The Godfather II doesn't trip over the ambition of its design - it balances the different genre aspects extremely well - but nagging graphics issues weigh it down, causing quest characters and family members to disappear or distort in-game and in cutscenes, sometimes requiring me to load old saved games to progress. [Apr 2009, p.82]

A brutally enjoyable stealth shooter that revisits and builds on the success of the original Escape from Butcher Bay. [May 2009, p.84]

Wheelman executes its core mechanics well, but not much else. [June 2009, p.76]

A fresh infusion of high-quality role-playing quests and new gear to Fallout 3, but The Pitt isn't an entirely glitch-free experience. [June 2009, p.80]

A pretty but simple action game that makes the right decision to not attempt to be something more than it is and concentrates on a well-executed bullet-curving gimmick. It just happens to be overpriced at $50. [May 2009, p.76]

MoB's terrific art style and wanton dismemberment are completely wasted on this overwhelmingly inadequate shooter. [July 2009, p.82]

Soviet Assault doesn't expand on World in Conflict enough to make it an automatic purchase. New players will get the best experience here. [Apr 2009, p.84]

It doesn't do enough to raise itself beyond being just a solid (albeit fun) brawler. [May 2009, p.70]

Entrenchment is an excellent micro-add-on that will suck you back into multi-hour games of Sins of a Solar Empire and introduce tons of new strategic options. [June 2009, p.86]

Quake Live may be a 10-year-old shooter, but it's still a rush. [Nov 2010, p.85]

Although it lacks in mission variety, Dawn of War II skips the pleasantries of base-building and gets right to the point: action-packed, bloody warfare (with loot!) [Mar 2009, p.62]

F.E.A.R. 2 fails to innovate, which would make it merely a respectable but forgettable shooter if not for some good scares. [Apr 2009, p.80]

Though not particularly memorable, Saints Row 2's huge volume of quests and goofy side missions make it one of the better open-world crime games available, but the PC port's technical scars drag it down. [Mar 2009, p.70]

Just another half-assed console port. [Mar 2009, p.74]

It's not the lack of death that drains the game of its urgency and suspense; it's the lack of purpose in each level, other than to show off the lovely design of virtual monkey bars topped off with some fireworks at the end. [Feb 2009, p.66]

Defense Grid's excellent personality and gameplay make it both a great game for experienced tower defense fans and an excellent starting point for new players. [Apr 2009, p.86]

GTAIV works well as a multiplayer game. [Feb 2009, p.70]

But it's the puzzles that elevate Underworld to new heights. [Jan 2009, p.54]

Left 4 Dead's emphasis on teamwork and vague hints of story may not appeal to gamers who demand a focused single-player experience, but for the millions out there who have ever imagined their role in the inevitable Zombie Apocalypse, it simply cannot be missed. [Jan 2009, p.30]

In fact, World at War is a deeply symmetrical reapplication of CoD4's brilliant design, though executed with noticeably less polish. [Jan 2009, p.44]

Any game in which a giant laser cannon pops out of Teddy Roosevelt's head on Mt. Rushmore is a winner in my book...Red Alert 3 is a highly polished game that doesn't take itself the least bit seriously, and co-op play might jus be the next big thing in RTS. [Holiday 2008, p.62]

But Fallout 3 has fidelity to its predecessors in more important ways, such as offering an incredible depth of role-playing opportunities. [Holiday 2008, p.54]

The saddest part about Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is that the only people willing to endure such a sloppy port are hard-core Spider-Man fans--the same group to whom the plot will make the least sense. [Jan 2009, p.59]

I'm unable to go back to straight and simple first-person shooters. Far Cry 2 hasn’t just exceeded my expectations, it’s blown them away. [Holiday 2008, p.58]

For $25, the value proposition of this time-sink is impressive if you consider yourself more managerial material than on-field talent. [Sept 2008, p.67]

This would have been a much more compelling horror game if not for the bizarrely sluggish mouse movement, which feels strangely slow and floaty. [Holiday 2008, p.68]

All details are overridden by your answer to this very simple question: Just how much do you like Aerosmith? [Feb 2009, p.74]

Easily one of the most engrossing shooters ever made. [Holiday 2008, p.70]