Proves that battling blazes is not only a hazardous profession, but it's also tedious, frustrating, and a real head trip (wait till you face fire-possessed flying laundry and fireman-hating robots.) [Apr 2004, p.120]

Aside from offering a deeper, feature-heavy dynasty mode (now complete with minor league squads), 2004 revolutionizes the art of videogame batting muich like 2003 did with pitching. [Apr 2004, p.117]

Highly frustrating missions pepper the game, usually filled with cheap enemies who have impeccable aim and a superhuman ability to absorb multiple shotgun blasts at point-blank range. [Apr 2004, p.116]

The story loses steam about two-thirds of the way through; solving puzzles, which are few and far between, requires little brainpower; and it's far to easy to survive your sentence with so much free ammo and health lying around. [May 2004, p.86]

Aside from offering a deeper, feature-heavy dynasty mode (now complete with minor league squads), 2004 revolutionizes the art of videogame batting muich like 2003 did with pitching. [Apr 2004, p.117]

But with each new feature comes a downside: First-person aiming makes regular combat easier...but it also makes boss battles far <I>too</I> easy; the new cut-scenes are brilliantly produced...when they're not overdosing on painfully cliched bullet-time effects; and the graphical overhaul is nice...but we know GameCube is capable of better. [Apr 2004, p.126]

Aside from offering a deeper, feature-heavy dynasty mode (now complete with minor league squads), 2004 revolutionizes the art of videogame batting muich like 2003 did with pitching. [Apr 2004, p.117]

Along with top-notch handling and car physics, you'll find a meaty championship mode, wicked terrain, and dazzling weather effects (tackling the Japan course during a torrential downpour is especially impressive) under McRae's hood. [Apr 2004, p.122]

Unfortunately, the actual battles aren't that great; they're a tedious exercise in repeatedly pressing the A button to advance dialog boxes. [March 2004, p.130]

None of this stuff is actually much fun - I just had such a good laugh watching the awkward character animations that I figure this sucker's a must-rent for comedy value alone. [May 2004, p.98]

The game initially strikes a good balance between challenging and rewarding but becomes extremely difficult in later stages (despite bike upgrades), ramping up the frustration factor considerably - and unnecessarily. [May 2004, p.88]

Voice recognition will be a lot more fun when it <I>works</I>. Until then, if I really want to be ignored and misunderstood by a girl, I'll go clubbing and hit on the hughty hipster chick in the Pabst Blue Ribbon T-shirt. [Apr 2004, p.118]

The robust gameplay will keep you coming back. All three level types are totally engaging, and a wealth of secrets (hidden stages, dragons, and weapons) means that a weekend rental won't be nearly long enough. [Apr 2004, p.120]

Quicksilver pacing, white-knuckle tension, and spit-shined effects put Gaiden among the most remarkable action games ever made, but it's every bit as hardcore. [May 2004, p.104]

The game initially strikes a good balance between challenging and rewarding but becomes extremely difficult in later stages (despite bike upgrades), ramping up the frustration factor considerably - and unnecessarily. [May 2004, p.88]

Somehow, developer Sonic Team managed to meld everything great about the previous PSOs (aesthetic beauty, and engaging online community, and the never-ending quest for better equipment) with a simple, addictive card game. [Apr 2004, p.128]

But it's all a big cockpit tease, because online play is busted. [June 2004, p.106]

A no frills, no thrills watercraft racer, this game proves that even budget-ware can look sharp on Xbox... This game is fundamentally unremarkable. [Feb 2004, p.122]

Gone is the great adventure, lost to the simple need to collect stuff, and in its place is the carrot and the stick - which even the most dedicated mule will only chase so far. [May 2004, p.88]

Gone is the great adventure, lost to the simple need to collect stuff, and in its place is the carrot and the stick - which even the most dedicated mule will only chase so far. [May 2004, p.88]

Gone is the great adventure, lost to the simple need to collect stuff, and in its place is the carrot and the stick - which even the most dedicated mule will only chase so far. [May 2004, p.88]

It's been a while since I played a game with such engaging, pure, and thrilling action, and on top of the excellent single-player game, there's a pretty cool co-op mode to nicely round out the package. [Apr 2004, p.114]

This year's MX is certainly the most professional motocross game I've played - the physics are flawless and every race has nail-biter potential, even if you're dead last heading into the final lap. [Apr 2004, p.118]

If not for some serious balance issues (some bosses can easily kill you in two hits), stupidly out-of-place stealth levels, and finicky weapon controls (it's really hard, for some reason, to hit someone with a stick), Honor might have been more than just a solid rental. [March 2004, p.120]

As good as it gets. The "FIFA" series may have a bit more flash, but Eleven is top of the table when it comes to gameplay - and that's all that counts with soccer. [March 2004, p.118]

It's been a while since I played a game with such engaging, pure, and thrilling action, and on top of the excellent single-player game, there's a pretty cool co-op mode to nicely round out the package. [Apr 2004, p.114]

This year's MX is certainly the most professional motocross game I've played - the physics are flawless and every race has nail-biter potential, even if you're dead last heading into the final lap. [Apr 2004, p.118]

It's been a while since I played a game with such engaging, pure, and thrilling action, and on top of the excellent single-player game, there's a pretty cool co-op mode to nicely round out the package. [Apr 2004, p.114]