There are a ton of extras to open up and a load of different modes to play, adding a lot of replay value that the original lacked. [Feb 2003, p.135]

The realistic weapons and possibility of one-shot deaths give it a visceral excitement other shooters lack. [Oct 2002, p.186]

Easily the best Mega Man game to come along in ages, and arguably the most challenging of them all. [Sept 2002, p.162]

I love the satisfying mix of action and puzzles as you find, disarm, and nab rogue apes, and the colorful cartoony graphics and wacky story are top notch. [Aug 2003, p.73]

It's sad that two years after SOCOM II, the A.I. has improved so little. Ditto for the graphics.

Gives the series the injection of fun it sorely needed. Updated graphics are only the beginning. The other tweaks, like the ability to see your highest grade for all three difficulties on a song at once, sneak up on you, but they make so much sense you wonder why it took this long for them to be implemented.

Tremendously deep warrior-customization options and rich strategy elements make Gladius absolutely worthwhile and fun, but prepare to invest serious time. [Dec 2003, p.185]

So while Legend may not innovate, it works, and I had a ball playing it. [May 2006, p.97]

For years I've been saying that the only significant problem with the Tiger games is the putting interface. So what did they do this year? They made putting harder by removing caddy tips and employing the same analog swing interface as tee shots.

Despite recycled levels, repetitive enemies, chaotic combat, and unbalanced characters, just controlling four X-Men and using their powers is usually enough to make up for Legends' flaws. [Holiday 2004, p.100]

Tekken loses out big time by not supporting the GBA's one-cartridge multiplayer feature. [Feb 2002, p.172]

It borrows from the best of Sony's series, but its own unique GT mode, aggressive A.I. and simplified upgrade system make SGT feel like a very different game. [Oct 2002, p.202]

Eliminating enemy forces and hoisting our country's colors high above Manhattan rooftops never feels repetitive... Sadly, Freedom Fighters is over too quickly, it's easily completed during a weekend sitting. [Oct 2003, p.131]

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]

I've never played a movie-based game that stays so true to its source material. [Feb 2003, p.147]

It’s hard not to love CT2, but it’s harder to like it as much as the original. [Aug 2001, p.111]

The action is all the more overwhelming spread across both screens of the DS, requiring sharp changes in focus from screen to screen as Sonic sprints a one-minute mile.

Thief's visuals are so nearly pitch black that it's easy to get lost in the shadows, making mapping out new environments a plodding process. [Aug 2004, p.108]

It's a bizarre mishmash of clashing styles, concepts and gameplay that, despite being all over the map, is still a must-play title. [Nov 2002, p.72]

After playing Call of Duty 3, I wonder if maybe it isn't time for a break from WWII first-person shooters. [Jan. 2007, p.98]

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]

This is an RPG anyone can get behind, with depths to plumb that I simply don't have space to mention. Give it a shot. [Nov 2005, p.143]

2K5's fielding - which was well balanced last year - has become too slick. It still feels great and moves fast, but unless you adjust some of the gameplay sliders, expect plenty of web gems - to many to be realistic. [April 2005, p.113]

What makes this game such a wonderful and hellacious journey into the heart of warfare is its ability to let chaos reign. [May 2005, p.122]

Online is a blast, but I think the new targeting system limits its long-term value; while the automatic lock-on keeps aiming smooth in the solo campaign, in multiplayer it removes two of the series' most enjoyable aspects: precision shooting and the use of camouflage.

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]

Nocturne is flat-out stunning - to my mind, it's one of the most distinctive-looking games of the generation. [Dec 2004, p.161]

The game's overall length and number of hidden surprises is downright daunting, yet the story is so paper-thin, the series still lacks the impetus necessary to motivate casual racers through nearly 50 hours of gameplay. [Holiday 2004, p.96]