Mike Hommel: 7

There was one major problem with this otherwise very nice adventure: it's just so slow! Not the animations, but all the dialogue (which is skippable, but not if you want to know what they're saying! It prints out slowly rather than appearing all at once) and the dozens of objects which might serve a purpose, but 99% of them don't. Similarly, conversations include dozens of directions to go through, any of which may be useful, so you'll be spending a lot of time listening to them yap. I guess that's supposed to be good – I mean, it is intended to amuse and all. But I just wanted to solve those puzzles, not hear lame jokes. There was too much fluff. Is that bad? It was for me. It probably wouldn't be for someone who wanted more story than game.

John Bardinelli: 8

Telltale has been doing an amazing job with the Sam & Max series. I've been following the games since they squeezed the first one out the door, and each one is a little bit of gaming bliss. Abe Lincoln Must Die is no exception and it actually manages to improve on what Sam & Max do best: witty, sarcastic remarks at every cornern. The fourth installment brings longer gameplay and lots of new locations. There's also new music and the voice actors seem to be settled into their parts. Definitely the best installment in the series so far. I'm already giddy for the next episode.

William Usher: 9

The hilarity of Sam & Max has always been borderline high-brow comedy. I suppose that could have been the downfall to the Saturday morning cartoon. But here, the slapstick shenanigans of the dog and rabbit freelance cop team couldn't be more effective. In this latest episode, the old-school point-and-click adventure that features new-school visual effects and graphical enhancements, comes off with a superb flavor of nostalgic scene-to-scene puzzle solving, and great character interaction. The voice-acting, by the way, is seemingly top-notch and follows through with the series' classic offbeat comical flair and over-the-top pop-culture references. It's not a terribly innovative game, but I'm not inclined to think that it was supposed to be. Nevertheless, Same & Max does provide adventure point-and-click fans with something that's definitely worth their time and laughter.

Russ Carroll: 8

Episodic games provide new challenges to reviewers. How do you review just one episode? Unlike the Bone series (which I tend to prefer to some degree due to the increased adventure feel), Sam & Max's episodes are self-contained. That makes them ideal for anyone to pick up at any point without feeling like they're jumping in mid-story. This episode has some great government-al humor mixed with the puzzle randomness that makes most people shake their heads at puzzle games. Sam & Max certainly are worth the low entry price. Essentially you are getting 3 hours of fun for a bit more than a movie. Oh and did I mention the musical number-esque song done in ragtime style? It's an immediate classic that make you laugh and a good reason to check out this particular episode.

John Bardinelli: 8

Where do I start?! Loonyland II is rather unassuming on the surface, but once you start playing it you realize there's a lot to this game. Its RPG-lite/adventure theme is kept lively by a lot of action and the usual Hamumu sense of humor ("This metal gear is solid"). The core of the game is Zelda-esque with your character battling enemies in real-time using weapons and a ton of skills. You do gain levels, however, and have a surprising amount of freedom to customize your character's development. Add to that 100 wacky achievements to strive for, plenty of quests to keep you occupied, plus the ability to make your own items, and you have a very full game on your hands.

Brian Clair: 8

Loonyland 2 is another great RPG that made it into this month's roundup. Unlike Geneforge 4, which is geared more towards hardcore role-players, Loonyland 2 takes aim at the RPG-lite crowd. There's more action than reading in this release, but that doesn't detract from the gameplay at all. You'll control your avatar through a variety of quests as you fight off toys gone mad in a number of areas. As you dispatch the enemies, you'll gain experience and go up in levels as with any RPG. In this area, Loonyland 2 is more like a console game than your standard PC role-player. You'll gain various skills and will be able to customize your character by choosing his skillset and how far to level each one up. The only minor issue I ran into with Loonyland 2 is that it wouldn't run with my anti-virus application loaded.

William Usher: 8

Playing the preview build of Loony Land II proved that the game had a lot of potential. All the sounds weren't in place, there was no music and the game was still going through the phases of being a polished product. Well, I'm glad to report that the polished product does not disappoint. The deep laden talent and magic system, which allows players to summon monsters, increase attack speeds, advance mobility, shoot fireballs, etc., is a long-term investment system that RPG fans will find pays off rather well. The game has very easy-to-learn controls, and offers arena quests, story missions and sub-mission structures that are also geared to keep gamers interested (and equally engaged) for more than just five minutes. Competent RPGs are tough to nail, and competently fun RPGs are even tougher to find. LLII is definitely a competent and fun RPG. From the instrumental hip-hop anthems to the outrageous but identifiable characters, Hamumu has a family-friendly gem on their hands that casual RPG fans might not want to pass up.

