It's a shame that the AI behaves so irrationally and the levels are so small. With a little bit more ambition Sniper Elite V2 could have been a real gem. [June 2012]

Legendary Cannon Fodder get's an offspring, but when kids go marching in to the Desert Storm, something doesn't add up. This cute and cuddly iRTS would have worked so much better in turns. Now the controversial graphic design that mixes up real life war with cartoons is coupled with real-time action and the set fails to meet its whole potential. [June 2012]

Though it's essentially an extended prologue with very little story, the first chapter of The Journey Down shows promise. There's plenty of humor and old-fashioned adventure charm here, even though some of the puzzles are a bit too goofy. Now hurry up and make more chapters! [Aug 2012]

Amazing Spider-Man: The Video Game is terrific fun for web-slinging in the skies of Manhattan, but as a whole falls short of the brilliance of the Batman games it copies due to lackluster level design and repetitive gameplay. [Sept 2012]

Of Orcs and Men might seem like a traditional role-playing game, but it turns the roles of heroes and villains upside down. Orcs and goblins are oppressed while humans enjoy the good life. The game gets a bit repetitive towards the end and the AI is downright awful, but it is still a worthwhile play. Highly recommended to players who are sick and tired of knights in their shining armor running the show. [Nov 2012]

A good start, but needs more levels and a 1st person view. And some lessons from Chivalry: Medieval Warfare. [Nov 2012]

The weapons are seriously underpowered and the enemies are as uninteresting as they come. The command system seems very simplistic at first, but turns out to be one of the game's strong points. [Mar. 05]

There are not any major faults, but there are not any really good ideas, either. [Aug. 05]

A great concept, but the game suffers from its poor AI. Also, the balance between diplomacy and war should have been improved. [Aug. 05]

The fast rollercoaster rides and the various lizard forms are fun. Too bad the levels are too simple and straight-forward. [Feb. 05]

The latest Ultima Online expansion offers two new classes, ninja and samurai, and a renewed guild system. Otherwise the game is pretty much the same. Veteran UO players will enjoy, but if you are new, Samurai Empire is not the easiest way to begin. [Feb. 05]

There is nothing truly new, though. Time for a real update? [Jan. 05]

A nice offering of new toys and maps, but why on earth did you break the teamwork by giving us such an abundance of motorcycles? Now nobody wants to board my Blackhawk anymore. [Feb. 05]

Mesmerise, hypnotise, electroplanktonise. It is beautiful and captures your heart, but only for a half an hour. [Mar 2006]

Brings back some fond memories. Some of the games have aged well (Galaxian, Galaga), some have not (Pole Position). Why are there only a dozen games? [Jan 2006]

A decent little strategic RPG. The combat system is good, but the battles tend to be too easy and repetitive. [Mar 2006]

A game that tries to be every major street driving game you can imagine. At the end of the day, Driver: Parallel Lines feels a bit dated and jaded. Some fun car chases and over-the-roof-top racing, though. And yes, good music. [Apr 2006]

A decent flight shoot 'em up that tries hard to look like a simulator. The flying is too easy for its own good and the enemy AI is too repetitive. More sci-fi missions would not have hurt, either. [Sept 2006]

A technically sound, if a bit too easy and short action-adventure. The three significantly different heroes are a nice touch. But why buy the movie licence, if the game has little to do with the movie? [June 2006]

A funny collection of mini games. Nothing more, nothing less. [Jan 2007]

A traditional point 'n click adventure full of atmosphere and intriguing puzzles. The interface is a bit old-fashioned and cumbersome, and the game has a few dull moments. Nice plot saves a lot. [Aug 2006, p.59]

Puts player in a rather awkward role. You essentially play a person who hasn’t made a single good decision in his life. When none of your actions hold any kind of moral high-ground the whole experience starts to feel like a total downer. While the story certainly has an impact, the actual gameplay does not. Shooting behind the cover has been done much better. The real let-down is the last third of the game which is simply not fun to play. [Dec 2007]

For the most parts an entertaining street football experience. The gamebreaker meter and environmental objects add freshness to the gameplay. There is a lot to do, but the lack of variation is a definite problem. [Mar 2007]

Not particularly bad, but in the RTS genre mediocrity does not cut it anymore. [Feb 2007]

Graphically amazing but sadly the content isn't on the same level as the looks. Character classes are boring, quests are repetitive and the game world isn’t very fascinating. Aion’s endgame might offer something for the dedicated PvP’er, but too bad the way there is mind-numbingly dull. [Nov 2010]

A mediocre take on survival horror genre, and sadly not very impressive debut for the series on new console generation. We've seen these puzzles and these fighting mechanics already in dozen different games of the same genre. The hellish visions of Otherworld evoke good horror feelings, but they're soon dragged to ground by far too frequent fights which become more or less routine after few first encounters. [Mar 2009]

