There is certainly enough new here to recommend it to even casual fans. [Jan 2006, p.60]

The expansion levels are uniformly superb in both single and multiplayer. But make no mistake, Desert Siege is for expert players only. [Sept 2002, p.85]

A fine game in its own right, a throwback to old-school epic strategy at a time when turn-based games are starting to feel like a dying breed. [Oct 2003, p.86]

The PC controls are so awkward that even when you know what to do and where to go, you find that you really need 360-degree character rotation to avoid staggering drunkenly into certain death. [Mar 2004, p.81]

The sense of speed is superb, particularly with the visual assistance. [Feb 2004, p.73]

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

The only thing you won't like is the deadly accuracy and preternatural instincts of the enemy. [Feb 2003, p.83]

Yes, you get tension, stress, and frustration in a way few other wargames can replicate, but you also get thrills and a strong sense of satisfaction at a job well done, at a plan that comes together just right. All-in-all, Antietam! may not be a major gaming leap over its predecessor… but then, given the quality of Gettysburg! it doesn't have to be.

It's like any flat stretch of road in the country, nice and smooth with some decent scenery that gets you where you have to go. [Jan 2006, p.89]

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

This latest effort seems mired in a war between greatness and mediocrity—and mediocrity has the upper hand.

There's plenty of depth, just not enough twists and turns not involving the streets you're tarring. [March 2005, p.82]

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

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]

Outstanding 3D graphics and unit animations combine with excellent music and sharp interfaces to create a compelling medieval Japanese setting filled with magic and mysticism.

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.

It will take at least a full game or two (or three) before you have any idea what you are doing, but even before you learn the ropes, Europa 1400: The Guild is strangely addictive. [Apr 2003, p.85]

Patches are in the works (one was available shortly after the game shipped), and fans are already modding the game to make the Dynasty mode actually work. [July 2004, p.63]

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

If you're willing to stop, explore, admire, backtrack, and other verbs that don't involve hurtling forward continuously, it's a lovely ride. [Jan 2005, p.74]

The whole thing is so over the top that it ends up being like a B-movie gore-fest – more silly than scary. Still, plenty of folk are going to be offended. Once past the blood-hook, though, the game is a mixed bag.

The best pure simulation of pool currently available for the PC, but it lacks much in the way of frills and simple user-friendliness and warmth.

In the end, The Sims does mimic real life: if you aren't happy, new stuff is only a fleeting solution.

The framework is there for a solid game with a compelling, if not entirely original, story. [Jan 2003, p.74]

It does the hard stuff that most game neglect so well, but it either phones in or omits entirely the easy stuff. [Sept 2004, p.72]

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.

The most incomprehensible issue is the lack of multiplayer support. It is interesting that Hasbro found the resources to include multiplayer support in the computer version of Battleship while omitting it in a game that literally begs for a human, network-connected crew.

You'll get your dozen hours of fun out of Bookworm Adventures, but you'll want to go back to "Bookworm" for more serious wordplay. [Mar 2007, p.70]

May not be the reinvention of the wheel, but it's certainly the best "Tolkien game" to date. [March 2005, p.70]

Were it not for performance issues, Hitman: Blood Money would be a worthwhile play for annyone into the franchise's nihilistic humor. {sept. 2006, p.75]

While Most Wanted occasionally shows signs of screwing up the balance and flying off the road, it generally rights itself before it spins out of control. [Mar 2006, p.64]

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]

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.

For both better and worse, Quake IV parties like it's still 1999. [Jan 2006, p.40]

The combination of slow pacing and boring, nondescript environments makes for too many dull stretches. [Feb 2006, p.86]

It gamely delivers the pure joy of superbly crafted chaos, something it does better than any game released (so far) this year. [July 2004, p.56]

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

One of the most realistic wargaming experiences in years. [Apr 2004, p.74]

Instead, it offers some of the best old-school 2D platforming this side of Mario's jump to 3D. [Jun 2006, p.91]

Quotation forthcoming. [Jan 2005]

A first-rate baseball title, assuming you can ignore the shocking number of bugs that ruin the single-player. [June 2005, p.91]

Few games in the genre tell a story this well, and fewer still combine that intriguing tale with such absolutely superb game mechanics. [Apr 2007, p.66]

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.

The gameplay is far too unbalanced, making for simple wins and an experience that gets old quickly. Still, fans of the old "NFL Blitz" games or "NBA Street" won't be disappointed. [May 2004, p.12]

Trauma Center is an experience you can't really get anywhere else. [Dec p.89]

It's just not particularly inspired. It's also amazing how much licensed cars are missed. [Oct 2003, p.85]

The kind of design innovation that could make this game great, yet ends up demonstrating the game's schizophrenia. [Jan 2006, p.56]

Elaborate story, dialogue, and characterization draw you into one of the most believable role-playing game worlds ever created.

Empires isn't flashy or exotic enough to be crowned the new event horizon of the now officially clogged "historical" real-time strategy wheelhouse, but it's likable and shinier than most. [Feb 2004, p.64]

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.

NASCAR Heat's glaring shortcomings rip the believability out of the game after its graphics and driving suck you right in.

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]

It's almost more fun to watch than it is to play.

