Koei's obviously performed emergency surgery on the AI routines, because everyone's a thousand times smarter now.

Even without the board, though, I'd recommend Shaun White's Wii adventure over his less impressive 360 and PS3 treks. It's a tighter, more polished experience that puts the focus on fun over the other entries' ambitious, but not always rewarding free-roaming gameplay.

A good, well-crafted action game, but it definitely shows its age. It’s also quite possibly the hardest SNES game ever made, which, by the way, makes it too hard.

Beat the Heat games are the best part of this speedster, cleverly mixing a variety of cool driving techniques with engrossing competition.

The Thing definitely provides, and the care the developers have taken to keep the tone similar to the film is icing on the cake.

Unfortunately, the game shows not only its age, but also the console’s age and its considerable weaknesses.

The latest Blitz for the Dreamcast is not a huge improvement over the last one, but there is enough here for true Blitz fans to pick up the sequel.

Phoenix Wright fans who loved the past games and want nothing more than another docket of crazy cases to tackle will no doubt love Apollo Justice. It's a solid distillation of the franchise formula and if you haven't yet had your fill, I wholly recommend the game, because you will no doubt enjoy it. But I personally couldn't get over how derivative the game felt.

The character dialogue is well-written, and its 30 levels make it a fairly lengthy platformer, so at its $1.99 price point it'd be a shame to pass it up.

A solid mix of visual flair, musical excellence, and story-driven gameplay.

While Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition is a complete and solid game, the types of updates and outright lack of change in the production (we couldn't even get a new theme song or stages?) might not make the casual fans impulsively buy this update. Even $15 is a bit steep for features you might not use, and the $40 retail disk isn't a terrific option when Super Street Fighter IV retails anywhere from $10 to $30, depending on where you're buying it from.

Arc I is too short; Arc II is rewarding but drags on a bit; and Arc III looks bland. The overall story, though, makes all three worth playing in the long run.

The only things holding this game back from true greatness are the jumpy camera and choppy controls.

Though it's not as scientifically challenging as Victorious Boxers, KK 2002 is still a vast improvement over the last one and a satisfyingly addictive slugfest for pro boxing fans.

In this captivating outing, 47 revisits the past while modernizing the nagging flaws of his previous games, making for his best trail of assassinations yet.

Last year’s installment still has a lot more replay value and there are plenty of noteworthy soccer alternatives for the GameCube that you can spend your money on.

An outstanding single-player game coupled with an innovative and addictive multiplayer mode makes Pandora Tomorrow one of the premier titles available today on any console. [Sept 2004, p.82]

An addictive and undeniably daring game that feels more urgent and less epic than most RPGs, and the battle system is masterful. But it’s nothing like previous Breath of Fire games, and the forced repetition might kill it for you.

Another great aspect of the game was its length: while there are only seven islands in total, there is a surprising amount of content that is unlocked. The graphics are also excellent as are the designs and layouts of the various levels.

Although the game is short, it manages to stay fresh thanks to the way new areas and moves are doled out.

I think the real conversation is whether or not it's the best baseball game of all time. In my opinion, it is the greatest video game simulation of America's past time ever.

If you absolutely love the game and plan on playing for a while longer, you'll want to spring for this just to make sure you don't miss out on the experience. But if you are a casual player, you can probably pass on it and just be happy with the maps that came with the game.

Still, Silent Hill Origins succeeds on so many levels that it will not disappoint fans of the series. [Dec 2007, p.128]

It's unique and memorable, and with two new enjoyable multiplayer modes, fans of puzzle games are sure to get their money's worth with Chime Super Deluxe. If you didn't catch the original Chime when it came out last year, be sure to check out this latest iteration. The definitive version is not to be missed.

The A.I. is much brighter, and the difficulty levels are scaled more smoothly. The controls could use a crisper auto-aim and more efficient item management, but otherwise handle great.

Music is absent from the game, but you probably won't notice that either with the sounds of revving engines, squealing tires, and flying trashcans filling your ears.

Sure, the chatter between characters is pretty hokey at times - and is that old guy a walking stick with a head? - but that doesn't overshadow that Culdcept is an interesting and unique game idea. It's worth a look to see if it will offer you a break from the routine.

The disturbing visual style and complex play mechanics may overcome any minor deficiencies to result in a game that is surprisingly engrossing. [June 2005, p.90]