Is it the next great evolution of gaming? Perhaps not, but it is a step towards creating the ultimate James Bond title. [Mar 2004, p.92]

The sound of bullets whizzing past your ear or slamming into some nearby surface is disturbingly realistic. [Aug 2003, p.102]

While you can't help but grimace at some of the game's texturing and awkward batting stances, the gameplay package is as solid as can be. The fielding interface is especially praiseworthy, and in my opinion, this year's best. [Apr 2004, p.96]

Though my playthrough only lasted around five hours, I wanted more. Shortly after I finished the story, I dove back in to explore every path I didn’t already venture down with my new powers in tow. The draw to keep playing and exploring immediately after I finished is a testament to how much I enjoyed Severed.

When I found myself shouting in relief and frenetically raising my fist in the air after a hard battle ends in my favor, I can’t deny the following fact: Darkest Dungeon II is a harsh but fantastic game whose white-knuckled battles and hazard-filled exploration will trap you for hours. If you’re willing to make the needed sacrifices, it’s a journey well worth taking.

Her Story is an intriguing experimentation in game narrative. Its vastly different approach to telling a complex story is reason alone to play it.

Vehicles may not be as exciting this time around, but the thrill of soaring through the skies and navigating with ease makes up for it. With tons of upgrades and weapon customization, making your President more and more powerful is an addictive and rewarding affair, and you can become virtually unstoppable by the end.

If you've been curious about MOBAs, you couldn't pick a better place to start than Awesomenauts. The three-on-three battles are easier to get your head around, but there's still a ton of depth in balancing your team and each character's various power-ups and load outs. It's one of the year's early multiplayer highlights. Don't miss it.

Saving Steelport may not be quite as novel of an experience this time around, but an arsenal of new abilities and weapons ensures that you are doing it with more style and spectacle than ever before.

Games of this era hold up well even today, and the excellent two-player mode is nice for those of you (all seven!) that still use you GBA link cables. [Nov 2005, p.182]

With guns firing at full tilt, and mindless carnage taking center stage, Midway has a surefire hit on its hands. [May 2005, p.108]

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night’s journey is familiar, but the way it iterates and builds on that familiarity help distinguish it from its lineage. Its combat, RPG elements, and enticing exploration intertwine seamlessly, and had me obsessively scouring every nook and cranny of a gigantic map for hours, even after I’d defeated the last boss. I enjoyed finally returning to this haunted castle, even if it belongs to a new master.

A satisfying romp as you restore glory to your rodent empire, defend against waves of flavorful foes, and recruit colorful companions.

WarioWare D.I.Y. is a commitment, but one that Nintendo made as intuitive and digestible as possible. [May 2010, p.96]

This newer game is by far the more impressive choice, with fully fleshed out features, excellent animation, solid soccer gameplay, and an exciting presentation, replete with another batch of great music from around the world. [Jun 2006, p.112]

Depending on a number of factors, The Banner Saga should take around 5-15 hours to complete on first playthrough. Despite a few minor issues with enemy variety and the tedium of recurring encounters, Banner Saga stands out as an excellent tactical RPG with considerable depth.

It’s tough to say which is better, Pro Evolution or FIFA, given that the former has more depth while the latter comes off as the sexier experience.

For a first-time entry into the firts-person market, Black is impressive. [Apr 2006, p.112]

The rich presentation (especially on the 3DS XL) and contained mission structure make it a perfect addition to the 3DS library. Whether you played the GameCube original or not, this is a must-play for Nintendo fans.

Given just how different the worlds look in remastered form, I found this trilogy to be more interesting and enjoyable to return to than Crash’s. These games don’t preserve history as well, but that’s okay. Having already lived through them, it’s fascinating to see how the worlds have been reimagined and differ from the vision I had in my head.

Nioh 2, like Nioh before it, is an unrelenting and extremely punishing ride that has you weighing every resource available. Despite some flaws, this experience carves you from an unrefined button-mashing flailing pustule into a precision-striking samurai.

A solid and fun, if not deep or terribly rewarding racer - one that ably promotes beauty over brains. [Jan 2006, p.140]

Slime Rancher has the ability to keep you hooked for hours; I often looked out over my ranch, felt pride at my accomplishments, and eagerly ventured back into the wilderness to see what other strange things I could find.

The absolute glut of content is impressive and intimidating all at once, and NBA 2K26’s on-the-court performance is so good that it’s worth the annoyances that come with the franchise. Whether you want to chart your custom character’s career through the NBA or WNBA, take the reins and rewrite your favorite franchise’s history, or build your dream roster of players from across eras, NBA 2K26 gives you all the tools to do so.

I was looking for a substantial Diablo experience to play on my phone with Immortal, and it often reaches that bar. While I don’t see myself going deep into the endgame unless Blizzard resolves the issues with legendary gems, I still plan to spend hours in Diablo Immortal, leveling a character in every class and playing until my hands ache.

The new material that EA has implemented is minimal at best, and most of the additions don't generate a lot of excitement. With that said, this is still the best-playing baseball game on the market. [March 2005, p.118]

Japanophiles will thrill, but traditional action fans would also be remiss if they didn't at least check out what the fuss is about. [Oct 2005, p.134]

I’m not sure why EA stripped away features that already worked beautifully. I wish this year’s five new courses were just the beginning of the additions instead of one of the highlights, but it’ll have to do while we wait for a course creator.