A distillation of everything the genre does right. It delivers the intensity of competition and the thrill of victory, all through elegant techniques that are easy to learn and difficult to master. Street Fighter IV is more than mere nostalgia - it's the best thing to happen to fighting games in years. [Mar 2009, p.82]

Hollow Knight is deliberate in ways few games are, from its tough-love first hours all the way to the end of its long, content-packed journey. Challenging end-game bosses put every single skill I had to the test and left me with a sense of mastery.

It Takes Two may not be the platforming juggernaut that it aspires to be, but it more than makes up for it with its big heart, wealth in variety, and gorgeous imagery. All of its individual actions are things we’ve done in other games, but when applied to this distinct cooperative approach, they take on a whole new life and are used in wonderful ways over a long adventure. The action will have you laughing and screaming at your TV, and the story stays strong throughout, creating the backbone for an entertaining adventure that roars with excitement and should keep you glued to the controller to see if this couple’s lost love can be rekindled.

It might be easy to peg Wargroove as an imitator, but its genius is in details. With tons of modes and maps it doesn’t skimp on content, but the approachable-yet-nuanced tactics at its heart, as well as the way it deftly iterates on the genre, make it an outstanding title. It might be building on a strong foundation, but Wargroove earns its crown on its own merits.

The critical path is incredibly long and is joined by bonus comic missions for most of the characters. The teammate AI is very impressive, often getting to baddies before you even see them, but once again, Raven has designed a game that is better through cooperative play.

If World Tour has a trump card, it’s the groundbreaking new GHMix studio mode. It’s basically a full-on set of music creation software, that allows you to write, arrange, and record your own songs, then upload them to be freely shared with fellow players. Even better, the game instantly translates them into fully playable jewels charts on the fly. As much fun as I had tackling “Hot For Teacher,” this mode feels like the future of the franchise.

Whispers of the Old Gods succeeds on multiple levels, shaking up the competitive scene with a variety of new deck types to experiment with and combining flavor and mechanics to create interesting fun new cards.

The stages are the best collection of any Tony game, and show Neversoft's level of design brilliance. [Dec 2003, p.128]

I never thought I'd find myself saying that I enjoy connectivity more than online play, but this just happens to be the case with Bustin' Out. [Jan 2004, p.140]

If you love strategy, it really doesn't get any better than this. [Sept 2005, p.112]

Titanfall is enormously entertaining, with long legs that should have players exploring its depth for many months to come.

With incredibly realistic damage modelling transforming every crash into a work of art fit to be framed and hung on the walls of Paris' Louvre museum, Burnout 3 is a visual dynamo that will floor players with its speed and gorgeous vistas. [Oct 2004, p.122]

Respawn took a chance with Titanfall, embracing what it knew best with a multiplayer-only experience and pushing the envelope with its imaginative twists on classic competitive play. The result feels like a new breed of multiplayer that is inviting to established shooter players, but also compelling for people intrigued by everything from the free-running to the giant robotic titans.

I play role-playing games to explore fantastic worlds, interact with interesting characters, and pull off *** stunts that only a world-saving hero could accomplish. The Witcher 2 obliterates all but the best competition on those criteria. As frustrating as it can be at times, this adventure's charms vastly outweigh its warts.

The delicious platforming is paired with great writing, nice art direction, and a story that you don't want me to spoil for you. [Jan 2006, p.134]

A highly atmospheric, gorgeous title with a variety of mind-bending puzzles. The ride is over quickly, but it will stick with me for quite some time.

Thanks to its excellent utilization of well-worn Zelda-inspired conventions and enough unique twists to differentiate it from the pack, Minishoot' Adventures delivers an outstanding bullet-hell experience with less frustration than most entries in the genre. I didn't set out to 100 percent Minishoot' Adventures, but by the time I reached the end of the the story, I had experienced everything the game has to offer, a testament to how enamored I am with this fun, twin-stick title. Minishoot' Adventures bridges the gaps between disparate genres with outstanding gameplay and thoughtful level design to deliver one of the best games I've played all year.

Developer Respawn Entertainment clearly took a measured and thoughtful approach to analyze what worked and what didn’t in its last Star Wars game, and Jedi: Survivor feels like a worthy attempt at evolution. It captures the magic of Star Wars as well as anything in the current canon, and it’s a stellar adventure in its own right. Still, nailing the fantasy of being a Jedi? Doesn’t hurt.

I am referring to how much I think Microsoft's controller will feel more natural in your hand, due to the rough similarities between it and the DC's. [Mar 2002, p.85]

Dragon Ball FighterZ seamlessly blends accessibility and complexity, making for a feverishly-paced fighter that makes the learning process gradual and engaging, and gives casual players hours of worthwhile things to do solo and potentially turning fighting game fans on to the world of Dragon Ball. Even after dozens of hours in single-player, training mode, and online, I’m excited to keep digging into its combat and see just how many more gorgeous flashes and explosions I can cause. If I happen to blow up a few more planets along the way, all the better.

Endwalker caps off a story over a decade in the making in spectacular fashion and cements it as one of the series' best entries.

A hell of a package. It's sort of a shame that so much of it is recycled from the last game, but nobody stops eating their favorite food because it's similar every time - and this is the Kobe beef of tactical FPS. [Apr 2008, p.80]

War of the Chosen contains so much new content that it could almost have been called XCOM 3. Every mission dishes out a new enemy, mission type, or environment, which allows the game to remain fresh for several dozen hours. War of the Chosen’s wealth of interwoven systems might overwhelm newcomers, but strategy nerds willing to master the nuances will be treated to one of the most rewarding strategy games in years. I don’t know how Firaxis could make a more complex yet gratifying strategy game, but I can’t wait to see them try.

The final boss is one of the coolest-looking foes I've faced in a long time, and overall the graphics are great. [Feb 2005, p.118]

I'm blown away by how well this title has been ported to PSP. [May 2005, p.136]

Idol Minds did a wonderful job sprucing up Insomniac's celebrated action-platforming series. It rarely occurred to me while playing that these are gussied-up versions of last-gen games. Few modern games boast such strong levels of writing, pacing, and gameplay. Whether you're a Ratchet enthusiast or a series newcomer, this collection is a ton of fun.

"NBA 2K1" was, in my opinion, the best basketball simulation ever made. That is, until I played this one. [Dec 2001, p.112]

Final Fantasy XIII is an excellent game regardless of what system you're playing on. However, the Xbox 360 version's graphics are a few steps behind, with noticeable compression in the cutscenes and less impressive lighting.