I really don't understand the harsh criticism...
Positives about this game
-Bruce Campbell lends his voice talents to the game
-Tons of weapons to choose from, and with different right and left hand weapons you can create some interesting combos
-Well integrated and extremely fun combat system... REALLY
-Storyline is goofy but interesting enough not to disappoint fans
-The design of the demons is well thought out
-Plenty of special features, including videos from Bruce and art and "making of" video
-Graphics are surprisingly good for the time and the budget
-Spell system can add an extra element to combat when you get used to it
-Tons of power-ups and weapons to find, some of which you could even miss if you aren't careful
-The arcade is an awesome feature which is sorely missed in the newest game
Negatives
-The game is short, maybe only 10 hours or so if you use a walkthrough and are very mindful of your surroundings
-There is no map or minimap, which can be really frustrating
-There is a limited supply of pick-up healing devices so if you find yourself with a very inconvenient level of health and no healing packs, you're screwed unless you can kill tons of deadites without getting knicked (which is possible, but annoying) to pick up the small heath bonuses
-The levels and tasks range from really easy to obscenely difficult
All in all, this game, for what it is, is excellent, or beyond excellent. Gamespot definitely rated this unfairly, even offensively. Even without the Evil Dead logo, it still is and OK game, but by no means brilliant. The context of the Evil Dead universe certainly helps it quite a bit.