PS2 people, you have your first must-own title. With gameplay that takes the best bits of all the games which have come before it, SSX practically redefines snowboarding excitement.

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]

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

Cut the Rope should be another huge hit for Chillingo. The simple premise is executed with clean, beautiful graphics, responsive multi-touch controls, awesome physics, and top-notch level design. Om Nom never ate so well.

Simultaneously increasing the realism of the experience of big mountain boarding and tearing the throat out of board-physics as we know it, SSX 3 completely revolutionizes the snowboardercross concept.

Excellent graphics, superb story, addictive gameplay, and a simple interface combine to blast 3D real-time strategy into the vastness of space.

Realistic scenarios in realistic environments add to Splinter Cell’s tantalizing world of covert operations. With a strong overall package of incredible features, the stealth/action genre has a new hero.

The game plays great with the standard Dreamcast control pad as long as you switch the "fire" button to the Left shift button and of course you can use the DC keyboard and Mouse for PC-perfect play.

Okami shames them simply by being the genuine article: A stunningly gorgeous and unique masterpiece that effortlessly blends art and storytelling with puzzles and amusement. Miss this landmark effort at your peril. [Oct. 2006, p.78]

Most importantly and most powerfully, however: The completely open-ended nature of this experience creates a very real sense of infinite possibilities.

Heck, it might just be the best console RPG of all time. It's deep, complex and tremendously addictive. From the amazing character development system to the engaging and satisfying combat, Fallout 3 has everything you could want in an RPG experience.

Granted, Gears 2 isn't the smartest shooter on the market, but for now, it is probably the must-own title of this holiday season for Xbox 360 gamers.

With smart A.I., great controls, and a take-no-prisoners approach to football, it should earn All-Pro status again...a straight-ahead, hard-as-knuckles football game.

Not as flashy as FIFA, but its overwhelming features and gameplay options have such depth that you could play for several years and still not see or experience everything in the game.

Of the three console-exclusive characters, Link requires the most finesse to stay competitive but not so much that younger players will get frustrated.

Nothing but a journey full of wild discoveries, intense battles, and fun gameplay. To date, this is the best Dreamcast RPG that no one should miss.

Skyward Sword​ is absolutely packed with content. There's hardly any fluff to be found in the 35 hours or so it takes to complete the main quest, outside of the typically sluggish opening scenes. But I feel like Zelda should be going back to its roots and becoming less linear, rather than moreso. It's a curious decision, and I'm not sure it'll sit particularly well with longtime Zelda fans.

Overall, Super Circuit handles like a front-runner, but sometimes the windshield needs cleaning.

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.

Viewtiful Joe is immediate, extremely challenging, and grows progressively deeper as you advance. It is frantic, exhilarating, and addictive. In short, it is a classic and everything a game should be.

The game is not perfect, but at the end of the day it's still a very satisfying experience.

A mandatory addition to any Castlevania fan's game library.

Beats its predecessor with souped-up visuals, new characters and moves, improved tutorials, hundreds of unlockable items, and the amazingly deep Quest mode. And this is a Greatest Hits title? Insane bargain alert!

It’s a testament to the strength of Knights’ original design that it manages to be gripping and engaging while in the midst of distracting technical problems.

Despite having a unique look, the visuals certainly aren't the highlight of Paper Mario. It's the fun adventure, mixing intuitive controls and straightforward gameplay that make this a great addition to the N64 library.

The most balanced version, combining the best qualities of the PC and PS2 games into one well-rounded offering. [Sept 2005, p.53]

With an impressive variety of modes, cars, and customization options, this realistic and stunningly rendered racer is one of the best driving games on the App Store.

The game isn't flawless, nor is it technically finished - a good many quests fall into a "kill 20 of enemy X and collect 9 of item Y" pattern, a lot of promised end-game content still isn't in, and there are still bugs being squashed - but it's easily the closest MMORPGs have yet come to perfection. If this one doesn't hook you, nothing will.