The worlds and characters the designers have created here will charm your boots off.

A game that makes you feel like you're sucking on a IV drip that's pumping adrenalin.

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.

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

There is some basic strategy, but once you've got the hang of it, Casino Empire is a pretty simple game.

If you want to get online and play action games against other people, Tribes Aerial Assault is a must. The consoles have never seen anything like it before.

There is certainly no danger of Tekken fans, or fight-game fans in general being disappointed by the great, glossy, fast-paced brawler that Tekken 4 is.

Though it would seem like a completely different experience, StarFox Adventures is a little like "Eternal Darkness"--a beautiful, well put together action and adventure game with so much to do and see.

A challenging and original strategy game that is certainly welcome to those who GET strategy gaming.

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.

If the game was not so brilliantly presented with such rich characters, story and astounding art and voice-work (best voice-work to date in a videogame), you would probably take more notice of the simple and boring adventure elements (go here, go there, find this, talk to that person...), and the too-heavy reliance on melee combat, and the constant battles, and the frustration of having to take two steps back to level up before being able to take the all-important third step forward in a world.

While some of the changes might be puzzling, they don't do any serious damage.

The game is so cute, so catchy, and so compelling, that its appeal is truly universal.

Truly addictive personalities will find a new puzzle challenge, but Egg Mania: Eggstreme Madness just doesn't have the jam to hold the attention of less obsessive gamers.

There really aren't a lot of flaws that I can point out in this game, but I do wish that Blake had the ability to jump.

I think they shot themselves in the foot when they made the sword something you have to power-up to--that should be something you have continual access to.

This is the kind of plague that should see Pac-Man quarantined and approached only by trained disease control experts in the shelter of a hazardous materials suit.

Whether you're looking at the graphics, the gameplay, the server response, the community activity, this is one staggeringly good game.

If you just want something to race in circles while oohing and aahing over the purty but extremely exaggerated lens flare, this isn't for you. Sega GT 2002 is a game with substance.

If you have other consoles and are going to get a version of it, it's probably better to look at the GameCube and Xbox versions.

For those with the patience and will to eventually master the control interface that buries it, Commandos 2 is still an excellent game.

The game is also annoyingly dark during night missions. Even with the brightness cranked, it was pretty hard to see.

The three-dimensional stability of the environment in Mario Sunshine is astonishing. At no time do the seams show.

Here's hoping Amusement Vision knows when to move on and begins a new project instead of staying stuck and trying to squeeze out a "Monkey Ball 3."

One of the truly rare games which induces that special kind of gaming exhaustion caused by sleeping two or three pitiful hours at night (while you dream about the game) before getting up to do it all over again.

I think DTR should also get some credit for its control scheme, which is very intuitive.

The combat system of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is just brilliant.

Pump up the difficulty, unlock more videos, and more players, create more characters; you can and will still have a lot of fun with Street Hoops after you start to catch on to its flaws.

The graphics and AI could use some serious polish. Still, it's more fun than you might expect, and definitely worth a try.

If only Sega and the IVF could both learn that lesson and promote volleyball on the merits of the game and of the athletes who play it, rather than their femaleness and enforced lack of clothing.

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

There are hidden cheats and costumes, and plenty to keep you busy, and the joy of the combat, the good intermixture of stealth and tactics, and the sheer style with which The Mark of Kri is delivered make it a true classic.

While it isn't the lengthiest or most addictive product on the block, this offering still boasts a wealth of replay value.

If you like the combat, you'll be satisfied with Enclave. If you're not, you won't find much else to take an interest in.

The game remains single-player only.

One of those games that is so good, even the credits rock.

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

Fun in small doses, but it just doesn't have the hooks to keep you playing.

By far the weakest thing about the game is the graphics.

Stuntman has problems but it's unique and engrossing and definitely worth your time.

With the increased resolution of the Xbox, the visuals in the game are now simply breathtaking.

Arguably the finest motocross game available thanks to its racing and freestyle gameplay offerings--and new additions to last year's game.

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

Despite its essential linearity, Eternal Darkness leaves the player feeling like he/she has lived through a vast and sweeping tale, and is a milestone GameCube title any way you look at it.

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

Not fun from the get go.

There's nothing that makes you gasp with pleasure, but neither is there anything seriously wrong.

It may be the best PC game of a good many years. I can picture other gamesmakers checking out the game, and then just surrendering...I am floored by this game.

An excellently designed game, fun enough to take your mind off all the gun-toting soldiers at the airport while you wait for your flight.

Jaw-dropping crashes cannot an entire game carry, however. While passable handling provides for a mildly entertaining play experience, it's an incredibly short affair.

