The new larger levels with non-linear gameplay put a lot of the decisions in the control of you, the squad leader, and the tweaked AI and intuitive command system makes the single player game almost as much fun as multiplayer.

It’s a great idea which sounds like a lot of fun, but falls short when it comes to fruition. I'd love to see Hot-B and Taito try this again, while paying closer attention to gameplay, controls, and streamlining the create-a-character in such a way that makes it much more accessible.

A stunning achievement in realism, and the only way to get a more authentic experience in one of these cockpits is to enlist and go to flight school for a few years, and even then you likely wouldn’t get to fly in a fraction of these planes.

Black Hawk Down’s main problem is that it purports to offer the experience of being the leader of Delta Force operatives in war torn Somalia. But hamstrung game play with shoddy graphics doesn’t cut it.

The more I play Nippon Ichi's unique line of TRPG’s, the more I like them. Makai Kingdom is no exception, and this time, they have the best game they've ever made on their hands, to boot. It takes beloved settings and ideas, meshes them with gameplay mechanics both old and new, adds a hearty dash of truly new content to the mix and still manages to be more accessible to a new gamer than their last game, "Phantom Brave" was.

For all that if offers, the entire time I was playing Delta Force: Black Hawk Down, either online or off, I just kept wishing I was playing something else.

The best news is that Outlaw Tennis is, at its core, a fantastic tennis game, so when you eventually turn off all the "outlaw flavor" you still have a remarkably fun, challenging, and somewhat realistic tennis game to occupy countless gaming hours, both solo and online.

Once your thumb learns the locations of those four weapon-select spots, you’ll be able to tear through wave after wave of enemy ships in what is easily the best looking and intensely challenging game on the DS to date.

Darwinia is immersive, with a quality mix between unique game play and off-the-wall graphics. This title isn’t particularly successful, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the elements that Introversion has brought to the table appear in future RTS titles.

Extremely fun to play with fast-paced fights and a great combo system that puts the first game to shame. This latest installment is a huge step in the right direction for the series.

It's not that Herbie is a bad game; it's just way too simple and way too short to hold your interest, and your money could be better spent on any of several other GBA games out there, racing or otherwise.

Sid Meier's Pirates! has all the makings of the being the greatest of pirate games, but a few things hold it back, mostly because of the "sameness" it projects. Plain and simple, as deep as it is, Pirates! doesn't have the epic feel of many games of this type due to its similarities throughout.

The fetch-questing gets old fast, but the game ties in closely with the film in graphics, sound, and atmosphere. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is tailor-made for a younger group, and keeping that in mind, the game does what it's set out to do.

With a great premise and a visionary artistic style to match, Coded Arms delivers a solid action-packed shooter for both single and multiplayer gamers.

The premise is totally original and the presentation is flawless, and you can’t help but leave the game knowing more about prehistoric man and the time in which he lived.

Proves Bungie's dedication to making Halo 2 an ongoing success. You can really see the love and attention to detail that went into the creation of each and every level.

I’ve passed this game around to people who have never even held a PSP before and they have picked up on the gameplay in less than ten minutes and have enjoyed it just as much as I have.

Like an old shoe: you know it so well, and it's made so sturdily, that every time you slip back into it, it feels like it belongs there. It's a comfortable, deeply satisfying game, the type of game that you'll find yourself taking more from than just a fun story, despite yourself.

The game is virtually unplayable using any of the vision modes and without them you are doomed to play the game in total darkness or not at all.

With improved graphics, a wealth of dynamic missions and campaigns, the mission builder and the rabid fan base, Falcon. 4.0: Allied Force is another strong entry into the shrinking sim market. Best of all, this can be had for a modest $30 bones.

Unless you really like KOF series or plan on playing exclusively on Xbox Live you will probably want to steer clear of this game.

Using objects in the environment to give enemies a beating is always kick-ass, and each character has their own abilities that are, at the very least, solid and enjoyable.

