Fun and immersive while it lasts, but unfortunately it’s a short ride with little replayability (save, maybe, for the multiplayer modes).

What was supposed to be Red Faction’s raison d’être – French for “cool feature designed to make it seem like more than just a cheap Half-Life clone set on Mars”--[the Geo Mod technology] turns out to be its biggest disappointment.

An absolute blast to play through one time exactly and only. If you have to backtrack at all (which unfortunately you do) the fun rapidly diminishes, which adds up to zero replay value.

Titles such as "Etherlords" have blown the genre open, and in comparison Disciples II seems markedly dated.

Definitely not for the casual gamer or anyone into pretty graphics, Sid Meier’s Antietam! is great game nonetheless, providing an accurate and historic simulation of one of the bloodiest (i.e. casualty-filled) single days in American history.

The graphics are dated and Ryundo's bad-boy character has been done to death. But those are only small faults in an otherwise excellent game.

Team Sabre's single player game is not bad. It's got a good balance between action and strategy, and it has a very good orders system that covers everything you want and more.

A decent shooter and it has its merits, even on a console where new software is getting mighty scarce. However, if you were only going to own one, this probably wouldn't be it.

If you've already got last year's Bomberman Tournament for GBA, you probably don't need this one as well, unless you're a Bomberman freak.

DOA XBV's laid back approach is refreshing. Like a real vacation, nothing is particularly urgent in the game, which is almost unheard of--almost every game out there is about WINNING or DYING.

Vampire Night isn't the best light-gun game out there, but it's still a decent game and certainly the best looking light-gun shooter on any system.

You'll find yourself irritated with the pace, yet unable to stop. Diggles then, succeeds greatly at engaging game players, yet not so well at entertaining them.

Nothing if not original.

Perhaps the coolest part of WarioWare is that it has lots of nods to Nintendo history. There are minigames based on classic Nintendo games, like The Legend of Zelda (touch the fairies to rescue them) and Metroid (pull alien critters off of Samus), and many more.

It certainly doesn’t take top ranking for hoop games on the PS2, but it has a lot of nice features to offer.

Beyond the HD pack, nothing has been done to evolve the game as a whole.

RPGs live and die on factors other than graphics and while LUNAR is weak in the graphic department (other than the first class anime sequences), it makes it up in spades in the more important areas such as plot, characterization and game system.

A far cry from the grittiness of "Rainbow Six."

Even the new additions to the franchise lack enough depth to warrant picking this up if you already own "Here Comes The Pain."

A decent game. It looks pretty darn good, has a swell sense of speed, and the music adds to the frantic pace (though the sounds bites in the game are kinda repetitive).

I like the new modes because each one puts the player on the defensive at some point, and I love being the centre of attention in a multiplayer game and facing overwhelming odds. Yeah, I'm a masochist, sue me.

Through no fault of the developers, some of the physics of riding a bike (as opposed to a skateboard) make this game less fun than playing the Tony Hawk series. Think about it, a skateboard can go both ways, a bike cannot.

With no horrible complaints or exciting highs it is just another basketball game for the PS2.

If you like swordplay, if you like good story, if you like Asian ambiance, you'll like The Way of the Samurai.

Vastly improves on the original "Civilization: Call to Power" but still falls far short of the original, original "Civilization" series.

The game is completely customizable in almost every category including graphics and difficulty.

More of a strategy-focused game than a real dog-fighter, Allegiance is as simple or as complex as you want to get. Just don’t expect to save the universe from the cockpit of your starship.

It's a fun game. The more people you get gathered around the PlayStation (up to eight) to play, the more fun it is.

The game's biggest problem though is its paltry length... In the end, CSI is lots of fun for fans of the TV show, and is a decent adventure game in its own right.

My copy of Emperor's Tomb had occasional moments of severe slowdown and music stuttering. These instances never occurred during a life or death situation, but they were aggravating all the same.

