We love it when a sports game comes together. With NHL 09, all the potential this series has teased us with for the past two seasons has finally gelled into actual, grade-A greatness.

Yes, the graphics are sharply upgraded, the new 12-player online matches are wicked fun, the Franchise mode is deep and detailed, and the silly Zamboni mini-game somehow mesmerized us. But with NHL 09 turning in such an all-star performance (see review, left), this exercise in nostalgia is enjoyable…but unnecessary.

FaceBreaker delivers fast online brawls, and the constant back-and-forth of counters, stuns, and outrageous signature moves yields a surprising amount of room for strategy and style. As tiresome as solo scuffles become, exciting multiplayer bouts against unpredictable humans save FaceBreaker from a TKO.

The interface is considerably easier to navigate than the menu-heavy original Head Coach. [Sept 2008, p.69]

If you've got a few friends, it can actually be pretty fun. [Apr 2008, p.76]

With clunky controls and no real deterrent from dying--for a Game Over, you simply lose all the points gained so far in the current level--Shred Nebula seems a bit too easy. [Dec 2008, p.73]

For anyone who enjoys tossing cards, this game is a relaxing experience, and worth chilling out to. [Sept 2008, p.79]

That simplicity is also its biggest problem--pointing and clicking requires little strategy, so rather than always playing, you'll be watching dudes fight. Yawn. [Dec 2008, p.73]

This whole setup would fall apart completely if the red-headed Capell weren’t so freakin’ likeable. It helps that despite the fumbling voice-acting, each character’s lines — as well as the story itself — are well-written. Every new discovery pulls you deeper into the mysteries and personalities that keep Infinite Undiscovery so involving.

Even if there were room to experiment, a few dozen animals aren’t sufficient to lure back veteran gardeners for long, and newcomers are bound to wonder why life on the island is so needlessly difficult. In the end, Trouble in Paradise proves to be aptly named.

A glorified mini-game. [Oct 2008, p.85]

It’s a giant, busy sandbox full of all kinds of fiery and destructive toys, but you have to get a firm handle on the game’s uneven tempo and immersion-breaking little quirks to fully enjoy the amount of freedom it offers.

Every inch of the hand-drawn kingdom is brimming with endearing eccentricity. [Oct 2008, p.76]

Incredibly satisfying. [Oct 2008, p.82]

It's great that Tiger 09 doesn't add 17 new mini-games, but instead reformulates its approach to your golfer's skills and gear with dramatically improved results. [Oct 2008, p.81]

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]

Obvious problems (the shaky camera, poor targeting system, and inconsistent frame rate) match up with sheer annoyances (the 25-second-long, unskippable death sequences) to degrade the expectedly repetitive experience, but that’s not all that stuck in our craw. Capping the enjoyable online co-op at just two players (with no local play) seems ludicrous in this day and age; even PSO was rocking four players on a 56K connection in 2001!

Smash Court Tennis 3 straddles the line between Virtua Tennis’s arcade style and the technical aspects of Top Spin, but ultimately it comes off only as a sluggish imitator of both.

So yes, we recognize and appreciate that this is an exact remake of a classic game, but the bottom line is, many of you will decide that its unforgiving nature saps too much fun out of what is otherwise a lovingly reassembled classic.

The 3 mini-games in this Fable II companion are decidedly mixed. [Nov 2008, p.80]

We're happy to report that Madden NFL 09 represents the pinnacle of the modern Madden era. [Sept 2008, p.68]

The last-gen graphics aren't godawful, but they're a far cry from the 360's near pixel-perfect presentation. Who cares, though: it's fun to play the Xbox one last time. [Sept 2008, p.71]

Braid is absolutely a game you shouldn’t miss.

We’re more than a little sore about the inexcusable lack of online play, but between the startlingly sharp neon visual aesthetic, the bumping new soundtrack, and smartly integrated Achievements, Retro Evolved 2 sets a new standard for arcade shooters on any platform, downloadable or otherwise.

To our surprise (and relief), adding the diminutive Jedi master to the melee mix turned out to be more than just a Force-fueled marketing ploy. He controls like a dream, animates as acrobatically as his Attack of the Clones counterpart, and amuses when responding to the conceited cast with his backward-speak: "Once you start down the dark path, consume you it will."

The cartoonish, blocky graphics don't help, but constantly challenging gameplay and surprisingly smart A.I. make this a game that all strategy nuts will enjoy. [Oct 2008, p.85]

A rental at best. [July 2009, p.81]

Also annoying is the frequent, noticeable slowdown when a lot of effects start flashing on-screen, particularly during online play.