The Last Worker's free-flying hovercraft gameplay is inventive, but its most exciting implications are left boxed up.

A relatively tough but mechanically lean sci-fi strategy game.

Thoughtful and packed with units, but it should be more intuitive to play. [Aug 2003, p.66]

The Cave isn't bad, but it is mystifyingly bland for what it sets out to be – and that ends up being worse than a glorious failure. We need more games like this, with this much love on display. With its actual adventure bits lacking the spark of its concept and artistry though, The Cave ends up sending you on an ill-fated trudge through platform purgatory in more ways than one.

<i>Battle of the Gods</i> could have used a touch of divine inspiration. [July 2006, p.67]

Wheelman executes its core mechanics well, but not much else. [June 2009, p.76]

GreedFall's combat, dialogue, and romance are overshadowed by better RPGs, but it's competent enough to recommend with caveats.

Menacing robots, a gorgeous world, and an intriguing premise, but ultimately too minimalist for its own good.

Payday 3 could be one of the slickest co-op shooters around, but it's mired by a grindy progression system and its always-online nature. It needs some time to cook before it's worth digging in.

I'm optimistic about what Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League can become, but let down by what it is now.

All of the money management amounts to nothing, because the ongoing saga of a single-player dynansty is built on a foundation of unrealistic and unsatisfying gameplay. [Holiday 2003, p.97a]

A really good parody. [Nov 2011, p.76]

This game doesn't take itself too seriously (especially the new surprise ending), which is either a credit or a fault depending on how seriously you take the movies. [Feb 2006, p.35]

A solid fighting game mired in its own questionable presentation. Superseded since its console launch.

With its fundamentals unchanged and last year’s foray into classic cars removed, F1 2014 provides very little beyond a perfunctory car and track.

An interesting story with some beautiful scenery, but let down by half-hearted puzzling and some derivative story beats.

We've always been major supporters of this series, but it's time for the developers to inject some new life into it. [July 2004, p.75]

Little Nightmares 3 adds a welcome online cooperative mode and some freshly bizarre environments, but the series' formula is becoming a little staid.

The freedom, and the constant sense that I’d be surprised when I turned the next corner, somewhat smoothed over the frustrations of Death’s Gambit, but it’d be a stretch to say I enjoyed it as a whole. Figuring out the best strategy for each boss fight is satisfying, but actually beating them isn’t fun enough to justify the pain of battling the stingy stamina system. Throwing myself at the same boss 29 times in a row just wasn’t quite worth the hassle.

Great cooking and foraging systems, but not a lot else to keep you busy.

Nails the look, the sound, and the speed, but Redout stalls on the sensation.

Not worth it as a solo adventure. In co-op, Wildlands is an enjoyable stealth romp that too often gets in its own way.

A capable attempt to recapture the magic of WWE, let down by the decision not to update any single element of the console versions.

All details are overridden by your answer to this very simple question: Just how much do you like Aerosmith? [Feb 2009, p.74]

Just another half-assed console port. [Mar 2009, p.74]

The explosions are amazing, and it’s fun in short bursts, but Just Cause 3 is ultimately an unremarkable, shallow experience.

Serves up a generous range of play styles, but it’s hampered by repetitive levels and a few uninspired design choices.

A pleasant five-hour distraction, but nothing more.

After last year's excellent installment, it's disappointment to see Madden 06 take a step backward. Maybe next year, the game will focus more on the fundamentals and less on razzle-dazzle. [Nov 2005, p.70]

Not nearly as good as its predecessor, and in need of patching. [July 2004, p.54]

Although it has an attractive concept, it doesn't really contain enough variety or challenge to keep gamers coming back for more. [Aug 1998, p.140]

A cleanly executed idea falls short because of flat characterisation and a dissatisfying lack of consequence. If only real papers were this toothless.

A decent if generic strategy game that lacks the big personality and siegecraft of earlier entries.

Messy, overcomplicated and slow to start, but fun once it picks up speed.

A fine RTS in the classic tradition, but it takes players far too long to get to the good parts--even if you pay. [Dec 2011, p.76]

Gat Out of Hell offers all the open-world distractions of a Saints Row game, but precious little of what made the last two so remarkable.

It's a diverting racer that will keep you occupied longer than you might expect, but remains eminently disposable. [Sept 2012, p.77]

With only a couple of minor decisions to be made and just a short shootout section there's no significant replay value to KSM, but you do get a marginally improved SMG, a stealthy, lethal companion and a snazzy new casual outfit to strut around the Normandy in. [July 2010, p.79]

An entertaining roguelike deckbuilder held back by irritating design decisions. Frustrating, but far from a bust.

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]

Offers a lot of game time for your money, but not much stimulation. [Jan 2001, p.142]

Exploring Cargo's bizarre world is charming and even thought-provoking at times, but ultimately turns out to be a superficial experience. [Sept 2011, p.69]

An undeniably appealing treatment of cross-country "raid" rallying. [August 2002, p.73]

Even novice gamers are likely to be dismayed at the hold-your-hand gameplay. [Jan 2003, p.103]

Halo 2 for the PC is too little, too late. [July 2007, p.66]

I don’t doubt that every gun, perk, and killstreak reward in Ghosts was implemented and tweaked with a fine brush, but painting in every individual eyelash of the Mona Lisa wouldn’t make it a better painting. That’s what’s been happening to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare since 2007—little bits have been scraped off and painted over again and again. With a broader brush, Activision and its studios might stop noodling around in the corners of Modern Warfare’s greatness and paint something actually modern.

