Good fun - nothing more, nothing less. [Feb 2005, p.113]

In most ways a duplicate of the first Karaoke game that appeared on PS2, I was disappointed to see so little new content in the transition to the Xbox. [Dec 2004, p.183]

A surprisingly fun time. And yes, the girls are pretty hot. [Jan 2005, p.125]

The humor and style will charm many, but those looking for a hardcore experience in any of the game's genres should look elsewhere. [Jan 2005, p.125]

Naughty Dog has done a tremendous job of creating multi-layered personalities that really strike a chord, and plot hooks that will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat up until the explosive finale. [Nov 2004, p.153]

I feel that the game opens up too quickly and that, while there a respectable nine districts, each has very similar goals and features. [Dec 2004, p.164]

Essentially the video game equivalent of sleeping with your eyes open. [Nov 2004, p.149]

The sense of speed is rarely heart-pounding, and you'll frequently anger yourself by getting snagged on some piece of the environment. [Dec 2004, p.177]

There is nothing that makes this worthy as a standalone release. [Jan 2005, p.68]

While remarkably little else has been tweaked or improved, the two-mic mode adds tremendously to the value of the party package. [Nov 2004, p.158]

A decent attempt by 989, but the play just doesn't stack up to the lofty standards set by EA and ESPN. [Jan 2005, p.125]

A slow-paced and generally average rehash of the concepts that made ["The Sims: Bustin' Out"] unique. [Nov 2004, p.170]

Simply put, Halo 2 is by far the greatest first-person shooter the console world has seen to date...Nothing I say can prepare you for this game. [Dec 2004, p.180]

I feel that the game opens up too quickly and that, while there a respectable nine districts, each has very similar goals and features. [Dec 2004, p.164]

Essentially the video game equivalent of sleeping with your eyes open. [Nov 2004, p.149]

I feel that the game opens up too quickly and that, while there a respectable nine districts, each has very similar goals and features. [Dec 2004, p.164]

Essentially the video game equivalent of sleeping with your eyes open. [Nov 2004, p.149]

If you have the time, EverQuest II is, in my opinion, the best group-orientated MMORPG on the market. Its one major drawback being that it still requires a serious commitment of time to experience the game the way it was intended. [Feb 2005, p.85]

There were so many aspects of this game that showed promise, but I winced in pain as I watched each one fail to attain noteworthy heights. [Dec 2004, p.175]

An incredibly enjoyable and complex city-builder. [Jan 2005, p.143]

An extremely solid game that maintains the great tradition of the franchise. While I doubt it will be remembered as a classic, it will definitely provide fans with many great moments of fun. [Jan 2005, p.127]

Despite these problems (and obscenely long load times, even on GI's high-end gaming PC), Pacific Assault is a great game. [Jan 2005, p.142]

I really have a hard time deciding what I hate more about this game: Is it the horribly grating characters and voices, the lame setting, or the incredibly sticky flight controls? [Dec 2004, p.188]

The biggest issue I encountered was the out of control load times. [Jan 2005, p.132]

Go talk about colored bubbles with your online friends, because we've all played this game already. [Dec 2004, p.183]

After a long and successful history, Insomniac Games has finally created its masterpiece, a tour de force that is the zenith of a trio of titles that I feel should be held up in action/platforming history alongside the original "Super Mario Bros." trilogy on the NES. [Nov 2004, p.150]

While there's not much new, it takes something old and makes it seem fresh. And where gaming fun is concerned, that's worth a lot. [Dec 2004, p.177]

Once you accept that Killzone is a mere mortal and not the legend it made itself out to be, you can enjoy this title for the above-average FPS that it is. [Dec 2004, p.176]

A monstrous letdown. [Dec 2004, p.165]

Filled with amazing battles and worthy strategy, and anchored by strong gameplay. [Dec 2004, p.166]

Where's the fury? I just don't feel the passion. [Jan 2005, p.122]

Overall, the title feels disjointed when going between map strategy and RTS combat. [Jan 2005, p.138]

Wildly amusing and quirky to the extreme, Technic Beat is a flawed but enormously fun music game that should readily appeal to those fond of cult favorites like "Amplitude" or "Rez." [Nov 2004, p.158]

