There's nothing wrong with simple two-button combat in the spirit of the classic hack 'n' slash, but there is something wrong with making it so mechanical and lifelessly staged. [Dec 2003, p.85]

You may have been expecting yet another "Crash" afterthought scheming to fleece you of another fiddy, but this is a rebirth well worth the investment. [Nov 2007, p.68]

I'd still kill for a lock-on or strafe but one out of two isn't bad--especially given the quality of the acting and story arcs Untold has on tap. [Apr 2006, p.73]

A lack of variety hurts in the end, and while the visual style is enjoyably simple and nicely handled within its constraints, you start to want more meat on the bones. [May 2004, p.56]

There's nothing wrong with simple two-button combat in the spirit of the classic hack 'n' slash, but there is something wrong with making it so mechanical and lifelessly staged. [Dec 2003, p.85]

It simply wallows in its competence, but doesn't do much - okay, anything - to try and exceed it. [Mar 2007, p.71]

Would the game have succeeded on a much higher level had the focus been placed completely on either a one-player campaign or just the multiplayer? In the end, I feel like the experience was diluted for unnecessary reasons, with the game appearing to walk the fence, trying to offer a compelling foundation spread across two different modes of play. [May 2004, p.51]

The game is not forgiving to the weak player who wants to jump in and execute a flurry of moves instantly, rewarding the patient fighter who is willing to extensively tune-in to the fighting mechanics. [Apr 2003, p.58]

MS Saga: A New Dawn, while graphically sound isn't on par with the likes of Grandia 3, Dragon Quest VIII, or the forthcoming Final Fantasy XII. [Mar 2006, p.43]

One of the most alluring hub-based adventures I've ever had the pleasure of playing. [Oct 2005, p.62]

It's a little difficult at first, as using the analog buttons properly takes some doing, but it soon feels natural. [Apr 2002, p.63]

If the first minute of the opening cinema doesn't move you in some way, you bought the wrong gme, but if it does, well, you can join our club. [Sept 2002, p.65]

Though far from bad, A Sound of Thunder just seems to be going through the motions to deliver an isometric adventure game filled with fetch quests amidst bland levels and typical looking puzzles. [Apr 2004, p.71]

The stealth in Rogue Ops is serious business, residing somewhere between "Metal Gear" and "Splinter Cell" in terms of mechanics, i.e., not at all passive. [Nov 2003, p.79]

A wondrous adventure filled with great gameplay. [Jan 2005, p.68]

You'll be capping scumbags left and right in a fireworks display of flesh and blood, going after the town prostitute's heisted jewelry or collecting giant scorpion tails for some much-needed extra cash, and things of this nature. [Feb 2004, p.42]

I normally don't mind a very specific, linear gameplay structure, I even invite it, but the ideas in the game don't work within this rigidity. [Jan 2004, p.66]

I don't mean to be Captain Bringdown, but even the thought of slaughtering hundreds of people using the same attack over and over again is losing its luster. [May 2006, p.59]

Though the doggie animation is realistic, the graphics are sub-first-gen quality, the first-person "Smellovision" view is misguided and the platforming always stays pretty basic. [Oct 2004, p.76]

This isn't just a clone of Koei's slash-'em-ups, but a game that actually improves upon them in several ways. [Oct 2005, p.68]

It's big, deep and dripping with rhymes. A few framerate hits aside, it looks good, too, if not a bit excessively neon. [Oct 2004, p.75]

You'd be hard pressed to find better cartoon fodder. [Oct 2005, p.68]

An excellent classics compilation, due mostly to "Sonic CD," finally revived after so much begging. [Sept 2005, p.57]

The action is intense and the combat remains fun, but the game just doesn't feel as crisp as what I'd expect from KOF. [Nov 2004, p.71]

An extended session with Misters Been There Done That. [Dec 2005, p.66]

The great thing about the PSP version of the Arc of Napishtim was that it was to mirror the Japanese PC game which.....picked up a bad case of American localization, conceding its hand-drawn sprites for renders, and anime scenes for bulky CG. [Mar 2006, p.48]

Shining Force offers small rewards every few minutes, and statisfies through a sort of goal-oriented mediation. [Mar 2007, p.54]

Problem is, there's not enough strategic thought put into where the threat is coming from, forcing you into a path of endless running and gunning without a high-tier engagement of well-placed safe points and clever object interaction. [Nov 2003, p.83]