There's no better entry point to the "Total War" series than Medieval 2. [Jan. 2007, p.94]

The art direction, cinemas, sound design and control schemes are masterful, and the levels never stop giving. [Oct 2004, p.76]

What matters is that Doom 3 looks amazing, plays as well as it possibly could next to the acclaimed PC behemoth, and carries a foreboding atmosphere that is unmatched in a first-person shooter. [Apr 2005, p.47]

The most realistic and technically advanced soccer game to date. It's almost too real. [Dec 2002, p.91]

Dishes out some truly inventive (if not a tad insane) leve design, tight gameplay, and great visuals, to the extent that anyone even remotely interested in the sport will likely embrace this game's spin on the whole extreme sports trend. [Oct 2002, p.85]

By far the best college football game to date. [Aug 2004, p.74]

In so many words, it feels like the PSP's killer app. [Sept 2006, p.63]

Let me get it out in the open right away - ESPN NHL 2K5 may be the best hockey game you'll ever play. [Dec 2004, p.103]

Though a few facets of Fire Emblem did get on my nerves - permanently losing characters that fall in battle, for example - they didn't detract from the experience so much that I ever wanted to stop. [Dec 2003, p.95]

This is the game that the industry should hold up as an example of what gaming can aspire to. [Feb 2005, p.56]

Together with a near flawless play-by-play announcer, excellent sound, music and solid online play, EA Sports has done it again with MVP. [Apr 2005, p.76]

An adventurous, high-spirited air-combat game that mixes campy fun with seriously intense action... There really is nothing else out there like Crimson Skies. [Nov 2003, p.74]

A basic first-person shooter with the action quotient set on full throttle, but everything about TimeSplitters 2 is handled skillfully and stylishly, pieced together with a scintillating polish. [Nov 2002, p.64]

Visually, Criterion has gone completely mad, shoehorning entire cities, airports, and back roads into full view. [June 2003, p.66]

You'll be astounded by how much game there is here. [May 2005, p.67]

EA Chicago should be proud. It doesn't get much better than this. [Apr 2005, p.77]

Together with a deep career mode, eight new courses (14 total) and, of course, online gameplay, this latest Tiger Woods is as good as it gets. [Oct 2004, p.88]

Instead of a series of self-contained challenges, Paradise offers up an open world where players are free to explore their inner vehicular homocidal maniac to their hearts' content. [Mar 2008, p.56]

The most enthralling and disturbing atmosphere seen or heard on the PC so far this year. [Oct 2004, p.84]

What a great, overachieving sequel this is. [Dec 2003, p.84]

Fire is the new dust, and BlazBlue is the new hotness of the fighting game world. Still a bit hard to fully grasp at first for newbies, but don't let that scare you off.

It's astonishingly detailed, wicked fun and the music streams non-stop to drive it all home. [June 2004, p.61]

A superb game. [Feb 2002, p.59]

This looks more like a triple-A PS2 game than a PSP game, and it weighs in at 40-plus hours. [Aug 2007, p.70]

Improved in every way. [Oct 2002, p.83]

In all things small and epic, from the palpable graininess of the game's predominantly poorly lit environments, to the endlessly thrilling second installment of the spies vs. mercenaries online competitions, Theory does not disappoint. [May 2005, p.44]

The epitome of what a handheld title can aspire to - a game you pray as you play it will never end. [Aug 2002, p.72]

For what it is - the Jak universe plugged into a juiced "GTA" mold - Jak II is damn close to being a perfect game. You just have to want <I>this</I> game. I took some convincing, but the way has been opened. I'll live with the boogie. [Oct 2003, p.64]

Addictive in the most traditional gaming sense, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance insidiously traps you in its strategy-game mechanics, and there's no way you want to get free. [Sept 2003, p.80]

Can a game be worth purchasing without being brilliant? It depends on your wallet. The first few hours of multiplayer are going to be worth the sticker price, but the rest of the game is nearly inaccessible for four simultaneous gamers.

