Once you get past gameplay which is deeper than a black hole, you’ll find an endless list of options and features. [Oct 2001, p.146]

The Playmaker Control feature...gives you an unprecedented amount of control, so you actually feel like you're commanding the whole team, not just the QB. [Sept 2003, p.124]

I should absolutely hate Gears of War. Tactical combat, a big emphasis on using cover, one-death-and-your-done multiplayer--all three have always been on my list of gaming pet peeves. But ironically, these aspects make up much of the reason why I absolutely love it. [Jan. 2007, p.92]

Many of you will absolutely detest (like, controller-smash detest) Oblivion. This mega-titanium-diamond-hardcore game punishes even the passionate...Oblivion makes you do hard time--and you love it. That's amazing.

Add to that the experience and reward system, 16 maps out of the box, and the party system, and COD4 delivers a knockout one-two single and multiplayer shooter punch. [Holiday 2007, p.71]

Sure, no one aspect of the game is life-changing on its own, but perhaps the package as a whole is. [Dec 2007, p.116]

Perfect controls. Perfectly constructed stages. Perfect graphics (for an old, trippy 2D game, that is). [Nov 2003, p.200]

It's simply brilliant. The modes, graphics, gameplay, sound, music, acting, dialogue, and every other little piece in between all come together to create a tense, sweaty-palm experience you can't find anywhere else. [Apr 2005, p.126]

Quotation unavailable.

The speed is staggering, and the smashes spectacular...Burnout 3 blows the doors off its predecessors with bliteringly fast online play, a massive single-player mode lousy with unlockables, and all the right gameplay tweaks. [Oct 2004, p.100]

Subsistence's awe-inspiring single-player adventure outclasses every other stealth game in existence, including the previous MGS titles. It's the perfect blend of gripping narrative, nuanced gameplay, astonishing (nearly next-gen) graphics, and creative boss battles. [Apr. 2006, p.98]

But most importantly, it feels like an overhaul without losing the fun details and epic feel that have always made the series work. [Aug 2008, p.74]

One helluva college football experience... The gameplay isn't quite as confining as "Madden's", allowing for more open-ended games. [Aug 2003, p.118]

God of War's control and combo scheme is as much a work of art as the game's presentation, which rivals a Hollywood sand-and-sandals epic. And you rarely find puzzles this clever and well integrated in other hack-n-slash adventures.

KOTOR is like the movie we all hoped "Episode I" would be - enthralling plot, marvelous visuals and voice acting, deep immersion in the galaxy's many worlds, with all that noble Jedi malarkey lightened up by old-school "Episode 4"-style humor. [Sept 2003, p.118]

A meticulously balanced fighter's fighter – no cyborgs or polar bears or laser beams. It's simplicity perfected, and you'd be surprised how complex that can get. [May 2002, p.110]

There'll never be another Mario game that will make the same impact as Super Mario 64. [Jan 2004, p.189]

The speed is staggering, and the smashes spectacular...Burnout 3 blows the doors off its predecessors with bliteringly fast online play, a massive single-player mode lousy with unlockables, and all the right gameplay tweaks. [Oct 2004, p.100]

That said, Brawl still shines as the go-to party game for a houseful of friends. [May 2008, p.70]

Even more wow is the multiplayer game. Folks, this is the reason to get on Xbox Live. I don't care about the money for the subscription, for broadband, and for the cable dude to come out to your pad-you gotta play four-player Pandora.

Great controls. Solid game design...Tony 3 has more personality, movies and creative stages than you know what to do with. [Apr 2002, p.146]

That the game manages to both come to a satisfying conclusion and still make it clear that Kratos' adventure is far from over is quite a feat and a lesson that other action-game developers could learn something from. [Apr 2007, p.90]

I love this game, but I've eaten enough snow to have some gripes. It's too difficult to catch rails—miscalculate ever so slightly, and you'll wipe out hard, killing any combo and losing tons of turbo.

A graphical powerhouse... My only gripe: Some levels are outrageously difficult. [Jan 2003, p.206]

Okami developer Clover obviously put a lot of love into its creation and, as you travel the countryside, painting barren landscapes into bloom, that love radiates from the screen. [Sept. 2006, p.100]

This is simply one of the finest, most beautiful, PC-style RPGs you can get. [May 2007, p.82]

Still, it's the kind of hugely ambitious game that doesn't come around very often. [Dec 2008, p.69]

Tearing into Gears 2 is a treat--this blood-soaked sequel offers a smorgasbord of sadistically entertaining content. [Dec 2008, p.78]