This was definitely a labor of love and it shows in the quality of the presentation and the attention to detail in every subtle nuance of the characters, their powers, and the way it all comes together in the gameplay.

I loved this game on the Xbox but this is totally unacceptable and an excercise in extreme and total frustration. Unless you are a Zen master avoid this game like the proverbial plague.

If your nostalgia for the early 90s extends to muddled graphics, tinny sound effects, and tepid gameplay, you'll be thrilled with this game. Otherwise, you'd be better off playing an original action game.

This was definitely a labor of love and it shows in the quality of the presentation and the attention to detail in every subtle nuance of the characters, their powers, and the way it all comes together in the gameplay.

The graphics may be hit and miss, but they are solid where it counts; in the gameplay, and the sound effects again, are merely average, but the two-player co-op mode is awesomely fun for gamers that are fans of the famed comic book series or action fans in general.

A must-own expansion for tycoon-style gamers, especially if you bought RCT3. It improves the original game enough that you will love the changes, without having to fight the whole new learning curve of the menus again.

Much like the real military, Battlefield 2 is not just a game, it’s a way of life.

Bomberman at his best. The classic 2D design keeps the game simple and perfectly suited to D-pad controls, and the touch screen allows for quick access to power-up items and lets you navigate the setup menus much more quickly than button presses.

Elevates the action genre to new heights while taking the standards of decency to new lows, but in a good way...a British way.

A simple premise that is saved by its charming visual design and campy gameplay attitude. There is something just a bit twisted about playing the "alien" and making the humans the "bad guys".

It’s really not that I did not like the game; it’s just that there was nothing to it that really made it stand out to me. Nothing that made it unique from all the other fantasy-based MMO’s out there, nothing that made me want to play it any more than any other.

In the end though, this game feels like a throwback, or an experiment gone wrong. Die-hard ATL fans should rent this first.

The use of the fear aspect is slightly innovative but it can't help boost this game out of its heavily scripted and repetitive rut.

GoldenEye: Rogue Agent nails the 3D engine and proves that FPS gaming does have a place on handheld systems. There are still a few kinks in the FPS control scheme that need to be ironed out, hopefully before Metroid arrives, but if you put in the effort you will find it actually does work surprisingly well.

A serious game for serious racers with an ancillary interest in accounting and business management. Racing is just a small part of this game that happens when you aren't worrying about building up an empire of cars, earning more money or the respect of your peers.

The production values, graphics, and especially the voice acting are extremely well done, and the game has non-stop action and never feels dull.

In the Groove is loaded with original music, modes, and brilliant game design that is targeted toward the more advanced dancer.

The standout feature of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the expected graphical superiority over its console counterparts. But for the audiophiles, the ability to design and play your own custom radio station is a feature every game needs to have from this point forward, end of story. DEMAND IT!

Take an old franchise - Way of the Samurai - and up its anime influences. Add in a good shot of Kill Bill, wrap it up in David Carradine's Kung Fu TV series and skewer it with The Magnificent Seven. There you have it, Way of the Samurai 3 - Samurai Western.

While I still prefer "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" to this title, I will say that this is in no way a lesser offering.

With the wealth of nations and three different time periods, you should have oodles to do just with that- month’s worth in fact.

Excellent visuals and voice acting really draw you into this film-like adventure experience known as Still Life.

Just not a very good game. It's playable, but even in that aspect it has some strikes against it versus other PC games thanks to bad camera work and a frustrating character control scheme.

Restricted Area isn’t going to set any new gold standard or change the world of action-RPG games. It still knows how to show a gamer a good time, though, and it still knows how to be a solid game by any standard.

Advent Rising is interactive fiction at its finest. This is what "Halo" wanted to be; hell, it's what "Star Wars" wanted to be. Orson can write circles around George Lucas when it comes to stories, characters, and dialogue.

It spans nearly every genre including arcade, FPS, action, platform; there is even some stealth-action ripped right from Metal Gear Solid 2 if you remember hiding in that box and sneaking through the ship, and Madagascar even gives a nod to classic arcade games like Frogger, Simon and the crane game.

