A cinematic and thrilling experience. The ability to take part in the last century’s most defining and destructive war through the perspective of three different sides is quite engaging.

It could be compared to "Morrowind" in its depth and scope, but the real people that fill the town squares and gathering halls give Final Fantasy XI a living soul that Bethesda’s hallmark title never had.

A good title if you’re serious about your strategy games. Casual strategic commanders and those that think the sun rises and sets over "Age of Mythology" and the like probably won’t see the draw or attraction.

The procedure for awarding continues is definitely far too liberal and though the combo system has been greatly improved, the controls still need to be simplified to make them more practical.

It’s just difficult to wholeheartedly recommend a title that has a mere five or six hours of game time, and no real incentive to play through again.

An amazing expansion in virtually every way. It looks awesome, it sounds fantastic, its design is superb and it has lots of cool details that make it extremely replayable.

The visuals are pretty, the puzzles are engaging and the plot is engrossing, but this release isn’t all that it could be. The interface glitches, puny hotspots, gameplay linearity and absence of deep character development all limit its value.

With a wide array of competent enemies and an appreciable moves list, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence offers a fine 3D action experience with an abundance of style. "Devil May Cry" fans may find this title similar on many levels, though Leon's sub-weapons don't integrate quite as intimately with the melee combat as Dante's dual-handguns do.

Should be a hands-down epic masterpiece but is unfortunately tarnished by a litany of problems that should have been addressed before its release. If it wasn’t so doggoned much fun to play, it would be easy to write off because of its betimes infuriating downsides.

There is an undeniably addictive quality about this release, but it is so far overshadowed by the shallow nature of the gameplay that its power to enchant will be tested with all but the most ardent groupies.

It combines an enthralling story with addictive gameplay and endless value online.

Has some fairly innovative features like counter upgrades, paid assassins that can be turned against you for the right price, and the innovative Railroad Building Race mode. Despite these creative turns, however, it’s still a triumphantly average experience.

Unlike mindless shooters, Bionicle's well-developed characters and plot give it a real sense of adventure. It's able to leave the player with the feeling of visiting a strange and mystical place while still offering fun and varied gameplay.

Nosferatu’s developers played to the inherent strengths of all first-person shooters - the visceral illusion of being in a place far removed from the chair in front of your computer screen. Unlike the Victorians, the concept of a zombie or vampire won’t scare any of us, but like them, we still retain a fear of unknown things that might leap out at us in strange, dark places.

An uncomplicated and readily accessible approach to experiencing the colorful lives of swashbuckling buccaneers on land and at sea. However, the similarity of the challenges, linear scenarios, substandard sound effects, and deficient artificial intelligence definitely constrain the enjoyment you will experience here.

The shoddy camera system and somewhat unintuitive controls cause far too many headaches.

It gives exactly what it promises: an engaging story with stylish, polished visuals wrapped tightly around fluid and virtually bug-free gameplay.

Once I adjusted to the controls and uncovered some new weapons, it started growing on me. By the end, I was loving it, with a wide range of gameplay, intense battles on the street, a consistently developing storyline, and enough weapons in the long run to give you the options you want.

Even with a somewhat weak split-screen multiplayer mode, the challenging gameplay and engrossing plot will satisfy players on their first run through, while the superb AI and outstanding level design will keep them coming back for more.

It doesn’t set any new standards, but it’s great fun in both the single- and multiplayer sides of the house.

It summons into an already great game compelling storytelling elements, excellent graphical variety, solid strategy, and extremely high polish and production value.

Although there are some problems with the music and interface, the sheer playability of IndyCar Series shines undeniably through them.

All this title truly needs is the influence of a few sadistic minds to extend the lifespan with complicated tasks, and give you a sense of satisfaction for making it through hellish platform puzzles.

Despite its brevity and sadistic humor, you receive an odd sense of satisfaction when your pranks work. Although hardcore gamers might find this title a bit beneath their level of sophistication, most who enjoy electronic recreation will find this release quite fulfilling.

The core gameplay is involving and well executed, and bolstered by a great camera, solid controls and an intuitive interface. However, the sequel lacks any decisively outstanding or revolutionary features that truly invest the player in the storyline.

Lives up to its potential, giving Simpsons fans an authentic and enjoyable experience. With the crashing, and the funny, and the doo dads- GLAVIN! *ahem* One can't argue with the quality and level of detail.

Apart from a few flaws likely to be addressed in the evolutionary patching process common to most multiplayer titles, Savage edges close to perfection. It accomplishes its extremely ambitious mission of being the first game to truly combine two completely different genres.

The controls are perfect, the gameplay is paced just right and the ESPN brand sucks the player in like no other sports title can.

While P.N.03 does provide some solid shooting action, the incredibly repetitive levels and unintuitive controls significantly detract from the experience.

