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]

They've taken a beloved classic game, reinvented it, rethought it, retooled it, and come up with a new game that is not only better, but vastly superior in almost every way. [Feb 2004, p.52]

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]

Exhilarating and beautiful... For as much as the game is about speed and visual impact, it is also about feel and the overlooked art of track design. The game slams you in your seat, but it's also infused with the kind of stubtlety and attention to detail that only truly talented developers can muster. [Sept 2003, p.74]

Demonstrates exactly the kind of pure, playful, unadulterated fun that got me into video games years ago. It's innovative platforming at the top of its game. [Sept 2003, p.72]

Easily the best isometric shooter available for the system, it's amazing just how much a tiny GBA cartridge can hold. [Feb 2004, p.53]

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

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]

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]

This is the definitive version of Viewtiful Joe. [Sept 2004, p.73]

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]

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]

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

The other big talking point of this game is the inclusion of ground missions, and again, I turn a slightly blind eye to the sloppy control and sometimes frustrating camera because these missions look good and are fun, if only because you are running around blasting Stormtroopers like you pretended to as a kid. [Nov 2003, p.68]

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]

If they fix the play balance and are able to add that last bit of audio polish (and adjust that Steph model...she was <I>hot</> in the preview build), the next iteration could be perfection. [Dec 2003, p.101]

With its wonderfully satisfying mini-RPG elements that bring welcome depth and structure to its lovingly detailed Nintendo world, this is a game that just loves to be played. [Aug 2004, p.59]

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]

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]

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

The detail spent on each and every droid is amazing, as are the physics applied, and the locales, from the underground tunnels to the ravaged cityscapes topside, are splendid. [Nov 2003, p.89]

Digging into the online experience can take hours, simply becoming accustomed to the deep strategy of play, which sizzles in the three modes pitting spies against mercenaries. [Apr 2004, p.53]

Where Left Field shine, and do they ever shine, is in course design, AI and control. MTX is a gas to see and play. [Mar 2004, p.66]

Fantastic little touches abound, adding up to a firmly cohesive, engagingly structured, marvelously imagined setting to explore. [Oct 2004, p.67]

Once you leave the guild to embark on your personal journey, Fable becomes dependant on you...and let me tell you, this is the wave of the future. [Nov 2004, p.66]

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

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

It's a game that's just incredible fun, mixing in all sorts of gaming ideas with the thrill of the real sport, painting a final touch of extreme excess and color for scintillating effect. [Nov 2003, p.86]