The core gameplay is so well done and the mechanics are so clean. Thanks to the great A.I., there's no question of the game's longevity.

No check or save points, no sense of where people are when they radio for help, splash damage that kills from up to 50 meters away, no multiplayer whatsoever--need to hear more? Stay away. Stay very far away. [Mar 2006, p.86]

The whole thing feels more like feature creep in a box than an expansion pack. [Mar 2006, p.84]

25 to life sets the gaming bar about as low as it can go. Then trips over it. [Mar 2006, p.82]

The game's stunt-loving, high-flying target audience will find a treat...but even they may eventually grow weary of its foibles. [Mar 2006, p.83]

If the actual battle engine were better, this would be a great game. [Mar 2006, p.86]

A whirlwind global tour for diehards... and a bumpy ride for everyone else. [Feb 2006, p.77]

Star Chamber freshens up the CCG genre by blending traditional card play with a strategic game of planetary conquest. [Mar 2006, p.85]

A total rush job, from start to all-too-sudden finish. [Feb 2006, p.73]

The development team used some real forethought when creating this trilogy. From a plot-development standpoint, think of it as the anti-"Star Wars." [Feb 2006, p.82]

A familiar-feeling game with absolutely no personality. [Apr 2005, p.87]

A solid "X-Com" clone, tailor made for grognards and entomologists. [Feb 2006, p.86]

Tactical freaks won't find much here to really challenge them, but Legion Arena might serve as a good introduction for players unfamiliar with this type of strategy game. [Mar 2006, p.85]

Short but sweet - and you get to be a giant gorilla. [Feb 2006, p.75]

Good, but we crave more. MORE BRAINS! [Feb 2006, p.78]

A few patches from fun. [Feb 2006, p.72]

A game that, wile not cutting-edge, is simply fun to play... A great game for the money. [Feb 2006, p.86]

"Starcraft," sans that pesky "fun" thing. [Jan 2005, p.90]

System-wide bugs, which range from the entertaining (my character did a jumping jack each time he left his office) to the annoying (pathfinding issues) to the aggravating (frequent desktop crashes). [Jan 2005, p.106]

A by-the-numbers blast-a-thon. [Feb 2006, p.71]

Does Most Wanted feed my adrenaline addiction from start to finish? No - repetition, while unavoidable in a game ilke this, ultimately does in the game's ability to raise your blood pressure. But while it lasts...damn, it's good. [Feb 2006, p.80]

X3 sometimes morphs into a derivative on-rails shooter during scripted story missions. [Feb 2006, p.74]

One of the most addictive and enjoyable games you'll play this year. [Jan 2005, p.84]

Good for Potter addicts, but bad controls bog it down. [Jan 2005, p.103]

Controls are fuzzy, and the overforgiving targeting, combined with weak enemy A.I., makes it nearly impossible to miss. The game is also extremely easy. [Feb 2006, p.81]

Decent but dated, this is best for the die-hard Matrix fans who still believe. [Feb 2006, p.70]

Fun... but you'll forget which side you're on until the police drones zap you. [Feb 2006, p.69]

Surprisingly strong Star Wars combat. [Jan 2005, p.92]

A tad creaky, but pepped up with plenty of spine-tingling and head-scratching action. [Jan 2005, p.106]

A surprisingly decent stealth shooter. [Jan 2005, p.90]

Great for joystick jockeys who like their games tough and frantic. [Jan 2005, p.102]

Like a good meatloaf, it expertly scratches that comfort food itch, leaving you well-satisfied until the craving hits you again, months later - just in time for the inevitable expansion. [Jan 2005, p.94]

If you harbor any interest in strategy games and want something with more depth than the average mindless RTS, then you would do well to immerse yourself in Civilization IV and let it soak in.

If the VC don't kill you, the pesky game-crashing bugs will. [Feb 2006, p.81]

Sam II's wild, random charm makes for a twisted Duke Nukem meets Alice in Wonderland sort of roller coaster ride-a perfect change of pace from the scads of grim 'n' gritty shooters steeped in WWII war zones and dystopian postapocalyptic futures. Just don't take it too seriously, OK?

Delightful, disappointing, and frustrating.

