Though eclipsed by "Company of Heroes," JTF is a tough but attractive military RTS. [Holiday 2006, p.74]

An enjoyable brew of lush graphics, solid voice-acting, and fun gaming that once again reminds me why I'm still hacking and slashing 20 years down the road. [March 2005, p.66]

I don’t doubt that every gun, perk, and killstreak reward in Ghosts was implemented and tweaked with a fine brush, but painting in every individual eyelash of the Mona Lisa wouldn’t make it a better painting. That’s what’s been happening to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare since 2007—little bits have been scraped off and painted over again and again. With a broader brush, Activision and its studios might stop noodling around in the corners of Modern Warfare’s greatness and paint something actually modern.

ProSIM's wargames aren't for everybody - Falklands War has a 126-page manual, and it needs reading - but grognards will be in heaven. [Nov 2005, p.77]

Masochistic stat-chasers will find much to enjoy, but Blackguards’ varied combat is no substitute for a fully-formed RPG.

Haphazard gameplay and varying narrative quality put a damper on Night Call's strong mood and hints of brilliance.

An intriguing take on the genre that should have paid more attention to the RTS basics. [Oct 2000, p.130]

Blandoid RTS knock-off. [Feb 2003, p.81]

Its incredible depth certainly nets the game some major kudos, but there's a serious caveat in the near absence of any structured gameplay. [Dec 2001, p.100]

A frustrating action/strategy hybrid where you miss the action while flailing to control the strategy. [Mar 2004, p.67]

An attempt at delivering four imaginative Spider-Man games at once ends up delivering a single disappointing one. [April 2011, p.68]

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

Serves up a generous range of play styles, but it’s hampered by repetitive levels and a few uninspired design choices.

Blade and Soul's excellent PvP is buried beneath a mountain of tired MMO tropes that are sometimes frustrating and rarely innovative.

SI’s gap year was well spent on a fantastic match engine update, but progress is still too slow between games.

Espire 1's VR stealth is brimming with neat ideas, but the end product is slightly less than the sum of its parts.

A graphically gorgeous descendant of Myst, paradoxically limited by its own ambitions.

The mystery is why you would insult yourself by playing it. [Feb 2005, p.61]

A brilliant stealth sandbox and unconventional RPG in one very ambitious but buggy package.

A lot of work remains to be done here, but for what amounts to a first-time effort, NASCAR Thunder 2003 shows a helluva lot of promise. [Jan 2003, p.92]

An achievement in cramming as many puzzles into a game as possible. [Apr 2001, p.81]

Those errors and omissions not withstanding, Snoopy vs. The Red Baron still does the Peanuts legacy proud with its engaging characters and compelling pick-up-and-play simplicity. [Jan. 2007, p.66]

A great looking game, but its beauty is only skin deep.

The latest in The Adventure Company's point-and-click offerings, <i>Keepsake</i> is billed as "part mystery, part <i>Harry Potter</i>." In reality, it's part boring and part really boring. [July 2006, p.99]

A bare-bones basic shooter that's good for some fun with friends, but there are other, better co-op adventures out there.

Neither a good Lego game nor tribute to the movie—at best, The Lego Movie Videogame is enough fun to be called a functioning promotional product.

Overwhelming monetization and exceptionally dull third-person hero shooting sour a game that could've been a mech fan's dream.

Sadly, I can't score the game based on what it might become. Right now, Vanguard requires that you turn a blind eye to too many nagging issues to fully enjoy it. [May 2007, p.68]