Anyone who owns a gaming PC will be well served by this outstanding effort. [Oct. 2006, p.108]

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.

It is a game that turned me inside out with each twist of the screw.

Ubisoft has forged a sequel that has the uncanny ability to knock your socks off through every second of play. [May 2004, p.102]

Don’t let the diminutive size or nostalgic look fool you, this is just as complete of a Grand Theft Auto experience as any of the console iterations.

Lest you fear that all the challenge has gone, let me ease your mind. Pac-Man DX ascends to mind-shattering speeds in a hurry, demanding fast minds and thumbs both.

By playing career mode, players can unlock a new level, which is amazing in multiplayer, and one of the most diverse environments in the game. [Apr 2002, p.83]

Half Life: Alyx is a must-play game worthy of the series' legacy. Despite some puzzles and encounters that feel like filler, the overall experience is strong. The stunning setpieces, beautiful world, and smart writing stand out no matter the medium, and mark a return to form for Valve. If you were waiting for a killer app before you made the investment into virtual reality, this is it.

Divinity: Original Sin II is one of the greatest PC RPGs of all time, and Larian’s continued dedication to creating incredible freeform adventures inspired by tabletop lineage is inspiring and commendable. A few bugs and frustrating encounters are small prices to pay for a lavish ensemble of the genre’s best and a one-of-a-kind experience.

The speed and polish of UT 2004 cannot be denied. [May 2004, p.104]

Infinite is more than a new setting, story, and characters; those elements are seamlessly integrated with complex themes, a mysterious plot, and entertaining combat to create an amazing experience from beginning to end. Familiar threads run through it – a lighthouse, a strange city, a charismatic antagonist – but they are homages to the past rather than attempts to recycle it. The core of Infinite is unlike anything else on land, sea, or air.

While the story issues and a slight "I’ve done this before" factor stop it just short of perfection, God of War II is a title you simply cannot miss. It never stopped being one of the best games I’ve ever played.

Any Mario game runs the risk of the final encounter being too traditional or featuring a frustrating gimmick, but this one brought a smile to everyone’s faces on my co-op team from beginning to end. While it’s not the most difficult challenge, it is suitably epic and entertaining – an exceptional finisher to an excellent entry in the series.

This is a sublimely engineered game with a simple, elegant core design and all of the rough edges ground away.

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]

While the toybox/platform side of Minecraft is incredible, the "game" side of it is lacking.

Supergiant’s latest opus is a beautiful and thoughtful twist on Greek mythology, flipping these old stories on their head and transforming them into commentaries on modern relationships. High-octane action gameplay may pull you into hell for the first time, but I suspect you’ll stay to find out about this eccentric and fascinating family.

Persona 4 Golden's greatest strength is that everything fits together seamlessly, from the connected battle and social aspects to the fresh changes. Newcomers are sure to find plenty to love, while series veterans can revisit fond memories and experience new content. This game still remains one of the best RPG to date; don't miss out on your second chance to experience it.

If the opening hours of Persona 5 are like starting a massive novel, then the closing hours are like finishing one, complete with the bittersweet finality of turning the last page. But it also carries an immense sense of satisfaction. After 100 hours of playing, all of my big questions were answered. I understood the characters, I knew my way around the world, and I had fun almost every step of the journey. You become a resident of Persona 5 the more you play it, and it has the rare ability to transport in a way few games can.

Instead of desperately switching through the clumsy auto-targeting, now you're capping fools with a simple flick of the mouse. It's awesome. [August 2002, p.89]

I can't even begin to describe how addictive the gameplay has become. I actually found myself bouncing around in my chair and holding my breath when I would try to throw one more rotation into a trick. [Nov 2003, p.134]

The ultimate outcome of Splinter's perhaps overzealous mission structure is a common one: Eery level increasingly becomes a lesson in trial and error. [Jan 2003, p.104]

The core mission of any game is to create a world that the players want to get lost in, and Okami delivers on this in every way--with the gameplay, with the graphics, and with the story. [Oct. 2006, p.96]

Oblivion on PS3 is one of the biggest and most impressive role-playing games in history, and you owe it to yourself to play it if you haven’t already experienced it elsewhere.

This game is massive, and as your character’s stature in the Wasteland grows, so does the excitement. It’s not a true sequel to the Fallout series, but as a fan of the games of old, I found it to be every bit as good.

The title’s relentless immaturity can grate after a while, though. Gruesome executions and grunted, testosterone-soaked dialogue sloppily plaster over the campaign’s heavy-handed morality play. While the plot makes sense this time around, its clumsy mysteries are old hat to anyone moderately well read in science fiction. Still, finding bad things to say about Gears of War 2 is like trying to hate on the ‘07 Patriots. The game is impeccably engineered to dominate everything it sets its sights on, and yet ultimately falls short of achieving true immortality.

I suggest you do yourself a favor and get both NFL 2K3 and Madden this year, because this contest just went into overtime. [Sept 2002, p.79]

The standard for how to make a great soccer title. [Apr 2003, p.85]