The pacing set for this release is one that I can maintain, and with the focus set more on laughs and fun instead of tactical brilliance, I can play this and not feel like I should be wearing a pointy, conical dunce-cap.

Where TA offers a slew of different unit types for some traditional, hardcore warfare, TA:K goes the fantasy route with fewer units and buildings and a better story. TA:K is much more like "Starcraft" in its approach to strategical combat, the balance of different units types and gameplay that features varied experiences through the different sides.

While UT 2003 doesn’t revolutionize its genre, it contains beautifully presented high-speed action that first-person shooter fans crave.

With near perfectly balanced hybrid gameplay, and thoughtful, intuitive controls, Kingdom Under Fire is sure to surprise even the most jaded player.

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.

Not without its flaws, Tribes succeeds because of variety and solid design.

Ultimately, it's better to think of Legends as a deep action title more so than an RPG or dungeon crawler, and in this respect, you can't go wrong.

Compared to other racing games on the market, Wipeout 64 has one tremendous advantage: its graphics are absolutely gorgeous. However, a racer lives and dies by its gameplay, and Wipeout 64 has that locked up pretty well too. The control is dead-on and the courses are well designed.

All the elements of Kohan add up to the most fun I’ve had with a real-time strategy release -- with the least amount of micromanagement.

At its core, this is a title with enough flash and bang, with a high replay value in both single and multiplayer, and enough strategy that it’s hard not to recommend.

The frame rate isn't brilliant (though the physics model is), load times are long, and sometimes frustration will get the best of you. But rich environments, awesome music, and the game's sheer charm outshine all of that.

It’s not often you have such a personal interest in your digital troops' survival and treat them as anything but grist for the meat mill, but Stormregion has managed to make it so you feel like a mother hen and take it personally if one of your guys buys the farm.

Perimeter sets itself apart by not relying on what has come before, but by not making changes for the sake of change, it’s also engaging and fun to play.

Its combination of global conquest and economic elements results in an entertaining experience that can keep players consistently coming back for more.

A great game with cool visuals and sound, terrifically fun action and classic Duke Nukem attitude blazing from the gun barrels.

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.

Players looking to enjoy some wild arcade style longball, or at least a combination of the two approaches, can’t go wrong with Midway’s latest.

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.

The atmosphere is tangible and the story and action are tied together so perfectly that the game rarely lags during lengthy periods of adventure.

It adds a gigantic single-player campaign and a plethora of new monsters, spells, character classes and items. The expansion also significantly updates the overall graphical quality, potentially adding to the life of the franchise without getting in the way of what made the original fun.

Full of novel ideas and ultimately is a magnificent action title. Unlike most formulaic games based on movies, what you experience here is always fresh and exciting.

It may be friendly to newcomers with its simple combat mechanics, but the depth and replayabilty found here is unlike anything else currently available for the PlayStation 2.

I found Comanche Hokum to be a thoroughly engrossing simulation, despite the fact that the graphics are a little jarring.

Hardcore platform players will find little that's new or challenging, but Sly Cooper's definitely good for some quick and easy pleasure.

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.

While I still personally prefer "NASCAR Heat," as a pure racing simulation NASCAR Racing 4 wins hands down. If you love this sport, this is a title which you simply cannot miss.

The combat is awesome in short doses, the graphics are nice and the product offers the best FPS co-op gaming since Doom II. Oh, and it offers one hell of a final boss.

Despite the fact that Crimson Butterfly is much longer than the original, it might have been preferable to trade the extra length for a little less backtracking, as it often slows the progress of the adventure.

The brilliant story is enhanced by a beautiful score from Mitsuda and cinematic sequences which are stunning, to say the least.

What gaming is all about: fun. With a constant variety of goals, the more I played, the more I enjoyed it.

The combination of an unsolved mystery, great music, a desolate ancient landscape and captivating underground chambers creates a truly immersive experience.

These shifts in the gameplay keep it fresh most of the way through, and the excellent visuals keep you coming back for more.

