In terms of atmosphere, no other college basketball game captures the sights and sounds of a university arena quite like this.

I still wholly recommend "NBA 2K3," but Live looks like it's back on the upswing. [Dec 2002, p.258]

Easily a contender for sleeper hit of the year, providing an excellent mix of platform-style exploration and fast-paced, action-packed gunplay that manages to stay fresh and interesting throughout. [Dec 2003, p.199]

While the on-field action feels sluggish and unresponsive at first, you soon learn to work with the pace of the game and play it like you would the sport, rather than just the videogame. [Nov 2007, p.107]

An improvement in every possible way over the original MotorStorm, this is what we all knew the original could be. [Dec 2008, p.76]

A basic hack-'n'-slash game, albeit a really good one. [Jan 2003, p.174]

Repetitive, primitive and even a bit tedious...and I dug every minute of it. [Nov 2001, p.220]

Still, Saints 2 evolves the genre with its character creator and the ability to play the entire game cooperatively online. [Dec 2008, p.74]

It's a truly beautiful game, too, spanning from the lush forest of Ewok-infested Endor the to the Tatooine desert (complete with hostile Tusken Raiders.) And it's just plain cool to see Darth Vader walking around kicking ass. [Nov 2004, p.124]

Two-player is so much fun it makes MAX2 a worthwhile investment for anyone looking for a shallow but thrilling party diversion. And Workout mode is a blast if you're at all concerned with weight loss. [Nov 2003, p.185]

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]

The combat is startlingly visceral if a bit tricky to master, but your thumb may ache after hours of pressing in the analog stick to sprint. It's not a survival-horror revolution, but it's an adventure worth experiencing.

Finally, we've got a 360 Tony Hawk game that looks like a 360 game. [Jan. 2007, p.97]

Totally addictive and innovative, and embarrassing to play in public, to boot! (Everything I like in a game.) [March 2005, p.133]

Tune and tweak all you want, Demian, and 2K6's goalies will still be absolute sieves. And for that reason - plus 06's faster play and flashier offense - I'm giving the nod to EA's game. [Oct 2005, p.114]

This is, hands down, the best game for oval-track racing fans. [Sept 2001, p.145]

The character art is so good, I forgot about the graphics. More importantly, the gameplay is gripping. [Holiday 2004, p.126]

Straight dumb, violent fun, regardless of how many times you've seen it before. [Jan 2002, p.233]

In terms of atmosphere, no other college basketball game captures the sights and sounds of a university arena quite like this. [Jan 2004, p.116]

For wannabe thugs in upper-middle-class houses countrywide, Saints Row will seem like a sleek glock from the gods. [Oct. 2006, p.104]

Still, the core single-player experience is as addictive and elegant as ever. [Dec. 2006, p.158]

The puzzles provide an awesome balance of manual dexterity and mental prowess, and the game's pacing is spot on. [Mar 2006, p.116]

And even though the series seems to be on the path of becoming a pure shooter (which it does very well), I would like to see a few more sections that reflect its platforming roots. As for multiplayer, Deadlocked again succeeds online, but it's the new splitscreen co-op feature for the main game that's the nicest touch.

This mind-boggling sequel to cult hits "Disgaea" and "La Pucelle: Tactics" is easily the most overwhelming game I've ever played, with almost infinite aspects to consider. [Oct 2004, p.108]

You have to give credit to the brilliant blockhead who forced this awesome yet fundamentally bizarro idea on LucasArts. [Oct. 2006, p.111]

Still, Saints 2 evolves the genre with its character creator and the ability to play the entire game cooperatively online. [Dec 2008, p.74]

Enemy A.I. here might as well stand for "Artificial Idiocy." [May 2002, p.109]

It's monotonous, mundane, and frightfully addictive - just the way I like 'em. [Jan 2004, p.132]