Dying Light 2 is an engaging journey of discovery and gaining power. Almost everything you do embraces those dynamics. In evolving beyond the first game's offerings, putting a stronger emphasis on the characters helps shape the world in meaningful ways. Some of Aiden’s choices are difficult, especially those surrounding a character named Lawan – who is given a hell of a pulse by Rosario Dawson. I can’t say enough great things where his and her stories go. I adored almost every second of this game and see myself often revisiting it, as Techland has announced at least five years of DLC is on the way. That’s a wonderful promise to hear when starting a new game that has turned out this well.

What it lacks in advance graphics and interface, JFA more than makes up for in charm and intrigue. [Jan 2007, p.115]

What’s left is a game that is clearly a few ­generations behind the times.

MAG’s player count is an impressive technical achievement, but the game world feels oddly mechanical. Outside of the high player count, the uninspired world fails to stand out from the pack. If every gameplay mechanic were kept intact and shrunk down to a 16- or 32-player game, MAG would be an experience as generic as its title.

Even on the easiest setting, Metal Slug 3 is merciless in its attempts to crush your body and spirit. Not everybody will respond with "Thank you, sir! May I have another?", but I sure did. And yes, I may. [July 2004, p.119]

I expected The Golf Club 2 to be better than the first in every way given the new career setup and golf societies, but I was surprised the addition of the swing tempo gameplay is what gives this title a lasting structure. This, combined with the course creator, make the game indispensable for any golf fan. You'll be seeing those missed putts in your dreams and savoring every chip-in birdie.

Ever Oasis marks the first fully original title from developer Grezzo in some time, and it is exciting to see what the studio is capable of when given the opportunity to create something totally new. The final product is a unique RPG experience that doesn’t have a lot of character, but is able to deliver a consistently compelling adventure. I never got the sense that the world was alive, but I enjoyed exploring, fighting monsters, watching my town grow, and making sure my residents were happy.

A relic of gameplay design that should have gone extinct with the dinosaurs. [July 2008, p.92]

Much like "Tetris," this game has unrivaled depth. Just getting through all of them will consume hundreds of hours. [Feb 2003, p.108]

There really isn't much here to recommend. The reason? As usual, suspect gameplay and poor camerawork are the culprits. [Sept 2002, p.85]

With myriad improvements to both the feature set and the core gameplay, UFC 2 takes the series from prospect to contender in just its second entry.

This game did little to lure me into the college fold. It falls more into the category of a generic baseball game than it does a part of EA's college series. [Feb 2006, p.104]

The turn-based battles are stylish, and even feature team attacks and recharging magic points. There is also a collection sidequest involving goalfinch battles, which are basically cuter and less gruesome cockfights.

In the face of stiff toys-to-life competition, Vicarious Visions and Activision took a chance on a different style of play for this annual series, and it didn’t pay off. Here’s hoping the series gets back to the basics, or finds a fun new way to put the characters' personalities and talents front and center and not hidden behind a vehicle’s hull.

I’m a big fan of Playdead’s Limbo and Inside, and 7th Sector scratches the same kind of itch, but in much stranger and mathematical ways. It’s a journey worth taking, but just know you’re often left directionless and perhaps in need of a calculator.

Being predictably solid is both a blessing and curse for the Hot Shots series, and at the end of the day I try to not overthink the fact that World Invitational is simply a fun experience. I approach it a lot like my real-life golf game, where I just try to enjoy being out in the sunshine and not get too wound up at the numbers on the score card.

With Sims 3, console gamers finally get a true translation of the gameplay that has made the PC entries such a hit. Engaging new content and intuitive design makes picking up the console port of EA's digital dollhouse a no-brainer.

Battle for Neighborville delivers exciting competitive and cooperative multiplayer, but an overly complicated economy and inconsistent PvE elements take away from the experience.

It's nothing fancy, but for puzzle freaks, this is a nice edition to the PSP library. [Jun 2006, p.118]

The Saboteur may lack the polish of the contemporaries it boldly mimics, but protagonist Sean Devlin’s quest for revenge and an alluring 1940s Paris make this a World War II memory worth making.

