It clearly aims to include everyone and exclude no one, and that's just plain refreshing amid a holiday season stuffed full of deadly serious, high-learning-curve me-toos. [Nov 2007, p.96]

The revolution, this year, belongs to EA's "Skate", but evolution remains Proving Ground's domain. [Holiday 2007, p.76]

The Orange Box packs so much quality content into one $60 title that it sets an almost dangerous precedent for all other developers and publishers. [Dec 2007, p.58]

Costly though it may be, Puzzle Quest is an undeniably and deceptively addicting hybrid. [Nov 2007, p.92]

It's certainly no "Dirt"--Codemaster's off-road racer is still in a league of its own--but Sega Rally Revo's uniquely interactive terrain and unrefined bounce-me-off-the-walls driving dynamic help compensate for its thin venue count and constrained physics. [Dec 2007, p.73]

Moderately challenging and entertaining, Acme Arsenal is nevertheless far from memorable. [Nov 2007, p.99]

Another year, another FIFA--and consider us happy. [Dec 2007, p.78]

Combining the cutesiness of a Pixar flick with the depth of a theme-park tycoon game, LucasArts' Thrillville series smoothly transitions onto the Xbox 360 with Off the Rails, a souped-up and entertaining follow-up to last year's Xbox release. [Dec 2007, p.76]

Crash of the Titans makes a solid, if uninspiring, choice for younger fans of the series, but everyone else should head for more enjoyable all-ages fare like "Beautiful Katamari" or even--yes--"Surf's Up". [Holiday 2007, p.82]

Dropping collectible fish in a handful of environments feels hopelessly extraneous; luckily, you can disregard the aquatic nonsense and enjoy timeless gameplay in a reasonably attractive wrapper. [Dec 2007, p.65]

Destruction is simply more fun than obsessive tuning, assuming you've got a few screws loose to start with. [Nov 2007, p.84]

In a crowded holiday season, however--and in a year when racing fans have already been satiated by the stellar likes of "Dirt" and "Forza 2"--this more-or-less "do over" of "PGR3" is a bit disappointing, despite how good it actually is. [Dec 2007, p.72]

The gameplay follows a predictable pattern: Spidey and a sidekick(friends, like Black Cat and Iron Fist, or foes, like Doc Ock and Sandman)enter an area, Venom-ish enemies teleport in, and you have to clear the room of bad guys to open the door to the next area. Repeat ad nauseum. [Dec 2007, p.62]

It's the full package, with enough new goodness to justify an upgrade from last year's excellent iteration. [Dec 2007, p.62]

You might think calling NBA Live 08 "much improved" is a backhanded compliment, but its first two years on 360 really did leave it no place to go but up. [Nov 2007, p.84]

Though long interrogation sequences are tedious, the stories are wonderfully macabre: every character is guilty of something, and only forensic science can separate the red herrings from the incriminating evidence. [Dec 2007, p.65]

If you're going to play poker with fake money, Activision Value's latest is the best way to do it on Xbox 360. [Holiday 2007, p.78]

And while the game is generally fun, it's strictly for casual, arcade racing-style fans. [Jan 2008, p.69]

This 10 is based on the fact that Bungie has successfully raied the level of what to expect in future shooters and how much stuff you can cram into one game with a high level of polish and expertise--and not as an afterthought or as padding. [Nov 2007, p.50]

Otherwise, expect to get bored rather quickly with collecting spilled spheres and waiting for floating cube-movers. [Dec 2007, p.66]

Though the real world environments aren't ugly, this Cabela's, ptarmigans and all, is simply pterrible. [Jan 2008, p.69]

It may not share the same rarified air as Microsoft's genre-leading "Crimson Skies", but Blazing Angels 2 elevates the franchise a helluva lot closer. [Dec 2007, p.66]

It's the current best of the "Warriors" bunch, and long-time fans will eat it up, but everyone else should keep expectations in check. [Nov 2007, p.99]

If you're predisposed to cuteness, level-grinding, and some outright earnest, sweet-tempered madness, ditch all disbelief and consider Sonata your match made in heaven. [Sept 2007, p.70]

While Juiced 2 isn't the smoothest-driving Xbox 360 racer on the market, it's definitely one of the more filling. [Nov 2007, p.97]

Skate finds the sweet spot between boring simulation and hyper-realism--then totally owns it. [Nov 2007, p.98]

Yes, NHL 08 can feel challenging and hard, but it rewards you with the sport's best representation in videogame form that we've seen yet. [Oct 2007, p.73]

For longtime gamers and those who can stomach the blocky graphics and touchy controls, it's great retro fun. [Dec 2007, p.78]