The computer AI is cheap one moment and then brain-dead the next, but the most irritating aspect by far is the overall sluggishness of the action inside the ring.

As a homage to the original title, Altered Beast: Guardian of the Realms is merely passable, thanks to its carbon-copy design; fans expecting a revitalization of the franchise should look elsewhere.

Hopefully, future versions in the series will focus less on the trappings of the first-person genre and instead concentrate on what makes a Jedi so unique: lightsaber battles and the use of Force in more meaningful ways than pushing buttons.

The lack of two-player support, varied objectives, and its relatively short length keep it from being a must-have title, but the combat is fun and the environments are different enough to keep you interested until the final scene.

One of the best things about this compilation is that by scoring certain amounts of points in various games, players can unlock original Activision television commercials.

With its cast of cute characters, vibrant graphics, and appealing sound effects, Super Monkey Ball Jr. feels right at home on Game Boy Advance, even despite the sometimes hairy controls. It's a great title to take on the road or to enjoy with a group of friends.

Rarely rises above the level of a typical side-scrolling combat title.

Superman’s problems, however, lie in the game’s control and play mechanics. The action is tedious, the moves are sluggish, and the enemies are annoying.

EA's "NHL 2003" is a solid game, but 2K3 is a gem. The intelligent play of the computer players in 2K3 -- unparalleled by any past or present -- makes NHL 2K3 the best hockey video game to date.

With improved animation, a more robust career, and a better choice of modes, it could have easily been a knockout instead of a contender.

Far from perfect but always engaging, getting mileage from the equivalent of a wink and a smile even despite the obvious faults.

The varied styles of fighting combined with a fresh crop of interesting characters are strong enough to make you want to sample each one.

Feels too slow and disjointed. Each area is small and the game doesn't do a convincing job of making you feel you are inside one huge interconnected castle.

The arcade-style atmosphere goes a long way in creating an immediately playable game, but in light of titles like "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell," there's a strong desire for more involved missions (NightFire's attempt at stealth is almost silly in comparison).

Roughly a four- to eight-hour journey. MF offers replay value through uncovering all the hidden areas and clearing the game within a time limit, but with such an engaging character and appealing theme, players will need little convincing for a return trip.

The levels are generic in design (for the most part), and the backgrounds are uneven (some are nicely detailed while others are repetitive and/or uninspired), but the 3D-modeled characters are pleasing, the fighting action is enjoyable (despite its flaws).

With improved animation, a more robust career, and a better choice of modes, it could have easily been a knockout instead of a contender. Rocky the game certainly has the heart of a champion, just not the tools needed to go the distance.

The story line is based on real-world politics, making the missions seem even more daring. This is one of the few games to elicit a feeling of suspense without resorting to shock techniques found in survival horror titles like "Resident Evil."

It's almost like "Myst" in the way you are dropped onto a planet with little to no information about where to go or what to do... Grade-A material from start to finish.

Niggling problems such as overly cheap AI still persist, but for the most part, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance manages to breathe new life into the gameplay while still retaining the Mortal Kombat feel.

Easily recommended to fans, as the game looks great, is easy to control, and offers minimal frustration for those who just want to have fun traipsing around the world.

The biggest issues players will likely have are the annoying time-based objectives, sloppy control in pedaling from one spot to the next, and confusing environments desperately needing some sort of onscreen map or compass.

The AI is a glaring problem in an otherwise great game.

The fast-paced combat is only marred by rather tedious and simplistic level objectives, but after seeing how bad a licensed game like this can get, the developers should be congratulated for delivering a game that looks, sounds, and plays better than most typical releases on the platform.

Control is brutal in this game, forcing players to grit their teeth and redo each maneuver multiple times before it registers correctly.

Spearhead isn't a disappointment, exactly, because the three hours of gameplay are excellent, and arguably better than the original missions of "Allied Assault."

While it's nice to have civilians mixed in with enemies, and there should be a penalty for shooting them accidentally, the price in this game is rather steep: you lose a life.

The few bright spots are that combos are easy to perform and each character does indeed have a distinctive fighting style. Yet these are quickly dimmed by players whipping through the Story mode within eight minutes using a single button (Y) for nearly all of the characters.

After a few minutes swaggering around with these mechanical monstrosities, players can’t help but be floored by the intense pyrotechnics and raw power found within this game.

Perhaps the best and certainly the most unique thing about the game is Hotsuma’s thirsty-for-blood sword, which keeps the action at a brisk pace by forcing gamers to keep moving and keep killing.

A solid value well worth a spin. Just don't expect much more than the original titles.

Of greater concern are the problems with the hit detection -- far too frequently, an enemy soldier is only stunned by a bullet through the head. Predicting how many body shots an enemy can absorb before death is nearly impossible.

