These moments, combined with the fascinating vintage visuals and music, make it easy to overlook the areas where Mouse wastes some potential. Sure, I'd have liked more meaningful investigative mechanics and fewer reskinned baddies, but I was often too busy tapping my toes to jazz tunes and laughing at the riotous cartoon antics to be too bummed about it.

But what matters most is when the bell rings, and taking control of this massive roster and mixing it up – regardless of gender – across a now-impressive selection of stipulations is a blast. Although it’s the only real game in town, WWE 2K25 retains its title as the best and most substantial pro wrestling sim fans can buy.

Hurtling down the tundra and concocting ridiculously large combo strings remain irresistible qualities, but the torturous design of the game makes you want to take the next flight off of this mountain. [Nov 2005, p.140]

Fun puzzles, exciting dungeons, and satisfying exploration makes this retro-style title a joy to play through. With loads of Zelda inspiration and fun, new takes on puzzles and boss battles within the beloved formula, Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King is a delightful take on a familiar style.

None of Legendary Heroes' rough spots keep it from being an excellent game that I recommend with no reservations. Stardock has finally delivered on the promise that Elemental once held, back in the halcyon days of 2009. You don't have to be any kind of strategy savant to appreciate what this exceptional release has to offer.

The Finals has given me some of my favorite multiplayer moments in 2023. Whether actively engaging in vertical combat or excitedly scaling rooftops on the way to the next objective, navigating the environments feels incredible, and the thrill of watching the ground disappear from below my feet never gets old. In a year of groundbreaking video game releases, The Finals is yet another highlight.

You've got agood story, great graphics, solid gameplay, an interesting assortment of weapons, and cinema-quality music... what's not to like? [Dec 2002, p.126]

If you own both an Xbox 360 and a PS3, choosing which version of this accomplished WWII shooter to buy comes down to how much you like or dislike the motion-sensing elements.

This is an incredibly ambitious project, yet everything it attempts exceeds all expections. [Sept 2003, p.104]

The root of the problem is gameplay balance and enemy AI. [Feb 2003, p.96]

A true career mode is needed to help flesh this collection of tracks out. [Apr 2003, p.85]

If you have any hopes for this story building on Metal Gear lore or giving you a chance to reconnect with characters you care about, you will be disappointed. The new characters are uninteresting and poorly developed, and the old characters are practically non-existent.

Sometimes when you’re golfing you nail a hole because you bail yourself out with a superb putt, chip, or tee shot. But this game is instead like masterfully shot hole, where each stroke feels just right.

Metro: Last Light fixes most of its predecessor's flaws while also improving upon its strengths, delivering gameplay that lives up to the exceptional storytelling.

If Arcade mode versus a CPU opponent is all you need, this port’s remarkable gameplay will be a great fit. More social players who don’t have regular access to fellow PSP owners will be disappointed despite this title’s technically sound execution. Either way, this is undeniably Soulcalibur despite its smaller ­package.

Reanimal is a simple game with a challenging subject matter. Those looking for a fun co-op experience should look elsewhere, as it is neither great as a shared experience nor fun. But it is thought-provoking and stimulating, and if you can stomach combat suicide, animal harm, and more – all proxies for the effects of war on the people who wage it and the victims of that destruction – Tarsier has created something worth wrestling with.

The problem is that it just doesn't play right. The physics system for the ball is out of whack. There is often no predicting what it will do. [Nov 2003, p.171]

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is best suited for two types of Vita users – those obsessed with the series who can't tolerate having it out of arms reach, or anyone looking for a good fighter who hasn't played it yet. If you've even spent a single night with Capcom's comic crossover, you've already experienced everything the old workhorse has to offer.

Cryptark’s surprising depth of options might hook you at the outset, but they aren’t enough to make you return time and again.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu & Eevee are strong remakes of the original games. The feeling of amassing a giant collection of monsters and customizing your team never gets old, and the timeless turn-based combat is still fun to this day. Shoddy motion controls aside, Let's Go is a great time whether you’re a die-hard fan or a newcomer to the series.

So it's short; Steve Wonder could probably rock the combat engine like nobody's business. [Aug 2004, p.97]

The Last Story is the latest project from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, and industry luminary Nobuo Uematsu composed the soundtrack. Previous collaborations involving these two legends have resulted in titles like Final Fantasy IV, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon. I had high hopes for this Wii-exclusive RPG. Given its pedigree, I never imagined that it would fail to meet the low bar set by dozens of middling entries in the genre.