Russ Carroll: 8

Something of a mix of Zelda and a more classical RPG (with a TON of items) Loonyland offers players hours of good silly fun as you bash through enemies and hope for that special item to drop. (which might be socks!) I was especially fond of my amulet that zapped people as I walked by. Killing bottom level enemies without even attacking them is definitely my style, and my parka that shot out thorns whenever I was hit put all the toys that might try to kill me in quite a predicament. The humor is classic Hamumu, which is a very good thing that more people should come to appreciate. The quest entitled "Unchain Melody" was an immediate smile-bringer. L2 offers a fun, though somewhat repetitive world that I quickly found myself lost in for several hours.

Mike Hommel: 37

The most perfect thing that has ever been perfect.
[I think Mike might just be a little biased on this one, so I chose not to include his score in figuring the overall score - Ed]

Mike Hommel: 8

You already know by now if you like the Spiderweb RPGs or not. This one is just like all the others. There are yet more tiny incremental advances in presentation, with the odd glow here or there, but definitely nothing that would turn any opinions around. I like these games – they're more complex than I like, but having recently tried out Icewind Dale, I realize they're still a lot simpler than hardcore RPGs, and I find myself just moving along and enjoying myself. Then again, this is about the tenth one I've tried, so of course I've got these down by now! I even recognize all the different junk item icons!

Brian Clair: 8

It's really cliché, but they don't make RPGs like this anymore in the retail PC gaming world. Rebellion continues the saga of the Geneforge series, except that this time – as the name implies – players assume the role of a rebel operative instead of an “evil” Shaper. Of course, in true role-playing fashion, Geneforge 4 doesn't lock you into this position; you can change sides if you want and switch things up entirely. When combined with the fact that how you interact with NPCs will affect gameplay elements, Rebellion really shines in letting players determine how the story will unfold. RPG-lite players need not apply here as Geneforge 4 is text-heavy - you need to be ready to read a lot. On the downside, the graphics for Rebellion are about par for the series, which means they aren't great. There's also a number of minor interface issues that I wish would be worked out to streamline things a bit. Despite these minor issues, if you're an RPG fan or have liked previous titles in this series, Geneforge 4 is definitely worth checking out.

William Usher: 6

The story-arch revolves around a rebellion fighting for the safety and freedom of their land. And players are thrust right into a war-torn world that needs a hero. Geneforge's core innovation centers around creating magical entities to help aid you in the turn-based battles. There's various forms of magical creatures and such, which can be customized to your liking. The scheme isn't bad at all and offers players some decent aspects of role-playing depth. I think the most offsetting downside to Geneforge is the way the story unfolds. The dialogue and character interaction feels too much like you're outside looking in, rather than seeing the story evolve from the inside out. The actual story isn't bad, the narration is just a bit odd. And while it doesn't detract from the other elements of the game it may give some RPG fans the sense of feeling like they're reading a book, rather than experiencing the story directly from the character's point of view.

Russ Carroll: 8

Another masterful story from Spiderweb software. The originality of the characters always grips me. No-where else are such fanciful and unique classes of characters to be found. The graphics are a step up from the last few games, which should make this a game that more people are willing to give a shot (and you really should!). It has a Knights of the Old Republic feel to it as you are able to choose a side and go with whatever side you wish. Of course the right and wrong aren't necessarily as obvious in Geneforge as they are in Star Wars. Maybe the most fun part is being able to create a living party of custom-skilled beasts to help you through the game. A slow-paced dungeon crawl for those who long for an original story.

Mike Hommel: 6

A highly original game that puts the hard in “Why is that so hard?!” I've played much harder games, but this one looks like a simple casual thing, especially seeing as how it is �"casualizing' platformer gameplay. But no, it's incredibly intense. The biggest threat you face isn't the enemies, it's the unavoidable collection of fruits and gems attached to your tail. Form too long of a line, and you die. The forced scrolling also makes you leap without looking (especially since you need to keep your fruits away from the back end of the screen), making repeating every level more than once almost a given. I found it more frustrating than fun. It's really too complicated to play and requires too much fighter-pilot-like situational awareness to be as casual as it's trying to be.