Inside Line is a step up from its predecessor in every way, but it falls short of being a winner. However, this year's title is like points racing: Even if you can't win it all, you can still make up some ground.

House of the Dying Sun is light on content offerings and depth, but big on giving players a modern day chance to experience the great gameplay that defined classic space shooters of an era long past.

Heaven’s Vault is both ambitious and beautiful.

An enjoyable handheld, but like the direct-to-video Disney sequels, it just doesn't have the magic of the original. [Jan 2005, p.146]

TopSpin 2K25 aptly brings the beloved franchise back to center court, showing that not only does the series still have legs, but so does the sim-tennis genre as a whole. Though its modes are somewhat repetitive and it’s missing several high-profile pros at launch, TopSpin 2K25 serves up a compelling package for tennis fans.

Need for Speed Unbound feels like a foundational entry for where the series could go from here. Competing across the title’s many events is a blast, and I love the juxtaposed visual aesthetics. Though some elements left me wanting, Unbound is as much fun as I’ve had with a Need for Speed title in years.

Unfortunately, the only place this intriguing design has a place to shine is in multiplayer. The campaign is laughably awful, with a tepid story told through awkwardly acted cutscenes surrounding poorly scripted scenarios.

Moving between planets and wandering Outlaws’ dense cities is where the adventure shines, but shooting your way through your current gig so you can make it to the next is also compelling, if sometimes a little simple.

EA is definitely focusing on an area of the sport that I feel that all developers should be, but the series has fallen far behind "NBA 2K6" in nearly every category. [Nov 2005, p.145]

Toy Story 3 ultimately succeeds in the same way that Pixar's films do--it's attractive to young people who get a great surface experience and for older audiences who appreciate extra layers of depth. [Aug 2010, p.107]

The opening scene of Rhythm Thief professes, "Imagination rules the world," and what it delivers follows suit. For its minor slip-ups, the game still innovates in the rhythm genre by offering a real story. If anything, the final product proves that extra creativity can make a difference, but it needs to be spread through all aspects of a game to make it a top contender.

LawBreakers delivers in terms of neat weapons, lightning-fast kills, and aspirational skills. You’ll look back in awe at performing feats like landing a triple kill while blasting yourself backwards into a zero-g environment. Despite the adrenaline-fueled highs, the title falls back to earth due to uninteresting environments, generic characters, and a lack of variety.

Repetitive gameplay loops aside, the cooperative tactical variety and vast open world make Ghost Recon Wildlands a singular experience unlike any other shooter on the market. Wildlands may not succeed with all its ambitions, but it’s a compelling direction for the series that points to a fertile future.

Even if you never played the tabletop game or the original Shadowrun console games, Harebrained Schemes has crafted a potent argument for joining in on the fun. Here’s hoping this reawakening is just the beginning of a new lease on life for the Sixth World.

Star Fox Command isn't the second coming, but it is a great start to repairing a franchise that had crashed and burned. [Oct. 2006, p.113]

The Evil Within 2 is a solid horror game that expands the scope of the series to extend out of the shadow of a titan in the horror genre, even if it sometimes leans heavily on borrowed ideas. Its progression and difficulty curve create a satisfying loop that repays resourcefulness and strategy, but its set pieces and structure don’t build enough on the many ideas they borrow to make them feel new or interesting. The result is a ride that offers some fun thrills in the moment, but I don’t think I’ll lose too much sleep over these particular nightmares.

Little touches like the DCMs and base-building elements help keep the action fresh, and the frenetic Conquest mode offers plenty of replay value. For a budget title, Section 8: Prejudice offers a lot of content. It doesn't rank alongside the Call of Dutys and Battlefields of the world, but it's worth a look for FPS fans itching for a new experience.

I didn't feel as connected to Alan's world or story, which were the main draws for me in the first game, but the gameplay is streamlined and improved in this sequel. American Nightmare is not quite as gripping of an experience, but I certainly got my mystery-laden, flashlight-burning fun out of it.

