This is one game that everyone should be playing long after it comes out, both online and off. [Dec 2008, p.83]

But EndWar's biggest flaw? Insane micromanagement. [Dec 2008, p.68]

But EndWar's biggest flaw? Insane micromanagement. [Dec 2008, p.68]

Wii Music's biggest downfall, oddly, is its music. [Dec 2008, p.64]

While it doesn't top Silent Hill 2 or 3, I'll still be proud to add it to my collection. [Nov 2008, p.72]

Unfortunately, beneath that striking detail, Shake It! plays exactly like Wario Land 4(GBA). [Nov 2008, p.68]

An ambitious--yet ultimately dissatisfying--effort. [Oct 2008, p.82]

An ambitious--yet ultimately dissatisfying--effort. [Oct 2008, p.82]

It's absolutely recommendable, but it ccould've been so much more. [Nov 2008, p.78]

Series vets should expect deja vu from Vesperia's linear town-dungeon-town progression, superfluous cut-scenes, and lame cooking minigames. [Oct 2008, p.86]

If only it featured more varied game types - instead of a dozen different ways of spinning the clam-collecting battles - I could get behind this one. [July 2008, p.78]

If only it featured more varied game types - instead of a dozen different ways of spinning the clam-collecting battles - I could get behind this one. [July 2008, p.78]

It remains worth it for all of the reasons that made the original Tactics so engrossing: Switching between different jobs, mastering new abilities from your gear, and recruiting and building your clan all remain as appealing as ever. [July 2008, p.82]

Business as usual. [July 2008, p.84]

Early on, you fight a boss named Jack of All Trades - add the usual "master of none," and you've got a pretty apt description of this game. [July 2008, p.]

Get rid of the drama, though, and Burst Limit becomes a delight. [July 2008, p.78]

Get rid of the drama, though, and Burst Limit becomes a delight. [July 2008, p.78]

Brawlers offers incredible customization, but the front end looks like, well, an NES game. [June 2008, p.87]

Frustrating or not, Shikigami isn't a bad shooter. [June 2008, p.78]

While Mario Kart Wii is predictably similar to its predecessors, something has changed with this installment. Something that makes it feel subtly unlike other Mario Karts--and not a change for the better. [June 2008, p.73]

The first few levels drag a bit, but by the time you hold your full suite of special abilities, the combat really clicks. [May 2008, p.80]

The first few levels drag a bit, but by the time you hold your full suite of special abilities, the combat really clicks. [May 2008, p.80]

Sure, the controls aren't perfect--selecting units usually boils down to an all-or-nothing strategy--but that issue aside, UAW is a triumph. [May 2008, p.85]

Opoona's flaws are hard to ignore, but I at least had a decent time with it. [may 2008, p.78]

With 50-player tournaments, oodles of character-customizing doodads, and the promise of downloadable content, this game should have extra long legs. [May 2008, p.84]

Entertaining enough at first, but lacking any staying power. [Apr 2008, p.78]

Entertaining enough at first, but lacking any staying power. [Apr 2008, p.78]

Repeating the same mundane tasks every day so that I could do what I actually wanted to do--go exploring, which was great--really got to me. [May 2008, p.87]

The foundation of Pro Evo still supports enjoyable and technical soccer, but it badly needs something new for next season. [May 2008, p.78]

You could quite easily mistake Nanostray 2 for a game in any other shooter series, but it lacks the focus and polish that make series like "Gradius" and"R-Type" great. [Feb 2008, p.84]

It also looks great, the character classes are interesting, and I appreciate the puzzlelike missions with more ambitious objectives than "kill everyone". [May 2008, p.89]

Army of Two definitely doesn't deliver the genre revolution some were expecting, but I still had a good time spraying bullets with a buddy. [May 2008, p.82]

Fielding features the sweetest setup in years, with its simple analog-based meter. And baserunning and hitting benefit from less-complex models. Something's still missing. [Apr 2008, p.73]

Fielding features the sweetest setup in years, with its simple analog-based meter. And baserunning and hitting benefit from less-complex models. Something's still missing. [Apr 2008, p.73]