Suffers from the maddenigly generic fantasy setting and the redundancy of some features, but comes through with addictive dungeon scavenging and suitable gameplay for a portable device. [Jan 2008]

I would rather pay for an update that fixes AI and streamlines UI. Not muach new, and commando night missions are ArmA at its worst. [Nov 2007]

Hard to be a God is very hardcore old school rpg that has its moments. Mounted combat is fun, but normal combat is frustratingly difficult. The bad Borat-style translation makes for some hilarious moments but slows down the narrative at the same time. [Mar 2008]

BattleForge spices the RTS genre with aspects from collectible card games, but the whole is less than the sum of its parts: the strategy elements are too repetitive and the CCG side feels pointless. [May 2009]

Respectably faithful to the Penny Arcade style. The battle system is fun, but otherwise the lack of meaningful content brings the game down; a story-based game should have a story that grabs you and won't let go. [Sept 2008]

Needs rethinking of basics. To begin with, US vs Syria is just not interesting. Secondly, gamewise it is only highly irritating when game needs heavy micromanaging, but while you do that, other troops just die silently and if you blink, you might miss the tank that killed them. How about some user friendliness? [Jan 2009]

Very much an average take on JRPG genre. While it does offer a long story brimming with anime cliches and conventions, and more than enough options to customize your characters and their skills, the plot feels bland, stumbling from plot twist to another, and the character cast something we've seen a thousand times before. Action sequences outside boss fights, while fast-paced and even fun quickly become repetetive button mashers without much tactics or thinking needed. [July 2009]

For point’n click adventure gamers Still Life 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the original serial killer hunt. SL2 to is true to its style meaning that it’s still as bloody and violent as the original – exceptional thing in adventure game. The game is really compact and all the events take place in a small environment which works out surprisingly well. Puzzle design is fairly good, but there’s awful lot of pixel-hunting and running to and fro. The plot twists are good but the overall storyline has many flaws. All in all Still life 2 isn’t as good as its predecessor, but it’s still worth a try if you’re into serial killer cat-and-mouse-things. [Feb 2010]

Still looks great, but the fact is that there’s very little here to justify a sequel. [Apr 2009]

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena gets stuck in one gear for too long. Even though the game has many same aspects as the great Escape from Butcher Bay, the pacing is bad and the action forces you to run through the same corridors over and over again. The included Escape from Butcher Bay is still a masterpiece, however. [Mar 2009]

Tries very hard to be edgy and gritty but much of that effort ends up feeling forced. After the destructive spectacle of the first couple of levels is over, the game sort of winds down and you're left with five hours of rather forgettable scenes and mediocre action. Fortunately, Army of Two does have a saving grace and that's the co-operative play. [Jan 2010]

A pretty and entertaining action adventure. Too bad it's targeted for casual gamers – it's too easy and/or short for anybody else. [July 2009]

Captures the essence of WWE wrestling very well and the extensive editing options offer interesting possibilities. As a game, however, it's burdened by frustrating controls and the fact that most of the matches are too long and boring to be truly fun to play. [Dec 2009]

A bit of an ambiguous case. Game mechanics have been transferred to gamepad pretty well but on the other hand, do both versions suffer too much of the console adaptation? [June 2010]

A decent hockey game, but there are not that many improvements compared to the last year’s edition. AI has been improved and some little details have been tweaked, but lack of significant innovations is too obvious. [Nov 2010]

Simbin continues making money with almost 3 years old game engine, and it shows in everything. Graphics and physics are really old fashioned. Standards are set in much higher nowadays. Race On doesn't move sim fans, and looks too ugly to "race" with Forza Motorsport 3. Race On is not worth buying for full price. [Jan 2010]

The idea of mixing elements of role playing games and first person shooters with Diablo style item hunting might seem absurd at first, but Borderlands proves that such unique combination can actually work. The two DLC packs, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned and Mad Maxxi’s Underdome Riot, expand the Borderlands experience further, but in their own different ways. The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned is a story-driven adventure that, as the name suggests, involves a lot of zombie shooting, whereas Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot concentrates on multiplayer and arena battles. Both are good in their own right, but Ned’s Zombie Island offers more fun moments and bang for your buck. [Feb 2010]

Armada 2526 proves yet again that 4X Space games need a sense of wonder, not a sense of Excell. Death to text messaging diplomacy! [Jan 2010]

A fun little mission and Kasumi herself is well written. Too bad that we can't have any real dialogue with her once the mission is over. Also it still feels like cheating to just give us one mission instead of the normal two-part structure we get in the basic game. [May 2010]

A fun little mission and Kasumi herself is well written. Too bad that we can't have any real dialogue with her once the mission is over. Also it still feels like cheating to just give us one mission instead of the normal two-part structure we get in the basic game. [May 2010]