You're playing it to marvel at the gorgeously rendered environments, giggle at Globox's antics, and enjoy some good old-fashioned platforming done with a fresh twist. [Mar 2003, p.82]

It's every bit as good as the full-size version, only smaller. More focused on action than role-playing, Baldur's Gate is one fun little fantasy (not in the dirty way) title. [Feb 2004, p.114]

To say that I was bored while playing this game would be accurate... The quintessential throw-away game. [Feb 2003, p.102]

Twelve Minutes is ambitious, both in its narrative and gameplay. It restricts players to its brutal rules, and its tragedies truly horrified me. And while its gameplay never let me experiment as much as I wanted it to – I still wish my cup of water plan had worked – I can’t stop thinking about the experience. I don’t want to be trapped in the game’s time loop any longer, but the entire adventure will stick with me. Twelve Minutes is a case study on a game thinking outside the box, playing by its own rules, and it’s a worthwhile experience for that alone.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions lands just shy of being the full package, but it delivers a non-stop action ride with something new around every corner. Though its story leaves something to be desired, it's one of the best Spider-Man titles in recent memory, if not the best Spider-Man title to date.

If you're only a casual wrasslin' fan, is it worth checking out? Eh. Sorta. [Oct 2005, p.138]

Super Mario Run hits its stride when you’re making your way through new levels. The platforming is great, and the level design surprised me on multiple occasions. In these moments, I forgot I was playing a mobile translation of Mario. That fades fast, unfortunately, as Princess Peach was kissing me on the cheek thanking me for my service just as I felt I was getting started. Rewards exist for replaying those levels repeatedly, but they simply aren’t enough for me.

Almost nothing in Rise of Ronin is outright bad, but it is Exhibit A in any argument about why action games are not dozens of hours long or why open-world designs do not fit every mold. For all the inspirations the game wears on its sleeve, it never rises above them, and thus feels like a title in search of an identity and desperate for a specific kind of player. It’s sometimes a good time, just not for a long time.

Journey to the Savage Planet presents you with a well-constructed world full of fun collectibles to hunt down and interesting wildlife to survey, but the way the world design encourages and rewards exploration is its biggest accomplishment.

It’s hard to take Band Hero out of the context of its recent music game brethren. Band Hero is the least innovative of the bunch, but that certainly doesn’t make it bad. For players who found previous releases too hard-edged for their tastes, Band Hero is exactly what they’ve been waiting for.

Toy Story 3 ultimately succeeds in the same way that Pixar's films do--it's attractive to young people who get a great surface experience and for older audiences who appreciate extra layers of depth. [Aug 2010, p.107]

The final moments of this episode are beautifully captured, and show us that Telltale is just as skilled at putting heart into sequences as it is stabbing one to death.

From beginning to end, it’s an entertaining mix of bracing combat, polished platforming, and a good dollop of humor.

I think this game will be best suited to two groups: those who missed the GBA version, and hardcore WarioWare freaks. [Apr 2004, p.100]

Before the tedium set in, I had fun with Garden Warfare.

I was let down by how slow-moving Episode 2 is; it feels more like a bridge in the story than a complete chapter. Still, I can't deny that the world and the mature tone are captivating.

WarioWare: Get It Together's lively visuals are temporarily engaging, but this candy shell has a hollow center; like any sugary snack, the experience doesn't stick with you. As soon as I'd wrapped Get It Together's brief single-player campaign, I was content to move onto something else. These microgames are a nice treat if you're in an eccentric mood, but these miniature experiences only offer short-lived joy.

Although Heroes is far from the first WWII flight sim, it soars high above other games thanks to its incredible attention to detail. [Oct 2005, p.124]

The hardcore fans that don't want any handouts can stick to the arcade mode. You start off with set abilities and limited health and lives. At least players can learn the stages and patterns in Rising Mode beforehand. Even then, it's tough to imagine anyone but the absolute best making it all the way through arcade. I guess that's why Konami put the word "hard" in the title.

Panzer Paladin also has a variety of extras, including a second run at the story mode with redesigned levels, speedrun and boss rush-style tournament modes, and even an option to design your own weapons. As throwback retro adventures go, it hits a lot of the right marks, even if some of those targets are ideas that might have been best left in the past.