Where most games entertain us with cutscenes to observe, Beyond Good & Evil is a cutscene. This is the first game to fully, properly inject the undeniable power of cinematic technique into the experience. [Nov 2003, p.70]

In terms of sheer fun, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the best RPG I've played in a long time. [Dec 2004, p.80]

The look, feel, structure and incomparable Nintendo touch have been closely preserved, toyed with just enough to be labeled a substantial sequel. [Nov 2003, p.84]

This version's a hair better than the Xbox one, too. [May 2003, p.60]

For 2003, Sega has upped the ante once again and has developed a near-perfect baseball game. [Apr 2003, p.70]

Smilebit's marriage of art, music, and gameplay is so profound, I may never stop playing it. [Mar 2002, p.24]

All's fair in love and war, and Ops is smart enough, thankfully, to make at least some of its battles count. [Jan. 2007, p.78]

And only on the Wii could a game like Zack and Wiki make any sense at all, because it's the motion-sensing controls that ultimately make the experience fly. [Nov 2007, p.53]

With more of an emphasis on the intimate perils of war, the game feels fresh enough, but staggers in an attempt to draw us in to the characters. [May 2005, p.50]

It's at once intuitive and deep, a bit exaggerated yet deceptively extensive in execution. [Mar 2002, p.47]

MechAssault delivers and looks absolutely brilliant doing it. [Dec 2002, p.75]

Certainly not for everyone, this "life simulator" seems tailor made for the younger set. [Oct 2002, p.83]

If you like Zelda—if what makes Zelda good for you is the Zelda-y stuff that’s always in these Zelda games—then you’re going to find more of it here. All the charm, all the polish. All the thoughtful puzzles and gorgeous detail. But if you’re looking for something new, you’re going have to wait until the next train arrives. This is another The Legend of Zelda game: The formula we know, the formula we love.

GT what? DiRT 2 is the real deal, capturing the thrill of rally racing in one hell of a slick package. Play it for the mud sliding physics alone.

For portable role playing on the go you can't do much better...okay, "Jeanne de Arc", but that's it. [Oct 2007, p.94]

Where most games entertain us with cutscenes to observe, Beyond Good & Evil is a cutscene. This is the first game to fully, properly inject the undeniable power of cinematic technique into the experience. [Nov 2003, p.70]

I can’t sing Cing’s praises loud enough. Little King’s Story is the freshest Wii game since de’ Blob and a return to the kind of Japanese development that made me fall in love with games in the first place.

Thankfully, they took it upon themselves to overhaul the game and create a NASCAR racing experience unlike any other before it. [Oct 2004, p.88]

Although the player models look better than they do in EA's game, the movements aren't as fluid. Some of the animations (especially passing) are a little awkward. [Nov 2002, p.88]

Together with a near flawless play-by-play announcer, excellent sound, music and solid online play, EA Sports has done it again with MVP. [Apr 2005, p.76]

Gray Matter has provided tons of huge maps and fun vehicles like tanks and jeeps, and their twist on various established modes like domination and base assault work very well in these environs. [Nov 2004, p.87]

Arguably the best epic platformer since the Rare/Miyamoto days of N64. [May 2005, p.65]

GT what? DiRT 2 is the real deal, capturing the thrill of rally racing in one hell of a slick package. Play it for the mud sliding physics alone.

Not to be outdone, EA Sports has upped the ante with NHL 2004 and it truly has left me speechless. What am I so excited about? One word - Dynasty Mode... For hockey fans, this is a no brainer. [Sept 2003, p.88]

EA Chicago should be proud. It doesn't get much better than this. [Apr 2005, p.77]

LittleBigPlanet makes a near seamless jump to the portable. While some of the content and gameplay is lost to the hardware's limitations, the presentation is as infectiously charming as ever. A robust campaign is rounded out by infinite content through user-created levels. SackBoy's new home is a perfect fit!

The fourth instalment in the PixelJunk series is perhaps their best, but wherever you stand, this shooter with adventure elements is original and full of style.

A game like Dark Cloud 2 would, I argue, be much more effective if the emphasis was placed on a more flowing, cohesive world structure, but for what it sets out to accomplish, it deserves minor criticism. [Mar 2003, p.48]

Fastidiously laid down, inventirely presented, established with a keen eye for detail. [Aug 2004, p.57]

In ten years, Kingdom Hearts II will be remembered as one of the absolute triumphs on Playstation 2. [May 2006, p.41]

Half-Life has matured with style. [Feb 2002, p.61]

As well as this fighter plays (it's like a drug) and as deep as it is, it's the animation that keeps me coming back for more. [Mar 2003, p.64]

The pinnacle of everything that's made the series great from day one pulled together with sheer mastery and polished to a blinding sheen. Insomniac's finest work to date, and that's saying something. You're gonna love the way it looks, I guarantee it.

