With the sad Story mode, you're left having slightly more meat than the original, but that isn't enough to make this an out and out must-have. [Dec 2002, p.128]

Youngblood excels as an entertaining shooter with the right kind of RPG elements and choices. However, when compared to the stellar and shocking storytelling of previous Wolfensteins, this entry comes up short. It has a few interesting breadcrumbs about what happened in the aftermath of Wolfenstein II, including the fates of a couple characters, but this outing is mainly focused on the exploits of its dynamic duo. As far as protagonists go, Jess and Soph are likeable goofballs – a detour from their sad-sack papa – but they don’t have any real character development

Lil Gator Game is as short as it is sweet, with the main story lasting just under five hours, but that's all it needs to be. I loved exploring each nook and cranny of the world during that time for new friends, loot, and memories. By the time the story wrapped up, the game had delivered a poignant and touching message about balancing the important parts of our lives. Lil Gator Game isn't the best Zelda-like I've played, but it's probably the one that will stick with me for the longest.

Extras aside, Hitz plays amazingly well, with lots of fancy tricks and smack-talk-worthy checks. [Dec 2001, p.94]

Great platformers are a rare breed these days, so I hope PSP owners take a chance on this pint-sized powerhouse.

Playing Lost Planet 2 for the story is like going to a movie to watch the credits. If you go into this game, go into it with the intent of joining up with your friends to slay moon-sized monsters, and enjoy one of gaming’s top co-op experiences.

For the second year running, "NHL" best encapsulates the play and and authenticity of the sport. [Sept 2004, p.103]

Crysis 3’s evolutionary enhancements don’t move the needle for the series very far, but the core nanosuit-based gameplay is still thrilling. If you have a rig that can run the PC version of Crysis 3, I strongly recommend you go this route. The high-resolution textures, realistic lighting, and detailed facial animations gives you a taste of the graphical fidelity we expect to be standard in next-generation consoles.

Sky expands on the successful gameplay ideas of the developer’s previous games, but with a greater sense of progression, replayability, and a far more involved social component. Conceptually, this new project is a deeply felt meditation on empathy and the connections between people, couched in the same unpretentious and thoughtful presentation we’ve come to expect from the studio. Sky is a refreshingly moving and robust game on the iOS platform, and one best shared with others – especially folks who might not normally pick up a video game.

A legitimately good game that beats the pants off of plenty of products on the market this holiday season. There’s little to complain about outside of the lack of innovation. However, it pains me deeply to see this franchise, which has done so much to push the first-person shooter genre forward, moving down the dark path of mediocrity that Medal of Honor has been walking for the last several years.

Episode 3 gets the series back on track and make any fears I had stemming from Episode 2 feel like a distant memory.

With a huge roster of free playable characters , a satisfying gameplay loop, and the fast matchmaking, Marvel Rivals executes a simple concept with skill and finesse.

Though it’s still saddled with the plot baggage of its predecessors, Crysis 3 is at least the most cohesive story in the series.

This impressive graphical fidelity takes a serious hit in the transition to multiplayer. Though Crysis 3 has some of the better-designed maps in the series, the muddied textures are a far cry from the jaw-dropping visuals of the single-player campaign, especially on consoles.

Hands-down the best GBA puzzle gmae thus far, and I guarantee you'll get as hooked as I did. Just remember to blink. [May 2002, p.89]

Far deeper and more enjoyable than Konami's "DDR" series, and nearly every other rhythm game. [Nov. 2003, p.150]

Despite its bleak inspirations – privatized education – Two Point Campus never feels callous. It’s more ideological than anything else, depicting a world where businesses and people flourish together. Profit and expansion are undoubtedly crucial to the experience, but you can only achieve those goals by cultivating a top-tier environment for students. This isn’t to say Two Point Campus shies away from low-hanging fruit; its signature British humor is at its best when poking fun at students and faculty. But ultimately, Two Point Campus is a deeply-engaging management sim that doesn’t force you to punch down, and it’s more enjoyable for it.

Quantum Break isn’t a perfect game; it’s a bold experiment in how two -mediums can tell a larger story, and at times it pays off. It would be foolish for every game to attempt to emulate this form of storytelling, but Quantum Break as a gaming oddity deserves attention. I wish the events of the show were more significant to the main story, but Quantum Break more than makes up for that with some of the best storytelling and gameplay Remedy has ever produced.

Like last year, if you absolutely have to have motion controls, I suggest you go with the Move. Putting in particular is harder with the Move, but it's also more accurate in general over Xbox 360's Kinect. The Kinect motion controls are dumbed down to the point where the game does a lot of the work for you.

Even though Tiger 14 has a similar setup as Tiger 13, I had more fun with the newer game because its constituent parts mesh better. For a golfer, getting everything in synch is important.

War for Cybertron isn't a perfect game, but it fulfills my youthful fantasies in a way that has me believing the developers had a window into my boyhood imagination.

This is a great PES with which to kick off the new systems – it retains its heart while staking out vital new directions. It's not the largest of milestones and it has its stumbles, but it already puts the franchise on more firm footing than last generation.

When Twisted Metal embraces the series traditions, it delivers the best action ever seen in the franchise. When it departs from convention, however, it becomes a hit or miss affair.

What Hellgate does, it does well – few games have core gameplay this strong. However, it doesn’t venture far outside of the scope of filling an XP bar or finding that next upgrade. The story isn’t much more than a thin excuse to kill demons, and the truly memorable encounters are few and far between. If you like faster-paced combat than you’ll find in the rest of the MMO genre, though, this could be a great fit.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy succeeds with everything it sets out to do, bringing three great games to modern consoles in their most approachable forms to date. I was fully immersed in its classic courtroom battles in the 80 or so hours it took me to get through all three titles. Even though not every trial is a winner, the majority are, and with a new suite of quality-of-life improvements, it's never been easier or more enjoyable to experience Apollo Justice's journey.

Heat Signature’s strength lies in its ability to make you think fast when you have all the time in the world.

The different online options and new penalty taking system are welcome, but aren't enough to let this title stand on its own two feet. [May 2010, p.98]

If you're looking for a stiff challenge and a captivating atmosphere to lose yourself in, look no further.