It may be more like THPS2.5, but that doesn't mean you won't love it. [Dec 2001, p.174]

A great game, but most of the new features don't really feel like they're all that new. [Aug 2005, p.82]

Patience, careful planning, and a certain tolerance for trial and error are far more important than quick reflexes and an itchy trigger finger, which means it's not really for everyone. But if you're willing to put forth the effort, you're in for a supremely satisfying time.

This slick spy shooter makes it easy to pretend "The Omega Strain" never happened. [May 2006, p.91]

It isn't proper to expect us to be perfect in order to make up for your game's many imbalances... Life might not be fair, but I certainly expect my games to be. [Nov 2003, p.128]

Given that Snake is the ultimate videogame stud, it's great to work through some new objectives with his gritty new perspective. [Apr 2003, p.87]

Mechanically, a solid game. But somehow, it lacks the one intangible element "High Heat" has managed to capture: urgency. There's no tension here. [Apr 2003, p.97]

It takes that same GTA structure but gives it a fresh setting and story that's focused to a much more manageable size. [Dec. 2006, p.120]

The quarterback moves way better than in previous games - he can take off and run without having to pull the ball down, making rolling out an throwing the ball on the run more fluid...The best sports game to hit the PS2 so far this year. [Aug 2006, p.78]

"Burnout 3" may beckon for the sheer thrills, but Chase is one of the best sports racing games ever released. [Oct 2004, p.108]

All-around solid play, responsive controls, and great bonus features separate this game from the pack, with only a few flaws keeping it from being a perfect hardball sim. [Apr 2005, p.110]

A topnotch driving engine and levels based on real-world locations made both Driver and "Driver 2" surefire hits. [Nov 2001, p.43]

Given the overall level of quality and activity in TOAU, it looks like Square Enix's first MMO has plenty of life left in it after all. [July 2006, p. 74]

Pure fun... With so much variety, the game has more than enough absurdly addictive elements to keep you busy for untold hours. [Mar 2003, p.108]

The absolute best possible Pandora experience is when four people who know each other hook up and take turns playing as spies and mercs. It is a spectacularly rewarding experience and unnervingly addictive. [July 2004, p.84]

If this is what happens when you make a game on the PS2's supposed deathbed, then we might not need the PS3 quite yet. [May 2006, p.78]

Truly an FPS masterpiece. [Dec 2001, p.166]

The game is loud, boasts a blazing metal soundtrack, and features characters that are supposed to mirror real-life rockers. [Mar 2003, p.103]

The best superhero game ever, featuring America's favorite webhead. [Mar 2002, p.34]

Have you ever been so terrified by a phone ring?! [Nov 2001, p.51]

A fantastic package, and to my mind it's easily the best racer on the system. [Nov 2005, p.120]

Bells, whistles, and foghorns aside, it really <I>feels</I> like hockey. And it's only 20 bucks. [Oct 2004, p.99]

The bottom line is that Resistance is a truly excellent FPS, rich in variety, atmosphere, and sheer entertainment. [Dec. 2006, p.111]

Alundra has a sweeping, epic story that contains its share of mysteries, plot twists and moments of high drama. [Jan 1998]

The story is like a bag of bricks I had to heave along as I slogged my way forward...What a disappointment. [Dec 2002, p.172]

Despite the whimsical nature of the varied critters that inhabit Hyllis, everyone (and everything) feels so real that you might just forget you're playing a game. [Dec 2003, p.180]

Namco went all-out and put forth a tremendous effort, showing onece again why the series continues to remain at the top of the genre. [Nov 2005, p.80]

Offered a style of gameplay totally different than the original Dino Crisis. [Nov 2001, p.40]

The wonderful visual and aural stylings make it a first-rate experience. [Nov 2001, p.46]

This Katamari is delightulish. [Nov 2005, p.94]

The pacing and structure of the game means that the process of achieving goals and being rewarded is sufficiently frequent that you always feel like you're doing something new. [Nov 2002, p.182]

The online implementation is the best I've seen in a PS2 game. [May 2003, p.90]

If you like idea of racing but don't want to make the commitment to something like GT3, B2 will satiate your need for speed.

