Beautiful but muddy environments, frustrating puzzles, repetitious opponents and clunky Kong controls.

Beautiful but muddy environments, frustrating puzzles, repetitious opponents and clunky Kong controls.

Beautiful but muddy environments, frustrating puzzles, repetitious opponents and clunky Kong controls.

Beautiful but muddy environments, frustrating puzzles, repetitious opponents and clunky Kong controls.

A cute marketing vehicle that is too difficult and underdeveloped for its target audience.

A cute marketing vehicle that is too difficult and underdeveloped for its target audience.

A cute marketing vehicle that is too difficult and underdeveloped for its target audience.

There's more humor and character development at the Web site than in the game, so if you are still curious, check out the Death Jr. Web site and maybe - maybe - rent it for a day or two.

An undeveloped but great take on first-person views makes this a strong rental but iffy purchase.

While new enemies and missions are introduced over time, the game's story never really builds into anything, so it gives you -- the player -- little incentive to finish the adventure.

While new enemies and missions are introduced over time, the game's story never really builds into anything, so it gives you -- the player -- little incentive to finish the adventure.

While new enemies and missions are introduced over time, the game's story never really builds into anything, so it gives you -- the player -- little incentive to finish the adventure.

While new enemies and missions are introduced over time, the game's story never really builds into anything, so it gives you -- the player -- little incentive to finish the adventure.

The game's controls and animation also feel unresponsive and stiff.

The game's controls and animation also feel unresponsive and stiff.

A good choice for folks who want to wind down at the end of the day with a fast-paced diversion that requires absolutely no brainpower to master and enjoy.

The game has some other minor flaws, too, such as repetitive environments and a finicky "camera" that may obstruct the view during combat by switching to another angle.

An example of how a game based on a television show can be done right. It may not be a long adventure, but it's a fun challenge.

Fans of run 'n' gun games and arcade-fighting titles likely will find that Breakdown is a uniquely enjoyable -- though visually dizzying -- single-player tale.

Short on frills but long on fun.

Another shortcoming lies in the fact the player may not know what an object is onscreen. How can you tell Rio to pick up the key card on the table when it looks like a book or ticket or deck of playing cards?

Controlling Yun is actually quite intuitive, even with the sophisticated multidirectional fighting scheme.

The game's graphics aren't on par with today's console offerings -- sure the worlds are colorful and large, but perhaps the developers at Japan's Sonic Team studios had to sacrifice visuals for speed.

The game's graphics aren't on par with today's console offerings -- sure the worlds are colorful and large, but perhaps the developers at Japan's Sonic Team studios had to sacrifice visuals for speed.

A fun, simplistic diversion, especially with a group of friends. However, once you've seen all the style moves it doesn't have the staying power of much deeper football games like EA's own "Madden NFL 2004."

A fun, simplistic diversion, especially with a group of friends. However, once you've seen all the style moves it doesn't have the staying power of much deeper football games like EA's own "Madden NFL 2004."

A fun, simplistic diversion, especially with a group of friends. However, once you've seen all the style moves it doesn't have the staying power of much deeper football games like EA's own "Madden NFL 2004."

The game's graphics aren't on par with today's console offerings -- sure the worlds are colorful and large, but perhaps the developers at Japan's Sonic Team studios had to sacrifice visuals for speed.

While the game is entertaining while it lasts, it's on the short side, and with little reason to play the adventure over again.

The egg-rolling and egg-hatching game-play mechanics, while a clever concept, get stale after a while. Except for new environments and a different "boss" enemy at the end of each level, no new game-play elements are introduced after the first hour.

The single-player game play, however, hasn't changed much over the past couple of years. It suffers from a skimpy playbook and dim-witted AI-controlled opponents who do odd things like leave receivers wide open for a throw with no defensive backs in sight.

While not as comprehensive as "Madden" or "ESPN NFL Football," mainly because of fewer game options and graphics that haven't improved much over last year, NFL Fever 2004 is a fun multiplayer game with a lot of replayability.

This game is obviously targeted to male adolescents, so the T&A and obnoxious commentary may turn off other potential consumers. But if you take Outlaw Volleyball for what it is, it will provide many hours of enjoyable action.

Pirates does have a few shortcomings such as some cumbersome controls, which result in a fairly steep learning curve, and some technical bugs. They don't detract from the game too much but may affect its suspension of disbelief from time to time.

WW isn't the best platform game on the console, but it has its charm.

This action/adventure suffers from sloppy controls, unwieldy camera angles and frame rate issues that can slow the game to a crawl.

Unfortunately, there isn't an online option to let friends play over the Internet-based Xbox Live service.

A fun fighter with attractive visuals and an easy control scheme.

Enter the Matrix isn't a perfect slice of interactive entertainment, but it does provide at least a dozen hours of action-packed fun and serves as a clever vehicle to expand on the events in "The Matrix Reloaded."

Enter the Matrix isn't a perfect slice of interactive entertainment, but it does provide at least a dozen hours of action-packed fun and serves as a clever vehicle to expand on the events in "The Matrix Reloaded."

