It's fun, inventive, cute, often hilarious, and occasionally heart-pounding -- nearly everything you expect a Wario title to be. It's just not especially challenging nor lengthy.

No single aspect will blow you away, but there's enough variety, the puzzles are fun, the controls work well, and you keep moving quickly, so it's a fun ride that's unlikely to bore you unless you try to play through it a second time.

Everything about Star Fox: Assault comes across as competent, yet, frustratingly bland.

The game simply bit off way more than it could chew with the stealth sections. The end result is certainly a thumbs up -- but only just.

A tired, sluggish, and uninspired action adventure that would have barely cut the mustard six years ago on PS1.

The PS2 version has the most ideal control scheme, offering the best palette of buttons and shoulder buttons to perform ballhandling tricks with. On the flipside, the PS2 version also suffers from the most irritating load times.

But while King of Fighters 2002's old-school 2D graphics and 2003's 3D backgrounds may not win any visual awards, their fast-moving, hard-hitting gameplay more than makes up for it. Few games muster up the same sort of thrills that the KOF roster does.

Thanks to the thoughtfully designed courses, tight control, and -- thank goodness -- a battery backup and autosave feature, Racing Gears Advance is a pleasure to play from start to finish line.

If what you're looking for is a rip-snortin', metal-bending slamfest where dunkers prosper and long-ranger shooters make weak defenses pay, then this is your game. Nothing else is this specific, arcade basketball arena comes close.

No other version allows you to swat the rock off Shaq with Princess Peach the way the GC iteration does. Whether this is 1) cool, or 2) a joke to you is a matter of preference, but it's worth keeping in mind if you have younger, or more open-minded gamers in your den.

Doesn't offer enough of these diversions, subjecting the bulk of the adventuring to an endless procession of serpentine dungeons, where killing some entrenched boss figures counts as variety.

WE8 just feels real. The tempo and feel of the game show a deep understanding of soccer. The A.I. is spot-on, especially that of your own teammates, who continually move around and make runs for your benefit. Control is smooth and rock solid.

WE8 just feels real. The tempo and feel of the game show a deep understanding of soccer. The A.I. is spot-on, especially that of your own teammates, who continually move around and make runs for your benefit. Control is smooth and rock solid.

As an eye toward where Playboy came from, The Mansion is a compelling lesson--even the loading screen factoids are fun to read. But as a game, the unpolished graphics and stale gameplay keep the title mediocre at best.

Working your way toward the end of each level, experimenting with mixtures of the different ammo types, is just too enjoyable to miss. The feeling of accomplishment when you manage to take every member of a gang alive is worth the pain of the more difficult boss showdowns and somewhat unfulfilling plot.

The derivative nature of the plot goes hand-in-hand with the completely unimaginative gameplay. Nothing here is original -- the RPG-in-a-computer gimmick is straight up .hack, and the action feels like martial arts-oriented Mega Man Legends.

In its weird little way, it's fun, but not quite $50 worth of fun.

The derivative nature of the plot goes hand-in-hand with the completely unimaginative gameplay. Nothing here is original -- the RPG-in-a-computer gimmick is straight up .hack, and the action feels like martial arts-oriented Mega Man Legends.

With its intuitive interface and pile of options, Zoo Keeper is the best game of Bejeweled you'll ever play. And frankly, that should be all the recommendation you need.

No, the Punisher believes in planning ahead and has come prepared with an infinite supply of ammo—his clips might run out, but you never need to find more.

Aside from bugs like that, annoying as they are, Punisher does a good job of translating the source material, right down to the dingy, everyday visuals and the character design for the lowlifes within.

The best looking GameCube game ever released and features a story better than 99% of those on the market. Most importantly, though, it does all the little things that allow the game to focus on letting the player enjoy the ride.

Pandemic's packed the game full of well-coded smoke and explosion effects, and seeing a bomb sortie work its way across an enemy compound is almost a thing of majesty. Bring a tear to your eye, it will. It's this unwavering feeling of exhilaration that separates Mercenaries from the other "free-roaming" ripoffs.

Simultaneously a beautifully holistic encapsulation of the entire history of Zelda and a worthy new chapter to the series in its own right, Minish Cap is quite simply one of the most engrossing portable games ever made -- and it ranks pretty high among Zelda titles, too.