The sound effects and music is repetitive and eventually, annoying. Hell, it's a monster truck game, you'd think the audio would be a priority!

It is the perfect, ready for anything, prepared like a boy scout, jack of all trades, but master of none video game.

Sadly, automakers have yet to realize that it's better to have one of their cars in a good game than to enforce their no-damage policy and end up with a bad game because of it.

The major factor holding Outlaw Golf from being a top tier golf game is its unforgiving control system.

As good of a wrestling games as I have seen for any next generation console. In fact it is quite a bit better than most. However if Yuke's would implement their older grappling system, this game would have been unstoppable.

I have two minor complaints--Stitch can't fire when crouched, which would make the game a lot easier. That's my second beef--as shooters go it's pretty challenging.

Good old freedom; it is indeed a gaming virtue, and Morrowind provides an amazingly lush fantasy playground to exercise that liberty in.

Though the in-game graphics and animated cut-scenes are quite nice in Endgame, the game is not entirely polished.

Effective and fun. Solid gaming, plus the little addition of stamina and good use of character classes make it worth a go.

The entire game boils down to some annoyingly simple button mashing that gets old faster than most UFC matches last.

The GameCube engine is used well to convey the feeling of playing within a cartoon world and the play balance is just right for young and old players alike.

The deal killer for us in The Watchmaker is the acting, which we dare say qualifies as some of the worst voiceover work we have ever heard in a game, or even an elementary school play.

Dripping with looks.

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

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.

Innovative, exciting, and once you look past the visuals (which aren't really awful, just plain), a truly great game to play.

It will keep you playing, and provide reason to replay. It doesn't however, manage to maintain the brilliance that it hints at in the opening level.

It's a wild and fun ride.

Grinding through the seven gigantic levels at snappy speeds, you'll quickly--and happily--realize the controls are tighter than Ebenezer Scrooge's rectum.

[It's] no Mario or Crash, [but] it does have a unique take on the genre that plays well with kids and those of us who can't get enough of the old Warner Bros. cartoons.

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.

Acclaim employees take note--varying stats alone do not a satisfying roster of combatants create...that's where novel animations and sound bytes should've come in.

Not since the original "Gauntlet" has mindless mayhem with friends been such a source of joy.

The number of different ways you can play GTA III is astonishing.

I think I keep saying this, but Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights is fun. And that's about what all these words you've just read amount to.

Raven's attempt to infuse different styles of gameplay into SoF2 come off looking like they were stuck on at the last minute with Elmer's Glue.

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

It doesn't have the enormous depth of play that some of the auto racers modeled on "Gran Turismo" have, with hundreds of vehicles and upgrades to collect and keep you playing, but it provides the most exhilarating and intense races anywhere.

The defensive controls for World Series Baseball have to be the best out there, bar none.

A pleasant little trip.

A solid offering and will give the fans their basic nutritional requirement of strategy and Star Wars, although it's not what you'd call innovative.

If you're a fan of action games and don't mind a dense storyline and some hunt and peck adventure-style clicking, you'll get a thrill or two out of Headhunter.

Might I remind you this is the game that finally combines using the Force and starship combat, a concept that is so cool it could chill all the beer at five consecutive Oktoberfests.

Successful because it is simple. The game breaks down into a simple pattern that is perfect for the stop-and-start style of game play that is experienced when playing a handheld game.

For the large group whose main interest in a Britney Spears videogame is sexual voyeurism, the inability to watch the breast-enlarged, navel-exposed, hip grinding onscreen display is a real let-down.

Zoo Cube won't convert or especially appeal to those who aren't already puzzle-game fanatics...but if you are a puzzle "animal," then this is truly something you haven't seen before, and it is strangely addictive.

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.

Unfortunately, unlike the books, the videogame never really explains the trivia answers, or enlightens the gamer with any interesting information; you either get the question right, or wrong, then it is time to move on.

It's not going to take home any awards for visuals, nor is it a "Tony Hawk" killer in any way, but it proves to be an enjoyable and challenging surfing game with considerable replayability.

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.

In the spirit of the whole new-beginnings thing, let me lift the poster-slogan from the old '70s horror movie "Phantasm:" IF THIS ONE DOESN'T SCARE YOU, YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD!

I'm not quite ready to show off my mad dance moves at the arcade just yet, but I've been having a blast playing DDR Konamix.

Wake up designers; a 5.56mm round grazing a forearm doesn't kill.

It's fun, it's exciting, and it's challenging -whether played against the artificial intelligence or your big sister.

It helps that the AI is pretty good. Bad guys will roll out of the way and use cover.

Expect well over 120 hours of play from this bundle, and the three main titles truly are worth your time.

An improvement on nearly every level.

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.