Like the last game, your team really isn't all that widely effective and functional, inevitably creating a feeling of going through the motions on autopilot; but more complex AI routines and better scripted scenarios do definitely help. [Aug 2004, p.57]

The true stars of the game are the titans themselves. Each of the four civilizations has their own unique titan. Just watching these lumbering giants in battle is plain awesome. [Nov 2003, p.96]

Still infinitely playable and impeccably designed. [Aug 2004, p.61]

This may just be the best high energy sports game on the planet...Soccer Slam breaths new life into the system and gives us a taste of what real GameCube games can look like. [Apr 2002, p.50]

EA has done it again, implementing expanded Freestyle control, improved defensive AI, superior graphics and a brand-new announce team...Looking for the best basketball game? NBA Live 2004 is nothing but net. [Nov 2003, p.105]

Radical has wisely left Banner behind this time out and opted for a Spidey/GTA-type free-roamer - Hulk-style - and is it ever a thumping good time. [Sept 2005, p.56]

Few games are as excitingly presented, as gorgeously constructed, as intensely visceral as the extraordinary The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. [Dec 2003, p.52]

Every year Codemasters puts out a new version, and it's as sure a bet as anything in this industry that it will be even better than last year's--and that once again it will be mostly ignored by U.S. gamers. [Mar 2006, p.44]

What's important here is the execution and level of player involvement, not that we haven't done all this before, because we have. And believe me, I was involved. [Dec 2004, p.78]

Packed with nuances that, for aspiring fans and drivers must really float their Skoal. Drafting, line selection, pitting...this is a great simulation covering 20 seasons. Not for me. [Oct 2002, p.84]

The play is delightfully simple. [April 2002, p.66]

The challenge can be steep. Running and gunning without taking cover and finding calculated ways of clearing a path is death. [Mar 2004, p.52]

SHIFT will disappoint those looking for Maggie Q and cop chases, but racing sim fans, looking for a solid alternative to Forza and the like, should buckle-up for Need for Speed’s new ride.

The initial feeling in the first mission is one of uncanny newness. I can't remember ever being so quickly immersed or captivated by a world. [Oct 2003, p.75]

Warriors succeeds because it wholly engrosses players. [Nov p.82]

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

Despite the pre-release co-op hype, this one’s just as entertaining for solo apocalypse survivors. While I wish more dialog was delivered through animated characters, it’s hard not to be taken in by the rest of what this ambitious shooter has to offer—great visual presentation, addictive leveling and looting, frenzied gunplay, four playable classes. Oh, and Mutant Midget Psychos.

Half-Minute Hero is an example of what gaming can be when games are at their best; simple in concept, carefully crafted in design, and utterly excellent in execution.

More than any other game in the Classic NES series, The Legend of Zelda is just as good now as it was back in the '80s. [Aug 2004, p.61]

New fighting styles, more weapons, added match types, rowdy crowds and some wicked, brutal environmental interactions help make up for the watered-down brawling. [Oct 2004, p.87]

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]

Fans of the original will need little convincing, but for the rest of you, trust me when I say this game's well worth your time. [Aug 2006, p.57]

Great action and focus, excellent graphics, fun vehicles, satisfying classes...this one's a winner. [Nov 2007, p.114]

Everything about Silmeria, except for the localization, which is good but pales to the likes of FF XII(but what doesn't?)is the stuff that RPG dreams are made of. [Oct. 2006, p.58]

Few games are as excitingly presented, as gorgeously constructed, as intensely visceral as the extraordinary The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. [Dec 2003, p.52]

Caution and calculated planning provide the most satisfying rewards, taking the single-player experience into some unexpectedly satisfying territory. [Jan 2003, p.81]

Packed with nuances that, for aspiring fans and drivers must really float their Skoal. Drafting, line selection, pitting...this is a great simulation covering 20 seasons. Not for me. [Oct 2002, p.84]

The Legacy mode is incredibly comprehensive and it's something that'll keep players busy for hours on end. [Jan 2003, p.84]

The presentation is handled so well that you end up disregarding how ultimately arbitrary the setup can be. [Aug 2004, p.58]

Darwinia really has to be seen and heard in motion...to fully appreciate how effective the presentation is. [Jan 2006, p.56]

The challenge can be steep. Running and gunning without taking cover and finding calculated ways of clearing a path is death. [Mar 2004, p.52]

Gorgeously drawn and richly stylized, constructed with a mystical flair, Onimusha II is a fantastic sequel to one of the best games of last year. [Aug 2002, p.57]

A near 20-hour-long rollercoaster ride that stacks missions of perfectly manufactured platforming, tactical shooting and everything in between. [Dec 2004, p.72]

