Although the controls are responsive, they’re far from easy to learn (even harder to master but less so if you've spent time with the other versions), especially if you’re just getting into the pool of extreme sports.

Instead of being the Mario challenger it could have been, the overall control, camera issues and the above-mentioned weak points of the game bring it down to good-but-not-good-enough status.

So despite being an excellent sequel to a solid first installment, I believe Silent Assassin to be a better game than "Codename 47," but I think many fans will always love the first game best, as I do.

Drastically improves on its predecessor’s shortcomings and turned out to be one the better games that I’ve played in a while – the presence of the in-game saves that were missing from the previous version alone nearly makes the game 5 times better.

With the poor storyline, unchallenging missions, and poor enemy AI, the single player portion of the game is totally disposable. With enough patience, players could find Rogue States worthwhile, in a multiplayer capacity.

Something that I believe the RPG genre on the PS2 really needs: a hardcore, difficult RPG that appeals to the gamers that grew up playing the classics on the SNES.

This game has it all: a solid story, good graphics, sound, level designs, and the ability to choose different paths to complete your mission.

Fans will love it, but there's no harm with sticking with previous games in the NHL series.

Unfortunately, while they are GrX’s greatest trait, the battles are also GrX’s biggest weakness. The problem is there are simply too many of them.

Every convention of the FPS genre is done to perfection, tweaked, and then turned on its ear. Only the multi-player options of the game disappoint. Still, if the game featured no multiplayer options at all, it does so many things right that it would still be in the running for Game of the Year.

With bigger guns and even bigger levels, Unreal Tournament 2003 seems to say: size does matter.

One of my favorite features is the tutorial called "Offensive Driving 101" where you are taken through a list of all of the best techniques for getting ahead. (Where else can you drive like a maniac in a Student Driver car?)

What accounts for the less-than-perfect score is the extreme amount of tweaking it takes to get everything just the way you like it.

The most important aspect of playing this game is the technique – just driving in the correct lines is dreadfully difficult not to mention maintaining a straight line is dicey at best.

The visuals are top notch – all of the effects look great, even down to the muffler stutter when throttling up.

Delivers some great style but lacks in the depth department.

I am sure if I was much younger or a weak gamer, I would take more enjoyment in the game, but I was left with a challenge-less adventure.

It's hard! On the plus side, it is not frustratingly so, as with some dedicated play, most gamers will likely find it to be a rewarding challenge.

Perhaps one of the coolest parts of this game is that after every level is completed, Sly learns a new stealth move, which helps him get by enemies and dodge traps and ambushes.

Making the experience unbelievably rapturous is the Xbox Live headset communicator.

This game is so bug-filled, I can’t believe they had the audacity to retail this game in its present state of disarray.

A solid, if unremarkable, example of the weirdly successful genre.

Provides a great new breath of fresh air into the game. The pets are so much fun to interact with, you may just start to ignore other areas of Sims living.

A pleasant surprise and a good enough game, but it isn’t anything we haven’t seen before.

Has it all: fun, adventure, good-looking graphics, awesome sound, quirkiness, challenge, and an innovative inventory system. It's not as open as it could be and the constantly respawning bad guys are likely to grate on some nerves, but that's not enough to bring it down.

Where almost everything falls apart is the fumbling camera work, which makes controlling your on-screen character a migraine-inducing experience.

AoC doesn’t exactly bring any shame or disgrace to Empire Earth (EE), but it doesn’t do anything to make itself a must have for EE fans. That being said, most EE fans will like what AoC has to offer.

The digital beaches of the game are so close in look and feel to the real thing that I could almost smell the salt water.