A basic hack-'n'-slash game, albeit a really good one. [Jan 2003, p.174]

What saves CBJ from mediocrity is the fact that you can customize the bejeezus out of your vehicle, adding an extra layer of depth to an otherwise not-so-deep game. [Sept 2002, p.162]

It's kind of a letdown that the only major difference in MP4 is the sharp GameCube visuals. [Jan 2003, p.187]

Factor in obscene load times and overly difficult enemy A.I., and it's a game that only rabid X-fans will enjoy.l [Jan 2003, p.194]

Cool characters and inventive locales also make a difference. [Nov 2002, p.283]

Even if you play through both titles multiple times to see all of the branching missions, you can still blow through it in a day or two. [Dec 2002, p.218]

I liked it. In fact, after the rather bland first level, I couldn't put it down. There's just so much to do. [Dec 2002, p.202]

A really good game. The brighter, more varied environments range from nice-looking to simply beautiful. [Dec 2002, p.216]

True fans of the books will look past the problems and enjoy the game. [Dec 2002, p.210]

A great multiplayer romp that will keep you and your friends glued to the set for months to come. [Dec 2002, p.236]

Its combo of intense, old-school action-shooter gameplay... with entirely original elements (the sonar effect is genius) has me hooked. [Nov 2002, p.298]

It's easily the best all-around basketball game on the market this year. [Dec 2002, p.250]

The character is bland, the environments are stale and the fetch missions are tedious. [Dec 2002, p.236]

It's the innovative use of the right analog stick that seals the deal. [Dec 2002, p.212]

Online play, a much-improved franchise mode, and the integration of the ESPN license dot the i's in an already great series. [Dec 2002, p.204]

This is, without a doubt, the best first-person shooter you'll find on the PS2. [Dec 2002, p.224]

The game controls better on the chunkier, first-person-shooter-friendly Xbox pad, making this the finest rendition of TS2 available. [Dec 2002, p.270]

I still wholly recommend "NBA 2K3," but Live looks like it's back on the upswing. [Dec 2002, p.258]

It's hard to top pummeling an opponent with a building you just ripped from its foundation. [Dec 2002, p.234]

Note to developers: if your main character is a wacky time-travelling, vacuuming cat, you've got to milk the wacky angle! [Dec 2002, p.248]

While "Live" has made great strides this year, 2K3 is so far ahead of the curve, it's astounding. [Dec 2002, p.236]

One of the most wicked arcade-racing games I've ever played. [Nov 2002, p.284]

A good game that would've been great if it ran as fast as the PS2 version. [Nov 2002, p.300]

It feels more like a Sunday drive down a busy city street... Go straight for the PS2 game. It's far and away the best of the three. [Nov 2002, p.306]

I was utterly addicted the moment I started playing Hitman 2. [Dec 2002, p.204]

The novelty of the battle system wears thin pretty quickly, and befroe you know it, you'll be wishing you could just skip fighting altogether. [Dec 2002, p.204]

A better-playing, all-around more realistic game than 2002 with a level of control that puts all past EA NHL games to shame. [Dec 2002, p.212]

Approach it clinically, and you'll dig Xtreme's versatile, well-designed skill and magic systems. [Nov 2002, p.283]

I can't remember the last time I had this much fun with a racing game. [Dec 2002, p.202]

It's too simplified and repetitive for even the most desperate of action-starved gamers. [Oct 2002, p.194]

Blows the doors off anything that came before it. [Nov 2002, p.283]

My biggest gripe is that the special moves are ineffective to the point of being useless, and you can rack up over 20 blocked shots a game, which is absolutely ridiculous. [Dec 2002, p.212]

My biggest gripe is with Apokolips' level design, which usually involves beating up the same enemies over and over again. [Dec 2002, p.218]

The game's real thrill: piloting your triple-changing fighter, which you'll transform constantly to handle different situations. [Nov 2002, p.283]

It does an incredible job of re-creating the show's fast-paced mech combat by combining slick animation and spot-on controls. [Nov 2002, p.302]