F.E.A.R.'s troopers try so hard, you almost hate not fighting fair. [Jan 2005, p.96]

A war game for casual gamers. [Jan 2005, p.88]

The camera pans and zooms as it pleases, so keeping tabs on yourself is tough enough, let alone pretzel-bending into a stamina-boosting lotus stance while ducking baddies. [Jan 2006, p.103]

Breaks no ground, but good old-school stuff with amazing graphics. [Jan 2005, p.100]

In many ways, Blood feels like the polished game Gearbox couldn't completely nail last time around. Most of the evolution takes place under the hood.

Offers amazing depth of play for even the most discriminating hockey fans. [Jan 2005, p.88]

Disappointment is the litany of B&W2. As an evil god, I can build prisons and worse...but why? There's no payoff. Pointless minigames that eschew the game's central morality conflict end up being stupid, insulting, and/or infuriating.

Besides a game-killing lack of a chat function, Diplomacy's negotiation interface makes it impossible to propose long-term deals, except for the all-encompassing "permanent alliance."

A fun mix of strategy and role-playing, minus all the pencils and dice.

Although the horror element here suffers from one-trick-pony-itis, I was, over time, compelled enough by the story to keep going-not just because I had to, but because I was kinda interested to see how things turned out.

Decent combat system, good-looking engine, mediocre scenario design.

For $35, you get a ton of replayability plus new downloadable planes and campaigns each month. For those who don't mind abstraction in the name of fun, DIF is a must-have.

A cheese-filled jalapeno of action. [Jan 2005, p.98]

Exactly what you expect from a Total War expansion.

The newest addition to the offensive game-Freestyle Superstars-allows you to execute a dazzling and fun array of passing, shooting, and dribbling moves with your star players. Unfortunately, the joy of these moves is counteracted by the extremely frustrating inability of players to make layups and other close-in shots.

Love it or hate it, DOD's war is an apparently contradictory compulsion.

Good lord! This game wasn't created, it was excreted... Basically, you'd have more fun putting starved ferrets in a feedbag and strapping it to your crotch. [Jan 2006, p.46]

Winter Assault further cements Dawn of War as one of the great next-gen strategy titles. If you thought you were sick of the genre, come back. This is worth it.

Indigo Prophecy marks a tremendous rebirth for a very stagnant genre. Let's hope its mature style serves as an inspiration for other developers.

Fun and ambitious, but not nearly as substantial as it wants you to think it is. [Nov 2005, p.96]

If you happen to be an X-Men fan and enjoy running through fairly linear, enemy-filled levels, smashing up highly destructible environments, and collecting scads of shiny items, Rise of Apocalypse ain't a bad way to spend a few Friday nights with some friends-and it's still a hell of a lot better than those damn comics.

Tiger 06 is a hardcore character-building RPG wrapped up in a sports game, letting you craft your own story of spectacular success or crushing failure. If a nongolfer like me can love it, pretty much anyone can.

Myst V isn't a rosebud twist ending to the series but rather a distinguished, picturesque, and more-than-sufficient finale.

A faithful, fun retelling of the comic book - just too short. [Dec 2005, p.106]

Wisely focuses on humankind's hedonistic tendencies, with less emphasis on acquisition and more on enjoying life outside the house.

Here in beats the heart of a classic.but casual simmers should wait and see if patches fix the problems.

NHL 06's online features, combined with a great single-player dynasty mode, create a much more dynamic playing experience than 2005's. At last, offense takes center ice and defense moves from the blue line to the goal crease, where it belongs.

Another incremental step, but still a great game of football. [Nov 2005, p.100]

Dungeon Siege II errs by giving you way too much, all teh time... ultimately diminishing the impact of everything you do. [Nov 2005, p.92]

Ultimately, Advent Rising shoots for the stars but barely breaks orbit. [Nov 2005, p.94]

You'll sleep through most of the challenges, though, as your vampiric superpowers are so unbalanced that you'll cut a bloody path through the action in no time...even if you suck at these kinds of games. [Oct 2005, p.80]

Detailed terrain, buildings, water, and effects lend an unprecedented feeling of speed to low-level flight. [March 2004, p.82]

Somewhat repetitive, but never so bat that it's offensive. [Nov 2005, p.99]

If anything, it reminds us that ridiculous production values and high-powered rigs aren't always necessary to make a game that's just plain fun.

