The gripping story line is the only reason to struggle with a frustrating and monotonous combat system, to wander in repetitive environments, and to suffer through predictable gameplay. [Mar 2003, p.116]

Nearly as sharp and detailed as the characters in an anime movie, X2's fighters spring to life with fluid visuals that put "Street Fighter III"'s to shame. [Mar 2003, p.126]

The movie might be OK. But the game? It's a lifeless, mediocre beat-em-up.[Mar 2003, p.134]

An absolutely phenomenal experience... GameCube desperately needed a title like this. [Feb 2003, p.151]

The most frustrating thing about Bruised is that, to be successful, you've either got to memorize a lot of combos or just mash and hope for the best. [Apr 2003, p.111]

The lame-o difficulty (the first game was probably too hard, but come on, I've played tougher "Rugrats" games) means that you'll blow through it in a night. [Mar 2003, p.114]

She's less a game and more an interactive vacation - something I can play whenever I have time and not get completely lost. [Mar 2003, p.130]

The control is a bit sloppy, but the tracks really improve as the game progresses. [Mar 2003, p.134]

If you're a fan of films like "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch," you'll feel right at home with this twisted tale. [Mar 2003, p.122]

The action is hectic, and more importantly, every unit on the battlefield enacts its role very effectively, from the largest artillery carrier to the lowliest ground troop. [Feb 2003, p.147]

A FRICKIN' RIP-OFF... [yet] still deserves playing. [Apr 2003, p.128]

RE3's high price and disappointing lack of extras mean I can't recommend it as anything more than a rental for those new to the series. [Mar 2003, p.128]

The more you play, the more you realize just how much freedom you have... [yet t]here's something kind of sick about tending to a virtual character's toilet and hygiene needs while neglecting my own. [Feb 2003, p.140]

I defy anyone, whether they care about big monsters or not, to pick this game up and not experience two things. First, they'll develop rudimentary skills within about a minute or two of play, and second, they'll have an enormous amount of fun. [Feb 2003, p.142]

Hardcore gamers will savor every beautiful moment of Orta, and they'll keep playing it religiously to unlock the vast trove of amazing secrets - hidden stages, riders, cinemas, and an entire separate game. [Feb 2003, p.157]

It's aimed at hardcore Dynasty afficionados... more of the same Dynasty brawling, but it's discount price makes it easy on the wallet. [Feb 2003, p.135]

Younger gamers won't be disappointed. [Mar 2003, p.134]

I've never played a movie-based game that stays so true to its source material. [Feb 2003, p.147]

The Orc-hacking gameplay has you tapping more than just one button 90 times a minute. [Feb 2003, p.154]

It feels like you're not fully in control. [Dec 2002, p.236]

The varied missions -- 40 or so of them -- are a visceral blast, and even the simple waste-them-all-and-send-God-the-cleaning-bill slaughter sessions are wonderfully cathartic. [Feb 2003, p.152]

The detailed plot adds an interesting twist to the genre, but honestly, all the talking gets a little old after a while, especially since the main character's usually just whining. [Feb 2003, p.135]

One of the prettiest, most involving RPGs to hit the GBA. [Dec 2002, p.272]

For an undead ruler, Kain sure has to flip a lot of switches and push around oodles of crates. [Feb 2003, p.144]

Between the terrific cinemas, TV voice actors, and perfectly re-created story lines, you'll really feel like you're playing the show. And isn't that what you've wanted all along? [Feb 2003, p.136]

"Four Swords" is the most fun I've ever had with a four-player GBA game. [Jan 2003, p.212]

Finishing the game takes just a few hours, and after you're done, there's little incentive to play again... Still great fun and better than most platformers out there. [Jan 2003, p.210]

Expect a stale, low-tech dungeon crawl that feels like it fell out of 1999. [Feb 2003, p.144]

Anyone expecting to reliably pull off a 20-hitter with Adon: Forget it. [Oct 2002, p.204]

Shrek is full of dull, poorly constructed rip-offs that get recycled several times. You'll be utterly bored after a few minutes with these creepy diversions. [Feb 2003, p.158]

The presentation feels more like local-access television than Wrestlemania's glamorous theatrics. [Feb 2003, p.146]

What surprised me most, though, were the incredible, lush visuals. [Jan 2003, p.180]

