Joe's style is his substance. His story may amount to so much fluff, but the flimsy plot is only pretense for the near-perfect gameplay you'll find in this comic book come to life. [Nov 2003, p.192]

Eliminating enemy forces and hoisting our country's colors high above Manhattan rooftops never feels repetitive... Sadly, Freedom Fighters is over too quickly, it's easily completed during a weekend sitting. [Oct 2003, p.131]

Eliminating enemy forces and hoisting our country's colors high above Manhattan rooftops never feels repetitive... Sadly, Freedom Fighters is over too quickly, it's easily completed during a weekend sitting. [Oct 2003, p.131]

Eliminating enemy forces and hoisting our country's colors high above Manhattan rooftops never feels repetitive... Sadly, Freedom Fighters is over too quickly, it's easily completed during a weekend sitting. [Oct 2003, p.131]

Crown is entertaining only if your other option is taking an algebra test... You know, maybe I'll grab some pals and play "Risk" instead. [Nov 2003, p.175]

Most hockey games serve up similarly snazzy visuals, tight control, and expansive options, but none of 'em focus on purely wild-and-fun gameplay like this. [Oct 2003, p.136]

Most hockey games serve up similarly snazzy visuals, tight control, and expansive options, but none of 'em focus on purely wild-and-fun gameplay like this. [Oct 2003, p.136]

Most hockey games serve up similarly snazzy visuals, tight control, and expansive options, but none of 'em focus on purely wild-and-fun gameplay like this. [Oct 2003, p.136]

While this latest version succeeds in providing a polished, fast-paced, fun game of over-the-top 3-on-3 hoops, it doesn't really offer anything we haven't seen before. [Dec 2003, p.191]

Once you get the hang of getting your troops in position to pull off huge combos, the game becomes surprisingly fun and addictive. [Nov 2003, p.176]

Two-player is so much fun it makes MAX2 a worthwhile investment for anyone looking for a shallow but thrilling party diversion. And Workout mode is a blast if you're at all concerned with weight loss. [Nov 2003, p.185]

While this latest version succeeds in providing a polished, fast-paced, fun game of over-the-top 3-on-3 hoops, it doesn't really offer anything we haven't seen before. [Dec 2003, p.191]

The "hurt Vince to hurt meanies" premise really shines through in the boss battles, most of which are brilliantly hilarious - but they don't come often enough. [Dec 2003, p.226]

Many a "Sonic" fan will get a lot out of this. I just wanna see Sonic Team break some ground. Maybe next time. [Oct 2003, p.160]

Too much force and not enough finesse - that's the problem with EA's puck offering. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for getting' physical, but not when it comes at the cost of disrupting the natural flow of hockey. [Oct 2003, p.138]

EA's improved everything in this game, from graphics to putting to new arcade modes that help pass the time. There's just no better golf game out there. [Oct 2003, p.136]

EA's improved everything in this game, from graphics to putting to new arcade modes that help pass the time. There's just no better golf game out there. [Oct 2003, p.136]

Too much force and not enough finesse - that's the problem with EA's puck offering. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for getting' physical, but not when it comes at the cost of disrupting the natural flow of hockey. [Oct 2003, p.138]

EA's improved everything in this game, from graphics to putting to new arcade modes that help pass the time. There's just no better golf game out there. [Oct 2003, p.136]

Too much force and not enough finesse - that's the problem with EA's puck offering. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for getting' physical, but not when it comes at the cost of disrupting the natural flow of hockey. [Oct 2003, p.138]

Play solo, and you'll find scant motivation to hew through hundreds of drooling monsters. Forming a party, on the other hand, changes everything. [Nov 2003, p.189]

XGRA isn't as impressive as "Extreme G 3" was when it first hit PS2 and Cube. The graphics look roughly the same, it plays similarly, and it has the same main drawback: not enough tracks. [Nov 2003, p.174]

Taking the checkered flag involves strategy, which the Grudge/Alliance feature exemplifies perfectly. Still, the controls are a bit too unforgiving for the casual racing fan. [Oct 2003, p.132]

Hit & Run is so good at capturing the show's spirit and copying a great game ["GTA"] that it turns out to be real, honest-to-God fun for anyone who digs the show. [Oct 2003, p.140]