If you can get past the kiddie characters..., you'll find some of the best golf available, handheld or otherwise. [Aug 2005, p.91]

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]

Dear Tricky, we miss you. [Jan 2006, p.91]

EA Sports apparently loved last year's game so much they they've repackaged it. [Jan 2006, p.59]

One of the best new features is a thrilling coaster cam whose name is a bit misleading since you can get a first-person view for nearly any ride or attraction. [Feb 2005, p.65]

The whole thing is animated by a catchy faux indie rock soundtrack. [July 2005, p.58]

It has truly original game mechanics, sharp artwork, an exciting multiplayer dynamic, an addictive quality, and enough flexibility to keep you coming back for more.

An expansion that is about as good as it gets for the core community. [Feb 2003, p.67]

This program is a simulation in the truest sense of the word, and offers few crutches to make up for those that don't like to take their entertainment very seriously...The grade may be steep, but for the combat-sim faithful, Flanker 2.0 is a work not to be missed.

Quotation forthcoming. [Mar 2006]

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

Rises above its own occasionally clichés and standard third-person action gameplay with an effective atmosphere, solid voice-acting, and an episode-quality storyline.

It tries almost nothing new. It's like a K-Tel greatest hits album. Yeah, sure, you've heard these songs a million times, but they're all good and it's nice to have them in one place.

Still, it delivers an excellent—albeit it extremely short—experience. [Dec. 2006, p.72]

The only thing separating it from, say, another dystopian gadget-heavy sci-fi shooter like "Project: Snowblind" is the marketing budget. [Feb 2006, p.85]

The new dual-saber and double-bladed staff make for one hell of a lightshow, but they don't have the strategy and finesse of Jedi Outcast's simpler sabers. [Nov 2003, p.94]

This little game is addictive, if not more so, as gems like "Bejeweled", "Bookworm", or pretty much any downloadable puzzle game out there. [Sept. 2006, p.76]

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

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

While it's incredibly playable and entertaining for 10 hours or so, it's also limiting and linear. [Nov 2003, p.99]

The gameplay is far too unbalanced, making for simple wins and an experience that gets old quickly. Still, fans of the old "NFL Blitz" games or "NBA Street" won't be disappointed. [May 2004, p.12]

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]

It doesn't take much to turn a potentially brilliant text-based sports simulation into an average one. [May 2006, p.55]

The missions, while varied, are wildly uneven in difficulty, and many are totally unsuited for the sort of unit that you're ostensibly commanding...It is, however, extremely good-looking, great sounding, and very entertaining.

It's a respectable johnny-come-lately, rough edges tempered by its newness and straight-arrow Leave It To Beaver charm. It's beach reading, basically.

As the culmination of an epic, multi-part story, the finale mostly leaves you asking, "That's it?" It's a shame, because Syberia II is otherwise one of the most enchanting adventure games of the past few years. [June 2004, p.76]

If you are looking for believable characters, good acting and dialogue, lots of bloody, horror-style vampire action, and a nice looking smooth 3D engine, you'll want to look elsewhere. If, on the other hand, you are a history buff entertained by a more thoughtful experience, have the desire to play master sleuth, or really have a thing for Tim Curry and the Gabriel Knight series, give this a try.

An excellent game. For your PC. [Oct 2005, p.90]

"Advance Wars" is well and good, but this is a more mature, varied, and sophisticated strategy game, arguably as deep as you'll see on a handheld. [Apr 2006, p.93]

Don't be surprised if, when you're done - and maybe even well before - you end up feeling like you've gorged yourself on a big old gaming Twinkie. Tasty and sweet, for sure, but ultimately somewhat unfulfilling. [Nov 2005, p.66]

Dear Tricky, we miss you. [Jan 2006, p.91]

When matched up against the complexity and challenge of similar PC titles like "TRON 2.0," the compromises made in the name of console game design are painfully evident. [Mar 2004, p.67]

It's more of "more of the same," but the "more" of The Sims is always interesting and funny. [Feb 2004, p.85]

Ubisoft just executes the hell out of Splinter Cell, and in the end it makes its familiarity one of its strengths: The sight of Sam Fisher is always a welcome one. [Feb. 2007, p.64]

There's no real AI; soldiers have some behaviors, but everything is as scripted as a presidential debate. [Feb 2005, p.58]

Still, it's hard to escape the mild letdown of discovering, yet again, that this year's Madden is a lot like last year's Madden. [Nov. 2006, p.79]

Doomsday is a lot of game for 20 bucks. [Sept. 2006, p.71]

There isn't anything revolutionary in Phase Two, but everything is top quality. [Nov 2005, p.76]

It never really takes off, seeming perpetually stuck in neutral rather than shifting to the higher gear it feels like it should achieve. [Jan 2005, p.64]

It matches intense, fast-paced action with a squirrely camera and imprecise aiming. Needless to say, that isn't a particularly compelling combination. [Feb 2004, p.77]

The game plays as if it's on a cocaine buzz... It's packed with non stop dunks, supersonic fast breaks, and point guards that block three-pointers with relative ease. [Feb 2003, p.84]

The gameplay is far too unbalanced, making for simple wins and an experience that gets old quickly. Still, fans of the old "NFL Blitz" games or "NBA Street" won't be disappointed. [May 2004, p.12]

Overall, my two main complaints with Rifles are that it feels too generic and that, despite the delayed development, there's a feeling it was rushed out the door before it was completely polished.

While some may balk at the cost involved, it's a ton of fun to play (multiplayer). [May 2004, p.11]

Pick it up if you're looking for another 20 plus hours of reality dissolving entertainment. [Feb 2003, p.68]