Skate It has got it where it counts. The developers have made good use of the Wii controls and provided fans of skateboarding games a much needed change of pace. If you’re interested in a reason to drag out that little-used Wii Balance Board, give Skate It a shot.

The control setup here is undoubtedly unique, and works great for the most part. It's just not intuitive or interesting enough to build an entire adventure game around.

In spite of its sorted technical problems and humdrum story, Killzone provides a great ride; perhaps it's a testament to the game's surplus of style and ambiance that it remains enjoyable throughout.

The lack of character customization is another issue, with fixed classes and no input allowed on individual skills, attributes, or spells other than purchasing armor, weapons, and accessories each time you visit town.

Although it's an excellent representation of "Law & Order" in playable form, there just isn't much to play.

The most puzzling omission, however, is Garou: Mark of the Wolves (1999), which makes the Fatal Fury saga painfully incomplete.

What you won't get is a lot that went with it before, like the hopelessly addictive online multiplayer options.

There's little variation among the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox versions of Cars, and each hits the mark in terms of racing game basics such as framerate and sense of speed. Rainbow Studios has performed admirably here.

If there's a criticism to be made here it's that, well, it's just another Metal Slug game. For fans, this is certainly a good thing. But when it's all said and done, there's nothing here you haven't experience dozens of times in the past.

The series makes a blind leap into a new genre, only to fall flat on his face satisfying neither the fans of puzzle or action games.

If this one had gameplay to match its story and visuals, we'd be looking at a Game of the Year candidate.

Platform fans of yore will definitely want to play this one, but gamers looking for something new or original will be disappointed.

But if you are expecting vast improvements and additions after EA monopolized the marked, you might have to wait until next season.

All the timed events, amusing physics-based puzzles, likeable characters, and strange contraptions will be a treat for fans of the books and movie.

The Godfather: The Don's Edition isn't as fun as "Crackdown" and no amount of celebrity voice acting is going the change that.

The novelty of the premise wears thin after about an hour. This is not good, especially for a game that takes about 25 hours to complete.

The graphics are fine and the gameplay is adequate, but mundane level objectives and a lack of refinement keep it buried in the middle of the extreme sports pack.

It's just sort of a bummer not to see anything new brought to the table other than a digital Steven Tyler (which actually looks less freakish than the real Steven Tyler).

While The Moment of Silence does offer a compelling storyline that will keep you at least mildly interested through to the game’s multiple endings, the agonizingly slow pace of things within sections combined with the frequently laughable dialog will turn most gamers away.

It may not have the same depth as other puzzle games, and it’s certainly not a showpiece for DS technology, but it will keep your heart racing and mouth smiling for short doses, which is often all you are looking for in a portable game.

The finer details can be hard to discern. This reviewer found himself straining his eyes in an effort to keep up. But as it's packed with plenty of action, gameplayers should be ready for some serious button banging.

The sorry presentation and a complete lack of multiplayer missions--online or otherwise--ultimately keep Yager from being a top-notch game.

Two player co-op works like a dream and allows for quick drop-in drop-out gameplay, something that many rail-shooters seem to forget.

A solid foot soldier, meeting gamers' expectations and occasionally rising above and beyond the call of duty. But like a new recruit, it misses the mark more than once.

Veteran platformers will make it through with little challenge, but that detriment makes it perfect for less experienced, older, or much younger players looking for a cute diversion.

In terms of performance, the game fares better than the PS2 version, with a fairly consistent frame rate that conveys a decent sense of speed. The game occasionally slows down, but only when the screen is overpopulated with racers.

While it's not the unplayable mess of the "World War II Online" debut, Eve is still firmly in the beta stage in all respects except monthly fees. [19 June 2003]

Any of the game's flaws are somewhat balanced by the ability to stab someone in the face, or burn them alive in an incinerator. Well, if you're into that sort of thing, anyway.

The gameplay is as entertaining as ever, and the fun, 3-D graphics give it an extra charge of humor and strategy.

Mario Mix is easier than forgetting to put the toilet seat down. If you have any DDR skills whatsoever, you'll trounce it without missing more than a step or two.

Shining Force Neo does its job, but it’s a bit too tough considering that you pretty much have to wait for your character to get stronger rather than improving it on your own.

Completely relying on the stylus to handle the ball is a bold design choice, but tends to feel unnecessary and rather gimmicky.

While being well-coded, it just doesn't offer the excitement which should come with the Race of Champions.

So while the game doesn't go feature crazy like Sega's monkey handlers, it under-delivers, leaving players with a mile-long wish list of mini-games, activities and unlockables they long to see included in the sequel.

