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.

One thing I found (and liked) about Away Team is that the direct approach works more often than it did in "Commandos."

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

Unfortunately, the included manual is among the least informative ever written and the in-game interface is more than a little clunky.

If you go in expecting action as opposed to getting your socks scared off, you can have fun with it.

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

Walking away from the simple addictive gameplay always proves difficult for me. I hate for a machine to ever get the better of me.

Level design is uninspiring--too many long corridors. Compare this with the stroke-of-genius falling cargo ship level from "Jedi Knight."

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

The game world doesn't provide quite enough in the way of possible control schemes, so you're left with an awkward one no matter which you choose.

A flawed but fascinating adaptation of the imaginings of one of horror's most influential writers.

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.

I'd say this is better than "Sim Theme Park," and worth getting, but if you've already got "Sim Theme Park," you'll probably wonder where the fresh meat is.

An uninspired game. With a fairly short completion time and little to bring you back for more.

Unlike every other game in the known universe (and three or four from a small developer based in 7-Space), you can't turn off the game's forgettable music, which alas drowns out the game's weapon and engine effects.

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.

A bit of a bimbo, pretty but mindless.

It doesn't have the "wow" factor that the first game had and is somewhat forgettable after you have played it through.

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.

Just consider it a still-good, if a little threadbare hand-me down from your PC-gaming big brother Trip Hawkins.

If multiplayer had been added to this game, I could like it a lot more.

A goofy, good-looking fighter, with a definite challenge to dexterity but devoid of any real depth, especially geared to those who enjoyed the Anytown urban cinescapes of "The Matrix."

Precisely good for two-player gaming; nothing more, and not much less.

Prime rental territory; it's one of those games that will be adored by some and abhorred by others, with hardly any middle ground.

If Racer Revenge wasn't a Star Wars game, such a generic little arcade-racer wouldn't even be worth mentioning.

Is it addictive? Yes. I'm a "Bust-a-Move" junkie and I found that habit-forming gameplay in this game too.

With human opponents the games seemed much more lively and unpredictable, and of course, human opponents are more fun to beat on.

Some nasty, stale visuals for a GameCube game. Fuzzy, flat, funky--if Dark Legacy were food, you'd find it in a pub, on a Friday, because nobody had touched it on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

Not as bad as I feared, not as good as I'd hoped. I find some features, such as camera control, more intuitive than even the 360 version. Other functions don't hold out so well.

If you prefer racing with Namco characters as opposed to Nintendo characters, this is the game for you. But Mario Kart still finishes first with everybody else far behind.

The game remains single-player only.

Cityscape has the look of "Unreal" and uses the "Serious Sam" engine, but falls way short of both in playability, artificial intelligence, ingenuity, and environment.

The game is a little bit tough to get into. The controls (mouse look and arrows keys to move) are a tad ungainly.

There's nothing remarkably groundbreaking, but it is a good game overall. One problem however is that this game is replete with glitches.

All about mashing buttons faster and more accurately than anyone else. The only guarantee is fatigued and sore, cramped, arthritic fingers; well, that and Olympic Glory.

It’s very frustrating, and enough to make more sensitive gamers nauseous. You’ll get angry and start swearing at the TV.

As far as multiplayer goes, Rune comes with seven deathmatch levels that, much like the single player version, quickly become monotonous. (Oh look. We’re back here again.)

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.

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.

A well thought out and logical adventure game that, other than the no riding of dragons problem, is fairly solid, if a bit boring.

Unfortunately, the game design doesn’t quite live up to the game play.

Blue Planet has thankfully left the basic gameplay alone.

Savage Skies isn't going to change your life, it isn't going to have you thinking about it for hours and hours when you are away from it, and it will grow a little tiresome after a relatively short time, but it will entertain you, especially if you've ever had any metal or fantasy leanings.

A good mythological storyline goes a long way towards making a sometimes-frustrating game a whole lot of fun.

