The battles are pretty damn chaotic. They're also devoid of fun, have little rhyme or reason, and often leave you with no idea why you won or lost. [Oct 2002, p.97]

Makes me wish more games featured adult-themed language and situations, because in this case, they actually add to the gritty feel and setting we've been delivered. [Dec 2003, p.107]

Nightfire has some of the worst AI I've ever seen in a big-budget game release. [Feb 2003, p.61]

It takes slightly longer to finish the game than to watch the movie -- I got through it in about severn hours. [Holiday 2002, p.96]

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

An exceptional RTS let down by a very disappointing remaster.

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

The Cycle: Frontier is well-polished but undone by tedium and a lack of imagination.

Tartarus shows off some excellent puzzles aboard a disappointingly empty spaceship, but it’s usually more charming than frustrating.

A good-looking game - more so if you're into softcore porn (to paraphrase Tom Wolfe, it's a "one-handed video game") - but "The Sims 2" still looks better and beats it by miles for depth. [Apr 2005, p.66]

The biggest problem in Conflict Zone is map design...It results in tiresome strategies and predictable battles. [Holiday 2001, p.76]

There's not an original idea in this competent but dull game's pretty little pre-programmed head. [June 2002, p.61]

Ultima fanatics might stick with it, but most players will give up in frustration. [Jan 1998, p.262]

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

There are simply too many flaws, and too little gameplay for even the bargain price. [Nov 2011, p.70]

The previews looked fantastic, but the final release of Lifeless Planet fails to build that potential into a worthy game.

Ghoulish creature design and fun combat are weakened by long boring stretches, clueless AI, and snickering obscurity.

Does little to innovate or excuse its technical shortcomings. [Holiday 2004, p.102]

But the sad fact remains, the intense experience we craved is just...gone. [May 2006, p.54]

It's one thing to make a bad game - that I can forgive. It's worse to take one of the great PC-game franchises and ruin the hell out of it. This isn't Leisure Suit Larry - it's just annoying softcore porn. [Holiday 2004, p.106]

Forspoken occasionally has small sparks of greatness, but then quickly douses itself in fear of ever being anything other than an upsettingly safe open-world RPG.

It's all been done before - and a hell of a lot better to boot. [Feb 2006, p.54]

Crystal Key 2 isn't an adventure; it's a slide show with the occasional puzzle thrown in. And we've had enough of these kinds of games. [July 2004, p.65]

A charming but slight co-op action game where a basic combat system is elevated by clever bonuses and abilities, and half the pleasure is the world's incidental details.

Lacking in meaningful challenge, Murdered: Soul Suspect fails to deliver on its promising premise at every step. [Sept. 2014, p.70]

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

This is one monster mash that leaves me mortified. [Oct 2007, p.57]

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]

Flashy weapon effects partially mask the mediocre gameplay, and to the untrained eye, Alpha Prime could almost pass as "Doom 3". I trust that PC Gamer readers are smart enough not to be fooled. [Apr 2008, p.66]

Enjoyable writing cloaked in layers of problematic navigation, tonal inconsistency and pressing A and D not to die.

A promising enough idea, Lucius shoots for the depths of hell – but poor execution lands it merely six feet under.

Inversion is a heavily linear by-the-numbers cover shooter that fails to make the most of its few high points. [Nov 2012, p.72]

And really, Lineage isn’t much fun. [Feb 2002, p.80]

Enough "StarCraft" clones. Stop the madness and offer some innovation. [June 2001, p.62]

Great for RTS newbies or serious "WarCraft" fans, but gaming vets will feel major deja vu. [May 2001, p.39]

For $5, it might be worth it on a tablet, but as a PC game Ace Patrol would be hard to recommend even if it were free. [Feb 2014, p.74]

It's a shame that a Last Of Us review has to carry such a low score. It feels like slamming Citizen Kane because its Blu-Ray features aren't up to standard, such is the game's stellar reputation. But the state of the PC version isn't just disappointing or annoying—at the time of writing it's actually a real barrier preventing you from playing the experience properly. There's an all-timer laying dormant behind all the issues, but at present on PC, this one just doesn't click.

Beyond the shock value of its demonic horrors, this survivalist city-builder has little to recommend it.

Anthem's disjointed story, boring loot, repetitive missions, and shallow endgame are all disappointing. At least it's pretty.

What the game lacks in polish, it somewhat makes up for in cheekiness and an unexpectedly disco-tinged soundtrack. [Nov. 2006, p.120]

Intriguing puzzles aside, this metroidvania is plagued with systems that seem designed to frustrate.

A merciless and thoughtfully-designed online strategy game whose clever systems enable a unique and troubling experience.

It's not a chore to conquer China in Romance of the Three Kingdoms 14. It's just underwhelming. Especially when we've seen this era represented so much better by Creative Assembly so recently, I couldn't come up with a compelling reason why I'd play this instead. Only die-hard fans of the franchise who want to see Koei's specific takes on these characters will be likely to find much to get excited about here. And given that this is the fourteenth entry in the series, I expected a lot more.

A misguided attempt at parody, underpinned by a poor sports game by anyone’s standards.

Enemy Engaged 2 has potenttial, but remains a patch or two away from completion. [Nov 2007, p.77]

Its simple and forgiving dynamic, short span, and quirky characters hit its intended "family fun" mark. [Mar 2003, p.106]

Take away the Matrix setting, and you're left with an action game that really does nothing new - and looks pretty average doing it. [Aug 2003, p.64]

It offers roughly 20 hours of compelling play, with a mystery that's genuinely worth solving. [Feb 2004, p.81]

Walle-E may be rated E for Everyone, but no one should be forced to play it. [Nov 2008, p.71]

Combining moody and gratifying ship-on-ship combat with shallow live service trappings, Skull and Bones is great within the claustrophobic parameters of what market forces allow it to be.

