The most innovative light gun game in years - for better and for worse. [Oct 2002, p.140]

As with any game that crams a ton of different types of games, the selection is pretty uneven--the racing games, for example, well and truly suck--but there are enough standouts to keep you coming back to the minigames once you've beaten the main game. [Jan. 2007, p.78]

A fantastic presentation and good extras anchor a highly enjoyable game - only its baserunning and fielding are a step behind its competitors. [Apr 2005, p.110]

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]

It was quite the pleasant surprise. [Dec 2001, p.175]

Manages to satisfy any modern gamer out for some good 'ol alien blasting in futuristic spaceships. [Nov 2002, p.184]

Sam has some of the craziest yet most ingenious enemies in a shooter - I dare you to come up with a better enemy than the headless screaming kamikaze bomber. [June 2004, p.96]

With this game a 100-mph fastball feels like its coming in at 380...The ball comes in too fast. [May 2002, p.99]

This is the most fun game in the PSP series purely from a control and competition standpoint, and it's overall a step in the right direction for a series that has been stuck in a major rut. [Jan. 2007, p.92]

The traditional core mechanics and all-out wackiness should propel it near the top of the heap. It's a very solid effort, particularly when compared to most anime fighters. [Nov 2005, p.96]

The development team should've built more levels instead of relying on the rating gimmick to extend Neo Contra's longevity. Without question, it's worth a rental since it only takes a few hours or so to complete. [Dec 2004, p.124]

Fighting Game Fan: "I'll admit, I was surprised at how deep the game is, and I actually enjoyed the Story mode, despite the oddball characters." [Feb 2003, p.104]

The real downfall, though, is the waiting. During the enemy turn, you're forced to wait through the individual moves of every single unit. [June 2004, p.84]

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

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]

A cut above its peers. [Jan 2006, p.100]

The hacking 'n' slashing power never grows old, because your path to winning a battle is wide open. [Feb 2003, p.100]

It actually focuses on solid gameplay. What a concept. [Sept 2003, p.100]

The overall PS2 surfing champ. [Oct 2002, p.148]

Fantastic 4 is short. Most players will finish it in less than six hours--and judging by the fact that finishing levels within certain time limits is among the mission bonuses, Activision doesn't expect anyone to take too long to play it.

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]

Just because most of the 60-plus games in this collection are nearly unplayable by today's standards..., that doesn't mean they all blow. In fact, some remain downright fun. [Feb 2004, p.103]

In terms of addictive qualities, it's certainly no "Lumines." But it is a surprisingly solid game. [Oct 2005, p.108]

Untamed true fun lies in its extreme sports-type levels. [Jan 2002, p.141]

A limited trick set takes away from the power of the game. [Oct 2001, p.135]

Although it's a beautiful game full of nonstop, relentless action, Chaos' flaws turn a potentially stellar title into merely a solid one for genre fans. [July 2003, p.96]

Zone is a hard game, easily the toughest Crisis yet. You'll be frustrated, but you'll still be entertained. [Nov 2004, p.138]

Holy Crap! Someone actually made an FPS game on teh PSP work. [Dec 2005, p.139]

Although it boasts a host of innovations that are supposed to set it a breed apart from its predecessor, Monster Rancher 4 never captured me in the way MR3 did.

It's not the deepest game ever made, but it is one of those things that you can use to get a quick fix of gaming. [Oct 2001, p.135]

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]

Vicarious Visions fails to match the overall magic captured so well by Neversoft's original. [Nov 2001, p.168]

The controls and enemy A.I. don't seem to be as spot-on as you'd normally expect from a Capcom fighter. [Sept 2002, p.119]

Fans of the show will dig the humor and graphics. [Jan 2005, p.105]

Where Curse of Darkness succeeds is with its secondary features - the devil forging and the item-creation system. [Dec 2005, p.126]

More laid-back surf tunes would've been nice. [June 2002, p.100]

It's just too bad that there isn't much to it beyond the standard gameplay. [Oct 2004, p.92]

Really rolls back the clock, but it also makes an excellent time waster, and its up-to-date visuals help take the edge off. A solid adventure. [Jan 2006, p.105]

Rise of the Kasai proves that a game can still be compelling without being impossible to play. The real fun is in seeing the story unfold—and once in a while, that's OK.

Control is also a bit gimpy, particularly with some of the special movies, which only adds to the frustration. [Sept 2002, p.119]

If you think "kick their asses" is an acceptable game objective, then drop the 15 bucks. If you desire more, save your $15. [Nov 2004, p.130]

Steel-eyed competence, but not a whole lot of flash. [Nov 2005, p.110]

Fighting battles, debating policy, dueling, and expanding an empire with an endless series of menus does have its charms. [July 2005, p.75]

I don't care what it is, you watch it 30 times in 33 minutes and it starts to get old. [Nov 2004, p.136]

This is a big game, a good 40 to 50 hours long, and those hours are almost all good. But like the over-the-top voice actor gamely imitating Al Pacino, Scarface falls just a little short. [Nov. 2006, p.116]

As a game to pick up here and there just to jam through, Gitaroo couldn't rock any harder. [Feb 2002, p.107]

The players look great, but there's too much hitting, too much speed, and too little hockey. [Oct 2004, p.99]

The repetitive environments drag it down a bit, but that’s far from a fatal blow. [Feb 2002, p.107]

When the strongest feeling I get from a game is the desire to play its predecessors, something's not quite right. [Dec 2001, p.162]

Still, it has enough charm to keep some people coming back for more even after completing it, but most will probably put Gitaroo man down after that, wishing for more. [Dec. 2006, p.130]

All in all, this is about what we've come to expect from a competent World War II FPS: frequent moments of drama and tension and cinema interspersed with some fairly run-of-the-mill shooting.

