The game's disarming voyeurism, bizarre camera angles, and exceptionally well-placed tension is what the series has been trying to do all along, but The Room is the first entry to do it right. [Sept 2004, p.104]

While I yearned for a little more in a few areas (difficulty curve and graphical polish in particular), the overall experience lies somewhere between the first "Underground" and the second...meaning it's easy fun, but not genre-defining. [Dec 2005, p.148]

It’s a great game, but it lacks the bells and whistles within the founding PS2 release. [Feb 2002, p.87]

One heck of a game. [Feb 2002, p.100]

The surprisingly multifaceted story covers everything from political maneuvering to the consequences of hubris and tinkering with the laws of nature.

The multiplayer experience is a good time – and quite different than single-player (most time powers have been excised) – but it doesn't have any depth or a progression for players to follow. At the most, it's a fun distraction. The single-player game, however, should not be missed.

Quotation forthcoming. [Nov 2005]

Sonic Chronicles is good for dedicated (and lapsed) fans, the BioWare faithful, and anyone just looking for a decent RPG on DS.

This title’s greatest accomplishment is simply in delivering the full Civilization Revolution experience on Nintendo’s handheld.

Being both forward-looking and instantly accessible is something that video games haven't pulled off in a long time. Play 2 succeeds handily in each area. [Sept 2005, p.102]

The star of The House of the Dead: Overkill is the unabashed writing, which finds gold in spoofing the genre with a brazen effectiveness. The parade of F-bombs and one-liners fit in perfect harmony with the grindhouse presentation. Tarantino fans shouldn’t miss this clever, curse-heavy shooter.

Metro Redux may not offer much to entice players who have already played and enjoyed these games, but this remastered bundle is the best way for newcomers to experience the thrills and scares of this under-appreciated series.

Minor issues aside, Denki has created a wonderful, addictive game that I'm sure I'll be returning to throughout the year. Whether you're a dictionary-reading diehard or an armchair general, Quarrel has enough depth and charm to keep most gamers smiling.

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]

If you liked the original Persona Q, Persona Q2 checks the same boxes while adding a few new wrinkles to the formula. As a Persona fan, it feels like the ultimate tribute to the last 13 years of the series, with nostalgic music and callbacks to previous events. When I wasn’t chuckling over a joke between the cast members, I was reveling in fusing new personas and finally besting a long, punishing boss battle. Persona Q2 is a worthy last hurrah for the 3DS, and helps the system go out on a high note.

The combat animations and audio are good, but the severe lack of cities with NPCs to barter and interact with is a shame. [Feb 2003, p.107]

Metro Redux may not offer much to entice players who have already played and enjoyed these games, but this remastered bundle is the best way for newcomers to experience the thrills and scares of this under-appreciated series.

There's no denying Splinter Cell's brilliant level designs, countless gameplay innovations, and seamlessly integrated storytelling. [May 2003, p.84]

I like the way that Infamous Second Son splinters off from the first two entries in the series. Delsin’s conduit ability creates uncertainty in the gameplay mechanics, and the choices he makes apply similar levels of ambiguity to the narrative arc. I never really grasped what was coming next from this tale, outside of knowing that the open world activities and encounters would be repeated ad nauseam.

The game’s overall scale is still impressively large, but there’s only one main area to explore. Visiting the first entry, enhanced as it is, certainly gave me a greater appreciation for the strides that the series made later. That’s probably not what Sega was hoping for here, but it’s unavoidable considering the close proximity to Yakuza 0’s release.

Metro Redux may not offer much to entice players who have already played and enjoyed these games, but this remastered bundle is the best way for newcomers to experience the thrills and scares of this under-appreciated series.

The game achieves its core focus, taking you along for a thrilling ride. [Oct 2008, p.103]

Ender Lilies doesn’t revolutionize Metroid’s decades-old template, but that’s okay. It’s a well-made experience, and I had a great time pouring over two dozen hours into this adventure. The presentation rocks, the action is more rewarding than punishing, and its gothic world and lore are alluring. Ender Lilies is a great meat and potatoes experience, demonstrating that simply executing a familiar formula at a high level can be just as welcomed as reinventing the wheel.

Test Drive is all about unlocking fast cars and then unleashing them on the streets at mach speeds. [July 2002, p.80]

If I didn't know better, I'd think I had mad skillz. The computer is a pushover, and easily stolen from, dunked on, and blocked. [Jan 2002, p.86]

Despite those deviations from the series that inspired Raptor Claw to develop this game, Fur Squadron Phoenix is an excellent spiritual successor for those who remember that Fox and Falco exist outside of the Super Smash Bros. games. Nintendo may not know what to do with the Star Fox franchise, but Fur Squadron Phoenix makes a great case that the genre can still flourish in 2026.

While EA continues to tinker with its gameplay, I think footie fans will enjoy World Tour's more traditional and consistent controls. [Feb 2003, p.98]

Much like the PC Call of Duty (which I should note is a completely different game), this console title features a brilliant targetting mechanism that allows players to zoom in and aim down the sight of the firearm. [Jan 2005, p.115]