WarioWare has always been a fantastic oddity in Nintendo’s library and to gather much of what has made the franchise such a joy into one large collection is great. For anyone new to WarioWare, this is a great place to start. For veterans, it has more than enough new content to make playing it worthwhile, plus you get to have a greatest hits compilation of the best microgames.

Combat feels like a necessary part of the game's design, rather than something that was begrudgingly added to provide interaction between cutscenes. I left the game feeling that I made my mark on Gransys the way I chose to, instead of being escorted from plot point to plot point. When you're talking about an open-world game, I can't think of higher praise. [June 2012, p.90]

I have some qualms about Modern Times' balancing, particularly the ludicrously profitable factories and fish farms, but those cast almost unnoticeable shadows on the game's otherwise impressive accomplishments.

Strong systems and a satisfying gameplay loop give Remnant: From The Ashes a powerful foundation, even if the experience is mired by repetitive and uninteresting bosses and environments. The first 10 hours are challenging and intriguing, leaving you voracious for more loot, more bosses, and more traits. After that, some of the wonder vanishes as you relive past glories rather than continuing to forge new ones.

Even with the omission of late hits, NFL Blitz is an old-school arcade experience that hasn't lost the fun factor it had a decade-and-a-half ago. As a casual football fan who hasn't seen more than three regular season NFL games this year, it still managed to win me over with its fast-paced action. Blitz's gameplay will seem unmistakably familiar to fans of the original, but it's still a great title to have in your library to pull out for the occasional game.

Eriksholm is a great puzzle game under the guise of a stealth adventure, utilizing the mechanics of the latter to create the pieces for the former. With a focused cast, three playable characters that synergize harmoniously, and a world whose nooks and crannies beg to be seen (with collectibles to reward your efforts), I’m left wanting more. Eriksholm, for the most part, avoids the critical error of stealth puzzles that grow beyond complex into frustrating, and turns in a series of challenges that are almost always fun and, in the final handful of hours, brilliant. I just wish the rest of the game matched its later heights.

The total lack of soul in Big Red One, along with the irritating level design, are simply too much for the technical excellence embodied in its smooth framerate and slick graphics to overcome. [Jan 2006, p.137]

Some minor tweaks are appreciated, like having all of the minigames unlocked from the beginning, but nothing has been done to alleviate SMB's myriad frustrations. [Apr 2005, p.117]

Fight some robots, find some secret rooms, and enjoy the evolution of one of the most memorable heroes in gaming. [Nov 2007, p.162]

As a downloadable title featuring the bells and whistles that many retail fighters are lacking, Skullgirls is an impressive feat.

The game controls like an awkward 6'7" giant. [Nov 2005, p.148]

It's still a fun romp. You won't find customizing options or an extensive list of vehicles to buy; but if it's chaos and destruction you want, it's chaos and destruction you'll get. [June 2002, p.81]

Drakan had me rejoicing when acquiring a new longbow or a bitchin' set of chainmail armor. [Feb 2002, p.80]

It's not the prettiest game in the world, but it's certainly one of the most captivating. From the entertaining action to the depth of play, it has all the makings of a bona fide classic. [Oct 2003, p.116]

Well written and expertly implemented. [Jan 2003, p.119]

Not only are the old mistakes revisited in 2004, but the batting and fielding controls seem to have gotten worse. [Apr 2003, p.84]

Gameplay is king. Starfighter has it in droves. I wouldn't recommend this game for those of you whose lives don't revolve around Star Wars. It's a game for geeks. That's it. [June 2002, p.82]

Might just be the best racing game for the sytsem. [August 2002, p.86]

I noticed a difficulty spike toward the end, but overall the card-based journey is a fun, challenging jaunt that should leave you craving more as you run into disasters and tough battles, taking your tokens and licking your wounds as each attempt brings you just a little closer to the next boss.

I haven't had this much fun with a co-op game in quite some time. [Oct 2005, p.122]

A complete turnaround from last season, and a direction that I hope EA steers clear of in the future. The user should always have control over the most basic gameplay functions. [Sept 2005, p.96]

Rigs offers a mechanically simple, easy to grasp, and fun-to-play digital sports game. The nausea factor, however, absolutely has the potential to deter players. I could feel it in my stomach almost every time I dropped back into the area after being taken out, and though it did get better the more I played (with frequent breaks) it still made me pause and take a deep breath every time I put the headset on.

A soccer player with one foot wouldn't be much of a force, and a Winning Eleven game with only one analog stick isn't much of one either. [Mar 2006, p.118]

Watch Dog's story works as a basic revenge tale, and the final few missions provide some gravity to the characters. Ultimately, however, the main draw of any open-world game is the gameplay, and while not perfect, Watch Dog's hacking abilities add an engaging and unique twist to the third-person action.

Basically if you've not played Liberty City Stories and love the series, proceed directly to your store and pick up a copy. [Aug 2006, p.85]

I like Fallen Enchantress. It's the closest anyone has come to producing the game I've been dreaming about since I was an adolescent with visions of wizards carving fantastical empires out of a hostile world. But as much as I feel like I should be head-over-heels in love with it, my 50-plus hours with the game leave me satisfied rather than ecstatic. Maybe some enterprising modder will use the included tools to expand on the base game's good parts while mitigating its issues and add a little soul to the mix. I'll gladly dump another 50 hours into Fallen Enchantress on that blessed day.

In the end, NHL 2K7 skates circles around the competition, but it still needs solid goaltending before it can make a run for the Stanley Cup. [Oct. 2006, p.102]

This year's PES title won't change anyone's mind about the series. It hasn't gotten any less complex, but it also hasn't lost any of its brilliance. In that sense, its success is all its own.