Diablo II: Resurrected shows why the original title remains the standard against which all other ARPGs are judged. While it doesn’t come with many hooks and ever-evolving content that has become a baseline for the genre as it transformed into a game-as-service model, not all games need to be played with forever in mind. Diablo II: Resurrected proves that Blizzard’s classic is still a blast, even today. Whether it’s your first foray into hell and beyond or your thousandth hour, Diablo II: Resurrected is worth the time.

If you’re an old-time lover of roguelikes that’s into things like Binding of Isaac or Dungeons of Dredmor, Dreamscaper is for you. If you’re a newer addition to the ranks of procedurally-generated dungeon crawls with the new era of roguelites like Rogue Legacy or Hades, Dreamscaper is for you. Either way, smart design decisions and surreal vibes surround the experience, making this an excellent summer surprise.

The Turing Test joins Portal as another great puzzle game featuring an ominous A.I. entity. The puzzles will make you think, but not as much as the story’s wonderful exploration of life.

Though it doesn’t add much for players looking to play around with its improvements solo, Nidhogg 2 adds layers of depth to a simple formula without breaking what made it so appealing in the first place. The new weapons and maneuvers blend seamlessly into fights, making them more dynamic and tense. Its single-player offerings may be paper-thin, but for anyone looking to test themselves against their friends, Nidhogg 2 is hard to beat.

Although the improvements made to this year’s entry will keep me hooked for months, I can’t quite call SDvsR 2007 the perfect wrestling experience. There are still flaws here and there that irk me, like Diva matches that feel far too automated and the difficulty balancing in some of the tougher game modes.

Boxboy is an easy-to-overlook entry in the 3DS digital library. It’s inexpensive and doesn’t have a particularly remarkable look about it, but its well-designed puzzles continue to surprise, making it absolutely worth playing.

Through the years the Tiger franchise has layered on more realistic tour touches like the FedEx championship, the Masters, or the U.S. Open. This year EA's lined things up and knocked the ball down the fairway straight and true.

It isn’t perfect, but I can’t think of another Wii U game that I’d recommend more than Lego City Undercover. It’s the most interesting and highly polished game in TT Games’ large repertoire, and it fills an important game gap. Now kids (and their parents) can tool around in a big town where people smile even as you almost run them over in an ice-cream truck.

One of the most satisfying, enthralling shooters to hit the market in recent memory.

Despite its problems, Reckoning is a good game with a lot of stuff worth checking out. But even with all of the talent backing it, it's just on the edge of being something much greater than it is. For a game that's all about breaking out of the confines of fate, it's a shame that so much of the content feels stuck within such narrow conventions. [Mar 2012, p.88]

I can’t stress just how smartly made Children of Morta is. The narrative flows smoothly in and out of dungeons, the characters have a real life to them, and the gameplay is enthralling and has those addictive qualities that make you just want to keep leveling everyone up. In the 15-plus hours I invested in this adventure, I was thoroughly captivated by everything Dead Mage set out to achieve. The way family comes together for the final conflict is truly impressive.

Exactly what most people who own a Wii are looking for. This is cooperative gaming at its best – the perfect party game for friends, family, and new gamers alike. Even with its regrettable omissions, Rock Band has a broad audience of Wii owners just waiting in the wings to get their chance on stage.

An adventure that feels thoughtfully conceived, humorous, and depressing all at once, as well as “off” in the right ways. Indika is one of the year’s most affecting and memorable adventures, and its themes will stick with me as I continue to ponder their meanings.

If you've been waiting for years to get your hands on this Tri-Ace classic, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth will not dissapoint. [Aug 2006, p.90]

Triple Deluxe does a better job than most Kirby games at retaining a consistent upward slope of challenge throughout.

Snoopy Flying Ace is a fun and accessible aerial arcade shooter with a whole lot of polish and personality. It may not offer a whole lot of depth, but for only 800 MS Points you still get quite a bit of game for your buck with more in the form of DLC on the way.

Interactive storytelling is rarely this good, and there are few game endings that make you sit back and think, “Man, what if I did this instead?” like this one does. For its amazing narrative and believability of characters, and the twisted joys that come from being a slave of a demon, The Darkness will keep you enthralled, even when the gameplay lags a little behind.

