Their reception of this element varied: Tim Soete of GameSpot felt that it was " morally questionable ", while the Game Revolution reviewer noted that it was " done in a tongue-in-cheek manner ," and he was " not personally offended ".

" GameSpot noted " Its relative lack of originality can ... undermine Red Factions appeal for more-experienced players, for whom the game will provide mostly familiar territory.

GameSpot noted that Majora's Mask suffered from a frame rate which appeared choppier and inconsistencies in the audio.

" Justin Calvert of GameSpot noted that " the Special Edition looks much better and is the only way to play if you want to hear ... what characters are saying, whereas the original game's interface is less clunky.

Armada was noted as one of the few good Star Trek games to be made, garnering a 7. 9 out of 10 from GameSpot.

GameSpot also noted the slight twists in resource and unit mechanics, but concluded that the game was more or less a standard RTS.

Both GameSpot and IGN noted several bugs causing video and sound problems, as well as alt-tabbing causing the game to crash.

In addition, the game's artificial intelligence was not regarded as particularly challenging, with GameSpot noting that " enemies follow the same sorts of predictable patterns that may remember from previous Doom games " while GameSpy stated the way enemies would spawn to attack the player was " gimmicky "; the reviewer noted that players would realize that picking up a lone armor vest would cause a variety of zombies to emerge from hidden compartments in the dark.

Although sites like GameSpot admitted that the camera flaws in the original Sonic Adventure were " infinitely more frustrating by comparison " the sequel was still noted to " retain some of the quirky camera work ".

GameSpot noted that the game's audio did fit the game, although they commented that it " is largely recycled from Mario Party 4 ".

GameSpot noted that although the story's switching between the Covenant and Human factions made the plot more intricate, it distracted the player from Earth's survival and the main point of the game ; while Edge labeled the plot " a confusing mess of fan-fiction sci-fi and bemusing Episode-II-style politics.

Erik Wolpaw, writing for GameSpot, noted that as most expansion packs were mediocre, " it's appropriate that Gearbox Software's Opposing Force, the official expansion for the genre-redefining Half-Life, in turn sets a new standard of quality for future action-game mission packs ".

" GameSpot writer Glenn Rubenstein noted the excessive use of voice acting in Star Fox 64, highlighting Slippy's voice as androgynous.

The Nintendo 64 port received positive response for being faithful to the arcade version with GameSpot giving it a " Great " 8. 9 and IGN a " Great 8. 8 ", though they noted that the graphics were not as good as the ones from the arcade.

GameSpot previewed a localized copy of The Lost Age in February 2003, and noted that the game built on its predecessor's graphics engine, with " the environments in the game featuring rich detail with little touches — such as birds that fly off as you approach.

The artificial intelligence of the Pikmin was noted by GameSpot as improved over the original, though IGN remarked on reoccurring shortcomings, such as Pikmin getting stuck behind walls or breaking away from the group.

GameSpot noted that Sakura's character has largely been used in the series as a form of comic relief, as well as often stating the obvious.

GameSpot noted that the good points of the game include playing as a dolphin, the more challenging levels than the first game and also the music, but that negative points come from the fact that it is still easy to get lost as well as slow hit detection and poor turning, which results in " cheap hits ".

GameSpot noted that Elaine is usually much more proficient at escaping trouble " than the so-called hero who comes to save her ", while the video game culture journal Eludamos approved of the character for allowing a level of " feminine expression which did not necessary always conform to passive ideals of the damsel in distress ".

" GameSpot noted that the game's loading times were a " bit long " and that the game crashed on occasion, but said that these problems are not significant ; while IGN, though noting that the game slowed down " a bit in intense battles involving a lot of spellcraft or dazzling backgrounds ," said that " bugs were nearly nonexistent.

Although the addition of Goro and Shao Kahn was praised, GameSpot noted that the other ports were better, while also commenting on Goro's appearance which looks " anemic ".

The IGN, GameSpot, and GameSpy reviews noted the GameCube version features superior graphics, substantially faster loading times, and more responsive controls than the PlayStation 2 version, resulting in lower scores for the latter.

The site Allgame described Decay as an " added bonus " for the PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life, but noted that as the game was designed for two players, it significantly suffered when a single player attempts to play it by switching between two characters, a point that both GameSpy and GameSpot agreed on.

