Graphically, it's a masterpiece. [Jan 2006, p.136]

Immortal Throne’s not going to change the way you look at action/RPGs, but it breathes some new life into one of last year’s better games. For my money, that’s an expansion I can support.

Despite these issues, Joe Danger Infinity remains in the auto-running elite with quirky characters and backgrounds, responsive touch controls, and enticing progression rewards. While the old stuntman hasn’t learned many new tricks, Joe’s still got it where it counts.

Avowed is a confident and fulfilling fantasy adventure without pretension, accomplished by a studio that knows what it’s delivering. It may not change your world, but its world should be more than enough to satisfy.

Even with the omission of late hits, NFL Blitz is an old-school arcade experience that hasn't lost the fun factor it had a decade-and-a-half ago. As a casual football fan who hasn't seen more than three regular season NFL games this year, it still managed to win me over with its fast-paced action. Blitz's gameplay will seem unmistakably familiar to fans of the original, but it's still a great title to have in your library to pull out for the occasional game.

Dontnod does a great job at introducing these new characters and fleshing them out, and it will be interesting to see how Daniel comes to terms with his life-changing powers.

Etrian Odyssey V feels close to what the series has done before, but the new classes and skills keep things from getting too dull. For those who enjoy retro RPGs, love building characters, and don't mind grinding for victory, that’s certainly all here. Still, the tedium and slow-paced nature of the game leave a lot to be desired, and the feeling of déjà vu left me wanting more.

Sleeping Dogs has enough entertainment value to justify Square Enix's decision to save it from cancellation, but it also displays a lack of polish that makes its troubled development evident. [Sept 2012, p.90]

FIFA is still doomed to feel a little stiff due to its reliance on set animations to govern play, and there are plenty of frustrating AI mistakes that linger. [Oct 2005, p.128]

Remnant II is most successful as a tour through a series of disparate dimensions, each contending with their own battles against the villainous Root plaguing their world. The gunplay is solid, the co-op with up to two other players works great, and the lore is fascinating (if you want to dig deep). Remnant II’s plot, characters, and progression are where it falls short, but I like its third-person shooter take on mechanics and ideas borrowed from the Souls games.

For fans of this long-running series, Skies Unknown doesn’t live up to its name. This is the Ace Combat we’ve known and loved for decades, and it’s great to have it back. The dogfighting is rightfully the highlight and will give your reflexes a good workout.

It's still a hell of a game, but if you come back to it year in and year out, this season's offering doesn't have much of a spark.

Outside of the lack of meaningful additions, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is still a massive and compelling timesink, offering over 90 beasts to pursue and defeat.

Striking and intense moments make up the bulk of 400 Days' appeal.

The IsoMotion controls are still difficult to master, and the story-driven 24/7 mode still lacks decent team AI, but these faults pale in comparison to the amount of things Visual Concepts does right with this hoops title.

If it had been made by an upstart studio trying to make a name for itself, we’d be praising its ambition and presentation. Coming from Relic Entertainment as the follow-up to one of the landmark real-time strategy games in the genre’s history, though, it fails to meet expectations.

In the end, everything is sharply pulled into focus with a simple, but dramatic final story revelation and level. It made me want to replay the game from my new perspective and even seek out the collectibles I had earlier written off as unnecessary. Many elements of Rime are familiar, but it is an effective use of the medium and expertly builds up to (and executes) its cathartic finale.

Fortunately, the good parts in Red Steel 2 are quite good. The combo system is flexible and offers room for experimentation.

For all three games, the feeling of repetition never sinks in, a factor that goes a long way in making this trilogy a blast to play. It's good to have Crash back in the limelight. I hope this isn't the last we see of him.

Don’t let the cutie-pie exterior fool you — Ninjatown is a gamer’s game through and through.

Maybe it's unfair to compare Moto GP '06 and "Tourist Trophy" because they are on different systems(Xbox 360 and PS2, respectively), but whereas the latter comes off as clinical, Moto GP '06 gets the blood pumping. [July 2006, p.107]

Despite all of these cool minor additions, the core gameplay feels mostly like one big retread. With all of the great new games coming out this holiday, it’s hard to justify replaying this series. For diehard fans, however, this is the definitive LEGO Star Wars game.

Ultimately, Wii Fit Plus is basically the same game, slightly expanded. If you liked the first game for a while but lost interest, it’s hard to say that this one will keep you coming back.

Yes, it is a platformer; but the excellenet play mechanics coupled with the unlockable movie clips and smooth character animations make this title a pleasant surprise. [August 2002, p.91]

In most ways a duplicate of the first Karaoke game that appeared on PS2, I was disappointed to see so little new content in the transition to the Xbox. [Dec 2004, p.183]

Watching Alta grow and accept her limitations will stick with me and make me reflect on my own inability to turn off and just relax.

The strength of this game’s racing only makes its lack of growth in other fundamental areas all the more baffling. How easy would it be for Gran Turismo to rule the racing world if Polyphony put half the effort it does into capturing muffler audio into areas like a new career mode, pacing, and other features that rival franchises have conquered long ago?

Marvel Cosmic Invasion follows in the footsteps of Shredder’s Revenge by offering a smartly modernized take on the arcade games of yesteryear. It’s not the deepest package, nor does it completely shatter this genre’s reliable mold, but anyone bearing a nostalgia for the Marvel arcade brawlers of old will have a great time smacking around villains as Earth’s – and the galaxy’s – mightiest heroes.