Unlike Hollywood horror movies that often get worse with each new sequel ("Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan," for example), Konami's scary Silent Hill series gets better -- and creepier -- with age.

It remains enjoyable and challenging with considerable replayability even if it's not going to take home any awards for visuals or challenge the popularity of the bestselling "Tony Hawk" titles.

A sharp-looking game. All the characters closely resemble their silver-screen counterparts despite the graphical limitations of the aging PlayStation system.

Almost every aspect of this series has been tweaked, from the graphics to the artificial intelligence to the TV-style presentation (new camera angles and more commentary for starters).

Unlike Hollywood horror movies that often get worse with each new sequel ("Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan," for example), Konami's scary Silent Hill series gets better -- and creepier -- with age.

The true letdown, though, is that the master villains can still be supremely frustrating to defeat, requiring several replays and exhaustive bouts of highly patterned attacks.

Sure, it's not the most action-packed or finely tuned game, but there are enough clever attacks and humorous elements in Pulse to keep you playing through to see what other goodies - or appendages - they'll toss your way.

You need to have a sense of humor if you want to box, at least if you want to box in R2R2: R2.

Virtually the same as the PS One version, although the PS2 game has superior graphics and faster, smoother play.

The end of this first episode of .hack - dubbed Infection - will leave players hanging and longing for more.

A 3-D shooter that pays as much attention to a compelling single-player storyline as it does blasting enemies with futuristic weaponry.

The true letdown, though, is that the master villains can still be supremely frustrating to defeat, requiring several replays and exhaustive bouts of highly patterned attacks.

Thrill-seekers in search of a stylized 3-D shooter with a compelling story will find plenty of both in Ubi Soft's XIII.

Offers everything you'd want in a basketball game — fast and fun gameplay with tight and responsive control, gorgeous graphics and realistic animation, and many game modes, each with a boatload of customizable options.

While not a perfect piece of interactive entertainment, it's enjoyable, and thanks to the way you can customize the Doodles, it's fun to play again and again.

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 true letdown, though, is that the master villains can still be supremely frustrating to defeat, requiring several replays and exhaustive bouts of highly patterned attacks.

The Hulkster follows commands easily, the camera gives you an excellent view of the action and you don't need to mash 20 buttons for every combat move you make.

For a game that looks so good, it's a shame it can also be a pain in the neck.

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.

Thrill-seekers in search of a stylized 3-D shooter with a compelling story will find plenty of both in Ubi Soft's XIII.

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

Thrill-seekers in search of a stylized 3-D shooter with a compelling story will find plenty of both in Ubi Soft's XIII.

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.

This story-based, action-adventure title is probably the most gratifying Xbox-only game this summer, even though it does have some flaws.

A very entertaining, exhilarating and challenging game for those who would rather star in an action movie than merely watch one.

An interesting re-imagining of the Matrix story in the form of an action game with OK controls and annoying camera.

This title's great story, realistic visuals and immersive game play will keep you glued to the screen for hours.