Unbridled rage, piss and vinegar, diminutive features, and cool quips ("The steel is cold, yes!") add up to make Ninja a genuinely likable figure starring in a game that's not as good as it should be, nor as bad as one might fear. [Mar 2004, p.86]

Playing 2005 with its jerky, disorienting fielder cam is akin to slicing up your head on a cheese grater, then taking a vinegar bath.

Its self-concious metacomedy helps elevate what is already a solid game into a sing-songily fine game. [Jan 2005, p.98]

None of the games runs in full-screen mode on Xbox, while the GameCube versions are identical to the 16-bit originals. [Jan 2005, p.98]

Warriors is fantastic, and not even its flaws, notably, slowdown when enemies choke the screen and popup of random objects on the horizon, spoil the beautiful brawling. [Oct/Nov 2003, p.85]

With little here to massage the mind or engage the heart, Red Faction II becomes nothing more than a linear on-rails twitch-fest. [June-July 2003, p.92]

Paintball makes up for its lackluster graphics and sound by delivering an exciting tactical shooting experience. [Feb 2005, p.89]

Exceedingly colorful, fun to play, and possessed of a great sense of humor, Movie both stands and delivers. It's some delicious sea food meant to be swallowed - whole. [Nov 2004, p.91]

During the heat of combat, the game controls like a fighter until you get taken into a grappling situation, and resultant shift in style isn't so smooth. [Spring 2002, p.90]

You're forced to face off against eagle-eyed, sharp-shooting pricks who are so overpower[ing] that competing against them feels like crossing the piranha-filled Amazon River wearing a 40-pound mean suit. [Dec/Jan 2004, p.96]

Visually, it recalls the graphical prowess of a Super Nintendo title, while the game's total lack of system link and Xbox Live multiplayer flies in the face of Xbox doctrine. [Jan 2005, p.88]

Superfly's physics are unpredictable and frustrating. [Feb/Mar 2003, p.88]

The graphics are lush, the sense of speed is breathtaking. [Apr 2003, p.87]

A stealth game that dramatically overstays its welcome. [July 2004, p.86]

You'd expect this simple game of aiming and matching like-colored bubbles to feel awfully flat by now, yet amazingly, the bubble-popping action here remains refreshingly effervescent. [Dec 2004, p.93]

There's a good deal of junk included on the disc, and even some of its more beloved titles ("Mortal Kombats II, III" and "Cyberball 2072") have not aged particularly well. [Nov 2004, p.101]

The game's odd predilection for nighttime levels ensures that players will be doing double duty fighting and squinting. [Summer 2002, p.91]

Of the new moves, through-balls and crosses are much better than those in "FIFA 2004." [Aug 2004, p.86]

Playing Wreckless is like being repeatedly shot out of a cannon. [Spring 2002, p.72]

Disappointingly uninspired. [Jan 2002, p.94]

Most, however, are legitimately entertaining even today. [Mar 2004, p.86]

Strip away the sombrerors, spurs, and signature Rockstar sass, and what's left is an average third-person shoot-em-up some gallons shy of a full 10-gallon hat. [July 2004, p.84]

The twisty story is compelling enough to pull you through the game like a rabbit tied to a rush-hour train. [Mar 2004, p.92]

Transworld Snowboarding is the girl who always shows up in the teen movies. She's the ugly one who's revealed to be a hottie once the pretty boy du jour spends some time with her. [Winter 2002, p.97]

An official disappointment on Xbox, yet the game's undying popularity defies critical analysis. [Mar 2004, p.78]

The only area where "2" really shines is in its Xbox Live support, which is among the best in golf games today. Otherwise, you can expect the same dodgy controls and eighth grade fart jokes as before. [Nov 2004, p.99]

Rage has perfectly captured the flavor of the boxing in the Rocky films, and by this we mean there is no pugilism to be found. [Winter 2002, p.107]

Ruthlessly hunting down other mechs in Stealth mode becomes the favored approach in the heat of battle, and makes for amazingly fun, intense gameplay. [Winter 2002, p.96]