Add to that the underlying technical stability of the game—aside from a few minor and easily avoided inventory bugs and a bit of white speckling in the landscape, this game was more solid at the time of review than most massively multiplayer titles are after six months of updates—plus the general lack of prime-time server lag and scarcity of disconnects, and you have a title which has more than earned its place among the big names of online RPG entertainment.

Its depth, variety, creativity, and overall quality will give lots of enjoyment to the strategy player. The complexity and some control nuances make this game somewhat difficult to master, but persistence will be rewarded with a great gaming experience.

Console leftovers or not, Thief: Deadly Shadows is one of the best PC games of the year. [Aug 2004, p.62]

Despite a few small complaints about inconsistent AI or disappointing Direct3D performance, this is a tremendously entertaining game.

Value is largely subjective, but PlanetSide does offer numerous perks that you won't find in other games: fast servers, no cheating, larger battles (much larger) with more strategy, more socialization, and a system that makes it extremely easy to meet and play with friends. [Aug 2003, p.82]

The second edition in the legendary sports-sim developer’s new soccer management series is every bit as addictive as it predecessor, which is to say that the damn thing should be investigated by the FDA. [Mar 2006, p.52]

Just like the original "Freedom Force", this is a real-time strategy game for comic-book geeks, by comic-book geeks. [June 2005, p.53]

This "Grand Theft Springfield" perfectly captures everything that makes the show great: the writing, the setting, the humor, and most importantly, the characters. [Mar 2004, p.72]

For now, though, Mercenaries reigns as the king of computer BattleTech games. [Jan 2003, p.68]

Don't expect to like Red Orchestra Ostfront 41-45 right off, as it's downright nasty for the first couple of hours. After that, however, the depth of the game and the emphasis on skill becomes apparent. [July 2006, p.59]

It's the type of game experience everyone asks for but rarely receives. [Aug 2003, p.82]

Challenging, entertaining, and original experience that will appeal to flight and racing fans alike.

"Unreal Tournament 2004" might be the superior product, but Battlefield Vietnam is the better game. [June 2004, p.73]

It's a benchmark for finely tuned balance, interface, and polish. It has nearly all the little features we cry out for in these types of games but never overwhelms or frustrates.

Call of Duty is going to turn heads. It looks amazing, the action is fierce, and the multiplayer game is balanced, with plenty of diverse settings. [Jan 2004, p.58]

Put simply, it's the best arcade soccer game on the planet, one that no fan of the sport should miss. [June 2005, p.58]

When you combine the new features with a physics model that takes wind into account more than last year, stunningly beautiful visuals, more online options via EASO, and a course architect program, it's hard to fathom how this game can get any better. [Jan 2004, p.60]

Though the controls are somewhat klunky, getting too hung up on the flaws of Total Overdose misses its greatest pleasures. [Feb 2006, p.54]

Who would have guessed that some of the most seasoned real-time strategy veterans on the planet would take one of the most well-worn licenses in gaming and turn it into one of the most inventive game in years? [May 2006, p.45]

It looks fantastic, it's a blast to play, and its the best football game out there, period. [Nov 2002, p.89]

A major accomplishment and an excellent game. [Dec 2004, p.75]

It's so deep that is simulates nearly every facet of college football, right down to telling you whether a player has a girlfriend or not.

It offers all the epic space opera milieu of a game like Master of Orion but none of the micromanagement.

The mippy-mappy goodness of the new graphics system makes you just shake your head in awe at some of the landscapes and creatures. [Apr 2003, p.71]

Enjoying Dominions II involves marshalling the power of your imagination to breathe life into all the detail, which is what gaming is all about when it was played on tabletops. If you accept this basic premise, there's no fantasy game more epic, varied, and vivid than Dominions II. [Feb 2004, p.82]

Screws you in the end with a serious cliffhanger that doesn't actually reveal all the game's secrets. [Aug 2005, p.78]

Perhaps the single most thrilling instance of how far shooters have come. [Sept 2005, p.44]

when you've got a game this good, "just a port" is all you need. [Dec p.93]

Galactic Civilizations II may not lead to a resurgence of space conquest games, but as long as it's available, the renaissance can wait. [May 2006, p.53]

All 14 new planes are superbly detailed inside and out, with intricate virtual cockpits and comprehensive damage models...With Microsoft's patch (included with the game) and FirePower, "Combat Flight Simulator 3" goes from an also-ran to a top-notch simulation. [May 2004, p.66]

Its well-developed plot, unique races, intuitive interface, and excellent campaign editor make it worth the price of admission, especially for those that liked "Warcraft II."

The emphasis on story and involving missions, combined with great visuals, audio, and exceptional control make this a top-notch game.