John Bardinelli: 7

This one took me by surprise. Snaky Jake is an action game with lots of platforming elements, but there's also a bit of puzzle solving involved. All you do is click where you want Jake to go. Time your movements to avoid enemies, gather coins, and make chains of items that vanish when you get three or more. An interesting side-effect of having precise control over Jake is you never worry about missing a jump or teetering over the edge of a platform. It takes quite a while to get into the game and new elements are slow to appear. But stick with it and you'll be pleasantly rewarded.

William Usher: 9

Obviously inspired by the classic side-scrolling Mario games from the old-school, Snaky Jake adds some new twists, spins and easily enjoyable platforming action to the palate. Some of the classical platform nuisances include Jake eating fruit to grow bigger and withstand more damage. Other throwbacks to the retro ages is the incessant screen-scrolling to keep the platforming continuous and thought-provokingly entertaining. Snaky Jake combines all the proper elements to make this an enjoyable title for anyone of any age. And even better yet, the game is retro-fitted with 70's musical themes and an eye-catching color pallette that does nothing more than enhance the aesthetic experience for this game. While the mouse controls limit the player's range of platforming, it does balance out the requisite for keeping the player's keen attention at all times. This is a challenging, well-rounded platformer to say the least.

Russ Carroll: 7

Platform games often run into the problem of being difficult to control. Making that jump from one platform to the next can be challenging and frustrating. So Snaky Jake takes care of the problem by making the game mouse controlled. You simply point at the platform you want to jump to and the game makes the jump. This changes the typical platform play, making players feel more focused on passing the level than in perfecting their play. In the end, that feeling backfires as the levels quickly become difficult, requiring a lot of forethought and a good bit of luck as the precision in movement is lost in the more casual-friendly control scheme. A good game that reminds me of Monster Lair mixed with Bejeweled, but it falls just short of those titles despite a very strong initial impression.

Mike Hommel: 7

I couldn't test this online (my own issue, not the game's), but it's pretty nifty, in an uber-ultra-hardcore sort of way. To call it Matrix-inspired would be an understatement. In the time I had to try this out, I didn't even begin to get a grip on playing decently. It seems like there's no way to plan anything out – to see a swing coming and block it skillfully, or to jab in under someone's guard. But I did only play a little, so my mad flailings may have developed with time. I don't know! Still, as I seem to say with most first person games that try something different: shooting rockets at these guys would be more fun, however innovative direct sword control may be.

Brian Clair: 6

It's been a long time since I've seen a game that attempted to simulate sword-fighting in a realistic manner. Kudos to Mode 7 Games for trying something that bigger players in the industry wouldn't dare touch anymore. In Determinance, gamers will take the role of a nigh-immortal being who's bored with existence as usual. Of course, the only way to inject some fun into life is to prove who has the bigger sword! With that in mind, you'll fight your way past several other immortals in the offline, single-player mode, but they provide little challenge. You won't be on the ground when you do this either, as a powerful being you can fly, so all fights take place in the air. Needless to say, with the single-player mode being pretty barebones, Determinance is best played online. Unfortunately I wasn't ever able to find anyone else online to play against, making this game something best left for friends.

William Usher: 8

While mainstream gamers are head-over-heels for Tekken 6 and Virtua Fighter 5, casual gamers are usually left out in the cold when it comes to an original, non-repetitive fighting game. So when I played Determinance last year, I was totally stoked about how fluent and smooth the gameplay was. Now that the full version is here, I found that it's still a well-endowed game, both aesthetically and gameplay wise. But what really makes this game so good is the fact that the entire fighting schematic is revamped for a completely original experience. What EA did for boxing with Fight Night, Mode7 has done the same for sword fighting games with Determinance. Using the motion of the mouse to make sword strikes and swings is a darn cool shtick. Blocking and attacking is no longer reliant on button mashing and that's what makes Determinance so fun. The full version now includes an auto-flight mode, which really helps players stay focused on the sword play, and the arcade mode has a scantily scripted story, but a story nonetheless. And what's really cool is the addition of the move editor for players who want to add some spice to their own specials. My only gripe is the lack of support for a gamepad or joystick. Still, this is one of the coolest sci-fi fighting games coming from the indie community, so huge props to Mode7.

Russ Carroll: 7

Determinance is a one of a kind game. It is an advanced sword-fighter that allows players a tremendous amount of control of the sword using the mouse to control everything from angle and pitch to height and where swings are occurring. Despite the massive amount of control the game maintains a simple elegance that makes playing feel fun while appearing to on-lookers as an art-form. The players ability to fly, thus moving in every dimension, on top of having total sword control was a bit tough for me to tackle and probably is the reason for me not scoring the game higher. Hard core gamers should really enjoy the online fights as this games sports an experience is carefully crafted and fully unique.

