Thankfully, the game manages to be worth more than the sum of its parts. The controls are the best they've ever been, and combat is actually tolerable this time. That said, you're still better off avoiding fights whenever possible, especially during the few annoying sections that continually respawn creatures.

Actually, the increased difficulty isn't such bad news. If you're a loyal player who has stuck with the series this far, your character is a considerably buffed presence by now. Indeed, one of the cooler aspects of the game is that some of your missions involve helping newer, greener players.

Makes for surreal fun with a strangely addictive quality, and, if anything, it has seemingly endless potential. Like the stand-alone versions of the game, The Sims Online is what you make of it.

The short completion time means you'll always walk away having accomplished something, and the random maps mean you'll always be in for a surprise. But it likely won't be as surprising as just how fun Nosferatu is.

Compared to the tight, challenging "Rainbow Six 3," which is also available on the PS2, there’s really nothing Jungle Storm can offer that you haven’t played before. At this point, the Ghost Recon series is definitely the weakest link in the Clancy chain.

It isn't dross, but it probably works best as a quick rental, even for speed junkies.

Its strength is that it gives fans exactly what they expect. But the whole concept is getting a little long in the tooth.

There are moments of painful slowdown, and you may very well have done something very similar before, but take it from your oath brothers at X-Play, Dynasty Warriors: Empires is an easy game to enjoy and an easy game to recommend.

A pleasant change from "The Sims" that is tailored to those who would find the constant reinventing of personal style an appealing diversion.

The major control issues are a hurdle many gamers won’t want to overcome. They ruin what would be an otherwise fun game.

It tries to maintain the core AC experience, oftentimes at the expense of performance and stability, and while it largely succeeds in this regard, the overall result is a game caught in the middle of the franchise's past and future.

The buddy system is fully fleshed-out and the combat system is deep, but the game is marred by easy, repetitive puzzles and flawed jumping mechanics.

The attempt to support an RTS with a compelling storyline is not a new idea and it has certainly been done with more imagination and style.

Those without pixies and muggles dancing in their heads beforehand are going to find the game a lot less enchanting, but fans of the Potter series will want to consider a brief stay in a reasonable facsimile of the hallowed halls of Hogwart’s.

The player models look more plastic-like than the cast of Desperate Housewives, and there are no new game modes or significant features to warrant the price increase.

It borrows or attempt to borrow conventions from several popular shoot-'em-'ups, but in the end it's just a confused mess that's not very fun and not very impressive.

It is a little disheartening to think that adding two-on-two matches and throwing in a few rhythm games can be considered by the publisher to be innovative, but Phenom's free-roaming aspect has potential if it is fleshed out even further in future installments.

With slightly better play control and improved vector-graphics information, the collection could be a definitive representation of videogames from the late '70s and early '80s, but as it stands, it's a fairly average look at gaming's early days.

For anyone with a passing interest in the sport, we recommend dusting off those lawn darts and firing up the barbeque.

Tenchu just hasn't changed a whole lot since its inception six years ago, and that was hardly acceptable when "Wrath of Heaven" originally came out, last year. It's even less so now.

The perfect rental, lasting only a few short hours and, like most adventure games, doesn’t have much value beyond that.

A good-looking, challenging game with a nice collection of cars to win and race. You'll also get the steep learning curve that some gamers thrive on.

Like a miniature fashion model: short, quite pretty, and as insubstantial as it is fun.

The play is definitely aiming to please gamers from the old school, but Hell Yeah! offers a fun ride regardless of how many Mega Men you've conquered.

Weird Al would be very, very proud.

Fans of F1 racing may be able to put up with the game's lack of features and frustrating nature. This simply isn't a racing game, however, that will appeal to a mainstream audience or win any new fans for the sport.

A lackluster follow-up to the exceptional Generations, particularly because the enhancements here are non-existent.

All that being said, Hot Shots Tennis is still a decent game, but only if you’re going to be taking advantage of the multiplayer options. Unfortunately, there is no online setup. In the end what we’ve got is a slightly low-budget spin-off.