When you face a player, it's almost like a fighting game: who will execute the proper move first? [Nov 2003, p.104]

Games like Persona 3 are the reason we play games. So, I can't say this enough. Play it. [Aug 2007, p.62]

It's innovative for sure, but for me, that's not enough. [Aug 2005, p.57]

The developers did a nice job of capturing Burnout's breathless sense of velocity as well as its wicked series of car crashes and explosions on the PSP. [Nov p.98]

Let me get it out in the open right away - ESPN NHL 2K5 may be the best hockey game you'll ever play. [Dec 2004, p.103]

Together with a near flawless play-by-play announcer, excellent sound, music and solid online play, EA Sports has done it again with MVP. [Apr 2005, p.76]

For now, they can bask in the glow of a truly superior achievement. [Dec 2005, p.80]

Thankfully, they took it upon themselves to overhaul the game and create a NASCAR racing experience unlike any other before it. [Oct 2004, p.88]

Resistance: Fall of Man possesses a quality very few games I’ve played this year do: that driving factor to play to the end, without breaks, without needing to walk away from that unsettling sense of monotony to reinvigorate the desire to jump back in for the next session.

Why risk changing an already perfect passing sytem? I guess when you're the only game in town, you can do what you want. [Oct 2005]

Fire is the new dust, and BlazBlue is the new hotness of the fighting game world. Still a bit hard to fully grasp at first for newbies, but don't let that scare you off.

Resident Evil 5 should be the perfect type of game to use with 3D Vision glasses, and now we can confirm that it is. With upgraded textures and effects, new Mercenary modes and character costumes, and superior control options, it’s another outstanding PC outing for Capcom.

Amazing visuals. [March 2005, p.59]

This one doesn't take you by the hand and lead you from plot point to plot point. Instead, GS: TLA is filled with an exhilarating sense of freedom. [Apr 2003, p.65]

When all the inane and lovingly crafted comic kitsch subsides, you're left with a very good little RPG. [Apr 2005, p.67]

The most realistic and technically advanced soccer game to date. It's almost too real. [Dec 2002, p.91]

Complaints are already being waged that the game is too similar too the old series. This game wasn’t meant for you. For the rest of us who desire an experience that isn’t trying to be anything more than high-level throwback, Punch-Out!! is fantastic fun.

Gameplay was virtually lag-free and response time was so smooth, it rivaled any other sports game played online. [Jan 2005, p.80]

I've just played the most majestic, delicately crafted role-playing game since "Chrono Cross." [Dec 2002, p.77]

And, were it not said, someone would be drummed out of the union: The Force is strong with this one. [Oct. 2006, p.52]

Next time gimmie some music other than hip-hop, and a driver's-eye-view, and I'll be one happy speed freak. [Aug 2003, p.75]

If you're unfamiliar with Guilty Gear, then be prepared to get blown away - and possibly overwhelmed - by the incredible depth of this underrated fighting franchise. [Aug 2004, p.50]

I absolutely loved The Sith Lords, flaws and all. HK-47 defines love as "making a shot to the knees of a target 120 kilometers away using an Aratch sniper rifle with a tri-light scope." That says it all. [Feb 2005, p.68]

Where most games entertain us with cutscenes to observe, Beyond Good & Evil is a cutscene. This is the first game to fully, properly inject the undeniable power of cinematic technique into the experience. [Nov 2003, p.70]

I don't often get a good belly laugh from a video game, but then not many games pack the humorous charm of Mario and Luigi 2... [Nov p.99]

Soul Calibur 3 represents the ultimate evolution in weapons-based fighting. [Dec 2005, p.57]

The survive-as-long-as-you-can "Dead Man Walking" mode, however, can make a second or third go-round worthwhile. [Dec 2003, p.87]

This is Katamari at its finest. [Oct 2005]

It's got style. In fact, presentation-wise, you'll not find a better action game...anywhere. [Nov 2002, p.58]

Fight Night Round 3 takes the sweet science of boxing to bloody new levels, and he results are certainly impressive. [Mar 2006, p.40]

It's hard to fathom how a game that speaks through elementary text, not voice, with characters that look like the once I drew on my Trapper Keeper in fifth grade (barking such eloquent lines as "Link, did you defeat that giant stone eye-thing?), can still hold me captive. But, somehow, it does. [Aug 2004, p.55]

A twisting, turning quest fraught with religious controversy, ethical questions and issues of prejudice and sacrifice. [Aug 2004, p.51]

Combined with top-notch sound effects, new weapons, and special moves, it will leave you speechless. [Dec 2002, p.88]

The amount of depth, given the unlockable nature of the cars and missions, make this as meaty as it is intense. [Nov 2002, p.92]

From the superb modeling of the interior and exterior of the vehicles, the realism of its courses, and the precision of its control, McRae looks and feels just like the real thing. [Jan 2003, p.75]