Fans of the original Frogger will appreciate the basic concept of hopping around while avoiding obstacles (there are even logs to hop on) while modern gamers will get their expected dosage of objects to find and puzzles to solve.

The voice acting is almost infallible, and would be quite at home in any Saturday morning cartoon. That said, the writing is inconsistent.

Defender proves that more is not necessarily better, especially when it comes to modes of play. Rather than take a rock solid format and enhance it through multiple variants of the same basic theme, the developers have created a mess and tried to cover it up with different versions that all have weaknesses.

The AI is a glaring problem in an otherwise great game.

Games feature furious battles over centrally located resources, enormously powerful mythological units wreaking havoc, and players competing for the favor of ancient gods. The result is fantastic, fun.

A stuttering frame rate in a high-speed racing title absolutely kills any fun players will have with the game, and it's a shame considering how close the graphic engine tries to replicate the SSX experience.

The majority of games are an unplayable mess.

The graphics, sound, presentation, and depth are unrivaled thus far on PlayStation 2, putting the title on equal footing with "Madden NFL 2003" as the top sports games available on the system.

Follow-ups that come this quickly are not supposed to be this rewarding, which makes Vice City a remarkable achievement at a time when companies are all too willing to release so-called sequels with only a few tweaks and cosmetic changes.

Worth the wait, despite the fact that from a technical standpoint the sequel isn't a major step above the Dreamcast original.

A solid attempt at watercraft racing that will satisfy less demanding players, but it's a hard game to recommend when earlier games in the genre have done just about everything better.

Each game is short on substance but long on fun.

The entire game can be completed within 30 minutes, roughly translating into five minutes apiece for each of the game’s five chapters and prologue.

Not the worst puzzle game on the market by any means, but by the same token it offers little to entice fans away from the select few gems that have dominated for years.

This is one wacky world the developers have created, and it perfectly captures the original title’s sense of humor, irreverence, and addictive fun.

Factor in the number of performance-enhancing equipment and items to earn, and it comes close to the addictiveness of titles in the "Hot Shots Golf" series, which is clearly what the developers were shooting for all along.

Pure Contra goodness. Most of the hallmarks that make the series great are here, including finger-frazzling gameplay, the indispensable two-player cooperative mode, constant shooting action, and giant bosses with well-hidden weak points.

Sneakers has a stench not even a pair of Odor Eaters can mask. It is hard to believe this was the title Microsoft touted for its Japanese console launch, and after playing you'll understand why the system failed to entice the buying public.

The developers didn't tap into this system like they could have to offer new extras, four-player support, or more characters. In this regard Dark Alliance is a disappointment, but on the flip side, everything that made the PS2 game a hit has been faithfully ported over. Perhaps too faithfully.

With graphics prettier than Arwen and gameplay shorter than Bilbo Baggins, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ends up a mixed bag.

The GameCube version is, not surprisingly, the best looking of the four games, but it’s not the huge leap in visual quality it could have been given the dramatic improvement in technology.

Sadly, the third time is not the charm for this series, and the developers would have been better off remaking either of the first two games and throwing in a few enhancements to increase the replay value.

Not even Mickey is available, which is perhaps the game’s biggest surprise.

The entire Gameshow mode can be completed within a few hours, and much of it feels monotonous since players are forced to do the same things over and over again. Unfortunately, that same criticism can be levied against the multiplayer game as well.

Nintendo fans trying to fill the void left after the release of "Perfect Dark" will find TimeSplitters 2 to be the perfect fit.

The automatic save feature makes playing a considerable non-hassle, while the multiple difficulty settings guarantee enjoyable gaming at all skill levels.

Just expect the fun to be frequently interrupted by inexplicably bad passes, ball-hogging, and non-existent defense.

A delightful excursion for the young female audience for which it is intended, but there's enough action and innovation to make it interesting for boys as well.

The actual story line is perhaps the game's weakest point, as none of the levels seem tied together in any meaningful way other than the Quantum Leap-like aspect of assuming the role of a character who lives in the time period in order to retrieve the time crystal.

The sense of scale is commendable. Trudging through heavily populated urban areas while stomping on and picking up buildings as though they were mere toys is strangely fulfilling, as is the act of devastating these areas, though problems begin to surface here.

A game with potential, but the developers need to change the scope of the worlds as well as offer more varied objectives for it to be grouped in the same litter as "Super Mario Sunshine" or "Jak and Daxter."

Offers a impressive amount of arcade-style fun bolstered by the number and variety of courses, challenging Hot Pursuit mode, and excellent lineup of vehicles.

It is the freedom players have to go about their missions however they desire, the single most important element preventing many good games from shooting up to the level of great ones.

