Even though Super Street Fighter IV lacks the impact of its predecessor, it's still engrossing, enthralling, and plain ol' fun. [May 2010, p.70]

It absolutely nails the atmosphere. [July 2010, p.81]

A very bare-bones expression of the genre. [July 2010, p.80]

Unpolished. [July 2010, p.78]

Climax’s brand of dogfighting is certainly straightforward and repetitive, but it’s also ludicrously fast-paced and highly addictive. Hardcore flyboys might sneer, but most others will have a hard time tearing their eyes from the screen.

Weakened by a bland story, uninspiring graphics, and grating voiceovers. [July 2010, p.84]

Though these simple action relics aren't for everyone, we applaud the respectful approach taken for this reasonably priced release. [Jun 2010, p.83]

It offers a clever Deniable Ops mode, a co-op campaign that’s equal or superior to the solo section, and best of all, a solo campaign with lots of excellent missions in unique locations threaded by the series’ best narrative.

Unless you're gung-ho to get 600-plus gamerscore in six hours, you're better off just revisiting the TV show. [Jun 2010, p.82]

Keeps the retro greatness flowin'. [May 2010, p.79]

Perhaps it's most critical element is deceptive: Samurai Shodown: Sen is so unfamiliar that even the franchise's most dedicated fans won't recognize it. [Jun 2010, p.83]

It completely nails what a sequel should be: it expands on everything its predecessor did best without sacrificing what we loved most about it in the first place. [May 2010, p.74]

If Pokemon had 487 fewer monsters and only one tournament, it would still be more thrilling than this movie-based game. [Jun 2010, p.82]

If you already own MotoGP 08, there just isn't enough here to justify an upgrade. [May 2010, p.77]

As long as you don't mind that manual targeting is a twitchy mess, and that Joanna slides around like she's on skates, 10 bucks buys you at least as many enjoyable hours stealth-killing thugs and perforating your pals. [Jun 2010, p.81]

But it’s that feeling of stumbling into gunfights — ones that aren’t meticulously designed with shoulder-high slabs of concrete to hide behind — that makes Metro so organic…and unlike anything else on Xbox 360.

With 20-plus cars to unlock (and upgrade) and modes ranging from straight-up, no-weapons racing to missions where you protect a VIP--all of which are seriously more fun when up to four buddies join in--Scrap Metal is more than worth the $10 download. [Jun 2010, p.81]

While the game's first 10 hours still give me pause, the 60 magnificent hours after those initial steps onto Cocoon make up for the tunnel-vision tutorial. [Apr 2010, p.68]

A stellar multiplayer setup ensures you'll be playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 long after the 10 or so hours spent in the already satisfying single-player campaign. [Apr 2010, p.76]

Is 2K10 going to the Series? Not quite — but it’s fundamentally solid all-around, and that’s enough to keep it entertaining all year long.

Not a notable upgrade over Number One Hits. [May 2010, p.83]

Fret Nice contains one thoroughly enjoyable musical world. Rock on. [Mar 2010, p.84]

Innovative levels with plenty of optional challenges. [May 2010, p.73]

Overcoming Greed Corp's challenging and clever adversaries is a taxing experience, but damn if it isn't one of the most gratifying. [Apr 2010, p.81]

It's all mildly entertaining but utterly disposable. [Apr 2010, p.86]

Enough neat touches that speak to diehard Euro-RPG fans. [Apr 2010, p.84]

Its production values are unquestionably budget, but the game's ambitious level of corny self-awareness makes it a stupidly affordable, must-have cult title for the adventurous set.

Maybe it's fitting that a game about pies leaves you hungry. Even if it ultimately ends up with your stomach growling, Winterbottom's very best bites are still worth every penny. [Mar 2010, p.80]

A few more maps, a few more multiplayer modes, a few more unique areas in the campaign, and a few more fear-inducing moments would’ve gone a long way toward making Aliens vs. Predator set off gamers’ motion trackers. Instead, it registers as simply a medium blip on the radar — a second-shelf shooter that falls just short of fulfilling the incredible potential of its license.

