Smart gameplay blends with furious action to produce an experience that can only be described as "Metal Gear Solid" Goes Barbarian!

Enclave has so much promise that it's a shame it's crippled by one key design flaw. While the occassional checkpoint exists just before the battles with big boss characters, they are so rare that you may very well never see one.

If you've rolled down these streets before, be advised that there's virtually nothing new under the desert sun, and that one new area does not a satisfying sequel make.

Its full campaign, enhanced multiplayer mode and updated graphics are definite pluses, while the unconventional warfare storyline makes Resistance a unique offering.

Astounding pre-rendered cinematics and a tightly woven storyline are backed by a substantial and varied single-player campaign.

While there are some isolated elements of Bruce Lee: Quest of the Dragon that work, such as the extensive collection of moves and authentic sound effects, they are very tiny islands in a swirling maelstrom of poor gameplay and distressing visuals.

In many ways this is a generic quality game - not embarrassing in any area, while at the same time not being outstanding either.

Indistinct characters, painfully hokey storytelling, poor AI, and a shallow combat system add up to a disappointing experience.

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.

Drop dead tedious as a construction simulation, limited and rigid as a business management experience, and ridiculously uninteresting as a people-watching escapade.

Enough charm to rekindle the joy of the old-style score-based blasters. However, technical problems like the poor interface, unreliable frame rate, and steep learning curve really gouge out the fun.

A game that plays you with its unique sanity effects, that forces you to adapt to over a dozen characters and that holds no punches when it comes to the horror of Lovecraftian agents plotting out demise, Eternal Darkness will be a significant milestone in gaming for years to come.

The controls are tight, but very involved, and the mission design doesn't do a good job of easing you into the myriad gameplay features.

A revolutionary step forward in role-playing games...Any fan of the RPG genre should not be caught dead without a copy of Neverwinter Nights on his or her PC.

Its beautifully rendered backgrounds and intriguing premise aren't enough to cover the fact that the program resembles an early 1990s point-and-click scavenger hunt, released ten years too late.

It's one of those games you can start playing one evening, and then the next time you look up it's three in the morning.

Funny, witty and cool, Outlaw Golf also manages to be a bit on the shallow side and wear thin too easily.

If you don't have the facility to gather at least two other people to your GameCube, then you will not find much fun in Wrestlemania X8.

A staggering epic, it almost hurts the brain to think of the effort it would have taken to produce Morrowind...Completing Morrowind is like earning a degree in gaming.

A rare gem: A product that's appealing and accessible to both casual and more active gamers.

The biggest problem with Gore is a lack of originality: None of its dimensions live up to the level of the best first-person shooters on the market in the last few years.

While you're not going to rock your friends socks off with the none-too-glitzy presentation of UFC Throwdown, the game's tight controls, smooth combat and surprising flexibility will make up for those shortcomings with little difficulty.

Little elements of polish and coherence are missing, anomalies abound, and you are too often left in the dark about what to do next to get the job done in a reasonable amount of time.

Making the gameplay more "realistic" actually averages out to something that's just a tad boring.

While the combat mechanics aren't as involved as "Bushido Blade," the combat system is solid, and there are RPG-lite elements to add to the mix.

It's simply too easy, even on higher difficulty levels, and suffers from a "thrown-together" feeling of being rushed to meet a movie deadline.

The clear focus on fun over realism really makes this title stand out, and while the trick system may not be as deep as that of the competition, the focus on exploration and humor is a welcome alternative to hardcore combo dialing.

The deck-of-cards mechanic is incredibly fun and easy to master; it should even appeal to fans of action combat, who'd normally shy from anything with "RPG" in the description.

Sharpen your swords, start pouring the silver and get ready to rock the undead back to their uneasy rests, because if you have even the slightest interest in removing zombie infestations, Hunter: The Reckoning is the game you've been waiting for your entire life.

While SoF II won't contend for Game of the Year, it's worth its price tag for both its combat-heavy single-player campaign as well as its robust multiplayer package, highlighted by the random map generator.