Instead of a fantastical jaunt down a rabbit hole, Isuka is more similar to being unceremoniously stuffed into a dingy crawl space. [Dec 2004, p.177]

The only thing missing is custom entrances for created characters. [Dec 2004, p.174]

If you grew up with these games, they're still a joy to play. New converts t the Sonic fold will get a great introduction to the 'hog's history. [Dec 2004, p.168]

For those with no time or emotional investment in the series, this role-playing game is slower than milkshake moving up a cocktail straw, blander in appearance than most PSOne titles, and has more grating dialogue than a rerun of "The Facts of Life." [Jan 2005, p.125]

A pure strategy game, I loved the combat's flank system, where you receive a semi-random amount of command points to spend on actions per flank. [Feb 2005, p.125]

Filled with amazing battles and worthy strategy, and anchored by strong gameplay. [Dec 2004, p.166]

If you grew up with these games, they're still a joy to play. New converts t the Sonic fold will get a great introduction to the 'hog's history. [Dec 2004, p.168]

Filled with amazing battles and worthy strategy, and anchored by strong gameplay. [Dec 2004, p.166]

One of the best survival horror games to come out in ages. [Dec 2004, p.181]

I might have recommended this simplistic formula for younger gamers except for the fact that encounters with Omnidroid are some of the most tedious and unforgiving bouts I've ever fought. [Jan 2005, p.118]

I might have recommended this simplistic formula for younger gamers except for the fact that encounters with Omnidroid are some of the most tedious and unforgiving bouts I've ever fought. [Jan 2005, p.118]

I might have recommended this simplistic formula for younger gamers except for the fact that encounters with Omnidroid are some of the most tedious and unforgiving bouts I've ever fought. [Jan 2005, p.118]

The core gameplay is simply tired. Jumping around collecting random doodads is just old - it's time to move on to new objectives in platformers. [Dec 2004, p.167]

The core gameplay is simply tired. Jumping around collecting random doodads is just old - it's time to move on to new objectives in platformers. [Dec 2004, p.167]

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]

San Andreas breaks the video game mold and emerges as something far greater. This is more than a game. This is entertainment at its best. [Dec 2004, p.170]

You will find yourself delving deeper into the seedy underbelly of amusement than you ever thought possible. [Dec 2004, p.188]

Outer space in a galaxy far, far away is simply gorgeous. Plus, the skill-based ship-to-ship combat is a breath of fresh air for the MMO scene. [Jan 2005, p.143]

This has a great song list and gives you what a good music title should: a taste of what it's like to play the instrument in real life. [Dec 2004, p.177]

So many other titles offer a richer, more fulfilling experience that it's hard to imagine why someone would want to tackle this anachronism. [Nov 2004, p.156]

There is some decent music and graphics that don't make me want to die. I guess that's the highest recommendation I can offer on this one. [Jan 2005, p.125]

It's ultimately only a bare-bones reminder of a much greater work of art. [Jan 2005, p.148]

Like the name implies, this is the ultimate entry in the DOA series, and a must-have for fighting game fans ready to test their skills online. [Dec 2004, p.182]

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]

Through relentless intensity and hair-raising gameplay, Ace Combat 5 electrifies the digital skies and soars as one of the most exhilarating experiences in all of gaming. [Dec 2004, p.172]

While OutRun 2 has some moments (when the Viagra takes hold) where it's "still got it," the game is pretty much past its prime. [Dec 2004, p.183]

The humor is certainly there, but Hypnotix really needs to get the polish onto this simulation before people will revere its hilarity. [Oct 2004, p.125]

I found myself frequently resisting the urge to throw down my controller in frustration. This wasn't my cup of tea, but I can't help but admire its dramatic artistic sheen. [Oct 2004, p.140]

Cartoon monkeys are cool. This game is not. [Jan 2005, p.125]

Several things work as they should, but much of the game is chock full of frustration, and the whole thing ends up feeling like a string of tired minigames. [Nov 2004, p.170]

Wow, generic platform games have reached a new pinnacle of dull and cliche. [Feb 2005, p.113]

I'd estimate that Reiner and I completed the four main missions and fifth bonus mission on normal difficulty in about three or four hours. [Nov 2004, p.152]

Sure, simplistic blasitng is fun for a while, but there is no variation to the gameplay, and the bonus modes aren't different enough from Story mode to be worth playing. [Nov 2004, p.158]