It's hard to complain when you're getting two classics (and "PSIII") at such a bargain price - just be prepared for a challenge. [Feb 2003, p.158]

If you can look past the ugly visuals, grab a friend and tackle this in Cooperative mode (but skip the dull four-man face-off) [Feb 2003, p.158]

The perfect late-night rental. [Feb 2003, p.147]

It's just an overall final layer of polish that keeps March Madness from the National Championship. [Jan 2003, p.176]

It's slow, it's difficult, it's unapologetically complicated...but it's also incredibly realistic, unique, and engrossing. [Jan 2003, p.204]

A bland dish indeed, whipped up by chefs who were asleep, or perhaps dead, when lessons on taste and flavor were being taught. [Feb 2003, p.154]

Far deeper than most first-person shooters...A game that makes great use of its license. [Dec 2002, p.270]

Isn't a terrible game; just an unremarkable one, outside a few flashes of cool fighting - much like the show itself. [Feb 2003, p.147]

It's old-fashioned, unpretentious fun, but fun that might be better suited to something that wasn't full price. [Dec 2002, p.218]

It doesn't take a mutant psychic with precognition to figure out this one's a renter. [Feb 2003, p.138]

A horrible camera often shakes uncontrollably like a drunken Corellian, and sloppy controls tend to make you feel just as uncoordinated. [Feb 2003, p.138]

As accurate a port as one could hope for on GBA - the 3D engine runs smoothly, mimicking the look and feel of the GC game while maintaining its tight controls. [Feb 2003, p.158]

It's not as mind-blowingly awful as the old N64 "Superman" stinker, but it is outclassed by nearly every other comic-book game out there. [Feb 2003, p.154]

Playing DHV makes me feel like Hans Gruber at the end of the first "Die Hard" film: falling backward toward the pavement, flailing and screaming. [Dec 2002, p.228]

An above-average shooting title that feels a lot like Sega's "The House of the Dead" games. [Sept 2002, p.150]

Clearing each squad of dim-witted goons is rarely an intellectual challenge but always entertaining as an ultraviolent display of beauty and precision -- it's like a John Woo movie without the doves and opera music. [Feb 2003, p.135]

A camera system that hates you dominates throughout. [Jan 2003, p.194]

It's not the nice visuals that make NightFire worth playing - the amazing gameplay is the main draw. [Jan 2003, p.196]

Even within this genre, we should've gotten a bullet-packed, blow-everything-to-hell experience like teh arcade classic "Smash TV." Instead, we get Nick at Night reruns of the "Golden Girls." [Feb 2003, p.144]

In the attempt to be all things for all kinds of gamer, each little mode lacks polish. [Jan 2003, p.173]

As expected, the control is perfect. Samus' myriad movies activate with precision and ease - all games should feel this good. [Jan 2003, p.214]

A very good-looking, fun boxing title loaded with satisfying arcade action... The champ's still got it. [Dec 2002, p.258]

A graphical powerhouse... My only gripe: Some levels are outrageously difficult. [Jan 2003, p.206]

The visuals are untouchable, the gameplay is tight, and the mood is hauntingly captivating. It is simply mind-blowing on so many different levels. [Jan 2003, p.184]

Strip away the surprisingly excellent graphics and gimmicky bonus material and you've got a 3D fighter that's derivative at best. [Jan 2003, p.178]

It's incredible how accurately this game captures the look of the movies and the spirit of the books. [Dec 2002, p.204]

Nearly every aspect of the game impresses, except for the airborne Quidditch matches. [Dec 2002, p.272]

Difficult - even the homeliest guy on earth could get laid before he could complete the inane tasks required to unlock all the R-rated stripper videos (which aren't worth the effort, by the way). Only the most patient, hardcore, and masochistic will be able to play through XXX. [Feb 2003, p.152]

Obviously Potter-ignorant muggles need not apply, but would-be wizards (or witches) looking for a lil' magic this year should give Secrets a try. [Dec 2002, p.228]

Jumping has the buoyancy of Homer after a big box of glazed doughnuts. [Jan 2003, p.176]

Prophecy is little more than an endless procession of switches. [Feb 2003, p.158]

Even if the game is largely formulaic, Capcom still pulls it off better than anyone else out there. [Jan 2003, p.190]

