IGN's Scores
- TV
- Games
For 12,030 reviews, this publication has graded:
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60% higher than the average critic
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7% same as the average critic
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33% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 4 points lower than other critics.
(0-100 point scale)
Average Game review score: 69
| Highest review score: |
Critic Score
100
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| Lowest review score: |
Critic Score
8
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 5,774 out of 12030
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Mixed: 4,698 out of 12030
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Negative: 1,558 out of 12030
12,030
game reviews
- By critic score
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Critic Score 100
I could go on and on about why Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the best games we've ever seen and why even folks who are easily offended should play it, but that would be pointless. The only thing you need to know is that you have to play this game. Period. -
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Critic Score 100
I could go on and on about why Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the best games we've ever seen and why even folks who are easily offended should play it, but that would be pointless. The only thing you need to know is that you have to play this game. Period. -
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Critic Score 100
Is it possible to give a game an 11? If so, this would be the game that would merit that score. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a title that exceeds all of the hype that was attached to the title. -
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Critic Score 100
Consider me "wowed." Again. Yes, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is more of what made the original so amazingly good: brilliant gravity platfoming. Incredibly tight and responsive controls. Fantastic musical score. But it's not a "me too" experience -- a significant majority of this sequel is brand new. -
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Critic Score 100
Undead Nightmare is what downloadable content should be -- a lot of bang for your buck.- Posted Oct 27, 2010
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Critic Score 100
This is a master class in game design: you will understand it instantly, enjoy it instantly, and want to play again and again.- Posted Dec 20, 2010
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Critic Score 100
This is a master class in game design: you will understand it instantly, enjoy it instantly, and want to play again and again.- Posted Dec 21, 2010
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Critic Score 100
Call us crazy, but when the final version of Zelda 64 arrived in the IGN64 offices, we stopped working, locked ourselves into a room with a big-screen TV and a surround system and played 17 hours straight. After only a few hours of sleep, we were back for more and we couldn't stop until we finished the game. Then, we started over again to find all the secrets. -
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Critic Score 100
From start to finish, single player to multiplayer, this game sings. The characters, the graphics, the sound, the story – they're all top notch. If you're willing to skip Uncharted 3, be prepared to miss one of gaming's finest moments.- Posted Oct 24, 2011
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Critic Score 100
Remarkably, this Zelda game manages to reshape its control scheme, design sensibility and pacing all at once while still telling a brilliantly powerful story featuring some very memorable characters. Increasingly Nintendo refuses to compromise cinematic storytelling for gameplay, finding a balance that seems effortless.- Posted Nov 11, 2011
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Critic Score 100
Infinity Blade 2 is a must own - it is the App Store's killer app.- Posted Nov 30, 2011
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Critic Score 99
In short, it's a terrific unending masterpiece of a game -- and one that will never fall victim to an over-exaggeration of its lofty status. It's the defining piece of software for Sony's successful sophomore system, and it's almost impossible to imagine a PlayStation 2 library without it. -
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Critic Score 99
Incredibly intense and amazingly addictive...especially when you learn every little nuance of the game design. -
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Critic Score 99
One of the greatest action RPG's of all-time. Combat is easy to learn but immeasurably deep. -
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Critic Score 99
A spectacularly creative, wonderfully satisfying 3D action-platformer that -- ass joke and bloody messes encapsulated -- shines with Nintendo's very best. -
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Critic Score 99
Recommended above all other titles this year as the Nintendo 64 game to own. -
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Critic Score 98
GT3 offers the finest racing, the best cars and the highest-quality automotive audio-visual feast available on any gaming system anywhere, and as far as I'm concerned, it's an absolutely essential purchase for anyone who loves cars and racing. -
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Critic Score 98