It's definitely challenging and (once you have some clue what you're doing) fun, but the obvious depth and complexity of the combat system only throws the tepid shallowness of every other aspect of the game into sharp relief very soon.

And while there's only so much that can be done within the confines of the Rocky films, Rocky Legends does an admirable job of giving something solid to not only fans of the movies, but to general boxing fans as well.

Really, the whole cartridge is more like an added gimmick to the Game Boy games than an actual stand alone product.

In a turnaround seldom seen in the videogame industry, this series manage to go from god-awful to mediocre.

Playing through a slow-as-molasses round of Mario Party can be an excruciatingly tedious experience. Frankly, I just kept dozing off waiting for my turn.

I loved the fighting and I would love to see this engine used again, though I still wonder about what might have been with a little more money and a little more time.

A solid "B" title that could have been better if it was longer, had more bug testing and the designers spent more time working on the quality of the puzzle-solving. It sure is funny, though. Stupid, but funny.

It’s sort of ketchup chip gaming, a little bit sweet, a little bit sour, compelling enough that you keep at it past the point of real enjoyment and feel like your time might be better spent elsewhere, [shrug], wipe the red stain off your hands and have some more.

The game is also pretty short--somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-12 hours to finish, and your desire to replay it will likely be minimal. All of which doesn't sound good, but I enjoyed myself playing through this familiar story.

More dialogue or commentary from your character as you experiment would go a long way to nudging people in the right direction.

Brilliant conceptually--it's a "Diablo"-like game in a science fiction setting.

Urban Warfare also plays more like a first person clone of "Metal Gear Solid," and a not bad one at that.

Subtract the balancing issues and the system requirements and it's not nearly as good as it could be, but I enjoyed my time with it.

Short Adventure and limited two-player mode aside, Lego Racers 2 is an excellent game.

Freaky and entertaining, yet you'll note nowhere on that list can "addictive" be found.

The real fun begins when monsters begin to show up and you must fulfill the requirements for recruiting a Hero that will bash its head in before too many people get gobbled up by the wandering nasty.

An attractive and faithful-enough experience.

Contains some real enjoyment, but doesn't really add very much to the game. More creative scenarios would have been nice.

While the PC version of Jedi Outcast blows the GameCube version out of the water, this is still a very good shooter with a lot to offer Nintendophiles, despite the disappointments.

While Steel Soldiers has its strengths, the outdated play mechanics and buggy code may frustrate players rather than satisfy them.

The most important thing to do before setting out to play Earth 2150 is to remember to synchronize your watch, because it does not count to be slow in this game, or things will burn up.

The video game falls short of the quality Potter fans expect, and provides nothing more than a simple platform/adventure game that young fans will adore, but older fans will feel disappointed with.

A light action game that ties into the movie very well, and those that loved the movie and want to spend time with these characters should enjoy it.

A fun and original game, but I wish they cut back on the difficulty level.

If you're looking for a fighter to just pick up and play with your friends, it's a fine addition to your library.

A fun game overall with some adrenaline-raising gameplay, but lacking any real depth, Tarzan does a good job of being what it is; a pick-up-and play game that's more than just a few jungle levels with Tarzan running and swinging.

Overall, the game doesn't look bad, but it loses it in the details.

The in-game menus are terribly slow to load, f’rinstance, and the era-specific theme music in Evolution mode will quickly drive you over the edge.

It provides some engaging platform-style puzzle solving, in unique environments. Enough said.

A really good example of real time strategy. Maybe the best, but it didn’t do anything to revive my interest in a tired genre.

A little bit too involved for the average gamer, even a golf fan like myself. It just takes too much work to get onto the professional circuit, where I only recognized a handful of names out of the crowd.

If you liked the original Phoenix Wright and can get past the fact that not much has changed (or improved), you should enjoy yourself.

Straight-forward, fun, and original gaming.

