric background art and slick FMV cut-scenes add measurable value to the experience, but its terrible English voice dubbing--Nina sounds like a teenage Nancy Drew--and the puerile(and occasionally sexist)dialog are often excruciating. [Feb. 2007, p.70]

Nightfall is easily the best of three Guild Wars products and has set a very high bar for the next chapter. [Jan. 2007, p.76]

With about 5 more updates, PSU might be capable of holding one's attention. [Feb. 2007, p.72]

But it's the game's many bugs and glitches, not mere repetition, which sap Dark Messiah's might and magic. [Feb. 2007, p.77]

Sadly, developer Volatile misses the mark. [Jan. 2007, p.63]

Ultimate Alliance does have its vulnerable spots--such as a camera that occasionally obscures the action--but its strengths are many and, dare I say it, marvelous. [Jan. 2007, p.72]

EoW fans should pick up this expansion for its space battles and new multiplayer units, but the campaign is forgettable. [Jan. 2007, p.83]

Another dose of F.E.A.R. is always welcome, but this story goes nowhere. [Holiday 2006, p.56]

This entry, however, is hardly legendary. [Jan. 2007, p.76]

For the price, though, it's bloody fun. [Feb. 2007, p.72]

The joy of Culture Shock is clicking on anything and everything that's interactive and listening to the characters riff on it in philosophical brain-gasms. [Holiday 2006, p.112]

Not a mind-blowing leap above "Battlefield 2," but worth a return to the trenches. [Holiday 2006, p.58]

Whether you're an old-timer who wants to revisit the past or a noob looking for an accessible economic sim with a great theme, Railroads! should be on your shopping list. [Jan. 2007, p.62]

There's nothing in its new content that can be considered absolutely essential. [Holiday 2006, p.76]

Overall, however, pet lovers and fans of The Sims 2 will find this expansion disc more fun than licking yourself silly--and believe me, it doesn't get much better than that. [Jan. 2007, p.74]

A CPU- and GPU-draining masterpiece that's about a year ahead of its time. [Holiday 2006, p.110]

From tech tree, combat, and diplomacy cock-ups to bugged multiplayer and ongoing game crashes, a journey with Space Empires V is as frustrating as it is deep. [Feb. 2007, p.76]

With inexplicable control schemes, and unhelpful camera, irritating bugs, and mangy-looking textures, there's nothing remarkable about the sloppy job Capcom did porting the budget-priced action-adventure from the Playstation 2. [May 2007, p.70]

Lifestyle simming is engaging for a little while, but its sluggish pacing and repetitive tasks do irreparable damage to the game's fun quotient. [Jan. 2007, p.78]

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

Much thought has obviously gone into the mechanics of translating the film into an interactive experience. [Jan. 2007, p.64]

A cleverly designed tongue-in-cheek conversion of the show for the main-stream-friendly price tag of $19.99. [Holiday 2006, p.112]

Merge the complexity of a real-time navel strategy game with the hand-on-joystick appeal of an arcade flight simulator and you get Pacific Storm, an ambitious but buggy new RTS title from Russian developer Lesta Studio. [Jan. 2007, p.74]

No-frills tedium. [Holiday 2006, p.88]

With improved AI, reworked story and dialogue, and less restrictive level design, this game could've been stellar. [Jan. 2007, p.71]

A gorgeous and uncompromisingly realistic racing sim that anyone can drive. [Holiday 2006, p.108]

Defcon is delightfully fun in its simplicity and payoff, so don't expect incredibly deep strategy. [Dec. 2006, p.78]

If you want great depth and bang for your buck, you can't go wrong with Dominions 3. [Feb. 2007, p.66]

But it's wealth of diverse missions--which includes assassinations, routing drug dealers and arms dealers, and liberating villages--will give you good cause to hope that unrest continues to flourish around the world. [Dec. 2006, p.52]

A "Jurassic Park" spin on an otherwise old-school RTS. [Holiday 2006, p.70]

Tedium, interrupted by frustration. [Holiday 2006, p.86]

Tilted Mill has given us more of an ancient relic than anything new and compelling. [Jan. 2007, p.82]

If 20 bucks is burning a hole in your pocket, spend it on "Need For Speed: Most Wanted" instead. You'll thank me later. [Dec. 2006, p.122]

Still, if EA Sports wants to release yearly updates to its sports games, that's all well and good, but it had better make sure the new versions are worth the "new release" price or more gamers will wise up and just pick up an older model at a fraction of the cost. [Dec. 2006, p.126]

And while NHLEHM 2007 doesn't look much different than NHLEHM 2005...it's still a fantastic game, and the best in its genre. [Feb. 2007, p.77]

Despite its token connection to the recent CGI-enhanced MGM movie, Flyboys isn't a standalone aerial shooter so much as a repackaging of iENT's subscription-based Warbirds/Dawn of Aces online combat-flight-sim service. [Apr 2007, p.52]

The zones look fantastic - SOE's art department deserves serious kudos for what it's done with the aging engine - but with so many unusued zones in EverQuest as it is, do we really need more? [Holiday 2006, p.88]

Company of Heroes should be on the must-play list of every RTS fanatic out there, even those tired of WWII settings. It's just that good. [Oct. 2006, p.70]

If I'm ever drafted for another tour of duty like this, I'm gonna shoot myself in the foot. [Holiday 2006, p.78]

Though eclipsed by "Company of Heroes," JTF is a tough but attractive military RTS. [Holiday 2006, p.74]

I had such a good time blasting away at Stormtroopers and piloting speeder bikes through the forest of Endor that I almost forgot about my own fiery death. [Dec. 2006, p.124]

