It has truly original game mechanics, sharp artwork, an exciting multiplayer dynamic, an addictive quality, and enough flexibility to keep you coming back for more.

Its refreshing setting, exemplary dialogue and acting, and downright fun game mechanics are a shock to the system.

Gorgeous, polished, groundbreaking, and a lot of other impressive-sounding adjectives, but it's also chaotic and lacking in the precise micro-management and complex planning that endears many people to the genre.

It gamely delivers the pure joy of superbly crafted chaos, something it does better than any game released (so far) this year. [July 2004, p.56]

A must-have. It's an incredibly beautiful and artistic game that manages to balance eye-candy and gameplay gimmickry with truly solid game design, all paced with perfection. [Mar 2004, p.68]

It manages to improve an already stellar game, adds a helpful and interesting stack of new features, and offers nearly as much scripted gameplay as the original title.

Perfectly captures the epic sweep of the previous games but adds a bunch of new features that improve upon an already brilliant concept. It's superior in every way to "Civilization II"—and for that matter, any game of this type in recent memory.

A truly unique experience. [Aug 2004, p.6]

Kohan is the slickest, most polished, and the most entertaining fantasy strategy game to come along in a very long time.

EA Sports has developed a game for both the adrenaline-addicted Mountain Dew set and the brainiacs who care more about crafting the perfect playbook than actually calling plays. [Nov 2003, p.98]

Likely the best WWII flight action you'll see for some time, and with user made missions and aircraft in the offing, it doesn't get any better than this.

A first person shooter loaded with astounding maps, diverse game styles, great weapons, and the best bots in the business.

One of the most impressive sports games on the market today, and arguably the biggest step forward for golf sims since "Links 386." [Feb 2003, p.79]

One of the deepest and most addictive racing experiences availalbe for any platform. [May 2003, p.84]

It's scary, it's atmospheric, it has a great plot, and it rewards the thinking player more than the fragaholic.

Every time you feel that you've had your fill of a particular type of gameplay, Half-Life 2 introduces some new wrinkle that reinvigorates the entire experience...It's certainly one of the most masterfully paced [games ever]. It's the type of game that you can't wait to talk about with other people. [Jan 2005, p.60]

The elegance and accessibility that BioWare made part-and-parcel of this game should be the future standard for this genre. Don't pass it up. [Feb 2004, p.52]

Casts a massively powerful spell of gaming joy, and it's one you can't resist. [Sept 2002, p.76]

You're really getting an amazingly reworked masterpiece and not just "a few more levels."

The last role-playing game you'll ever desire, and at last, the fulfillment of a genre. [Sept 2002, p.68]

Outstanding writing combined with a good plot, plenty of content, beautiful graphics, and an engrossing soundtrack place Baldur's Gate II alongside some of the best role-playing games ever created.

If you play through the entire thing, side quest after side quest, and if you take advantage of the immense amount of replay-value, you may not need another game this year, except perhaps the expansion pack. Don't desert us now, BioWare.

The large cast of characters is unforgettable. Although for the most part they are skeletons in 40s garb, with mask-like faces that can be attributed to Day of the Dead festivities, their personalities render them as distinct and memorable as members of an extremely diverse cast from any fine film.

One of its most remarkable accomplishments is the way gunfights play out like gunfights rather than shooting galleries. [July 2003, p.88]

Satan, your game has arrived. It spits up blood and pisses vinegar. It sprouts horns from its head like the proud minion of evil that it is. It shoots lightning bolts, for cripes' sake. It's a game of pure evil. And even purer entertainment. It's also the best action game on the planet.

A phenomenal game that deserves every penny of its inevitable commercial success. In fact, it's far too big for the simple word "game." [Dec 2004, p.90]

It isn't always easy and there are moments where players want to throw down their headsets in disgust. But somehow this makes the game all the more charming and all the more interesting to finish. [Apr 2004, p.8]

Enough staying power to keep you busy for years. [Dec 2004, p.72]