A slow-paced and overly simplistic take on city building and war waging, but blessed with wholesome looks and a relaxing atmosphere.

Streamlined in every way, War of the Vikings cut too much meat from the bone and left nothing to chew on.

The setting is great, but weak combat and limited choices stop this RPG from going anywhere fun.

Adrenaline-fueled crescendos and bosses toss in some welcome fun to the experience, but not nearly enough. [Jan 2011, p.77]

The huge selection of great characters is scrumptiously entertaining from start to finish. Too bad it's a Lego game. [March 2014, p.74]

It's got well-observed characters and some genuinely weird moments, but the actual bug hunting isn't much fun.

More rehashed than remastered, your childhood might be better served holding onto old memories rather than making new ones.

Beautiful and creative, but controls and design issues often drag it from challenging to frustrating.

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]

Blood Bowl 2 is the flashiest iteration of the game so far, but its dice rolls are frustrating, and its amble ruleset isn't introduced well to newcomers.

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]

Play it for its novel ideas, not because you love Batman. Dwindling player numbers are a cause for concern.

Solving The Path of the Shell without a walkthrough will require endless patience and the ability to brainstorm in four dimensions. [Nov 2004, p.88]

The knockabout glee of classic Saints Row ultraviolence is here, but held back a little by new-found restraint.

FBC: Firebreak's madcap mission conceits are delightfully silly, but balancing issues and limited replay value hinder the fun.

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.

HAWX 2 is a straight rehash of the first game, with pointless minigames that add more frustration than excitement. [Feb 2011, p.72]

Such a lackluster implementation. [May 2010, p.74]

Empire of the Ants features a lavish rendering of the world from a few millimeters high, but fails at the basics of interesting RTS play.

A compelling story with many outcomes, but the game itself is a little too rough around the edges.

While its new environments are a decent aside, Shattered Space seems largely content to tread water, leaving Starfield the same mixed bag it always was.

Biomutant's stunning world barely survives the painful narration, broken progression, and dearth of stuff to do.

For the 10 or so hours spent skulking behind bars, Prison Break fans will adore the atmosphere and ridiculously outlandish plot elements. [Sept 2010, p.79]

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.

Seriously impressive physics, but not much of a game.

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

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]

Strong first impressions make this ideal when showing off your new Rift headset, but there's little to keep you flying beyond those first few moments. [Tested with Oculus Rift]