Their reception of this element varied: Tim Soete of GameSpot felt that it was " morally questionable ", while the Game Revolution reviewer noted that it was " done in a tongue-in-cheek manner ," and he was " not personally offended ".

Although reviewers including IGN and GameSpot felt that the single player gameplay was lacking compared to its predecessor, the simultaneous four-person multiplexer modes – a first for the Nintendo 64 – were praised.

GameSpot reviewer Jeff Gerstmann felt that the soundtrack was subjective to personal preference, stating " you'll either want to crank the volume up or turn the music all the way down.

" In a review for the PC version's altered soundtrack, fellow GameSpot reviewer Andrew Park felt that the new music was fitting for the game.

" GameSpot also felt that the small number of character portraits to choose from was a disappointment ; and that it was " somewhat unfortunate that the game recycles some of the special effects and miscellaneous sounds and graphics from the first Baldur's Gate.

While Greg Kasavin of GameSpot felt that though the visuals were on par with previous games, End of Ages was missing several elements which made Myst IV more immersive ; only important, story-driving items could be interacted with, for example, and the player makes no sounds or footsteps in the game.

Paul Presley of Computer and Video Games felt that the slate concept could have been explored further, while GameSpot enjoyed the environmental effects created by the slates.

GameSpot noted that the multiplayer portion of the game has little lasting value, an annoyance that IGN felt as well.

"" RPGamer also praised the design change, though they felt that Shion's lack of glasses in that episode was " amusing ".< ref > In a review of the first volume of Xenosaga: The Animation, GameSpot compared Shion and KOS-MOS to " the ultimate fanboy fan-service pair ", feeling that Shion was an example of a " cute, yet smart glasses girl ".

Greg Mueller of GameSpot felt that the guns were nearly useless because of a lack of a target lock or manual aim, combined with an ineffective auto-aim.

GameSpot felt FreeSpaces story was " both deeper and darker " than either the Wing Commander and X-Wing series, establishing invincible foes who never lost their stature despite the player learning plausible ways of defeating them.

GameSpot felt that the game's 1990s idioms were dated, but that the gameplay — particularly the two-player mode — was still enjoyable by modern standards.

Other critics like Game Revolution and GameSpot felt the game was too short ( average playthrough time estimated 6 to 8 hours ), with little replay value given the puzzle elements to each colossus battle.

GameSpot noted that the additional chapter felt out of place as " it changes things up a bit in ways that betray the difficulty progression of the game.

GameSpot criticised the momentary use of the touchscreen, labeling it as " tacked on "; Eurogamer's John Walker, also critical of this, felt that game was better without utilising the DS's touchscreen.

Jane Douglas of GameSpot felt that the 3DS Circle Pad was a comfortable fit for the game's control scheme.

GameSpot felt oppositely, stating that the physics seemed to have degenerated from the original game.

GameSpot, however felt the graphical details were poor, citing that the game's environments were " nice and pretty unless you get too close.

A GameSpot reviewer liked the game but felt most of the roads were " outrageous " and that the cars would be unfamiliar to many.

However, GameSpot felt that Final Fantasy VIII shifts the story from the " epic " concepts of Final Fantasy VII to the " personal ", in that " the characters and their relationships are all extremely believable and complex ; moreover, the core romance holds up even under the most pessimistic scrutiny ".

GameSpot mentioned that it felt like a combination of several other popular games.

GameSpot agreed with positive reviews and praised every aspect of the game, stating " Quake is a masterpiece on every level, with its ominous atmosphere, silky-smooth animation, incredibly well-balanced gameplay and level design, and unparalleled soundtrack.

GameSpot declared that Pool of Radiance, with its detailed art, wide variety of quests and treasure, and tactical combat system, and despite the availability of only four character classes and the low character level cap, " ultimately succeeded in its goal of bringing a standardized form of AD & D to the home computer, and laid the foundation for other future gold box AD & D role-playing games ".

Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot wrote: " graphically, Banjo-Kazooie takes it to another level.

" GameSpot also praised the multiplayer gameplay, weapons and level design: " The first-person shooter genre is fiercely competitive.

GameSpot stated that the game is " Deep and easy to learn, and it contains a level of replay rarely witnessed in handheld gaming ".

GameSpot noted that Elaine is usually much more proficient at escaping trouble " than the so-called hero who comes to save her ", while the video game culture journal Eludamos approved of the character for allowing a level of " feminine expression which did not necessary always conform to passive ideals of the damsel in distress ".

GameSpot enjoyed the game's presentation, writing that " it exhibits a level of visual artistry and technical prowess matched or exceeded by few other GameCube games ".