Wonderfully devised levels. [Aug 2004, p.57]

An amazingly involving adventure from spirit to atmosphere to richness of setting and exploration. [Dec 2004, p.65]

No Resident Evil has established such gloomy mood as effectively as Resident Evil Zero, which paints every screen with a decadent artistry that is unmatched in its extraordinary detail and inspired darkness. [Dec 2002, p.70]

For this year's game, EA has taken freestyle control to a whole new level. A level so out of control, it's going to change the way you play basketball games...forever. [Oct 2004, p.89]

An immense action ride that embodies all that is good and fun about video games. [Oct 2005, p.60]

If they gave this game to depressed people Xanax would be over the counter. [Sept 2006, p.66]

The game needs some touching up, and the framerate kinda sucks. But so good are the multiplayer online battles - don't you dare buy this for solo action - that any of the game's undeniable deficiencies become quickly forgotten. [Feb 2003, p.91]

Watching the game run at 1600X1200 left me speechless. Textures are incredibly rich; the lighting is to die for... On the flipside, however, in order to really enjoy Halo, you need a hardcore gaming rig to see any kind of smooth framerate. [Nov 2003, p.95]

It just shies away from greatness given how good last year's game was. [Dec 2004, p.103]

Subtle touches like added rain and higher resolution go a long way, especially when a game is this beautiful to begin with. [Dec 2002, p.82]

It's derivative, stark, and brash. But the game succeeds because of its swagger. [Mar 2008, p.54]

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

Imagine the visual pageantry of "Devil May Cry" populated with the characters of "Dead or Alive," applied to a Greco-Roman era action-adventure. [Dec 2002, p.58]

When you get the groove, it's really quite exhilarating. [Aug 2003, p.79]

A marvelous game, and the fact that it's not really changed on the Xbox is irrelevant. [June 2003, p.67]

Not to be outdone by "Winning Eleven 6," EA Sports has pulled out all the stops and created a soccer game that is second to none... I dare you to find a soccer game where the ball moves so dynamically and realistically. [Nov 2003, p.108]

Pulling it all together is razor-sharp presentation, incredible city construction and track design, and a use of sound and mixed tunes that is unrivaled in the genre; praise to EA for bypassing the numbing of ill-placed techno. [Dec 2003, p.62]

While Halo 3: ODST doesn’t wow you with innovation, breakthrough technology, or terrifically new gameplay, the campaign story is point blank better than Halo 3’s storyline; Firefight is an adrenaline rush so powerful you’ll need six-pack and a backrub just to settle down, and the multiplayer experience is still one of the best on the planet.

The look is so sharp and appealing in HD, but you really have to appreciate PixelJunk Monsters even more for a style that feels so removed from the norm. [Apr 2008, p.63]

Bouts of bad behavior distributed between T. Hawk-style fun, the highs and lows of the THUG 2 experience truly boggle the mind with various goals so flawed in execution it feels as if the programmers passed out on their keyboards. [Nov 2004, p.58]

One thing I can say for DiRT is that aside from being the most beautiful, it's among the most all-inclusive Rally games to date. [July 2007, p.65]

Radical has wisely left Banner behind this time out and opted for a Spidey/GTA-type free-roamer - Hulk-style - and is it ever a thumping good time. [Sept 2005, p.56]

There's a little more optional flavor and a great deal more core content. [Oct 2005]

The AI is aggressive, but loads of upgrades are available to give you much-needed edge and add an element of strategy. [Apr 2005, p.70]

This is one fine-looking brawler, from the animations to the active, gorgeously detailed tiered arenas to the scintillating effects. [Dec 2004, p.56]

Phatty houses, cars, jewelry...women - if you've seen it on MTV Cribs, you're going to see it here. [May 2004, p.68]

Owners of both systems would be advised to pick up the Xbox version just for the subtle enhancements to the gameplay. [Mar 2002, p.49]

SHIFT will disappoint those looking for Maggie Q and cop chases, but racing sim fans, looking for a solid alternative to Forza and the like, should buckle-up for Need for Speed’s new ride.

One of the best-looking and certainly best-playing rally games ever. You will be astounded by the car models and amaze to the incredibly realistic way they take damage, right down to paint being flicked off. [Nov 2004, p.56]

Driving through the alleyways and suburban sprawls...rain pouring down, thunder clapping, music up; this is (virtual) living. [Dec 2005, p.54]

SHIFT will disappoint those looking for Maggie Q and cop chases, but racing sim fans, looking for a solid alternative to Forza and the like, should buckle-up for Need for Speed’s new ride.

