If I bought one golf game this year, this would be it, hands down. [Nov 2005, p.123]

Unless you're into cartoony characters and an overdose of wackiness, there really isn't much here beyond simple competence. [Oct 2004, p.98]

Not only is it just an excellent port of an arcade game, but it also has one of the best rosters of any fighting game to date, along with enough extras to keep any sort of fighting fan busy for hours on end. [Apr 2006, p.90]

I feel greatly disappointed by the lack of polish that could have made it a killer title. [August 2002, p.108]

It's the simplicity of it that works; that's what will undoubtedly make this thing the ultimate party toy. [Nov 2003, p.146]

Even though the battles may occur in the same settings as the ones in the movie, they lack not only the coolness, but also the soul. [Sept 2004, p.86]

Charming, deep, and astonishingly addictive. [Oct 2002, p.150]

Surpasses "NFL Blitz" in just about every conceivable manner, thanks largely to gameplay that places greater emphasis on individual player capabilities as opposed to overall team performance. [Mar 2004, p.100]

In the ring, inconsistencies abound-weird collision detection, random selling, neutered submission moves, and A.I. that revolves between timid and simply schizoid.

As a port of a game from another system, it's disappointing. [June 2001, p.97]

All of this makes for a great basketball game that should satisfy the cravings of any hungry Playstation 3-owning basketball fan. [Jan. 2007, p.70]

The environments are vast and nicely drawn, though the pop-up is a bit frustrating at times. [June 2001, p.103]

The physics make the game so entertaining that you really won't mind having to replay a race over and over again. [Apr 2004, p.99]

All the fundamentals of the PS2 version and, well, not a whole lot more. [Dec 2005, p.138]

Modern Combat loses some points for its lack of realism (some guns don't have any recoil, for example) and forgettable story line (something about Kazakhstan), but it still serves as a decent war game for those of us too fragile to enlist.

Play on the field or in the management office - both work surprisingly well. [Nov 2005, p.114]

EA's desire to reinvent is admirable, but given that this is the fourth outing for a franchise beloved for being different, the move toward the conventional does nothing but hurt it. [Dec 2005, p.114]

It's not the best WWII game by any stretch, but it's a damn reliable ride. [Jan. 2007, p.72]

There's also a ton more to this game than the original. More tracks, more modes, more riders, more everything. [Sept 2003, p.101]

It's incredibly satisfying, regardless of your gaming abilities [thanks to huge explosions], and it's so well designed that the control system becomes transparent after spending very little time with it. [Jan 2003, p.118]

The biggest improvement (for me anyway) is that Namco absolutely nailed it with the controls this time. [Apr 2003, p.90]

For the first time in I can't remember how long, the yearly WWE game is actually fun to play! [Dec. 2006, p.126]

It's not an "FF" title for the PSP, but it is a port of one of the better and rarer games in the company's history. [Aug 2006, p.80]

A grueling 81 stages of the World Rally Championship await you, all modeled using satellite topography and some of the finest graphics you'll have seen on the PS2 yet. [June 2002, p.101]

Bullet Time…just looks so friggin’ neat. [Feb 2002, p.110]

An excellent refinement of the previous Hitman game. For newbies, a spectacular assassination sim with few flaws, but for veterans, perhaps a little underwhelming. [June 2004, p.85]

Great graphics...Unreliable controls. [July 2005, p.79]

The key to Vendetta's success (I mean, seriously, rappers <I>wrestling?</I>) is that it's fast, fluid, and features an almost perfectly balanced wrestling engine. [Apr 2003, p.86]

Everything a Gunamite could ask for. [Nov 2002, p.196]

The part that really pulled me into Sprint Cars, though, is the very cool Career mode...It's a solid little game. [Apr 2002, p.107]

At first, this combat exhilarates, but A.I. flaws appear soon enough...Fighting also gets frustratingly hard, which annoyingly necessitates battles solely for leveling up. [Sept 2004, p.91]

While MGA2 is a lot more newbie friendly, it still requires a fair bit of strategy. [Apr 2006, p.88]

Its combination of great level design and gameplay mechanics challenges your reflexes as well as your mind.