Addictive and fun whether you're entertaining a group of friends or a party of one. [June 2002, p.110]

Easily the best platformer on the PS2. [Nov 2002, p.288, Chris]

It ain't particularly exciting, but it ain't exactly bad, either. [Dec 2002, p.272]

One of the freshest, most lovingly crafted side-scrollers that still plays well to this day. [Dec 2002, p.272]

With smooth graphics, fast action, and intuitive controls, plus Xbox Live or network multiplayer matches, UC's easy to enjoy. [Jan 2003, p.85]

This game is a rushed, slapdash effort intended to prey on unsuspecting consumers. [Dec 2002, p.250]

A quality, enjoyable action-RPG...On the strength of DH's story alone, you have an RPG worth not only playing but owning. [Oct 2002, p.179]

Ironically, Summoner 2's strengths (faster action, computer-controlled allies) expose the game's many weaknesses (poor camera during combat, enemies that swarm you, sluggish controls). [Nov 2002, p.70]

A crucial piece of the puzzle is missing here: communication. [Nov 2002, p.292]

Feels stale and rehashed. In a lot of ways, this is pretty much the same game we've been playing since 1997, but without the refinement of "Tekken 3" or the added team complexity of "Tekken Tag Tournament." [Oct 2002, p.190]

It's a bizarre mishmash of clashing styles, concepts and gameplay that, despite being all over the map, is still a must-play title. [Nov 2002, p.72]

I can't recommend this game enough. [Nov 2002, p.300]

The most immersive NASCAR title ever on any console...The ultimate mix of speed, beauty, gameplay and worthwhile extras. [Nov 2002, p.306]

Pretty levels and power chords can't hide Dawn of Fate's real weakness: crappy gameplay. [Nov 2002, p.304]

Wrath on the GC is much more polished here than on the PS2. [Nov 2002, p.306]

At its core, Kelly just feels like a bare-bones version of "THPS" in the ocean. [Oct 2002, p.179]

It's all style and relentless action so over the top it makes "Doom" look like "Mary Kate and Ashley: Girls Night Out." [Oct 2002, p.179]

Even with wussy characters and settings all over the place, the story and gameplay in Kingdom Hearts rivals the "Final Fantasy" series. [Oct 2002, p.182]

And I thought "Circle of the Moon" was good. HoD out classes it (and every other GBA game to date). Konami condensed everything that's so great about "Symphony" into a hand-held game. [Oct 2002, p.206]

Lacks the white-knuckle, sweat-inducing, warp-speed intensity that the futuristic-racing genre thrives on. [Dec 2002, p.258]

Sounds stupid, I know. But once you start playing, you won't be able to stop. [Oct 2002, p.196]

Unlocking new tracks is a tedious chore - and even then, the tracks all look too similar. [Dec 2002, p.228]

It's a simple concept that offers a fun twist on the falling-block model of a "Tetris" or "Doctor Mario." [Oct 2002, p.194]

Despite its adventure game pretentions, Dino still suffers from annoying time limits and short overall length. [Oct 2002, p.179]

The best part of Zeon is its massive 100-plus mission tree that puts you on the frontlines as a grunt on either side of the war. [Nov 2002, p.283]

Easily the best Mega Man game to come along in ages, and arguably the most challenging of them all. [Sept 2002, p.162]

I felt like I was on my way to pick up the kids from school rather than racing. [Nov 2002, p.306]

Fans of the series won't be disappointed, unless they're expecting online play - it isn't in it. [Oct 2002, p.179]

This is a snore-fest made all the more yawnsome when you discover you have to watch the computer players take their turns in their geriatric entirety. [Oct 2002, p.194]

It borrows from the best of Sony's series, but its own unique GT mode, aggressive A.I. and simplified upgrade system make SGT feel like a very different game. [Oct 2002, p.202]

It's the boring level designs that annoy me the most. [Nov 2002, p.296]

A laughable plot, poor level design, wimpy sound effects and fluctuating difficulty. [Nov 2002, p.306]

Like any fighting game, though, it's only as good as its replay value, and GGX's is a little better than average. [August 2002, p.136]