It has fewer extras, more pixelated graphics, and more frame rate chop than [its next generation] siblings, and the frame rate chop, especially, is an occasional damper on gameplay.

The excellent castle management and siege combat is tarnished by the cumbersome interface and mediocre real-time combat.

It's very short--you'll play through it in an afternoon easily, unless you have trouble with the bosses, but the visuals and adrenalin-overdose gameplay make it one of the most visceral and fun PS2 action game I've played yet.

Pretty good, though we should go ask the pitchers if they have any sandpaper or emery boards we can use to take off the noticeable rough edges.

It is far from perfect, but that being said, this game is still the best Batman game ever made for any system, and I have played them all!

It's a decent expansion pack, but nothing so bold that it would cause heart palpitations.

A pleasant little trip.

A deep, intense, and well-written space combat simulator, but more implementation masks many of these good traits and can frustrate all but the serious gamer.

It can't touch my all-time favorite adventure games, but it goes down nice and easy, like a midnight snack.

It's really a case of great game additives making up for mediocre game design.

The game isn’t particularly innovative, and ends rather rapidly. It is more of a Gundam teaser than a really rich gaming experience.

A fairly well-developed game. It looks great and is to some degree fun to play. There is however, little that is new to racing games.

If it's depth you want you'll be disappointed, but if you want to lose yourself in a high-speed car chase or force your buddies into a head-on, this one's for you.

If you're not going to mess with the editor, there aren't many reasons to get this new version if you own older copies of the game.

Solid baseball, with fun gameplay and great presentation, but poor graphics and annoying bugs means we might need to bring in a pinch-hitter.

It is the desire to see the other environments, rather than the story, that will motivate you to continue playing. It presents almost every type of platform gameplay that you've ever seen, but there's nothing new or remarkable about it.

It will likely satiate role-playing game aficionados who would step over their own mother for something to play on their PS2, but don’t expect Squaresoft-quality gameplay.

If the story doesn't grab you, then you can probably pass on Rule of Rose. Its other elements aren't nearly as satisfying.

As Samuel Johnson once said, “He who has not played "Midtown Madness" will find this game a treat indeed; others may be visited by an unsettling sense of déjà vu.” And that’s also a direct quote. I think.

The save game system and the control scheme add to the difficulty more than they should.

While entertaining in small doses, Creature Isle does not have the kind of countervailing payoff for these frustration as the first game.

Riddle of the Sphinx's immersive storyline, hearty exploration sequences and challenging puzzles make this three-CD set an enjoyable--albeit somewhat taxing--experience for the seasoned adventurer looking for a value-priced fix.

The worst, in a ruin the game entirely sort of way, worst part of SoF, hands down has to be the pathetic artificial intelligence offered up by your enemies.

A fun game; those with the patience to master the controls, and those not overly concerned with graphics will discover a challenging, rewarding, and genuinely funny experience awaiting them.

The courses, while looking extremely good, are just not varied enough.

The joy in this game comes from the environments. Krome Studios has done a fantastic job of making the different locals feel alive.

It doesn't stand out from the crowd, but it should appeal to fans of the flick.

If you like a little humor mixed in with your punches then give this one a workout.

A good game for the patient strategy gamer who doesn't mind tripping over the occasional rough bit, and who thinks that "Starcraft" is really an action game.

The gameplay of Tsunami 2265 is best-suited for younger or for casual gamers.

The best thing about NBA ShootOut 2003 is the career mode that allows you to create a player and work your way into the NBA through good play in the summer leagues.

It has strong characters and a story that's better plotted than the last movie, quite frankly. If only that camera was a little more tame.

A solid action game that feels a little like Starfox, with different battle types that always amount to you shooting everything that moves. While you can't call it revolutionary, it's got good controls and a sense of humour, so I found myself liking it.

A very solid action title. Not an overly innovative game by any means, but far better than much of the licensed schlock out there.

The two versions are identical in most ways, however the GC graphics are slightly better. The colours are sharper and more vibrant.