Parallel Lines is an energetic driving/action/shooter with loads of personality and twice the depth of its underperforming predecessor. [Nov 2007, p.76]

A straightforward cliché that feels out of place in the new wave of cRPGs.

There are only so many ways you can arrange poker tables and slot machines. [July 2002, p.67]

A pleasant five-hour distraction, but nothing more.

Though it looks gorgeous and is entertaining to play at times, it's conspicuously underpowered in three critical areas: physics, AI, and gameplay depth. [Holiday 2002, p.110]

Though the puzzles are usually more frustrating than challenging, the game art is quite creative and the voice-acting pretty solid. [May 2003, p.94]

It doesn't do enough to raise itself beyond being just a solid (albeit fun) brawler. [May 2009, p.70]

More game than you might expect, but still best played for an audience.

Toss in some dated graphics, a clunky arcade flight component, and some carryover stability issues, and Pacific Storm: Allies just barely keeps itself afloat. [June 2008, p.72]

It's got all the depth of a Petri dish. [Oct 2005, p.63]

Ghost in the Sheet is an original, if low-budget take on the mystery/adventure genre, but poor narration and low-quality visuals make it a challenge to finish. [May 2008, p.64]

Over quickly and hardly exhilarating, but illuminating in a way games rarely bother to be.

Rogue Trooper Redux is crude, repetitive, and still looks rather dour, yet it manages to retain a certain lo-fi charm and never overstays its welcome.

Unfortunately, after a two-stage porting job, all that's really left is some third-hand game code that won't even work properly on many current-generation PC setups. [Sept 2002, p.72]

Burdened with dreary, murky visuals, this Atlantis is better left sunken. [Nov. 2006, p.120]

Stuck on your own, easily ignored. With a friend, a solid hack-and-slash, but nothing special, or half as funny as it thinks.

Held back by a difficulty that isn't satisfying to overcome, but annoying for its fiddly controls and cheating AI. [May 2012, p.77]

A mod too short on content and aspiration to warrant the price as a standalone release.

Slow, technically flawed and dogged by premium microtransactions. A sorry take on a classic card game.

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]

A failed attempt at a cross-genre historical hybrid. [May 2004, p.70]

Story aside, this would be one of Destiny 2's more forgettable campaigns. But thanks to its wide-ranging overhauls, it's become memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Synduality has some smart ideas, but the end result is a misguided, hollow franken-game.

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

Pirates of the Caribbean Online is only good for those who want to feel tangentially connected to the movies. [Feb 2008, p.82]

An "Air Quake" for the masses with no noteworthy features to speak of. [Feb 2001, p.79]

By the time you've learned the mysterious mechanics, you'll be bored with the game. [August 2002, p.71]

Makes you work a lot for very little. The repetitive churn of missions and activities further spoil an only occasionally entertaining shooter.