A nice-enough fantasy-RPG with decent semi-real time battles. The story is quite good, but certain technical aspects are somewhat outdated. [May 2006]

The weapons are seriously underpowered and the enemies are as uninteresting as they come. The command system seems very simplistic at first, but turns out to be one of the game's strong points. [Mar. 05]

Does not really offer anything new, except improved graphics and a new storyline. That is not enough, really, but wrestling fans will probably still like the game. [Aug. 05]

A game that tries to be every major street driving game you can imagine. At the end of the day, Driver: Parallel Lines feels a bit dated and jaded. Some fun car chases and over-the-roof-top racing, though. And yes, good music. [Apr 2006]

A cute little adventure with clever puzzles and little things that will entertain young players. It is a shame that the story falls flat before the end. [Aug 2006, p.45]

The cuddly kiddy version of Star Wars is still sympathetic, but what already felt dated length and complexity-wise in 1997 requires real retro love in 2011. The remastering is top notch, however. [Oct 2011]

Brian Fargo's new pet project turned out to be a cross-breed of Gears of War and God of War. Medieval co-op experience is somewhat nice snack between larger meals. The team has worked in haste, which can be seen in almost every aspect. There's a lot of potential, which has been sadly wasted. [Aug 2011]

Neither Flashpoint nor as bad as some say. It is fairly entertaining but surprisingly unambitious milsim light. [May 2011]

You never know what to expect from Bioware when they create a new DLC. Sometimes they are decent, more often not. Legacy and Mark of the Assassin are pleasant surprises in the continuum. The adventures are well written, Tallis is a compelling new character and the combat is challenging enough. The add-ons are solid work, but not extraordinary by any means. [Nov 2011]

Nice cinematics, too laborious a game. [March 2012]

A Japanese adaptation of the Gears of War franchise with voice commands. Besides the mechanical novelty, which would have been better executed with buttons, the game is just another regular shooter with some interesting boss fights. [Apr 2012]

The second prototype is almost an exact match of the previous incarnation. Corny story and the dull mission design rip the edge off. The mayhem at Manhattan is still fun, but the game could be so much better. Hopefully the third version is ready for production. [May 2012]

A very entertaining combination of relatively normal arcade-racing, destruction derby and drifting. The tracks are too easy and the cars feel samey, though. [June 2012]

Tokyo Jungle is certainly a different kind of survival adventure. Too bad it's also quite repetitive. Fun in small doses. [Oct 2012

Fallen Enchantress improves on the first Elemental game by leaps and bounds, but still fails to enchant. Heroes and armies are fun to play with, but the mediocre empire building lacks that something which really would hook you in. [Dec 2012]

Brilliant humor and an interesting world won't save Mario's latest RPG offering. Even though the stickers add a lot of variety to the turn based battles, an RPG without any character development tends to turn repetitive eventually. Unfortunately for Mario such is the case with Sticker Star. [Feb 2013]

Battlefield 3 has had a great run of DLC, but sadly End Game is by far the worst of the lot. The new game mode (Capture the Flag) is prone to players behaving badly and the new maps don't feel all that special. [Apr 2013]

Better than its predecessor, but what the player gets is tedious and simplistic. Instead of a challenge, there is a three-unit real-time strategy without the strategy. The creature works rather well, though. [Oct 2005]

An average action-adventure. One for the fans. [Aug. 05]

A mediocre tactical FPS that falls a little short on most categories. A more polished UI, better graphics and enemy AI would have done this game a world of good. [Aug. 05]

Technically, the large swarms of bugs are impressive, but otherwise the game looks dated and sounds weak. The fun comes mainly from the game's respect of its source material. The boss fights are incredibly tedious, though. [Dec 2005]

A rather substandard and short add-on to a decent Diablo clone. Fans of the genre might like it but others should not bother. [Aug. 05]

A run-of-the-mill shooter with nothing new to offer. It does not even do the old stuff well enough to rise above the ranks of mediocrity. [Oct 2006]

A somewhat old-fashioned driving game with nice controls. Unfortunately, driving games today should offer something more innovative to really stand out. [Aug. 05]

An easy and decent-enough rally game. There is nothing amazing, though. And PSP is not the best platform for semi-realistic racing. [Jan 2006]

Entertaining but much too short. The camera angles are awful and the action itself is a little too hectic. Duels, however, are nicely done. [July 05]

A very light, but brilliantly designed adventure game. For experienced gamers it is too short and easy, but casual gamers will no doubt enjoy it very much. [Sept. 05]

Much too static and scripted and requires unearthly patience. What is the point in stalking if no one does anything without the stalker doing something first? [Dec 2005]

Bone: Out from Boneville & The Great Cow Race are good fun even for beginners. The Great Cow Race is much better than the shaky first episode, being more non-linear, having tighter gameplay and expanding on the comic's story instead of just retelling it. [Jan 2007]