If you like to kill freaky things with your giant serrated knives, you'll love the s*** out of this... This videogame features sexual situations, bare breasts and excessive brutality. Good with that? Excellent! -
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Critic Score 98
Subsistence goes a long way towards remedying the few problems of ["Snake Eater"] with a brand new camera system that literally rejuvenates the gameplay. The online mode adds a ton of replay value as well, and has dozens of options to keep you returning to blow away friends late into the night. -
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Critic Score 98
The genius is hidden away under a wall of rather harsh looking pixels until you realize that every one of the 500-plus replicated vehicles races so exactly like the real thing it's shocking. -
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Critic Score 98
I'm in awe...From beginning to end, it comes closer to perfection than any other game in PlayStation's action genre. Beautiful, engrossing, and innovative, it excels in every conceivable category. -
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Critic Score 98
It's a noble achievement in storytelling, gameplay balance, and multiplayer design. And it's easily the best console-based, online game on Earth. Easily. Like so many people have said thus far: In 2004, Halo 2 will own you. -
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Critic Score 98
From the amazingly polished gameplay design to the gorgeous visuals and atmospheric soundtrack, Metroid Prime is unquestionably a must-have masterpiece and a show horse that all forthcoming adventure titles will be judged by. -
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Critic Score 98
This is simply the best survival horror game ever created. In fact, had it come out in 2004, it would have been my pick for Game of the Year...You don't own Resident Evil 4. It owns you. An absolute must-have. -
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Critic Score 98
Rare's intelligent 3D shooter features amazing graphics, loads of in-game options, a cooperative mode, a counter-operative mode, extensive bot setups, and a the most well-rounded multiplayer mode ever to grace Nintendo 64. -
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Critic Score 98
Complete in every way, and the challenging experience of working toward each new level is far greater than the game's minimal flaws. Nintendo's craftsmanship and zeal for creating fantastically enjoyable games has never shown through more than in Super Mario 64. -
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Critic Score 98
Halo 4 is a masterstroke everyone can and should celebrate, and its two guaranteed sequels instantly make the next-generation Xbox a must-own system, with Halo 5 its most anticipated title. Halo has been rebuilt. It has been redefined. And it has been reinvigorated. The Xbox's original king has returned to his rightful place on the throne.- Posted Nov 1, 2012
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Critic Score 97
Simply a masterpiece -- a work of art in the genre. Not only does it engage the mind with mysterious happenings, vagaries, and mostly intelligent dialogue, but also captures the senses with a superb visual style made possible by brilliant technology. -
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Critic Score 97
It's enormous, packed with an immense amount of gameplay, and it's a truly unique gameplay experience...This year's most impressive title, by a log shot. -
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Critic Score 97
Should go down in history as one of the best twitch-fests on PS2. Yes, TH3 is that good. The perfect skating game remains just a tiny hair's breadth out of reach, but if you are not satisfied with your purchase of this game, head examinations are recommended. -
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Critic Score 97
A truly miraculous "game." I call it a "game" because it's more of an experience. -
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Critic Score 97
One of the most interesting aspects of MGS2's gameplay, though, is the emphasis on nonviolence. For a game with such a huge arsenal of destructive implements, and such a horribly rich killing experience for the twisted among us, it honestly provides considerable opportunity and incentive to be a benevolent commando. -
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Critic Score 97
There is art here, despite what many would say isn't possible with games, from Roger Ebert to game designers like Hideo Kojima... BioShock stands as a monolithic example of the convergence of entertaining gameplay and an irresistibly sinister, engrossing storyline that encompasses a host of multifaceted characters. This is an essential gaming experience. -
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Critic Score 97
A true masterpiece in terms of art direction and, dare I say, cinematography. From the fights with the colossi to exploring the world to basically just standing back and letting it all soak in, Shadow of the Colossus is an amazing experience and an absolute must-have title. -
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Critic Score 97
God of War II may in fact be the best action game ever made. It outdoes the original God of War in every way. -
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Critic Score 97
One of the greatest platformers I have ever played, Wii's best game, and an absolute must-own experience. And to me, this odd trek through space really does feel like the true sequel to "Mario 64." -
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Critic Score 97
