While the ability to purchase new vehicles by completing challenges isn’t an original idea, it’s executed to near perfection. Admittedly, poor artificial intelligence, sometimes-awkward controls and a fairly small selection of vehicles all keep the game from rivaling titles such as Project Gotham Racing 2, but Evolution is an fine title nonetheless.

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

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.

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.

You will not see better graphics, or hear better sound effects and music, or laugh more at absolutely zany jokes in a cartoon adventure on either a computer or movie screen.

Without robust developer support in the way of patches to add more content, enable dedicated Internet servers and fix disabled features, there’s little hope for RC Cars in the long term.

Despite a few small design quirks, this is one release I found I just could not stop playing from the moment it was installed on my hard drive. I heartily recommend it to all of you who want an adrenaline rush of the highest order.

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

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.

Fun and easy to learn, Monster Force is a top-down shooter with style.

Diehards won’t find enough here to make it worth the overzealous retail price point because, while the single-player mode and the deleted scenes are a fun diversion, they’re not enough to warrant the investment listed on the price tag.

Brings a lot of interesting ideas to the table, including a nicely-done, TV-style presentation, as well as having mass quantities of incredibly customizable assistance. Unfortunately, it all becomes weighed down by cumbersome execution, whose faults are largely due to the unimpressive and questionable engine.

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.

The visuals are fine, but the sound and music are not. The off-road theme is great, but the redneck flavor fizzles completely.

Rewolf has managed to take an aging formula and prove that with enough pizzazz -- as well as some minor innovation -- what most people consider old hat can be just as entertaining as something made with all the latest ingredients.

If you have access to a broadband connection and take well to online co-operative games, then The Omega Strain might just be worth your time and money, primarily thanks to the massive collection of cool unlockables. However, the single-player aspect is so unbalanced and unpolished that the each mission quickly becomes a chore, a menial, labored process.

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

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.

Manages to bring a highly developed artistic sense to the table.

The elements for a great game are present, but the focus and execution of those elements is not.

There is enough entertainment value for veterans to easily justify the budget price tag. Sadly, the near impossibility of many of the missions makes Unfinished Business something best left to experienced players.

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

Isn't going to blow anybody away with its relatively uninspired, non-strategic gameplay, but its package of solid graphics, sound, and timing puzzles is a passable one that most gamers will spurn, but die-hard franchise fanatics will enjoy.

Despite the high level of difficulty, this is a very well planned and well-executed game that represents what a sequel should be. I would easily recommend this to anyone looking for a challenge.

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.

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.

The gameplay itself lacks any compelling reason to keep at it. Slow, stately and with an emphasis on stealth and absolutely, positively nothing else, the majority of gamers will find themselves bored.

Full of dramatic flair and humor, but the truth is that when the humor gets old the gameplay grows stale quickly.

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

Aside from the bugginess of the release, the gameplay is too constrained and awkwardly executed for action fans, and the tactical choices are too limited for real-time strategy fans. This is a tragedy, for all the elements are here necessary for a really engrossing release.

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.

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.

There is just so much promise that it's almost unbearably painful to see that potential crippled by a complete and utter lack of content.

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

If you enjoyed the original Echelon, you will no doubt get enjoyment out of this sequel. However, there is not much here that is innovative or that really deepens the gameplay from the original. With little story, mundane missions, and significant control deficiencies, Echelon: Wind Warriors has little to attract new players.

As an atmospheric "Devil May Cry" knockoff, Van Helsing is a notable success, despite the fact that the experience is only marginally longer than the movie’s running time.

I love Aura, as it’s the kind of visually and intellectually stimulating challenge that I crave and that’s so rare these days.

As I stayed with it and progressed through the obstacles, I found this taut adventure to be really gripping, with an expanding range both diverse and enjoyable and I wanted to come back to it over and over again to make it to the end.

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

There is a sense of constant improvement in strategy as you learn new tricks either by having them pulled on you or through experimentation.

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.

Its logic flaws and thoroughly vexatious difficulty are so omnipresent that any gains made via technology are completely overshadowed. In trying to mix strategy with action, a sense of identity got lost in translation.

With a superb story, three challenging modes of gameplay, plenty of side quests and missions that can climb to almost an hour apiece, Drakengard could easily consume up to 50 hours of one’s time.

The vehicle customization feature is engaging if not as deep as it could be, but when it comes to actually racing your creations, the title scores a big DNF.

Like the similar P.N.03 for the GameCube, however, extremely repetitive levels and generally bland design detract from the overall experience.

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

For those who want to learn more about counter-terrorist practices, Covert Ops is a valuable resource.

You can buy gear, place bets on games, get tattoos and haircuts, but when it comes to actually playing ball, the title fails to deliver.

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."

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.

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

Not only are its production values low, but also its design decisions are questionable. None of the many highly touted injected wrinkles - the mini-games, Euphoria mode slowdown, cash purchase system, or whip-toting sidekick - have the desired positive effects on the gameplay.

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.

For anyone new to the genre, this isn’t the best place to start due to the technical flaws and PvP griefing. Even veterans of the online role-playing genre will find the many errors impeding their fun.

As a finished title, it falls short. Basic graphics, a limited storyline, and non-existent sound and music make it seem as though the game is still in production.