A promising driving game with lots of good bits (nice graphics, interesting physics), yet it is let down by rugged controls and boring races. [Sept. 05]

Has a huge amount of interesting wrestlers and game modes. Too bad the clunky and buggy fighting system is so clearly outdated. [Jan 2006]

Has a non-existent plot, camera issues and a whole bunch of assorted problems, but somehow it manages to rise above them. Perhaps it is because of the nice graphics and the non-stop action. [Jan 2006]

Pokémon Link puts more emphasis on fast reflexes than functional brain cells. Slightly more thought-provoking mechanics would have provided enjoyment longer. [June 2006]

A nice departure from the default dancing game format. The only track limit is your CD collection, although it does not work properly with every type of dance music. The way step arrows are shown is more annoying than the music problems. [Dec 2006]

A decent add-on, but lacks the drive that made the original game so good. The graphics are still great. [May 2006]

Bone: Out from Boneville & The Great Cow Race are good fun even for beginners. The Great Cow Race is much better than the shaky first episode, being more non-linear, having tighter gameplay and expanding on the comic's story instead of just retelling it. [Jan 2007]

Proves that the Wiimote really works and makes games more fun. This time Tony Hawk is all about the speed, not the tricks. [Jan 2007]

A repetitive action game with comic book heroes. The lack of variation and camera issues are its biggest problems. The game is at its best when playing with a friend. [Jan 2007]

Loses in almost every aspect to old Combat Mission 2. Having a campaign mode does not cure the general mediocrity and the irritating UI deficiencies. [Sept 2006]

SSX Blur does not use the full potential of the Wii controls. I want to twist, shout, jump and run around the TV screen, not just tilt the wiimote a little bit. The game looks and sounds great. [Apr 2007]

An outrageously corny and a massively extravagant shooter that delivers plenty of short-lived fun, but the severe repetition and absurd length of the game eat away at the spirit of the fast-paced shooter. [Jan 2008]

Same old GTA with an uninteresting plot and lame characters, but it is still pretty fun. The soundtrack is superb. [Apr 2007]

Having a big wide open playing area is a nice addition in many ways but unfortunately in the current form the pros don’t outweight the cons. Having to find your own route doesn’t quite fit the series and the dreadful car navigation system doesn’t help either. Also having to drive back to the starting line to restart a race is a big flaw and the decission to replace Crash with boring Showtime is bizarre. Still the basis of the game is so strong that even with obvious flaws the game is still quite fun especially in multiplayer. [Jan 2008]

Seems to have it all: funny characters, stylish graphics and superb production values. It's a shame, that it lacks the challenge and depth of other titles in the genre. Despite that, The Simpsons will certainly appeal to the younger players and make this a good gateway game. [Nov 2007]

A forced remake. The gaming scene is so over saturated with the match three genre, Galactrix feels old right off the bat. Even though very clichéd, the proven core elements still works. [Apr 2009]

Punch-Out!! shows how little games have really changed in a decade: Quick Time Events are still a trend. Luckily the game still has it old charm.

Really needs one more difficulty level. Arcade is so easy that it gets boring really fast, at realistic planes feels too unstable to even aim straight. [Aug 2009]

An atmospheric thriller marred by a constant need for repetition. Gunplay feels a bit tacked on. [Dec 2005]

A quite decent FPS and certainly an improvement over the original. It's quite unoriginal, though, and the opening level is very dull, but it gets better after that. [June 2011]

A pretty and very entertaining 2D RTS slash bemani game. There's nothing quite like it, unless you count earlier Patapons. A bit repetitive, though. [May 2011]

A mishmash of simple text adventuring and lots of different minigames. Strangely, it kind of works, thanks largely to the interesting story. It's too easy and lacking in presentation, but a nice little space adventure nonetheless. [Aug 2012]

Skylanders: Giants is pretty much the same stuff as last year. The new giants are fun, but are not nearly powerful enough to justify their price tag. Still decent fun, just without the flair of freshness the original had. [Dec 2012]

A bit of an ambiguous case. On one hand it delivers pretty solid and fun rallying, but on the other hand it feels a bit disappointing because it could have been much better. Handling could have been improved to more extreme realism and the career mode could have been refined instead of dumbing it up. [Nov 2012]

A stylish homage to old video games. It's just not particularly fun to play. What could have been a great game ends up just okay. [Dec 2012]

Not exactly a bad RPG but not a particularly good one, either. On the plus side, the story is OK and has a couple of interesting characters, but the overall atmosphere is bland and uninspired. [Apr. 05]

A traditional roleplaying adventure with Megaman trimmings. [Jan. 05]

A decent samurai and sword action game based on Tezuka Osamu's Dororo manga. It is a little bit repetitive and the dated gameplay is disappointing. A few fun monsters, though. [Apr. 05]

