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]

Boss fights are mundane affairs with no special mechanics, only larger health pools. [Oct 2009, p.82]

Stick to LEGO games, Traveler's Tales. [Aug 2008, p.75]

Bad game design is bad game design. [Feb 2011, p.86]

Agarest 2 is a competent strategy RPG with satisfying gameplay, but there are better ones out there that we'd be less ashamed to share with our friends. [Sept 2012, p.,86]

Overall, this Dungeon Explorer experience is pleasurable enough for those with a fierce RPG itch, but those who require a compelling story in their RPGs may want to pass. [Mar 2008, p.88]

On so many levels, Inversion is like a cheesy action movie. Yet just as there's some joy in losing ourselves to the Under Siege movies, Inversion has undeniable charm once we switch our brain to "simple." [Aug 2012, p.82]

Occasionally, the gameplay is as good as the graphics. [Mar 2010, p.72]

Sadly, this party will end quickly and the guests will leave unsatisfied. [Nov 2010, p.70]

But for a Hulk title, that's utterly disappointing--the game just doesn't live up to its potential. [Aug 2008, p.75]

Consider Grave Danger a guilty pleasure, enjoyable more for its tongue-in-cheek tone than for its actual gameplay. [July 2008, p.81]

At least the single-player campaign--that you can play through co-operatively with three friends--is mercifully short at around eight to 10 hours. [Aug 2008, p.76]

Dimwitted enemies and bland looks also make for a subpar experience. [Apr 2012, p.56]

In fact, a character in the game even tells you that while you may not like all the mini-games, you have to play them all to get through the game. [Mar 2008, p.89]

As it stands, this one needed more time before harvesting. [Holiday 2011, p.75]

It's not entirely free from the monotonous grind that's so common to the genre, but the more repetitious moments are balanced by bursts of fun personality and outrageous antics that keep up the zippy pace. [Nov 2012, p.85]

The lack of variety leaves a sour taste. [Feb 2012, p.84]

For those who don't mind slogging through the story, though, there's plenty of comfortably familiar adventuring in Trinity. [Feb 2011, p.85]

Babel Rising can be fun and looks great, but needs a lot more refinement before it reaches a biblical level of gaming goodness. [Sept 2012, p.87]

How the hell is this considered good enough on a system that just got Gran Turismo? [Dec 2009, p.81]

Give Chosen One credit for its polished presentation and solid story mode, but its focus on highlight-reel style gets in the way of its gameplay substance. [June 2008, p.73]

With a flashy but limited move list, it's nothing more than a basic arcade scrapper. [June 2012, p.83]

The game nails the atmosphere but fails to implement a single original idea. [May 2009, p.82]

The moody graphics and compelling story remain impressive nearly a decade after its initial release, but Shadow of Destiny is showing its age. [May 2010, p.85]

Structurally it's a mess. [Mar 2009, p.77]

It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's simple fun for those looking for some self-made party-time entertainment. [June 2011, p.75]

If you're a hardcore LOTR fan, you might play the game and then say you like it(while grimacing), but ultimately, Conquest doesn't do justice to either the movies or the books. [Apr 2009, p.80]

When it comes to pure Gundam geekery, though, there still isn't anything better than this. [July 2009, p.83]

It's too easy to beat enemies, even in the tournament, by simply running forward and punching repeatedly. [Oct 2009, p.82]

"Quotation Forthcoming"

On PSP, it's a half-baked port of the already stripped-down PS2 version. [Jan 2010, p.86]

And considering that the game is $14.99, it would be illogical for fans of both strategic games and the Star Trek universe not to give Conquest a spin. [Feb 2008, p.85]

Where the Wild Things Are is basically Prince of Persia in footie pajamas. [Jan 2010, p.85]

Still, for a budget title, Time did manage to keep our attention longer than we anticipated. [May 2012, p.85]

Rent it for a weekend and collect the easy Trophies, then get back to Buzz! [Feb 2010, p.81]

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]

This is a bargain-bin title. [June 2011, p.81]

It's no substitute for a dedicated title starring any one of its three duos, but it still packs plenty of fan-pleasing fun. [May 2011, p.86]

Feel free to scrap this short, bland adventure. [April 2011, p.75]

It may look harmless enough, but that colorful candy shell - which, admittedly, is delightfully goofy - disguises the ashen heart of a hardcore fighting game that, while occasionally quite frustrating, offers a satisfying challenge and an unexpectedly deep and demanding combat system. [Oct 2008, p.84]

Fairytale Fights defeats itself with tons of little niggling issues. [Holiday 2009, p.81]

Too bad non were very exciting to play. [Jan 2012, p.81]

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]

Arcana, save for a few inventive designs, looks like every other fantasy adventure that didn't go to the trouble, which is the root of its problems. [March 2011, p.79]

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

A shallow, repetitive rhythm game. [Oct 2008, p.86]

Every step taken toward creating a cohesive, cinematic adventure is sabotaged by bugs and glitches that thwart the game's attempts at immersion. [Feb 2012, p.85]

It's a functional squad shooter, but it's one that's probably best suited for series diehards. [May 2012, p.82]

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

From dialogue that loads one line at a time to the lack of PS3-level graphics (high-res static art aside), everything seems like a remnant from the early 2000s. [July 2009, p.77]

The game does very little to dispel the notion that if you've played one Warriors game, you've played them all. [Dec 2008, p.92]