The game IS gorgeous. The graphics are beautiful the sound effects are spectacular, and the overall presentation is extremely stylish. [May 2003, p.92]

The gameplay has been dramatically tweaked, but the changes haven't detracted from the quick and responsive pace of the previous game. [Dec 2003, p.182]

Original addictive gameplay, elegantly simple graphics, and an awesome soundtrack - all for $20. [Nov 2004, p.131]

Like last year's game, VCS impresses like few other games on the PSP. [Jan. 2007, p.90]

Despite technical annoyances and later-level frustrations, Psychonauts is an absolute joy to play. [Aug 2005, p.80]

For the online play, it basically comes down to this - College Hoops 2K5 has all the features that "March Madness 2005" has and more. [Jan 2005, p.100]

The levels are massively, monstrously gargantuan. [August 2002, p.107]

An eminently satisfying game in its own right, and a more than worthy sequel--already it's going head-to-head with "God of War" in game-of-the-year debates around the office. Regardless, to my mind it's the best Prince of Persia yet. If you play just this one, you'll think it's excellent. But if you've played the last two, you'll think it's a masterpiece.

It has you working through a story that's both compelling and, unlinke so many games these days, not utterly ridiculous. [Dec 2002, p.160]

One of the better games you'll find for your PSP, and a must-play for die-hard fans of the series. [May 2006, p.90]

The first PS2 game to really get my heart racing. If you really get into this, your adrenal gland will start juicing out its stuff so much that you'll actually feel that buzz. [Apr 2003, p.82]

Even if the story doesn't do much for you, Demon Siege's production values still might win you over. [June 2004, p.97]

The most fun I've had playing a Final Fantasy... In terms of pure fun? This one rocks. [Dec 2003, p.149]

It's the trick system that makes all the difference. [June 2001, p.98]

It's the sequel's addition of vehicles and more diverse locatins that make it the best of the series. [Nov 2001, p.54]

From its very first moments, Kingdom Hearts will grab you and won't let go until well after you've beaten it. [Oct 2002, p.140]

Saves itself from mediocrity through sheer force of its oddity. I honestly don't know what to expect next from Nautilus. [Nov 2004, p.138]

It's a good time - just not as much fun as "ESPN NHL" down on the ice. But it's easily the most full-featured hockey game ever to come along. [Oct 2003, p.121]

Falling short to a tighter, more polished "Madden." [Jan 2002, p.132]

It's easy to play, but it's got remarkable depth and tons of replayability. [Apr 2002, p.104]

The first game in the series that tries to accommodate both sides by combining quick action with the technical elements of wrestling, and it works -- almost. [Jan 2004, p.132]

VJ2 is the better overall game, but it's a very rudimentary and evolutionary step rather than a revolutionary leap forward. [Jan 2005, p.108]

FIFA's awesome graphics, great controls and ample array of options ensured that it became the ick for fans of the fastest growing sport in the world. [Nov 2001, p.43]

Though not the never-ending chain of quests found in a "real" EverQuest game, Champions certainly stands as the longest, deepest title in the "Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance' vein yet seen on a console. [Mar 2004, p.102]

In all my years of playing MMORPGs, none has grabbed me as strongly as FFXI. None has made me more proud of my in-game accomplishments or more excited to see what's around the next corner. I'm addicted. [Mar 2004, p.97]

Speaking as a true Winston Cup fan, I can't say enough nice things about this game. [Dec 2002, p.169]

Easily the biggest and the best DDR yet. [Dec 2002, p.158]

King is the best, most synergetic convergence of film and videogame I've ever seen. It turns Two Towers' wow factor into an emphatic "holy freaking crap!"

It's gorgeous. Without a shadow of a doubt, it's the best-looking game on the system&#151;it's a case study in how to portray the speed and ferocity of racing.

Have you ever walked out of a particularly good horror flick only to discover that your muslces ache because you've been tensing them up in anticipation of the next terrifying event? Silent Hill 3 is like that. [Aug 2003, p.95]

If you can deal with the slight learning curve for the controls, Fight Night won't disappoint any boxing fan. [May 2004, p.97]

An extremely robust and flexible item-creation system, and one that offers hours upon hours of gameplay beyond the main story. [Sept 2003, p.100]

It's hard to hit with finesse, not much outside of deep world tour mode. [Dec 2005, p.138]

The sensation of FIFA "playing itself" is pretty much gone, and it's clear that the A.I. has been seriously overhauled... If you want to fully immerse yourself in soccer culture, FIFA is pretty incredible. [Dec 2003, p.156]

I'm sure its stunning presentation and ambitious structure will surprise you. I hope they do a sequel. [Feb 2005, p.78]

So say what you will about TimeSplitters being too arcadey or too cartoony or not serious enough—I'll just be over here having a hell of a time. Last I checked, that's what games were for.

