Here’s a lesson in elegant game design...as pure and enjoyable a game as any in the GameCube launch lineup.

A puzzle/action game with depth, humor, and charm.

The control is perfect. Deathmatch standards like circle-strafing are a snap, and pretty much every common FPS convention from crouching to secondary fire functions is supported here.

Easy to get into and with a boatload of options, it provides a worthy alternative to the status quo, although hardcore ballers might scoff at the game’s arcadey nature.

With its frantic pace and gorgeous visuals, it’ll have everyone in the room clamoring for a shot at the action.

Once you grow accustomed to the style of play you will be treated to a racer with depth and a remarkable presentation.

MGS2 includes all kinds of incentive to play the game again and again, including the new collectable "Dog Tag" feature, but to be honest the real replay value lies with the beauty of the game.

The best soccer game available. Despite the control flaws and graphic blemishes this game is a marvelous presentation of soccer, albeit slightly watered down for the masses.

The graphics and sound are excellent, but the most constricting drawback is the extremely long gameplay-disrupting load times.

Fans of the original will enjoy the game, but there is the danger that this Hostile Territory will seem more like Familiar Territory.

The incredible versatility of the gameplay, coupled with stellar sound and visuals, make this game nothing less than sheer bliss on a DVD.

Features the same ingredients that made the original delightful, but with new villains and a well thought out story.

The awe inspiring graphics, excellent music, intuitive gameplay, and replay value round out an excellent game that will rival "Metal Gear Solid 2" as game of the year.

The slammin' soundtrack and an engaging trick system overcome a somewhat inconsistent framerate to make Kinetica more interesting than most its competitors.

If you like F1 games than you will cherish every moment spent with this title.

The same flaw that haunts every other light gun game on the market. After an hour or so of practice, most gamers will be able to complete the game in just under twenty minutes.

The most serious complaint comes from a lack of options...Despite this, Guilty Gear's aesthetic beauty and rich gameplay are more than enough for fighting fans.

Just as "Devil Dice" and "Intelligent Qube" showed that originality can still flourish in the puzzle genre, One Piece Mansion provides a welcome respite from the newest "been there, done that" version of Tetris or Bust-a-Move.

While Silent Hill 2 retains the same basic format of the original, the story is decidedly more coherent and the graphics have been upgraded immeasurably.

Simulation junkies might be turned off by the exaggerated goal scoring, comical commentary and cute gimmick cameras, but a bevy of gameplay options can remove all such tom-foolery from the game.

Whether you're new to the series, thoroughly sick of it, or can't wait to get back to raising monsters, this game has the capability to surprise, amaze and enthrall you.

When taken as a whole, Ico provides one of the most compelling and emotionally resonant experiences to be had on the PS2.

The hardcore will find this game irresistable, once again foregoing sleep and a social life in the never-ending quest for peace, love, and a +99 Red Pistol.

If you're a recluse, you must get online access, as the online play is amazingly enjoyable.

It's got all the qualities that made people love the genre in the days before the PlayStation, plus a nifty battle program and some impressive anime videos to boot.

A fine game, provided you don't mind a few patches of controller-hurling frustration.

XG3 features a thrilling sense of speed which more than makes up for a dull soundtrack and unoriginal environments.

The handling is drastically better than it was on the PSone, but horrendous anti-aliasing issues, draw-in, and loading times are still present.

Gadget Racers makes itself infinitely more accessible than the intimidating Gran Turismo games, and therefore a wonderful racer for the rest of us.

Little more than a slightly enhanced port of an already excellent game.

In spite of a few omissions, Another Age is near exactly the expansion that gamers were looking for.

From player ratings, to defensive-back AI, to ball physics, they've made a lot of smart adjustments to the game that may go unnoticed by many gamers, but are a joy to discover for savvy football gamers.

A fine squad-level strategy RPG and one of the last excuses you'll have to spend 30 or 40 hours with your PSone.

Sega has basically taken their arcade property, which by itself was very limited in depth, and has notably enhanced it for the home market.