Mike Hommel: 6

This would be a good game if it were a flash game you could pop up and say “whee, that was fun”. But it's just so incredibly basic that that's all it feels like. It's a unique sort of gameplay, and it makes for a real challenge, but not worth it as more than a 10 minute time waster some day at work when the boss isn't looking.

John Bardinelli: 7

A bright, simple and strangely captivating game. Oddictive falls squarely in the "casual" category, so don't expect much more than an occasional 15 minute playing session out of this game. All you do is guide colored items into matching jars at the bottom of the playing field. Draw lines on the screen to alter their course. The longer the items touch the lines, the higher your score. It's interesting and feels like a fresh take on several old ideas. The presentation is phenomenal, very clean and easy to use. But again, it's a casual game, and what I've described above is basically all you get.

William Usher: 6

Tetris games and Tetris clones have always had an uphill struggle to satisfy the requirements needed to be original and addictive. Strangely, Oddictive manages to get a formulae together that throws the traditional clone mentality out the window. Colored spheres must be put into colored boxes by using the mouse to draw lines that lead into the boxes. Players have to match up enough spheres in the boxes to have each level “completefied”. It's a fun experience despite it's simplistic visual aesthetics. Having a style and snazzy theme all its own makes Oddictive rather...addictive. Puzzle gamers looking for something slightly more original than the rest of the Tetris clones out there should thoroughly enjoy Oddictive, especially with its low-fi disco soundtrack and colorful themes. However, don't expect anything that will blow your socks off.

Russ Carroll: 7

So is it odd and addictive? Yell, sorta. Oddictive is similar to Overflow, where you draw lines to get object A to point B. They mix it up with multiple objects and what seems like a jab at casual games (you have to get 3 of the 'lost puzzle game pieces' in the same jar to make a match). Unfortunately the game comes off feeling a bit shallow. Though drawing lines is a bit interesting, the harder levels left me more frustrated than challenged and the easy levels were not much more than amusing. Overall it feels a touch unfinished (my name got chopped off on the score list), but it offers some originality and is a fun bit of light sim-puzzling for anyone not quite up to Blast Miner or Bridge Construction Set.

Mike Hommel: 6

I can't recall having had such a viscerally negative reaction to a game in a long time. I hated this game! Why up to a 6 then? Because I don't know why I hated it so much, it is okay in every way, and quite polished in some. It controls very smoothly, looks very nice, and is certainly wacky and unique. One legitimate problem: the keys are not configurable (and vastly too numerous!). Other than that, and just being much more complicated than it needs to be, it just is so incredibly not fun. Hated it.

Brian Clair: 7

What happens when you cross snowmobile racing, weapons and poker? Developer Game Refuge came up with Arctic Stud Poker Run, which is a strange mix that works surprisingly well. There are several maps to choose from, and on each players will assume a persona who must create the best poker hand out of the cards randomly scattered across the level. Once someone makes a good hand, they can cross the finish line which starts a timer to the end of the match. The other players then have until the timer runs out to make their best hands and cross the finish line or forfeit. You can even raise the bet if you want, though this adds more time before the match ends. If you spot an opponent who has a better hand than you, you can even use your various weapons to try and stop them from crossing the finish line. Arctic Stud Poker is an interesting take on several ideas that have been done before, but it didn't really catch on with me. I suspect this would be a game better played multiplayer against friends, though I never found any matches online.

William Usher: 8

If you're bored with arcade racers, but you're too good at standard poker games (although I highly doubt that), Arctic Stud Poker is a very challenging open-ended race game for poker and racing fans alike. The southern soundtrack and colorful characters are a full-out wacky, arcade cliché that actually adds a bit of flair to the game's general fun factors. The large environments work well for the game's odd genre bending antics. Each track (or course) provides players with lots of exploration and items to uncover, while each racer desperately tries to gather up poker cards before finishing the race. However, I noticed that the entire game is much more effective playing online rather than battling it out with the A.I. As a multiplayer experience the visually gorgeous Arctic Stud Poker is original and much more balanced. But as a single-player experience, the game can be a bit tedious playing with the bots. Still, I found the refreshing blend of casual and hardcore elements a fun alternative to two very over-worn genres.

