The IsoMotion controls are still difficult to master, and the story-driven 24/7 mode still lacks decent team AI, but these faults pale in comparison to the amount of things Visual Concepts does right with this hoops title.

If you like brawlers, platformers, or both, Alter Echo should be on your list of must-plays. [Sept 2003, p.114]

If you approach Kakarot for the story and the harrowing battles, it can be amazing. Outside of collecting Soul Emblems, the RPG elements are mostly lacking, even if they do push you to keep leveling to take on harder foes. All told, CyberConnect 2 gives fans a fun way to reexperience this saga.

The Asian Dynasties features three short and sweet mini-campaigns focused on events in Japan, China, and India, but the multiplayer is where you can truly test your mettle.

The game is recommended for anyone who likes taking a close look at a piece of art that goes against the grain of the medium. You should consider checking out Dear Esther the same way you'd appraise a film. If you're interested in absorbing an intellectual story and gorgeous visuals without having to exert a drop of effort, take a chance on this curious experiment.

Ballers may not deliever the full five-on-five experience, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a handheld b-ball title that delivers such an exciting challenge. [Apr 2006, p.135]

I had a really difficult time adapting to the inconsistent accuracy of the weapons. [May 2002, p.92]

A few new difficulties and 120 new achievement-like challenges even make this a tempting collection for those who already downloaded the games individually.

Ultimately The Last Guardian isn’t about pulling switches or leaping over gaps. It’s about your smile when you see Trico doing something silly, your compassion when you watch it struggle, and your relief when the creature shows up at just the right time. That’s what you get here that you can’t find anywhere else, and it is enough to make The Last Guardian worth playing.

It may only be a two-hour game, but the difficulty is perfect, and it offers plenty of incentive for completionists.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think Midway could create a game that competes on EA’s level, yet Hitz does it. [Feb 2002, p.87]

Taking into account the uphill battle this title had to fight, it comes out much the same as the PC edition (minus the Risk-like War of the Ring mode)--which is not a bad thing to say. [Aug 2006, p.86]

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.

If nothing else, this is a solid add-on to a great base game. I just can't think of anything about it that makes Dawn of War any more of a "must-play" than it already is. [Oct 2005, p.146]

You're going to have to decide for yourself if loading is a dealbreaker. [Oct 2005, p.152]

While many of Vive’s launch applications are demos or betas, Audioshield is a solid and complete game, and its ability to read and create playable tracks from any piece of music provides effectively endless replay value. This is an early testament to the power of VR to create novel experiences in established genres, and music-game faithful should seek an opportunity to at least try out this new take on interactive music play. [Tested with Vive]

Creating a fast racing experience sounds like a fundamental requirement of any racing title, but Nail'd isn't just a game that blows by low expectations. It's a focused experience that sticks to a tight racing line and captures the essence of speed in a flash.

Often frustrating, but overall it's a worthwhile experience that's unlike anything else. [May 2004, p.108]

Pirates offers the same great mix of addictive minigames to which we sea dogs have grown accustomed.

Dungeons 2 does an admirable job of channeling that old-school Dungeon Keeper feel into a new title, and fans of the series will find some enjoyable evil to be had in the dungeon-sim genre. Swapping between dungeon and overworld can make the game feel schizophrenic at times, but once you get the hang of it, it’s not a significant detractor.

If the gameplay is a zero-sum when compared to FIFA 14, the title's World Cup-related accoutrements are welcome, but not significant.

Though the stages are much longer than their original forms, sometimes clocking in at around 15 minutes, playing through Story Mode only takes a couple of hours. Still, Contra: Operation Galuga packs a whole lot of action into those hours. When you add the more flexible Arcade Mode and difficult Challenge Mode, Operation Galuga is an admirable modernized reimagining of one of the most influential games of the late '80s.

Though the gimmick eventually wears thin and the complexity sometimes outpaces the simple concept by the time you reach the puzzles in the triple digits, Please Fix The Road shows that creativity and clever puzzle design are more important than a robust toolset or wide-ranging player freedom. It delivers a tight, curated puzzle-solving experience that hooks you from the very first puzzle and, through steadily evolving mechanics, delivers satisfaction around every turn.

The combat isn't super-innovative, with lots of ducking behind things and corner creeping, it does the job, however, and is complemented by some clever puzzles. [June 2002, p.78]

Vampire Crawlers elevates an otherwise simple but highly entertaining card game with sensations more reminiscent of a casino (or Vampire Survivors) or the blinding blue light of doomscrolling late at night to create a retro-inspired diversion that’s hard to put down. Its pull is less powerful with its dozen or so stages complete and behind me, but it’s clear that desire to return will never quite let up, lingering, waiting in the gothic wings for one more run.

Covenant is such an interesting mix of old-world immersion, nice plot twists, layered (and super-quirky) characters, and rewarding combat. [Oct 2004, p.132]

Everyone has their own criteria for what makes a game as huge and complicated as an MMORPG fun, and D&D Online will be just what a certain number of folks want out of their $15 per month. [May 2006, p.108]

World Cup Brazil has its advantages, but it's stuck in an awkward position. It's not the best representation of all the tournament encompasses, and in some ways it's not even better than FIFA 14.