Fast paced and flawed, but ultimately enjoyable. [June 2005, p.88]

If this game is any indication, the SOG soldiers were blind and deaf, and had the tactical sense of lemmings. [Aug 2005, p.76]

A $20 game that plays like a $10 game. [Aug 2005, p.77]

A fairly standard MMORPG that may be too little too late. [Aug 2005, p.80]

Proof that not everything made in nine months is a bundle of joy. [Aug 2005, p.78]

The A.I. is quite good, particularly at the tactical level, where you don't have to baby-sit an army.

"Dangerous Waters" is a superb modern naval combat simulator but Silent Hunter III is destined to be a Sim Hall of Fam all-time classic. [June 2005, p.94]

If simulating multiple seasons in a sitting is your dream, this is your game. [Aug 2005, p.85]

Simply without depth. [Aug 2005, p.87]

Just when you think the story is winding down, an incredible twist sends the narrative spiraling dramatically in another direction. [May 2005, p.86]

This is one shooter in which your tactical skills are rewarded more than your ability to line up targets. [June 2005, p.76]

Dredd-fully underwhelming. [July 2004, p.75]

A solid war game with the worst dialogue and acting ever. [June 2005, p.90]

Still, given the intensity of the combat, you won't have a lot of time to brood over the sometimes monotonous environments. Somebody deserves credit for making a gritty, Jedi-free Star Wars game without any fruity Force powers or lightsabers.

There's nothing transcendently brilliant here, but there's enough new stuff to keep you happy. Everyone else, you can keep scratching your heads.

Like David Hasselhoff's singing career, Settlers is popular in Germany and just sort of barely tolerated elsewhere. [June 2005, p.96]

Technically great but lacks the heart that makes fans into fanatics. [Aug 2005, p.84]

Dangerous Waters is a superb modern naval combat simulator but Silent Hunter III is destined to be a Sim Hall of Fam all-time classic. [June 2005, p.94]

Far from perfect, but far beyond the competition. [Aug 2005, p.85]

It's all here: the virtual keys to the teensy-weensy pearly gates of micromanagement heaven. [May 2005, p.93]

This is a very good follow-up to the best single-player role-playing game in years, and that's OK with me. KOTOR II is a big, often complex, mature piece of storytelling—and I'll take it over anything that's been onscreen with the Star Wars name in 25 years.

A cheap excuse to shoot things out of the sky. [June 2005, p.88]

The game plays a lot like "Sims 2" - just without the charm, animation, possibilities, freedom and, and ability to generate a desire to keep it installed. [Apr 2005, p.84]

A deep strategy game with charmingly simple mechanics. [May 2005, p.94]

The biggest problem is that the province-based movement system doesn't lend itself well to re-creating the kinds of huge land campaigns that give a good strategic war game its sense of scope. [Apr 2005, p.91]

WCT barely qualifies as a game, let alone "good." [Aug 2005, p.84]

Story twists, character interaction, and a built-in hint system keep Sentinel from being completely boring and frustrating; it's a shame that the repetition in certain worlds robs this tomb-raiding adventure of its potential. [Apr 2005, p.90]

The incessant clicking is reminiscent of, but nearly as gratifying as, using a retractable ballpoint pen. [Apr 2005, p.86]

You can turn a guard's own gun on him, shank him with a homemade shiv, snap his neck with your bare hands, or drop down on his head. [March 2005, p.71]

It's "Commandos" with dozens of units and none of the character. [Jan 2005, p.106]

A decent RTS that makes great use of a movie license. [Feb 2005, p.90]

This roller coaster occasionally stalls and has some long stretches that could have used a corkscrew or even a slight bank. [Feb 2005, p.80]

Calling it an homage, an interpretation, a clone, or even a rip-off doesn't change the fact that it's a damn fine game. [March 2005, p.75]

Gorgeous and exhilarating, though needlessly gory and combatcentric. [March 2005, p.72]

Just like the last Blitzkrieg. No, really. [Feb 2005, p.89]

