Mixing driving challenges with RPG depth, Car Battler Joe is a one-of-a-kind adventure. [Feb 2003, p.158]

The game's 3-D driving engine provides one of the GBA's best automotive experiences - fast action with a smooth frame rate. [Oct 2003, p.141]

If you're as serious about your soccer as EA is, then FIFA 08 won't disappoint. [Nov 2007, p. 102]

That said, any issues I have with Kirby's Return to Dream Land are relatively minor; this is an exceptional title, whether you're a longtime Kirby fan or not. [Oct 2011, p.80]

If you don't mind sifting through GTA-style filler, Blackhand Edition's The Godfather ties and offer-you-can't-refuse machismo are well worth the play. [June 2007, p.101]

An open format, great driving physics and stylized graphics contribute to a rewarding playing experience. [Feb 2005, p.113]

Square Enix may have transformed FINAL FANTASY III into a thing of beauty, but they haven't polished out its bumps and quirks to make it appeal to modern tastes. [Jan 2007, p.103]

Drawing strongly from the look and feel of the movie, Chamber of Secrets is a richly designed, wonderfully immersive experience. [Dec 2002, p.211]

Play control is top-notch and the voice acting, particularly that of Christopher Walken, is excellent. [Jan 2004, p.158]

Every bit as silly and fun as the Ultimate Muscle cartoon series. [July 2003, p.145]

Great gameplay and a goofy sense of humor make this a terrific tribute to the 8-bit experience. [Jan 2009, p.91]

The bottom line: Jungle Climber is much better than its predecessor, but it just might drive you bananas. [Nov 2007, p.104]

Still, Yggdra Union has style all its own, and is a breath of fresh air in the sometimes-stale strategy-RPG genre. [Jan. 2007, p.114]

A perfect pick for pocket puzzling. [Feb 2010, p.91]

The new character classes are a blast to play. [Nov 2010, p.91]

The improved racer adds hills and dips to the 40-plus rally courses, as well as a much-needed save feature. [Aug 2002, p.146]

Although Crash Nitro Kart doesn't bring anything new to the kart-racing genre, it's a fast and amusing play that Crash Bandicoot fans will enjoy. [Feb 2004, p.152]

More accessible than ever. [Dec 2005, p.124]

One of the most creative games to come along in quite a while, and with a bang-up story to boot. [Nov 2004, p.129]

Story mode's villains are so vile that you really want to run them down in races. [Nov 2004, p.129]

And while the new features might make only die-hard fans go ape, DKC3 is still rock solid. [Dec 2005, p.116]

The map-navigating controls are touchy in the Konquest, but as an additional mode, it's quite impressive. [May 2005, p.91]

Summon Night: Swordcraft Story may not be the biggest, most revolutionary, or most challenging RPG ever to hit the GBA, but what it lacks in some areas it makes up for with plenty of fun, variety, and solid gameplay. [Sep 2006, p.82]

Perfect for the hard-core strategy pro. [Jan 2002, p.132]

Complex, but fun. [July 2003, p.147]

That EA is making a concerted effort to create something unique for Wii is admirable, but at the end of the day, I'd rather play Madden NFL 09. [Sept 2009, p.89; score increased from 7.5 on Oct 2010, p.92]

In the end, we just wanted more. More missions, more variety, more drama. [Jan 2006, p.106]

ZombiU is slow and methodical, designed to build tension rather than pump adrenaline. [Dec 2012, p.74]

Fans of "Fire Emblem" and "Final Fantasy Tactics Advance" will jump right into Shining Force. [July 2004, p.120]

Thankfully, Warriors of Rock is compatible with tracks you've downloaded previously. [Dec 2010, p.87]

A platforming classic. [May 2009, p.88]

The game has great graphics with terrific effects and smooth animation. [June 2003, p.140]

Stylized art and animation, an athletic superspy and lots of jumping, grappling and fighting make Kim Possible 2 an engaging platformer - especially for fans of the Kim Possible TV series. [Sept 2004, p.116]

Fortunately, Sunshine Islands has a better understanding than previous handheld Harvest Moons of how to efficiently use the DS platform. [Dec 2009, p.85]

