The most striking thing about N++ is how little has changed, even while so much content has been added. There is little flash or grandeur to Metanet’s definitive and supposedly final N game, but for devoted and patient players, there’s a tremendous amount of value here, along with a gameplay formula that has been refined into its current form over more than a decade.

Six careers blend in plenty of interesting variety, though pacing gets unexpectedly slow in the adventure-style diagnostic and forensic modes.

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.

Sure, the project has had its share of missteps, but it's also been full of powerful moments that surpass your average experience with a video game.

The original Cave Story is a great game, and what is being offered here is the same at the core. It looks a bit bland, but it's still fun to play, the music is still great, and the story is still interesting.

Despite the formulaic plot, some of the characters are endearing (a giant bear!), and several dungeons make excellent use of a multi-party mechanic that lets you put all of your ­accumulated warriors to good use.

Though camera problems and outdated level design are present at times, the moments of exhilaration, discovery, and satisfaction far outweigh those pitfalls. It feels like ages since I've played something like Yooka-Laylee. This is a game that was built for those who look back with fondness on the classics that spawned it, and in that regard, it delivers completely.

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.

It's smoother, prettier, and features a new Tower mode that rewards players with unlockable art based on the franchise's history. [May 2005, p.130]

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.

Spidey's acrobatic moves are also captured perfectly, and experimenting with his powers is the most enjoyable aspect of this adventure. [Nov 2005, p.142]

The Odd Gentlemen have done a fine job with its storytelling, though the puzzles and the ways they’ve been incorporated in the tale have been inconsistent.

Spidey's acrobatic moves are also captured perfectly, and experimenting with his powers is the most enjoyable aspect of this adventure. [Nov 2005, p.142]

Yooka-Laylee liberally shatters the fourth wall by acknowledging its own existence as a game. Each time dialogue happened between characters, I eagerly awaited jokes about other games. You even get herded through quiz-style sequences; thankfully, these don't serve as roadblocks as much as they do fun allusions to games like Banjo-Kazooie. I laughed out loud at these silly references on multiple occasions, and some of the fun story moments are just as amusing as the gameplay.

There's no denying how adorable the puppies are, how amazing the technology that runs them is, or how much stuff there is to find, but I can't help thinking that bending the rules of reality would have made for a better game, in the traditional sense. [Sept 2005, p.114]

Mr. Run and Jump may look unassuming on the surface, but the challenges that await will have you screaming in frustration until they have you shouting in triumph. Though the trial-and-error style of each difficult room sometimes wore on me, after each success, I couldn’t wait to see what hurdles I needed to clear next.

An incredibly enjoyable and complex city-builder. [Jan 2005, p.143]

The gameplay and structure lay the nostalgia on thick, but even those parts of Yooka-Laylee pale in comparison to the narrative. Whenever characters speak, the onscreen text is accompanied by grunting sounds like those found in Banjo-Kazooie. This is a charming callback at first, but when you're out in the hub world and the main villain begins taunting you repeatedly, it becomes annoying.

If you do happen to have four friends who are Zelda fanatics and GBA owners, you are going to have the time of your life playing this game. [June 2004, p.130]

It may not be as polished or balanced as Gears of War or Killzone, but Earth Defense Force 2025 is full of gleeful carnage and B-movie charm that make it hard to put down.

Judgment tells a sprawling, action-packed story that veers dangerously close to melodrama without falling apart. It has some genuinely shocking moments, and proves that you don’t need Kiryu or Majima as tour guides to have a great time in Kamurocho.

As a big Final Fantasy fan and enthusiast of video game music in general, I love being able to appreciate these classics in a new way. I'll always get a chill listening to the intense orchestral version of "One-Winged Angel" or the happy-go-lucky chocobo theme. The tacked-on progression system may be unsatisfying, but it doesn't stop Theatrhythm from being a fun, simple rhythm game with an amazing musical library.

The Walking Dead remains a narrative-heavy experience. Thanks to the unique art style, I often felt like I was watching a motion comic instead of playing a game, but as long as the game's narrative remains strong, I don't mind. I just hope later episodes can be as creative with the gameplay as they are with the story.

More of a throwback to classic arcade shoot-em-ups like "Berserk" and "Smash TV," than a cinematic epic like "Grand Theft Auto III." [Apr 2002, p.70]

Mirror’s Edge’s gameplay is adrenaline-filled and beautifully tailored, but the experience does end up feeling a bit hollow as the game runs out of new tricks to show the player. In the second half of the game, I started second guessing if I had already run across a particular section. I also became so in-tune with specific challenges that I could do them with my eyes closed...Regardless, this is one of those genre-defining games that everyone needs to see. DICE has pulled off a miraculous feat that hopefully will inspire other FPS developers.

If you're into insane boss fights and haven't already hit this up on another system, Lost Planet deserves to be found. [Mar 2008, p.100]

This entire game is held up by the comedy that it delivers, and as a result, I don't think I've laughed this hard in years. [Oct. 2006, p.95]

This is actually one of the better games of this ilk I've played in quite some time. [Oct 2003, p.131]