Only those who are willing to take the time to be bogged down in the minutia of running the lives and future of an entire virtual village should look seriously at this RTS title.

Can be an entertaining, if quirky, diversion.

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 saves Age of Sail II from the abysmal fate that many people on Akella's message boards claim it deserves is the excellent quality of the overall presentation in the music, graphics and sound systems.

The complete freedom of movement, absorbing storyline, gorgeous graphics, entrancing musical score, and, yes, brain-melting puzzles make this a real treat for your mind and your eye.

The final score loses many points due to the awkward controls.

Sorry to disappoint, but Ethan Hunt doesn't belong to the same clubs as Bond, get the same beautiful babes, use better gadgets, or even wear as nice clothes, and he sure doesn't have as great a game...not even close.

Slow and jerky movement, deficient sound effects, and repetitive action cause this release to be a frustrating disappointment.

Between interface flaws, its stern focus upon drab and dull key-hunting, and a wholly frustrating inventory system, much of the game's potential magic is lost. In the end, The Messanger's pseudo-historical atmosphere is all that it's got going for it.

Arguably the most cinematic shooter on the market, and though the gameplay is flawed in some respects, the lengthy, engrossing single-player campaign is still worth the price of admission. The offline multiplayer component can provide a few small kicks as well, but Xbox Live owners should beware, as online play is dodgy, to say the least.

Sub-par graphics, poor animation, too much downtime in the action and meager music all detract from what could have been a welcome addition to any gamer's collection.

Cute and charming in a macabre way. The opportunity for reaping rewards from the creative premise is, however, largely squandered. The control problems are almost enough to sound the death knell by themselves, and other issues of balance or polish also interfere with player enjoyment.

For those of us with excess patience, though, the rewards could be great. Battlegrounds looks fantastic and sports a startling degree of replayable fun. Best of all, in establishing a wide beta tester program early on, Diversions Entertainment set the groundwork for a fanatically loyal player base that will be the key to success in the long run.

Between the lack of a save game feature, the ridiculous level of difficulty and the clunky controls, the much-hyped Dogs of War is toppled from its pedestal to become the one thing that it seeks to avoid: a decidedly average and utterly forgettable offering.

Slightly sluggish controls hurt the faster characters, leaving some of the mid-speed characters' blend of movement and power overbalanced in the grand scheme of things.

While a part of the gameplay is absorbing, and the graphics and puzzles are noteworthy, there is no lasting impression communicated, so you never really care much about the outcome.

Far from being a cranium-stretching taut and suspenseful Sherlock Holmes mystery, this release falls flat in almost every dimension of its design and execution.

ER was too short for my taste and replayability is a problem as well, but it was easy to forgive these issues. This game offers rich and engaging gameplay and is adequately priced, so I feel confident in giving it the score.

If you can find ways to ignore the RTS component and the confusion brought on by the other generals, Joan of Arc is a great hack-and-slash that plays like a 3D version of a championship arcade game.

It may control like a three-wheeled dump truck on ice, but that’s only scratching the surface of the problems in Conflict: Vietnam.

Though plagued by control and interface problems, the entertainment value suffers only some edgewise tarnish on an otherwise well polished piece of silver.

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.

The quality of every component of the final product - from graphics and sound to vehicle physics and gameplay - is uniformly dismal.

Neither the graphics, sound nor gameplay are categorically bad, but each is consistently below average.

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

It is indeed fun to control unusual units in battle, but the focus on micromanagement can become a bit more demanding than most players want for their entertainment dollars.

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.

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.

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

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

Yes it's expensive, and it has some serious problems that need immediate attention, but it can't be denied that Ultima Online is a unique, intriguing, thoroughly enjoyable gaming experience -- once you learn how to play, and accept it for what it is.

If you are looking for a deep story-driven experience with lots of innovative twists parallel to the latest non-handheld computer and console releases, then you are doomed to disappointment and should not purchase this title.

This title has incredible depth and play value, absorbing you into the ins-and-outs of the economic strategies of transportation management.

The all-too-forgiving AI, the no-brainer puzzles, the watered-down adventure elements and straightforward mini-games combine to create an experience that'll only last a scant three hours for experienced players, which is nearly unforgivable when you consider its $29.99 price tag.

The way in which science fiction elements play a major part in your exploration and puzzle solving is an absolute treat.

The graphics are devoid of polish and personality, and the sound will make you fall in love with your mute button all over again.

Since the entire title is built around the concept of gradual character development through combat, the lack of a save option instantly nullifies any and all value that the innovation might have brought.

Zoo Empire does add depth to the "Zoo Tycoon" formula, but plays it safe and doesn’t make any effort to change the established norm. If you tried "Zoo Tycoon" but didn’t think that it had enough options or graphical punch, Zoo Empire is for you.

Combat is occasionally entertaining, but more often than not you're mindlessly blasting or backtracking huge stretches of land on the poorly implemented motorcycle. Invasion simply becomes uninteresting, and it can't be redeemed by an equally tired multiplayer component.

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.

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

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.

Gets marks for depth and scope, but unfortunately so much of the detail goes to waste due to the frustrating interface, horrendous learning curve, and sparse gameplay options.