Pandemic's packed the game full of well-coded smoke and explosion effects, and seeing a bomb sortie work its way across an enemy compound is almost a thing of majesty. Bring a tear to your eye, it will. It's this unwavering feeling of exhilaration that separates Mercenaries from the other "free-roaming" ripoffs and lets the game stand on its own merits.

Yes, it targets a small audience, but it hits a bull's-eye.

Not only is the pacing much more deliberate -- and therefore very intense -- but the awesome selection of different mecha and other war machines give this game a feel all its own.

It's this carefully guarded lack of realism that keeps the game fresh. While the multitude of moves are clearly wacky, they're never too over-the-top, and it all fits together in this surprising, tight package.

It's this carefully guarded lack of realism that keeps the game fresh. While the multitude of moves are clearly wacky, they're never too over-the-top, and it all fits together in this surprising, tight package.

It's this carefully guarded lack of realism that keeps the game fresh. While the multitude of moves are clearly wacky, they're never too over-the-top, and it all fits together in this surprising, tight package.

A solid hack-n-slash game that will appeal to fans of the genre, though it'll wear thin quickly.

But given the quality of the game, the title could also denote a certain level of unpleasant surprise. (Example: "Please avoid this horrible wreck of a game that Ubisoft has Sprung upon unsuspecting DS owners.")

If it existed on its own, it would be mediocre, but as it stands it's completely without value. This is less a game to be played than buried in a landfill in the desert.

These games are much too late to receive any real critical raves, but the fact remains that you get a lot of game in Growlanser Generations.

The story's dry as a bone, but that's not what you're playing Mega Man for anyway. The only truly glaring flaw: there are some lame 3D shooter sections, and while they aren't as frustrating (or prolific) as those in X7, surmounting them will still test your patience more than your ability with a joypad.

About the only thing going for Kuon is the fact that it doesn't have "Resident Evil's" character-relative controls (but then, neither will "RE4"). That, and the story is actually pretty interesting... well, at least I think it is, anyway.

It fails at presenting a compelling racing game, and more to the point, it fails at presenting a compelling Ridge Racer game, with backward graphics and bollixed controls.

Save for a tedious gimmick level in the Hundred-Acre Wood, each stage follows the same basic structure: work towards the first cutscene, which provides the key to the second cutscene, which provides the key to the boss. There are no puzzles or complex paths to work through -- once you've solved one, you've solved them all.

Arguably, it's good to have an RTS that is easy to jump into, but the economic systems and battle tactics might be too lightweight for some. Regardless, though, outside of starting your own New Zealand special effects company, no game will bring you closer to the battles of The Lord of The Rings.

The lack of improvement on some of the fundamentals on "KOTOR I" is a little disheartening. It really is exactly the same shell that covered the first game's story, with the same bugs.. and the same graphics engine that's like watching a car crash.

The microphone mini-game selection is too small to make Mario Party 6's appeal that much wider. But for those who appreciate sitting down for a long night of Star collecting and raucous behavior, Mario Party 6 is a polished upgrade with solid improvements.

Just one big, frustrating mess. It looks bad, it sounds worse, and you'll be wishing you were playing almost anything else by the end of the first level.

Despite the limitations, it's an incredible feat that SNK was able to get a GBA game to look and play this well on its first try.

More of an afterthought in comparison where a full-scale sequel with more finely-tweaked action would be more satisfying. Battle Out of Hell is more of a "tide me over" game that offers a good value of 10 levels, many challenges, and multiplayer addition for $20.

The artificial intelligence is also AWOL. The alertness of each unit is figured individually, and not shared even amongst a group.

A consequence of this darker approach is that that game loses part of what made The Sands of Time unique. Instead of a charming and almost silly character like we saw previously, the Prince here is more one-dimensional.

A consequence of this darker approach is that that game loses part of what made The Sands of Time unique. Instead of a charming and almost silly character like we saw previously, the Prince here is more one-dimensional.

Drill Spirits is classic Namco through and through: like "Katamari Damacy" and "Taiko Drum Master," it's a straightforward idea that succeeds on the strength of its addictive gameplay and hyperactive personality.