Russ Carroll: 5

Takes two popular game types, cart racing and Poker and combines them into a game that really isn't as fun as either pokier or cart racing. The goal here is to zoom around, sort of death match style, trying to pick up cards to make the best poker hand. I was frustrated by the controls (do we REALLY need to use 10 buttons to play this game!?) and difficulty in getting my character to go where I wanted. Visuals were fun with lots of variety in the male characters (and unfortunately what appeared to just be different skins for most of the female ones). I couldn't come up with any reason why I would play this over Mario Kart. Despite the amount of depth put into the tour mode, Arctic Stud Poker Run seemed more like a tack-on extra to a game than a full-fledged game concept itself.

Mike Hommel: 5

Wow, if any game ever needed a tutorial… This game really highlights the deficiency in a number rating scheme. It's probably a 10/10 for an obsessive political nut with serious grognard leanings. For the rest of us, it is as fun as advanced calculus. Of course, it is vastly more complicated than advanced calculus, and will take quite a few more years of classes to learn. I kept seeing hints of fun (AKA things I comprehended) hidden in the depths, like getting to choose if Obama would ban all abortions or require everybody to have them immediately (sadly, the latter wasn't an actual option), or trying to get Oprah to endorse me. But these things were buried so deep in a mire of thousands of buttons and options and functions that I really didn't have any idea what purpose they served. Hey, I did try to read the manual, but picture this: you want to fly a 747, so you read the manual. Yeah, it's like that. Only with more switches and buttons, though considerably fewer lives at stake. In the end, though I think this game is probably the ultimate for the very hardcore niche it serves, I have to rate based on what I think makes a good game, and I couldn't play this for more than half an hour. There was no point in just randomly clicking things and watching my popularity drop (or it might have been the count of press releases I issued in Iowa, I'm not sure). Okay, so it'd be a 1/10 based on my experience – I'll swing it up because I respect what I suspect it's doing for those who can handle it. Take your proclivities into account and try the demo. If you like Diner Dash, don't bother trying the demo.

John Bardinelli: 6

President Forever is a campaign simulator updated for 2008. The level of detail in this game is impressive, and to be honest, a bit overwhelming for a non-politico. The presentation is elegant and the interface allows you to do exactly what you need to do (once you decide what that is). It's a very open-ended game, which works both for and against it. President Forever is a feast for the politically-minded gamer, but everyone else will be left scratching their heads.

William Usher: 8

An addictive presidential simulator would be a description that undertones the importance of this game. It's amazing how much depth and detail went into this very aesthetically bare-boned game. Players can pick the candidate of their choice, from either the Democrats (e.g., Hilary Clinton, Barak Obama, etc.,) or the Republicans (e.g., John McCain, Rudy Juliani, etc.,). From there it's up to players to choose ad campaigns, get political crusaders to help boost undecided voters toward your candidate, and give speeches on key themes from the campaign. It's incredibly fun to be so simple and yet so detailed. From stat tracking, poll results, and changing policies, to bashing the opposition, holding fund-raisers and getting endorsements, President Forever 2008+ Primaries is a political strategist dream come true. The only downside is the lacking music and sound effects, but it's mostly forgivable.

Russ Carroll: 7

I remember President Forever 2004 with fond memories (don't tell me...you never played it!?). It was an amazing game that made the elections even more interesting as you could re-create a candidate to your liking and take on the US. Now, a few years later the sequel is unleashed upon us, and it's ok. My core frustrations didn't come with the menu system though it is desperately in need of some updating. No, my frustrations instead it came from the 'Primaries' part of the game. After playing for several hours, I found the logic flawed in how the percentages in the states are re-assigned after a candidate withdraws. Front-runners do fall behind after one bad scream in real life, but not once the primaries hit April. A couple of tweaks and President Forever will again be on its way to being the best Presidential race simulator available.

Mike Hommel: 6

You've seen this game before a bunch of times. It kind of comes in two flavors – colorful and wacky (Hamster Ball, Marble Blast, Monkey Ball, the original Marble Madness), and dreary “Quake with a marble” (don't remember the names because they're forgettable). Crazy Marble 2, despite the name's intimations of contrariness, is exactly the latter. Not to say I had no fun! The controls are pretty good and it's always a tense challenge keeping a marble on an aerial path. But it's really lacking in polish and the stuff around the game. It's a strictly linear experience with no indication of how far along you are, and no divisions, just a string of N levels, where N is an unknown at this time.