There is art here, despite what many would say isn't possible with games, from Roger Ebert to game designers like Hideo Kojima...BioShock stands as a monolithic example of the convergence of entertaining gameplay and an irresistibly sinister, engrossing storyline that encompasses a host of multifaceted characters. This is an essential gaming experience. -
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Critic Score 97
Rockstar has taken the Western to new heights and created one of the deepest, most fun, and most gorgeous games around. You can expect the occasional bug or visual hiccup, but you can also expect a fantastic game that offers the Western experience we've all been waiting for. -
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Critic Score 97
A must-play game. Rockstar has taken the Western to new heights and created one of the deepest, most fun, and most gorgeous games around. -
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Critic Score 97
A truly epic role-playing game experience that has cemented its place in the annals of RPG history. -
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Critic Score 97
What a tour-de-force! The graphics are top notch, the driving itself is unparalleled and the Director tools are unique and friendly... It's pure driving poetry. -
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Critic Score 97
The quest is amazingly long, absolutely gorgeous to look at, a joy to listen to. -
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Critic Score 97
Four Swords is Nintendo's way of giving gamers something completely new and different in the Zelda environment, and it's one heck of a good time in each play through. -
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Critic Score 97
With a story good enough for a full length novel, audio and visual elements as detailed as any you've ever seen and excellent pacing, Halo is the reason for Xbox and vice versa. -
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Critic Score 97
It takes it all to the next level with a fantastic 3D engine, delightfully realistic physics, intuitive control, brilliantly detailed graphics, ingenious subtleties and tons of options. -
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Critic Score 97
We can say with a clear conscience that Goldeneye 007 is the best single-player first-person game on any system. -
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Critic Score 97
Simply put, Wave Race 64 stands shoulder-to-shoulder with "Wipeout XL" and "Sega Rally" in the pantheon as one of the best racers ever...a piece of art. -
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Critic Score 96
This is the best game in the Metal Gear Solid series and it pushes the PS2 just as far as it can go. With a total of 20-25 hours for the first time this provides a fantastic experience that will stimulate multiple parts of your brain and make you feel all fuzzy inside. -
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Critic Score 96
An outstanding game -- a dazzling, masterful achievement...Thanks to wholly intuitive control, stunning atmosphere and satisfyingly clever environmental puzzles, the title easily ranks as one of my favorite adventure offerings of all time. -
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Critic Score 96
It almost seems like the designers at Incog. Inc. felt a certain loathing for every other car-combat game that was shoveled out before it, and felt a violent, bloodthirsty necessity to wipe the slate clean...I am still quite awe-struck with the overall gameplay in this beautiful, incredible title. -
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Critic Score 96
A title that is as close to flawless as I've ever seen, both in its ability to entertain and in its finely honed technology and presentation. -
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Critic Score 96
A massive scale operation that just gets better and better as players dig into it, even though its gets ridiculously difficult at points. -
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Critic Score 96
A pure work of art, a stylish, heart-pumping, tour de force of action and pure arcade gameplay that gets better, deeper, and harder as the game progresses. It's an absolute must-have for the system. -
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Critic Score 96
The sheer amount of fun you'll have when playing against seven other people in the ten different maps and various gameplay modes here is almost immeasurable -- it's that damn good. But what impresses me most about Up Your Arsenal is the fact that the single-player adventure didn't suffer in the least. -
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Critic Score 96
If you're looking for art and technical achievement, Jak has it...Jak is it. Characters animate so smoothly it actually makes playing other games painful. Painful, I say! And it never stutters, never glitches, never hitches, and never, ever lets up. -
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Critic Score 96
When combined with the excellent animations, the game feels incredibly cinematic, and on a high-end graphics card the game is stunning. Each level is a grand set piece in which players stylishly accomplish their goals. -
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Critic Score 96
It has five difficulty settings (all challenging, most insane), plenty of secret missions, unlockable bonuses and costumes, an easy to use interface, and more brain-twisting puzzles than the first two games combined. In other words, it's the reason you bought a PlayStation 2. -
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Critic Score 96