Not quite as good as The Sands of Time. Elements like the combat and bosses are inarguably better, but lack of evolution in the Prince and the action-oriented slant are not as good as the basic platforming mechanics that were the star of the show in last year's game.

A consequence of this darker approach is that that game loses part of what made The Sands of Time unique. Instead of a charming and almost silly character like we saw previously, the Prince here is more one-dimensional.

These aren't really the best RPGs on the system. But they're historic games, and they've been buffed up to the best they'll ever be, so if you're a fan of the genre, it's a nice little package you'd do well to check out.

Like "Warcraft III" before it, World of Warcraft is less about cataclysmic evolution and more about refinement.

The enemy AI tends to be pathetically stupid. Whole garrisons of enemies stand around waiting for you to attack, and when you do they simply charge your men and chaos ensues.

A complete and total rip off of "Metal Slug." But we mean that in a good way.

The amount of recycling involved in the level design here is abominable -- some areas repeat the same pair of linked rooms as many as three times in rapid succession, and the problem gets distinctly worse as the game progresses into its later levels. There's rarely an organic, realistic feel to most of the interior stages.

It's varied, addictive, and replayable, with a big difference between the experiences available at lower and higher levels of difficulty.

The amount of recycling involved in the level design here is abominable -- some areas repeat the same pair of linked rooms as many as three times in rapid succession, and the problem gets distinctly worse as the game progresses into its later levels.

The amount of recycling involved in the level design here is abominable -- some areas repeat the same pair of linked rooms as many as three times in rapid succession, and the problem gets distinctly worse as the game progresses into its later levels.

Fortunately, the developers have done a good job of implementing that cartooney and sarcastic style, so those players who like the Alien Hominid universe will find a lot to like in the game.

I'm honestly pretty underwhelmed...Mario 64 DS is a poorly-conceived port of an otherwise good game.

A whole lot like the game before it, except better in just about every way.

While the uninspiring movie didn't help matters, it's the lethargic gameplay that winds up making King Arthur an equally disappointing game. Repetitive and frustrating, it fails to live up to the potential of its cinematic presentation.

If Kojima had you and lost you with 2, then all will be forgiven here; if you don't yet know the joy of the best-executed stealth game in town, then put on your facepaint and get set for a mission that's truly unstinting in its virtues.

While the uninspiring movie didn't help matters, it's the lethargic gameplay that winds up making King Arthur an equally disappointing game. Repetitive and frustrating, it fails to live up to the potential of its cinematic presentation.

While the graphics and sound won't be winning any awards, their strong, primary colors and simple but clean approach come across with a Hello Kitty feel that wraps everything up perfectly for the style.

There's a certain obsessive-compulsive appeal to unlocking goals, and the surprisingly good text guarantees that there's always something interesting to read. But these positive traits seem wasted on a dumbed-down, ill-conceived butchery of a perfectly respectable franchise.

The controls are surprisingly solid. Once you adapt to the small venue, the mechanics flow pretty well.

The game does look good, though. And control is tight. Which means that while it may not be inspiring, it's perfectly playable -- arguably the best handheld racing game ever made.

Despite the unique abilities of each party member, and the odd sections where you need to take advantage of said abilities in order to advance the level, most of your time playing Demon Stone will be spent jamming on one attack button over and over again.

Frankly, it seems like much of the game's technological potential is being squandered on a 3D game whose actual road to progress is every bit as two-dimensional as an 8-bit platformer.

For a fighting game to work the action on screen must be in sync with each tap of the controller. In Fight Club, the response is so sluggish pressing the attack buttons feels more like pushing M&M's into a bowl of pudding.

There's an attractive richness in celebrating their dark world, and the game creates a microcosm filled with devious and strange characters. The story and action work together to create a decent enough package, but neither would be strong enough to stand on their own. Still, it's good to be a vamp.

Point-and-click adventures can be great, but more often than not they end up being tedious and mundane. CSI: Miami falls squarely into the latter category, despite the high production values and being so faithful to the source material.

It's simply trying to be the best console WWII shooter ever created, and in this it almost certainly succeeds. The single-player game is short, yes, but it's incredibly epic (in the cinematic definition of the term), and multiplayer should keep you playing long after the main campaign is over.