What this game contains that is totally removed from everything else out there is a quirky, infectious, humorous character, one that seems to deeply reflect the personality of its makers. When you play it, you really sense a stamp of originality and zany flavor in its presentation and structure. [March 2005, p.48]

Crush delivers in every sense of the word: originality, playability, and visuals--it's easily among the prettiest puzzle games I've ever seen--and will keep your PSP off the charger for many a sleepless night. [June 2007, p.82]

Despite the pre-release co-op hype, this one’s just as entertaining for solo apocalypse survivors. While I wish more dialog was delivered through animated characters, it’s hard not to be taken in by the rest of what this ambitious shooter has to offer—great visual presentation, addictive leveling and looting, frenzied gunplay, four playable classes. Oh, and Mutant Midget Psychos.

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

Unlike other companies that concentrate on visuals, High Heat puts its energies on the fundamentals that make a great baseball game. [Apr 2003, p.71]

Pulling it all together is razor-sharp presentation, incredible city construction and track design, and a use of sound and mixed tunes that is unrivaled in the genre; praise to EA for bypassing the numbing of ill-placed techno. [Dec 2003, p.62]

Relentlessly entertaining, finely crafted and smartly engaging. [Oct 2003, p.73]

This EQ 2 all-in-one pack also includes a 30 day subscription, so if you've always wanted to see what the game is made of, Echoes of Faydwer is the perfect opportunity. [Jan. 2007, p.94]

An amazingly involving adventure from spirit to atmosphere to richness of setting and exploration. [Dec 2004, p.65]

There's something indescribably wonderful about making an epic leap from the top of a huge building, soaring breathlessly across the sky with the hero's arms flailing wildly before crashing down on a rooftop that seems hundreds of feet away. [Mar 2007, p.51]

Some dull environments and lame voice over, as well as steep hardware requirements, might chase you away to... whiter pastures. [Jan 2005, p.76]

If it only played as good as it looks, we'd have a sports-game classic on our hands. [Jan. 2007, p.67]

If the name of the game is immersion, fun and a connection with the environment, Spidey wins the prize in my book. [Aug 2004, p.52]

Xenosaga unapologetically challenges our conceptions of love, death, science, and religion, and aims to confound with its multifaceted plot... Just about as good as it gets for RPGs. [Mar 2003, p.59]

The simpler past is sometimes as good as the present. [Dec 2005, p.71]

It has a solid story, incredible visuals, and a new approach to an age-old formula. [Sept 2006, p.57]

Bouts of bad behavior distributed between T. Hawk-style fun, the highs and lows of the THUG 2 experience truly boggle the mind with various goals so flawed in execution it feels as if the programmers passed out on their keyboards. [Nov 2004, p.58]

Crisis Core is a full, complete, dignified game. [Apr 2008, p.65]

If ever there was a pure gamer’s game, Darksiders is it.

Debuting in this '03 renewal is the EA Sports "freestyle" control. Wihout question, it WILL change the way you play basketball games...forever. [Nov 2002, p.88]

Best of all, the song list, spanning over three decades worth of popular American music, contains easily recognizable and fun songs for anyone raised here in the States. [Dec 2003, p.82]

An amazingly involving adventure from spirit to atmosphere to richness of setting and exploration. [Dec 2004, p.65]

The unmistakable refinement of Rogue galaxy makes it a worthy addition to any RPG library. [Feb 2007, p.34]

Splendid (and strangely addicting). [Oct 2005, p.73]

The Legacy mode is incredibly comprehensive and it's something that'll keep players busy for hours on end. [Jan 2003, p.84]

The graphics are just bliss: crazy parallax, glistening crystals, heat waves, blinking neon sparks, crazy animation - everything you love about 32-bit 2D (well almost; it's no Astal) is on display. [Apr 2003, p.66]

As beautiful a game "Rayman" was, this sequel actually looks and plays even better. [Mar 2003, p.62]

An absolutely stunning effort, a combination of hubris and execution that left me giddy with delight. [Dec 2002, p.66]

A racing experience that’d blow Kojak’s hair back. [Feb 2002, p.58]

Splendid (and strangely addicting). [Oct 2005, p.73]

It's so beautiful--so far superior visually to anything on the DS--that it's the kind of game that makes it worth buying the system for. [Apr 2008, p.68]

Spin-offs aren't as common in the video game world as they are in Hollywood, but with Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, maybe more companies should take a cue from Square Enix. [Oct. 2006, p.65]

Down to the trademark ping the gunfire makes hitting steel, Contra 4 is a thoroughbred effort. [Dec 2007, p.92]

A ridiculous amount of fun packed into a tiny DS cartridge, Rhythm Heaven's only real flaw is a bit of jet lag from its trip across the ocean.