GameSpot awarded the Close Quarters Battle version of game a rating of 8. 3 / 10, commenting that " SWAT 3's most impressive feature has to be the amazing artificial intelligence employed by friend and foe alike " and praising the graphics and level design, but criticising the lack of multiplayer in the initial release, the tendency for some dialogue to repeat, the need to " radio in " every suspect or hostage secured, and the need to restart missions from scratch should the player be killed.

GameSpot said " Everything in Jak II comes together to produce one of the best-looking, best-playing games on the PS2 so far " and continued " Jak II is an enormous and ambitious game that succeeds on every level, the gameplay is rewarding, and the story twists and turns more than you'd expect from a game like this.

" Frank Provo of GameSpot, on the other hand, wrote that " each level [...] is a game unto itself, which makes for a rather pleasing and varied experience.

Joe Fielder of GameSpot also said that the game was a " huge leap " ahead of Twisted Metal III, commenting on the improved level design, control and physics, but remarked that the latter two " remain a little too touchy and unforgiving " and that the graphics, while " prettier " than those of Twisted Metal III, " aren't nearly as sharp as the graphics in its current main competitor-Activision's Vigilante 8: Second Offense ".

GameSpot editor Greg Kasavin gave it a " fair " rating, noting that players get a sense of relief from completing a level, rather than enjoyment or satisfaction.

" Dave Halverson of GameFan likewise enjoyed the level designs and judged the new armor abilities and the music to be better than the original Mega Man X. GameSpot editors Christian Nutt and Justin Speer were appreciative of Capcom's attempt at expanding Mega Man X2 over its predecessor in all aspects, especially the story, which they called " involving ... with engaging characters ".

The level satisfied UGO because " it would be harder not to enjoy this level in all its beautifully rendered glory — even after you've broken all the windows and spattered the walls with Combine blood ," and GameSpot commented that " the textures in Lost Coast are noticeably more detailed and numerous than in the retail game.

A GameSpot review by Jeff Gerstmann described the game as outstanding.

" GameSpot noted " Its relative lack of originality can ... undermine Red Factions appeal for more-experienced players, for whom the game will provide mostly familiar territory.

It has been ranked among the best games of all time by several organizations including Edge, IGN, The Age and GameSpot, while Guinness World Records has named it as the top console game ever.

Mean Machines describes the game as having " struck gold " in a way that no other – not even its sequels – has matched and GameSpot named the game as one of the greatest games of all time for its innovation, gameplay and visual style.

Skyler Miller of GameSpot argues that Atari Video Cube, also from the same year, " gets my vote as the first true puzzle video game ," involving gameplay similar to a Rubik's Cube in a 2-dimensional space.

GameSpot regarded the game as " perhaps the most highly anticipated fighter ever " and called it the best fighting game ever to be released for a handheld console.

GameSpot reviewer Brad Shoemaker gave the game an 8. 5, but cited " muffled sound effects " in Final Fantasy IV, and was displeased with frequent loading in Chrono Trigger.

GameSpot praised the graphical style for making the game " as much fun to watch as it is to play ".

The abrupt ending of the game received criticism from GameSpot, Just Adventure and Computer Gaming World ; the last of which called the ending " the game's only real disappointment ".

In a review of the Virtual Console game, GameSpot criticized the NES version for being a poor port of the arcade version.

GameSpot listed him at # 9 in their " Top 10 Video Game Villains " article, stating " Of all the villains to make an appearance on this list, Bowser ... has got to be the most interesting ," later adding " While some people say Bowser's life may have gotten into a rut, the man has simply refined his game down to an everyday thing.

" However, GameSpot thought that Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World would have been a better choice for a launch game considering their respective popularity ; both titles were eventually also remade as part of the Super Mario Advance series.

GameSpot gave the game a 7. 8 / 10, stating that it has much more replay value than the previous game, and that the mini-games are much less annoying.

In 2005, GameSpot stated " Planescape: Torment has quite possibly the best implementation of role-playing an evil character ever to appear in a computer or video game to date ".

The game received the perfect 10 / 10 scores from GameSpot and IGN, and being the second game ever to get a perfect 40 / 40 by Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu ( the first being The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ).

The game received very positive reviews, obtaining a 89 / 100 score according to Metacritic, including 8. 9 / 10 by IGN (" the best weapons-based fighter on PlayStation ") and 8. 3 / 10 by GameSpot (" a great fighting game with its share of flaws ").

GameSpot praised the game for its graphics, which accurately replicated the ships from The Next Generation.

GameSpot also noted the slight twists in resource and unit mechanics, but concluded that the game was more or less a standard RTS.