The gameplay is classic run-'n-gun style, creature designs are as uninspired as the environments they inhabit, and the unintuitive controls mean shooting often leads to frustration.

The accessibility gives it decent chops as a party game, and the unlockables give it fanboy cachet, but it's simply time for Capcom and Bandai to rethink this enterprise.

Outside of being a great showcase for the DS itself, Meteos is also a fantastic, dizzyingly fast puzzle game that leaves an addictive aftertaste not seen since the likes of "Tetris Attack."

There are even certain instances where you can find yourself focusing on your stealth tactics rather than struggling with the interface, and in those instances the game plays out quite well. It's just too bad those are the exception rather than the rule.

Shot Online's execution is just poor.

An interesting, entertaining adventure in its own right. Atlus' latest probably won't be to everyone's tastes, but anyone looking for a lengthy, engrossing and above all unique handheld quest this summer would be remiss in passing it up.

Despite the load time issue, an occasional problem with being able to see certain cars and roadside objects that blend into the dark backgrounds, and a slightly reduced sense of speed overall, there's very little to criticize here.

Half-way through most boss battles, the game presents the option of executing a 'finishing move' that will remove the rest of the enemy's health in one fell swoop. Deceptively, this maneuver is initiated by pressing a single button -- except it doesn't work most of the time.

Whatever travails Psychonauts endured throughout its development history, the end result is a gem. It's a brilliant debut for Double Fine, and here's hoping it's just the start of what we can expect to see from them.

The main game isn't terribly long, and the missions, though sometimes creative, are often frustrating because there's usually only one way to complete them, making them feel needlessly restrictive--something that stings a little more in a sandbox game such as this.

Battlefield 2 absolutely sets a new standard for multiplayer combat on a grand scale, but the final result is evolutionary, not revolutionary, so the the proposition is a little bit tricky.

A more generous perspective would say it's more of the classic Bomberman multiplayer we've all come to know and love. It's the comfort food of videogames, and if that's enough for you, this is more than sufficient as an 8-player hold-me-over.

If you enjoyed the previous iterations, Battle Network 5 is a worthy successor to the line, but if you were turned off by the kiddie-veneer, the deep strategic gameplay goes a long way towards making it tolerable.

If you enjoyed the previous iterations, Battle Network 5 is a worthy successor to the line, but if you were turned off by the kiddie-veneer, the deep strategic gameplay goes a long way towards making it tolerable.

There's not much in the way of new content in single-player, nor is much of it different or even "uncut," and the multiplayer segment suffers from a lack of play balancing. Still, it looks really, really good and the gameplay mostly holds up, which is probably enough for most people.

The main game isn't terribly long, and the missions, though sometimes creative, are often frustrating because there's usually only one way to complete them, making them feel needlessly restrictive--something that stings a little more in a sandbox game such as this.

If the worldwide aspect of RYL has you intrigued, check it out. Or, if you like hack-n-slash gameplay with no end in sight, this could well be your game.

Crates and barrels aside, Batman Begins is generally a well-produced game. Its visuals are often striking, and are distinct in style from those of the film.

Compared to the majority of kiddie-oriented crap that's clogging up the GBA's arteries in its advanced age, MQ3 is downright fantastic.

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 not gimmicky nor is it comprehensive, instead going for some kind of arbitrary blend of the two.

The stealth fails, however, in at least two significant ways. The first is a near-total lack of choice: there's almost always one prescribed way to navigate a given situation, and player improvisations are promptly curtailed by unsustainable gunfire.

The stealth fails, however, in at least two significant ways. The first is a near-total lack of choice: there's almost always one prescribed way to navigate a given situation, and player improvisations are promptly curtailed by unsustainable gunfire.

The biggest problem is that we've seen everything Juiced has to offer before.

Solo players won't find themselves with much depth, while multiplayer fans without a heap of DS-wielding friends will scoff at the poor level design and inability to have much fun without at least three players.

A genuinely excellent game. It impresses on many levels, perhaps most of all for the simple fact that it's the first example of a traditional 2D platformer that genuinely works with no input besides a stylus.

Yoshi's latest adventure simply proves that it really doesn't matter which way you look at a mediocre game -- it's boring from every angle, and no amount of spin can prove otherwise.

The biggest problem is that we've seen everything Juiced has to offer before.

If nostalgia for the original arcade light-gun game, or fascination with the myth of the Mid-West has you by the cockles, then this game may give you a day or two's worth of good times. But anyone with a stricter criteria than that would be hard-pressed to find real satisfaction in what's offered here.