GameSpot noted that it was difficult to use the stylus immediately after the game prompted the player to draw the Magic Seal, thus forcing the player to use their fingernail on the touch screen.

The shooter portions of Geist aren't all that special, but there's a lot more to this game than meets the eye " from GameSpot and " The concept is refreshingly inventive and Geist is propelled into something much greater than a FPS clone " from IGN, but also " Unfortunately, no sooner does Geist suggest it can blossom into something fresh and exciting that it ’ s undermined at every turn by a frustrating insistence on being nothing more than a mundane firstperson shooter " from Edge.

It received poor reviews, with GameSpot saying that " There's nothing fun or exciting about flying helicopters in Blades of Thunder II.

" GameSpot also felt that the small number of character portraits to choose from was a disappointment ; and that it was " somewhat unfortunate that the game recycles some of the special effects and miscellaneous sounds and graphics from the first Baldur's Gate.

IGN gave Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 an 8. 0 / 10 and GameSpot gave it a 7. 0 / 10, scoring somewhat lower than the original which got an 8. 5 and 8. 6 respectively.

" GameSpot contributors Christian Nutt and Justin Speer described it as " a decent, if somewhat sluggish, translation of the Mega Man series ".

GameSpot rated the game's production values as somewhat below par, and regarded the story as being thin.

GameSpot described Ardan's dialogue as somewhat lame, and also criticized the game's sound effects.

The battle system, however, was described by GameSpot as too complex for beginner players, as even hard-core players require a " comprehensive understanding " of the weapon customization system.

Other critics like Game Revolution and GameSpot felt the game was too short ( average playthrough time estimated 6 to 8 hours ), with little replay value given the puzzle elements to each colossus battle.

The alterations to the battle system received a mixed response — GameSpot praised the more complicated and " richer " boss fights, while Nintendo World Report criticised the added complexity, stating " the growth in enemy resilience outpaces your growth in strength, so battles get longer and longer ".

GameSpot declared that Pool of Radiance, with its detailed art, wide variety of quests and treasure, and tactical combat system, and despite the availability of only four character classes and the low character level cap, " ultimately succeeded in its goal of bringing a standardized form of AD & D to the home computer, and laid the foundation for other future gold box AD & D role-playing games ".

The RPG system was another point of contention ; GameSpot described the job system as " badly unbalanced " because the player can develop skills outside their career choice.

IGN called this new system " a beneficial addition ", and GameSpot stated it " makes targeting a cinch ".

The game's combat system garnered some accolades, with EGM noting that it is similar to the fluid style of Kilik from the Soul Calibur series of fighting games, and GameSpot adding that the combat is " simplistic, but it's good looking and it isn't frustrating ".

GameSpot also acknowledged the novel skill system and friendly community, but rated the game at 5. 6 ( mediocre ), being unfinished and needlessly complex.

Writing for GameSpot, Doug Radcliffe argued that Decay was " impressive ", praising the design of puzzles required players to work together, as well as the way in which the ranking system discouraged players from competing against each other.

John Broady of GameSpot considered the game to be superior to its predecessor, commenting positively on the Warp Room concept, improved game-saving system and variety of the levels.

GameSpot criticized the warp system for using confusing symbols that did little or nothing to indicate the warp's destination, and weighed the fun of impaling vampires with the Soul Reaver against the lack of challenge presented by bosses and most enemies.

Reviewers have criticized the game's battling system with Ryan Davis of GameSpot describing it as " stripped-down RPG fights " as well as calling the game monotonous with " not really any strategy ".

GameSpot gave the game 7. 9 / 10 praising the game's graphics and online multiplayer system while criticizing the game's difficulty in certain modes.

GameSpot complained the combat system too direct, only requiring the player to use the square button to defeat enemies and that the combo system was unnecessary for progression.

GameSpot states how " The gameplay still might be a little too fast-paced for some, but Shut Your Mouth tries to balance it with a more useful grappling, submission, and counter system.

GameSpot gave the game 69 % saying " While some might be initially put off by the youthful nature of Kirby 64, the depth of the power combo system really brings a lot to what would otherwise be an average platformer.

IGN gave it a 7. 2 out of 10, GameSpot gave it a 7. 4 out of 10, and PSXExtreme gave it a 7. 1 out of 10, while Game Revolution gave it a C, for its sensitive penalty system and lack of online capabilities.