A huge improvement over last year's "Heat," but still not good enough to quiet EA's "Thunder." [Dec 2002, p.204]

Nothing but a disappointing concoction of fighting-genre cliches... Unquestionably the worst fighting game I've played in years. [Feb 2003, p.154]

Intense, exciting and hella fun. [Dec 2002, p.270]

In direct contrast to "Steel Battalion," MechAssault is flashy, fast, and instantly gratifying. [Jan 2003, p.198]

The rock-solid gamelay has been tuned to perfection and no other game sweats the details like this. [Jan 2003, p.176]

This game is hellaciously hard. So much so that I can't even think of the words to describe how difficult Shinobi becomes halfway through. [Dec 2002, p.220]

I was lulled into a comatose state after playing about six stages of Serious Sam; making it through another 10 had me flatlining. [Dec 2002, p.258 ; score updated, Jan 2002, p.22]

Good, but could have been so much more. [Dec 2002, p.240]

There are a ton of extras to open up and a load of different modes to play, adding a lot of replay value that the original lacked. [Feb 2003, p.135]

Sure, these chaotic stages look amazing, but annoying mission objectives erode a big chunk of the fun. [Dec 2002, p.252]

The game's family-friendly, white-washed Teen rating siphons out a lot of the potentially gritty realism. [Dec 2002, p.236]

A worthwhile game, but only if you appreciate the quirky and bizarre. [Dec 2002, p.228]

Delivers a long, satisfying experience with a good mix of platforming and exploration-style gameplay. [Dec 2002, p.214]

The game's approach to controlling a giant, transforming robot is probably the freshest ever conceived. [Dec 2002, p.80]

It's easily worthy of a spot alongside the best giant-robot games ever. [Nov 2002, p.300]

All the added VR missions take advantage of the game's biggest strengths (gameplay) and cut out its one real weakness (silly story line). [Jan 2003, p.200]

Frustratingly difficult. [Dec 2002, p.270]

Changes to the in-ring gameplay itself are barely noticeable. It's good, but if you're not a hardcore fan, you'll tire of it quickly. [Jan 2003, p.182]

While "Live" is completely redesigned and "NBA 2K3" pushes the online envelope for the Xbox, Inside Drive has, uh..... downloadable shoes. [Jan 2003, p.210]

As big as "GTA3" is, Vice City dwarfs it in almost every way. (Greg) ... The graphical improvements are subtle but effective. (Che) ... An instant classic. (Milkman)[Dec 2002, p.204]

When I wasn't being mugged by the Bad Voice-Actors Brigade or rendered comatose by the game's tepid pace, I was struggling with the enormous chore of just moving around thanks to the clunky, imprecise, sub-"Resident Evil" controls. [Dec 2002, p.260]

A masterpiece...PSO will, ever so slowly, sink its addictive claws into your brain, never to let go, even after you've beaten it once. Or twice. Or more... [Dec 2002, p.93]

It's "SSX Tricky" on water. [Jan 2003, p.176]

The new Freeze steps (where you hold your foot down in one direction for multiple beats) are a great addition to the high-steppin' action. [Dec 2002, p.202]

A pretty basic vehicular shooter...However, the sheer brilliance of the different multiplayer matches makes it worth the price of admission. [Dec 2002, p.242]

It won't blow you away, but RPG fans who can see beyond the drab look and slow intro will find a rewarding epic. [Dec 2002, p.218]

There's a good and varied crop of creeps to slaughter, but, sadly, using the Xbox controller with its imprecise analog stick to blast said creeps is more chore than it is pleasure. [Dec 2002, p.250]

The game's goals are so diverse, you can't help but come back for more, if only to see what outrageous challenges await you next. [Dec 2002, p.226]

For what it is, it's an enjoyable game. [Dec 2002, p.272]

It's not going to change your life, but it will definitely make you smile. [Dec 2002, p.268]

Almost a tee-to-shining-tee rip-off of Sony's "Hot Shots Golf" series, complete with jabbering caddies and "wacky" unlockable golfers. [Feb 2003, p.144]

Makes a great first impression, but behind the flash, there's little to keep you truckin' for the long haul. [Dec 2002, p.212]

Intelligently blends the three gameplay styles together in a way that works. [Dec 2002, p.202]

Old school in every possible way. [Jan 2003, p.173]