Seems that the payers are a bit sluggish this time around..., and you never seem to be in quite as tight control as you’d like to be. [Jan 2002, p.84]

Like a supermodel who's missing a leg - beautiful, but not entirely functional on the catwalk. [Oct 2004, p.94]

There is very little here that we would describe as new, original, or subtle. [Jan 2002, p.76]

It won't blow your mind, but it's a solid showcase for online console gaming. [Winter 2002, p.93]

Of all the anouncers in the world, ESPN utilizes the unfailingly annoying Kevin Frazier. [Dec/Jan 2004, p.84]

The sweat-while-you-play intensity just isn't there. [Jan 2005, p.92]

The most impressive element of the game is its level design: The enormous locales allow for hours of exploration and trickery. [Fall 2002, p.119]

The on-foot play mechanic and the expanded story mode stand as the game's weakest elements. [Mar 2004, p.85]

While "NBA 2K3" is a tighter (and perhaps better) game from top to bottom, it doesn't have the same energy, rabid fanbase, or guts as NCAA. [Feb/Mar 2003, p.86]

Strafing and running is fine - even more natural feeling than when a keyboard is used - but the Xbox controller's right analog stick just can't compete with the precision of a mouse. [Winter 2002, p.84]

What really shines through here is the work of extremely talented artists, and the world of Dark Alliance is full of stately detail. [Winter 2002, p.107]

An above-average brawler and can certainly provide entertainment when consumed in short spurts, but it simply lacks the sophistication to become a contender of the fighting-game throne. [Dec 2004, p.80]

Capcom also wrecked the balance of the gameplay, making it a much more frustrating affair. [Spring 2002, p.86]

The web-slinging parts of the game are brilliantly done...Yet on the ground, the game looks and feels remarkably ugly. [Sept 2004, p.94]

Breathtakingly good when it comes to stadium detail, batting stances, facial expressions, facial expressions and the like, [but] the game lacks an essential bit of realism that keeps it from elite status. [Apr/May 2003, p.90]

While level design is solid, NPCs have the personalities of spatulas, and environments are often jarringly noninteractive... Worth the ride, certainly, but this one could have done with a little less fighting and a little more freedom. [Oct/Nov 2003, p.98]

If up-tempo action and innovative control are more important to you than realism and online play, this may be your b-ball baby in 2003. [Winter 2002, p.99]

Competent but uninspired. [Jan 2002, p.94]

It's just too bad that for every step forward Midway takes with Alliance, it takes two steps back with sloppy gameplay, cheesy, ridiculously gory visuals, and some truly soulless character design. [Winter 2002, p.89]

Unless you have some pals to play with, Hitz will wear out its welcome due to a lack of strategic depth. [Winter 2002, p.105]

Levels look dazzling, but the actual tasks you must accomplish in them are often so contrived that all the realism fades away. [Winter 2002, p.101]

Controlling Kyle in the lightsaber mode (which is in the third-person, not first like the rest of the game) is somewhat of a pain with the clunky Xbox pad. [Winter 2002, p.106]

The worst of these bonus modes is the "new and improved" Konquest mode intended to flesh out the Kombat universe through an RPG-like interface. What you get instead is a shambling mess of an adventure made up of ridiculous fetch quests and crap voice acting.

For motorcycle masochists out there, it's a chance to create spectacular crashes involving helicopters, biplanes, and trucks. [Apr 2004, p.82]

Wolf's added variety pushes its multiplayer componenet into Xbox Live killer-app territory. [Feb 2005, p.96]

What these scenarios lack in creative inspiration, they more than make up for in strategy and gameplay design. [Aug 2003, p.86]

Despite questions about its pacing and multiplayer options, Street will still keep the controller in your hands for hours. [Mar 2004, p.87]

This sequel closes its single-player chapter with a whimper. [Jan 2005, p.94]