Manhunt's biggest problem is pacing. Like Richard Nixon, it peaks too early. It has a lot of smaller problems, but all of those issues contribute to the unfortunate fact that I was tired of Manhunt long before it was over. I was tired of its violence, certainly, but I was also tired of its AI quirks, tired of its repetitive level design, and tired of the growing impression that I was just the main character in a geek show.

Flat out, this is an amazing shooter. You can fight through over 50 levels, upgrade your weapons, take control of enemies, recruit enemies to help you fight, drive different types of tanks, and a lot more -- think "Ratchet & Clank" fused with "Halo."

Broken missions, pathetic animations, a sorry fighting system, and a sorrier button-mashing mode.

There's never been a Final Fantasy as free and as fun as X-2.

The simple fact is Knights of the Old Republic doesn't do anything revolutionarily different or better in any single category than games like "Planescape," "Baldur's "and "Freedom Force." In fact, in some areas it's a lot worse. Nevertheless, this is as solid a Star Wars experience as we're going to get (since no one has the balls to make "Tie Fighter 2").

At the top of the reserves list above Muto, Vexx, and some of the other borderline games, but there are more ambitious titles out there.

It's all down to the style and irresistible cheerful feeling you get when you play these games.

While it'd be a mistake to call Secret Weapons Over Normandy a Luftwaffe-caliber revolution in flight games, it'd also be a mistake to dismiss it completely for its arcade leanings.

As a WWII fighting experience, it rivals EA's Medal of Honor in atmosphere and immersion. The in-game graphics are spectacular, with detailed aircraft and some lovely explosions, and the only obvious issue is some pop-in from high altitudes.

As an Xbox Live game, Counter-Strike's only real competition is "Rainbow Six 3" -- and it's really a toss-up as to which is better online. "RS3" has a better selection of modes (not to mention a great co-op feature) and the graphics are a fair bit smoother, but CS is much more quickly paced, and this makes online play far more addictive.

It feels like the final, nearly perfect evolution of the Kudos formula, one which got annoying in the previous PGR for beginners.

Never, and I mean never, have I played a game with such a beautiful, perfectly executed difficulty curve. It's because of the difficulty curve that there was never a moment in this game, from start to finish over eight hours, that I was not having fun.

Flat out, this is an amazing shooter. You can fight through over 50 levels, upgrade your weapons, take control of enemies, recruit enemies to help you fight, drive different types of tanks, and a lot more -- think "Ratchet & Clank" fused with "Halo."

It's addictive, funny, and will make you feel more than a little sad when it's over.

A more general problem is that the gameplay doesn't do much new, or even contemporary for that matter. You do the general flip-switching and item collecting types of missions, and your firepower is very typical.

The "Medal of Honor in the air" description is fairly apt, actually -- although most of your missions (all 30 or so of them) are the standard dogfights and bombing runs, the package it's all presented in makes it feel much more fulfilling than Luftwaffe and the other old flight sims.

I haven't played a better game all year.

Flat out, this is an amazing shooter. You can fight through over 50 levels, upgrade your weapons, take control of enemies, recruit enemies to help you fight, drive different types of tanks, and a lot more -- think "Ratchet & Clank" fused with "Halo."

A disaster in far too many ways to count.

It's up there on the podium with "Ridge Racer Type 4" and "Daytona USA 2," contending for the title of very best ever.

This is the best arcade racer on the market today. It's the best one in years.

I guess I can see where some people might enjoy this existence, but it's not for me. I need some sort of concrete goal in my life. Not to mention variety.

The only serious black mark on EoN is its length -- you can bulldoze through Bond's story in a few short hours, and the extra difficulty levels will likely not be enough to entice you to try again.

Gamers seeking a hardcore RPG experience would admittedly be better off with something like "Golden Sun" or "Fire Emblem." But if you're after some lighthearted, lightweight gaming, or if you're simply a Mario fan, you'll have a hard time finding a better buy than Mario & Luigi.

Not quite a perfect game -- it's a bit short, difficult in the later stages, and Jake walks too slowly for my tastes -- but it's still an addictive, impressive achievement. If there was some sort of "Most Improved Franchise" award, the GBA Medal of Honor series would win the 2003 prize hands down.

It's up there on the podium with "Ridge Racer Type 4" and "Daytona USA 2," contending for the title of very best ever.

A joy to play, a frantically manic experience with enough depth to satisfy veterans without turning off newcomers and a multiplayer favourite.

It's up there on the podium with "Ridge Racer Type 4" and "Daytona USA 2," contending for the title of very best ever.