Obviously dated, lacking the elaborate stories and special modes of many current fighting games. Still, the gameplay covers up the inadequacies in most respects.

Oh sweet mother of mercy, this is why I picked up a joystick in the first place. Klonoa 2 is as close to a flawless game as I've ever seen.

An outstanding game, with excellent gameplay and a deep set of features. Finally, the PS2 has a genuine A+ sports title.

But for all its other qualities, the one element that elevates Gran Turismo 3 to instant classic status is the incredibly addictive career mode.

The story isn't gripping, and the combat grows wearisome, but the game's strength - its ability to make you feel like you really are a part of Gothos - makes for a worthwhile experience.

Sit this collection on the shelf beside Final Fantasy Anthology and you'll happily own some of the best RPGs ever made.

A fantastic game with an at-times atrocious camera system. Nevertheless, an incredible amount of extra features are more than enough to keep Sega's latest in the 'A' range.

A breath of fresh air in a market saturated with generic driving and shooting titles.

Graphically the game is unequaled on the PSone, but things like poor scripting, painful voice acting and tired puzzle elements reduce the overall appeal significantly.

The game could be handy to a dedicated user, but the complexity of the design is going to drive those with only a casual interest away.

An adeptly designed adventure game that effectively combines elements of several other titles into a highly entertaining - if imperfect - package.

Slightly improved graphics, thoughtfully designed new cities, and two new gameplay modes make CT2 feel more like an add-on than a full sequel. Still, it's an add-on to one of the Dreamcast's best games.

A bland storyline is the only thing keeping Red Faction from greatness. Nearly every other aspect of the game shows polish: sound, graphics, weapons, even a fun multiplayer mode.

While CB 2001 isn't exactly up to the standards of some other titles on the market, for anyone interested in extreme sports titles, it's well worth a try.

Some of the mini-games are pretty bad and the single player mode is still not worth trying, but on the whole this is a very enjoyable game.

Old school sadists will love the ongoing screen-filling barrage of enemy fire, but most mortals won't have the persistence needed to finish the game.

Full of eye-candy and finger-blistering, non-stop action, Silpheed will please any shooting fan.

While essentially just a more difficult remix of "Metal Slug 2," Metal Slug X is still one of the finest 2D shoot-em-ups since the original "Contra."

With new gameplay modes and new challenges, Dr. Mario 64 is a fresh and entertaining experience even to gamers who have spent countless hours playing its forerunners. It may be short on innovation, but it's a pleasing remake of a masterfully crafted formula.

Bangai-O takes established, classic gameplay elements and combines them with its own innovations, with the end result being one of the most enjoyable games in recent memory.

It may not be totally original-the blueprint for this game seems to have been lifted directly out of the "Resident Evil" file-but intuitive controls, outstanding graphics and a wonderfully unsettling soundtrack help this title rise to the top of the PS2 heap.

Undoubtedly, Unreal Tournament gives you a much more complete package and is overall a better game (than "Quake Arena III").

Behind the striking visual façade lies a deep strategy game, enhanced by the interesting addition of ground troops and solid interfaces for both the real-time and turn-based components.

This game throws physics and realism out the window in favor of fun and excitement. The dated graphics won't thrill anyone, but the solid gameplay and online capabilities more than make up for these shortcomings.

One of gaming's most original plots that can captivate the player so greatly that many of its shortcomings may be over looked.

Likely to elicit plenty of "Oooohs!" and "Ahhhhs!" from your friends, The Bouncer simply doesn't have enough substance to satisfy diehard gamers.

Now hold on to your colons and prepare to experience one of the craziest, dirtiest, most offensive 3-D platformers you've ever seen - and be ready to laugh your a** off every step of the way.

Lodoss War offers a good time, but you'd better like the inherent inanity of dungeon-romps to get anything out of it.

The sense of style and visual creativity overcomes the game's shortcomings to make it a worthwhile play.

A pleasant surprise: a Star Wars game with great graphics and superior audio that also manages to be fun.

Easily one of the best games available for the N64, Paper Mario is a fantastic experience that shouldn't be missed.