This game is beautiful to look at and is, at times, photorealistic. [Oct 2003, p.94]

The real treasure here is the addition of new jobs, which is a first for the game's North American player base. Overall, this is a great package, with even more promises down the road, including Chocobo breeding. [Sept. 2006, p.80]

An outstanding game, both for its graphics and its gameplay, but it is not for everyone. Ground Control glaringly omits some standard genre features: there is no in-mission save, no speed control, no skirmish mode, and the AI is hit or miss. Yet this is truly a case of a game being greater than the sum of its parts.

The kind of game that makes it hard to keep a grin off your face. You constantly feel like you're getting away with something you shouldn't.

The new pilots are smarter, making for more challenging - and more convincing - air combat. [June 2003, p.76]

Extra marks to LucasArts for giving the game an impossibly large number of options... Ignore the story and immerse yourself in the incredible environments - you may never want to come back.

It's exactly like one of those big-budget Hollywood summer blockbusters: You wish it gave your brain as much of a work-out as your finger, but there's no question that its superb action, terrific pacing, and actual puzzles combine to make Prey the best single-player first-person shooter since "HalfLife 2." [Sept. 2006, p.73]

An addictive game that's quick to play, easy to learn, delightfully detailed, and almost infinitely replayable. [Oct 2002, p.72]

Hall of Fame was released for the major console systems in 2004, but this PSP port comes with extra tables, all presented as virtuoso 3D recreations, fully playable from your choice of six camera views that can easily be switched on the fly. [Mar 2006, p.91]

An understated, thoughtful game that is highly replayable and continually challening - the sort of game that will still be on your hard drive when all the other games you are playing right now are gathering dust on a shelf. [June 2003, p.78]

A brilliantly reworked world with technology to die for. [March 2005, p.66]

This spectacular golf sim has plenty of the just-one-more-hole mojo that helped classics like "Links 386" turn everyone into insomniacs. [Dec 2004, p.86]

The element that sets Space Empires IV apart from other games in the genre is common sense, which is the glue that binds its components together.

The full PDF manual for Allied Force clocks in at 716 pages. [Jan 2006, p.58]

The unit AI is good enough that you can give broad orders without worrying about your men and monsters doing too many dumb things. [Jan 2003, p.60]

TOCA 3 is just TOCA 2 with a lot more stuff, but that makes it just about perfect. [Jun 2006, p.66]

Levels are superbly crafted for maximum tension. [July 2005, p.50]

It manages to capture the ebb and flow of a baseball season better than any other game on the market. [Aug 2004, p.65]

For anyone with an interest in complex, combat-heavy, lovingly produced RPGs, though, Fallout is a must buy. In an age where many are predicting the death of traditional RPGs at the hands of multiplayer extravaganzas, Fallout is a glowing example of the genre, one which positively radiates quality. Fallout – it's da bomb.

The actual story is as sad as it is malevolent. [Jan 2006, p.88]

A slowly seductive game, a deep and demanding affair with a steep learning curve and a voracious appetite for your spare time. It's all the more impressive that the more time you devote to the game.

The translation ot what seem like a bazillion Yu-Gi-Oh! cards to a handheld game isn't easy, but for the most part this is as perfect a translation of a CCG as you could wish. [July 2006, p.88]

less noisy, flashy, and chaotic, but still full of crashtastic goodness. [Dec p.91]

Throwing super-powerful native tribes into the mix may not mesh with the history we all know, but it does make every map they inhabit a more dangerous and challenging place. [Jan. 2007, p.57]

Perhaps the biggest plus is that these Elves aren't fey forest pansies like the usual Tolien-influenced woodland folk. They're as dark and pissed-off as everyone else in the Disciples world. [Mar 2004, p.71]

It's nice to see Duke again, and even nicer to have a great modern platform game. [Sept 2002, p.84]

There's plenty of visceral thrill in wading into the middle of a convoy at night and letting loose with your deck gun. [July 2005, p.64]

Above all, IO maintains a consistent and impressive atmosphere throughout, with good-to-excellent writing, voirce acting, and sound effects. [Jan 2003, p.64]

Remarkable design. [Sept 2005, p.86]

The best game in the series and one of the best pure driving games you can play on the PC. [Aug 2004, p.60]

Solid gameplay based on legitimate physics code and a very credible AI component, which should come as no surprise, it’s in the bloodline.

Players who tried "Tribunal" and found it enjoyable but a bit underwhelming, this second expansion is easily the best of the bunch, leapfrogging even the original for buffed-up playability. [Sept 2003, p.70]

For those who would rather explore than shoot, this game is cause for celebration.