Game Over. And I couldn't be happier.

NIS America picked a nice, light RPG to bring out in Mana Khemia, and its localizations are steadily improving.

How badly do you want to play another GTA rip-off? Driver: Parallel Lines is better than most, but it still can't hold a candle to Rockstar's flagship series.

But anyone looking for a good brawler on the GBA needs to look somewhere other than Dragon Ball GT: Transformation.

Fans of the series expecting innovation will be disappointed, but newbies will now be able to see what Dreamcast owners have been secretly enjoying for years.

The Wii version is graphically inferior to the 360 and PS3; Ron and Hermione have a nasty way of blocking your path in tight quarters; and there are the aforementioned, seemingly endless fetch-quests. Even with all that, this is easily the best Harry Potter game to date, and it’s simply one of the most entertaining movie tie-ins on the market.

The physics appear sound and there are plenty of ways to tweak your vehicle, but the game has no spark. Easy mode is too dull and not at all true to the sport, and normal and pro modes are too demanding.

Its galling brevity combined with the inability to actually watch many of your tricky labors make it a one-shot deal at best, with little replay value -- except perhaps in real life.

Another problem that's at odds with the kid-friendly design is a surprising number of vague objectives.

It’s doubtful anyone could take it seriously as an IQ test, but as a minor brain teaser for those times when you have a few minutes to kill, PQ fits the bill just fine.

This one’s an easy case of “if you liked the original you’ll love the expansion”, but it won’t be wooing over any newcomers.

Where SimCity DS starts to crumble is in its pedestrian presentation, with buildings as vibrant as a wet newspaper and animation bordering on non-existent.

With the ridiculous amount of eccentric music that was considered “mainstream” back in the decade of decadence, it’s a shame Rocks the 80s sticks so closely to one main genre. Even more disappointing, though, is that the whole thing feels like a total cash-in; like the yearly iteration of a sports game that no one put any major effort into.

Veteran platformers will make it through with little challenge, but that detriment makes it perfect for less experienced, older, or much younger players looking for a cute diversion.

The entire franchise starts off with a very clever notion that’s then buried under layers of boring, familiar ones.

Light on substance and heavy on style. If you're a One Piece madman who simply has to have everything to do with the series, it's not a horrible game. It's just not exceptional. As a multiplayer party game, it's good for a quick fix every once in a while.

How badly do you want to play another GTA rip-off? Driver: Parallel Lines is better than most, but it still can't hold a candle to Rockstar's flagship series.

Another slap to the song selection is simply that most of these pop tunes have been off the charts for quite a while, making the game feel instantly out of date.

Players who were burned by last year's NASCAR game should feel quite a bit better with 09. Although I personally miss the "Total Team Control" feature from a couple of years back, the new Rep and Career mode is compelling enough to keep you coming back for more. Solid graphics, solid racing, solid features.

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam isn't a sell out on par with hawking Bagel Bites but it's close.

Despite a few minor complaints, SNK Arcade Classics is a safe purchase for retro game fans looking for a challenging, action-packed trip down memory lane.

The catch-up AI quickly turns potential blowouts into nail biting and controller slamming affairs, the loading times are still way too long, and the visuals aren't much of an upgrade.

The downside to the game's ambitious design is that the individual parts don't fare nearly as well alone as they do being part of a larger experience.

It's certainly not a great game, and looks extremely dated, but still worth some shooting time.

Although it has its shortcomings -- especially in its plot and combat -- it's definitely worth a play.

For RPG genre fans willing to overlook some technical flaws, Risen 2 may very well be a treat and a refreshing change of pace. For the rest of us, this is a game that will never quite rise to the occasion.

Loose controls and repeating levels marred what could have been a break out hit for a series that desperately needed one.

Hardcore fans might balk at the scaled back customization, but new players should be able to get up and running quickly.

Outside combat, unfortunately, the game drags a bit.

The game is more than the sum of its parts, offering a surprising amount of flexibility in how you accomplish your objectives, even if those objectives don’t change much from level to level, in a series of memorable environments.

Despite the beauty of CFS3 and its engaging campaign mode, the performance issues we experienced kept us from losing ourselves in the experience.

As beat 'em ups go, this is an excellent one. Hulk fans rejoice. You finally have a game worthy of the lovable green lug.

Icon is serviceable, but it’s not something you’ll be spinning in your disc tray for very long.

A mostly average button masher that has the good luck of being associated with the hottest kids' property to come along in years.