It is without a doubt the best looking RTS title to date, and with its super camera system is destined to be the benchmark which other forthcoming games in the genre look to for guidance.

Its graphics, sound, and interface are excellent, but sadly deficiencies still exist in its artificial intelligence and its linear gameplay which is devoid of a skirmish mode or of a precise system of attack control.

Perhaps it's the beat-em-up aspect, and maybe it is the satisfaction of pulling off the difficult power shots, but the game seems to have gone an extra step beyond some of the other titles.

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.

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.

The new situations and scenarios brought about by the new additions are truly enjoyable, and are easily sufficient to cause former Sims addicts to suffer another relapse.

Perfect Dark Zero offers up a great combination of stealth and action using vehicles, AI teammates, the concept of shadows-versus-light for cover, and intelligent enemies who respond to both visual and auditory stimuli.

Its superb graphics, open-ended nature, and compelling storyline make it a title that many flight sim junkies will not want to miss. While I found the learning curve a bit too steep, the controls somewhat cumbersome, and the save-game system annoying.

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.

Light on story, heavy on action and gore, Turok Evolution will appeal to fans of the series, but lags a bit behind the design philosophy for most newer shooters.

A fun and rewarding experience that offers endless addictive entertainment.

The graphics, while dated, hold their own thanks to the fantastic lighting, and the audio work truly should be experienced.

With gorgeous graphics, an enthralling story, nifty sound and music, and fun gameplay, it's a blast from beginning to end.

A major leap over its predecessors and is a huge success. With attractive full 3D graphics and an ability to fully experience your own rides, the level of play fulfillment has gone up significantly.

Even the most jaded fans of the series should be delighted with the enormous strides in quality Sir-Tech took with this title.

As with a good book, this game demands attention and you won'twant to stop playing it. It's a lot of fun to laugh, especially atthis signature brand of humor. With its cartoonish artwork, crisp soundeffects, and brilliant character acting, Monkey will draw you inand have you laughing for a long time.

The animations are still clunky and jerk the players about spasmodically when transitioning between routines. That aside, the gameplay has maintained its solid core while expanding on the available options.

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.

Add a spooky atmosphere set at the start of the twentieth century and little reluctance to tackle adult subject matter like sex and violence, and we finally have an RPG that appeals strictly for adult gamers without pushing into the realm of the ludicrous or indecent.

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.

Simplifying the sometimes daunting dynamics of strategy titles, Battle at Procyon crafts an enjoyable gameplay experience that comes across like a breath of fresh air.

If you're a fan of the series or of the genre, then I can readily recommend picking up Civilization III -- just keep in mind that it may not be all you expected, especially later in the game.

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

The gameplay is streamlined a bit from the previous edition, and while the changes are minor, they're tweaks that simply smooth the way.

The amount of detail present in this title is staggering, from the complex interface to the convoluted plotlines and the history of the ISC member races.

While OOTP4 has a few interface issues and suffers from a bare-bones graphical and sound approach, its entertainment value should leave you in the ball game for quite a while.

Looks infinitely better than its ancestors, but plays pretty much the same.

Instead of puzzle and chess mini-games and a story mode, why not spend time and resources developing another dozen levels and resurrecting the series' classic characters?

Put simply, the gameplay is fun, although the game is so short -- due largely to the shoddy, easily manipulated AI -- that some players will feel somewhat robbed.

It’s a satisfying strategic adventure if you have the persistence to overcome its quirks and nuances, but it’ll frustrate you senseless if you don’t want it bad enough.

You want weapons? I76 has about 25 different weapons. Slug throwers, SPP Pods, Flamethrowers, Mortars, Droppers, and even a hand-held 45 caliber automatic pistol are there for the taking. There are about 15 different views to choose from to set your sights on the enemy, and there's even a Missile Cam, for a rocket's-eye view of the mayhem.

Blending the time controls with standard platformer gameplay gives this title more than a twist; it's got an entire hook of its own.

While it fails to achieve the lofty status of greatest platform game of all time, still held by an overweight plumber, Banjo Kazooie is a close second, and that ain't half bad.