A decent horror FPS that is let down by its poor control scheme. The PC version looks a bit dated, but sound is used well throughout. [Nov 2005]

Weird and funny. It suffers from clunky controls and PSP's small screen. The special missions are a nice addition, but overall thte game is too repetitive. [Aug 2006, p.53]

The stylus controls are fine and everything works as it should. But there is a certain lack of charisma - that extra something that makes a good game great. [Feb 2007]

The streamlined gameplay helps a little, but the game itself is too repetitive and simplistic. There is no real freedom, and the galaxy turns out to be beautiful but dull. [Sept 2006]

Takes the tactical combat of Starfleet Command and turns it into action - of which there is not enough. It is not a truly bad Trek product, but the frustrating difficulty level and clumsy controls make playing too much of a chore. [Feb 2007]

A decent enough action-adventure in the vein of GTA and Crackdown. Spider-Man's web-slinging abilities are depicted very well. Go for the Xbox 360 version, the rest are not worth your time. [June 2007]

Pretty, but ultimately lifeless action/adventure. The fighting is quite easy and there's not much else to do. [Dec 2007]

A thoroughly mediocre space combat game with a good storyline, decent graphics and bad sounds. Active wingmen and good spacecraft modification are a nice touch. [Oct 2007]

Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate are both decent expansions to F.E.A.R. despite that fact the graphics looks a bit outdated. Suspense works well, but the new plot only messes the great ending of the original game. [Jan 2008]

Speedball 2 Tournament is an exact copy of the original Brutal Deluxe. Nothing added, nothing removed. Everything seems to be in order as playability and controls are good and the new graphics are rest for the eye. However, some of the spirit of the original has been lost in the project. The game isn't even near the fun of its predecessor. Maybe it's the lacking AI. Fortunately multiplayer is almost as fun as ever. [Apr 2008]

Metal Slug 7 delivers what fans of the series expect, nothing more, nothing less. [Jan 2009]

A decent FPS-style shoot 'em up. The curving bullets are fun, but other than that, there's nothing special. It's a bit on the short side, too.

A quite good tower defence game. It gets the job done, but there's nothing too special. Try Fieldrunners first. [Feb 2010]

A bit of a disappointment compared to the original Far Cry Instincts. There should have been more of everything – more weapons, more abilities, more gameplay. [Apr 2006]

A classic that captured the minds of countless tactical role-playing game enthusiasts back in 1999. It had superb turn-based combat, mercenaries with larger than life personalities and loads of guns and gadgets. Overthrowing queen Deidranna and freeing Arulco was a quest for the ages. Jagged Alliance - Back in Action is a remake of Jagged Alliance 2, but fails to capture the magic of its predecessor. Turn-based combat is gone and the mercenaries have lost their edge. The visuals are up to date and roaming Arulco is still a treat, but getting rid of fog of war is a huge mistake. Back in Action is not a bad game, but pales in comparison to its father. [March 2012]

The Last Story is an unfortunate disappointment. The battles are plagued by bad controls and a horrible camera, and the story suffers from unintentionally humorous dialogue. [March 2012]

Has everything you expect from a formula game, but it is way too easy - the AI is too slow even in the hard-level. Textures are quite ugly, too. [Apr 2012]

Interesting puzzles, marred by dull environments and stupid requirement for jumping, seemingly with roller skates. [Sept 2012]

A generic sci-fi shooter that is short and not much fun to play. [July 05]

A decent enough beat 'em up adventure with interesting roleplaying elements. It is way too repetitive, however. [Jan. 05]

Too linear and short, but it has a nice atmosphere to it and many enjoyable missions. Poor graphics and moronic companions detract from the experience, though. [Jan. 05]

A very basic real-time strategy with AI issues. Although everything about it has been seen a million times before, the game is still pretty entertaining from time to time. [Jan. 05]

Fun to play and easy to look at, but the gameplay is ultimately a bit too straightforward and shallow. It is borderline outrageous that the single-player campaign lasts only for 5 hours. [Apr 2006]

Recreates "Caesar III" with nicer graphics and smooth gameplay. Unfortunately, after a few scenarios the game starts to repeat itself and lacks enough new things to do. [Sept 2006]

Suffers from the same basic flaw as "Euro Forces" did. Servers are not identified, which causes problems for vanilla players, and therefore servers do not use the booster packs. [Aug 2006, p.60]

The super powerful brakes and dumbed-down controls do a lot of damage to an otherwise decent off-road fest. Rallisport Challenge 2 did the same things much better. [Aug 2007]

The PS2 conversion of a next-gen title is stripped down, but the beautiful sandbox of Oahu remains. There is plenty to do, but it is mostly the same not-so-fun driving and a couple of mission types over and over again. [Apr 2007]