The levels are masterfully designed, the learning curve is smooth and gradual, and the variety in gameplay makes this game appropriate for both novice and expert gamers alike.

Nice graphics and pleasant music enhance a fairly addictive multiplayer experience-just don't expect much in the way of a traditional single player RPG.

An unnaturally fun typing tutor, and a pretty good zombie-blasting undead shooter to boot. Highly recommended, even if you already own the game TotD is based on, "House of the Dead 2."

Those who are easily frustrated will be turned off, but those who are willing and patient enough to spend some time to master this title will not be disappointed.

Vanishing Point features excellent graphics, a good control scheme, and loads of unlockable goodies. However, VP has two attributes that will likely drive some people mad: you must unlock almost everything, and the learning curve is incredibly steep.

With new vehicles, new gameplay features, and more impressive graphics, there is very little to complain about here-except for the lack of a multiplayer mode.

If one can get past the rough exterior of this title, they will find a diamond inside that rivals any of the modern role playing games.

While it has spectacular graphics and a compelling storyline, the game is marred by extremely linear gameplay, and simplified mechanics make it better suited for beginners rather than veterans.

Delivers impressive graphics, audio, and smooth gameplay, but doesn't provide the same depth of gameplay as many other EA Sports titles. For the casual sports gamer, FIFA may be an entertaining, enjoyable title, but hard-core soccer fans could be left wanting more.

With graphics that far surpass almost everything available for the system, Tooie is a sumptuous sensory delight.

Although most of No Mercy's improvements over last year's WWF Wrestlemania 2000 are slight at best, it's still a very good game.

Gorgeous graphics, pleasant music, and an engaging (although somewhat cliché) story combine in a fitting conclusion to the PlayStation series of Final Fantasy titles.

Great scripting, captivating characters, a good battle system, and two long GD-ROMs worth of game give you the bang for the buck.

What maybe should have been "The ultimate 2D fighting game" winds up being little more than "Just another brawler."

Fans of the original Shenmue will be delighted with the sequel while gamers new to the series should be able to get into the game's deep atmosphere with little difficulty.

Eurocom does the amazing by putting out a sequel to Rare's "Goldeneye" that actually lives up to the high standard set for it. What a shame that Rare's own pseudo-sequel, "Perfect Dark," already did the same thing at least twice better.

In short, this game looks, sounds, and plays like a dream.

It is wonderfully eclectic, irresistibly irreverent, and visually delectable.

It has flash. It has substance. It will astound you. Sadly, if you want to be astounded for very long, you'll probably need someone to come along for the competition.

So damned good I don't know how EA will top this performance next year.

Its fresh twist on the traditional racing model and creative gameplay make this one of the few titles in a flooded genre that really stands out.

It's as close to a non-EA Sports "must-have" game as any of the PS2 launch titles.

Solid controls and complex-but rarely complicated-character interactions combine to produce another classic adventure.

This is a game that takes no prisoners. Brutal, raw, fast, and furious this is racing at its finest.

It's the best-looking, best-playing football sim on the market, but it's a fine upgrade to an excellent game, not the revolutionary title many might have hoped for on the PS2.

The game almost painlessly combined fast-paced action with elements of stealth similar to those found in "Goldeneye."

While many had doubts if something as complex and demanding as the Quake 3 engine could be ported to a hardware-limited console, those fears can be swept aside as Quake 3 Arena features sharp and detailed graphics that run at a solid speed even when the fragging heats up.

What could've turned out disastrous is instead one of the most addictive and enjoyable dancing games to see release on US shores.

The relative ease of the game means that seasoned platform gamers should blow through this one without much difficulty at all.

While NHL 2001 offers little in the way of new features to the series, it nonetheless delivers the most entertaining hockey game for the PSX this year.

Combining breathtaking graphics and phenomenal gameplay Ferrari is one of the most convincing driving simulators available for any system and will thrill fans who love a true racing challenge.

A continuation of a landmark series that has so far highlighted some of the best gameplay to be found on the PSX.

If you have the time, patience, and inclination to build your own RPGs but don't know how to program yourself, then RPG Maker is the perfect solution.