Fallout 3 offers freedom without sacrificing a focused story. It delivers fantastic combat without forgoing a deep role-playing system. The characters you meet are engaging and oftentimes hilarious without feeling out of place in this harsh world. -
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Critic Score 96
It's rare that a game can hit the mark in so many different and often conflicting areas. Fallout 3 offers freedom without sacrificing a focused story. It delivers fantastic combat without forgoing a deep role-playing system. The characters you meet are engaging and oftentimes hilarious without feeling out of place in this harsh world. -
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Critic Score 96
It's incredibly personal while still retaining a sense of epic sweeping scale. The combat and mission design are outstanding. The visuals, voice acting, soundtrack, and direction are miles ahead of the competition. Perhaps most impressively, Mass Effect 2 manages to fulfill its incredible ambition while only suffering from very few technical hiccups. -
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Critic Score 96
It's incredibly personal while still retaining a sense of epic sweeping scale. The combat and mission design are outstanding. The visuals, voice acting, soundtrack, and direction are miles ahead of the competition. Perhaps most impressively, Mass Effect 2 manages to fulfill its incredible ambition while only suffering from very few technical hiccups. -
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Critic Score 96
If I ever wind up stuck on a desert island with nothing but a PlayStation and a few select games, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 is one game I will definitely own. -
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Critic Score 96
At first glance all I could think about was the PS2 version of this game and feel the dread that I would have to play Tony Hawk on the PlayStation. But once I got past the graphics and low frame rate I actually started to have fun. -
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Critic Score 96
Simply put, Vagrant Story is a true work of art and is one of the most cinematic experiences you'll find on PlayStation. It's not only one of this year's best games -- it's one of the greatest of all-time. -
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Critic Score 96
The game is tighter, longer, and more challenging than its predecessor, with more elements to enjoy, both in single and multiplayer modes. -
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Critic Score 96
This is the kind of game I imagined when I used to dream about the experiences next generation consoles were going to give us. Splinter Cell is one of the smartest games I've ever played. -
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Critic Score 96
An outstanding game -- a dazzling, masterful achievement...Thanks to wholly intuitive control, stunning atmosphere and satisfyingly clever environmental puzzles, the title easily ranks as one of my favorite adventure offerings of all time. -
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Critic Score 96
It is amazing to see the range of gameplay elements that have been squeezed into this title. It is even more impressive to experience how well each of them works. -
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Critic Score 96
It's Zelda's unrivaled design, balanced and varied, and its polished play mechanics and control that ultimately set the game apart from just about every other competitor on the market. -
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Critic Score 96
SSB Melee puts the original to shame with its countless options and longevity. This has become and will likely become one of my favorite GameCube titles of all-time. It's that good. -
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Critic Score 96
An amazing achievement...a truly intelligent psychological thriller, complete with balanced gameplay and plenty of surprises you'll never forget. -
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Critic Score 96
An outstanding game -- a dazzling, masterful achievement...Thanks to wholly intuitive control, stunning atmosphere and satisfyingly clever environmental puzzles, the title easily ranks as one of my favorite adventure offerings of all time. -
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Critic Score 96
Features the best graphics we've seen on the console, it one-ups Mario 64 in terms of gameplay, it sounds astounding and it may just be the most clever title we've ever played. -
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Critic Score 96
It is, without a doubt, the biggest breath of fresh air to sweep through gaming in a good long while, and no Dreamcast owner's library would be complete without it. -
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Critic Score 96
Not only a game anyone can fall in love with but among the best titles I've played on the Dreamcast. -
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Critic Score 96
Pokémon Black Version 2 is far more than a traditional mid-generation release, with enough new and repurposed content to keep you occupied for months on end.- Posted Oct 3, 2012
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Critic Score 96
Fire Emblem Awakening is the most fluid and stunning strategy RPG experience available on a portable, and features the best storytelling and production value of any 3DS game to date.- Posted Jan 30, 2013
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Critic Score 95
An incredibly deep and long-lasting single player mode, and the versus mode never gets stale; there's the included 10th Anniversary mode that's almost a separate game in itself; the graphics have been improved upon and almost perfected, and so has the gameplay. -