This series hasn't diverged wildly from its roots, but at least it's finally fashioned itself into the creative, trick-filled game it was always supposed to be, but never really achieved.

Though sub-par action and cheap deaths are endemic to the Bard's quest, this title made me feel like I was taking part in a real fantasy adventure teh way few others have over the years. [Dec 2004, p.167]

Crimson Shroud takes the RPG formula and boils it down to its essence. The story reads like a novel, the characters are tabletop miniatures, and instead of exploring dungeons, you select areas from a map to enter and roll dice during combat. It's a blessing for old-school RPG fans who love managing statistics, but it also showcases why some old RPG mechanics have been abandoned.

I can recall many times I involuntarily smiled as I saw what the level designers came up with. Those exhilarating moments of discovery and excitement – the moment you see the approach the designer took – are what will stick with me when I look back on my time with Klaus.

The gameplay matters most in Wild Hearts – it’s fresh, chaotic, and breathless. It does not reinvent the hunting genre, but it does just enough with its addition of the Karakuri gadgets and arresting locales (not to mention the myriad ways to traverse them) to give the genre a fresh and welcome perspective. A stronger story would have been welcome, and the camera leaves much to be desired, but Wild Hearts is a deeply engaging experience even with these faults.

Thankfully, WWE '13 allows fans to recreate virtually anything you see on Raw without resorting to an overly complex control scheme.

Characters and circumstances need be more natural and plausible for me to buy into this world. So much is too overblown.

Gigantic is an accessible MOBA that admirably scales the genre down, but loses the magic that makes the genre so enticing. It lacks many of the myriad ability and character interactions that make learning these kinds of games so much fun, and the combat doesn’t find a comfortable center between MOBA and third-person action.

There's no pretense here--this is a portable Lemmings game, as fun or frustrating as you remember. [July 2006, p.113]

If you like the Tony Hawk titles like I do, you will find Project 8 to be both a challening and entertaining addition to the series. [Jan 2007, p.99]

If you can put up with the lack of precision in the hockey stick peripheral and the shallow nature of the other game modes, NHL Slapshot's fun Peewee to Pro mode captures the spirit of hockey from the backyard ponds to the packed arenas in a way that should appeal to adults and children alike.

The Heist is well worth your time, especially if the post-credits sequences in the main game have you counting the days until a potential Spider-Man 2.

Moving to PS2 has also done SmackDown's gameplay a world of good, allowing for many new techniques and features. [Dec 2001, p.90]

The combination of missions, discovering new eggs, and furthering the story keeps this game from hitting that stale spell that plagues many RPGs. [Feb 2002, p.83]

I still can't stand the passing system, and I'm certainly not going to fork over the cash just for better looking players. [Apr 2002, p.77]

If you happened to miss this in arcades or for DC, MVC 2 is a sweet 2D fighter worthy of purchase. [Dec 2002, p.122]

Although this game is seemingly benign in appearance, it quickly becomes window dressing for the text portion of your missions. [Jan 2002, p.94]

The persistent army customization is a fun hook to maintain interest, the ebb and flow of battle is more dynamic (fighting the AI quickly becomes a tedious slog through its long stream of reinforcements), and the usual RTS pacing metagame becomes something of a remedy for the tepid nuts and bolts of battle.

It’s a great conclusion, and hopefully a sign that Telltale still has some surprises when it comes to interactive storytelling.

It’s a shame so many problems weigh on this otherwise enjoyable adventure. Even with the screen-crowding, bugs, and depth-perception troubles, I still look back fondly on the superb level design and movement mechanics. But because of those important detractors, Penny’s Big Breakaway lands as a solid 3D platformer unable to swing to the great heights it felt destined for.

Mostly, I am just happy that there is a good Mario Party available in the Switch 2’s launch window. It’s not a game I see myself booting up on my own, but as a means to get a party going with players of all skill levels, I am glad I have it on the metaphorical shelf.

