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.