It's designed to let players make significant progress without requiring a decisive committment to sitting motionless in front of the computer for days at a time. Unfortunately, the game's so addictive that you may end up with a case of bedsores anyway. [Feb 2005, p.73]

Winning battles is more a result of mass and aggression than tactical coordination. [March 2005, p.76]

The simplicity of the gameplay and charm of the presentation are happy reminders of a more innocent age when games were just fun for kids rather than targets of congressional hearings. [Feb 2005, p.86]

More guns, more vehicles, and lots more action. [Feb 2005, p.81]

The only thing Legacy leaves you with is a feeling of relief when it's over. [Apr 2005, p.88]

The biggest and only serious bummer of Half-Life 2 is the installation -- and it's so bad that we're knocking the game's final score.

Where Bloodlines really shines is in the world it creates, a nightmarish hell lurking just beneath the seedy surface of nighttime Los Angeles. [Feb 2005, p.82]

The real bonus here is the campaign editor, which allows for the creation of linked campaigns. [Dec 2004, p.99]

The main problem with Zoo Tycoon is its lack of a fast-forward button: A single year of gameplay consumes a grand total of six hours. [Feb 2005, p.85]

Ranks among the most entertaining games I've played in a while. [Apr 2005, p.85]

Fast-paced and graphically crisp, Space Interceptor is a good quick fix. It just gets old fast. [Feb 2005, p.88]

It might be too friendly for old-school, hardcore EQ players to make the jump, but for gamers looking for a classic fantasy MMO, EverQuest II should fit the bill very nicely. [Feb 2005, p.72]

Everything from basic commerce to trade has been significantly revamped. [Jan 2005, p.105]

This game is truly all about the cinematic, dramatic single-player campaign, and it is there that it shines, often brilliantly, but a little too briefly. [Jan 2005, p.92]

A lot like "Freelancer," only boring and with a monthly fee. [May 2005, p.94]

The original art design and wide array of funny and original characters keep the experience fresh and engaging. [Holiday 2004, p.88]

Unlike most adventure games, you'll often find multiple solutions here. [Apr 2005, p.88]

A.I. is A-crappy. I have rarely encountered a game that evinces more clearly the rigid, stimulus-response nature of algorithmic thought. [Jan 2005, p.100]

It's the exact same game you've been playing for about the past four years. Except with ninjas. [Feb 2005, p.81]

Great gunplay, shame about the A.I. [Jan 2005, p.94]

Don't expect anything pretty, but with this kind of war game, you basically have to accept that the meat is in the mechanics... Solid, smart, and old. [Apr 2005, p.89]

The gameplay is not only less sophisticated but also far less soccer-like than either of the two serious alternatives on the market. [Feb 2005, p.89]

More cute than funny - unless you're seven. [Feb 2005, p.85]

Even with the completely new engine, the core RCT formula remains intact and as strong as ever. [Feb 2005, p.88]

With some A.I. tweaks, flyable torpedo bombers, and various bug fixes, this game would be a sim junkie's dream. [Jan 2005, p.97]

The humbling slam-dunk competition attempts to cement EA's street credibility but fails. It's just too unforgiving to be considered anything other than a flashy extra. [March 2005, p.77]

Best pastime for hockey fans until the NHL and NHLPA get their collective heads out of their asses. [March 2005, p.77]

Add in a console-style save system that only lets you save progress at the start of a level, and you've got a guaranteed recipe for infuriation. [Jan 2005, p.96]

The multiplayer learning curve is a short, sharp slide into the deep end with the sharks. [Holiday 2004, p.80]

A slick and highly enjoyable production, and what it lacks in realism, it makes up for in pure entertainment value. [Holiday 2004, p.86]

Long stretches of boredom punctuated by brief moments of implausibility. [Feb 2005, p.84]

It distinguishes itself through its presentation, gameplay system, and a subject matter that's neglected in computer war games. [Apr 2005, p.90]

In short, boobs will not make a man endure a bad videogame. [Holiday 2004, p.102]

