Immediately approachable by anyone, and no boxing sim has ever made the sport more accessible in all its bloody glory than this year's Fight Night.

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]

The tactical elements are simple and elegantly implemented, and despite being shockingly linear, it's a beautifully paced experience that provides some genuinely exciting battles. [May 2005, p.134]

Immediately approachable by anyone, and no boxing sim has ever made the sport more accessible in all its bloody glory than this year's Fight Night.

Scrapland's cool murder mystery is wasted on a series of lame fetch quests. It's got a lot of heart - just not a lot of brains. [Apr 2005, p.125]

Deception can be mindless fun, but I can't help but feel that the developers are just trying to do too much with this game. [May 2005, p.138]

Spend a day or two learning the controls; the experience is addictive and as smooth as the business end of your gloves. The only thing I missed was the lack of much truly new with this version-I'd kill for a sleazy, mobster-ridden promoter mode, for example.

It's hard to hate a game that looks this pretty. [May 2005, p.130]

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]

No other game comes anywhere close to replicating what it feels like to lay down two streaks of rubber in a '69 GT40 when the green flag drops, or hit 200 mph on the back straight at Le Sarthe. There are few games that can draw you in so completely that you forget you're playing a game in the first place, and this is one of them.

Ys noticeably lacks ambition, but it totally nails the classic feel it's going for. [March 2005, p.126]

If only the game put you in a few more situations that demanded strategy. I had a fun enough time sprinting from one massive firefight to the next, nailing glowy-eyed enemies like paper targets, but I only felt the need to pick a particular gun or change bionics about half the time.

The main single-player mode is fairly short and repetitive as well, so with no online play, FIFA won't be in your rotation for long unless you've got some soccer-obsessed pals.

Bravely straddles the border between action and strategy, but it needs to take a step deeper into both territories.

The hardcore MVP player will dig getting a read on the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand. Maybe 2K Games can steal this feature next season - EA surely won't need it. [April 2005, p.112]

With its massive levels, cool vehicles, character classes, and play modes that range from quick and dirty to needlessly complicated, Snowblind's online game itself is reason enough to lock and load.

The Xbox pad isn't the best for street fighting, but the online play was flawless during our testing. [March 2005, p.126]

Some of the problems are rookie mistakes, like players not always going after stray balls, while others are more serious: Street has a tendency to slow down at the worst moments, like during a mad scramble at the goal mouth, and that just plain sucks.

The hardcore MVP player will dig getting a read on the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand. Maybe 2K Games can steal this feature next season - EA surely won't need it. [April 2005, p.112]

The hardcore MVP player will dig getting a read on the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand. Maybe 2K Games can steal this feature next season - EA surely won't need it. [April 2005, p.112]

The story spews more cheese than blood, the wonky camera hides foes, and the duo of poorly placed save points and lack of health pick-ups can turn Nanobreaker into a controller-smashing affair. Proceed with caution. [March 2005, p.120]

Despite the game's pacing, the graphics, cut-scenes, and second half of the story end up making Episode II a solid RPG - just not the epic sequel that the previous game deserves. [March 2005, p.122]

A number of flaws kill the game's flow, namely a particularly atrocious camera, a weak lock-on system, a frustrating lack of checkpoints, and poor enemy A.I. [March 2005, p.124]

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

It has a truly epic feel, buoyed by fantastic graphics and a rousing, orchestral soundtrack. Star Fox Assault succeeds where most games fail: It's simply exhilarating to play, despite its flaws. [March 2005, p.132]

It's compelling enough to keep you retrying the more frustrating match types, plus put up with the stealth missions. Sure beats watching the History Channel. [March 2005, p.119]

All of Death by Degrees' good points - impressive graphics, entertaining sniper scenes, solid upgrade and combo systems, unorthodox analog fighting that actually works well - are offset by poor enemy A.I. and one of the most user-unfriendly camera systems I've encountered in a long time. [March 2005, p.121]

It's playing solo that puts this one over the top. Creating a custom hoopster and earning respect never feels repetitive. [March 2005, p.116]