The interesting cyberpunk motif expanded into a whole new set of wondrous lands easily lends itself to hours of fun play, while the multiplayer experience lets gamers enjoy the title with others and offers a sense of satisfaction unseen in other offerings.

A bland experience with nothing innovative to free your mind from concentrating on the annoying aspects of the gameplay.

Disgaea’s visual and aural components may be somewhat dated, but the gameplay suffers from no such ailment.

There is one slight problem: I had already played much of it on a now defunct console some years ago. Dreamcast owners don't have much to look forward to here, with many of the same characters, features, and game mechanics intact.

It's a fantastic game especially if you are into strategy puzzlers. Even if you’re not, it’s still a terribly addictive venture that’s easy to pick up and you’ll find yourself haunting with the best of them in no time flat.

Gameplay lurches between the exultation of easy victory and the frustration of arbitrary defeat after hours of effort. Enigma: Rising Tide's slowness of movement and action only throws its pleasures and miseries into sharp relief.

What I encountered here was a very difficult combination: incredible creative innovation combined with a high degree of faithfulness to the original film.

Entertaining, but somewhat difficult in design, and occasionally unforgiving in control.

What with graphics that are no longer state-of-the-art, no multiplayer component, a less-than-totally compelling story, and combat that is sometimes frustrating, there is a lot missing here.

Not being exclusively wedded to any particular genre - and being tolerant of the inevitable compromises forced in a hybrid - is an absolute prerequisite for enjoying this offering.

If the developers had included a few secrets or collectible items then it might have warranted a second and third play through, but as it is, there’s probably only enough content to justify a weekend rental.

Lionheart is to RPGs what "Serious Sam" is to first-person shooters: It's a strict genre game that's stripped down to its essence and is pleasantly devoid of the all too common overarching that happens when too many disparate parts are crammed into the same code base for the sake of widening the target audience.

There's also the matter of the decidedly realistic approach taken here, which some may find a bit dry in comparison to other longstanding fighters, such as "Tekken Tag Tournament."

The new owner's box adds astonishing depth and replayability to a franchise mode that is already dangerously addictive, while the playmaker controls only serve to better immerse the player in the experience.

Has all the style of "Devil May Cry," but like the second installment in that series, some poor gameplay mechanics keep the title from achieving all that it could.

Eschews the normal audiovisual glitz in favor of something truly rare in computer games: a deep and compelling story that is worthy of a good novel.

The visuals, sound and overall presentation may have remained mostly unchanged, but the 32 additional missions, coupled with more than 200 new parts makes this a must for the hardcore fans.

The massive environments are a joy to explore, and the fact that combat and exploration take place on the same screen prevents even the most frequent of encounters from becoming a burden.

Yet the experience, for all its addictive qualities, still feels lacking due to its slow pace and the absence of vehicles and space travel.

Even if the visuals and sound aren't quite cutting edge, the gameplay is still solid, and that’s all that truly matters. K-1 is an absolute must for fans of the sport.

The single-player game’s extreme difficulty will throw off many people, and the less than satisfactory ending will leave a bad taste in your mouth.

There is a lot of variety and freedom here, and at its best this is the most physically attractive virtual pirate adventure ever released. It all boils down to this: if you want a fast-paced action title, do not go near this release; but if, on the other hand, you want a slower-paced role-playing experience with lots of different types of things to do, then by all means give it a shot.

While some of the puzzles touch the edge of too challenging, overall they are some of the best in the business since "Myst" hit the scene.

It is neither a compelling first-person shooter, nor a worthy role-playing experience, failing on both fronts.

An extremely well produced title in virtually every respect. Striking visuals and an exceptional soundtrack are delightful superfluities, but the gameplay is what matters, and Arc the Lad has always been solid in this department.

Fun to play, but it might be too much for those who aren't interested in spending time in the design process. You'll also need to get past the complex display.

The imaginative use of the tricorder for exploration and the wonderful assortment of enemy creatures are high points for me, and the multiplayer portion is impeccable.

The visuals, sound and even the gameplay itself hold potential, but almost every aspect of the latest Tomb Raider feels incomplete.

If you take the time to fully understand its mechanics and enjoy the menu-based format, then SaGa will prove to be a unique, rewarding experience. As the alt text for this section says, only hardcore fans need apply.

Enough new material to justify the price tag for fans, but not for dilettantes who haven't played Neverwinter Nights since completing it the first time around.

The storyline isn't all that interesting, particularly considering the complete lack of relevant plot for the first half of the game. All in all, the good outweighs the bad, but not by much.

The campaign doesn't last very long though, and isn't all that interesting to begin with.

Despite the shortcomings of getting started, beware once you finally do. Port Royale is a wonderfully addictive game that is loaded with grand possibilities.

