As fun as these excursions into petty theft and extortion might be, the essence of The Warriors is combat, and it's the first game in ages to truly nail it.

Though the game has a few faults, such as some occasional background pop-in and a few minor AI issues, the whole experience is a blast (literally), and you'd be missing a great action experience by not checking this one out.

Ultimately, Final Fantasy IV remains the same epic experience it was 17 years ago, and improvements on the DS are a welcome treat for fans of the series and newcomers to the franchise. [Aug 2008, p.80]

Overall, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is pretty much a picture-perfect port that won't disappoint fans or newcomers to the series. [Sept. 2009, p.82]

As a highly competent, technically polished, but otherwise straightforward first-person shooter, F.E.A.R. is a safe bet for the Xbox 360 action fiend. It may not replace "Halo 2" in your FPS collection, but it sure as hell beats playing "Perfect Dark Zero" for the fourteenth time.

It's fun for a while, but the overly simplified game mechanics and repetitive shoot-and-run gameplay wouldn't amount to much without the extraordinary visuals and awesome concept.

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.

Turok has more fire power more control over its environment, and more gruesome graphics than other corridor shooters. The rest are Doomed to failure.

Take gorgeous graphics, intense action, and interesting gameplay concepts, marry it to the legendary Castlevania franchise and release it on the DS. [Nov 2008, p.100]

All told, this is a great debut for the Prince of Persia series on the PS3 and Xbox 360. [Jan 2009, p.74]

Cerebral gamers and those with world-conquering ambitions should definitely give this one a try. [Aug 2008, p.76]

Capcom really did a great job of walking the fine line between paying homage to the classic and moving in a new direction. Of course, Rearmed isn't perfect: the controls take some getting used to, the hacking mini-game's sort of lame, and the game is still brutally tough--curse you spiked floors!--but it's a great update that I heartily recommend to old school NES fans and new gamers alike.

No one's going to beat 2K5 on price, and the game's as tough as nails on the court. [Dec 2004, p.142]

Winter Assault is, ultimately, a modest expansion pack that will manage to satisfy, if not thrill, Dawn of War diehards. In this topsy-turvy world, sometimes that's more than enough.

For all its similarity to Silent Hill 2, the third installment still manages to set itself apart with more variety, slightly improved combat, more logical puzzles, a different enough story, and even better visuals in their own grainy nonconformist way.

Great game, minor faults, a lot of fun to be had, terrible story but the gameplay holds up despite it. Maybe this "sleeping on it" thing has some merit, after all.

I think gamers who are hungry for skating but tired of Tony Hawk should give this title a try. There are plenty of similarities, but I think the actual gameplay is unique and enjoyable and will appeal to many.

Sure, Far Cry 2 is a bit hardcore, and it's blend of breakneck shooting sequences and more meandering exploration might not be for everyone. However, if you're craving a shooter with a bit more bite than the increasingly casual competition, and one with more substance than the familiar run-and-gun fare, then you'll be hard pressed to beat this content-rich offering.

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]

The game also has a tightly implemented control scheme, including an awesome strafe system that all but eliminates lock-on issues.

Compared to D2D, "Thunder's" cars don't handle as smoothly and its Career mode is heavy on complexity and short on fun. [Dec 2002, p.194]

It's just the kind of game for people that thought NBA Hangtime, Open Ice, and WWF Arcade were as real as they need in a sports game.

Dynamic action, tons of features, and highly-detailed visuals come together for the first significant step forward of console first-person shooters since "Halo: Combat Evolved." While there are a few minor quibbles, you're assured to become addicted to Bad Company's twitch gameplay.

The Story mode also has one of the best golf tutorials around as characters in the Practice Area give you challenges in exchange for experience points. [July 2004, p.86]

Developer Treyarch did a fantastic job of not reinventing the wheel with World at War. Rather, they took the best elements of Modern Warfare and expanded upon them. The end product is a thrilling experience that injects some of the visceral punch back into World War II.

Chaos Rising is a great first expansion, and while new players looking to try the single-player should start with the original game, it's an instant purchase for those of you looking for some good online RTS mayhem.

Bomberman is the rare game that feels as natural after a round of Uno as it does after a Gears of War deathmatch. The action could come a bit quicker, but when it does, it's still a thrill after all these years.

My only criticism is its price – while I hate quibbling over bucks, $5 does feel a bit steep. Then again, I bought the app with my own cash, and so far I've spent hours on it – so I can't complain too loudly.