The PC version has not much going for it. There are a few improvements over the previous version, and the old sins are all there. Still looks good, though. [Oct 2006]

One of the most refreshing adventure games in a long time full of clever and funny dialogue. The puzzles are much like the main characters: witty and out of control. [Feb 2007]

Simple, pure, childish fun. Wiimote freshens the series, but underneath it all still lies the same old Mario Party in both the good and the bad. [Aug 2007]

Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions has very little to do with war or flying but it's pretty fun to play and nice to watch. And that's enough for me. [Oct 2007]

Lag and framerate issues spoils a decent sci fi shooter. [Aug 2008]

Wii is just right platform for olympic games. For example Archery and High Jump are just excellent. It's a shame, that some of the events suffers from fiddly controls like Single Sculls and Table Tennis. Generally game is quite fun and it works best with bunch of sporty friends. [Mar 2008]

Beautiful Katamari is the same old Katamari with high definition graphics. That's it - and it's also very short. Still the original quirky idea provides a few hours of gay old time.

Fails to rise above mediocrity. The game is surprisingly enjoyable at times and has genuinely interesting gameplay elements, but the clumsy UI ruins the fun. [June 2007]

A decent party game with a nice twist. Brain training is not awfully scientific, but it is fun enough to keep you entertained a few minutes a day. [Sept 2007]

The old king of rally is back. Who needs realism when the cars are this fun to drive and the world is so wonderfully vivid? What the game could have used is more variety in its tracks – and more tracks. [Oct 2007]

Offers plenty of minigames (attractions) in Story Mode. They are clever enough to make a fun gaming experience for quite a while. The use of stylus is essential and adds up the the pleasure. The original style Bomberman is included as Battle Mode. More complex puzzles, twists in the plot and less one dimensional characters would have made this a gem instead of just a jolly nice game. Compared to the horrid Wii-version this is a masterpiece though. [May 2008]

Bus Driver was more interesting than I thought, but lis too simplified.. It really should have a view from driver’s seat, and interacting with passengers would be nice too. [Jan 2008]

Your basic run-of-the-mill action game, which manages to entertain for a while. The controls are awkward and sadly the environments are not affected by the destruction and mayhem. The optional hero objective is a great idea. [June 2008]

The Lord of the Rings: Conquest has some good movielike moments but overall suffers from a boring and difficult single player mode and lousy controls on the PC. The multiplayer is decent enough if you're into epic but rather simple fantasy action. [Feb 2009]

Technically neat and almost delivers the feeling of being part of a massive battle. The lack of strategy unfortunately turns the game into a mediocre hack and slash. [Mar 2009]

Stylized over the top cartoon violence in black and white.... and blood-red. There's a lot to like in MadWorld. Only for a brief time however since the game doesn't have depth or longevity. The gameplay is rough around the edges and there are some technical niggles. The poor European conversion with 50 Hz screen refresh and black borders is worth a special mention. The shame! [May 2009]

A simple hack slash RPG with a lot of repetition. Still - the action is fairly addictive and the beautiful 2D art creates a charming atmosphere. [Dec 2009]

Oh dear, Relic. Handful of short, small and laughably easy scenarios really was not what I waited for or wanted. Relic’s new obsession for ”accessibility” is ruining its games. [May 2009]

A fun and an original little online shooter that suffers from lack of players and dodgily set-up servers. [June 2009]

Section 8 tries to combine with some success many of the best elements of popular multiplayer shooters and boosts the package with rocket-powered action. Unfortunately not many players have found the game. [Nov 2010]

Although the winter sports offer a nicer setup for the Olympics than the summer games, this evolved shake-until-you-drop clone of good old button-punching ’Games-series doesn’t captivate the spirit of the competition. The game surely has it’s moments, but those moments are somewhat rare. For single player this is definitely a no-no, but as a party game it performs quite nicely. [Nov 2010]

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days looks astonishing for a DS game, but is afflicted with a disease called reiteration. Players who know their Kingdom Hearts inside out will find nothing new here. The worlds, the Disney characters and even the music of 358/2 Days are recycled from its predecessors. The game has its high points, such as the combat system and the sentimental atmosphere, but ultimately falls to mediocrity. [Dec 2009]

Dragon Age: Origins - Return to Ostagar is little more than a short sightseeing quest in the snow-covered ruins of Ostagar. A few hours' worth of fighting the same old enemies doesn't quite cut it as good DLC, but thankfully the pricing is in line with this. [Mar 2010]

Has some potential, but there are simply too many bots and too few actual players. [May 2010]

It’s got the freedom (partly) and it’s got realism (mostly) but it’s also badly designed with strict time limits, scarce checkpoints, bad AI, loads of bugs and a netcode that isn't worth a damn. It’s still rewarding though and it doesn’t have much competition on consoles. [Nov 2010]

