A very fun--yet flawed--RPG at sea with lots of gameplay to keep you sailing for weeks (if not months) on end.

Combines a top-notch economic/civic model, attractive graphics, and solid real-time combat to give gamers a slice of Chinese history. And that, like all things Asian, is tres cool.

It has problems keeping track of continuity... The attempts at adding some freedom and multiple approaches weren't quite pulled off, but points for effort.

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.

In addition to the plot straight out of an LSD hallucination, it has unique game mechanics that really spice up the platform gaming scene.

The whole organic, aquatic-tofu presentation of the game is poor preparation for one land-lubbingly brutal fact: Some of these missions are suddenly and disproportionately hard. But golly, they "shore" are pretty.

Despite the wealth of options and considerable depth, it’s pretty much the same over and over again giving you little urge to come back.

An obsessive-compulsive's dream.

It falls right in the middle of mediocrity. It may not be good, but it’s not bad either, just very gray.

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

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.

You can expect some immense spaces to trek around, just don’t expect too many courses to race on.

Despite nice effects like the lighting on the torches in dungeons and the water effects that let you see the fishies swimming along, the whole game grows rather old rather fast. This happens because the game is indeed old.

At times engaging and at others frustrating, but still sporting a striking visual design, Fuzion Frenzy is worth a rental for your next party or to check out for an eventual buy.

While Steel Soldiers has its strengths, the outdated play mechanics and buggy code may frustrate players rather than satisfy them.

While the linear missions can get quite tough (not to mention adhering to the imposed time limit), controlling the airblade hoverboard is surprisingly intuitive.

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.

While other games have had interesting twists, excellent characters, or some other well designed facet to help bring a fresh twist to the story, this game is very standard in its approach. It gets tiresome quickly, and will be an all too familiar romp for RPG fans.

Okage's extreme weirdness does level off after a while into a mostly familiar RPG, but its overall charm and humor make the experience well worth it.

Fans of console RPGs will recognize the smooth gameplay and brilliant Final Fantasty-style graphics. It does not have the depth of character interation or development as something like "Fallout" or "Baldur's Gate," but it is a fun ride, taking you into strange policies, and showing intriguing conspiracies and ambitions.

A fun, irreverent romp and a great way to blow off some steam after a hard days work... [but p]layers expecting something radically different from the first game will be disappointed.

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

Will be warmly received by those jonesin’ for a hit of simulated gunplay mayhem. For the rest of us, it’s a worth a shot then best forgot.

Exasperating, not exciting is the prevailing taste left in one's mouth, especially when dealing with the camera.

The game remains single-player only.

The biggest plus of World Series 2K2 has to be the online game mode.

You know you’re in trouble when it takes you five times to get through the first training level of a game, and it freezes on the second.

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.

I must say the game's emotional impact is undeniable, and it kept me filled with terror every time I turned on my PS2... Oh, and something else. This game has the most appallingly violent cutscenes you will ever see.

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.

In theory, this should have been a good game and had some high expectations, but in practice, it should probably dive back to the depths from which is came, and resurface after a few of the flaws have been leaked out.

Without the 'Bots, Metal Fatigue is just real-time strategy grizzle, with them it's neat, cool, fun, even occasionally challenging.

Certainly not the best adventure game I've ever played, but fans of the genre will have some fun.

Playing the console version of Batman Vengeance, you get the impression that the designers made an effort to make a game that was both a good action game, and made sense in the context of the Batman universe.

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

Now that I've finished this game, I'm kind of hoping the developers will go ahead and create another.

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

With its luscious graphics that beg to be stared at, it’s a shame that Bang!’s gameplay isn’t a little more involving.

The characters have character, and the story is quite good as well, which gives the game life, when the novelty of the gameplay starts to wear a little thin.

While not perfect, Justice League Heroes is easily the best game to come out featuring DC heroes in a very long time.

Better than all the superhero drek we've been force-fed in the past, but the wait continues for a superhero PC game we can call a bona fide classic.

Its innovative combat system, addictive click and kill adventuring, and solid story make it a title that keeps reviewers up late.

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!

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

A title that still has camera faults, is far too easy in some of its boss battles, does little to increase the depth of Dante as a character, and little to freshen the formula that was so winning the first time around.

The zoo theme is a lot of fun. Newcomers to sim gaming may get more bang for their buck, but oldtimers with a Noah (as in the Ark) complex will enjoy it as well.

It is just the "Total Package" (yeah I know, I am embarrassed of myself for that one), combining great gameplay with fantastic visuals to create one of the finest sports game ever.