Enter the Matrix isn't a perfect slice of interactive entertainment, but it does provide at least a dozen hours of action-packed fun and serves as a clever vehicle to expand on the events in "The Matrix Reloaded."

Enter the Matrix isn't a perfect slice of interactive entertainment, but it does provide at least a dozen hours of action-packed fun and serves as a clever vehicle to expand on the events in "The Matrix Reloaded."

Controlling Wolverine during combat can prove difficult, especially when there are multiple enemies onscreen simultaneously.

Controlling Wolverine during combat can prove difficult, especially when there are multiple enemies onscreen simultaneously.

Controlling Wolverine during combat can prove difficult, especially when there are multiple enemies onscreen simultaneously.

Controlling Wolverine during combat can prove difficult, especially when there are multiple enemies onscreen simultaneously.

If you can forgive the game's lighter approach - one that emphasizes action instead of strategy - then you'll enjoy Black Hawk Down.

The problem lies in a finicky third-person perspective camera that swivels around the protagonists. In many cases, it will switch angles right in the middle of combat, making it difficult to stay focused on who or what you're attacking.

The biggest hindrance in The Getaway involves its user interface - or lack thereof - as the development team attempted to make the game look and play out like a movie.

Not worth your time or money, and it's certainly a shame for fans of this once-groundbreaking series.

Unfortunately, the game play in "Impossible Creatures" doesn't match the title's ingenious premise.

Not worth your time or money, and it's certainly a shame for fans of this once-groundbreaking series.

New to this series is the ability to mow down multiple enemies at once, enhanced graphics, a variety of endings and new creatures.

The game suffers from some repetitive missions with a lot of "fetch this and find that," plus many of the camera angles are finicky.

The game hasn't changed much in three years, so the graphics are starting to show their age and players cannot "ride" their creations.

The game suffers from some repetitive missions with a lot of "fetch this and find that," plus many of the camera angles are finicky.

And while the game has a variety of game-play modes, they aren't very deep once you've mastered the basics.

Delivers a good twist on the "Resident Evil"-style game play by adding more action and speed, a decent script and memorable characters.

Great fun, especially for younger PC gamers.

The game suffers from some repetitive missions with a lot of "fetch this and find that," plus many of the camera angles are finicky.

While not in the same league as the "Madden" series or "NFL 2K3," Sony's latest PlayStation 2 football title is fun and accessible.

It's a fun, impressive football game but doesn't compare to the likes of "Madden" or "NFL 2K3."

A little on the short side (about 10 hours to complete or so) but does prove to be a fun fantasy romp for those who prefer action, stealth and attractive visuals.

Its many courses, shortcuts and secret areas — along with the multiple stunts to master — ensure that this game is a fun, rewarding and a beautiful escape after a long day at the office or school.

Reasonably fun, but don't expect the level of immersion and polish found in other PC action games such as "No One Lives Forever" or "Jedi Knight II."

Spoiled by an overly confusing story, ambiguous puzzles and a flawed interface.

The game is fun, but only after you master the steep learning curve. The game is tough to learn because all of its controls — buttons, triggers and thumbsticks — must be used for practically any race.

It's a refreshing twist on the extreme sports video-game genre, with plenty of solo and multiplayer modes, attractive graphics and a toe-tapping urban soundtrack.

A lighthearted and humorous action/ adventure for younger players who will enjoy collecting coins and keys as well as exploring the mansion's many rooms.

The cartoon-like graphics are very cute — especially the pre-rendered cut-scene sequences — and the game play is challenging, though it might be a tad repetitive after a while.

Seasoned role-playing game fans certainly will enjoy the "old school" look and feel of "Wizardry 8," and there's certainly some meaty, single-player game play here. But younger or novice gamers may lose patience because of the relatively unattractive visuals and technical obstacles.

This title is a good pick for players ages 13 to 17 (especially those who liked the film), though older players might grow tired of the gags after a while.

Slick, sexy and jam-packed with action — but this adventure is short with limited playability over time, except perhaps for its multiplayer modes.

TNN fails to frighten and is marred by a few flaws that may frustrate rather than satiate.

A stellar strategy/simulation game with incredible depth and detail — but it may turn off some players with its steep learning curve.

The games are also a tad on the short side, but immersive while they last.

A faithful re-creation of the popular 2-D side-scrolling arcade shooter.

Can be fun at times, but overall the game play is merely average compared with other PlayStation 2 offerings.

The game's greatest shortcoming, however, is that this style of over-the-top gameplay hasn't evolved much from Midway's own "NBA Jam" or "NBA Showtime" titles.

There's not a lot of depth and it might grow tiresome

Although the game audio is good, with classical music and impressive voice acting, outdated visuals spoil the fun. Better to see the movie or read the book.

Overall, however, while NFL GameDay can be quite fun -- especially with two players, rather than solo -- it disappoints because it looks and plays unpolished, like a mere rehash from NFL GameDay 2000 with a few minor bells and whistles.

This game falls short of Sega's recent track record for sports games and just isn't worth the price of admission.