Too linear and short, but it has a nice atmosphere to it and many enjoyable missions. Poor graphics and moronic companions detract from the experience, though. [Jan. 05]

Fun to play and easy to look at, but the gameplay is ultimately a bit too straightforward and shallow. It is borderline outrageous that the single-player campaign lasts only for 5 hours. [Apr 2006]

Ford Street Racing has something others do not: one-player team championships. With three cars in one team the competitions can get quite interesting. Unfortunately the gameplay is too sedated and the action too sterile. There are better arcade racers out there. [April 2006]

Too flawed to be enjoyable. The AI cheats mercilessly, and scoring goals is not much fun, since you can score all of them with just one trick. The vastly different players are nice, though. [Sept 2006]

Hamilton's Great Adventure is a well thought-out, fun puzzle game that offers a nice amount of content for a game of this price range. Sadly, it doesn't really have anything that would truly make it stand out from the numerous puzzle games on the market. It is entertaining, but not exactly a classic. [Sept 2011]

This weird exploitation version of Alan Wake is filled with dirty jokes and interesting scenery. Unfortunately the dull controls make the game situated in hell feel like it's from hell. If you can get past the clunky controls and cramped level design, the game is quite good substitute while the next Resident Evil is in the making. [Aug 2011]

Better than Battlefield Heroes, but worse than real Battlefields. What is target audience? [May 2011]

Ridge Racer 3D is a fast and relaxed arcade racer, but the cars and tracks are much prettier on big consoles. [May 2011]

One of the best games in 3DS release. Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars offers enjoyable turn based action with a diverse squad and tactically enjoyable terrain. I like it a lot! [May 2011]

Interesting for one life cycle, but after the second Big Bang the universe offers nothing new. [Feb 2012]

A decent 3rd person shooter, which has repetitive levels and fairly stupid AI. The different types missions are a good idea. [Apr 2012]

Well, you certainly didn't see this one coming. Zombie invasion in Yakuza controlled Kamurocho is certainly something you don't see every day. The game isn't an Asian version of the Left 4 Dead, thanks to the sloppy controls. [May 2012]

Harley Quinn's Revenge has the same great basic DNA than Arkham City, but too much of the action happens inside buildings where the game loses part of its appeal. The fights also get a bit tedious near the end with durable robots blowing stuff up all over the place. [Aug 2012]

A decent cover shooter which gets better towards the end. The gravity effects are nice, but they could be much nicer, if you could control the direction of gravity, not just the amount of it. [Aug 2012]

A decent action adventure with heavy emphasis on magical battles. It's almost a shooting game, which is a kind of disappointing. [Aug 2012]

The patch fixed the awful route AI, and now the game is OK'ish, but somewhat bland. What it still most needs is more speed, both for the game and vehicles, and much less waiting. The FPS parts are as awful as Mr. Myrik's nasal British accent. [Jan 2013]

It's same old, same old. There's nothing truly special about the new Revolution maps, but nothing truly wrong with them either. Having never really enjoyed Call of Duty Zombies, the new zombies content leaves me cold. By pitting three zombies against a single survivor, the new Turned mode makes a complete mockery of a true zombie apocalypse. [Apr 2013]

SimCity is basically a good game, although it's crippled by poor technical choices and the DRM that requires an internet connection for single player game is obviously the worst thing since the plague. It's very fun to play, but after a brief building stage all there is left to do is to optimize, optimize and optimize. There's a load of patching to do. [Apr 2013]

Excellent atmosphere and great characters straight from the fantastic movie. The game itself is an average 3D action-adventure. [Sept. 05]

A point 'n' click adventure with fresh ideas and a good storyline. However, the game is full of stupid problems, like stick hunting, and the voice actors are quite bad. [Feb. 05]

Decent sneak-and-shoot FPS. The Cold War theme is refreshing and the X-ray camera rocks. Unfortunately the game is lacking in the AI department and never builds enough tension to really pull you in. [Dec 2005]

Has a good feel of the world of Narnia in it, but as a game it is rather dull and average. Good fun for the fans of the movie. [Jan 2006]

Saves your rainy day. The game is sometimes a little confusing when there is no way of knowing what to do next. [Dec 2005]

UberSoldier does not dare to do anything bold with its undead protagonist. Instead, the game remains a generic WW2 shooter, although a technically adept one. [April 2006]

An RPG that lacks originality but offers a neat package of nice and cute gameplay. [Mar 2007]

F.E.A.R.: Extraction Point has great action scenes, but none of them feel any different from what was seen in the original F.E.A.R. What really ruins the expansion is the lacklustre storyline, which basically gives you no answers. [Dec 2006]

Well-written but ugly and still too easy to solve. [Nov 2007]

A mediocre and out-of-date tactical game. Stupid AI, lack of immersion and no dynamic campaign or even smoke in the battlefield are not what you would call 'meeting today's requirements'. [June 2007]