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Critic Score 95
You will have to spend some time practicing and tweaking your opponents, your car handling, and your realism settings to find the right spot for you. If you are willing to do all of this, then this is a fine F1 simulation that will ultimately reward you. -
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Critic Score 95
There's no doubt that this game absolutely kills everything else around in terms of graphics, sound effects, and force feedback. The license tests, circuits, missions, hundreds of cars, and dozens of tracks all add up to what is still one hell of an addictive racing game... The only problem with GT4 being the perfect "GT3" is that after four years we were still hoping for more. -
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Critic Score 95
The game introduces the two best new features found in football games since the Franchise mode, as Owner mode would be a fun game on its own, and Playmaker control is simply the most useful new gameplay tool introduced into the mix in many a year. -
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Critic Score 95
This is the best snowboarding game I have ever played. It's arcade-centric, trick heavy, and on the third peak, it's brutal, but in the end, nothing comes close to SSX 3. -
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Critic Score 95
The bottom line is that if you're buying The Sims for the first time, whether for yourself or for someone else, you should definitely choose The Sims Deluxe. -
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Critic Score 95
Remarkable. Alpha Centauri is a better game than "Civilization II"; it's deep, rich, rewarding, thought-provoking in almost every way. -
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Critic Score 95
We've rarely played a game with this much substance, and certainly haven't played a game that has had us so excited about the genre in a long, long time. -
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Critic Score 95
It constantly presents you with variety, surprises, and new challenges to keep you hooked. It is a tour de force in game design, the definitive single player game in a first person shooter. -
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Critic Score 95
Most of all, though, this game is more fun to simply play than any Final Fantasy in memory. -
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Critic Score 95
Of course, the story is what drives this game forward, but it's the perfect blend of platforming elements and action-shooting that are so good, feel so right -- and with guns that feel so good -- that in the end, I don't give a damn what genre this game actually falls under. -
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Critic Score 95
The distinctive races, units, spell abilities, and bases are all unique and clever, so it's amazing that the game is as well balanced as it is. This is what gameplay is all about. -
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Critic Score 95
The gameplay is still as stellar as ever: Neversoft's brilliant collage of on-the-fly experimentation and lighting-fast trick-popping is still as addictive as any drug and as intoxicating as any exotic woman. -
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Critic Score 95
It's the all-new online multiplayer mode that steals the show for Pandora Tomorrow and makes this a must own videogame experience. -
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Critic Score 95
ESPN might have plenty of sizzle, but Madden is still the steak...The defensive improvements alone are worth the price of admission, but when you add to that the expanded franchise mode and all of the online improvements, you realize just how different this year's game not only looks but feels. -
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Critic Score 95
The defensive improvements alone are worth the price of admission, but when you add to that the expanded franchise mode, you realize just how different this year's game not only looks but feels. -
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Critic Score 95
A fantastic RPG. It blows all of its PS2 competition this year right out of the water and is among the all time elite role-players ever made for the system. "Kingdom Hearts," "Devil Summoner," "Xenosaga III," "Tales of the Abyss"... none of them are on the same level as Square Enix's bold and riveting move in a new direction. -
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Critic Score 95
It's easily one of the top 10 PlayStation 2 games you can lay your hands on. For me, it's probably one of my top 10 games of all-time. There's so much to enjoy, and even though PS2's visuals aren't quite as good as they were on GCN, my jaw still drops at the art design and how immersive the worlds are. -
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Critic Score 95
It's hard to imagine how Nintendo's going to improve on what they've done for this stunning portable rendition. There's so much gameplay and depth in this design, moreso than the series has ever had in the past. -
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Critic Score 95
The campaign, which is very good, is Halo 3's weakest point. It doesn't capture the cavalier spirit of the original Halo, but you'll still have fun playing through it. There's no first-person shooter on 360 that can equal Halo 3's blend of cinematic action, adrenaline-pumping shootouts, and male- (and female)-bonding gameplay. Look beyond the gameplay and you have a rich feature set unlike anything ever delivered in a videogame. -