The basic formula hasn't changed, and for some of you (including me), it's probably getting old. [Dec 2005, p.124]

There is no substitute for the real golf experience, but if you are looking for a winter activity, need practice before the next round, or are craving golf on a rainy day, strap on the gloves and play Real World Golf. [July 2006, p.78]

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]

The surprisingly solid two-player mode allows you to wage war on a friend in sea-battle form, which proves highly addictive and competitive. [Apr 2002, p.105]

A feast for the eyes. [Oct 2002, p.147]

Slaps you in the face with a fairly steep learning curve. [Nov 2002, p.194]

The key to a game like this is to make combat feel really good, which is something Shining Force Neo does a lot better than those middling Champions of Norrath games. When you swing your sword, it feels like it has impact, even if you're only hitting a barrel.

Since Extinction requires so little in the way of actual strategy, it probably deserves the title of "RTS Lite" more than "Army Men RTS" ever did... Don't expect anything too terribly deep and you won't be disappointed. [Sept 2003, p.92]

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

Builds on a good engine from last year to produce a solid sim with few gameplay flaws, but it lacks the gimmicks, presentation, and general fireworks the other games have to bring it to the next level. [Apr 2005, p.110]

The game isn't a bad addition to the series, but it feels like an expansion at a sequel price. [Jan. 2007, p.86]

If only the tricks were fun to perform. [Jan 2002, p.130]

I had to muddle through almost half of this 20-hour RPG before .hack really grabbed me... And now, I'm hooked. [Feb 2003, p.100]

Seeing [the Force] used within the cockpit of a spaceship just doesn't give the desired effect. [May 2002, p.103]

Nightmare isn't a spectacular game, but the development team has done an excellent job of capturing the film's style and spirit (pardon the pun). [Nov 2005, p.96]

Does it get frustrating? Oh my, yes...But that's Myst for you. [Dec 2002, p.164]

Unless you have friends already playing or a high tolerance for monotony, you might want to give Frontiers a pass, especially with "Final Fantasy XI" around the corner. [Feb 2004, p.101]

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

It has a bunch of new mech parts and a few new knickknakcs, but this is essentially "Armored Core 3" with different levels. [July 2003, p.95]

This game features such pretentious bad taste that you'll first wonder if the developers are really stupid or really smart. [Jan 2002, p.126]

An entertaining game with some real character. I just feel that the lack of depth makes this best as a rental, and with the SSX pedigree behind it, that's a disappointment. [Apr 2002, p.106]

It's not a gamer's game, it's a Corvette fan club member's game. [June 2004, p.96]

In the end, it feels more like "Xenosaga Episode I: The Deleted Scenes." [March 2005, p.96]

Offers classic teams, clothing, and a new college classic mode where you can relive some of college basketball's most famous moments - it's just too bad that there are so few moments like that in the game. [Jan 2005, p.100]

This game is about a realistic Texas Hold 'Em experience against the computer, and not much else. [Aug 2006, p.75]

Aside from a few minor changes--some added minigames, an excised level--this is the same game as its PS2 counterpart. [mar 2006, p.97]

The players move like they're playing real soccer. [Oct 2002, p.151]

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

Soft of resembles a four-person "Ico" – only not as pretty and much harder to get the hang of. [Jan 2002, p.132]

A cool-ass shooter... Honestly, at $15 bucks, it would be a serious crime for shooter fans to pass this baby up. [June 2003, p.105]

The game does nothing new - yet I still played through it several times and enjoyed myself thoroughly. [Dec 2002, p.172]

These flyers aren't ready for prime time, but they can still thoroughly amust you for a few hours before you return them to Blockbuster. [Sept 2003, p.93]

If you liked "Shinobi" but hated the controller-throwing difficulty of it, then you'll flip over Sega's latest ninja adventure. [Apr 2004, p.100]

Blasting is fun, the game looks great, and the front end is on brand. But the difficulty will you reeling. [Nov 2004, p.132]

If you have a companion who shares your hankering for country music, indulge. If not, give this a pass. [May 2006, p.82]

It's somewhat frustrating that what was a pretty great PC game is now a great game buried underneath vast technological annoyances. [Apr 2004, p.98]

Should please dance freaks looking for something a bit more serious than DDR.

It may be a bit too challenging for its own good. [Jan 2002, p.128]

I'd highly recommend Sunny to surfing fans, though. [Dec 2001, p.170]

Monstrous creations that are just scary enough for third-graders make this a good substitute for grotesque grown-up survival horror. [Oct. 2006, p.88]

The entire package seems like it could have used a little more polish, too. [Apr 2002, p.104]

Though I liked Reign a lot, its horrible collision detection and frustrating later levels must be noted. [Dec 2002, p.164]

The game just has a wonderful style to it. [July 2002, p.102]

The core gameplay is definitely up to Madden standards, and for many gamers, that's all that's needed. [Nov 2005, p.122]

It's a great-looking, fun game that only really suffers in its lack of innovation. [August 2002, p.111]

Arcade deliciousness is soured by the lack of a carer mode, but it's still oh so sweet. [Aug 2006, p.83]

Veterans will have to take a little time to adjust, while newcomers will be able to jump right in without even noticing such problems.