If you missed out on "Trauma Center" before, this is the version to buy. If you're a series veteran, then--as good as New Blood is--it's really just more of the same, so it's your call. [Holiday 2007, p.86]

The strict controls make Mercury Meltdown Revolution a bit too frustrating for casual audiences. [Nov 2007, p.100]

Nonstop thrills and intuitive play control. [Feb 2003, p.156]

If you can endure the grind, however, you'll find that having an earth-shattering trio of beasts at your disposal is well worth the trouble. [Sept 2011, p.84]

For most game series, what we find in Ring of Fates would be acceptable; for Final Fantasy, it is a major concern. [Mar 2008, p.84]

Special bubbles and pinball bumpers in the playing field freshen up the tried-and-true, colorific fun. [Mar 2002, p.137]

Three multiplayer party tables and a Chao Garden add to the mix. [July 2003, p.82]

Although item use is complex and battlefield navigation can be a chore, gameplay is solid and production values are high. [Jan 2004, p.161]

The absense of a course map compounds the problem. [Mar 2004, p.120]

Sure, it's not quite as good as the outstanding Beatles-centric Rock Band, but Green Day: Rock Band is a great game nonetheless. [July 2010, p.86]

The multiplayer option is perhaps the coolest thing ever for GBA fans with a taste for covert operations. [Mar 2002, p.135]

The most authentic GBA soccer experience yet. [Feb 2003, p.161]

A fun and fast-paced baseball experience. [May 2003, p.139]

It takes what was great from the Underground games and strips out all the lame antics. [Dec 2005, p.115]

The touch screen gestures are an intriguing concept, but the traditional Control Pad and button controls still work better. [July 2005, p.99]

The team obviously had a blast making Raving Rabbids; I only wish they had prolonged that enjoyment to deliver a meatier game. [Jan. 2007, p.97]

Control hiccups aside, this year's Madden delivers another excellent game of pigskin. [Oct 2007, p.87]

Big Red One's personalized storytelling and scene delivery by reputable actors succeed in creating a movielike experience, but the linear, heavily scripted gameplay suffers as a result. [Feb 2006, p.102]

A sharp action title with great control and lots of surprises. [Mar 2004, p.121]

The game play and control are much-improved over last year's "WrestleMania X8," making the game easy to pick up and play, yet complex enough to keep you entertained for long stretches. [Nov 2003, p.148]

The controls are unwieldy, requiring you to go through individual steps to select a target ball, choose a target pocket and aim the shot, but it becomes easier with practice. [June 2004, p.121]

An extreme sports free-for-all that features movie-themed playable characters in nine environments. [Nov 2003, p.151]

A significant step up from its predecessor. [Mar 2010, p.89]

How much you enjoy Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis will probably correlate directly with how much you like guiding characters via the stylus. [Nov. 2006, p.87]

The addition of the Story mode is welcome since it gives the single-player game some longevity, but I can't help but feel that a true sequel to Guilty Gear XX is long overdue. [May 2009, p.91]

If you've haven't played a Tony Hawk game in a while, this is a decent edition to snatch up. [Jan. 2007, p.110]

As much as I grumble about its flaws, Tierkreis's epic scope and engaging narrative did keep me playing, eager to see what would happen next. [Apr 2009, p.86]

Solatorobo was clearly a labor of love for its developers, and their enthusiasm for its world, characters, and play mechanics shines through in every moment of the game. [Sept 2011, p.80]

As unlikely as it seems, it's a great combination of cerebral strategy and pure twitch challenge. [July 2009, p.86]

Not an immediate attention grabber, Tales of Phantasia takes time to sink in. But once you're under its spell, you'll be in it for the long haul. [Apr 2006, p.84]

Although the gameplay is predictable and repetitive at times, it's easy to overlook once you get sucked into this magical LEGO realm. [Dec 2011, p.86]

Other than that, this is a must-own for Wii devotees and Sims fans alike. [Dec 2008, p.100]

With rich graphics, fun combat and personalized possibilities, MRA is monstrous fun. [Dec 2001, p.172]