But be warned, this isn't a beer and greasy snack-style arcade racing game - this is the real deal, as intense, deep, and accurate a simulation as exists on your computer. [May 2003, p.78]

It's got fast combat that is always meaningful and features lots of exciting decision-making and quick movement. [Nov 2004, p.81]

If you dream it, you can do it here. [Jan 2006, p.64]

Some of BioWare's finest storytelling and scripting work. [Mar 2004, p.73]

You've got a surprisingly full-featured shooter slickly adapted to Sony's PSP. [May 2006, p.93]

With its engaging advancement system and visual feel that invokes the best of "Morrowind," Horizons may not be the true home for wandering seekers, but it's an excellent place to stay. [Mar 2004, p.77]

All of these options might lead you to think that the learning curve is steep and slippery. It would be, were it not for the slick interactive tutorials.

If you don't mind some weirdness, have a penchant for the macabre, and love the idea of role-playing in a setting where death is a doorway instead of a slammed door, then Planescape: Torment is just what the (witch) doctor ordered.

Overall, Out of the Park Baseball 2006 is the most ambitious text-based baseball GM simulator ever, and one of the best games of the year. [Sept. 2006, p.65]

Everything about TrackMania Sunrise comes together beautifully. [Aug 2005, p.75]

With its 3D graphics, first-person perspective, and elegantly simple combat system, EverQuest has finally given us the first step towards a true virtual world. Internet gaming will never be the same.

This is not a stingy game. Nearly everything you do will earn you some sort of profit, but it's about the long-term gratification. [Oct. 2006, p.66]

DEFCON is a simple idea developed with style by a group of obviously talented game designers. [Mar 2007, p.73]

One of the most compulsively playable titles to hit stores this summer. It’s arguably the best traditional RTS released in over a year, and indisputably one of the most attractive.

Once it gets started, the tension on each level is practically unbearable, and the final room of the final level provides the perfect ending to a game that sneaks up on you and never lets go. [Apr 2003, p.72]

All it does is present some interesting tactical action, a lot of graphically impressive--if somewhat too amber-colored--carnage, and a lot of intense pointing and shooting. And that's more than enough. [Sept. 2006, p.55]

Just what the PSP needs more of: the perfect match of a game and its system. [Feb 2006, p.90]

There's one thing that really distinguishes the EverQuest phenomenon from all pretenders to the throne, for better or worse—difficulty. Slaving for weeks through one of the higher "hell levels" isn't just time-consuming, it's quite often toil.

Though it can be hard on a novice, Space Ranger 2's amazing breadth and considerable depth more than make up for its initial difficulty and intermittent lack of polish. [Nov 2005, p.74]

Indigo Prophecy so unabashedly wants to be cinematic that the menu prompt for the new game is "New Movie". [Dec p.56]

It may be pointless, and also brilliant, but it’s safe to say there’s nothing quite like The Sims. Its possibilities are endless.

A heart-pounding, visceral experience that gets under your skin. The "just one more round" addiction factor is very high. When you play it properly, with team work that clicks like a well-oiled machine, the game offers a sense of accomplishment and comradery that is simply amazing.

But if you're willing to look, there are very few games that show you as much as you'll see here--a nearly infinite variety of rising gods and dying empires and a fat man with a magic belt--and no games that do it with focus, depth, and extraordinary economy of Dominions 3. [Jan. 2007, p.60]

it just goes to show that not every game has to be an 80-hour sandbox of something for everyone. [Dec p.87]

Dark Crusade is another real-time feather in Relic's cap, even without the Tyranids. [Jan. 2007, p.56]

Yes, folks, developer Panther Games has finally delivered a friendly AI worthy of the term "intelligence." [Oct 2002, p.78]

Undoubtedly the best strategy game released so far in 2004. And that's all. [Nov 2004, p.84]

It may not win over the reflex-challenged, bearded gamer types, but fans of the original "Generals" won't find a title better tuned and tweaked to their tastes. [Dec 2003, p.88]

The animations are superb, despite the great quantity of creatures and heroes that appear during the campaign. The sound effects augment the animations perfectly. [Jan 2004, p.73]

This is the best and most spirited of the Ape Escapes, which is faint praise if you're only familiar with the recent half-assed PSP version. [Apr 2006, p.91]

A new and better way of telling an interactive story and as such provides a role model for the gaming industry. It is highly original and richly deserves all the awards it will surely get.

Dragonshard is more concerned with recapturing the long-lost energy of those dorky all-night session then with remaining faithful to the math and canon per se. [Dec p.53]

One of the best games of the year. It migh t even be the best adventure game of the year. The plot is deep, the characters are brought to life effectively, I haven't found almost any bugs, and they didn't leave anything out.