It's classic side-scrolling action like it was originally designed to be played. The two selectable characters and brain-spraining puzzles mean you'll get more than your money's worth in replay value.

It's large, it's intense, it's huge, and it looks and sounds great. Vagrant Story is a true classic action/RPG in every sense that will hook you in from the start and never let go.

One main feature that clearly separates Underground from other street racers is its visual presentation. The nighttime glow in the metropolis does take some time to get used to, but the evening air quickly adds to the stunning scenery and detailed avenues as you travel at high RPMs.

The speed has also been cranked, so that skaters fly through the levels at an insane velocity. [Nov 2002, p.50]

The epitome of an addictive multiplayer game that has just the right amount of action and team strategy to make it worth every cent to play online.

Even restrained by the PlayStation’s limited horsepower, the player models look reasonably good, and they move incredibly smoothly and with lifelike realism.

Without a doubt, this game shows that originality in gaming is very much alive and kicking, even if it is wrapped inside a sensitive subject. If you want a true military experience without going through boot camp, Full Spectrum Warrior is it.

Fight Night's Career mode should be the model that other boxing games should follow...Hands down, Fight Night 2004 is the victor in all weight classes this year. [May 2004, p.84]

Battleship is actually more enjoyable as a downloadable game than as a board game. Fun sound effects, an attractive board with ships that sink, and even gently rolling water make this a sweet looking game.

The GameCube controller doesn't quite offer the potential of the Wii remote, so slicing down enemies and firing arrows isn't quite as engaging.

Its brilliance is in a seamless and convincing storytelling that begins with the opening cinematic and never stops unfolding, developing, and engaging. With each new expansion, each contact, crisis, and step closer to ultimate resolution, Alpha Centauri is a hell of a yarn.

The rarest of things: a video game with looks, brains, and heart.

Regardless of whether or not you like roguelikes, or even RPGs in general, this is a game that you're going to want to try out.

MLB 11: The Show is so full of the heart and soul of baseball that even jaded baseball video gamers have to admit how close it is to the real thing.

Cheesy voice-acting by minor characters is the only real flaw here.

There's a real sense of progression to Arkham City in its gameplay, in its story, in the variety of its missions (the abundance of open world side-quests will keep you busy for a long, long time), and in the evolution of its pointy-eared protagonist, that really deserves to be commended.

Exciting missions, unbelievable visuals and sound, and, like the first Rogue and Naboo, a replay factor through the roof.

There's a real sense of progression to Arkham City in its gameplay, in its story, in the variety of its missions (the abundance of open world side-quests will keep you busy for a long, long time), and in the evolution of its pointy-eared protagonist, that really deserves to be commended.

Burnout Paradise offers one of the most intense racing experiences around. It won't wow you with a high degree of realism like Gran Turismo will but for pure racing action, it is one of the best titles ever produced.

Kudos to EA Sports for not being afraid to juice the complexity factor of an already complex game. Rookies will have to pay their dues, but veterans get treated to a brand-new challenge. [Sept 2005, p.82]

Whether you're looking for a solo diversion or online camaraderie, personal expression, or community inclusion, there's just no good reason whatsoever not to dive in and explore the many wild worlds of LittleBigPlanet 2.

The first-rate gunnin’ action takes precedence over everything else in the game. This is one crisis that all pistol enthusiasts should make time for.

It's a brilliantly bizarre, insanely fun 3D-platformer extraordinaire, and a wonderfully ironic swan song for the N64.

Regardless of whether you played it already or are new to the series, you owe it to yourself to check out this amazing title. [Dec 2008, p.97]

Excellent control scheme with key tweaks makes the gameplay versatile and very fun.

Totally revamped from the ground up, and it shows. Great graphics and the best gameplay the series has seen in years.

A brilliant, dazzling wonder, no matter how you feel about Link's new pants... If this game doesn't make you happy, then it's impossible for you to be happy. [Apr 2003, p.94]

The bar for music games has been irrefutably raised. Like magic, gamers can now be transformed into musicians... provided they don't run screaming for the hills at the first sight of a barre chord.

Complete with giant bosses, exciting gameplay, days of exploration, and an involving narrative, this is the best Castlevania game in years. More importantly, it’s Castlevania in 3D but done right.

Not only the proverbial sequel-better-than-its-original, but it’s also deep, challenging, and intelligent on a level that action games usually don’t reach.

With its innovative Geo-Mod technology that allows players to blast away the environments as well as enemies, and an awesome (and lengthy) storyline, this game packs in plenty of thrills.

An ungodly huge, ambitious, daunting, free time–consuming vortex of RPG goodness.

Hilarious, perfectly paced, and just the right amount of difficulty. Very few puzzles are total stumpers.

On the field is where Madden is money. All the player models have received another megadose of polygons. The PS2 looks even better than last year's version, but the Xbox and the GameCube really shine.

