I'm surprised and saddened that this was outdone by a two-year-old game. EA's trying some new things here, but they don't quite work yet.

I'm surprised and saddened that this was outdone by a two-year-old game. EA's trying some new things here, but they don't quite work yet.

If you wished the Xbox had a "God of War" to call its own, then Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks should be your cup of tea.

Even with the lack of options, NHRA Championship Drag Racing is still the most in-depth drag-racing simulation ever released for a console.

A great game to be sure, but somehow not as good as last year's outing.

Play the earlier games, as this one's a huge letdown.

If you're jonesing for some Hockey action, EA's NHL 06 is well worth checking into. If you prefer a style of play more akin to the stuff we saw back in the SEGA Genesis days, this is your game. Less complexity - more fun.

A must have for King of Fighters fans, if they don't already have the games in another form.

What World Series of Poker is supposed to do, it does very well. Just don't go into it expecting any bells or whistles.

NASCAR junkies no longer have to live vicariously through the TV, because NASCAR 06: Total Team Control darn near puts them in the driver’s seat themselves.

It might not have a shiny package, but it's everything we loved about the arcade.

A revolutionary dancing game, but it’s certainly an evolution of the genre in its dance pad orientation and addition of a center button.

Straight outta' crap-ton.

Straight outta' crap-ton.

Looks pretty good, but it tends to get tiresome after a few hours.

Unless you are a die-hard fan of the series, there isn't enough game here to justify a purchase.

Quite a fun game, once it gets up and going.

Madden NFL 06 is still an outstanding game, but EA needs to re-think the reality and practicality of its Superstar mode, and it has plenty of work to do to make QB Vision both effective and enjoyable.

Madden NFL 06 is still an outstanding game, but EA needs to re-think the reality and practicality of its Superstar mode, and it has plenty of work to do to make QB Vision both effective and enjoyable.

Madden NFL 06 is still an outstanding game, but EA needs to re-think the reality and practicality of its Superstar mode, and it has plenty of work to do to make QB Vision both effective and enjoyable.

Multiple single player difficulty modes and tons of multiplayer options ensure you'll get your $30 worth.

All around good stuff, worth putting on those worn out virtual combat boots for again.

Forget that it’s the only college football game for a minute and just bask in the glory of a well-executed title.

Forget that it's the only college football game for a minute and just bask in the glory of a well-executed title.

Plenty of fun, but you're better off waiting for them to become freebies.

I'm being generous with the 3. That tells you how bad this is.

Serviceable but stale, the King of Fighters is quickly losing his reign.

If you love arcade style racing, you’ll love MC3.

Great multiplayer, boring single player. Needs wi-fi support to really fulfill its potential.

Too little, too late. What's Rare been doing for three years? At least we can now look forward to their other games.

Fun, creative and surprisingly fresh, but not quite enough gameplay variety to carry the load.

Repetitive button-mashing gameplay and recycled graphics and music keep Arc the Lad: End of Darkness from being on the A-list, but the online multiplayer modes are enough fun to give this game a try.

An average shooter in which the presentation and education are more compelling than the game itself.

An enjoyable Xbox title that actually doesn't have a single gun in it.

Nothing to get too excited about, it’s definitely no "Diablo."

It has its bad camera angles and glitches, but the good work put into the game makes it more than your average movie tie-in.

Too average to warrant purchasing at full price, but not a bad rental.

Not a ton of depth, and it's fairly short in single player, but as a whole it's a good addtion to your DS library.

The box says it all, "most advanced racing sim ever created”.

There's nothing we having seen here that wasn't done better almost eight years ago.

The physics are fantastic and the tuning terrific, but pound-for-pound, it doesn't offer any more in the "sim racing" category than a couple of existing budget titles.

While not the most exciting title, it’s still enjoyable and a refreshing change from all the WWII RTS’ out there.

A solid shooter with some fun twists.

Pretty average gaming action with a fun story. A good rental or discount buy.

"Creative" and "well-executed" are the perfect terms to describe Psychonauts as a whole. Psychonauts is simply one of the most inspired, fun and ingenious games to appear on Xbox, if not any of the current console systems.

Whether you're switching between targets with the L and R triggers, rapidly moving from style to style or unloading an area attack to buy some time to regenerate health using Chi, you'll always feel in total control, and you'll never grow tired of mixing up the battle tactics.

This should've been more than just slightly better than the original. Rent it before buying at full price.

It has all the makings of a top tier title, but due to a boring story, iffy AI and so-so combat mechanics, it just doesn't manage to pull out of the “average” ranking.

A little shaky at the start, but if you enjoyed Doom 3 and you stick it out, you’ll find a lot of entertainment to be had.

Gameplay-wise it's pretty standard, but for the sheer fright and experience, this is a Doom fan's dream.

The combination of humor, accessible gameplay and Lego-fied Star Wars is tough to beat. Sure it’s a short and simple game, but it’s nice to see a developer/publisher team take a chance on something a little different, and end up making an enjoyable product.

Unless you've always dreamed of playing as a ninja in a little red miniskirt, who just happens to also be a master at killing with a tetsugen, you should stay far away from this game. If you could make the game disk into a ninja throwing star, it would be more fun than playing Red Ninja.

This gameplay variation is a fantastic move on Ubisoft's part, because it makes Chaos Theory more accessible to a wider audience while still supporting a more slow-paced game.

Beautiful and stylish with an engaging story line.