There are even a few lame vehicular bonus stages thrown in for good measure, but none of the various stage types offer anything close to depth or originality. [Nov 2004, p.145]

Its gimmick doesn't overcome its bland gameplay. [Dec 2004, p.190]

The game combines the moral questions of Vietnam the best it can, but I don't think that kids who have played shooters for most of their lives are going to be doing any soul searching about whether to shoot something or not - innocent villager or otherwise. [Nov 2004, p.162]

There are even a few lame vehicular bonus stages thrown in for good measure, but none of the various stage types offer anything close to depth or originality. [Nov 2004, p.145]

There are even a few lame vehicular bonus stages thrown in for good measure, but none of the various stage types offer anything close to depth or originality. [Nov 2004, p.145]

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

For the hardcore types, Vengeance will no doubt satisfy the need for tactically deep shooting action. [Dec 2004, p.185]

While this sequel does succeed in proving Rayne is more than a pretty face, a few more tweaks are needed before her playtime prowess matches her dark mystique. [Nov 2004, p.147]

Plagued by rampant balance issues, miserable AI, and more focus on attacking prone, defenseless opponents than I've ever seen, Maximum impact makes a lot of rookie mistakes. [Nov 2004, p.158]

Nocturne has truly slick and innovative concepts, but you've got to wade ankle-deep through some garbage before you can experience them. [Nov 2004, p.154]

Graphically, it's definitely improved, but that's not going to save Ty from his own mediocrity. [Nov 2004, p.149]

The dreary level designs and overly repetitive gameplay sours the overall experience. Also, for the love of God, please stop with the coin collecting. It's over. [Oct 2004, p.136]

As good, if not slightly better than all the other FIFAs before it. And as long as this is all anyone asks for, it looks like FIFA will crawl along from year to year knowing that it never has to fully pull it all together. [Nov 2004, p.149]

Fast, fluid, and deep in-game control will satisfy soccer vets. [Holiday 2004, p.88]

It's not bad, per se, but the level designs and basic gameplay are just too uninspired to warrant a look from any but the most ardent fans of the genre. [Dec 2004, p.190]

Certainly doesn't hang with the recent crop of console wrestling games, but for portable brawling, you can't really do much better. [Jan 2005, p.149]

With a robust online mode, scattered borrowings from real-time strategy games, and that elusive indescribable fun factor, KUF is exactly the step-up that this genre needed. [Nov 2004, p.163]

While this sequel does succeed in proving Rayne is more than a pretty face, a few more tweaks are needed before her playtime prowess matches her dark mystique. [Nov 2004, p.147]

Graphically, it's definitely improved, but that's not going to save Ty from his own mediocrity. [Nov 2004, p.149]

As good, if not slightly better than all the other FIFAs before it. And as long as this is all anyone asks for, it looks like FIFA will crawl along from year to year knowing that it never has to fully pull it all together. [Nov 2004, p.149]

Graphically, it's definitely improved, but that's not going to save Ty from his own mediocrity. [Nov 2004, p.149]

As good, if not slightly better than all the other FIFAs before it. And as long as this is all anyone asks for, it looks like FIFA will crawl along from year to year knowing that it never has to fully pull it all together. [Nov 2004, p.149]

The art direction, character design, and storytelling are all top notch. [Nov 2004, p.146]

Classic compilations really don't get much better than this...A nostalgic dream come true.

The art direction, character design, and storytelling are all top notch. [Nov 2004, p.146]

Classic compilations really don't get much better than this...A nostalgic dream come true.

The art and combat are killed in their tracks by the game's downright shameful dialogue. [Nov 2004, p.158]

The art direction, character design, and storytelling are all top notch. [Nov 2004, p.146]

Classic compilations really don't get much better than this...A nostalgic dream come true.

Ironically, just like a relationship built entirely on the nookie, Singles ends up feeling more than a little shallow after the first few one nights stands you spend playing it. [Aug 2004, p.105]

The core of what makes these games so memorable is still there in full force - pretty girls, unspeakably embarrassing sexual acts, and an endearing dorkiness that makes the entire experience feel mroe charming and humorous than exploitive. [Nov 2004, p.148]

A poor delivery and shoddy production values ruin Get On Da Mic. [Dec 2004, p.177]