A magnificent city full of exciting assassination missions, marred by broken co-op and technical issues.

A smart, peculiar city builder that ends in a gruelling uphill battle against a rival city.

Satisfying, pen-and-paper-style zombie storytelling that's somewhat blandly presented and burdened by bugs. A worthy RPG that would've benefited from more budget.

A bloated, grindy mess, but so packed with options that a better game is hidden inside it.

A fine RTS in the classic tradition, but it takes players far too long to get to the good parts--even if you pay. [Dec 2011, p.76]

Life is Strange 2 promises a classic roadtrip, but fails to put you in the driving seat.

In expanding on its predecessor, Layers of Fear 2 sinks into a state of deep confusion.

Flat writing and a confused plot fail to deliver on some promising ideas.

A smart, funny, heartfelt narrative game that tells a killer story, but doesn't do much beyond that.

A good idea that get tripped up in boring details. [Feb 2001, p.73]

Extremely social chatters will enjoy it, but everyone else will be thumb-twiddling. [Mar 2003, p.96]

It's strong on setup but extraordinarily weak on payoff. [Jan 2003, p.101]

The game's dimly lit rooms, haunting musical score, and aggressively edited cut-scene sequences (reminiscent of the movie "The Ring") more than compensate for the lackluster models and animation. [Feb 2004, p.71]

Still, this is only a problem in the first place because Sanctum is a tricky and exciting game that left me wanting a whole lot more. [Sept 2011, p.81]

A beautiful JRPG that captures the spirit of the genre's early hits while playing things a tad too safely.

Beyond a fairly daunting control and difficulty curve, Brigador is a gorgeous top-down shooter with a remarkable level of strategy.

Maquette has enough interesting ideas to push any adventure gamer past the finish line.

It's refreshing to be able to just jump into a strategy game and play. [Feb 2006, p.49]

The killing-lots-of-zombies genre is overcrowded, but Dead Rising 3 is one of the best, with a lovable dedication to fun, and some of the most inventive, hilarious weapons on PC.

Cygni: All Guns Blazing is a rollicking bullet hell-inspired blockbuster that never lets off the gas.

If you're a more casual type who's not anal about realism, Desert Rats will satisfy your inner tank commander. [June 2004, p.66]

Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny represents the design tenants of a bygone era, more often for worse than better.

Both land and space combat lack punch, but there's a fun if predictable 4X game waiting underneath.

It's just a shame the journey from infant to megashark isn't populated with a wider variety of activities. Like Hooper said, sharks just swim and eat, and that's unfortunately not enough to fill even a short action-RPG like Maneater.

All three of me agree, there's nothing quite like it. Quantum League is worth your time.

I endured a lot of frustration in some of the more challenging levels, but for the quick-witted and cool-headed, Vertex is full of cerebral, frantic fun. [Nov 2011, p.77]

An entertaining superhero power fantasy, let down by awful Batmobile combat, a laughable villain, and serious performance issues.

An intricate, beautiful playground for some enjoyably open-ended assassinations.