The garage feature in Midnight Club 3 offers so many different customization and tuning options that it could've easily been its own car customization game.

The best baseball game on the market. [Apr 2002, p.102]

When I took a break from playing, sat back and really thought about it, I realized that I really couldn’t care less if I never played this game again. And that’s just not right. [Mar 2002, p.104]

A deep, long (70 hours!), story-driven RPG that tackles some of the weightier issues out there... Yet another winner from Squaresoft. [Nov 2001, p.54]

With Lego Star Wars II, not only does the game itselff provide a general improvement over the previous release, but it also reinforces just how much better the original(which, technically, is the sequel)Star Wars trilogy is. [Oct. 2006, p.86]

It does such a great job of mimicking the flow and feel (albeit a little faster) of basketball that you really can't go wrong. [Nov 2004, p.140]

Capcom took the formula that worked so well for the original Devil May Cry and added depth with new techniques that work incredibly well given the way enemies act in the game. This—plus the excellent cut-scenes, amazing backgrounds, and great character models—proves DMC 3 is a worthy successor to Dante's original adventure.

If you were a fan of the original, you'll more likely than not find that this sequel serves you adequately... [just d]on't be surprised if something doesn't feel quite right. [Dec 2002, p.168]

Just better enough than last year's game to warrant a purchase. Just. [Apr 2006, p.79]

It's an undeniably great game - it's just not meant for the casual player. [Jan 2006, p.80]

I have never seen water this realistic in a video game. [Jan 2002, p.136]

Not only is the action fast, but the game engine is technically quite proficient on the PS one... Also has its fair share of voluptuous babes that like to, er, bounce. [Nov 2001, p.42]

Lead Blocker - the new Madden feature that, unlike last year's passing cone, actually revolutionizes gameplay. [Sept 2006, p.82]

The trouble is, all this story is presented with some of the most god-awful writing and voice work I've ever heard. [Dec 2004, p.112]

When it comes down to it, all four car types feel floaty - you never really feel attached to the ground. [Dec 2002, p.164]

Thunder 2003 takes last year's game and blows the doors off it. [Nov 2002, p.184]

Perhaps the best licensed game on PS2, and one of the best brawlers in years. [Jan 2006, p.74]

This is exactly the kind of game the PSP needs. [Jan 2006, p.106]

No superhero game I've ever played made me feel more like, well, a superhero. [July 2004, p.89]

Easily the best DDR yet released. [June 2002, p.102]

It's just too bad that such an intricate--albeit slightly flawed--game is covered in a beautiful wrapper that you can't explore beyond a 2D plane. [Oct. 2006, p.84]

The signature piece of Battlefront II is the ship-to-ship combat... This element makes Battlefront II feel much more like the complete Star Wars experience. [Dec 2005, p.108]

Matches are still way too slow most of the time. Aiming issues make your wrestlers look clownish when they attempt to start a throw and instead just swing at air. And worst of all, tag-team partners--the bane of any wrestling game--are still dumb as dirt and simply don't do what they're told.

Besides making a fantastically epic and over-the-top ultra-Bond flick, EA snuck in a little something called "a fantastic game" into the mix as well. [Apr 2004, p.97]

It engrosses you in the way that only a great video game can. [Nov 2001, p.163]

Includes almost everything we loved in the first game and takes it all to the next level. [Sept 2002, p.113]

Nowhere near as tough as "Jak II" is. Those of you who pride yourselves on your old-school hardcore platforming skill may find this disappointing, but it's great news for the rest of us. "Hard" does not necessarily mean "good," and most of us don't like feeling as though a game is trying to give us an aneurysm. [Dec 2004, p.104]

You may be as annoyed by the new direction as I am, or you may think it is a brilliant move. But you're not going to mistake this for anything but Prince of Persia.

It's the crack cocaine of sports games. [Sept 2002, p.118]