Commit to your fiefdom, and Tropico 3 becomes a gift that keeps on giving. [Apr 2010, p.81]

Only small tweaks to an increasingly aging formula. [Apr 2010, p.79]

Diverse online multiplayer battles are exciting and accessible. [Apr 2010, p.80]

BioShock 2 isn't a groundbreaking follow-up that rewrites all the rules laid down by its predecessor. No, think of it as a sequel that fills in the gaps, adding exciting new dimensions to what's come before... You will be utterly absorbed. [Mar 2010, p.68]

Packs each and every turn with extreme imagery and wickedly macabre imagination. [Apr 2010, p.82]

This game is anything but polished, but it's also solid enough that you get more than what you paid for. [May 2010, p.77]

Lack of variety and depth. [Apr 2010, p.83]

Blood Bowl's disjointed real-time mode is hard to control and keep track of, making it a complete waste of time. [Apr 2010, p.81]

Mass Effect 2 overcomes its few gameplay weaknesses with a fantastic weave of dynamic combat, lavish presentation, and engaging character and weapon customization. But for all the myriad improvements that make Mass Effect 2's visuals so appealing and its combat so exhilarating, it's ultimately the way it moves us that makes it so memorable. [Feb 2010, p.56]

We're sure some of the more masochistic shooter fans will bask in Death By Cube's tough-as-nails difficulty level, but all others should move along. [Apr 2010, p.83]

You're in for a snooze if you demand a hurried pace and copious eye candy, but dice-rolling dungeon nuts will happily while away a dozen hours over the course of Vandal Hearts' satisfying ride. [Jan 2010, p.69]

Tedious ground combat makes up the majority of the game, and the cool cover concept and sci-fi story are strong, but blown opportunities. [Feb 2010, p.86]

The enemies are crass, the design is mean, the challenge is unforgiving, and the reward limited. You've been warned. [Mar 2010, p.82]

While we can't ding EA for extra content, we wish that content had come in the form of more co-op! [Feb 2010, p.80]

Just can't match the splendor and great variety of the real-world games. [Mar 2010, p.81]

Diluted by hours of confusing side quests and repetitive battles, these original moments don't shine as brightly as they should. [Mar 2010, p.78]

Relies on its demanding difficulty to disguise its creative bankruptcy. [Mar 2010, p.83]

Satisfying, fast-paced combat. [Feb 2010, p.82]

Astonishingly, every one of these dazzling battles is thrilling without overstaying its welcome - and also challenges you without being cheap. [Jan 2009, p.66]

Online play undercut by crummy design choices. [Mar 2010, p.83]

Watching friends take a club in the teeth while you rack up a nine-kill-combo is immensely satisfying. [Feb 2010, p.85]

If you were lucky enough to snag a free copy from the Guitar Hero 5 mail-in promotion, you'll likely be pleased with this adequate iteration. But we can't imagine any non-hardcore Halen fans feeling good about dropping $60 on this half-hearted effort. [Jan 2010, p.76]

Old-fashioned gameplay with a pretty new face. [Mar 2010, p.81]

It's a solid approach in both concept and execution, but the game just doesn't offer enough to keep you interested for long. [Mar 2010, p.81]

While the lifelessness of a black-and-white tone sucks the life out of Paris, it doesn’t strip The Saboteur of its personality. It’s a beautiful and unique world that’s well-constructed and believable, whether you’re snapping soldiers’ necks at the Eiffel Tower, rescuing POWs, or cruising the countryside in a stolen sports car. Très bien.

Fustercluck. [Feb 2010, p.88]

Nitpicks are plenty, but so are the surprisingly fun aspects — whichever side of planetary strip-mining you fall on.

Whether we were playing one of the entertaining mini-games or tooling around in Free Ride with 11 other riders, we really enjoyed the experience and didn’t experience a hint of lag. It may be the only part of MX vs. ATV Reflex that seems more timeless than retread, but it’s just enough to salvage this otherwise unremarkable racer.

And between the bland menus and creepily animated singers, Karaoke Revolution even looks the part of a last-gen holdover. [Holiday 2009, p.83]

The price is also particularly cringe-inducing: $15 for a product with precisely one game mode(quick play)? Yikes! [Jan 2010, p.69]

Our favorite addition is the inclusion of tooltips telling us how to perform the required tricks. When doing a challenge off one of the brand-new park objects, we now know exactly how to do a Crail or a Truckdriver without having to dive into the glossary of grabs!

