If there were more track variation, more weapons, and a bit more effort in the presentation, M.A.C.H. could have easily have been a must-have PSP game. [Apr 2007, p.86]

Plays as though its developers were simply going through the motions. There are better third-person military shooters out there...lots of them. [June 2004, p.27]

The steering is a little unresponsive, and the load times are appalling, but it's still a lot of fun to tear ass and humiliate the competition in your meticulously modified rides. [Aug 2006, p.86]

So while nowhere near as sophisticated or well-produced as, say, a “Final Fantasy”, MS Saga does take a good 50-60 hours to churn through, and there’s a decent challenge hiding under its deceptively cutesy surface. [Mar 2006,p.85]

Within the first few seconds of this game you know you are in well-worn territory. [Sep 2006, p.86]

The game still holds up nicely today, and on a platform lacking quality titles in the platforming-action genre, you really can't do better than this. [Feb 2006, p.84]

Boss battles are simple, yet well done, incorporating Jack's whip-like Soul Robber and a musical rhythm sub-game that's just very cool. [Nov 2005, p.76]

The gameplay isn't as gripping and the characters aren't as interesting as other rhythm action games. [May 2002, p.30]

Plagued with underdeveloped AI and repetitive, clunky gameplay, SHBV is one of the least appealing games of 2003. [Sept 2003, p.38]

The actual gameplay itself is woefully shallow. [Oct 2002, p.40]

The learning curve is still frustrating, and control of in-air rotation (particularly in flips) is sluggish. [Feb 2002, p.42]

A surprisingly deep, well-written, and entertaining action RPG that offers lots of customization, co-op play, and a great game universe. [Mar 2004, p.28]

The key to Operation Surma is in the challenge and entertainment value that's provided, and that should get you your money's worth. [Feb 2004, p.38]

State of War is still, at best, a mindless beat 'em up game, and it doesn't take very long at all before the repetitive missions lose their novelty. [Jun 2006, p.84]

It's a blast in short bursts with buddies, but otherwise gets old fast. [Jan. 2007, p.86]

Visually stunning and incredibly complex, Aero Elite is a work of art that takes time to appreciate. [Apr 2003, p.34]

Jennifer Garner is hot - sizzling hot - to be exact, but sadly, her game is just lukewarm. As a result, even die-hard Alias fans may be let down by this game. [June 2004, p.29]

It's also eye-rollingly funny in a fart-pee kind of way. [Oct 2004, p.32]

It's also easy to die in the space of seconds, losing a half-hour's progress in one vein-throbbing instant. [Dec 2005, p.108]

We enjoyed the series' addictively simple-yet-fun gameplay seven years ago, and we enjoy it just as much now. [Nov 2007, p.87]

A nice selection of familiar characters. [Dec 2004, p.88]

Ark of Napishtim is a sterling example of how a simple tale can be told well, and now it comes packed with 200% more convenience. [Apr 2006, p.84]

All in all, once you get over the fact that Shining Force EXA isn't a "Shining Force" in the strictest sense, you'll be hacking and slashing your way to a darned good time. [May 2007, p.80]

Responsive controls, awesome artificial intelligence, and a presentation that truly rocks are only some of the reasons you should own this game. [Dec 2003, p.41]

Aside from a few bum mini-games and some confusing pre-game setup, RRR is a very amusing collection of random delights. [Mar 2007, p.86]

Enchanted Arms uses all the familiar constructs of the genre, playing as if developers went down a checklist of what a Japanese RPG should feature and made sure to include them all. [June 2007, p.82]

Sure, it's still playable; it's just not fantastic. [Sept 2005, p.78]

Calling Flipnic a pinball game is a lot like calling "Grand Theft Auto" a game where you steal cars - it just doesn't convey the breadth and variety of the gameplay. [Aug 2005, p.83]

Despite these quibbles, we can't seem to stop playing FireBlade - check it out. [August 2002, p.22]

If taking an I.Q. test shoots a thrill down your spine, you'll get a huge kick out of Hot Brain. [Sept 2007, p.82]

A fast and challenging experience that is hurt by camera, collision and polish issues. The levels designs and teamplay are definitely unique, though. [Feb 2004, p.24]