An intriguing take on the genre that should have paid more attention to the RTS basics. [Oct 2000, p.130]

It'd be a heck of a lot of fun, too, if the gameplay wasn't plagued with rampant technical issues. Between pauses, hiccups, and slow-downs in heavily populated areas of StudioTown, it's a complete lag-drag. [Aug 2003, p.62]

It continually sidetracks you with diversions that aren't in the book, when all you really want to do is get to the good stuff that Tolkien crafted. [Feb 2004, p.76]

An occasionally brilliant immersive sim blighted by bugs and a restrictive save system.

With the set pieces all working this well, it's a shame Immortals features such a forgettable plot with so few appealing characters. [Nov 2008, p.73]

It's a good place for casual shooter fans who don't feel like dropping $20 to get the crap kicked out of them in CS. [Nov 2008, p.66]

Not Tonight 2 does a decent job of adapting Papers, Please to a terminally hateful America, but the premise wears thin with every pit stop.

Starsky isn't the grooviest racer around, but the cars handle well and the graphics ain't shabby. [Apr 2004, p.68]

A fun diversion if you want mindless space action. But I guarantee you'll have a better time with a bargain-bin copy of "FreeSpace 2" or "Freelancer." [Feb 2005, p.64]

Dependence on other players means the game widely varies between completely hilarious and utterly boring.

A messy, unfocused mishmash of genres with a few smart ideas.

Mildly rewarding, but largely unremarkable. There are better options for the management- minded out there.

Gris’s visual appeal hinders as much as it helps its exploration of grief.

AC is a first-class resource pig, despite its 2D origins. With no way to adjust detail, you need a mighty rig to runit when the screen is filled with warring units. [Apr 2003, p.104]

Starship Troopers: Extermination's cooperative battles are mechanically innovative and can be enormous fun, but a general lack of polish and a slapdash single-player hold it back from greatness.

Super Slam busts out with destructible environments and plenty of sight gags--enough to make this fighting game good entertainment for kids who aren't ready for "hot coffee." [Apr 2006, p.100]

An occasionally entertaining detective game blighted by poor writing, rote combat, and a dreary open world.

The biggest problem with The Punisher, however, is its uninspired gameplay... You'll spend most of your time running and gunning, and after a while it all becomes rather tedious. [Apr 2005, p.72]

Given the series' heritage and the long buildup to this entry, it's hard not to feel let down. [July 2004, p.70]

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

An imaginative, atmospheric setting with great art and quality voice acting, but Shardlight is by no means a great adventure game.

It's impossible to dislike the game, especially if you enjoyed its predecessors, but it's also hard to appreciate such formulaic gameplay. [May 2006, p.98]

I desperately hope the reaction to it is strong enough to convince the developers to change direction, because I couldn't stand to watch the series die like this.

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

The story and decisions are bigger attractions than the limited-appeal loot and artificially toughened enemies.

A gruelling mystery game that smothers its big ideas with dour survival mechanics.

Kudos for the ambition and price, but Mars: War Logs needs more work. A game that succeeds almost in spite of itself.

The new Medal of Honor is an unoriginal duck hunt laden with compromise. You've played this before---and better. [Jan 2011, p.64]

Tries to be two games in one, and ends up doing neither terribly well. [Jan 2005, p.80]

Roller Drama is charming but undermined by technical issues and obtuse puzzles.

The Theatre of War series might well be one to watch, but for now there are better options available. [Jun 2010, p.81]

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

Trainz isn't so much a game as a collection of maps, locomotives, rolling stock, and editing tools with which to develop your own Union Pacific Scotsman clones. [Feb 2004, p.73]

Like diving into a pile of leaves from the top of Big Ben, the first time is a thrill, the fifth is a yawn. Assassin's Creed: Syndicate's new toys entertain for a while but the novelty ends hours before the game does.

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

Never-quite-stellar puzzling fare punctured by erratic physics and makework. The scenery is nice, though.

A lot more fun than I envisioned it to be. [Apr 2002, p.84]

The single-player campaign is simply a series of missions with no cohesion other than the fact that they all lead toward your final objective. [Dec 2003, p.106]

It's simple fun, but if you or a family member are into Clone Wars, simple fun if probably what you're after. [June 2011, p.75]

Oddworld: Soulstorm's charm, characters, and sincere narrative are imprisoned within buggy, erratic software.

A curious amalgam of campy storytelling and abysmally simplified flight dynamics. [Feb 2004, p.68]

Minimal game mechanics with no depth whatsoever, but a tense, well-made survival horror game just the same.

As a status-quo expansion, PoR's not bad, but the twice-a-year-pace of adding zones that are swiftly obsolete isn't helping the game out. [Jun 2006, p.88]

Too much is lost in the translation between third-person strategy and first-person shooter, with insufficient respect paid overall to the FPS point of view. [Jun 2006, p.52]

Broad in shoulder, wide in scope, rough around the edges. Nevertheless, an enjoyably meaty survival game.

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]

Lacks the polish and panache to be a true champion, but Viking is still solid, no-thrills entertainment.

Leave rocket building to the rocket scientists. [Apr 2006, p.100]

Great music, delivered in frustratingly bitty form. A clever rhythm game that doesn't mesh with its prominent story.

Baba Yaga has more of Rise of the Tomb Raider’s fun platforming and gorgeous Siberian cliffsides, but the condensed format only strengthens its problems.

Espire 1's VR stealth is brimming with neat ideas, but the end product is slightly less than the sum of its parts.

Tempopo's rhythmic puzzling is undeniably great, but is let down by a lack of mechanical pacing and an absence of Witch Beam's coveted storytelling.