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

Only enjoyable if you equate fun with frustration, but most gamers have long since outgrown that philosophy, as have most games. Yet Gradius III and IV clings to its roots like a long rotting tooth.

An inordinate number of doors slows the pace down as the hero must usually search for switches to open them, often having to kill monsters to get there, and all too often, the monster doesn't show up until Rick reaches the door.

The racing environments suffer from the PlayStation 2's notorious texture limitations.

The action tends to get repetitive, which is not helped by the lack of enemy variety.

The smooth controls and frame rate prevent the game from being totally abysmal, but with the gameplay problems, weapon lag time, and weak save game feature, more work is needed.

Your worst enemy is not the Dark Side but the simple act of trying to jump from one platform to another. The isometric perspective makes it difficult to judge distance and position, and the actual act of jumping is marred by touchy controls.

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.

A weak conversion of what was arguably a middling title to begin with. Though it starts off fast and smooth, the action quickly becomes touch and "d'oh."

The underlying gameplay, which basically consists of herding animals, just isn't enough to prop up the game in its current form.

If you're really hungry for a brainless slasher game with a medieval theme, you might want to give this one a try. For the more discerning gamer, you should consider purchasing a 32-bit PlayStation game (such as "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver") and wait until something better comes around.

This is definitely a game that needs a little tweaking before it will ever become a serious PS2 franchise.

Wrapping up this stellar package is slowdown, something inexcusable for a game comprised of 2D graphics on a 128-bit system, unintelligible speech that sounds like someone pressing the slow motion button on a cassette recording, and the typical butterflies with giant baby heads and large alien brains as bosses.

At its core, Sunny Garcia Surfing has the making of a good surfing simulation, but the final product is so barebones that it seems more like a technology demo than a game.

If you like your trivia game shows dry, humorless, and without flash, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Trivia Challenge budget title from Gunnar Games is a must for your collection.

Doesn't feel like the return of a classic game so much as a poorly executed retread of a tired one.

Sonic the Hedgehog is no longer a character who can be depended upon for quality games, unlike a certain Italian plumber, a limbless alien, or even an orange bandicoot.

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

Only diehard supercross racing fans will be able to eke out any enjoyment at all in this inept GameCube title. Steer clear.

Uninspired.

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.

It is the combat that is the most disappointing aspect, despite the game offering such elements as piloting buggies, donning a space suit before exiting space stations, and using jetpacks.

The main disappointment is that Mad Maestro! doesn't really simulate the feel of conducting an orchestra.

It's a confusing and uninspiring game that leaves you frustrated and wanting to play something else.

Mildly entertaining, though often frustrating.

Unfortunately, these "real-world" feelings are nothing more than lapses in programming in this action/simulation.

Once you advance through Arcade Mode, which spans 11 fighters, there’s nothing here to hold your interest. No career, no create-a-boxer, no save feature to improve on top performances or knockout times -- not even a two-player contest, which is inexcusable.

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.