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]

Slayer Shock has no dearth of interesting ideas, from the central conceit to the NPC gang, but few of them are ever taken far, or in interesting directions, leaving it with only the solid combat, half-baked systems, and repetitive missions.

An epic clash between the some of manga’s most famous characters shouldn’t be this dull, frankly.

Strip away the framing and this is a throwaway JRPG that never finds its bite.

An uncomfortable blend of vulnerability and brand consumption.

Shelter 3's environment may be pretty, but it's not enough to forgive a game that ultimately feels unfinished.

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

Still, if EA Sports wants to release yearly updates to its sports games, that's all well and good, but it had better make sure the new versions are worth the "new release" price or more gamers will wise up and just pick up an older model at a fraction of the cost. [Dec. 2006, p.126]

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

An impressively huge, occasionally beautiful map doesn’t make up for mediocre driving and a lack of multiplayer options.

Earns faint praise for being the best-looking, best-playing version of the lot. [Holiday 2002, p.114]

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is an unsatisfying multiplayer experience that lacks the wry character of the movies it's based on.

Etherium is never aggressively terrible, but there’s nothing to recommend it over other, more interesting RTS games.

Even with the generous free-to-play model factored in, it's hard imagine why anyone would want to deal with the basic combat and utterly forgettable lore of this world. [Aug 2011, p.63]

Also disturbing is how readily the game plays itself, with little to no input necessary from the player. [July 2008, p.64]

A gorgeous game with frustrating combat and glitchy exploration, Trek to Yomi is the definition of style over substance.

I apologize for the inconvenience, sir, but Call of Heroes doesn't come with any multi-player, though it does have 15 single-player levels and a few boss battles added for extra flavor. [Oct 2007, p.70]

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]

A mildly entertaining but distinctly clumsy attempt at a Formula One game. [Oct 2000, p.127]

Fortnite suffocates what could be an incredible tower defense game beneath the some of the most tangential, egregious, impersonal progression systems we’ve seen.

An imperfect port of an unambitious sequel, TFU2 joins a growing list of Star Wars games that don't live up to their potential. [Jan 2011, p.72]

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]

Despite an impressive variety in art direction and environments, Soul Axiom’s puzzle design is shallow and frustrating.

The Walking Dead gets the zombies and the theme just right, but everything else is a mess.

Perhaps an online community would provide a spark, but as it is, it’s pretty rusty.

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

Only for nostalgists and those who love getting lost on spelunking holidays.

Slapstick dismemberment is fun for a while, but Chivalry: Deadliest Warrior has neither the depth nor the polish to stay in the fight for long.