It took a long time for Killzone 2 to finally come out, but after diving head first into the game, there's no doubt in my mind that it lives up to the hype and is a must-play for FPS fans. [Mar 2009, p.70]

But the best of all may be Advanced Wanted mode, which ditches many of the indicators and forces you to rely almost entirely on your observation skills to detect your targets. It's super tough, but incredibly rewarding.

No review can truly capture the magnificence of God of War II. There are memorable moments galore, the kind that you'll try in vain to describe to your friends but words can't fully do justice to this game.

It does, at times, go beyond expectations to give gamers a true masterpiece.

As much as I liked the single-player, even I have to admit that the multiplayer is where the real action is, and its new additions should (hopefully) help counterbalance some (but probably not all) of the dissension that will arise from the n00b friendly changes I noted.

Displays great imagination and attention to detail that is at once challenging, innovative, and fun. It accomplishes the task of re-creating the venerable beat-em-up genre with honor. [Mar 2004, p.62]

I seriously cannot think of a single flaw in CoD4, and trust me, I looked for them. From the amazing graphics to the intense and compelling single-player campaign to the feature loaded and addictive multiplayer, this game has it all.

To the Moon is a rare treat in this current crop of game releases. It doesn't break new ground with its storytelling, and it won't drop jaws with its unfolding action, but that's exactly what makes it a different kind of game. It calls for a moment of your time, and your undivided attention. It involves a lot of reading and a very little strategy. It explores a human concept -- the dying wish -- and invites you to come along. It's simple, poignant, and full of heart.

The true wonder of the game isn’t in normal mapping or Havok physics, but rather in the low-tech ways in which the game turns skulking in the dark into tons of fun. There’s still room in this business for loving craftsmanship and intelligent design, and Deadly Shadows has both.

Sacrifice weaves together an intricate story, addictive gameplay, and drop-dead gorgeous graphics.

Alpha 3 truly excels with its plethora of extra play-modes.

Practice makes perfect, and Wipeout makes you scream. [The control] takes some time, but you'll be able to corner hairpins faster than a debutante on prom night.

Totally revamped from the ground up, and it shows. Great graphics and the best gameplay the series has seen in years.

It isn't the best open-world game out there, but it does a sublime job of capturing what it feels like to be the head of a virtual crime family. [Apr 2009, p.81]

The Playstation 3 finally gets its "savior", Kojima gets his masterpiece, and gamers get one of the best games of all time. [July 2008, p.72]

Anyone who ever considered an action/RPG should run straight to the store and sell their souls for Diablo II.

Developers have been consistently improving upon touch-based platformer controls on the iPhone and Pizza Boy offers a wonderful continuation of that trend with a large, yet unobtrusive control panel forming the bottom of the screen.

Throughout the action, the controls handle sweetly, combining the depth of a large number of moves with smooth playability.

Admittedly, critiquing Minecraft's ready-made dungeons and NPC villages is a bit like complaining about the beans served alongside an immaculate five-star steak. Sure, the side-servings might be mediocre, but at its core Minecraft is one of the most forward-thinking games ever created. It spits in the face of the conventional games industry, and it's raked in millions of dollars while doing so

Silverfish is an expertly crafted arcade-style "shooter," and I expect to find myself playing it regularly for a long time to come.

Excellent controls, AI, and graphics make this hockey game a must have.

Everyday Shooter is one of the most compulsively re-playable games we've ever played and a terrific value. PS3 owners bemoaning the lack of quality titles should stop whining and get their hands on this budget-priced masterpiece immediately.

Brotherhood is the best showcase yet for the series' formidable quality and range, with an excellent campaign and an equally intriguing online approach, and while I hope the next one actually answers some questions, I can't begrudge Ubisoft in the slightest for giving us one more memorable voyage with Ezio.

With some of the best graphics the PS2 is likely to see in a sports game this year, Madden NFL 2001 also has the gameplay to back up the window dressing and a fat selection of options to tweak the game to your liking.

It's now been four years of exceptional releases since the introduction of the skill-stick and every year has been made steadily better, adding more and more features and refining them to such a degree that it should come as no surprise that NHL 10 is by far the best hockey game put out, a clear cut game of the year contender, and possibly the best sports game ever released.

It's incredible how much this feels like an actual Castlevania game. Everything from the weapon/armor customization and spells to the 32-bit art style makes this essentially a complete Castlevania game that just happens to have have a surprisingly fun puzzle-based battle system.

And that's what makes Undisputed 2010 such a success: it addresses the problems of the past while making subtle improvements that make the product better. The graphics are crisper, the animations are better, and several new tweaks make the actual fighting more enjoyable. Even the menu system and user interface is cleaner and easier to navigate.

Extraordinary.