More frustrating than funny. [May 2009, p.84]

That said, 40 bucks is pretty steep for what's basically an arcade action game. To a certain breed of driver, though, the stress relief might be worth it. [Holiday 2012, p.85]

Level design and AI are similarly hit-or-miss, and the combat never advances past button-mashing. [Oct 2008, p.82]

Stormrise's innovation is heartilly applauded, but basic gameplay glitches and flaws weaken the experience. [June 2009, p.74]

As children's fare, How To Train Your Dragon more than suffices. [Jun 2010, p.83]

It features an engaging mix of levels. [Oct 2008, p.85]

There are better games out there, even for the youngest sprogs. [Jan 2010, p.87]

It doesn't exactly harness the power of the PS3, but Denied Ops is one of this spring's pleasant surprises. [Apr 2008, p.80]

The budget price is nice, but all that's keeping Secret Wars from feeling like a PSN title are its decent length and online dogfighting options. [Nov 2011, p.87]

Forever eschews any hope for a decent story or interesting gameplay in favor of shoving as many boobs in our face as possible. As a result, the game comes up short in every way possible.

While Beowulf doesn't completely shed the stigma that licensed games are by definition mediocre, it does an admirable job of trying to leap beyond your typical hack-and-slash fare. [Jan 2008, p.80]

Unfortunately, the flow of battles and Gretchen's finishing moves aren't enough to overpower the linear "stop the villain from attaining ultimate power" storyline. the conventional action-adventure gameplay, or the near non-existent A.I. [April 2011, p.84]

Its detail-starved environments and lackluster narrative can't compete with its contemporaries' richly rendered worlds, but Bodycount's back-to-basics approach shines like a welcome beacon of simple fun in a sea of increasingly complex shooters. [Nov 2011, p.81]

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

There's still some impact here, but the blow is certainly blunted. [July 2010, p.85]

Nice enough for retro fans, but not so much for new gamers. [Jan 2012, p.81]

NeverDead does show some promise. Still, these bright spots aren't nearly enough to elevate NeverDead above its frustrating combat and flawed concept. [Mar 2012, p.84]

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

Zero could easily be seen as a reimagining of the first game...only the developers really held back on the "imagining" part, leaving us basically the same game with minor improvements. [July 2011, p.86]

Mindless fun, and it's at its best when you don't pay too much mind to the incoherent story and limited gameplay. [Holiday 2008, p.88]

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

That it costs money is criminal. [Feb 2011, p.85]

Silicon Knights just forgot to give us anything fun to do with our powers, making it hard to recommend Destiny to even diehard fans. [Holiday 2011, p.84]

Also, the presentation is a mix of cheesy music, mediocre pre-rendered cutscenes, better in-game cutscenes, and bad voiceovers. [Holiday 2007, p.78]

We'll hope that this either gets improved and rolled into the main "MLB 2K" game, or fully revamped for its sophomore effort. [Mar 2009, p.76]

Alliance is plagued by some rather lengthy load times, which can put the kibosh on short commute playtime. [Apr 2012, p.59]

Merely a shadow of its console-based self. [Mar 2010, p.72]

Wants so desperately to be Burnout: Revenge. Unfortunately, the game feels more like a cheap knockoff than a compelling successor. [Apr 2012, p.60]

Factor in the semi-frequent bugs and Iron Man 2 bears the all-too-familiar mark of a game rushed to meet its tie-in movie's release date. [Aug 2010, p.85]

Again, it's not revolutionary but it's damned fun. [Feb 2008, p.87]

Lights out, indeed. [Jan 2011, p.82]

Getting to the little bit of original story just isn't worth the hours of tedious combat, frustrating level design, and finger-numbing R2-spamming. [July 2008, p.83]

Factor in frequent freezing issues and dialogue-tree selections that don't seem to correspond with the resulting actions and Venetica doesn't stand up to current-day RPG standards. [March 2011, p.82]

Quests do occasionally offer intriguing objectives, but they're a rarity, and simple kill/fetch structures are the norm. [Nov 2012, p.87]

Add in a dull audio track, glitches, and game freezes and Rush 'N Attack had us wishing it had stayed covert for a few more decades. [June 2011, p.80]

With shallow combat that still requires a time commitment to learn, most fights descend into strategy-free buttonmashing in short order. [Dec 2011, p.69]

There is, perhaps, no better group to mark for wholesale slaughter than zombies. [Jan 2010, p.84]

"Quotation Forthcoming"

Overall, we recommend passing on this pirating adventure. [Jan 2008, p.84]

Take our advice, vote with your dollars and buy a used copy of "NFL Street 2" instead. [Apr 2008, p.76]

Even for a budget title the combat system is nothing short of a clunky mess, with slow animations and unsatisfying combos. [Holiday 2011, p.83]

This Wii-retread gets a second life courtesy of the Move controls and the results are passable yet ultimately forgettable. [Nov 2010, p.72]

Chasing a Mexican drug cartel through the streets of Los Angeles is boring at best, with outdated graphics and gameplay that feel a generation old. [Oct 2011, p.81]

Most everyone else can pass this one by and spare their teeth some trauma. [April 2011, p.79]

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]

Combines a mix of good and bad design elements to create a flawed but memorable adventure. [May 2010, p.84]

If that wasn't bad enough, the glitchy, jerky graphics are further ravaged by a spastic camera that literally had me woozy at times. [Holiday 2008, p.84]