The chance to play as the Fellowship or the Host or Mordor is a very cool thing. [Holiday 2005, p.94]

Combat gets monotonous and Musashi himself moves far too slowly for a nimble samurai. [June 2005, p.80]

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory, however, proves that not only can the Big One be done respectably on the small screen, it can at times be downright engaging. [May 2007, p.78]

Just doesn't quite provide enough bang for your buck. [Iss #54, Jan 2002]

Extremely pretty, one of the smoothest engines produced for a PS2 racer, but AI issues and championship design leave something to be desired. [July 2002, p.40]

The real problem is the mediocre gameplay. [Aug 2004, p.25]

Just stay away from the single player mode entirely - it's nowhere near as satisfying as racing your pals through a rustic, old chicken coop. [Sep 2006, p.87]

There's nothing wrong with early retirement....you've earned it, Spyro. [Dec. 2006, p.82]

Casual Batman fans might flutter a wing, but the hardcore will fly away disenchanted. [Sept 2005, p.78]

Though the game looks and controls well, levels appear to be designed to kill the player in as many cheap ways as possible. [Dec 2004, p.78]

The appeal of Intellivision Lives! is greater for those who were there the first time around, but with an '80s-style price tag of only $20, this is an absolute must-buy. [Feb 2004, p.38]

A shallow mix of strategy and slapping, cursed by long loading times, WU falters a bit but staggers back by keeping the core tenets of its lineage intact. [Mar 2004, p.39]

Repetitive missions, bad flight controls, and too many robots make this game quite non-super. [Dec 2002, p.60]

Better than "Encounters", but not as good as "Bridge Commander", Tactical Assault is a mediocre Star Trek game that introduces an interesting cat and mouse strategy system that unfortunately wears thin after fighting the same battle again and again. [Feb. 2007, p.88]

With an uniteresting cast and bland execution of a promising storyline, you'll never really get into the plot. [Feb 2005, p.76]

It will never replace the original, but as a bargain title, Under Siege! makes for a great little time waster. [Apr 2005, p.76]

Overall, NBA 08 looks great and plays smooth, but more importantly, it's a huge improvement over last year's entry. [Dec 2007, p.80]

This year, NBA Live falls just short of continuing its dynasty as the best basketball game around. [Nov 2006, p.73]

It's not the most original game, but fans of the genre will certainly get their money's worth. [Dec. 2006, p.84]

LLike an evolved "Power Stone." It's also pretty good. [Sept 2002, p.31]

The core gameplay is terminally flawed, though, and no amount of perks can make up for that. [May 2006, p.87]

So while the story's a boon, this doesn't come close to competing with "NBA 2K7." [Holiday 2006, p.86]

The real problem is the gameplay itself. Stiff, unresponsive, and devoid of any real skill or purpose, a typical session of B&B quickly degenerates into a contest as to who can tap the buttons before the other guy. [Mar 2003, p.42]

It's not that the graphics are ugly; It's just that they're ugly and take forever to load. [Holiday 2005, p.100]

Legend of Heroes II looks great and has the same solid RPG feel of its predecessor, and also adds some nice new features, like enemies which you can see and choose to avoid, if you wish. [July 2006, p.87]

Just about everything is bland, from the gameplay to the graphics. [Jan 2006, p.80]

It is nearly impossible for the player to fail on any but the hardest level of difficulty. [Jan 2003, p.26]

Production values are average, but digi-devotees should be satisfied. [Nov 2004, p.86]

There's tons of game modes, customizations, addictive mini-games, and dirt - lots of dirt. [July 2005, p.86]

It's a compelling concept, but the slow loading times, chunky controls, lackluster graphics, and easy puzzles sap the adrenaline right out of the game. [May 2007, p.85]

Next to "Midnight Club 2," TRX3 looks dated and downright boring. [Jan 2004, p.48]

Save-game swapping with PSP and organized MTV-sponsored online tournaments only sweeten the pot. [Sept 2006, p.88]

ProStroke Golf aimed to create realistic golf, and real drama, but while it has great physics, it also has PS one graphics, and a crappy interface that does all the work for you, besides swing, which takes a lot of the fun out of it. [Nov. 2006, p.81]

The real problem with Work Time Fun is that it makes it quite a bit of work to get to any fun. [Holiday 2006, p.84]