Loaded with graphical goodies and flush with many more racing modes than one would normally expect, Moto GP offers an exception experience for two wheeled racing.

If you've ever wanted to manage a front office staff, have an evolving pool of minor leaguers to promote and still get to actually play some baseball, this is the game for you.

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

This is still a pure adventure game: rigidly linear, heavy on plot and exposition, and not immune to the bad habits of the genre, like switch pulling and fetch questing.

Long, packed with value and excellently executed, armchair tacticians will appreciate the deep character design, while RPG enthusiasts will be surprised to find an extremely well developed storyline with branching paths backing the tactical focus.

The organization-heavy gameplay and the delightful animal theme are its two most outstanding areas.

Elegant, enormously detailed and full of extraordinary stories (to say nothing of the construction set that allows you to make your own).

This title falls short of being a blockbuster simply because it doesn't offer enough. There isn't enough play variety and not nearly enough tracks.

While there are minor deficiencies, such as an over-dependence on timed sequences, a short duration, occasional tediousness, and an absence of novelty, this well-scripted and audiovisually pleasing title has assets that make you forget about these limitations.

Certainly replicates well the sounds and sights of the ancient Middle East, and the production values are quite high. However, it is extremely challenging for any developer to find the perfect blend of action and adventure in any release claiming to combine both elements, and the balance here seems a bit skewed.

A straight vanilla shooter. It does many things well, many things not so well, but nothing exceptionally.

A faithful adaptation of the video game versions, shining in several places while dragging along in others.

This title deserves strong consideration if you're willing to put style over substance and overlook a few flaws.

There's not enough meat on this Bandicoot to feed you for more than a week for the casual gamer or a weekend for the hardcore fan.

Contains several interesting elements from the RTS genre, but gets bogged down by graphical issues, a weak AI, and a lack of gameplay features that come standard in other products.

Sure, there is a deep convoluted plotline and beautiful backdrops, but the deficiencies in interface, action sequences, and conversations are quite serious.

The storyline is half-baked, the graphics and sound are substandard, the music is intolerable, and weak enemy AI makes for boring gameplay.

This new release is a credible and equally enjoyable alternative to the excellent "RollerCoaster Tycoon," with both having distinctly different purposes and assets.

It's positively gorgeous, but playing through the majority of the title feels more like a chore than it does like fun.

Those who revel in the horizontal action games of yesteryear will revel in the brilliant mix of elements gathered from some of the best offerings of the past.

The title takes everything that has ever been great about the series and elevates it to the next level. The changes revitalize the Heroes formula and provide more strategic gameplay than the series has ever offered.

The extremely behind-the-times graphics, frustrating interface and game mechanics, and lackluster plot all lead to a gaming experience that's more tedium than it's worth.

A key problem may simply be that the international system is too hard to replicate under its current condition of relative anarchy.

The appeal of over-the-top effects, non-interactive finishing moves, and buxom ladies has a short expiration date. If you're a fan of the franchise, then this is the best Roar yet.

Unfortunately, for all its intensity, the experience will be very brief indeed as the lack of a multiplayer mode virtually cripples this content-light cartridge.

An immensely playable and entertaining game that easily overpowers its few niggling flaws with its style, its spirit, and most importantly, its unswerving dedication to fun.

Driven's acceleration feels sluggish as it tries to drag the combined weight of unresponsive AI, strange physics, overly unforgiving challenges and pedestrian multiplayer modes.

The major problem holding it back is its poor network performance.

Freedom Force oozes polish and personality from every pixel.

For those who want an "RTS-lite" experience, this release fits the bill exactly.

Blends solid and fresh gameplay with great graphics and exceptional sound design to create a title that lets you relish life on the high seas.

While the game's flight mechanics and damage model provide some enjoyment, the few missions that ship with the program are uninvolving.

An occasionally buggy, always laggy and generally sub par release to get there. Crystal Dynamics lost everything they made right in "Soul Reaver 2," as the fluid combat, dexterous hero and grand puzzles have been sacrificed.