Eminently playable, and more importantly, replayable. All the hacking and slashing should get old after a while, but the infamous "quest for stuff" kept me going for the long haul. [Oct 2003, p.168]

A surprisingly captivating little adventure. Its main selling point - the sun sensor - is one of the most original ideas to come along in years, although it's not always practical. [Oct 2003, p.164]

Playing from a series of static perspectives seems like a hearkening back to the days of clunky, older PS1 titles, and it's completely unsuited for a game that requires so much fast action. [Oct 2003, p.152]

Hit & Run is so good at capturing the show's spirit and copying a great game ["GTA"] that it turns out to be real, honest-to-God fun for anyone who digs the show. [Oct 2003, p.140]

Taking the checkered flag involves strategy, which the Grudge/Alliance feature exemplifies perfectly. Still, the controls are a bit too unforgiving for the casual racing fan. [Oct 2003, p.132]

Hit & Run is so good at capturing the show's spirit and copying a great game ["GTA"] that it turns out to be real, honest-to-God fun for anyone who digs the show. [Oct 2003, p.140]

Problems from the first Raw carry over - matches plod on too long, and animations look unrealistic and robotic. Even diehard WWE fans should treat this as a rental. [Dec 2003, p.224]

XGRA isn't as impressive as "Extreme G 3" was when it first hit PS2 and Cube. The graphics look roughly the same, it plays similarly, and it has the same main drawback: not enough tracks. [Nov 2003, p.174]

Strategic RPG elements greatly augment play and have the added benefit of balancing out the game's more mindless moments. [Jan 2003, p.210]

For the second consecutive year, it leaves the competition slack-jawed and two steps behind with its finesse game. Aside from being the best looking of the latest hockey titles, it's also the most realistic. [Oct 2003, p.138]

Wayward needs something to keep it interesting, like stronger melee weapons to discover or moves to learn. [Sept 2003, p.117]

The whole package amounts to a single "Vice City" car mission in which you tail jalopies along rigidly scripted trails, but without the room for improvisation you'd find in "GTA." [Nov 2003, p.173]

The mediocre graphics, overly simplistic dungeons, and repetitive combat (in which you're alternately mashing buttons or baby-sitting you're A.I.-deprived party members) haven't changed one bit since the first volume. [Oct 2003, p.144]

Offers some decent (yet uninspired) missions to fly, but...true thrills are in short supply. [Nov 2003, p.184]

The whole package amounts to a single "Vice City" car mission in which you tail jalopies along rigidly scripted trails, but without the room for improvisation you'd find in "GTA." [Nov 2003, p.173]

For the second consecutive year, it leaves the competition slack-jawed and two steps behind with its finesse game. Aside from being the best looking of the latest hockey titles, it's also the most realistic. [Oct 2003, p.138]

Excitement wears thin when you realize you're fighting the same enemies and running down the same corridors over and over. There's not even a real story to cling to, so players are left with little more than a few hours of tedious button mashing. [Oct 2003, p.163]

Features unparalleled depth in terms of character customization and on-field tactical arrangment. Plus, FFTA doesn't drown in its own complexity and impenetrable plot. [Oct 2003, p.166]

The single-player modes hold XIX back from being the ultimate grappler. [Nov 2003, p.198]

Even with these changes and enhanced running game, ESPN NFL Football remains second-string behind "Madden"; its franchise options don't stack up to Johnny boy's title. [Sept 2003, p.125]

Atlus separates the men from the quivering, weeping boys with one of the funniest, deepest, and downright dastardly RPG's you'll ever play. [Oct 2003, p.150]

What initially seemed overly mathematical and number-crunchingly complex has now taken over my psyche. When I close my eyes I see pulsating dice in fabulous combinations. [Sept 2003, p.113]

Why would you bother with its blundering ways with "Madden" and "ESPN" around? [Nov 2003, p.184]

A hardcore gamer's fantasy game come true. With Eight-Way Run, Air Control, Guard Impacts, and all these other techniques in your holster, you can spend weeks training with just one character. [Sept 2003, p.103]

The controls are sluggish, and combos are difficult to pull off because of the GBA's tiny directional pad. [Sept 2003, p.134]