FlatOut doesn't have nearly enough variety in its tracks. Though the layouts will change (sometimes only slightly), there are only a few landscapes, and they do get repetitive. This minor complaint aside, FlatOut is a great arcade-style racer.

The game tries to cover every aspect of the campaigns - economic development, technological research, diplomatic overtures, military operations, even technical battles - but none of it is particularly gripping. [Oct 2005, p.80]

Above all, the writing and voice acting are far superior to most other videogames'. [Oct 2005, p.76]

Comic aficionados may be eager to become a part of an interactive comic world, but fanboys, prepare yourselves for a terribly average adventure. The only reason to consider Fantastic 4 is to cope with PC gaming's summer drought.

The neat thing is that none of it—the chain of command, the elitist bands of E-brothers, the Patton-approved battle plans—needs to matter, at least to the curious weekend commando looking to pop into a public server and simply shoot somebody.

Next time, use the million-dollar PVP cash prize to improve gameplay. [Oct 2005, p.78]

Lacking ideas, Area 51 plays up its license (and lessons learned from finer shooters) for a solid but unsurprising foray into the FPS field. Pity that it isn't more.

This latest GTA is an epic, involving experience, no doubt--but when you get past the expansive world and the RPG-like elements, it's the same epic, involving experience it was last year.

An epic strategy game for conquerors who want more than just the standard RTS. [Aug 2005, p.86]

You will find mothing but carpal-tunnel-inducing mouse clicking, pointless chitchat, and a stat system that plays out like a shallow "Sims" rip-off. [Oct 2005, p.80]

It looks and plays like it was made by two guys in a basement - which, in fact, it was. [Oct 2005, p.78]

Fate isn't going to glue new brain cells inside your skull, but it isn't going to murder the ones you have. It's a good time, it really never reaches an end, and it may be the best way to while away the lifetime between now and "Diablo III."

A great-looking game with a few good ideas, but it just gets too many things wrong. Despite the initial promise, the result is a pale imitation of "Total War" and a poor attempt at simulating history.

Casual gamers may find a hefty learning curve, but the tracks are so inventive; it's ultimately worth the work required to unlock them.

Dungeon Lords is a disaster.

Honestly, it looks like Digital Extremes spent its entire time perfecting the proprietary map editor (which works fantastically) instead of making the game fun.

A new benchmark for hardcore racing sims...mostly. [Oct 2005, p.81]

Trying to please hardcore and casual strategy gamers, Cossacks II satisfies neither. [Aug 2005, p.87]

It has the same kind of addictive magic, suspense, and excitement that the X-Com games had, with the bonus of devious human minds in place of stilted A.I. [June 2003, p.88]

The player economy, crafting aspects, and general sociability aren't nearly what they are in a full-fledged MMORPG, and even ArenaNet labels Guild Wars a "competitive RPG." Still, for less-social gamers thirsting for high-octane, real-time online action without a monthly fee, Guild Wars is a solid choice.

Empire Earth II builds upon many of its predecessor's strengths to deliver a sprawling RTS conquest game that is still remarkably user-friendly.

The A.I. remains pretty predictable, so most of the single-player challenge is due to the A.I.'s larger armies. Worst of all, there's no PBEM. With battles lasting for hours, multiplayer games are just too difficult to coordinate and play.

A triumph of art direction, a prime example of exquisite aesthetics and of how well an imaginary world can be beautifully conceived.

A tedious, tasteless mess. [Aug 2005, p.76]

In the end, though, there's just not enough fruit underneath all the rind. If it's an all-in-one medieval strategy game you're after, just Alt-Tab really quickly between "Medieval: Total War" and "Castles II"--that'll come closer than Stronghold 2 does.

Frightful fun is ultimately obscured by an even more frightful co-op camera. [Aug 2005, p.88]

Simply put, SWAT 4 is just about the best tactical shooter available. Its outstandingly realistic and gripping play delivers everything a tac-sim fan craves. Now, if you'll excuse me, there are more perps in need of cuffing.

More monsters to kill and guns to shoot them with. You were expecting, maybe, a love story? [Aug 2005, p.72]