For fans of games like Harvest Moon, spending some time on the farm is an entertaining getaway from the world of high-octane blockbusters. Unfortunately, the pastoral scenes feel too similar and mechanical day after day. Once the thrill of starting a new life wears off, all you have left is your chores.

Chorus can be an entertaining space combat adventure at times, but the mediocre moments take a considerble toll.

No aspect of life remains unscathed, from sexual repression and homophobia to government conspiracy and rampant paranoia. And it's funny. Very funny. [July 2005, p.114]

Infestation's quality is surprising in a sea of mediocre licensed games. It's not afraid to show off where it got its inspiration, but that's okay. Metroid's format works well in the world of Aliens. There are a few minor frustrations, and the mortality of the characters was surprising, even frustrating at first, but ultimately it adds a worthwhile sense of fear to the entire game. If you're a fan of Metroid, Aliens, or just solid handheld experiences, don't let Infestation become forgotten as the 3DS wave washes over us.

To enjoy Pac-Man 99, I had to accept the frustrations that came with learning its systems. While it does an embarrassingly poor job of explaining the hows-and-whys of its mechanics, once you figure them out on your own, it's a good way to fill lulls in your day. Pac-Man 99 has become my go-to when I want to do something else, and I can't think of much higher praise for a game of this caliber. It fills a niche in my life where I can stay occupied with something fun without the need to devote all of my increasingly limited attention to it.

If Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War excels at anything, it’s options. This isn’t uncommon for a Call of Duty title, but with a vast array of game modes for myriad player profiles and a fun campaign that retains a summer-blockbuster feel while getting weird and wild, the ride is a good one.

Evolve's matchups offer a lot of replayability and competitive thrills, and I can see myself returning to it consistently in the following months – even if those play sessions do inevitably end with me lusting for more to do in the world.

Bombing runs can be fun, but navigating slow ships with even slower ammo reloads and babysitting units doesn’t add up to a riveting experience. Count this bored midshipman out.

You would be hard-pressed to find a more intense experience in any entertainment medium. [Jan 2004, p.120]

Observing the little beasts gleefully swarm, destroy, and stab every creature and object in sight is one of the most entertaining things I’ve ever seen in a video game. The problem is that Overlord only shines this brightly when you’re just watching it. When it comes to managing your minions and directing them through the puzzles, the game is just as frustrating as it is humorous.

The core gameplay(which is lifted almost entirely from the Mega Man Zero series on GBA)is nearly perfect, but nobody bothered to implement all of the other things that a game needs to be truely exceptional. [Oct. 2006, p.112]

There’s no getting around that Full Throttle is a 22-year-old adventure game and still plays like it. The puzzles are occasionally frustrating. Your character moves at a slow pace, and some of cultural humor is outdated. Still, the quirks of the original game are as attractive today as they were then, and this version does a fine job smoothing out the rough edges, making Full Throttle Remastered a road trip worth taking.

I can't think of a single part of this I'd like to see again - unless it's the graphics engine being reused in a completely different game. [Oct 2005, p.136]

The fact that the gameplay never evolves and the defensive stops are too powerful means this game's legs aren't very long - just like Mario's stubby little limbs. [Dec 2005, p.178]

I never would have thought that Mario and Jose Canseco would have a lot in common, but they both tarnish this great sport. [Sept 2005, p.104]

Perhaps hoping for steps forward this late in a console generation is too much to hope for. But if the past is prologue, Madden 25's inability to separate features from fluff and meaningfully execute them has me worried for what we'll be asked to accept as progress in the next generation.

The final sequence is so charming that it makes me wish there were more story cut-scenes throughout the game. As it stands, all of the light drama is mashed into the last 15 minutes.

Mercenary Kings is a testament to the idea that you can get too much of a good thing.

On the one hand, Atomic Heart is a good game on its own merits. The fun and frantic gunplay, outstanding visual design, and intricate level of detail in its world amount to an experience worth your time. On the other hand, it could have been so much more. The story and characters simply don’t do justice to the game’s thought-provoking premise, and some better writing would have done wonders. Despite that, Atomic Heart is still an exciting and memorable first outing from Mundfish.