Only improves on its ancestor title, and rewards the tenacious gamer with a big story, creepy locales, big weapons, and lots of frenetic grue.

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.

Don't expect lots of depth, but it is a decent shooter with lots of eye candy. Whereas "Dinosaur Planet" offered a long gaming haul, Star Fox: Assault keeps it short and sweet and simple.

The graphics are no longer fresh, killing people is just bloody, not inventive, the cut scenes are long and uninteresting, and the story isn't nearly as strong or complicated as the plot of the "Soul Reaver" games.

Really, really funny. Right from the opening cut scene you'll be laughing out loud.

It’s too bad that the gifts this game offers--and there are quite a few--are mired in repetitious, humdrum gameplay routines.

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

Compelling and long-lasting.

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.

Since the X universe limits you to mostly trade and price tracking, X starts to feel like "Excel in Space" only with better graphics than the Microsoft game. Eventually, X’s lack of depth creates a game of commuting, which kills off your urgency to see the main story come to a conclusion.

As soon as I finished this game (yes, at four in the morning), I pulled my paperback copy of "Dracula" by ol’ Bram Stoker off the shelf and started reading. Anything that makes me want to read up on stuff has got to have something right about it.

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.

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

When the levels are as easy as this, you end up spending less time with the music, which is where most of the joy in this game comes from.

While [it] might not be as polished or have the better AI and all the bells and whistles of Madden, it is a very solid football game and offers up plenty of new and innovative features that Madden doesn't.

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

Clearly designed by people who by-God know their Simpsons minutiae...An excellent-looking, perfect-sounding, perfectly-playable arcade game, albeit one of many missed opportunities.

The combination of the game's way-frenetic pace and the fact that you can only carry one weapon at a time (which translates to this being a game you play with a single button) adds up to an undeniably action-packed but ultimately shallow game.

Makes a nice package, and is a good ride for fans of the series. It's probably a little rough on newbies though.

There’s no compelling reason to pull you though the game, like Max Payne’s revenge theme or Solid Snake’s score to settle with his ex-teammates.

A lot of fun, with many different kinds of activities, with an immediate sense of accomplishment. It also has copious amount of practise modes.

You mostly-thumbs types will find single-handedly controlling the chariot (while ever watching the pace meter) a bit of a nightmare on the medium and hard levels, but it's all the more reason to bring a friend in for some co-operative race combat.

A bit of a bimbo, pretty but mindless.

AID:TNN comes off, despite its graphical wizardry, a little…sophomoric. The majority of the cinematic cuts and voice acting are god-awful-bad, and not even in that charming, maybe-they-meant-it, B-movie "Resident Evil" way.

They got it all in there, it's just a little discordant and rough around the edges. And, despite the failings of this game, there is every reason to believe that All-Star Baseball 2003 will be the best console baseball game available next season.

A good softcore tease with a decent wrestling game thrown in. If you're into that sort of thing.

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

Not only is the gameplay un-revised on this much more powerful platform, but much of the former joy in the series has been drained away. The characters, levels and gameplay are essentially flat.

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.

At the very least, this is nowhere near the zany, offbeat baseball game ads promise.

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 things they have added do not drag the game down. In many ways they are great improvements. But they don’t go as far towards making the game a truly deep, satisfying RPG as they could.

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

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.

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).

This great engine and these great visuals are draped over gameplay that is just so-so.

The poor maneuverability of Mister Mosquito seriously shrink-rays that already little fun, and makes the game a lot more frustrating than it ought to be. Fresh, though, you've got to give it that.

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.

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.

Just imagine what it could've been like if Capcom had put some effort into it.

Difficult to recommend despite its points of quality, because its points of...well, weirdness...are so prominent.

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.

Even the level layout and "puzzle" elements--find the key, backtrack to the door--smack of things we've already seen, which makes the game, despite its arguable technical flow, something of a letdown.

Controls take some getting used to, but they're not bad in the end.

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.

Great concept, graphics, music, and controls are important characteristics of a great product; but so is gameplay, and in this department Stretch Panic is lacking.

Even though there are some weak moments, overall it’s a great deal of fun being the guy who can stop the horrifying Xenomes from destroying humanity.

The detail is reminiscent of "Sudden Strike," but rendered in 3D. It's truly awesome.

Mad Maestro!'s repetition, missing variety and sundry flaws make it the runt of the litter so far.

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.

Chock full of the same brain-straining combat that made the series famous, Unfinished Business will delight turn-based tacticians. Conversely, the game is difficult, perhaps needlessly so, and newcomers are warned to either stay away or prepare themselves for many hours of frustration.