Otogi has incredible art direction, virtually flawless controls, and one of the most addictive (and rewarding) combat systems out there. Hack-n-slash in 3D has never been this good on Xbox. [Oct 2003, p.154]

Problems plague the player models, the camera is too high, the Dynasty mode is still shallow, and Fever's announcers make Madden's demented ramblings sound smart. [Sept 2003, p.125]

A hardcore gamer's fantasy game come true. With Eight-Way Run, Air Control, Guard Impacts, and all these other techniques in your holster, you can spend weeks training with just one character. [Sept 2003, p.103]

A hardcore gamer's fantasy game come true. With Eight-Way Run, Air Control, Guard Impacts, and all these other techniques in your holster, you can spend weeks training with just one character. [Sept 2003, p.103]

Like a mediocre Buffy episode: Decent plot, predictable Scooby-gang hijinks, and lots of fighting action and bad vampire puns... It also throws in...the iffy graphics engine that produces lifeless character movement and collision issues. [Oct 2003, p.134]

Every orifice oozes Pokemon quality - everything but the flippers themselves have some kind of link to the Pokeverse. [Nov 2003, p.202]

Like a mediocre Buffy episode: Decent plot, predictable Scooby-gang hijinks, and lots of fighting action and bad vampire puns... It also throws in...the iffy graphics engine that produces lifeless character movement and collision issues. [Oct 2003, p.134]

If you're not a hardcore fan of the genre, GX will fast make you furious. The game's punishing difficulty will push many gamers past single-digit exclamations and into an extended rant of DEFCON 1-level profanity... But a lot of you are looking for an ultradifficult racing challenge. Here it is. [Oct 2003, p.158]

Like a mediocre Buffy episode: Decent plot, predictable Scooby-gang hijinks, and lots of fighting action and bad vampire puns... It also throws in...the iffy graphics engine that produces lifeless character movement and collision issues. [Oct 2003, p.134]

You'll never get lost instantly die from misjudged jumps, or have to play through difficult parts ten times over. Consequently, it's also a little too easy. [Oct 2003, p.135]

You'll never get lost instantly die from misjudged jumps, or have to play through difficult parts ten times over. Consequently, it's also a little too easy. [Oct 2003, p.135]

Played it, beat it, forgot it... Oh, and it has the worst unlockable secret ever - an art gallery of the load screens...that's right, the ones burned into your memory during the long load times. Gee, thanks. [Oct 2003, p.139]

Played it, beat it, forgot it... Oh, and it has the worst unlockable secret ever - an art gallery of the load screens...that's right, the ones burned into your memory during the long load times. Gee, thanks. [Oct 2003, p.139]

It delivers ho-hum RC racing that, true to the title, involves inadvertently smashing into things...and that's about it. [Aug 2003, p.112]

Like its title suggests, Evo takes Sega's staggering chop-socky PS2 masterpiece and fine-tunes it to near perfection... But the real reason to plunk down 20 bucks is for Evo's superb Quest mode. [Sept 2003, p.115]

The Playmaker Control feature...gives you an unprecedented amount of control, so you actually feel like you're commanding the whole team, not just the QB. [Sept 2003, p.124]

First, it provides an engaging story (told through beautiful cut-scenes that kept me on my toes till the very end. Second...building up each legion's stats keeps the action from feeling monotonous. [July 2003, p.112]

Online, however, Thunder deserves a salute for its wide selection of match types and well-designed multiplayer maps - the burned-out bases and beachside cabanas make for great playgrounds. [Sept 2003, p.120]

Scary, and I'm talkinng freaked-the-f***-out-at-3 a.m. scary. I mean it - afer an inexplicably horrific run-in with a blood-spewing bathtub at Brookhaven Hospital, sleep was out of the question for me. [Sept 2003, p.114]

I've never seen a game with such intolerable loading times. [Oct 2003, p.142]

If anyone ever caught you playing this game and heard its so-bad-it's-not-even-good music, it would replace that time you got the porno tape stuck in your parents' VCR as the most embarrassing moment of your life. [Sept 2003, p.112]

There's entertainment to be had with Extinction, but expect a lot of hair-pulling to go along with it. [Sept 2003, p.116]