Another masterpiece from DreamWorks and EA. Captivating graphics and sound combine with relentless, addictive action to deliver one of the year's best games.

Morrowind effortlessly grabs the other PC RPGs by the throat, swings them around, and leaves them in a heap on the side of the road.

MGS2 delivers everything it was teased, touted, hyped, and, in some circles, feared to be. It's easily one of the most memorable gaming experiences you're likely to have.

A truly dazzling, inspired game that mixes a riveting story with a stylish look and absorbing gameplay.

A rock ‘n’ rollin’, wrist-snapping slug of adrenaline on four-wheels that challenges you at every turn.

It's an instant classic and one that will occupy you for a long time to come. [Dec 2008, p.86]

For a game with such a heavy emphasis on medieval combat, Mount & Blade is just shy of perfection.

If you've ever had dreams of being a wartime tank commander, you just absolutely have to try it out.

At the end of the day, that's really what this Street Fighter is: it's a title that's built for newcomers, yet tweaked for old school vets from the arcade and console days. [Mar 2009, p.75]

On a visual level, the game looks simply awesome. It's not quite as detailed as "Vice City" or "San Andreas," but it absolutely destroys the original "GTA 3."

There's no doubt that Bioshock is one of the finest FPS games ever made and the PS3 port is stellar through and through. [Nov 2008, p.103]

The kind of high-quality game that's worth buying the day it's released.

Take Diddy for a test drive and you'll be hooked. It's the smoothest ride you can buy this holiday season.

A platformer only by heritage, Naughty Dog’s latest is an enormously entertaining, surprisingly dark, and enduring shrine to what makes games fun.

Thrilling, addictive gameplay loaded with tough battles and jaw-dropping moves that’ll lure even the most jaded b-ballers back to the court.

A basketball technician’s dream. Games against the CPU realistically mimic a real game, while scrimmages against friends received a boost of energy thanks to sped-up gameplay and better shot blocking. ESPN NBA Basketball 2K4 retains the top slot by just a hair.

More than just a solid sequel. Large levels with well-placed save points (a feature lacking in the first Splinter Cell) make the flow of the game seem much smoother.

Innovative, groundbreaking, stylish, and enjoyable.

Street Fighter IV 3D is an excellent fighting game that packs a reasonable challenge in one-player mode, but truly excels in multiplayer mode, where its lag-free fighting is surprisingly effective and fun.

This year's real highlight for Madden madmen is the buffed out A.I.: On defense, the game reacts more rapidly than ever to your offensive tendencies and in particular makes tough half time adjustments.

The tired, princess-saving formula never seems to change, but somehow Nintendo makes every visit to the Mushroom Kingdom feel like the first time.

Street’s sensational gameplay deftly combines competitive hoops and slick moves and dunks without delving into the realm of Jam’s absurd acrobatics.

With a ton of tricks, parks, and game modes, and the included park editor, THPS2 provides a great gaming experience with tons of replay value.

The new features, refined interface, and (above all) near-perfect sense of balance make this old dog feel vital and new.

A no-holds-barred chariot racer full of originality and pee-in-your-pants combat.

NHL 2001 takes this year's PlayStation Championship (against Sony's "FaceOff"), but it was a tight seven game showdown.

A landmark sports game. Not only is it the greatest football game we've yet seen, it's a masterclass in how to capture the essence of a sport. From they way it looks to the way it makes you think about how you play the game, FIFA 12 is brilliant, through and through.

A landmark sports game. Not only is it the greatest football game we've yet seen, it's a masterclass in how to capture the essence of a sport. From they way it looks to the way it makes you think about how you play the game, FIFA 12 is brilliant, through and through.

Whether you've played the original or not, Freespace 2 takes its place among the greatest space-flight sims of all-time.

Although this is said of almost every single new Rockstar product, Red Dead Redemption is arguably their best effort to date, if only because it distills all of the lessons they've learned from their previous titles into an engaging, expansive, and enthralling world. But the best part of Rockstar's open-world oater is its honest and open appreciation for the iconic Western genre. [Aug 2010, p.82]

In the realm of today’s high-powered next-gen role-players, BOFII is an excellent time-killer—not to mention one of the better entries in the series.

Whether it's the exhaustively full-featured leaderboards, gorgeous graphics, or community features, every element of Super QuickHook goes above and beyond what's expected of an indie game release on the App Store.

Not only is Thief an anti-shooter, it's also like an RPG without the trappings of levels, skills, and experience points. That's how it feels-again, as though I'm actually doing something.

Must-own material.

WCIII: FT follows Blizzard’s pattern of packing their expansion packs with just as much gameplay and story as the core game it augments.

Ninja Blade is a game full of awesome moments. It's not incredibly deep and it won't redefine the genre but it's a kick-ass title that will please action junkies looking for an adrenaline kick.