By being more open-ended than "Tribunal" and more focused than "Morrowind" itself, Bloodmoon captures the best of both worlds.

Lengthy single player campaign aside, the online matches and powerful race editor should keep this game fresh for months to come.

The four-player coop mode is particularly notable, considering so few titles incorporate so many players with such a high degree of complexity. However, there is a lack of polish to certain aspects which hold it back from being a legendary experience.

In a short period of time I realized that the problems with hidden objects, irritating action sequences, and extremely brief gameplay keep this title from getting anywhere near its potential.

Fundamental flaws unjustly hamper the gameplay, and the lack of support for many USB wheels is nothing short of devastating.

Newcomers will be treated to a title that’s superior to its predecessor in many respects, but also fails to improve on some of the first game’s faults.

A towering aggregation of everything that's good about strategy gaming.

To those willing to pay, however, the reward is one of the deepest and most exciting combat games ever. The hacking, the engineering, the raw firefights, the chaos of vehicular combat - all of these elements are but minor ingredients in the eats-like-a-meal stew that’s PlanetSide.

A must-buy for World War II buffs or those who want a straightforward and realistic RTS that demands tactical prowess and no city management skills whatsoever.

In a market full of dull sequels, here's a follow-up that shows how expansion should be done.

You must have patience and be excited about non-structured gameplay in order for it to be worth the price of admission. Action hungry thrill-mongers will do themselves a favor by steering clear of this one.

Valve has proved quite effectively that solid level design and an embarrassment of style will outshine all the fanciest smoke and mirrors that today’s cutting-edge technologies have to offer.

If you can get a group of mates together over Xbox Live, Wolfenstein should provide a constant and gratifying supply of entertainment well into the future.

The unnecessarily tedious unit movement coupled with the debilitating difficulty level of many battles leaves this title stranded with too many moments of frustration for the average user.

Stunning enhancements to the visuals and sound aside, the new tricks, game variations and collection of extras is more than one would expect from a sequel.

The graphics are pretty and you get what you came for - cheap, mindless action. If you want even a smidgen more, however, pass.

Mixing an intriguing plot with exciting racing action, you cannot help but get sucked into the gameplay.

Below average in every sense of the term; the title contains some interesting gameplay mechanics and concepts, but never executes them with any measure of success.

While striking visuals and retro-themed music make up the game's framework, Ikaruga's foundation is undoubtedly built on innovative, engaging and downright challenging gameplay.

With a little elbow grease and perhaps a dash of maturity, Postal 2 could've been a harrowing psychological tale of one man's collapsing psyche. Sort of like the movie "Falling Down" realized in an interactive 3D environment.

As an intellectual toy, Tropico 2 is fascinating and detailed; as a game, it's enormously addictive.

The gameplay is still as enjoyable as it was 15 years ago, maybe even more so.

A tight control scheme, some exceptional gameplay thanks to the Geo-Mod engine and a solid split-screen multiplayer component make Red Faction II a safe purchase for any action fan looking for more than a mindless shooter.

A forthright and adolescent-minded FPS, embellished with technical fireworks of debatable value.

An extremely approachable game that has a strong foundation for those who are willing to stick with it for the long haul, despite the fact that it tends to wear a bit thin at present due to the vagaries of its random events and a difficulty level that tends to be too easy or too hard, with very little middle ground for experienced players.

A truly fresh and fun experience. While the plot is nothing to write home about, the furious combat action - which is far more mobile than in most action shooters - is utterly addictive.

A flawed but rewarding experience seems to be the average diagnosis for most of the current crop of FPS releases, and Vietcong is no exception.

The combination of statistical depth and the persistence of the player’s accomplishments is not to be ignored. Unfortunately, it does not quite reach the level of crossover appeal that it seems to desire.

However, it is not perfect: Most notably, while fans of the original title will surely find this game enjoyable, they will also find it extremely easy to defeat, with unusually light penalties for dying.

Doesn't reach its full potential because of flaky AI and chunky models that distract from an otherwise deeply engrossing environment.

The generally high production values combined with the unending series of coherent brain-stretching enigmas make this worth a serious look.

Several of the new design decisions - such as having the characters speak a human language, adding weapons power-ups, making combat more central, and including a large bunch of mini-games - appear to dilute rather than improve the play experience.

The vexing controls and camera system, combined with the poor enemy AI and simplified combat, make even a weekend rental of Dark Tomorrow tough to justify.

I found this offering to be an uninspiring experience, wrought with annoyances that many modern fighters do not suffer from.

The tactical wargame that remains, however, is simplistic and underdeveloped.

Those who play the most detailed and complex theme park sims won't get anything new from Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis. For dinosaur fans, however, it's a dream come true.