There's a fairly deep golf sim here, too, and if you like its style, it's funny. [Holiday 2004, p.73]

It's a pretty short game, the story isn't all that engaging, and the story presentation could stand some polish. [Oct 2006, p.86]

It feels much more fun and fresh than its predecessor. [Aug 2007, p.83]

Sony gets itself back in the playoffs with this one, thanks to a great career mode and much-improved on-the-court action. [Holiday 2005, p.80]

A solid platformer that features plenty of clever puzzles and a good deal of variety. [Apr 2003, p.35]

It's entertaining for a while, but unless you add alcohol and gambling, it won't dominate your life. [June 2002, p.38]

The pressure and redundancy might annoy some gamers, but it looks and feels appropriately hectic - and it's a morally upstanding, heroically-themed videogame. [Apr 2004, p.40]

The control is surprisingly solid, the graphics are fairly smooth. [Holiday 2004, p.98]

Fans will undoubtedly want to check Fantasm out, but there isn't much here that hasn't been seen before. [June 2007, p.82]

For everyone else out there who's been looking for a foiled Deadpool card, Konami has packed a lot of game inside this UMD for you. [May 2007, p.85]

It stacks up well against the graphics of something like "Syphon Filter," which is what it ought to be compared to. [August 2002, p.20]

The Lockdown Stick returns from last year, giving you the ability to force premature shots or even edge opponents out of bounds. Bottom line: It's fun! [Mar 2007, p.85]

Next-gen is supposed to mean better graphics, deeper gameplay, and exclusive features not found on current-gen versions--so you can imagine our disappointment when we discovered The Life, one of the features in this year's PS2 version of NBA 07, has been ejected from the game. [Feb. 2007, p.82]

As an FPS, the game offers steady action and decent A.I., but is often repetitious and does very little to shake the formula. [May 2007, p.84]

The ball physics are a tiny bit too "floaty" for pinball purists, and work most effectively on the tables where the ball moves fastest, like my personal favorite, Black Hole. [Feb 2005, p.82]

The lack of quality elements and repetition doom Batman to mediocrity. [Dec 2003, p.72]

Definitely a cut or three below usual Square Enix standards, but hack-and-slash fans will still find plenty to love. [May 2004, p.39]

However, you'll get a lot of the same ninjas to fight over and over again. [Holiday 2006, p.83]

There's an abundance of camera problems and the enemy AI is dumb as a doornail. [Oct 2003, p.38]

This speed-hampered racer doesn't have a whole lot under the hood...Doesn't come close to touching the supreme "Midnight Club II." [Oct 2004, p.35]

There is no checkpoint system and save game slots are randomly dropped by enemies, which is both frustrating and tiresome unless you like restarting a level over and over. [Sept 2004, p.24]

Hand-to-hand combat within the game requires zero skill. [Aug 2003, p.31]

Enemy AI seems patchy, multiplayer is absent and there is no 16:9 widescreen option; it's 4:3 with the map and info windows filling out the space. [May 2005, p.84]

While Aedis Eclipse, the sequel to 2006's tepid "Generation of Chaos", adds quite a bit to the character development aspect, the core problem of the series remains: combat is almost entirely non-interactive. [June 2007, p.84]

Illogical puzzles dominate the game's second half. You may not even understand what you did in order to move on. [Jan 2005, p.70]

Another title that virtually defines the word "mediocre." [Mar 2002, p.30]

The speed-impaired gameplay, a problem that hampered last year's version of "NBA Live," can lead to some considerable frustration. [Oct 2002, p.35]

Not good. Simply, not good. [May 2006, p.82]

The game's kick-ass atmosphere and excellent visuals seem to have taken development time away from the play mechanics. [Nov 2004, p.88]

The look and feel of the show is there, and the story is compelling enough to keep you trudging through the amateur gaming parts. [Apr 2006, p.68]

What sticks out most is the excellent career mode. [Dec 2003, p.46]

The strategy is simple: run plays like Yo-Yo Post fade, score, repeat endlessly, rack up 100+ points, and win. [May 2007, p.83]

A ton of fun...There's a lot of appeal to the city-stomping combat here. [Jan 2005, p.73]