If you luck into a smooth, bug-free game, it can be a blast. But right now, that just doesn't happen very often. [May 2008, p.86]

Newcomers to the series will enjoy the mindless destruction and blowing up people indiscriminately - I'm just getting tired of retreading old ground. [Apr 2008, p.70]

The Club certainly brings nothing innovative to the venerable shooter genre. [Mar 2008, p.83]

The Club certainly brings nothing innovative to the venerable shooter genre. [Mar 2008, p.83]

It's too poky and awkward to work as a new-age light-gun shooter, too shallow to work as an RPG, and too mediocre to merit attention.[Mar 2008, p.74]

Deciding whether to fend off those carnivorous foes or sic 'em on your human enemies adds a teensy bit of strategy to the otherwise typical run, gun, and reload approach. [Mar 2008, p.81]

Deciding whether to fend off those carnivorous foes or sic 'em on your human enemies adds a teensy bit of strategy to the otherwise typical run, gun, and reload approach. [Mar 2008, p.81]

It'd be so much better as just a driving game. [Feb 2008, p.84]

No way would I recommend this game to legal eagles with the superior "Phoenix Wright" titles already out there. [Feb 2008, p.78]

No way would I recommend this game to legal eagles with the superior "Phoenix Wright" titles already out there. [Feb 2008, p.78]

It'd be easy to write this one off as child's play, but it has a hidden depth that reveals itself over time. [Jan 2008, p.80]

"Motorstorm" does off-road racing better than this. So does "Dirt" and "Sega Rally Revo". [Jan 2008, p.94]

"Motorstorm" does off-road racing better than this. So do "Dirt" and "Sega Rally Revo". [Jan 2008, p.94]

What a letdown! I had high hopes for March Madness this year, but this one's all sizzle and very little steak. [Jan 2008, p.90]

What a letdown! I had high hopes for March Madness this year, but this one's all sizzle and very little steak. [Jan 2008, p.90]

Controls aside, almost every aspect of Legends feels dated. [Jan 2008, p.82]

It's not perfect--the difficulty spikes randomly throughout and spamming units produces easy victories--but it's a step up from "Heroes of Mana". [Holiday 2007, p.87]

After three games, the developers should be full-fledged M.D.s...so why do they keep making the same med-school mishaps? [Jan 2008, p.87]

From the crazy crowds to the way the camera shakes while shooting free throws, this edition even outshines longtime atmosphere king "March Madness". [Jan 2008, p.90]

Half of the events don't even bother with the touch screen or microphone, leaving us with too many uninspired, Nintendo 64-era minigames. [Jan 2008, p.95]

The premise intrigues, but Assassin's Creed is an incomplete template based on multiple other games. [Jan 2008, p.88]

Kane & Lynch is a fun game to fly through in a couple days on "Aspirin" (easy) mode, but not deep or hardcore enough to hold up long term. [Holiday 2007, p.75]

The premise intrigues, but Assassin's Creed is an incomplete template based on multiple other games. [Jan 2008, p.88]

I'm stoked to continue to see improvement in this series, but it's a shame small problems (like lengthy load times) still pin SVR down. [Dec 2007, p.106]

Series fans will devour it as an excuse to flesh out the Resident Evil cannon, but it features enough casual slaughter of the undead for anyone to enjoy. [Jan 2008, p.82]

Online is almost dauntingly packed with options, and the roll move is still kind of broken, but it's hard to argue with the price. [Holiday 2007, p.88]

At best, BlackSite is a poor man's "Resistance"; at worst, it's half of an unfinished game with a few cool set pieces. [Holiday 2007, p.74]

Origins unfortunately also falls prey to the series' most notorious pitfall--crappy combat. [Dec 2007, p.128]

Let me help clarify: The controls aren't complicated on their own; they're just complicated for this type of gaming experience. [Holiday 2007, p.66]

That strategic team planning and stealthy single-player combat is fun. It just needs to be more consistent...and controllable. [Jan 2008, p.95]

TimeShift definitely looks a lot prettier than it did the first go-round, but once again it finds itself behind the times. [Holiday 2007, p.80]

Visually, Rise of a Ninja is one of the system's best-looking games. But from a game-design standpoint, it's less successful. [Holiday 2007, p.80]