I can't recommend NHL 07 to anyone who owns NHL 2001 or later. [Dec. 2006, p.126]

But in spite of its repetitive gameplay, Age of Pirates offers Akella's most polished pirating excursion yet, and its introduction of a multiplayer mode, which allows you and up to 15 of your mateys to duke it out on the high seas, adds even more value to a solid sandbox game. [Dec. 2006, p.98]

This is a Red Alert on the Bad Game Threat Advisory meter, a third-rate ripoff of "Postal" so tasteless that I wanted to scrub myself with Lysol after getting up from the computer. [Dec. 2006, p.56]

Whatever you do, don't waste your time or hard-earned dough with BYSB2007. [Jan. 2007, p.83]

Another beef: no tutorial levels, which would have been a good idea, given the cryptic story. [Holiday 2006, p.78]

The PC version lacks multiplayer, which is disappointing, and its low-res visuals are console-tastic. [Oct. 2006, p.108]

Great graphics and addictive gameplay turn this worm into a butterfly. [Dec. 2006, p.122]

Beautifully detailed and atmospheric environments. [Holiday 2006, p.114]

Though visually attractive, it's still hampered by graphical glitches that have plagued the series over the last several years. My biggest gripe, though, is that this year's edition still doesn't get the number of penalaties correct. [Dec. 2006, p.120]

If you approach Ship Simulator as educational software(albeit flawed)rather than a game, then there's definite value on tap. Those too cool for school, however, will likely want to give it a wide berth. [Dec. 2006, p.128]

This tank shoot-em-up has a lot of energy, but it's simplistic gameplay wears out its welcome quicker than members of a Hitler Youth group at a Bar Mitzvah. [Dec,. 2006, p.56]

While Sword of the Stars doesn't possess the battlefield variety of the "Homeworld" games that inspired it, it remains an ambitious and engrossing strategy triumph. [Nov. 2006, p.78]

Though not the game "Freelancer" fans have been waiting for, space-adventurers will still find plenty of targets to blow up here. And we'll take what we can get. [Oct. 2006, p.105]

Broken Worlds doesn't offer enough new gameplay to interest anyone other than the most dedicated "Dungeon Siege" fans, and its once-innovative engine now feels clunky and no longer looks impressive. [Nov. 2006, p.98]

Safecracker strips away all the narrative hoo-hah of traditional adventure games and tosses you into a labyrinth of mind-benders that range from simple sliding puzzles(requiring extreme patience)to code-breakers that throw you with unexpected twists. [Nov. 2006, p.120]

Although not as flashy or well-funded as EA's "Need For Speed" series, Flatout 2 blazes a unique trail through the arcade racing world--one collision at a time. [Nov. 2006, p.118]

Developer Dartmoor Studios seemingly cranked this one out for the sole purpose of filling the space between "Airport Tycoon" and "Coffee Tycoon" on the budget game shelf at Wal-Mart. [Nov. 2006, p.76]

If the miserable gameplay doesn't turn you off, the underwhelming visuals will do the trick. [Nov. 2006, p.60]

If you're sick of beating swords into ploughshares in plain-Jane Civ IV campaigns, Warlords is the cure. [Oct. 2006, p.72]

The simple gameplay will amuse rugrats enamored with the animated flick, but the game's bully-ish StarForce protection and constant sound hiccups mire the experience. [Nov. 2006, p.120]

For $19.99, Warpath is a good deal--in quantity, if not quality. [Jun 2006, p.50]

Unintuitive controls make this game a little mangy, but kids will get a kick out off treating over 100 animal ailments. [Dec. 2006, p.122]

I was able to breeze through Prey in around nine hours--probably because of how easy it is to resurrect yourself after death--making it a short but very sweet game. And definitely worth the wait. [Sep 2006, p.43]

A smart and sassy point 'n' click adventure that treats its youthful audience with respect. [Holiday 2006, p.114]

The Ship is the shooter Agatha Christie didn't live long enough to make. [Sept 2007, p.65]

The Wings of Power add-ons exist to place PC pilots in the cockpits of the world's most storied warplanes, and they do so with style and panache. [Nov. 2006, p.118]

Though Terra Wars: NY Invasion is destined for the bargain bin(priced at $19.99, it's actually probably already there), playing through its approximately seven hours of gameplay will at least satiate your natural instinct to kill aliens--but not much else. [Oct. 2006, p.58]

With its simplistic and repetitive gameplay, Glory of the Roman Empire neglected my needs as a hardcore strategy gamer. [Oct. 2006, p.71]

Though dubbed "The Thinking Person's Fighting Game" by its creators, Wrestling Spirit II may at first inspire you to bang your head against a wall rather than think with it--this wrestling sim's early game can be uninteresting and repetitive. [Nov. 2006, p.120]

LOJS is such an unapologetic console port that the enclosed instructions on keyboard commands elicit more of a sense of amusement--how sweet of them to pretend this is useful!--than education. [Nov. 2006, p.116]

BFE is a worthwhile sim for those jonesing for military conflicts in the age before the bullet. [Oct. 2006, p.75]

MM4 is what a game about toy cars shouldn't be--boring. [Oct. 2006, p.108]

Its gameplay isn't imaginative or original, but if you're looking for a quick fix of destructiveness, Apocalypse gets the job done. [Oct. 2006, p.108]

Titan Quest doesn't do much more than "Diablo II" did to innovate in the action RPG space, but it's still a hell of a good time. [Sep 2006, p.70]

Unfortunately, despite offering an eclectic mix of turn-based strategy and RPG elements, the Night Watch game is a clunky mess. [Oct. 2006, p.88]