While the gameplay is still second-rate compared to the story, Faith succeeds most because of its unpredictability. Even longtime Fables fans will be shocked by some of the revelations.

A good port of a fantastic game. [Jan 2006, p.154]

Robo Recall doesn’t feel like a tech demo or minuscule offering of a promising concept. It’s the only VR game I’ve walked away from thinking I was satisfied with the amount and variety of content available. Its brand of action is unique and entertaining, and I haven’t played anything like it before. Robo Recall isn’t just a great VR game. It’s a great action game, period.

Super Paper Mario's seemingly simple concept - giving the player the ability to flip between 2D and 3D worlds - pays off in level designs that are nothing short of brilliant.

Kingdom Rush: Frontiers is highly approachable, but don’t let its humorous comic veneer fool you. Turn up the difficulty, and Ironhide has tuned a remarkably balanced game that juggles punishment and reward in equal measure. Frontiers remains close to form to its predecessor, but recognizing where to make improvements on an already strong formula is an art form all its own.

What’s really frustrating about this game is that although the puzzles themselves are fun to figure out, all the big mysteries presented by the story are solved for you via cutscenes. The fact that you aren’t allowed to actually solve the questions that have been on your mind all game long is simply a mistake.

Yakuza 0 tries a ridiculous amount of things, and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t almost always succeed in its own weird way. The Yakuza series has established a cult following in the West, but it hasn’t managed to break through to the mainstream. If there’s any justice in this world, that’s about to change.

I think it's ironic that what will no doubt be the best of the DS launch lineup is a game that makes little use of its unique technology. [Jan 2005, p.144]

The game is huge on replay in the main mode and offers even more after the tale is done. [Sept. 2006, p.94]

MLB The Show 17 is an ambitious game that tries to dazzle players with new avenues of play and a story, but is at its best on the field, where the action has never looked or played better. After slumping last year, Sony came back firing with an experience that feels new again, even if its foundation stretches back over a decade.

While the single-player adventure falls just shy of the grandeur of some Metroid games, the new multiplayer game positively electrifies the experience. [May 2006, p.111]

Destiny 2 is a massive and rewarding game that offers the potential for hundreds of hours of fun and discovery with friends. Quibbles aside, Bungie has crafted a fantastic follow-up to a wildly popular formula, and one that no other developer has come close to equaling in sophistication. Many of the streamlining choices welcome a new crop of Guardians into the mix, but also make this new game more playable and understandable for even returning players. As I settle in for what I hope to be another several years of adventures, I hope Bungie can nail the elusive balance between depth and accessibility.

Mario Kart 7 isn't 100 percent golden, nor is it going to make believers out of anyone who wrote off the series years ago. Taken on the whole, though, this is one of the best entries in the series. As a fan, I'm thoroughly pleased.

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]

The total package of Halo: The Master Chief Collection is massive and intimidating, but none of it is crammed in or hastily included. Even the modes that appeal to a small dedicated group of Halo fans have received attention.

NCAA has its flaws, but with improved on-the-field action, recruiting, and presentation (including the option to generate custom stories on your Dynasty), for the first time in years I feel like I'm getting the college experience.

The design is light years behind the PC market. [Jan 2003, p.101]

Atlus and Arc System Works have succeeded in creating another solid fighting game. Ultimax makes small tweaks to the fighting system, but it also keeps things fresh with new characters, an intriguing story mode that Persona fans will adore, and plenty of modes to keep you busy.

While I knew I’d love playing the songs off the first four albums, the rest of the soundtrack definitely matches the intensity of the vintage stuff. [May 2009, p.83]

Pikmin 3 was one of my favorite Wii U games, which isn’t meant to be faint praise it sounds like. Thanks to Pikmin 3 Deluxe, players who didn’t get around to checking it out in its original form have a chance to do so on the Switch. And better yet, they’re getting a version that lives up to its potential as a game to bring people together – even if it’s just to move tangerines and grapes around.

Yet another exquisitely crafter offering from arguably the most talented developer working in the genre. [Nov 2005, p.162]

Unquestionably the best MMORPG available for the console, with a high potential to eat away at your free time, and possibly be responsible for some "sick" days at work. [May 2004, p.99]

Xbox's NASCAR Thunder is better. [Dec 2001, p.93]

Far from revolutionary. [Dec 2002, p.123]

The new driver ally/rival dynamic makes for some interesting new twists. [Oct 2003, p.137]

An expansion pack worth having if there ever was one. [Aug 2003, p.102]

Boom Blox is one of the best games on Wii, and shows what can happen when a third-party developer plays to the strengths of the console as well as Nintendo does.

There is undoubtedly work still left to be done before the series can match the glories of the past, but this is a noticeably better game the moment you pick up the controller.