Great variety & depth but still ends up being a goal short of a hat trick.

The gameplay may be simplistic, but the multiplayer, challenge modes and mapmaking more than make up for it.

The gameplay may be simplistic, but the multiplayer, challenge modes and mapmaking more than make up for it.

The combat forces you to think, which is a nice change of pace. For half the price of most other games, you'll likely get twice the enjoyment from Phantom Dust.

Billed as a sequel, it's more of a expansion than anything. And not much of an expansion at that.

The aiming system is a pain. While you can look down the sights of your weapon for a supposedly more-accurate shot, it seems nearly impossible to hit a target without firing several times, and don't even think of trying to shoot without looking down the sites.

Almost the complete fighting package. I say “almost” because it offers no online gameplay, and is limited to the PlayStation 2. This is one of those games that would’ve been amazing online.

Not a huge leap from the previous version, but definitely a finely tuned game.

It's really nothing more than a run-of-the-mill shooter with some serious balance issues. The story lacks any emotional impact, so you'll be constantly skipping the cut scenes, and rarely listening to any of the dialog, and that's just sad considering this game is set in the world of "Deus Ex."

Frankly, the game components could’ve been stripped out and this would’ve scored better as an anime DVD, but as a game, it’s going to come off a very tiresome to the average gamer.

The included demo disk for "Tekken V" is far more enjoyable.

Easily the best arcade basketball game I’ve played in years, but the requisite 14 fingers needed to play it is a bit ridiculous.

Old-school 2D fighting at its best.

Easily the best arcade basketball game I've played in years, but the requisite 14 fingers needed to play it is a bit ridiculous.

Easily the best arcade basketball game I've played in years, but the requisite 14 fingers needed to play it is a bit ridiculous.

May not be the most original game, but in the end, it’s a fun one. If you want to spend a weekend hacking and slashing alone or with online buddies, you can’t go wrong with this game.

If you can overlook the incredibly steep learning curve for the controls, Aerial Strike is a pretty enjoyable way to blow 20 bucks, especially if you don’t have an Xbox with "Crimson Skies."

One of the most original games in recent memory, and among the best Xbox games of this generation.

I don't know one serious gamer who would be enticed by this sad mix of boring gameplay and soft-core porn. Playboy: The Mansion is as deep as a kiddie pool, which also matches its maturity level.

A stylized game that unfortunately lacks any substance. It’s just not a very fun game to play, due to the temperamental camera and barely average gameplay.

Newcomers should stay far away, but hardcore RTS fans will find incredible depth.

Getting out of the "Mech injects a level of strategy that was missing from the original game, and it also helps immerse gamers in the scale of the world Day 1 Studios and Fasa have created.

Just be forewarned - although this game offers Xbox Live support, nobody is playing it online. After two weeks of trying, I never found a single game online.

In spite of its aging engine and average sound, Catacombs is probably one of, if not the best add-on packs ever been released for an MMO. With the new areas, new tasks, model upgrades and inclusion of tons of content for solo players, this is a must own for any Dark Age of Camelot player.

The production and sheer addiction make it easy to overlook the occasional camera problem.

The game is chess, and at chess Fritz is good. It’s most everything else that I wasn’t happy about.

Unlike the other Tom Clancy titles for PlayStation 2, which were absolute gems, Ghost Recon 2 is an almost abysmal effort. It's hard to believe Ubisoft published this game, let alone green-lighted it for final production in the shape it's in.

The new elements are intriguing but not quite enough to make the game more than slightly above average.

A disappointingly repetitive and average ride at a time when above-average is a necessity.

A disappointingly repetitive and average ride at a time when above-average is a necessity.

Fun, but frustratingly difficult at times.

The roller-skate movement and shooting are poor, but the adventures and melee fighting are lots of fun.

If it existed in a vacuum it'd rank better, but this is a strong holiday for videogame shooters.

If it existed in a vacuum it'd rank better, but this is a strong holiday for videogame shooters.

If you want to feel like you're immersed in a heavy conflict, with combatants screaming commands, bullets zipping through the air and grenades exploding, Ghost Recon 2 is the game for you due to its powerful audio engine. The key weakness? The weapons sound like toys.

Manages to make itself worth the $20 price tag by offering up an average level of everything -- from gameplay to graphics. It doesn't do anything exceptionally well, but it's a pleasant diversion for the price.

Controls are a bit complex for kids and too unoriginal for adults.

It's just a waste of a strong license. I really hope Chuck Palahniuk, the author of the book this mess is based upon, had nothing to do with ok'ing this game. Avoid at all costs, even if it's in the discount bin.

50+ hours to complete, need I say more?

If you're a sim fan or have kids between 6 and 60, it’s a "must buy." Aging graphics, sound and slowdown are its only detractors.

The fluidity with which characters, vehicles, bullets and environmental objects move is astonishing, and when you couple that smoothness with location-specific Havok physics, the game looks much more believable than the first Halo, if not any game to date.

It's not the mind-blowing cultural phenomenon of a game experience that Halo 2, Half-Life 2 and DOOM III are (or at least promised to be, as the case may be), but it's a decent game that offers some fresh changes to the FPS genre.

The dialogue in Up Your Arsenal is as funny as ever, with some scenes that might have you rolling on the floor. The scene with Ratchet imitating pop star Courtney Gears is absolutely hilarious.

Buggy but not broken, generic but not ghastly, Killzone lacks anything beyond an average amount of appeal.