With all of this attention to detail, the actual gameplay is too simple.

A prime example of how amazing graphics can't make up for lackluster gameplay.

When you're not patiently waiting for a Diggle to finish an essential task, you've got your hands full with enough micromanagement to choke a hardcore fan of "The Sims."

For its audience of hardcore sim flyers, Warbirds III is quite a solid game, and probably worth the monthly investment for those who can afford it.

It's hard to argue with graphics and sounds of this quality.

It is a frustrating, extremely short title with ugly graphics.

Electronic Arts has managed to capture the Bond ambience, due in no small part to the overuse of his theme music, but the single player experience, which is a very important part of a 007 title, is ultimately too simplistic for a super spy.

It's not an innovative title, but it was made with a good deal of polish and will hold your attention for some time.

"Fresh, unique, light-hearted, entertaining, creative." Any of these words apply to Herdy Gerdy, but sadly so do, "Frustrating, unruly, unresponsive and premature release."

Smooth mechanics of this game...manifest as gorgeous graphics, intuitive and responsive controls, and a physics system that does an exceptional job of simulating all wheel drive on all sorts of hellish terrain.

Starts off slow, gets really good, and then quickly descends into repetitive drudgery.

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.

One of the most realistic and captivating starship simulations ever made.

Little more than a standard run and gun shooter with a few innovative features that aren't pulled off well.

Fast, fun and absolutely worth owning. Multiple level types, fairly intelligent and lovingly rendered boss characters, and lots of hidden areas help flesh out this package even further.

You'll find yourself confounded by overly tricky controls, repetitive tracks and a single-player mode that lacks any real meat.

Despite this offering's versatility in station command along with a wide range of authentic ship models and weapons systems, the significant AI deficiencies, minor bugs, and the unavailability of the unique interoperability with "Silent Hunter II" creates rough waters.

A brilliant renaissance for the once dominant beat-em-up genre...[but] you realize that this is an extremely short title posing as an epic undertaking in its revolution mode.

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

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.

Anyone who paid for a Sonic title will be racing hedgehogs only 33 percent of the time, and that just isn’t enough.

The amazing flexibility of the Surveyor tool guarantees zealous builders will have endless miles of track and numerous layouts on which to ride.

Taking the best elements of first-person shooters that preceded it, what we have here is a magnificent homage to the genre rather than an attempt to introduce significant novelty or redefine its boundaries...Clearly superior to its predecessor.

Visually, it is a stunning achievement that aside from a few frame rate issues presents some of the best graphics we've yet seen in the genre as a whole. Outside of the visuals, though, no one element of this title really stands out as an amazing aspect.

Grandia II happily dwells in a genre where its players will sacrifice a bit of visual quality for a compelling story and excellent combat and character mechanics. Luckily, these are delivered in spades.

Delivers an exceptional experience...The graphics are top-notch, the controls are easy to manipulate, and the combat is quick and intense on both foot and dragon back.

If you can get past the monotonous arcade elements, there's a lot that the title has going for it, including imaginative characters and a script bordering on hysterical.

An engrossing detective story with lots of exploration opportunities. However, there is no truly outstanding or deeply innovative dimension of this release.

Almost infinitely replayable. The fact that its gameplay fits snugly into the difficult to achieve "simple-but-deep" category practically qualifies SimGolf as a barbiturate along the lines of "Tetris."

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

Every scene literally drips with well-crafted atmosphere, and many are so memorable they will stay with you for days after you finish.

What with so little variety in weapons, foes, or physical settings, the game loses what little charm it has in a mere matter of minutes.

At its core, Final Fantasy X is just another chapter of the story we've all grown to love, but like a rare piece of literature, this story just gets better and better with each page you turn.

So many crucial touches could have been added to spice up the action but are sadly omitted, especially the ability to play some of the gambling games yourself, tinker with the payoff pattern of some of the machines, research new tables or even design your own attractions.

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.