Confused and weightless, APB doesn't satisfy on any front: the shooting, driving, story and objectives are all average at best. [Sept 2010, p.65]

Not up to the lofty standards set by "IL-2," but still an entertaining WWII prop sim. [June 2002, p.56]

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

Patience pays dividends, but won't cover these clubhouse fees. [Feb 2006, p.49]

Overstuffed and underdeveloped, Kyn is a buggy RPG with good combat, but without a great story or engaging character progression.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a disappointing anniversary for a series that really should take a break.

Yes, there is groping, discrete heavy petting, and conveniently concealed canoodling, but it's all rendered in fewer than 10 different animations...which get old quickly. [Sept 2004, p.68]

Persistent bugs, a convoluted interface, and incompetent colonists hold back a great premise.

Half a great 4X game, dragged screaming into the nearest black hole by its lesser components.

Unfortunately, the gameplay grows stale real quick, and any joyful fantasies about dropping smoke-jumping firefighters into an inferno are quickly put to rest. [Jan 2005, p.75]

It was buggy at launch, and remains mildly buggy even after the latest patch(v1.06), but, even so, if you're the least bit into the concept of a band sim, Shady o"Grady is gonna rock your world. [June 2007, p.56]

Enjoyable enough, with an undeniably good design pedigree, but marked down for the rush feel and lack of polish. [Dec 2013, p.68]

I grappled with Victoria for a solid 10 hours before I actually started having fun, and most folks will deem this figure unacceptable. Even then, the game's glaring bugs had a tendency to disrupt the deep and absorbing machinations that eventually develop. [Mar 2004, p.65]

Poorly stapled-on mechanics and a general lack of polish make Breakpoint's open-world tactics simply not worth the time.

Micromanagement is emphasized, explaining its popularity(in Germany)--so if you're into that, <i>Emergency 3</i> is an enjoyable RTS. [July 2006, p.67]

Heritage of Kings unceremoniously abandons the heritage of Settlers. [May 2005, p.62]

An accomplished piece of fan service, but the excitement fades fast and performance problems spoil it for some.

Lacks the polish of a quality title. It's not a bad game - it's just got nothing under it's kilt. [Apr 2003, p.108]

A miserable blend of flawed game mechanics that's a giant leap backwards from its predecessor.

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

ReCore buries a great action platformer beneath layers and layers of open world busywork.

The word Maelstrom's Danish roots mean "to grind" or 'stream'--I'll let you guess which one of those definitions is most applicable to this ponderous RTS. [May 2007, p.69]

Weak. [Oct 2009, p.79]

Under-delivers on the promise of the licence. A middling action-RPG that you’d have to be a Marvel fan to love.

Buy Diplomacy for its excellent single-player mode. That's a hard thing to say about a PC version of the world's greatest multiplayer game, but there you have it. [Holiday 2005, p.79]

Far from the RPG that Game of Thrones deserves, but still better than its components have the right to be. [Sept 2012, p.58]

The Inquisitor is a grim yet strangely gripping dark fantasy story, memorable if a little rough around the edges.

Wanted: Dead is an intentionally messy throwback, one that some people are going to adore while others lament. All the AA jank of a PlayStation 3 action game wrapped up in a janky 2023 modern gaming bow.

Ultimately, there is fun to be had, but once the first burst of joy is done, you'll likely find it a little repetitive and unrewarding. [Aug 2012, p.77]

Gore's single-player game shoots way over par. [Sept 2002, p.80]

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]

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

Adventure fans could find worse ways to spend $20, but the game's emphasis on storytelling with few engaging puzzles may leave some wishing this tale had more involving interaction. [May 2004, p.75]

A first-person mode adds some intensity, but Vancouver 2010's not going to offer more than a few hours' fun. [July 2010, p.79

Also, the stability of the mission is precarious--it may crash abruptly and cause you to restart from your most recently saved information. [Mar 2008, p.78]

It'll occasionally crash to the desktop, and has an extremely annoying bug that sometimes kills you when you start lobbing grenades. [July 2002, p.75]

If you don't buy one game this year, Medieval Lords should be it. [March 2005, p.72]

Masochists and suicidally confident RTS veterans might embrace the challenge, but for the rest of us, Frontline: Fields of Thunder delivers an entirely one-sided ass kicking. [June 2007, p.59]

It's too bad Firestarter is executed so poorly because the graphics engine is fantastic, packed with reflections, great textures, and all manner of flashy high-tech visual doo-dads. [May 2004, p.67]

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

An over-designed shooter that missed the joy in its central concept and instead locks you into purgatorial combat loops. [Mar 2010, p.80]

The real problem here is that the game's three new campaigns are so same-y and cookie-cutterish that they end up feeling like the sort of added content that you'd expect to get in a free patch or download. [Mar 2006, p.63]

Action-adventures this blah should be sunk to Davy Jones' Locker. [Sept 2007, p.56]

The goings-on will keep you interested. Just don't expect anything too deep or innovative. [Nov 2002, p.129]

The subject matter severly limits TG's appeal, but if that's not a drawback for you, you'll get your money's worth. [May 2001, p.64]

While not broken, ugly or terrible, SOL: Exodus settles into a mediocre rut, making it impossible to recommend when games like X3 and Evochron Mercenary offer a bigger, better spacefaring experience for a bit more money. [May 2012, p.81]

A thoroughly appalling console port that should've never left its PlayStation jewelcase. [May 2001, p.77]

Though the storyline takes a while to ramp up, it's very engaging and provides a really enjoyable ending. [June2007, p.58]