Diving into Among Us, I see the charm despite its simplicity, and I can't help but to love the way this game makes me look at everyone as if they are super sus. Among Us is what it is, and unapologetically so. This year may be bad, but having fun experiences definitely isn't; Among Us provides a much-needed reprieve from reality without taking itself too seriously.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder was a joy to play through in 2023, and now, a few years later, it's even better.

Since I am hopelessly addicted to Road to the Show, MLB 08 gets my nod for the game you’ll get the most out of – but you really have to be into the concept of creating a player and raising him from a minor league hopeful to a major league all-star.

Undoubtedly one of the most intense and frenzied arena combat games I've ever played. [Apr 2005, p.136]

Vanillaware’s previous games include fantasy-inspired fare like Odin Sphere, Muramasa, and Dragon’s Crown. With 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, the studio doesn’t just dip its toes into sci-fi; it jumps into the deep end with a story that takes inspiration from the genre’s most iconic works. While that doesn’t result in the most original plot, it is still a fun and ambitious experience that combines high-school drama and huge robots in a (mostly) beautiful package.

We finally got to experience a full, proper, no-asterisk Zelda adventure without having to explain, “Actually, you play as Link,” and are am grateful for the experience.

Some areas shine brighter than others, but the developer's inspired Champion mode is the star feature that must be experienced.

Even if the larger beats don’t always land, The Outer Worlds shines with a constant stream of small, bright moments. An amusing interaction with a clueless guard. A sugary corporate jingle. A brutal sneak attack. A solution to a problem you are sure won’t work, but it does. The team at Obsidian excels at encouraging creative experimentation within its responsive and absurd setting, ensuring that every visit to Halcyon is full of delightful surprises.

A complete game. Super Street Fighter IV is one of the best fighting games around, and players owe it to themselves to give it a shot. [Apr 2011, p.94]

From the moment you create a character, you'll drop into that pleasant buzz that is a quality hit of gaming. [July 2004, p.120]

The addition of online trades and battles finally delivers on the promise that the first Pokémon games made. The crucial social interactivity aspect of Pokémon now takes place on a global scale. It only took 10 years!

Bursting with exploration, puzzles, and platforming, the pace isn't encumbered with unnecessary narrative, dialogue, or even character development. [Issue#209, p.89]

A little more polish and variety could have made it a landmark, but this release is far from disappointing. [May 2005, p.122]

Although there are things about Midnight Club II that certainly aren't new, when you play the game, you feel as if screaming down the boulevard and almost giving yourself a heart attack is suddenly fun again. [May 2003, p.76]

I guarantee the expansive and intricate levels will blow you away. [Sept 2002, p.89]

I came for the single-player, which I liked rather than loved, and stayed for the multiplayer, which I used to like and now adore. I have a feeling many other fans will feel the same way.

Despite being plagued by a slow pace and late-game repetition, Bravely Default’s core mechanics kept me engaged until the credits.

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.

The campaign steals the show, performing at a level the other modes can't match. The straightforward competitive multiplayer recalls the glory days of arena shooters like Quake or Unreal, largely relying on the rush of circle strafing duels to keep players engaged. The standard fare of mode varieties and cosmetics-driven progression check off the boxes of a fully featured experience, but unlike the campaign, it feels generic.

Ubisoft Montreal has done a bang up job tailoring this release with all the bells and whistles that will keep the Xbox faithful salivating for months on end. [Nov 2005, p.164]

This is an amazingly visceral title with a second-to-none presentation that delivers some of the best tactical action we’ve seen to date. I applaud the developers for moving the staid RTS genre in a new direction, even if I feel that Dawn of War II stumbles a little bit along the way.

Battlefield fans hoping for the most polished entry in the series won't be disappointed by this massive sequel.

Rather than simply port the current generation version of NBA 2K14, Visual Concepts deserves praise for drastically renovating its two most popular modes for its next-generation console debut.

The title features more modes, settings, and ways to engage than any game in the series I can recall. The blazing new Blackout mode steals the zeitgeist of the battle royale’s thunder, packaging it in a polished, powerful entry to the burgeoning genre. If you’re willing to eschew single-player completely, the payoff is worth it.

What I really like about this game is that I always felt like I was getting a new weapon, going to a new area, or fighting a new boss (most of which are ferociously tough, by the way). [June 2004, p.126]

No matter what mode you enter, Red Faction: Guerrilla delivers on its promise of destruction, and offers an experience unlike anything else out there.

A respectable follow-up, but it doesn't come close to rekindling the magic of the original. [Dec 2003, p.132]

A few minor irritations, most notably queuing up production in multiple buildings, don’t do much to mar the overall experience. C&C 3 is a shining example of how fun a five-year-old design can still be if it receives enough polish and tuning.