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.

The graphics and score are outstanding, but ultimately, the gameplay falls flat with heavy-handed mechanics and tedious goals.

With some fine-tuning to the graphics and sound effects, and some revisions to the slightly restrictive controls, this could have been an "SSX"-killer.

Despite its flaws, Sea Dogs is the best game of its type since Pirates!. With superb graphics and music, and multifaceted non-linear gameplay, the title offers a lot to a variety of gamers.

The mysteriously dangerous supernatural atmosphere effectively absorbs you into the story and keeps you riveted until the end.

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

The severe lack of duration, difficulty, and a decent multiplayer mode hamper the value you'll get out of a purchase.

Though the plotline is somewhat lackluster, the intricacies of building up your army between your different islands and keeping track of unit management and combat tactics all while the clock continually ticks down is exciting and entertaining.

Even when it works, The Sims Online has little to offer beyond serving as a graphical instant messenger with an economy.

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.

Basically the same old product with a few new bells and whistles. Nobody is calling that a bad thing.

Like a college fling: It looks pretty enough, but lacks the substance you'd need for a long-term relationship.

The game radiates beauty and wonder from every corner, and the end result is something special.

Though the visuals may be showing their age, the gameplay in Return From Darkness is just as strong as it was in the PlayStation 2 version, if not stronger thanks to the Xbox-exclusive features.

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.

The longevity of this title is nearly unmatched by any other RPG save the online crowd, and players from the old-school crowd of role-playing will feel immediately at home.

The only real stumbling blocks on its way to being the Super Star is the lack of customization options.

A great new twist on a genre that I have a hard time classifying, using an established and mature backdrop.

Borrows some ideas from the original game, mixes in lackluster graphics and sound, and tops it with awkward design choices.

Had it included a mid-mission save and a multiplayer mode, it could have been a solid four star title; add tweaked graphics and improved AI, and it would have been a surefire winner. However, without those features, Project IGI is a good game, but certainly not a great one.

To tell the truth, this whole product should have been a giant patch for F1 2000 rather than a standalone sequel.

If you can look past the control problems and remember that few modern fantasy stories are truly original, "Soulbringer" is an amusing detour into a rich and vibrant world, worthy of a spot on the shelf of any RPG aficionado.

Graphics aside, several key issues keep it from reaching the level expected of today's sims, such as: a difficult-to-access multiplayer mode, a mediocre interface, poor sound effects, and harder-than-necessary difficulty.

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.

While Septerra Core is certainly not ground breaking, it does possess the potential to convert some console gamers over to the PC. Hardcore CRPG fans however, will most likely be disappointed with the linearity and limited challenge.

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.

The real-time naval tactics elicited in ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore combat are both subtle and enjoyable.

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