Age of Wonders III's wealth of unit types and leader abilities leads to some engaging battles. I just wish as much thought was required for its strategic empire-building sections. If you can put up with the toil of running an empire, you are treated to some compelling and rewarding combat. Unfortunately, you have to do both, because you can't play only half a game.

Mario Party Superstars is either a delightful stroll down memory lane or a great way to experience these games for the first time. No matter your history, it's a worthwhile celebration of the Mario Party franchise.

Despite all of these complaints, the core game is strong. Everything works as expected, the cards are translated perfectly, and the AI can play at the level of an average human. Beginners – who are the target audience here, to be fair – should have a fine time. I'd recommend playing either of the previous two games before this one, though.

Total Chaos is disgusting, bloody, and taxing, but it’s also sympathetic and cathartic. And despite its misgivings and missteps, it is fun, twisting together horrific perversions with tension-filled gameplay in the way every great survival horror game should. Poor voice acting and repetitive gameplay/monster design dampen what makes Total Chaos great. However, its inventive crafting-focused combat and stirring story cement Trigger Happy Interactive’s sophomore release as one that will surely haunt my thoughts long after this playthrough.

Is Rocksmith always a thrill a minute? No. However, few recent games offer so novel an experience as playing a guitar part, and hearing the notes you play flow out of your TV as part of a great rock song. It's the added incentive a lot of potential musicians might need to put in the time it takes to excel.

FIFA is still doomed to feel a little stiff due to its reliance on set animations to govern play, and there are plenty of frustrating AI mistakes that linger. [Oct 2005, p.128]

I like the way that Infamous Second Son splinters off from the first two entries in the series. Delsin’s conduit ability creates uncertainty in the gameplay mechanics, and the choices he makes apply similar levels of ambiguity to the narrative arc. I never really grasped what was coming next from this tale, outside of knowing that the open world activities and encounters would be repeated ad nauseam.

I like Guitar Hero Live; FreeStyle has crafted an innovative and intriguing variation on the standard music game formula. But as I played, I couldn’t help feeling like my enjoyment was on a slowly burning fuse, and the inability to play my favorite songs was waiting to blow up the fun.

If you can accept its myriad tonal inconsistencies and buy into the bullet-sponge combat, The Division is an intriguing social shooter that taps into the addictiveness of loot grinding in a novel setting.

Gamifying your food habits is, indeed, an awful idea, and Consume Me lays it out in a manner I found deeply compelling and entertaining. Even if you ignore the content warning, its message is clear from its opening moments. If its ending hadn't stumbled, it might've been one of my all-time favorites, but there's still a lot to love here despite that underwhelming conclusion. Consume Me is teeming with creativity and personality, and for that, it's earned a special place in my heart.

Awake shows you a broken Chloe - someone at her lowest. Everyone hits those trying times in their lives, and what Awake does best is illustrate how much another person can make a difference in those situations. The emotional pull is strong, and the story's strength is its relatability. This first episode has me intrigued at how Chloe and Rachel Amber will make it through their distress, and it also has me rooting for them.

I had a hard time putting it down, although I'd probably pick up Xbox's "RalliSport" first if it came down to the two of them. [June 2002, p.79]

The control is not nearly as fluid as it needs to be. [Feb 2002, p.84]

The first 15 to 20 minutes were a lot of fun. Then the rest of the game set in. [July 2002, p.90]

An ambitious release for IO, but the end result is a garbled mess of a game that has lost its way. [June 2004, p.122]

This game's formula has been duplicated before, but it's still the king and will make the hours fly by. [Sept 2003, p.126]

Honestly, it was just hard to get into the Nazi-killing vibe with tinny MIDI music and a few pixilated newsreel clips between levels. [Nov 2003, p.176]

The Gamespeak and platforming elements that were so fun in 1997 are now tedious. [Dec 2001, p.101]

Has the variety of "Gran Turismo," but does a better job of channeling your interest through the trials and tribulations of Ryan McKane." [Apr 2003, p.91]

Unfortunately, it's also very short, which means that you'll have to get your money's worth in the excellent multiplayer modes. [Jan 2003, p.102]

With Ghostrunner 2 behind me, I’m thrilled more of this series exists. Even after rolling credits, I'm excited to tear through its levels once more to find collectibles like sword and glove skins and old-world artifacts like VHS tapes, and try my hand some more at the delectably simple roguelite minigame. Though Ghostrunner 2 falters in a few ways, like its more open-ended sections and superfluous wingsuit, what remains in the hours outside of those missteps is its best-in-class parkour action. And like its predecessor, it remains a damn treat.