Evolution's problem is that each of the characters is distinct, but there aren't nearly enough of them for the game to stand on that concept alone.

It's hard to find any major faults with Budokai 3. With 40 characters from Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT, the Saiyan Overdrive System, and an ambitious new story mode, I'm absolutely blown away by this game. If you're a DBZ fan like me, there's no reason to think you won't be too.

It's fun, perhaps, but fun in ways that are so odd that it's hard to say whether any given player will get the joke.

So if you don't mind a little bit of slow-paced memorization, there's a solid game here that will provide a lot of fun. It's just a shame that some of the levels don't leave more wiggle room to accomplish objectives in even slightly different ways.

Unlike "Rising Sun," Finest Hour goes beyond the epidermal layer and strives to provide a realistic yet still engaging and addictive experience on all fronts, not just for your eyes. And, luckily enough, it succeeds.

The physics issue on its own isn't that big of a flaw, but when you combine it with the occasionally questionable bullet hit detection, it becomes more aggravating...So though it's far from perfect, it is a good overall game.

A fun game and a worthy sequel to Godzilla: DAMM. If it had been afforded a little more finesse (especially regarding the Challenges) and a little more authentic Godzilla flavor, it'd be even sweeter.

While the uninspiring movie didn't help matters, it's the lethargic gameplay that winds up making King Arthur an equally disappointing game. Repetitive and frustrating, it fails to live up to the potential of its cinematic presentation.

You can't help but feel like Artoon underachieved with Blinx 2 (especially with the boring, offline-only multiplayer mode), but you'll forgive them long enough to play through the game once.

Uneven production values have wound up creating one of the cleanest and quietest "gritty" games ever. While the fighting environments are rich with lots of detail and natural lighting, they also appear to have janitors on duty 24/7.

It's a winning gamble with a new style of RPG combat, and it's pretty enough to frame and put on your wall in the bargain. With a stronger cast and narrative, though, it could have been an absolute world-beater.

The single-player game is short, yes, but it's incredibly epic (in the cinematic definition of the term), and multiplayer should keep you playing long after the main campaign is over.

Once you've unlocked the entire area and learned how to get around on the surface streets and freeways, it creates a remarkable sense of immersion in the environment. It doesn't just feel like a collection of scattered race tracks, it feels like a real world, with the player a unique little speck in the middle of it.

Flawed, but still a good, fun dirt bike game.

The GameCube version, on the other hand, slows down horribly with too many cars on the screen (at the start of a four-car race, for instance) or in certain areas of town with a lot of background architecture. It's bad enough that the absence of online multiplayer is just a little extra salt in the wound.

The multiplayer game in Echoes isn't anywhere near half the fun. It's a noble attempt to translate the single-player control scheme to a head-to-head game, but that attempt fails in a mess of cheap deaths and constant struggles to wrench the view in the right direction.

If you've played any of the Karaoke Revolution games on the PS2, there's really nothing that you're missing with this iteration, other than the downloadable Xbox live content. For those out there that have never experienced Karaoke Revolution, expect to have a lot of fun with it.

For video game vixens to look as hot as these do is almost disturbing.

At times, Jak 3 seems to be scraping the bottom of the idea barrel...While this final chapter is not the platforming clinic of the first, nor the trendsetter of the second, it is an extremely satisfying finish for the series.

The most important factor, outweighing most of its problems, is the intelligent layout. It's just about the right size, big enough to be varied and small enough to keep things close together, and packs in about all the different types of terrain you'd like.

I'm hoarse because roughly three-quarters of the tracks are complicated tunes that require impressive vocal acrobatics and extensive falsetto, which is torture for someone who normally sings in the baritone range.

A decent buy for those of us who desire a competent, if not great, karting simulator. The fact that there's so little in the way of options and series to run can be forgiven considering the low price tag.

Unlike October's blockbuster "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," Halo's masses of content have been tossed in a strainer and all serve to make the main game better, rather than simply providing more for the player to do.

It's everything its predecessor was, only with better presentation, incredible graphics, and a lot of the simple, necessary improvements that have become standard since the days of the original EQ. On the other hand, players who never cared for the first game will find that the core gameplay has changed very little.