This putatively naughty game should come with fetish clothing options, dungeon equipment, and the option to call up a friend or five to join our hero and heroine in their erotic adventures, but it doesn't. It's sterilie, soulless, and ultimately a tease that doesn't come close to delivering. What a gyp. [Sept 2004, p.73]

The controls can be semiclunky, both for issuing orders and for things like manual aiming. [Jan 2005, p.98]

The mechanics for pulling off tricks have been perfected. [Jan 2005, p.104]

Virtual Skipper 3 truly is the Holy Grail of sailing sims, satisfying both hardcore and casual virtual helmsman. [Oct 2004, p.84]

A fairly polished and comical game. It's too bad it didn't emulate "Toy Story" a little more, though, and provide a better plot and stellar acting. [Holiday 2004, p.98]

The most significant improvement over past Myst games is a stronger integration of the story with the puzzles. [Holiday 2004, p.90]

The pathfinding problems suck a lot of the joy out of this WWII tankfest. [Nov 2004, p.86]

If you're looking for RTS writ large (and slow), TOD is worth checking out. [Apr 2005, p.89]

Could have been great. Instead, it's a near miss - a great idea poorly presented and inadequately explained. And that ain't my bag, baby. [Dec 2004, p.94]

A good game, but its convoluted interface, some minor bugs, and the lack of a detailed manual make it a tedious and frustrating game to learn for both old-school Europa fans and newbies alike. There are rewards to be had here—but you're going to need to put in some time to reap them.

With any luck, this game is only the beginning of a rich, rewarding series. [Jan 2005, p.96]

A stroke of brilliance. With its unparalleled scope and enough strategic gameplay for two top-flight games, let alone one, Rome is a game that triumphs over its minor bugs and A.I. glitches and once again redefines what a historical strategy game can - and should - be. [Holiday 2004, p.100]

Because of the fantasy setting and the powerful new graphics engine, cranked-down zoomed-in battles can be spectacular in a way that Creative Assembly's "Shogun" and "Medieval" battles can only dream of. [Dec 2004, p.90]

It'll eventually dawn on you that you're playing the world's most elaborate version of tic-tac-toe. [Holiday 2004, p.94]

Just so very average. It does nothing spectacular, nor does it do anything truly grievous. [Holiday 2004, p.96]

Battlefront gives fans a perfectly good way to act out their fantasies of being a grunt in either of hte series' wars. [Holiday 2004, p.82]

The only thing missing from Ryzom's customizable battling, harvesting, and crafting systems is a lack of bothersome bugs. [Jan 2005, p.102]

A shot of pure-grade real-time strategy adrenaline straight into the veins. [Holiday 2004, p.78]

Those who've never played a computer golf sim may discover that this is one of their favorite games of the year in any genre. [Holiday 2004, p.84]

The Sims 2 is as big as life and as consuming. At heart, and with heart, it is a masterpiece.

A bad third-person shooter is still bad even with '60s music and Vietnamese prostitutes. [Dec 2004, p.96]

This expansion is a compelling, dramatic WWII shooter with some of the most cinematic action ever converted into 1s and 0s - just like "Call of Duty." [Dec 2004, p.92]

You don't need a barnburner system to get all of Madden's eye candy. [Holiday 2004, p.86]

NHL 2005's real merit lies in its online play and the new Free4All mode; the raw power and speed of the single-player game is way overdone. [Jan 2005, p.107]

It can take a long time to earn enough money to explore beyond the initially accessible towns. But once you have a nice fleet at your command, it's a continually engaging experience. [Dec 2004, p.98]

Offers a great, replayable mix of strategy of action. [Holiday 2004, p.92]

For computer war gamers, there really isn't anything better out there. [Jan 2005, p.98]

Though it's not an entirely offensive game, in its attempt to be individualistic, Locomotion has learning nothing from other games in the genre and ends up feeling like a 10-year-old game with a 5-year-old coat of paint. [Holiday 2004, p.103]

Yet another great console game undermined by a sloppy port. [Jan 2005, p.104]

Alpha Black Zero may not be the worst game ever made, but it may be the most tedious. [Dec 2004, p.93]