It's a decent port to 360 with some key changes to the controls to make it work better on a console, but this recipe of Diner Dash lacks some spice. [July 2009, p.77]

Great aesthetics and monster designs. [Feb 2010, p.85]

A game stuck between hardcore and casual, without appealing to either one. [Feb 2010, p.84]

An undisputable improvement over its predecessor in every way, and it steals its own crown as best co-op game on the Xbox. It's chainsaw-twirlingly good. [Holiday 2009, p.64]

On top of frequent loads, lots of quest-to-quest driving, and graphics akin to Sneak King's, it's clear that no one really tried to make the game work. [Jan 2010, p.77]

A decent upgrade or introduction to the series. [Feb 2010, p.88]

NCAA may not be a Final Four contender, but it's still the only college-hoops game in town. [Jan 2010, p.78]

The worst sports game in Xbox history! [Feb 2010, p.88]

A complex puzzler. [Feb 2010, p.88]

If you're looking for quiz show entertainment, you're bound to be disappointed. [Jan 2010, p.69]

Modern Warfare 2 is easily one of the year’s best games. Because it’s more iterative than innovative, though, it’s not quite as perfect as we’d expected, but it is a terrifically fun, nerve-wrackingly intense spectacle that you’d be crazy to miss.

Do yourself a favor and stick to Street Fighter IV. [Jan 2010, p.75]

Boring combat lacks variety. [Mar 2010, p.84]

On the whole, this inspired, if somewhat contrived, tale offers a satisfying close to the season. [Jan 2010, p.81]

Breezy and bite-sized, it won't wow you..but it's no dog, either. [Holiday 2009, p.82]

It's jolly good British fun, but more spontaneity would've made it blood brilliant. [Dec 2009, p.75]

Even with the gigs and events to participate in, Lego Rock Band is, with its lack of any new features, essentially a lego-skinned track pack. [Jan 2010, p.72]

Gamers who are prepared to think — and commit for the long, long haul — will revel in a story that touches on resonant issues and puts the fate of a spectacular world in your hands.

As with Lego Rock Band, however, Band Hero is essentially a track pack. In this case, it's a $60 one, but you get over 60 songs--most of which are exportable to GH5 for just $5. [Jan 2010, p.72]

Instead, the game is a simple shooter with a small variety of extinct species--raptors, pterodactyls that animate like paper kites, and boring T-Rex bosses. [Jan 2010, p.75]

Somewhat unresponsive, sluggish controls. [Nov 2009, p.78]

Fast-paced action that's right on cue. [July 2009, p.97]

Still, even with these issues, Tekken 6 punches through as an excellent addition to the fighter library on 360. [Jan 2010, p.73]

A thoroughly engaging new experience that is well-deserving of its heroic namesake.

What makes Forza 3 so epic is that along with being an outstanding racing game, all this social and creative activity is so alluring for car people of all stripes. It's the kind of hub that people get lost in, and we'll be right there with them. [Dec 2009, p.95]

The slow-to-respond point-and-click gameplay is more pixel-hunting than actual deductive case-solving. [Dec 2009, p.82]

Straightforward, button-mashing combat through the game's Quest mode with up to three friends may clutter up the screen during heated duels against an onslaught of bad guys, but it provides the otherwise muddled Fairytale Fights with its only true high point. [Jan 2010, p.78]

A few invisible walls and a bad camera make the platforming even less fun, but shooting fireballs, ice pikes, greenish goo, and lightning one after another does plenty to break up the monotony. [Holiday 2009, p.82]

Diehard fans may enjoy all the familiar faces, but a few hours was too much for us. [Jan 2010, p.77]

Sure, Game Time functions fine, Jeff Foxworthy is still vaguely funny, and the rules of the original show are in place. The multi-player, on the other hand, never gets going. [Jan 2010, p.81]

But as long as you keep your expectations in line with it's $30 budget price, it's a pretty decent way to spend an afternoon, especially with kids. [Jan 2010, p.77]

Wonderfully deep gameplay underneath layers of complexity. [Dec 2009, p.86]

This casual block-dropper has a satisfying complex exterior and enough well-paced rewards that it kept us coming back to stack. [Holiday 2009, p.76]

Borderlands is great but not for everyone. It's narrowly aimed at a certain type of player, and if you love fierce combat and the kind of group level grind that Blizzard's PC games specialize in, you'll feel right at home. [Dec 2009, p.66]

Feels a bit like an expansion pack. But it's a big expansion pack that you can completely vanish into and emerge a couple of weekends later feeling like you got your money's worth. [Dec 2009, p.74]

As features go, FIFA 10 is pretty short on significant upgrades, leaving most of the talking points on the field. [Dec 2009, p.81]

Despite the awful visuals and crummy combat camera, watching the world react to your different play styles makes this short story a satisfying feudal tale that's worth seeing through. [Dec 2009, p.80]

Lips: Number One Hits certainly isn't a full-fledged sequel to Microsoft's singing debut, nor does it come across as a quick cash-in with new songs. [Holiday 2009, p.83]