On its own merits, XML is a solid action-RPG, but as an X-Men game, it's a superb representation of the mythos. [Dec 2004, p.112]

The vehicles are fairly well balanced, with bikes being able to grab more air while the ATVs have easier landings. In fact, that's the biggest issue with Unleashed: It's often difficult to judge where your bike wheels are lined up, which leads to a multitude of crashes.

Your key characters do much more duing battle than just attack the enemy. [June 2004, p.84]

The collectibles are going to make some of you completely addicted to Deadly Alliance. [Jan 2003, p.131]

Even with the realism injection, it hasn't gotten too far away from its roots...A bit more over-the-top hitting and much more funny commentary would do wonders for the series.[Oct 2003, p.121]

A full-featured chess game... But it's flawed in a lot of little ways, and these little flaws add up. [July 2003, p.93]

The game is technically sound, but inferior track design keeps this one from the greatness of its predecessors.

Just an all-around great collection, and fighting fans should be thrilled that Capcom was willing to give these great fighting games the treatment that they deserve. [Aug 2006, p.75]

Proof that a Castlevania game can be done in 3D while retaining the essence of the series with great music and gameplay, and a stylized look. There's still room for improvement, but it's a great new beginning. [Nov 2003, p.140]

Laugh-out-loud, knee-slapping, "I can't believe that just happened" humor. [Dec 2001, p.164]

DT does a great job of showing what the genre is capable of on a next gen system. [Oct 2002, p.146]

I like the fielding. It's the best for baserunning. But where's the crowd noise? [May 2004, p.99]

Leave it to Square to find a way to combine survival-horror and RPG elements into a gripping adventure. [Nov 2001, p.50]

Simply said, Final Fantasy Origins is a must-have title for any RPG lover - no matter how casual or passionate your devotion to role-playing games. [Apr 2003, p.88]

The game is free and it's a load of fun. [Oct 2002, p. 150]

Maybe "VF4" spoiled things for us all, but there's no arguing that the bar was raised back in March, and Tekken 4 has failed to jump over it. [Oct 2002, p.144]

Remixing is fine for what it's worth, and you can get pretty intricate with the tools provided for you, but if you try to create your own compositions from scratch, you'll bump up against a pretty low ceiling. [July 2004, p.99]

This is a great update, but it could have been stellar. [Nov. 2006, p.112]

Criterion has succeeded in completely immersing the player in intense, cinematic gunplay--no other shooter has captured the pure awesome-ness and adrenaline of a suspenseful shoot-out in a game quite like this. [Mar 2006, p.85]

The puck has strikingly solid physics...The trouble is, defense is a joke. [Dec 2002, p.164]

It's wonderfully well conceived, and there simply isn't any other game like it. [Dec 2002, p.168]

It plays amazingly well and there's plenty of style and depth to be found here. [Dec 2001, p.161]

1) Real players make the game 10 times more fun. 2) Deathmatching across the continent on your PSP makes you feel like you're from the future.

Domination suddenly becomes quite spectacularly addictive. It's not doing anything special, but it releases just the right amount of adrenaline to get you truly hooked. [Aug 2003, p.97]

While [Part II] plays almost exactly like the original, it addresses almost all the problems. Gone is the lag, the graphics are much nicer (though still not up to today's standards), and the game is a bit longer. [Dec 2003, p.172]

Rather than fixing what was broken, they just offer tips, which themselves are faulty... Wrath has "rush job" written all over it. [Apr 2003, p.92]

A tense, exciting and genuinely thrilling experience. [Jan 2002, p.125]

Out of all the releases that have come out in the past few years, Mega Man Maverick Hunter X stands as an example of what every developer should do--actually take advantage of the new hardware and seize the opportunity to add something new. [Mar 2006, p.94]

An extremely solid - if uninspired - port of the Tiger franchise that's every bit as addictive as its PS2 counterparts. [June 2005, p.99]

There's simply more of everything. [Jan 2002, p.127]

If incessant hack-n-slash doesn't bore you, Dark Alliance II has enough solid gameplay to entertain you until "Champion (of Norrath)." But you're better off waiting. [Feb 2004, p.105]

Just like the best Contra games before it, Shattered Soldier puts your gaming skills completely to the test, but can still be mastered. [Jan 2003, p.126]

Basically, we have a four-star Cursed Mummy game held back by a three-star Sphinx game, bringing the overall game average to three-and-a-half. [Dec 2003, p.172]