John Bardinelli: 5

A very good-looking game with smooth visuals and a simple, enjoyable concept. It reminds me of Super Monkey Ball in many ways, especially the feeling of hopeless frustration every time I die. Upgrading your marble is a nice touch, though it takes quite a bit of time (or skill) to make a significant change. The control scheme takes a bit to get used, and even then it feels awkward. The arrow keys control your roll, but moving the mouse shifts the camera. I kept trying to move the mouse to change my direction. It's more precise and seems natural, but I suppose that's a personal preference. The sound seems a little choppy as well, though this could be an issue with my computer rather than the game itself.

William Usher: 6

Finally, a Monkey Ball game that isn't Monkey Ball. I know that seems like an oxymoron statement, but the truth is Crazy Marble 2 is very much the sort of game that fits in that category. Only, instead of tilting the entire world around to move the ball, players actually control the marble through a series of platform obstacles and stages. It's a great concept with some genuinely fun segments – especially given the game's neat physics system. Great graphics and some Incredible Machine-overtones for stage designs really brought out the originality in this game. Two downsides to this game are present: one, there isn't any in-game music, except for the Delirium sounding menu music. The second downside is that the controls can be a hassle at times to use. Mostly it's with the camera – which isn't always as cooperative as you might like it to be. As much as I'd like to recommend this game a bit more, I can only say that serious platform fans are probably the only ones who will tolerate some of Crazy Marble 2's minor, but constant flaws.

Russ Carroll: 6

I have to admit I struggle a lot when I see a game that is similar to other games, but just isn't anywhere as good as the games it is similar to. Crazy Marble is a Marble Blast-esque game that isn't anywhere near as good as Marble Blast. The levels are interesting, though quickly they become repetitive. The camera could really used some more fixed options as it is very jittery and the sound needs a professional's touch in the worst way. Overall it's an alright game with the bonus of a level editor to keep you playing longer. If you like this kind of thing you are better served by Marble Blast, but if you've mastered all the levels on that game, this one might be worth a spin.

Mike Hommel: 5

This is very nearly an exact clone of Ikari Warriors (and all its numerous ilk), with a new art style. There's one thing that just destroys this otherwise pretty good game: the movement is relative to your facing, for no conceivable reason. It's clearly the work of an asylum inmate. No sane person would ever have ever dreamt of doing it this way. Not even someone kinda crazy who voluntarily entered a mental hospital. No, this is the work of a true psychotic, a ward of the state. Someone who was rightly kept out of society for the safety of others. There is no option to change this control scheme (in fact, no control options at all, which we lefties really appreciate in your WASD world). As a secondary complaint, I got stuck in a spot where I could not move on the 2nd level.

Brian Clair: 5

Sketch Warriors 2 features a simple, yet creative graphical style which matches its name perfectly: Everything looks like it was drawn on a pad and pencil, right down to the blue notebook paper lines. In the game, players will control their soldier as he blasts by countless enemy solders, tanks, choppers and defense guns – and you even get to pilot some vehicles yourself. The main drawback here is that when you're on foot, the controls are awkward. In most games the forward, back and strafe left/right keys are tied to virtual compass positions. In Sketch Warriors 2, the controls seem to be tied to your character's facing, so pushing forward could actually make you move anywhere but forward based on where your character is looking. Were it not for having to fight the controls, I could have probably gone through all 15 levels in half the time. As it was, you can expect to finish Sketch Warriors 2 in only a few hours.

William Usher: 4

Kids With Matches has a catchy game here. The only problem is that I felt as if I was missing the bulk of it. Honestly, I really wanted to love this game; the sketch-book art-style and Ikari Warriors-esque gameplay made me feel as if this was a nostalgic experience waiting to happen. Only, it never did. The stiff controls turned every shootout into less-than-mediocre gun battles and the varied but unimpressive gun upgrades made me feel as if this was “just another shooter”. The innovation was flat and the music was nearly non-existent, save for the catchy but brief menu music. For gamers who are totally into art-driven games, Sketch Warriors 2 might be a unique experience for them, but for anyone looking to hunker-down on a fast-paced, tactical or original shooter, it's not quite in this game.

Russ Carroll: 5

Ever play the old Activision game Frontline? Here's a chance to play it all updated with state of the art sketches! (Napolean Dynamite would be jealous) Sketch Warriors is basically an Ikari Warriors like game where everything is made to look like it was drawn on lined paper. The drawings are pretty good, though they get repetitive rather quickly. The game play initially feels very un-natural to anyone who has played Alien Shooter. For those who persevere, you'll find that there are vehicles that you can hop into and the tanks are pretty cool, but the passing each of the levels simply requires moving very slowly and carefully up the screen. It isn't Assault Heros, but it is worth looking at just to see those tank wheels turn.