The new alternate story and head-to-head multiplayer make it even more compelling than the PS2 original. [Dec 2007, p.128]

Hysterical as Simpsons is, it's hard to appreciate the humor when you're busy fighting with an annoying camera and unreliable controls. [Dec 2007, p.108]

I agree the premise isn't as intriguing as the first game's, but Manhunt 2's still got plenty of creeps and creepy atmosphere--it's the 8mm and Hostel of videogames. [Holiday 2007, p.69]

I agree the premise isn't as intriguing as the first game's, but Manhunt 2's still got plenty of creeps and creepy atmosphere--it's the 8mm and Hostel of videogames. [Holiday 2007, p.69]

Put simply, the story's not very good, it's short, and it just has too many small flaws to match Sony's game. [Dec 2007, p.104]

Put simply, the story's not very good, it's short, and it just has too many small flaws to match Sony's game. [Dec 2007, p.104]

Frequent fliers of the Ace Combat series will feel like they've been on this flight before. [Dec 2007, p.122]

Beautiful Katamari does something very wrong--it tarnishhes the series' hallmark simplicity and ease. [Dec 2007, p.126]

Aesthetics aside, this is no ordinary marble game: it's deeper, tougher, and generally pretty great. [Nov 2007, p.102]

The nuts and bolts of Tony Hawk still provide some fun, but at this point it's just ancient left-overs of what used to be something special. [Holiday 2007, p.68]

The nuts and bolts of Tony Hawk still provide some fun, but at this point it's just ancient left-overs of what used to be something special. [Holiday 2007, p.68]

No, Revo's not bursting with originality or play options, but it's a solid racer that feels completely different from the competition. [Dec 2007, p.104]

No, Revo's not bursting with originality or play options, but it's a solid racer that feels completely different from the competition. [Dec 2007, p.104]

It's not really a title to play for extended periods but instead something to dip into for five minutes at a time. [Nov 2007, p.112]

But while multiplayer rocks, the appeal of the campaign and character customization lasts about as long as Darth Maul's screen time. [Nov 2007, p.122]

It's not a mind-blowing epic, but Folklore's style alone is worth experiencing. [Dec 2007, p.110]

If you can get past how limited it all feels, you'll have a modicum of fun. [Nov 2007, p.123]

So even though Live is lookin' better, it could still use more time in the gym. [Nov 2007, p.103]

So even though Live is lookin' better, it could still use more time in the gym. [Nov 2007, p.103]

And I'm somewhere in the middle, because even though Contagion does have an interesting techno facade and a completely tolerable control scheme, it still feels like every shooter I've ever played. [June 2007, p.95]

Barely recognizable as a "Sims" game, MySims also lacks the compelling variety and randomness of "Crossing". [Oct 2007, p.84]

Like these guys say, the standard Sonic action is easily the main draw, especially when it gets more challenging--and satisfying--toward the end. [Oct 2007, p.102]

If you're brave enough to look past aesthetics, Eternal Sonata is worth hearing out. [Oct 2007, p.100]

It has some decent ideas(faceoffs are more interesting this year, and the simulation setting option is way better than the arcadey default), but 2K8's fundamentals are flawed. [Nov 2007, p.105]

Only tried-and-true multiplayer modes with smooth Net play save this from utter mediocrity. [Oct 2007, p.86]

Don't buy it if you want a dragon that does what it's told. [Sept 2007, p.82]

The game sabotages things right from the start by sticking you with four of the most vapid, unlikable protagonists I've seen in my 20 years as an RPG fan. [Sept 2007, p.94]

The lack of online in the first MHF was bad; in a sequel it's unforgiveable. [Oct 2007, p.103]

Only the not-as-awesome-as-they-could-have-been graphics stump this patched-up Stuntman. [Sept 2007, p.88]

Still, the cool battle system and character customization options keep it from reeking of cattle crap. [Oct 2007, p.100]

Well, for what it's worth, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam wins the distinction of being the first game that made me fall asleep while playing it. [Sept 2007, p.92]

Well, for what it's worth, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam wins the distinction of being the first game that made me fall asleep while playing it. [Sept 2007, p.92]