The only reason you’re compelled to come back to it time and again is because you had fun the last time you played with it. In that sense, it’s the perfect toy.

One of the most intuitive and entertaining of the realistic snowboarding titles available today.

Even though the product has a complicated editor, a huge install size, and an absence of depicted passengers, its impressive graphics, sound effects, and realism make up for its shortcomings.

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

Despite these problems, NFL Fever 2002 is a resoundingly solid game that will hold much more appeal for novices than the infinitely more arcane "Madden 2002."

The smooth controls, incredibly fast races and fun combat are still here, and the Cube's processor seems more than able to handle the blindingly fast races even in four player split screen.

Despite the poor level of in-game documentation and the required learning-curve, it’s still the only title of its kind that I could comfortably recommend to players new to the genre.

While it ventures into new territory,it does so in an interesting way.

A superbly sculpted hybrid of genres, crafted in a very logical, yet organic way.

I have not felt so freed from the artificial complexities of modern releases -- and so nicely transported back to the pure joy of the old days -- for a long time.

It grabs hold of the intangible elements of interactive entertainment -- atmosphere, compelling gameplay, and emotion -- and runs with them.

The combat system is deeper and stronger than the previous two installments, and a somewhat touchy camera isn’t enough to spoil the experience.

Its graphics are outstanding, and the interesting single-player campaign should provide a good basis for those looking to spend countless hours in its challenging multiplayer.

It has the eye-popping graphics of the PS2 version of "Madden 2001," but it uses a poor interface, has modest AI, and doesn't provide enough new features to differentiate it from last year's offering.

Entertaining, but not for the hardcore fighting fan. Every move is very easy to pull off, it's more a matter of learning the best combos, and what each character will throw at you so you can properly defend yourself.

With a decent story, authentic backdrop, intriguing personalities and classic puzzles, there’s a lot to like here.

The game delivers exciting combat in all forms with intelligence and style.

While the released version is a competent wrestling game, it plays very much like one of the old N64 releases with a major facelift.

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.

Though the rendering jitters can get annoying, the improvements to the overall visuals combined with the wide explorative possibilities make Delta Force: Land Warrior a solid game for anyone who enjoys modern tactical warfare on the PC.

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.

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.

While for me not quite as addictive overall as another recent PSP racer, "Wipeout Pure," Ridge Racer is more than worth the money. If you are a fan of the series or if you just love arcade racing, you certainly cannot afford to pass this one up.

It's short and sometimes repetitive game play with limited multiplayer doesn't exactly ooze with replay value.

Fortunately, AD survives its more nagging issues and manages to blaze a trail of light fun and humor with its crayon bombs and pellet machine guns.

It all boils down to short playtime with tons of reused content, and a shallow storyline. Whereas I usually spend upwards of 70 hours to finish a Final Fantasy, I had this one licked in under 40, with plenty of side-quests and exploration included.

The graphics aren't particularly innovative and the sound effects are merely a step up from mediocre. However, Wrath of Heaven succeeds where it counts - in providing an enjoyable experience with plenty of replayability.

While the multiplayer mode's forgettable, and there's not a ton of replay value, the first run through the story is surprisingly long, and filled to the brim with some of the most amazing scenery conceived outside of a Toy Story film.

If you're not a fan of wrestling, the flaws will easily overshadow the details, but if you're looking for an easy title to play, fun multiplayer, and above all, authentic WWF experience, Just Bring It will fulfill your needs.

A wonderfully complex simulation that entertains more than it frustrates, though this title is clearly not for everyone. Action-oriented RTS fans should avoid it like the plague.

Fans of city building titles will truly enjoy Trade Empires, and it will even woo some dissenters of the genre with its inventive take upon historical civilizations. However, unimpressive graphics and a lack of configurable options or a storyline hold it back from being a true gem.

There are some interesting ideas here and it is fun to play, but the clouds billowing over the AI, graphics, and gameplay never let the bright spots in these same areas ever fully shine.

What redeems LSN from being an exercise in tedium is that the touch of a master’s hand can be felt in almost every brushstroke.