Most importantly, NOLF 2 never takes itself too seriously. You'll be battling ninja's in an Ohio trailer park while a tornado approaches, avoiding neon super-soldier death rays, slaughtering mimes, and experiencing other outlandish predicaments.

A 3D platformer with nice visuals and unrefined, uneven gameplay.

It's certainly much better than the awful Nintendo 64 Superman game, and it looks and feels like an interactive episode of the cartoon series. However, its gameplay is less than super.

Yet the biggest complaint is the sheer boredom one has from doing the same thing over and over again throughout 29 levels; the distances between pickup and drop-off points are so long you begin to count pixels or how many times objects "pop" into view.

An exciting game, it does have its shortcomings -- most notably the game being very short.

It is a title filled with such joyful exuberance, from the peppy soundtrack to Yoshi's adorable mutterings, that Nintendo fans cannot help but grin from ear to ear while playing.

Season of Flame would benefit from better control and more objectives apart from collecting a bazillion trinkets, but the graphics, humor, and puzzles are engaging enough to warrant a purchase for devotees of the purple dragon.

While the game is not as deep as a "Blaster Master" or "Metroid," the exploration element, the ability to switch between three distinct characters, and the large worlds are well worth a look

The series’ debut on Xbox is not the head-turning affair it should be. While fighting hundreds of enemies is still addictive as ever, players sadly shouldn’t expect any improvements to the presentation.

Slowdown and jerky animations seem more prevalent as each new expansion pack is installed; an understandable symptom of the now massive amount of objects and interactions, but less excusable considering that the system requirements for Unleashed are nearly double those of the original game.

All three games in Sega Smash Pack are very playable, and retro collections of this type are almost always a welcome addition to modern consoles, especially when they are by and large faithfully reproduced.

Unlike most ultra-hard games, however, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts is thoroughly addictive, despite the fact that it does get frustrating.

As a Star Fox title, it is disappointing, as the flying sequences are little more than filler in between routine planetary adventures... [but it's] worth the price of admission alone just to see the lush environments and astounding special effects.

Rather than simply adding three new campaigns and 18 additional scenarios, new civilization powers for all 23 cultures, from Ancient Greece's flaming arrows to Rebel Forces' cloaking, bring new excitement to many epochs with some interesting changes or enhancements to gameplay.

A title that will appeal to all but the most hardened of action fans, offering substantial reward for your time investment and a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that few other games can provide.

It's like being able to play "Symphony of the Night" in the back seat of your parent's car, but with all new levels and some nifty new features.

Like other arcade sports games, the single-player experience will become repetitive after playing for a week or two. For this reason, the game is best played with a group of buddies.

By failing to offer players a robust selection of characters and making the action more random chance than skill based, the developers have wasted a great license and opportunity.

Ultimately, what makes Animal Crossing stand out is its sense of personality.

At its best, the game uses its themes of college-age debauchery to frame believable challenges of land development, business management, and crowd control. At other times, however, attempts at hedonistic humor leak into the methods and means of gameplay itself, with frustrating results.

Blowing away enemies and beasts on the small screen with a near perfect inventory and control system is rare for hand held systems

Perhaps Turok would have been more acceptable had it been released a few years ago, but the genre has, interestingly enough, "evolved" to the point where this game looks and plays downright primitive.

The problem with speed perception is probably the most noticeable deficiency that can be easily defined, although the lack of innovation and close design of gameplay aspects to earlier releases can't be dismissed out of hand.

An all-around solid effort that does exactly what it aims to do: offer players a preview of what Sony’s online service is capable of using one of the company’s best-selling and most recognizable PS2 games.

With better cut-scenes, more realistic driving physics, and a cinematic story, Mafia holds its own. While not as revolutionary as "GTA 3," it’s solid and oozes style.

There is a sense of teamwork involved in the multiplayer competition that makes the action far more rewarding than if it were merely a straightforward deathmatch against everyone else.

Although the idea has merit, Wide Games Limited's approach fails to provide action gamers with enough action, adventurers with enough adventure, or strategists with enough tools.

Hardly the groundbreaking title players have come to expect from the franchise, as it follows the blueprint of Super Mario 64 almost to the letter...Yet none of these issues take away from the fun most will have playing the game.

The title exudes a considerable amount of polish, possessing good texture work and splendid visual effects, with special mention needing to be made of the themed backgrounds in each of Story mode's worlds.

Think of it as a "Half-Life" and "Resident Evil" sandwich with some new innovations as condiments. But be forewarned: not everyone will enjoy the taste.

The tactical battle sequences have also been improved, giving players a wonderful war simulation promising months of gory action.

One of the few tough-as-nails games with the power to keep drawing you back to it, long after you've screamed enough words at the television screen to make a sailor blush.

And for a sport that cries out desperately for a highly usable text-based game, that's too bad -- unfortunately this one never really gets a handle on the ball.