Jade's world is its foremost strength. A fantastical mix of myths and pure fiction, you'll find it hard to put the controller down once you've been sucked in. [Apr 2005, p.40]

Few games have the intestinal fortitude to defy genre conventions and player expectations at the expense of enjoyment, but that's what hooked us. We obsessed over exploring every hidden area, slept less to slay dragons, and probably sustained a bit of psychological damage in the process. But it was worth it.

Beautifully restyled graphics make a stellar first impression as larger, more realistic players stride with feline grace across courts that drip with lavish colors and lighting. But true beauty lies on the inside, and V3 has layer after layer to peel away. [Feb 2005, p.73]

Rocks the rink. [Jan 2002]

This is easily the most realistically simulated home field advantage in all of digital sports. [August 2004]

For an experience that could've drowned in an overreliance on using familiar signposts from what's come before it, Fez succeeds in celebrating the past in a smart, joyous way that has us incredibly excited for gaming's future.

Any game that has seen nine iterations must have either required a phenomenal amount of improvement or honed a hugely successful formula. Chalk up this new Winning Eleven in the later category. [Mar 2006, p.74]

It doesn't have depth, brains, or complexity, but it does have killer looks and loads of style. [Feb 2002, p.67]

Burnout Revenge for 360 is a fantastic experience, capturing the essence of the series better than any of its predecessors. [Apr 2006, p.81]

The easy-to-understand controls, functional juke moves, fancy passes, deep single-player game, four-player madness, and competitive spirit make this not just the best alternative b-ball game on Xbox, but the best street ball game period, and the only one worth buying on Xbox. [May 2003, p.82]

A few standard scare tactics (dramatic music, flickering lights) and gory battles may satisfy hardened fans of horror, but loot-hunting and taxi missions will likely haunt your dreams more than the given monstrosities of death.

The year's best overall baseball title. It's got enough simulation to satisfy the hardcore and sufficient arcadeness to please the casual gamers. [Apr 2003, p.80]

Artorias is for hardcore players only, but anyone still playing Dark Souls at this point easily meets that requirement. It's a fantastic addition to an already great game, and a no-brainer purchase for anyone still under Dark Souls' spell.

While so many stealth games equate any sort of detection with total failure, Human Revolution lets the chaotic consequences of exposure play out in all their unpredictable glory. Shoddy storytelling means that all the sound and fury that results ultimately signifies dreadfully little, but at no point short of death do you every truly lose - you just have a different kind of fun. [Oct 2011, p.72]

This cracking game also proves the Xbox truly is the only console capable of running games with this level of immersion...Riddick should be waved in the face of every PS2 fanboy with a taunting "nyah, nyah." [Aug 2004, p.72]

As good as the comic is, and as exciting as the TV show's third season has been, this vision of Robert Kirkman's zombie opus will always be our one, true, definitive version.

Yes, it's flawed, but L.A. Noire is an honest-to-goodness detective crime thriller - a genuine breath of fresh air that values narrative and story above all else in an age where scripted action sequences and online deathmatch rule the day. It's the closest thing Xbox has to PlayStation's unique adventurer Heavy Rain.

Simply put, this is a once-in-a-generation puzzler, much like Tetris. It’s Xbox Live Arcade’s finest offering, and it can be both mindless and high-level strategic fun. Don’t miss it. Find an internet connection and create an Xbox Live Silver account if you have to; it’s that sublime.

The Xbox version's single-player isn't quite the brave new world of the 360 game, but it's exciting enough to deserve a play-through, and the exceptional Co-op and Versus just can't be missed. [Dec. 2006, p.72]

But here it is: the finest version of the finest fighting game series, and with spot-on Xbox Live play. [Holiday 2007, p.64]

Whether you love or hate Michael Jordan, 2K11 is the finest hoops title to come along in a long time for its near-perfect presentation of both Number 23 and the other greatest players of his era. The Jordan Challenge mode could almost be its own game.

The graphics look great (special nod to nice lighting), and the animation is outstandingly lifelike. [Dec 2003, p.130]

The beauty of Tiger is its simplicity and depth at the same time. [Nov 2003, p.110]

As long as you're willing to explore the city's nooks and crannies, drive offensively, and take a hell of a lot of risks, you'll find it supremely rewarding. [Feb 2008, p.70]

We were spoiled by Shadow Complex’s sophisticated environments, and while we could settle for the truckload of timed challenges in the nifty Proving Grounds collection of mini-games, we wanted to fall back into the darkened corridors of the sinister Restoration’s high-tech mazes for more, more, more.

One startlingly huge, polished, and downright entertaining shooter experience. Sure, we can come up with a list of things we'd love to see from the series - whether it's a revamped campaign approach or a revitalized game engine and aesthetic - but when everything here is this well-executed and offers so many enduring thrills, it's hard to knock it too much. MW3 absolutely delivers.

Both its single-player and multiplayer facets deploy innovative, brilliantly crafted gameplay that makes this WWII action/strategy blend an evolutionary step forward in combat videogames. [Apr 2005, p.76]

Arkane Studios has crafted what's likely the year's best new IP, and by tapping into elements of so many of this generation's greatest games, this adventure sneaks up, grabs you, and won't let go.