We walked away from this one wishing that there had been a lot more gameplay to complement the cool graphics and atmosphere.

Like many complex sim games, Gallop Racer can be as frustrating as it is rewarding.

Looks great and sounds OK. With its decent tutorial and reliable squad mates, it'll help those new to squad-based tactical games feel at home. It's also a pretty linear experience, but has enough environmental variety to justify the price of admission.

And on a rare personal note, this is the only game other than "Dance Dance Revolution" and "Animal Crossing" my wife has wanted to play. That has to count for something.

There's just not enough to juggle in this low impact virtual theme park to keep sim junkies mesmerized. Roller coaster crafting is way too dumbed down to make the process feel like creation.

Unfortunately, what aim-assist there is in Turok is woefully inadequate. Getting the reticule to move that last quarter inch often proved impossible and aggravating.

Though the visual glitches hurt the game somewhat, the terrifically violent and expansive combat makes this game worth playing.

There are tons of great ideas here, and when your breathlessly pulling yourself up the side of a skyscraper or picking off a would-be rapist with an arrow to the skull you see those great ideas peeking through, but they never come together in any cohesive way. In the end, the game feels more like a proof of concept experience than an actual game.

A bit of a disappointment. It’s a great game on the PC that lost some luster thanks to a less than ambitious porting job. Still, it’s a good game, providing you can get over that initial difficulty hump and you have a solid group of friends to play with.

For anyone familiar with Mario Superstar Baseball, there are very few surprises awaiting you here. Fans of Superstar might find comfort in this, but for everyone else it just means you're getting a slightly updated, somewhat enjoyable, uber-Nintendo-y baseball game whose biggest addition is the option to swing and throw with the Wiimote.

Both the 360 and PS3 versions aren’t the greatest first-person shooters ever made, but they’re decent enough to satiate your apparently endless need to keep fighting the same war over and over and over again. Don’t bother with this game on the Wii, though.

The length of the game is a bit short as it only takes around six hours to complete, but the strong story and cinematic sequences make sure that it's an unforgettable six hours.

Stages are sterile clones of much livelier settings found in competing titles.

The empire-building gameplay is surprisingly compelling and fast-paced, while the battles themselves give you a taste of, well, glory. Hugo be damned; this empire building is fun stuff.

SingStar is a great time if you’ve got a bunch of mates getting knackered in your flat (whoa, got British there for a second, sorry), but it’s not as much of a "game" as Karaoke Revolution is.

A very addictive game that continues to surprise and delight the more you play. For the money, there's plenty to do, and best of all it lets you focus on what you find fun.

Sloppy combat controls hamper the fun, and the lack of online play really limits the multiplayer appeal on the Xbox. Just the same, it's a great-looking, enjoyable take on a classic.

It’s as fast and frantic a shooter as you’ll find anywhere.

A solid follow-up to "Massive Assault" and "Massive Assault Network," featuring a huge amount of new offline content and gameplay options that will keep fans busy for weeks.

It is disappointing that only two people can play simultaneously, especially when so many other games feature online support. The camera is also far from perfect--you’ll routinely have your view blocked by troops--and enemy AI has evolved little from previous versions.

The reliance on old school game mechanics does make the game dated. It’s a bit like playing a clone of the original Doom after you’ve finished Half-Life 2.

Beenox's previous Spider-Man titles were pedestrian at best, but The Amazing Spider-Man is a stellar installment that gives me hope for future games.

It's a capably constructed RPG, to be sure, but it's hard to explicitly recommend Mega Man X: Command Mission to anyone who isn't already a fan of Mega Man or RPGs. If you're a little bit of both, chances are you'll dig it immensely.

An original game with a well-developed theme and a lot to do. If the fighting and voice acting had received a little more attention, this would surely be a five-star game. As it is, some gamers might have trouble taking the game seriously.

Basically, if looks aren’t important to you; if a great personality and big brain is your thing, this is the game for you.

It's definitely not what most players have in mind when it comes to the speeding rodent, but for multiplayer-centric GBA owners, it's worth a ride.

Gamers interested in dabbling in a little card battling should give the game a spin or at least seek professional help.

My Sims is a nice beginning for a potentially new game franchise. Right now, it has more in common with creativity software than a video game.

Innovation isn't the point here. It's just flat out fun (in a messy, bloody sort of way). This is a fantastic and enjoyable way to blow off some steam, shoot tons of baddies, and, ultimately, satisfy the bloodlust that strikes the best of us.

A mostly average button masher that has the good luck of being associated with the hottest kids' property to come along in years.