The controls are sluggish, the video options are limited, and the aspect ratio decision is utterly stupid. All of the above drags The Evil Within from enjoyably challenging to needlessly frustrating.

The beginnings of a PvPvE cult hit. Extinct animal slaughter is fundamentally fun, but the foundations are sparse.

Battlefield 2042 makes gutsy changes to a series that needed them, and sets a new standard for built-in custom mode support.

Mediocre. Fans of the setting may enjoy it, but not too many other folks will. [Feb 2001, p.81]

At just 12 missions long, the action flies by too fast, but a surprising amount of detail is packed into this well-made little package. [June 2003, p.71]

A savage, sometimes frustrating space exploration game that succeeds because of beautiful design and a compelling universe.

Bursting with ideas, enthusiasm, and a solid physics model, but JDM seems more preoccupied with throwing another idea in than polishing what’s already there.

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

Not half bad. Until the half that is makes for a disappointing return.

Wobbly and unstable in all the right ways, and some of the wrong ones too.

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

Little Inferno's argument against games I would never elect to play left me rather cold. [March 2013, p.79]

A short but exceedingly sweet indie project that's less about innovation, more about crafting an unforgettable experience. [Sept 2009, p.76]

Slightly overpriced, but a more than worthy successor to one of PC gaming’s greatest franchises that nails the important part: combat.

An RPG foreign to the PC in every way, and a port that does little to modernize it. There’s fun to be had, but only for the open-minded.

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]

An affordable, bottomless action-RPG that loves freedom. [Aug 2011, p.68]

This game has the imaginative spark of a wet napkin. [Jan 2002, p.76]

Fun, but without enough new elements to distinguish itself from its RTS breathren. [Dec 2002, p.120]

There's a comprehensive and remarkably easy-to-use scenario creator, too... Squad Assault is a delight. [Jan 2004, p.86]

Still delivers the series' sandbox mayhem, but is underserved by some pretty dated systems.

SSHD is just a touched up portrait of a lesser-known, much-loved ancestor. [Jan 2010, p.80]

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]

What's lacking in ATTWN is, regrettably, the most essential element of any mystery: suspense. [Jan 2005, p.110]

A lifeless single-player game and a decidedly bumpy online experience. [Oct 2002, p.96]

The controls are awful...L.A. is nowhere near fully modeled. [July 2004, p.60]

Jett: Far From Shore has some epic highs but fiddly ship controls and unanswered questions weigh this space adventure down.

3DoM might not cross over adequately enough to entertain adventure game fans accustomed to epic story lines, but then again, it just might--it certainly comes closer than any of the previous CSI or even Law and Order games. [Jun 2006, p.104]

This pyrotechnic orgy probably offers up more explosions per minute than any other game of its type, but that's about all it offers. [Holiday 2002, p.105]

It took me lengthy experimentation before I learned how to even throw a grenade or use a med-kit - the game's manual offered little help. [Feb 2004, p.79]

Where this game falls short is the actual gameplay. Your apartment serves as a hub and you go back to it repeatedly, either to save your game or to retrieve adn drop off items from your limited inventory. I don't even need to tell you how tedious this backtracking gets. [Holiday 2004, p.99]

The initially exciting novelty of seeing those plastic men go to war starts to wear thin in short order. [July 2002, p.66]

Spend enough time with it, and you'll happily overlook its missteps. [Jan 2005, p.70]

Pleasant but rarely compelling characters undermine this spiritual sequel to Gone Home.

Not only does it give high-level characters new playgrounds, but it's also a second shot at life for AC 2. [Sept 2005, p.63]

A superb water park for four friends to splash around in, but progression is sluggish and there are too few surprises beneath the waves.

I had to grit my teeth to put in enough play time for a quality review. [June 2002, p.77]

While War of the Ring does little to revolutionize the RTS genre, it does serve Tolkien's Middle-Earth admirably while letting you control the actions of the majority of its most storied denizens. [Jan 2004, p.98]

A compelling story and speedy stealth make up for Disjunction's less even moments.

There’s solid storytelling and mechanics behind the numbers, but the art and sound could be much more interesting.

Everything that you loved and hated about the 1994 original—ludicrous gibs, explosives, boss fights, and first-person platforming.

This is not the modern Transport Tycoon I hoped it would be, but it will fill a few hours before your attention inevitably derails. [Holiday 2014, p.66]

Swing and a miss! You can safely skip this one even if they cut the price in half. [May 2007, p.63]

Functional, yet prosaic. Constructing robots is a highlight, but Automatron's quest is short and unremarkable.

A stripped down stealth offering that reinvigorates Assassin's Creed by putting attention back on the sneaky stuff.

But it feels more like a fleeting dream than a game--it needs more complexity to grow beyond a diversion. [Feb 2011, p.77]

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]

Stylish and often satisfying, but surviving Grit and Valor’s later campaigns demands persistence over clever tactics.

