Surprise, surprise —UT 2004 looks absolutely fantastic. From the sprawling battlefields to the tiny blades of alien grass, there’s not one visual detail that looks less than stunning.

Sure, the single-player campaign can be a letdown. Your money's well-spent, however, once you log on and play with other people. [Mar 2004, p.63]

MLB 2005 has a great tactile feel - in your first trip to the plate, you'll notice right away how much the ball moves like it should coming off the bat...Will have strong appeal to diehard baseball fans. [May 2004, p.88]

An interesting attempt to expand the limits of a tried-and-true genre - just anticipate some frustration for the awkward interface and time-consuming stretches of trial-and-error. [May 2004, p.66]

Although HM: AWL has a mind-boggling array of options, it offers no relief from the monotony of the daily chores. In setting out to create the ultimate farming game, it seems Natsume has simulated the drudgery of farming in real life as well. [Apr 2004, p.99]

The superior force in online warfare and a real candidate for PC Game of the Year. If you’re fed up with Flak Cannons and Rail Guns, enlist with this platoon. Posthaste, soldier!

To put it bluntly, you'll lose all honor as a samurai if you attempt to swing this unsharpened sword that shamelessly uses the Seven Samurai name. [June 2004, p.71]

The open-ended levels seen in the original Tenchu are replaced with mostly linear levels that have artificial bottlenecks, forcing the player to follow specific paths.

Jetters may not have the multiplayer diversity of a Mario Party, but for primitive addiction, it plays to form.

It's faster and nastier than most of the kindred of "Resident Evil" at the cost of losing a bit of edge. [May 2004, p.71]

Despite a contrived love story, limited camera control, and levels that tend to drag, Konami has provided a refreshing change of pace in this punishing man-versus-nature offering that it requires you to stem the tide of destruction and actually save lives for once. [Apr 2004, p.74]

Never before has a sports game improved so much and added so many new features in a single season. It may not be the league-leader in every category, but excellent performances across the board make it the best baseball game of the year. [May 2004, p.86]

Despite its quirks and graphics that fall short of the original's, Naval Ops: Commander packs enough firepower to keep fans of the series stoked. Nonfans, however, may quickly get left in its wake. [May 2004, p.65]

It's faster and nastier than most of the kindred of "Resident Evil" at the cost of losing a bit of edge. [May 2004, p.71]

Never before has a sports game improved so much and added so many new features in a single season. It may not be the league-leader in every category, but excellent performances across the board make it the best baseball game of the year. [May 2004, p.86]

Twin Snakes isn't a bad game by any stretch, but as an opportunity to enhance an already awesome gaming experience, it misses the mark. [April 2004, p.64]

Never before has a sports game improved so much and added so many new features in a single season. It may not be the league-leader in every category, but excellent performances across the board make it the best baseball game of the year. [May 2004, p.86]

Visually, Rally 04 looks much better than previous versions. [May 2004, p.67]

With 194 availalable chips to acquire, three modes of play (including a Game Link versus mode), and nine classes of compeittion, Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge is deep in gameplay, and it's a game truly worthy of the Mega Man name. [Feb 2004, p.94]

Despite its failings, Dead Man's Hand has enough character, style, and atmosphere to make it an enjoyable time killer. [June 2004, p.70]

MTX's visuals definitely contribute to the fun time. Bikers and their motorized partners look sharp, while the arenas surprisingly offer a lot of detail. [June 2004, p.71]

A fantastic concept upon which an average game lies. Play it as a curiosity and an example of innovative technical game design, and you'll enjoy yourself. [Mar 2004, p.72]

The music, sound effects, and voice acting make up for some of the problems, but they ultimately can't overcome Drakengard's problems with graphics and slow controls. [Mar 2004, p.65]

The majority of folks will clock in for a 20-plus-hour thrill ride. Few games are this good, for so long, and still keep you coming back for more. Ninja Gaiden is truly outstanding.

Unfortunately, the focus on strategy has placed the RPG elements firmly in the back seat, and the story feels out of place and intrudes rudely on the pleasure of card battling. PSOEIII's attempt to infuse a decent card game with a rich plot only confuses matters.

Although it includes new welcome features like expanded character training and a single map, its conventionality in all other areas fails to make the game stand out.

Wrap up the tight gameplay in gorgeous graphics and solid sounds, and Pitfall has never been better. [May 2004, p.69]

Wrap up the tight gameplay in gorgeous graphics and solid sounds, and Pitfall has never been better. [May 2004, p.69]