FIFA Street 3 is a huge improvement compared to the earlier versions of the series. Lack of decent game modes and poor AI are the biggest reasons to complain about. [Mar 2008]

Point'n click adventure that relies heavily on its intriguing storyline, likable main characters and nice puzzle design. Unfortunately it has a big shortcoming. The seemingly never-ending dialogue turns the player into a reader. In other words the game is unbalanced: one spends more time watching than actually playing. It’s a pity, really. [Aug 2009]

A great game on another platform. Modern Warfare looses much of its graphical glory on Wii and the point & click shooting style works much better with mouse & keyboard or with Smith & Wesson than what it does with Wiimote & nunchuck. With these deficits the game drops down to a mediocre experience. [Dec 2009]

Contra Rebirth is a hard and short run & gun -shoot 'em up. It's pure neo-retro: It's done the way they used to be done and that's not necessarily a good thing. [Dec 2009]

Now with added unlockables and online play, Final Fight's simple but satisfying gameplay is as fun as ever. But surely Capcom could have coupled the classic beat 'em up with something better than the lacklustre Magic Sword? [June 2010]

Has good turn-based, operational mode, that unfortunately is not backed up by solid tactical combat. The commanding feels clumsy and unintuitive, and information feels like it's hidden from the commander. The old masters of tactical WW2 combat still remain unbeaten. [May 2010]

A really intriguing mixture of genres. There's a sandbox world to explore, lot's of first-person shooting and some role-playing, with space flight and combat thrown in to tie it all together. It's unfinished, badly written and at times not very fun, but there's nothing out there like it. [Oct 2011]

Trapped Dead has a nice idea but degenerates to a simplistic RTS. [Sept 2011]

Misses the point completely with the anemic multiplayer options. [Apr 2012]

I liked the first Medal of Honor, but this is a very average military shooter. The game's feel of authenticity is lost, missions are shooting from a cover with a handful of door breaches, and missions just go on and on and on. And the family aspect... [Nov 2012]

A visually quirky throwback to retro Disney, but under the unique surface it is a frustrating, dull and entirely mediocre platformer. [Dec 2012]

Fractured Soul is a quite clever 2D platformer, but there are too many instant death moments with no nearby checkpoints. [May 2013]

Everything works just fine. But it is so by the book that there is really nothing to write home about. [Jan. 05]

A decent shoot 'em up. A greater amount of run-of-the-mill enemies would have been a better choice. There are also some laughable AI issues with the big enemies. [Apr 2007]

A visually beautiful adventure that ultimately fails to deliver where it counts. The irritating script, the dumbed-down game mechanics and the utter lack of anything remotely resembling a challenge lead to the regrettable conclusion that Xbox 360 is still lacking its definitive j-rpg title. [Nov 2007]

A charmingly colourful, albeit a slow and repetitive RPG with a good cast of characters and a boring narrative. [Sept 2007]

A light gun shooter that is more fan service than catering to a wider audience. The game is decent but it’s also hard - sometimes very hard - and manages to frustrate at times. It’s also bland looking and ugly. For Resident Evil fans only. [Jan 2008]

NBA 08 is no more than a mediocre basketball game. The gameplay is too simple and easy to master. Lack of decent season mode is also a big problem. [Mar 2008]

A reasonably amusing splatterfest. Just bash the buttons and that's pretty much it, though. [Apr 2009]

A linear and slightly boring shoot'em up, which does not tap into the main game's strengths. Why the heck did we get a small scale conflict as the climax, when there was this whole end of the world stuff readily available as a dramatic finale? [Mar 2009]

Jungles of Pandora offer a nice setting for an action game, but unfortunately the game itself fails to deliver. The mission structure is stolen from MMOs, the storyline devolves to preaching and the game is very easy. The graphics are beautiful and there would have been a lot of potential, considering the PR. Now the game is nothing more than an average license product. And that is a shame. [Jan 2010]

Jungles of Pandora offer a nice setting for an action game, but unfortunately the game itself fails to deliver. The mission structure is stolen from MMOs, the storyline devolves to preaching and the game is very easy. The graphics are beautiful and there would have been a lot of potential, considering the PR. Now the game is nothing more than an average license product. And that is a shame. [Jan 2010]

Hearts of Iron III has lot of potential but is crippled by bugs and flawed AI. The addon surely will fix many problems but are fans willing to sacrifice 20 buck for a patch? [June 2010]

Scifi epic á la Japan is a relic from the 90's. Although the team's love for their game can be seen from all around, it isn't enough anymore. Bioware is breaking boundaries with their games, so when Star Ocean is compared to Mass Effect, the oriental star trek is unfortunately outdated. [Mar 2010]

A decent enough collection on winter sports themed minigames. The sense of speed is very good. Too bad the selection of sports is way too small. [Feb 2010]