Nothing sensational, but it provides a fun diversion for shooter buffs. [Sept 2005, p.68]

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]

Some clever and grisly medical examination systems, but not enough base management and side activities to remain engaging for long.

Positioning yourself for combat is more enjoyable than the actual battles. [July 2005, p.58]

Capy’s tough-love approach and well-worn survival systems makes it harder to appreciate Below’s singular look and feel.

Seriously impressive physics, but not much of a game.

Scratches won't appeal to everyone, but for fans of quaint English ghost stories/mysteries, it's to die for. [May 2006, p.102]

Power Chord’s slick card-slinging combat is weighed down by a gaudy aesthetic and lack of variety.

For all its technical cleverness, Cloudberry Kingdom fails to get the basics right. [Nov 2013, p.79]

A great MP shooter, but overpirced and probably not worth the upgrade to Vista by itself. [Sept 2007, p.54]

Outward is harsh and occasionally frustrating, but it does what so few games do. It requires you to put real thought into the choices you make, and it makes those choices feel like they really matter. Most of all, it makes you approach each and every encounter as if your life depended on it—even though you never die.

Quotation omitted. [June 2000, p.112]

Solid tactical engine. Now, if it only had a brain to back it up. [Feb 2006, p.52]

Seeing poker-star Howard Lederer on the box piqued our interest, but once you get in the game, WCP2 hits you with weak voice acting, substandard graphics, and wonky animation. [Apr 2006, p.100]

A punishing take on the Rogue-inspired genre, Bedlam is weird and colorful and stressful.

One of the best values you'll ever find in a $10 add-on. [Feb 2005, p.72]

It's a shame to think that a great franchise could be tarnished by sheer carelessness. [June 2002, p.53]

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

The result is a Jurassic Park worth visiting once, but not for a long stay. [March 2013, p.73]

A cheap and cheerful action game that won’t win any awards, but provides solid knockabout laughs.

Inventive in some ways and stagnant in others, Elex will appeal to die-hard RPG fans and few others.

Too much games-as-a-service cruft gets in the way of a potentially decent action-RPG.

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

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

A mediocre detective game with predictable stealth and a surreal story that runs out of steam near the end.

Weedcraft, Inc is a tricky tycoon game that overextends itself—but almost nails it.

The dinosaurs just don't do much, whether you plop them down in their own cages or mix them in with modern animals. [Sept 2002, p.88]

Genesis Alpha One splices the DNA of some good ideas, but doesn’t execute any of them well enough.

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

Remains saddled with enough broken parts to guarantee this title a quick trip to the slag heap in the sky. [Sept 2002, p.78]

A solid action game, but it's no "Max Payne 2" (or "Max Payne, for that matter). [Feb 2004, p.84]

It doesn't have much depth, but BloodRayne 2 delivers on its simple promise of offering non-stop carnage. If that sets your blood a-boil, give it a shot. [Oct 2005, p.65]

While Prisoner of Azkaban lacks the all-ages appeal of the books and movies, its colorful graphics and not-too-challenging gameplay should certainly do a good job of keeping young kids entertained. [July 2004, p.58]

Once you've breezed past the campaign and sandbox modes, you'll wish there was more to this Sim City for dummies. [Jun 2006, p.76]

Not hard enough to be a challenge, but not painless enough to be relaxing.

An accomplished and pretty strategy game, sadly hindered by a handful of questionable design choices.

It rips my heart in a spray of gore to have to say it, since the weapons and animations are wonderful and the attack combos have their moments, but Shank's awkward controls really hold it back from being a more satisfying, edgier game. [Jan 2011, p.81]

Realms of Ruin is a clumsy RTS that's devoid of Warhammer's characteristic grim darkness.

Despite a diverse range of well-designed environments, there’s a dizzying sameness to the missions. [Jan 2002, p.73]

It packs plenty of punch for series newbies. [Holiday 2002, p.107]

As good as tennis fans may ever see on their PCs. [Holiday 2002, p.83]

It's cruddy combat system aside, it's an entertaining high-seas adventure. [Jan 2004, p.102]

Dungeonland is nowhere close to perfect, but in multiplayer it’s a brilliant bastard of a game. Just add friends – or enemies.

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

A great example of how to craft a new game from an existing idea.

Unsettling and narratively ambitious, this is the best Alone in the Dark game since 1992.

Whack-a-mole warfare done right with terrific weapon handling, but the missions keep you on too short a leash. [July 2011, p.66]

A fun relic of the early PS2 days that I still like a lot, but slightly too dated for most players to enjoy.

The new routes are familiar, and the new features are flimsy. Train Simulator 2104 feels like it’s freewheeling.

Occasionally amusing and sometimes bewildering, the latest "Runaway" is an odd mixture of flaws and fun. [May 2007, p.65]