The Dual Shock 2 is kicking out vibes that will make you drop it if you don’t hold on tight. [Feb 2002, p.113]

The same tight controls introduced by EA Tiburon in "NCAA Football" PSP--L button used with face buttons in lieu of a right analog--plus the revolutionary Lead Block feature, which allows you to take control of a fullback or offensive lineman prior to the snap, give PSP players a greatly improved football experience versus last year's debut. [Oct. 2006, p.93]

If Snowblind had a more compelling story or rewarded you for exploring its complexities, it could have been an instant classic. Ultimately, though, it's yet another solid shooter in a season of solid shooters.

I can't help feeling like the game would have benefited from another six months or so of development. [Nov 2002, p.192]

The graphics need work, but no other game lets you really play as <I>you</I>. [May 2004, p.99]

A solid but uninspired game that never really grabbed me. [Oct 2002, p.138]

If you don't care who Black Bolt, or the Super Skrull(or, well, and of the characters named herin)are, then the game is merely a very solid beat-em-up, but man, if you're a Marvel zombie like I am, this is the closest we can get to enacting a digital version of the Secret Wars. [Jan. 2007, p.74]

A little too simple. [Dec 2002, p.172]

Regardless of its faults, Dynasty 4 is a pure adrenaline rush - the type, for me, that only the original "Devil May Cry" has rivaled on PS2. [May 2003, p.92]

Just isn't interesting enough to overcome its retro-tinged, formulaic gameplay. [Nov 2002, p.196]

As you might expect, it's great for parties, but the solo modes leave a bit to be desired. [Dec 2005, p.126]

I'm really amazed at just how much there really is in this collection. [Jan 2002, p.144]

One of the most extraordinarily deep and innovative games I've ever experienced. [Apr 2003, p.84]

Failing to fix the biggest problem of last year's game is the real issue with this release, and that sours all of the improvements a little. Even so, this is an easy update to justify picking up. [Nov, 2006, p.122]

Do you like "Monopoly" but wish it featured more fantasy trappings and colorful cards? Well, has NEC got a deal for you with Culdcept. [Dec 2003, p.156]

Despite the more simplistic nature that could seem to "Nocturne" fans like a step backward, this might make it a better game for FF fans needing their fix.

It just could've gone a little further to include additional games from the era. [Dec 2005, p.132]

A supremely worthy successor to the most-frightening throne.

It's really fun to have one version of a character go up against another version of the same character to see who's better. [Sept 2004, p.92]

It's Karaoke Revolution--you know if you like this by now, but don't get it if you're looking for much more than just a new set of songs. [Jan. 2007, p.83]

There's enough content to keep puzzle fans busy, but expect plenty of frustration, too. [May 2005, p.96]

A pretty quick AI that takes advantage of give-and-go's, pick-and-rolls, and backdoor cuts. [Nov 2005, p.115]

The controls are solid and versatile, and the whole experience seems appropriately majestic. [Feb 2002, p.106]

All of this solid gameplay combines with two well-scripted stories to keep you playing for hours at a time (anywhere from 50 to 100 per quest). [Nov 2003, p.130]

Hot chicks on the loading screens, madcap commentary, useful cheats, and an all-new Special Pitch will keep arcade enthusiasts smiling like Steinbrenner after signing a 14th starting pitcher. [Apr 2003, p.96]

As a single-match footy game, WE9 is a visceral and satisfying experience that provides a greater sense of connection with the sport than "FIFA" manages. [Mar 2006, p.93]

Spectacularly good value, despite some of the same old problems. [Aug 2006, p.74]

Tales of the Abyss starts off as a carbon copy of every RPG ever made. [Dec. 2006, p.119]

The same slow-paced, thinking-two-steps-ahead game you had last time. This is more like "DT: Special Edition" than DT2. [Nov 2003, p.132]

It's nice to see EA's NHL franchise starting to turn a corner, but it still has a ways to go before besting 2K Sports' stellar efforts. [Sept 2005, p.90]

The best part about the game, though, is that it's the first Simpsons title that approaches the entertainment value of the show itself. [Sept 2003, p.96]

Truly the game is fun. It's good, solid baseball. [Sept 2002, p.119]