One of the best licensed games of this generation and one of the best brawlers since the days of Billy and Jimmy Lee.

This is a thinking man's game; jump out and rush like Rambo and not even a pair of well-oiled pecs will save you.

Performance, of course, is more important than appearance, and Underground boasts better handling than any other arcade racer. It's also faster. [Jan 2004, p.118]

Acclaim's solid first-person shooter is heavy on the fog. It is atmospheric, though. [Jan 2004, p.189]

It's still quite a good game--I just wonder why it feels like a step back from the previous trology. [Jan 2009, p.69]

The controls are indeed a dream, effectively putting to rest the notion that a strategy game can't work on a console. [Aug 2008, p.70]

2K5 looks better, moves better, and controls more intuitively than EA's hoopster. [Dec 2004, p.158]

Scary, and I'm talkinng freaked-the-f***-out-at-3 a.m. scary. I mean it - afer an inexplicably horrific run-in with a blood-spewing bathtub at Brookhaven Hospital, sleep was out of the question for me. [Sept 2003, p.114]

"Groovy," "trippy"...however you want to describe it, Extreme does right by the classic. [July 2008, p.84]

The difficulty will undoubtedly polarize, but as something unique, Skate is more than welcome. [Nov 2007, p.108]

Still, despite the tedious travel periods, Far Cry 2 features some truly gorgeous environments, (mostly) satisfying combat, and a lengthy, entertaining campaign. [Dec 2008, p.66]

Fight Night does what any good "sports sim" should: It teaches you how to excel at the sport it sims while still remaining fun, somehow. [May 2004, p.87]

The puzzles could be more elaborate to match up with the solid combat, sure, but compared to the handheld competition, Size Matters measures up quite nicely. [Apr 2007, p.92]

In Advance Tour, all the extraneous questing, character building, and item collecting just works. [July 2004, p.106]

The campaign's quick-paced action and violent nature will entice any FPS fan. [Jan 2009, p.75]

Atlus separates the men from the quivering, weeping boys with one of the funniest, deepest, and downright dastardly RPG's you'll ever play. [Oct 2003, p.150]

It's "Pong" on steroids, with lifelike graphics, technically deep controls, and awesome sound effects - I love hearing my player's feed shuffle on the court and that satisfying thwop of a well-hit ball. [Nov 2005, p.154]

FIFA's Off-the-Ball control not only increases your offensive potency tenfold but also provides hardcore soccer studs with an added level of gameplay they've been beggin' for from the series. Plus, no other game of footie has such stellar graphics or electrifying stadium atmosphere. [Dec 2003, p.204]

Although not necessarily its core mechanic, few things are more satisfying in Mercenaries than blowing crap up, and the enormous variety of methods with which you can do that makes it an absolute joy to play... The first truly great game of 2005. [Feb 2005, p.101]

Far more satisfying than its predecessor. In fact, it's one of the most satisfying story-driven shooters you can play right now, as well as the latest success in the drive to make games as deep and engaging as movies. [Feb 2004, p.102]

For something to tug on the heartstrings to the degree that Viva Pinata does is stunning. [Jan. 2007, p.97]

What clever things Future Perfect does within its trek-across-the-time-continuum framework... It works in the only way it can: with a whole lot of humor. [April 2005, p.115]

DUB redlines on the gorgeous meter. Everything blurs and tunnels to help convey a giddy feeling of speed—and then you hit the nitrous.

This is the only next-generation game title that realistically re-creates every facet of the game...The graphics, animation and sound are much improved. [Mar 2002, p.135]

The first fighter I have ever felt truly comfortable playing on a portable. [Nov 2001, p.222]

I don’t know what kind of smack the graphics are on, but they just pop out of the screen at an almost unbearable intensity; it’s a very cool effect. [Mar 2002, p.136]

An extremely popular anime-style role-playing game of epic proportions. [Jan 2004, p.189]

If it weren't for the local multiplayer, this repackaging would seem almost pointless. But getting 10 people in a room all going crazy with items (Mario Kart-style zingers you throw at your opponents) is truly fun.