While playing God of War, I honestly found it difficult to resist the urge to simply genuflect and be humbled to be in the presence of such digital divinity, this god among games. [Apr 2005, p.122]

Deserving of the highest accolades, Knights of the Old Republic is a dream come true for Star Wars fans, and the most noteworthy Xbox release since "Halo." [Aug 2003, p.94]

The added level of control that the Civics system gives you is an incredibly useful tool for managing your civilization. [Jan 2006, p.152]

Underneath its silky shine is a feast of fighting goodies that will change everything you have ever come to expect from this genre. [May 2002, p.78]

There are still gameplay additions, but without the Madden 101 tutorial - found in other versions - you're kind of on your own. Also, a difficulty level between Pro and Rookie would be helpful. [Sept 2003, p.113]

With incredibly realistic damage modelling transforming every crash into a work of art fit to be framed and hung on the walls of Paris' Louvre museum, Burnout 3 is a visual dynamo that will floor players with its speed and gorgeous vistas. [Oct 2004, p.122]

With extremely tight controls and finely tuned balance, the core fighting mechanics and local multiplayer are spot on. There’s still nothing like learning the intricacies of every character, discovering possibly the most unlockables in any game yet, and using all of that to beat the crap out of your friends late into the night.

Anyone who owns a gaming PC will be well served by this outstanding effort. [Oct. 2006, p.108]

Ubisoft has forged a sequel that has the uncanny ability to knock your socks off through every second of play. [May 2004, p.102]

Don’t let the diminutive size or nostalgic look fool you, this is just as complete of a Grand Theft Auto experience as any of the console iterations.

Lest you fear that all the challenge has gone, let me ease your mind. Pac-Man DX ascends to mind-shattering speeds in a hurry, demanding fast minds and thumbs both.

By playing career mode, players can unlock a new level, which is amazing in multiplayer, and one of the most diverse environments in the game. [Apr 2002, p.83]

The speed and polish of UT 2004 cannot be denied. [May 2004, p.104]

While the story issues and a slight "I’ve done this before" factor stop it just short of perfection, God of War II is a title you simply cannot miss. It never stopped being one of the best games I’ve ever played.

This is a sublimely engineered game with a simple, elegant core design and all of the rough edges ground away.

Infinite is more than a new setting, story, and characters; those elements are seamlessly integrated with complex themes, a mysterious plot, and entertaining combat to create an amazing experience from beginning to end. Familiar threads run through it – a lighthouse, a strange city, a charismatic antagonist – but they are homages to the past rather than attempts to recycle it. The core of Infinite is unlike anything else on land, sea, or air.

A distillation of everything the genre does right. It delivers the intensity of competition and the thrill of victory, all through elegant techniques that are easy to learn and difficult to master. Street Fighter IV is more than mere nostalgia - it's the best thing to happen to fighting games in years. [Mar 2009, p.82]

While the toybox/platform side of Minecraft is incredible, the "game" side of it is lacking.

Persona 4 Golden's greatest strength is that everything fits together seamlessly, from the connected battle and social aspects to the fresh changes. Newcomers are sure to find plenty to love, while series veterans can revisit fond memories and experience new content. This game still remains one of the best RPG to date; don't miss out on your second chance to experience it.

Instead of desperately switching through the clumsy auto-targeting, now you're capping fools with a simple flick of the mouse. It's awesome. [August 2002, p.89]

I can't even begin to describe how addictive the gameplay has become. I actually found myself bouncing around in my chair and holding my breath when I would try to throw one more rotation into a trick. [Nov 2003, p.134]

The ultimate outcome of Splinter's perhaps overzealous mission structure is a common one: Eery level increasingly becomes a lesson in trial and error. [Jan 2003, p.104]

The core mission of any game is to create a world that the players want to get lost in, and Okami delivers on this in every way--with the gameplay, with the graphics, and with the story. [Oct. 2006, p.96]

Oblivion on PS3 is one of the biggest and most impressive role-playing games in history, and you owe it to yourself to play it if you haven’t already experienced it elsewhere.

This game is massive, and as your character’s stature in the Wasteland grows, so does the excitement. It’s not a true sequel to the Fallout series, but as a fan of the games of old, I found it to be every bit as good.

The title’s relentless immaturity can grate after a while, though. Gruesome executions and grunted, testosterone-soaked dialogue sloppily plaster over the campaign’s heavy-handed morality play. While the plot makes sense this time around, its clumsy mysteries are old hat to anyone moderately well read in science fiction. Still, finding bad things to say about Gears of War 2 is like trying to hate on the ‘07 Patriots. The game is impeccably engineered to dominate everything it sets its sights on, and yet ultimately falls short of achieving true immortality.

I suggest you do yourself a favor and get both NFL 2K3 and Madden this year, because this contest just went into overtime. [Sept 2002, p.79]

The standard for how to make a great soccer title. [Apr 2003, p.85]