The key word here, of course, is "rough."

Another issue is simply that the enormous buildings make any map seem crowded and critically limit the number of placement options for base building.

A not particularly attractive game that provides neither the twitch-based thrills of an arcadey flight game nor the intricate controls and challenge of flying a realistic virtual aircraft.

Micro Machines V4 is a worthy part of a traditionally sublime racing series, but its appeal mostly lies with the party gamer set. And sometimes that's enough.

Hardcore (read: non-American) fans will find it vapid, but those same fans are far better served by "Winning Eleven."

And even if you're bored with beating your friends, there's a vast array of unlockables to collect, which will surely delight your inner obsessive compulsive.

While it may not break, or even dent, any new ground, Titan Quest features a beautifully realized game world based on a tried-and-true core mechanic, with tons of replayability. What's not to like?

There's a thin line between awful and pointless, and Night Watch manages to wobble like a poorly spun top right in the middle, sporadically teetering too far into awful before righting itself, then drifting over to pointless territory. Again and again and again.

The final package is a motorcycle racing game that is certainly good, but far from the best on the market. If your weapon of choice is the PlayStation 2, however, and you lack for next-gen options, then consider MotoGP 4 all the ammunition you'll need.

I've already had my fill of this recipe. I was sort of hoping for something a little new.

It's not exactly a radical reinvention of the genre -- but, then, it's not meant to be. As simple, straightforward arcade-style action with a few unobtrusive additions at a budget price, it's a smashing success.

NFL Head Coach is a game you really want to like, but ultimately it's a poorly executed great idea.

Moscow to Berlin has decent graphics, and the gameplay is no worse than the rest of the genre, but spending money on this would be like paying to see the same movie for the 20th time.

Finally, the multiplayer component isn't bad, though there are two things that are glaringly missing. First, there's no straight-up deathmatch mode. Players will be taking the side of either the cops or the criminals, and the sides aren't particularly well balanced. Second, there's the inexcusable absence of splitscreen play.

Comprehensive and complete, this is the rare retro collection worth the price of entry, and it's one that should grace the shelf of every fighting library out there. It's also a great reminder of what Capcom was once best at, and what they could conjure once again if only they'd put their minds to it.

Ultimately, Digital Graphic Novel might be the truest MGS experience -- no gameplay to get in the way of pure plot. While it may be geared only at franchise fans, it's hard to fault Konami or Kojima Productions for bringing out something that we haven't seen much of on the PSP lately: interesting software.

When a game about giant robots flying, shooting, and fighting with each other makes it this hard and unpleasant to actually do any of those things, it's time for change.

Without the story, all your venturing through the game would be for naught. It's the redeeming quality that makes the back-and-forth, to-and-fro quests, the battles every five feet, and the unaltered appearance worth wading through. It's just something that you'll really have to want to do.

Without the story, all your venturing through the game would be for naught. It's the redeeming quality that makes the back-and-forth, to-and-fro quests, the battles every five feet, and the unaltered appearance worth wading through. It's just something that you'll really have to want to do.

Finally, the multiplayer component isn't bad, though there are two things that are glaringly missing. First, there's no straight-up deathmatch mode. Players will be taking the side of either the cops or the criminals, and the sides aren't particularly well balanced. Second, there's the inexcusable absence of splitscreen play.

Click-click, kill-kill, click-click, kill-kill. You'll maybe get a naval battle or an occasional siege on the side. But once you've done this a few times, Rise & Fall has pretty much exhausted its novelty, leaving you with a bland and clunky RTS.

No surprise, the A.I. rolls over on anything less than Hard, and getting units into tactically feasible formations can be like herding drunken snails.

MotoGP 06 is great to look at and fun to play, carrying the next-gen torch for the genre that Hang-On kicked off so many years ago. It's simple, fun, and beautiful. What more could you ask for in a racing game?

You never quite reach the same pumped-up heights you get while playing similar games, like "NBA Ballers" or "NBA Street" -- and despite the tricks, online play, and generally responsive controls, it would take a serious interest in the AND 1 legacy to maintain any level of interest in this game.

Ubisoft's work here leaves Astonishia as little more than another could-have-been, doomed to mere mediocrity. PSP fans have been waiting a year for a great RPG...sorry, guys, this ain't it.

With the flood of racing titles hitting the PSP right now, it'd be easy to miss Race Driver 2006. But if you're craving variety and great control in portable form, this is the game for you.

Almost everything about this anthology speaks of class, care, and quality, and the ability to play several of the series' "missing" chapters should be more than enough for any American Gradius fan to take the plunge.

It <I>is</I> a full-fledged GTA experience, and it <I>is</I> only $20 (even cheaper if you shop around), which means it's an incredibly good value for money at a time when the PS2 is absolutely starved for great new games. Don't buy it if you've played the PSP version, but if you haven't -- it's great.