Using the same game engine as its NBA counterpart, 2K5 plays better than it did a year ago, in part because the A.I. is way smarter. [Jan 2005, p.128]

Does one thing really well: the Zen feeling of hitting a jump just right, catching the curve of the dirt like a stylus in a record groove. [Apr 2005, p.116]

Such humor made me stick with this tale, which otherwise suffers from mind-numbing hack-and-slash combat and dull dungeons--action-RPG cliches that are anything but funny. [Holiday 2004, p.102]

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]

Hit & Run is so good at capturing the show's spirit and copying a great game ["GTA"] that it turns out to be real, honest-to-God fun for anyone who digs the show. [Oct 2003, p.140]

The game's short length, infinite continues, and co-op mode make it an excellent rental for older folks, while kids will be happy to replay the levels to death and track down every last secret. [May 2005, p.125]

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]

While a pee-wee-sized version of Madden can't hope to compete with its big brothers, I'm amazed at all it does pack in, including solid gameplay, a decent season mode, instant replays, and PS1-level graphics.

The game's short length, infinite continues, and co-op mode make it an excellent rental for older folks, while kids will be happy to replay the levels to death and track down every last secret. [May 2005, p.125]

Online, however, Thunder deserves a salute for its wide selection of match types and well-designed multiplayer maps - the burned-out bases and beachside cabanas make for great playgrounds. [Sept 2003, p.120]

<i>Tourist Trophy</i> is an incredibly technical racing sim and a well-executed vanity project that will appeal to a very small group of people. [Jun 2006, p.114]

Gorgeous, fast-paced and balanced enough to offer fleeting fun whenever it's booted up. [August 2002, p.126]

Spend a couple of hours globe-trotting Prey's extraterrestrial fun house and witness your mind turn to mush as it soaks in all the bizarre gimmicks--portals, walking on walls, immortality--that help the game stand out from other ho-hum shooters. [Sept. 2006, p.94]

Its gameplay isn’t revolutionary, and a couple of its missions get a tad tedious, but Ace Combat 4 sure looks pretty, which is half the reason flying buffs play these air-combat games anyway. [Dec 2001, p.234]

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]

Yeah, F1 looks great, but I felt more like I was guiding the camera around the track on a flyby than driving a 19,000-rpm racing beast. [Apr 2007, p.84]

The varied missions -- 40 or so of them -- are a visceral blast, and even the simple waste-them-all-and-send-God-the-cleaning-bill slaughter sessions are wonderfully cathartic. [Feb 2003, p.152]

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]

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]

I just can't shake the feeling that I've played these games three or four times before - and the new garnish isn't enough to take the series to the next level. [May 2003, p.139]

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

So genuinely terrifying, you can't help but appreciate its incredible art direction. [Feb 2004, p.114]

Storywise, if developer Tri-Ace had slimmed down the boring, medieval planet section (which hogs about 70 percent of the game) and fast-tracked you to the crazy head trip that is the fourth dimension, Time could have been an awesome, shorter RPG. Instead, it's merely a solid, loooooong game. [Oct 2004, p.104]

Multiplayer action shines - it's always a blast to vibrate your buddy's controller via the Taunt button after belting another pitch over the fences. Just don't expect "High Heat"-style complexity. [May 2003, p.113]

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]

Tony, you are lookin' haggard. Even though I like American Wasteland's country-boy-in-the-city story line much better than last year's World Destruction Tour's, the annual sequels will drive this franchise into the ground if publisher Activision doesn't take a break, and soon.

Hit & Run is so good at capturing the show's spirit and copying a great game ["GTA"] that it turns out to be real, honest-to-God fun for anyone who digs the show. [Oct 2003, p.140]

A wicked weapons-based 2D delight that should bring joy to fans of fighting games everywhere. [Dec 2001, p.236]