Outward is harsh and occasionally frustrating, but it does what so few games do. It requires you to put real thought into the choices you make, and it makes those choices feel like they really matter. Most of all, it makes you approach each and every encounter as if your life depended on it—even though you never die.

Quotation omitted. [June 2000, p.112]

Solid tactical engine. Now, if it only had a brain to back it up. [Feb 2006, p.52]

Seeing poker-star Howard Lederer on the box piqued our interest, but once you get in the game, WCP2 hits you with weak voice acting, substandard graphics, and wonky animation. [Apr 2006, p.100]

A punishing take on the Rogue-inspired genre, Bedlam is weird and colorful and stressful.

One of the best values you'll ever find in a $10 add-on. [Feb 2005, p.72]

It's a shame to think that a great franchise could be tarnished by sheer carelessness. [June 2002, p.53]

A game that proves there's plenty of blood left in this genre. [Sept 2000, p.112]

The result is a Jurassic Park worth visiting once, but not for a long stay. [March 2013, p.73]

A cheap and cheerful action game that won’t win any awards, but provides solid knockabout laughs.

Inventive in some ways and stagnant in others, Elex will appeal to die-hard RPG fans and few others.

Too much games-as-a-service cruft gets in the way of a potentially decent action-RPG.

This Cleopatra is no legendary beauty, but it is an adventure that will appeal to genre fans. [Sept 2008, p.69]

The Club is a good diversion, but it lacks the depth to keep the gameplay interesting beyond a few hours. [June 2008, p.70]

A mediocre detective game with predictable stealth and a surreal story that runs out of steam near the end.

Weedcraft, Inc is a tricky tycoon game that overextends itself—but almost nails it.

The dinosaurs just don't do much, whether you plop them down in their own cages or mix them in with modern animals. [Sept 2002, p.88]

Genesis Alpha One splices the DNA of some good ideas, but doesn’t execute any of them well enough.

While not an objectionable gaming experience, it's not something you should go out of your way to try, either. [Feb 2008, p.70]

Remains saddled with enough broken parts to guarantee this title a quick trip to the slag heap in the sky. [Sept 2002, p.78]

A solid action game, but it's no "Max Payne 2" (or "Max Payne, for that matter). [Feb 2004, p.84]

It doesn't have much depth, but BloodRayne 2 delivers on its simple promise of offering non-stop carnage. If that sets your blood a-boil, give it a shot. [Oct 2005, p.65]

While Prisoner of Azkaban lacks the all-ages appeal of the books and movies, its colorful graphics and not-too-challenging gameplay should certainly do a good job of keeping young kids entertained. [July 2004, p.58]

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]

Not hard enough to be a challenge, but not painless enough to be relaxing.

An accomplished and pretty strategy game, sadly hindered by a handful of questionable design choices.

It rips my heart in a spray of gore to have to say it, since the weapons and animations are wonderful and the attack combos have their moments, but Shank's awkward controls really hold it back from being a more satisfying, edgier game. [Jan 2011, p.81]

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