There's a lot of survival in this survival horror, but very little horror. Occasionally it manages to surprise you with some good monster placement and give you a little jolt, but that's all.

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

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.

A very faithful recreation of its coin-operated brethren in both its graphics and gameplay. The bad news, however, is that without the light gun, it’s just not as fun. Plain as that.

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.

Putting a 3D face on a 2D game just doesn’t cut it.

It's got a marked cosmetic advantage over competition. When it comes to playability, though, this sucker doesn't even make the scoreboard.

After all this time and two tries at the genre, I hoped for something more.

Repetitive missions are a strike against it, but the real damage is done by the annoying auto-aim and the slow to respond control.

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.

If you are the obsessive type who likes to control every little happening, the trade of every historically-accurate bushel of grain, then Patrician II will supply a lengthy, stream of satisfaction.

The gameplay that exists in BDB is decent, but there isn't a whole lot of it (though the difficulty level may make it take awhile to complete).

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

I did manage to have some fun with Reign of Fire, but never got past the frustration with the controls.

Its uninspired dungeons, two-dimensional characters, repetitive gameplay and frustrating technical problems make this one not worth the time or the money.

Buggy doesn’t quite describe the gaming experience with this rush-job.

Simplicity is normally a virtue on a handheld, but I'd say this game is too simple.

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.

I’m hoping that EA Replay makes it to another platform; I have a feeling that it will do better there.

I enjoyed the story elements of the game immensely. The communication between the characters in Mission: Impossible is mature and completely in tune with the feel of the series and film. Unfortunately, the bulk of the gameplay in the adventure is not up to the quality of the atmosphere that is created for us.

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

If you enjoyed Rune but wanted more multiplayer play, these two new modes offered in Halls of Valhalla will likely do very little to satiate your needs. Action fans should pass on this game altogether and put that same $20 towards "Serious Sam."

Not as fun as the extra-exaggerated Triple Play games of the past and nowhere near as good as better baseball simulations by 3DO and Acclaim.

While it is fun in short spurts, there are too many issues to make it a first round pick.

Whatever the reasons, Lady Sia is able to remain enjoyable for at least half the time it takes to complete its quest, which is more than can be said of the majority of the new titles out this winter.

You've seen these types of puzzles before, but they are decently difficult and varied enough to please most adventure gamers.

I would have also liked the game to last longer. An, average monster's life span is three to four years. That can be played through in about one or two sittings.

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

Hardcore types probably won't care for it, but the more mainstreamers might be interested in a little monkey business.

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.

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.

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.

The lack of stimulating combat or camp building will turn off quite a few others. But hey, the premise is cool.

Unfortunately, this writer is unable to provide a worthwhile explanation for such a pitiful display of graphical engineering.

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.

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

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

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

The lack of lightgun support and the shortness of the game hurt what is otherwise a great title.

Smartly though, the game is very easy on the lowest setting, so even the most aim-challenged of casual gamers should be able to get far into it.

Passable entertainment, just keep in mind that it's meant to be a light action game. If you're like me though, you're hungry for a true starfighter sim like you played in the glory days of the X-Wing series.

What is up with the baby?

It’s more of the same, and slightly better.

A playable game with a some enjoyable moments. If you've got the patience to struggle with the less than perfect control, go ahead and rent this one.

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

In the end playing Gangsters 2 is like watching a really bad B-movie. You enjoy yourself not because the movie is well directed, or acted; you watch the movie because parts of it are so bad it makes you laugh.

Those who love controlling every aspect of a battle, those who have time to spend mastering the cumbersome interface, and those who don't mind managing a daunting number of units may enjoy BCT Commander. Everyone else should stay away.

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.

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.

Multiplayer is a great aspect of the game. The only great aspect of the game.

While the load times are not outrageously long, they do pile up, especially when there is a palatable pause just between flipping to the options screen!

Although a solid simulation, the game lacks the flexibility, beauty, and creativity to be more than a mid-range title.

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

Not fun from the get go.