Like any good golf game, amidst all the cartoony graphics, silly sound bites, and tropical-themed songs, somehow it makes you feel like you're a real golfer. [Oct 2003, p.162]

Mentally handicapped enemies, repetitive mission objectives, and some of the least-intentionally humorous dialogue ever. [July 2003, p.110]

What an awesome surprise - DD wasn't even on my radar, but it deftly mixes "Road Rash's" two-wheeled combat with "SSX's" long and crazy downhill drops to create one hell of a rush. [Aug 2003, p.121]

It was the mission objectives that put fear in my heart. Many are downright illogical to the point where I could only figure out what to do by screwing up over and over. [Oct 2003, p.142]

Silent Line has made me a partial believer; if they'd simplified the controls some, I'd be completely sold. [Aug 2003, p.113]

KOTOR is like the movie we all hoped "Episode I" would be - enthralling plot, marvelous visuals and voice acting, deep immersion in the galaxy's many worlds, with all that noble Jedi malarkey lightened up by old-school "Episode 4"-style humor. [Sept 2003, p.118]

One helluva college football experience... The gameplay isn't quite as confining as "Madden's", allowing for more open-ended games. [Aug 2003, p.118]

In the end, K-1's pared-down approach is forgivable, but its bland execution is not. [Aug 2003, p.113]

Look past the low-brow trappings, and you'll find a kick-ass competition that's easy playing for parties yet complex enough to warrant practice. [Sept 2003, p.132]

Heat's mushy [control] scheme relies too heavily on context, making your beach bunny set when you intended an unstoppable spike, and its overbearing interface banishes guesswork (and psych-out strategy) from the game. Still, the virtual volleyball action is fast-paced fun. [Sept 2003, p.112]

It's like "Morrowind," minus the best part - exploration... The gameplay simply isn't fun. [Sept 2003, p.122]

I love the satisfying mix of action and puzzles as you find, disarm, and nab rogue apes, and the colorful cartoony graphics and wacky story are top notch. [Aug 2003, p.73]

The repetitive challenges are uncreative, and the game's choppy graphics and collision-detection isues make the whole experience head-splitting. [Aug 2003, p.116]

As a game, it's merely OK, but as a creative toolbox, it's exceptional. [June 2003, p.121]

This 40-hour quest could've really used a few legitimate dungeons to explore, but the narrative and combat alone kept me hooked. [July 2003, p.106]

If you can get past the deja vu, you'll most likely have a great time with BN3. Let's just hope the next one offers something new. [June 2003, p.133]

The sequel packs the same simple visuals and strategy system, but I think the rewarding gameplay's even better this time around. [July 2003, p.122]

The boring, repetitive, annoying missions will only frustrate you. If you must drive a Mini, buy the much better (and much cheaper) Italian Job on PS1. [Sept 2003, p.121]

The levels are tight, fast, and fun - less about aimless exploration and more about reflex-testing action. But on the other hand, I'm a little disappointed that it's so short and simplistic, and that it doesn't take more advantage of the GC's hardware. [July 2003, p.114]

Darkness' [control] scheme is more ponderous than ever and feels like it was designed by 10 people who didn't get along. [Sept 2003, p.128]

Sorry, but the near total lack of horror in this survival horror game bored me plumb to sleep. [July 2003, p.116]

Fortune II doesn't have the same visual polish or addictive team-based onlne play of ["Return to Castle Wolfenstein"]. [Aug 2003, p.112]

It doesn't look any prettier on the more powerful Cube - the periodic slowdown is inexcuseable (especially in a Sonic game), and the camera is still awful. [June 2003, p.122]

The debilitating, clunky controls had me spewing so many expletives in the heat of combat that passersby probably thought I had Tourette's syndrome. [Sept 2003, p.132]

This game sucks. Unlimited Saga exemplfies everything that's wrong with RPGs today and throws it all together in one deluxe package for all to avoid like the plague. [July 2003, p.108]

The overarching plot is fittingly epic and the graphics are fine, but plebian puzzles and problem-fraught combat guarantee frustration in this humdrum quest. [July 2003, p.123]

It's tough to overlook its frequent pauses for loading, brain-dead enemies, unrealistic animations, and repetitive graphics. [Aug 2003, p.122]