Dicing up the undead with your oversized Ginsu knife is a helluva lot of fun (if you can live with the occasionally annoying camera angles). [Oct 2002, p.188]

It's fast, fun, and most importantly, free. [Oct 2002, p.192]

The realistic weapons and possibility of one-shot deaths give it a visceral excitement other shooters lack. [Oct 2002, p.186]

I was hoping for more Nazi killing and less clambering over fences, but this is still an interesting stealth-genre diversion. [Nov 2002, p.300]

100 percent pure, unadulterated fun. The moment you start playing, everything just clicks - the same way it did with "Mario 64" - and you immediately know you're in for a hell of a ride. [Oct 2002, p.198]

What really launches Monkey Ball into the stratosphere is the multiplayer. [Oct 2002, p.194]

Despite these gripes, the moody visuals and frantic gameplay prevail, so horror fans should still seek out The Thing. [Nov 2002, p.290]

But where DTR falls flat is in the execution. Why learn the subtleties of the fighting controls when the most effective attack is "punch, punch, punch"? [Sept 2002, p.156]

It certainly captures the show's appeal, and it's a solid buy for fans. But between the annoying one-liners and huge difficulty spike late in the game, it's just not for casual gamers. [Sept 2002, p.154]

Play either of the other PS2 NCAA games and look smarter for it. [Oct 2002, p.184]

Improvements over last year's (extremely late) version of Blitz are minimal. [Nov 2002, p.298]

I found myself longing for more precise control over my players. [Sept 2002, p.150]

Between the vastly improved Franchise mode and the peppy online play , there's no reason why football fans shouldn't be playing this for the next 364 freakin' days. [Oct 2002, p.184]

When you get into the game you're gonna experience a major case of "been there, done that" if you're an experienced Tony Hawk player...Other than that, Mat 2 is a killer game. [Sept 2002, p.148]

The sad truth, however, is that the game pales in every conceivable way to its fellow pro brethren. [Oct 2002, p.184]

Madden's gameplay amazes, but it's EA's delivery that throws the knockout punch. [Sept 2002, p.148]

The most addictive gameplay this side of "Virtua Tennis." [Oct 2002, p.194]

The meat of this beast is decent - not great, but decent. [Oct 2002, p.184]

For children of the 'Cube who've never smuggled, Warzones is a great deal. [Sept 2002, p.162]

I had hoped for a lot more, but it seems like the push to get it online was all Fever's developers focused on. [Oct 2002, p.204]

Although Namco's "Smash Court" plays similarly and boasts big names like Agassi, Sampras, and Kournikova, it is Sega's superior gameplay and mighty World Tour mode that win out in the end. [Sept 2002, p.152]

While xXx does nothing to expand on the old genre of big-guy-with-big-guns action games, it does provide a solid five or six hours of decent platforming action. [Oct 2002, p.204]

The missions themselves are similarly uninspired, like the dreaded escort mission we've seen done a hundred times before. [Oct 2002, p.204]

It's right up there with "Metal Gear Solid 2" as the best action the PS2 has to offer. Play it. [August 2002, p.126]

The sheer length of the Career mode will draw you in, and you can use the cars and levels that you unlock there in the Arcade and Multiplayer modes. [August 2002, p.136]

It almost seems the developers spent too much time crafting Enclave's wicked-looking environments, then skimped on the actual game, which needs better puzzles and more compelling character development. [Sept 2002, p.152]

CT3 brings all the best aspects of the first two games together and packages them with a third city that's simply loads of fun to play. [August 2002, p.132]

It's all here in one craptastic package that's destined for the bargain bins. [July 2002, p.128]

If every game sucked me into its world like this one, I'd drop out of society, move into the Unabomber's cabin, and never turn off my PS2. Seriously, NCAA 2003 is too good. [Sept 2002, p.150]

As a gritty, militaristic first-person shooter, Delta Force features detailed environments (by PS1 standards) and plenty of cool effects to drive home the point that you're an elite shooter loaded with nifty gadgets. [Sept 2002, p.162]