Just don't expect the next great epic. [Aug 2005, p.83]

Despite the perennial AI issues, 2006 FIFA World Cup is far from disappointing. [Jun 2006, p.86]

Fans of the Harvest Moon series will feel right at home, and the traditional overarching goals of improving your ranch, marrying, and raising a family are still in place. [Dec 2009, p.87]

It’s been two years since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare dropped onto the PS3 and Xbox 360, making the Wii entry very late to the game. But Treyarch, the developer of the solid Call of Duty: World at War, has made it worth the wait. [Holiday 2009, p.85]

Mario and Sonic's second portable outing together is a good time. [Nov 2009, p.88]

Slick graphics, top-notch audio and tight controls top off a prizewinning fight. [Dec 2001, p.170]

The action is presented in the same style and is shown from the same isometric perspective as Spyro's last GBA adventure. [Nov 2002, p.228]

Although Ron has a supercharged attack, fighting is the weakest part of the game, consisting of single-move bouts against predictable enemies. [Sept 2005, p.85]

My favorite of the [LEGO Star Wars] bunch. [Apr 2011, p.81]

An excellent party game - one that surprises even the most reluctant to play a video game of any sort. [Nov 2004, p.128]

The verdict is in: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice for All is another superb graphic-text adventure from the folks at Capcom. [Feb. 2007, p.96]

It's rare for a title to achieve truly universal appeal, but it's hard to think of any gamer who wouldn't enjoy Kirby Super Star Ultra, and with 15 games in one, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better deal. [Nov 2008, p.100]

If you've ever been tempted by the dungeon-crawling genre, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon is a great place to get your feathers wet. [Aug 2008, p.88]

Since the pack presents the games in their original versions, the production values improve as you go from the first game to the third. [Jan 2003, p.176]

The wham-bam action is simple but always fun. It's almost like "Mario Tennis" with bikinis. [Aug 2002, p.143]

The story is superb, the graphics and music are among the best on the GBA, and the concept is unique and interesting. [Feb 2005, p.112]

Needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. [Dec 2005, p.109]

The gameplay itself is pretty standard genre fare, consisting primarily of button taps and touch-screen swipes. But the way it's packaged makes a big difference. [July 2012, p.86]

The combination of classic and new elements makes it the most wholly satisfying Star Fox game yet. [Oct. 2006, p.88]

Although characters have the attributes and expendable skill points that you would expect to see in an RPG, the game emphasizes action over strategy. [Mar 2004, p.119]

It's fun for novices and pros, and the game can help all players sharpen their skills. [May 2002, p.140]

The character models rank among the best ever seen on the GCN (in any game), and the polygonal crowds look much better than the 2-D cutouts from previous wrestling titles. [Nov 2005, p.106]

It's not perfect--there are some context-sensitivity issues that can make the platforming more frustrating than it should be, for instance--but Toy Story 3: The Video Game is surprisingly fun. [Aug 2010, p.89]

Its simple, old-school game mechanics give the game a nostalgic feel, while the humor adds hilarious twists. [June 2004, p.119]

This is definitely one to enjoy with a few friends. [July 2010, p.88]

If you can pony up for the extra sticks (the game comes with just one), NHL Slapshot is best enjoyed by a group of friends who don't take their hockey too seriously. Hardcore fans of the sport will be better served by NHL 2K11. [Oct 2010, p.89]

Infestation is a pretty decent game by itself, and as a treatment of the film franchise it's even better. [Oct 2011, p.85]

With tons of modes and options initially available and more goodies to unlock as you win races, you'll be pushing the pedal to the medal for a long time to come. [Sep 2007, p.87]

The game's GCN namesake, figher One Piece: Grand Battle, recreates the atmosphere of the TV show to chaotic effect, but this GBA adventure is more streamlined and works better as a stand-alone game. [Nov 2005, p.114]

Hard-core gamers won't be disappointed. [Oct. 2006, p.90]

RTS drawbacks aside, the game's onfield heroics are intense and satisfying. [Nov 2005, p.116]