A marginally brushed-up verison of Madden visually, but stripped of everything they've worked for over the years to advance the game's sense of realism and fun. [Jan 2006, p.60]

Ion Assault occasionally feels insubstantial and rarely replicates the big, tense moments of other thrill-a-second shooters, but it works well as a slightly more strategic alternative. [Nov 2009, p.72]

We understand the tightrope any game walks between narrative cohesion and player freedom, and Mafia II makes its choice clear. As a result, its best aspects are exceptional, but we can't help but think that it could've offered so much more.

The variety of play, including obstacle courses, photo shoots, midnight races and stunt driving is staggering. Wreckless is a work of art. [Mar 2002, p.63]

It's fine for the PS2, but we would have liked a little more polish for the Xbox. [Feb 2002, p.73]

At a mere $20 it represents impossible value and is probably a must-have for crusty old gamers. [Dec 2003, p.92]

RDR creatively captures the feel and flavor of classic Westerns, while remaining an absolute twitchy-fingered hoot to play. [July 2004, p.80]

Impressive lighting, gorgeous art direction, and a smooth framerate really pretty-up the experience, while voice-acting from Hollywood veterans Rosario Dawson and Brian Cox add weight to the audio.

Unless your taste in classics runs on the obscure side (hello, "Super Qix"), Taito Legends might be best left in the vault. [Jan 2006, p.71]

This NFS definitely isn't in the same league as last year's superb Most Wanted. But despite its misfires, Carbon has a lot of great action and intriguing ideas that, with properly calibrated expectations, will be a blast for fans of the series' trademark arcade racing. [Holiday 2006, p.72]

Defiance's story and visuals really shine through. The combat may be repetitive, but it's solid and fun and the well-paced plot does a great job of tying the knot with the long paths of Kain and Raziel. [Jan 2004, p.80]

EA's newest iteration of FIFA features improved play on the pitch, but doesn't provide enough gameplay modes to justify a $60 price tag unless you live and breathe the World Cup, or want to play as every country FIFA recognizes--including American Samoa. [July 2014, p.73]

Nice gameplan, poor execution. [June 2009, p.79]

Frame rate gets choppy and detracts from the experience. [Jan 2003, p.66]

What's here is only half a game. Live play may be brilliant, but the single-player experience is sorely lacking. [Jan 2004, p.78]

All that backtracking might've floated back in the day, but now it just feels repetitive and tedious. [Holiday 2005, p.90]

For a game that's meant to be a goofy and irreverent take on the usually stuffy golf world, Outlaw Golf 2 is a surprisingly good golf sim. [Nov 2004, p.77]

Yes, Universe offers more and more and even more of the same formula--but for the DDR faithful, it's a winning one. [Apr 2007, p.88]

This won't be a welcome addition for newbies, but if you've breezed through "Bemani," the aggressively challenging Pump It Up: Exceed will reward you. Just be prepared to earn it when you step up. [Oct 2005, p.102]

With just a five-area adventure mode and a points-focused championship mode (and no multiplayer). there's a lot less content here than in, say, the recent "Geometry Wars 2". [Nov 2008, p.80]

For all the unique thrills and spectacle the series still delivers, Forgotten Sands never quite reaches the dizzying heights you want it to. [July 2010, p.78]

Despite all its new features, PES 2009 is packed with problems. [Jan 2009, p.75]

The fighting engine won't win any awards for realism or responsiveness. (At times the punches lag behind your button presses.) But ultimately it's good enough for what the game is. [Dec 2002, p.142]

Phantom Crash isn't a game you can simply pick up and play, but for mech fans and those gamers always up for a singular adventure and a time consuming (but fun) weirdness - this is definitely your ticket. [Nov 2002, p.144]

Devotees of the old TV series will be thrilled. [Nov 2002, p.116]

What kills ASB '04 is simply how it plays. Hitting is incredibly difficult and pitching doesn't "feel" very good. [Apr 2003, p.81]

Feels bare-boned and unrefined compared to the other two. [Oct 2003, p.74]

We wish Infinity Ward had been bolder with their design decisions, sure, but everything from the campaign to the competitive multiplayer to the alien-battling version of Treyarch’s zombie mode remains outright fun. Imperfect and unsurprising maybe, but fun nonetheless.