Retro City Rampage is a noble effort and a labor of love, but the final product reminded me of my most frustrating gaming memories just as frequently as my fondest.

There’s a famous saying from former footballer Gary Lineker that “football is a simple game – 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes – and at the end, the Germans always win.” I want to make a similar assessment of EA’s yearly soccer game: FIFA 23 is a good game – it’s flashy, fun to play, and has a lot of modes – but in the end, you realize it’s mostly the same game you’ve been playing for years.

With my 100-percent playthrough clocking in at about five hours, Is This Seat Taken is a satisfying snack of a game. Complete with a chill soundtrack and a cute art style, it felt like a breath of fresh air. While I played it on PC, it would feel right at home on the go on its other platforms, Switch and mobile. It's an easy recommendation for anyone even slightly interested in puzzle games.

Progression is player-driven, combat is even more entertaining, and an array of other adjustments makes it one of my favorite RPGs from a mechanical perspective. I just want all of that integrated with a story that isn't laughable and borderline insulting, and that's where Final Fantasy XIII-2 falters. [Feb 2012, p.88]

Street skating is all about adapting to your surroundings and making a skate spot out of anything that crosses your path. Don't pass this game up or you're going to miss a killer session.

Rising Tide is an overhauled look at the core experience, and it would be difficult to go back to Beyond Earth without the myriad enhancements the expansion offers. As with Civilization V before it, Beyond Earth looks like it’s becoming all it can be as it evolves with these upgrades.

Compared to the intense and demanding levels in "Stuntman," it's a bit thin. However, accept Warzones for what it is and you'll have a fine time. [Sept 2002, p.84]

If you're searching for a first-class RPG with great writing and complex combat, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn shouldn't even be on your radar. But if you can handle an unhealthy dose of JRPG stereotypes and don't mind breezing through encounters, some fun is waiting to be unearthed here.

A well-rounded game that offers rich offensive and defensive strategies, fluid animations and movement, and solid AI across the board. You really get a good sense for how your player’s weight affects their movements, and also how your teammates are going to react to certain situations.

Prey is a masterpiece that simply should not be missed. [Aug 2006, p.80]

Though the menu system can be awkward at times, and the tutorials need smoothing over, this is an excellent offering for a rookie release. [Nov 2001, p.128]

Delivers infinite replay value and a sound investment for anyone who has a craving for an aggressive virtual pet. [Jan 2003, p.122]

While the graphics leave much to be desired and the quality of the CG cutscenes is crude at best, Armed and Dangerous is in the most side-splitting of ways, pure comic genius. [Jan 2004, p.144]

While OutRun 2 has some moments (when the Viagra takes hold) where it's "still got it," the game is pretty much past its prime. [Dec 2004, p.183]

I didn't think pinball would work on such a small screen, but I was proven wrong by Zen Pinball 3D. The biggest drawback is the age of the tables, but the core mechanics provide fun and addictive pinball on the go.

It still offers frantic side-scrolling action, but doesn't live up to the glorious old-school fragfests of recent titles like "Metal Slug 3." [Dec 2004, p.190]

It's just plain awesome to kick the head of a zombie and watch it thrash away on the floor. [Oct 2002, p.88]

Wolfenstein: The New Order is a positive step forward for the series after the last dud. Machine Games presents a competent shooter with more polish and a better array of characters, but ultimately the game feels more comfortable recompiling established conventions than it does striving for innovation.

I love so many of the ideas behind Scarlet Grace and its inventive nature, but it can’t assemble those elements into a consistent experience. Scarlet Grace has its flaws and frustrations, but it also colors outside the lines of the genre. Sometimes that’s good and exciting. Other times, it’s just scribbles.

The amazing cutscenes (with some of the best facial animations I’ve ever seen), a cool cast of characters, and the stirring musical score complement the gameplay to create an incredibly cinematic experience. It may invite comparisons to other action titles, but I can safely say that Heavenly Sword is a unique and captivating adventure with a style all its own.

Part of me was disappointed with Dragon Age II. I hoped for an improvement on the original, but it ultimately feels like a step back. [Apr 2011, p.85]

I don't think this applies to the casual fan, but if you've been playing this series for as long as I have, you're going to be heartened by some of the changes and additions in ­NCAA ­13.

If you’re still a fan of the old school approach to storytelling and gameplay, you’ll be pleased to know that Vesperia is a tour de force of what you love. For the rest of us, this series meets our modest expectations, albeit with a pretty visual overlay.

Sometimes when you’re golfing you nail a hole because you bail yourself out with a superb putt, chip, or tee shot. But this game is instead like masterfully shot hole, where each stroke feels just right.

Routine is a survival-horror game in the lightest of senses. There are robots and creatures to run/hide from occasionally, and you have little in your arsenal to fight back, but that genre tag is a misnomer – this is a puzzle experience drenched in tension and terror. With your CAT tool and the wits you’d hope appear if you, yourself, were placed in this terrible situation, a seductive Pandora’s box of escape rooms awaits you.

The most beautiful PC game on the market. [Dec 2003, p.182]

Weirdly, the more Eldest Souls handed me my butt on a bloodstained platter, the more it grew on me. Hitting walls opened my eyes to the smart nuances in combat and made each mammoth confrontation even more exciting. Once the game clicked, I gleefully charged into the action, excited to add another monstrous head to my proverbial wall. A New Game + mode ups the ante on these titans and keeps you on your toes. Eldest Souls is a no-brainer if you already enjoy punishing games of this ilk, but the forgiving health system and honed-in challenge may entice newcomers to brave its dangers.

Little Inferno is unlike any game I've played. It has a big heart that blends perfectly with its dark tones and simple gameplay scope. Days removed from playing it, I'm still thinking about it. I'm recommending it to my friends who love Braid, Unfinished Swan, and Journey.