No prior knowledge of the series is required to jump into Oath in Felghana, though a fondness for 16-bit-era RPGs helps.

Sports games like Madden are often chided for being too iterative, but in this case I hope we're witnessing the first steps in a larger progression. Future Maddens need to support Madden 15's additions so we don't wonder why once-prominent features haven't evolved. The series can't withstand another rebuilding year or worse - an entire console generation thrown away.

Though the poorly designed action sequences and occasionally technical shoddiness drag the whole experience down, 1979 Revolution: Black Friday is still a quality adventure game that tells a gripping story about people struggling to survive the times and bring about change.

The saving grace of these extended gameplay encounters is that the combat is reasonably engaging, and interactions between characters will likely delight existing Granblue Fantasy fans. Relink is unlikely to be any newcomer’s favorite game. Still, the basic gameplay is fun and keeps you moving along the treadmill, especially if you have a gathering of like-minded source material fans to help you slay its biggest figurative and literal dragons.

Follows an old blueprint of the genre, but maintains a level of charm and humor that still works in 2010. [Issue#203, p.96]

If you’re willing to play the game of “try, try again,” you can have fun with The Bigs 2’s career mode. However, if you’re looking for a multiplayer game or an experience based on skill, the unbalanced run scoring and Big Slam will drive you crazy.

Lies of P's greatest strength is how it rewards and empowers you at every turn to venture further through this twisted tale of puppetry and monstrous humanity, despite its oppressive world and formidable enemies. I struggled to pull myself away from Lies of P, even when it had me fuming. It delicately balances the fun of a Soulslike with the challenge the genre demands and only falters a few times. That it maintains that balance within the confines of a fairytale most know best because of Disney, flipping it on its head to tell something more in line with Carlo Collodi's original The Adventures of Pinnochio, is another achievement of Lies of P. But above all that, Lies of P uses the familiar, the highlights, and the lessons learned from the authors of the Soulslike subgenre to create something unique, fascinating, and exhilarating. Neowiz aimed for the stars, much like the ones its Pinnochio wishes upon, and hits them with machine-like accuracy.

989 Sports has done a bang-up job bringing its flagship sports franchise to PSP. [June 2005, p.136]

Card Shark features an attractive art style, subtle writing, and a promising premise. But I couldn’t get past my dislike of the core gameplay encounters and the endless teaching segments. I applaud the effort to pull together a unique concept, but the accompanying frustrations mean I have to discourage a sit-down at this particular table.

Ubisoft now has a solid foundation for operating its first persistent open world. If Massive and co. make smart additions to the end-game content and keep a steady stream of new activities for players to enjoy, I could see this game going strong years into the future. But if the Dark Zone and PvE environment don't evolve, I'm not sure many people will be left in New York City come the winter.

Even with some stumbles, Arise is a game that knows what it wants to communicate, and does so with delicacy and sensitivity. I’ve found individual scenes coming back to mind frequently since I completed the game, most notably the moving sequence that closes the game. Accept the dilemma of a few bad jumping sequences, and push toward the emotional core, as this simple story has a lot of wisdom to share.

This futuristic vibe and unrealistic speeds may not be for everyone, but I’m delighted to see this style of play still alive and kicking its way down the course.

In the end NBA Live 10 may have the glamorous look of a basketball superstar, but it still needs to round out its game to steal the crown of best hardcore hoops game from its rival.

Everything leads up to a hell of a cliffhanger, making me intrigued to see what happens next. I just hope Telltale doesn't disappoint with its result, as in the past some of the cliffhangers have had unsatisfying resolutions, not altering the story as much as I expected. While some things remain predictable, like needing to constantly look for resources or evil people showing up at the worst times, Telltale does a good job with its reveals and twists. As long as they continue to lead to interesting places, I'm on board for the rest of season three.

The game's lack of polish is also another problem. The graphics and textures aren't impressive at all. [Dec 2005, p.158]

Like "Tetris," Galaxies’ gameplay is so unbelievably fun that you can’t put it down.

But if you're curious about blending exercise with your favorite pastime, Wii Fit is definitely worth checking out.

So far, King's Quest is remarkable in its ability to call back to the classic design of '90s point-and-click adventures without succumbing to as many pitfalls.

The lack of online play is a shame, but the list of titles included here is a true all-star lineup from the Genesis era.

