But while all the action is there, the action still feels as soulless and bland as its stock-badass protagonist. [Dec 2010, p.77]

Unfortunately, this niche sport has spawned a niche game that lacks the more obvious draw of the beach variant, and will interest only the hardest hardcore fans. [Nov 2008, p.83]

To be clear, new battles, weapons, and character moves are present, as expected, but they feel obligatory at best. [Apr 2008, p.72]

Dumb fun boils over into awful stew when we, as the Greek Achilles, are forced to stab toes during a two-part and cliche-addled boss fight against a giant statue complete with respawning zombie minions, quick-time events, and enough hamartia to choke mighty Zeus himself. [June 2011, p.75]

Rebuilding it using the PS2 game's engine just makes it a much more obvious retread. [Jan 2009, p.83]

Take a game meant for a handheld and put it on the PS2, and all of a sudden every flaw is magnified. [June 2008, p.83]

A major fail. [Feb 2010, p.77]

Chaos Wars might draw in some--like fans of the obscure games it's based on, especially those who long for the days of hand-drawn characters and tiny battlefields--but its old-school aesthetic isn't enough to make up for the lackluster production values and uninspired game play. [Aug 2008, p.82]

What makes this really disappointing, though, is that some aspects actually work well. But without good combat, it's all just academic. [July 2012, p.78]

The fact that I was constantly thinking about what button to push, even as I was rounding into the final set of missions, well...that's just a big design no-no. [June 2008, p.72]

Dokapon's fatal flaw is its wait-to-play ratio; since actual engagement between players happens rarely, watching three players take their turns while you twiddle your thumbs wears thin fast. [Dec 2008, p.82]

Best leave this one out in the wilderness. [Mar 2009, p.75]

One small mistake will leave you eating robbot dust. That's just not the Sonic we used to know and love. [Apr 2008, p.87]

We appreciated specific parts of the game--such as the leveling, animations, and Followers--but it's still the bottom of the JRPG barrel. [Sept 2012, p.87]

Ixnay on the X-Blades. [Apr 2009, p.82]

Seriously, if this dungeon crawled any slower, it'd be going backward. [Dec 2008, p.82]

Perhaps the most frustrating characteristic of Iridium Runners is its wasted potential. [Apr 2008, p.88]

For mech-loving masochists only. [Jan 2010, p.86]

Army Corps is Pikmin in hell. [May 2012, p.77]

We love a challenge, but we can't begin to pretend this game is something for everybody. [Nov 2010, p.81]

As a game, it's abo - game ever, please try again. [Jan 2012, p.86]

The core gameplay simply isn't enough to overcome the technical shortcomings. [Sept 2011, p.87]

This quick-and-dirty movie game lures fans in with the promise of another quality Transformers adventure; sadly, Moon offers much less than meets the eye. [Sept 2011, p.86]

Either way, there's more titillation than fun in Qoga. [April 2011, p.84]

Think twice before exploring this planet. [Jan 2010, p.83]

It's an adventure best left in our (forgettable) past. [April 2011, p.85]

If you're into the cartoon 12-year-olds, adjust the score up a few points. Otherwise, avert your eyes and move along. [Apr 2012, p.77]

The jump mechanic is frustratingly finicky. [May 2009, p.85]