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.

This type of game doesn’t lend itself well to repeated visits due to the simplistic control and driving requirements (gas, nitro, repeat).

Ultimately, the biggest problem with the game is longevity. There is no scoring system in place and subsequently no battery backup to save best times, points, or top achievements.

If players can overcome the gloomy graphics, irritating camera, and puzzling gadgets, they can look forward to swinging from rooftop to rooftop, punching dozens of enemies using two moves over and over again, ducking behind walls like "Metal Gear Solid," and even taking to the skies in an awkward controlling Batglider.

Knowledgeable soccer fans looking for realism that makes the sport a worldwide phenomenon will embrace the fluidity of gameplay and extraordinary ability to customize players and teams to their own liking.

The fielding still needs some work, animation could use a bit more variety, and there should be more extensive modes and features, such as an ability to tweak computer AI so players can fine-tune problem areas. This game is a definite hit, but it’s a few yards short of a home run.

While it would have been nice if both characters offered entirely different storylines or if there were some bonus games thrown onto the cartridge, the bright colors, humorous enemies, and finger-twitching gameplay is well worth a purchase for anyone who grew up with Mega Man or is curious how this title character made his start in the industry.

By building the entire title around only seven mini-games, My Street doesn’t have nearly enough depth to keep players occupied for extended periods of time -- even with online multiplayer support and a great character editor.

What it doesn't have is originality or depth, making this sequel more subsonic than supersonic.

Where Rayman 3 succeeds, however, is in borrowing an wide assortment of proven concepts from past platform games, injecting them with a whimsical sense of humor, and creating tough but doable challenges sure to make younger gamers wince and older players smile with knowing respect.

Above all else, Freelancer is a fun, enjoyable experience that both veteran and novice players can quickly get into -- even those who have never mastered the art of dogfighting in space with a joystick.

In spite of Master of Orion 3's countless detail-oriented improvements, connoisseurs of the series may also find themselves pining for the personality of the earlier games, wishing to trade some of the new intricacy and erudition for a better sense of interaction and consequence.

Taken as pure fighting game, it could use some power-ups, more fixed arenas, more characters, and distinct moves.

While these are disappointments, there are few games that have you leaning into every jump you make, your heart in your throat each time Indy barely grabs onto a ledge with his fingertips before pulling himself up.

It is not the best playing game, however, due to the unwieldy cursor system used to hit the ball, the lack of useful onscreen indicators to help make catches, and suspect fielding and baserunning AI.

A solid baseball game that grows on you the more you play it, thanks to the great computer AI and the deceptively simple batter-pitcher interface... Yet the new graphics, sound, and menu navigation are still not up to the level the PS2 is capable of.

Suffers from the same problem found in other games in the genre -- a lack of detailed record keeping or performance statistics to encourage replay value.

Since there is almost certainly going to be another release in the series, pass on this and get "EggMania" instead.

Collision detection is questionable at best. It’s often tough to tell whether it takes two hits to down certain enemies, or if the first hit simply didn’t connect.

Not a bad game overall -- it simply pales in comparison to its predecessor. It makes few leaps forward in terms of originality or depth.

There is an expression that beauty is only skin deep, which fits Xtreme Beach Volleyball to a tee. Those who purchase this game will soon discover the beautiful graphics are hiding a shallow, pointless game underneath.

Often frustrating due the limitations associated with a linear narrative, its lack of incentives to replay missions, and its stubborn attitude in not providing clear visual feedback on how well the player is doing at any given stage.

Players are recommended to skip Resident Evil 2 if only to send a message that repackaged titles should be treated as such -- not as full-fledged releases.

Had Nemesis been packaged along with "Resident Evil 2," it would have been easy to recommend for both fans and collectors.

The game is ideal only for those who are interested in the PC phenomenon but can't (or won't) play it on a PC. The rest of us will be duly impressed, but may ultimately decide to get a life elsewhere.

While its unlockable content may not always seem worth the effort, and its innovative multiplayer features are less than they could have been, it's just plain fun to control a six-story-tall gorilla as it ravages a modern metropolis.

Lacks scenarios, ready-made cities from the developers, and some new features -- the first person "streetside" view was discussed during development, but is absent.

While it is still reasonable to expect a game released in 2003 to feature complete freedom of flight, Panzer Dragoon Orta is perhaps the finest example of its type on any console released to date.