Nonetheless, flashes of brilliance are in evidence throughout these Dungeons & Dragons adventures, and both games were far enough ahead of their time to hold up to scrutiny. Four friends could have a great time blasting through both games in an extended evening get-together.

Unlike previous episodes, Sons of Winter shows the good guys making progress. This feat will likely be short-lived in the end, but we have a little while to enjoy the feeling of “maybe there’s a chance.” Odds are episode five will rain fire and blood over the Forresters yet again.

While I would have liked gameplay to have more bite and variety, Planet of Lana is still an enjoyable and beautiful romp. The art direction and main jingle are likely the only things that will stick with me in the long run, but Lana and Mui’s journey is a competent rescue mission that doesn’t always soar as high as the machines pursuing them.

Revenge of the Savage Planet is an upgrade over its predecessor in nearly every way. Consistently rewarding exploration pushed me to poke around every corner of the worlds I visited, and often-fun combat encounters kept the experience fresh and engaging. The first game was a fun one-off experience, but its sequel is a far more complete and rewarding package that left me hungry for more savage planets to explore.

It doesn't give you wrestling staples like table matches or a wrestling creator, sadly, but it does give you what most next-gen WWE titles can't: stellar gameplay. [Apr 2003, p.81]

The combat feels relatively imprecise, button-mashy, and quite random. [Jan 2003, p.114]

Playing Amped 2 is like eating a yellow snowball... Due to its inconsistencies and problematic gameplay, frustration abounds in Amped 2. Do me a favor, avoid the frostbite and stick with "SSX." [Nov 2003, p.164]

Off the court, March Madness' Dynasty mode is shallow and doesn't stack up well against "ESPN's" robust Legacy mode. In the end, March Madness performs admirably on the court, but ESPN is the complete package. [Dec 2004, p.168]

While I yearned for a little more in a few areas (difficulty curve and graphical polish in particular), the overall experience lies somewhere between the first "Underground" and the second...meaning it's easy fun, but not genre-defining. [Dec 2005, p.148]

Far: Lone Sails is the kind of game that sticks with you after seeing credits. It delivers a fascinating mystery in a strange land with engaging puzzles, and couples that with a relationship between the player and their oversized mode of transportation. A few areas lack polish and some of the physics felt off here and there, but none of that stopped the story from engaging me in a big way.

Finishing Episode 2 is bittersweet, since it’s the last piece of content created by Irrational Games as we know it. However, Burial at Sea also ties together the landmark creations of the talented team in a satisfying way, making it an appropriate curtain call for this amazing studio.

As a series, Paper Mario constantly explores new concepts and mechanics, which is exciting, but that comes with plenty of risks. Origami King’s biggest chances don't pay off in a satisfying way. I enjoyed Mario’s hijinks and all the misfits he encounters, but the new ring-based action needs refinement. I hope Paper Mario’s next twist on combat can rise to the same level as its humor.

Roundguard is charming and engaging, both in extended sit-down plays and in shorter intermittent play sessions. Silly characters and nemeses draw heavily on established fantasy tropes, and strike the right tone for the light nature of play. Peggle veterans who have longed for a sequel should definitely play this clear homage. But even newcomers to this style of bouncy-ball fun will find a lot to smile about in this friendly dungeon descent.

This is everything I've wanted the franchise to become. [Dec 2005, p.161]

Total War: Attila doesn’t radically shift things in the franchise, and the new gameplay additions are most welcome. Siege escalation and razing are great to have as options, and the ability to play the campaign from distinctly different perspectives and playstyles gives you a reason to come back for more.

A good time for sure, but nothing to rock the average person's socks right off their stinky little feet. [Oct 2004, p.146]

Despite all of these cool minor additions, the core gameplay feels mostly like one big retread. With all of the great new games coming out this holiday, it’s hard to justify replaying this series. For diehard fans, however, this is the definitive LEGO Star Wars game.

Everything is a niche game, stubbornly and proudly so. It embraces exploration as its one and only supporting pillar, refusing to bring in any mechanics, like crafting or gunplay, to get in the way of that thematic focus. At the risk of alienating a larger audience, the systems strive to create an experience unlike any other I’ve played. Everything is not always firing on all cylinders, but conveys sheer wonder and ingenuity when it is.

For fans this is a no-brainer, but even those looking for a fighter or RPG with some interesting twists should give this a try.