There's a little something for everybody in there, including bitter ol' me, who's not too big of a fan of the type of movie/video game that Madagascar is.

MVP Baseball has all the makings of a great game but it lacks the polish and refinement and just has too many glitches to make a wholehearted recommendation. There’s always next season.

The graphics are slick and I can tell a lot of historical research went into making this game, but I can’t shake the feeling that the Pyro designers are still using muskets while the competition has moved on to assault rifles.

Sure, the story is hackneyed to the point of being a rip-off of just about every spy movie from the past ten years, but the script is great, the acting is better, and the gameplay just can’t be beat.

If you’re looking for a puzzle game with staying power you thankfully have a few other choices on the PSP. Smart Bomb is only for those with steely nerves, low blood pressure, and a lot of extra time on their hands.

The best thing about Sunrise is that it doesn’t take a huge time commitment. The load times are fast and you can keep this game on your hard drive for months and years to come and just pick up and play whenever you have some spare time.

Revenge of the Sith may not go down as an all-time classic, but the innovative gameplay, excellent sound effects, and smooth graphics make it an enjoyable video game foray into the world of Star Wars.

Revenge of the Sith may not go down as an all-time classic, but the innovative gameplay, excellent sound effects, and smooth graphics make it an enjoyable video game foray into the world of Star Wars.

Only the most diehard fans will find anything in this game to last them more than a weekend rental.

With sub-par designs, weak sound effects and a thin storyline, it is doomed to end up on the bargain bin sooner or later.

An outstanding achievement in porting a major console golf title over to a handheld system while retaining all of the gameplay nuances that made it the classic it is today.

An extremely fun and addicting puzzle game, which is just as fun as or more so than any previous version of the series.

GTR is perhaps the most realistic, true-to-life racing simulation that I have ever come across.

"Halo" might have the story and those exquisite cutscenes, but when it comes to the raw gameplay and dynamic opponent AI, I'd choose and play Pariah any day of the week. The game is full of "wow" moments, both visually and during gameplay when you see the enemy perform some human-like action.

Thankfully, NBA Street Showdown makes it easy to enjoy this sport. I had a lot more fun playing this than I did the official NBA titles, but then again, Showdown forgoes the rules in favor of fun.

If you play Minesweeper for hours on end, you’re not likely to be disappointed by this tepid turn-based strategy game. However, the rest of us will probably be disappointed by the lack of compelling gameplay and the absolutely sterile feel to the game.

The world of Kryta is still evolving, as is the game of Guild Wars. This first Guild Wars falls short of legendary status, but from what I’ve seen the Guild Wars series may yet find its place in the PC Hall of Heroes.

I am certain that Empire Earth II will someday make it to the RTS Hall of Fame. It has surpassed the original in almost every way possible. It has become a new force to be reckoned with in the RTS genre.

Lackluster, lackluster, lackluster - that's the word for this game.

I can say without hesitation that there is no other game like this on the PSP and there probably won’t be another for quite some time.

This is a breath of fresh air that will hopefully inspire others to start creating some original works for this struggling system.

With its immense array of story, online, arcade, and mapmaking modes, few can compete. Still, if you are looking for a killer FPS for the PS2, look no further than Area 51. It’s a real treat.

I’d hate to play this on anything smaller than the PSP screen. EA seems determined to bring their entire console sports line-up over to the PSP as quickly as possible, but I think in their haste they are letting way too many bugs slip through.

For the most part Area 51 delivered a solid, fast, fun, and very challenging action-shooter, all set within a creative human-alien hybrid setting. Who wouldn't love the chance to get a peek inside Area 51?

If you love quirky humor and challenging gameplay then this is a title you'll want to be adding to your game collection. And you can't beat the $20 price – just don't let it fool you into thinking this is less of a game than it really is.

This is easily the most fun I have had playing a video game in 2005 and I can't recommend it highly enough. With any luck this will spin-off into a TV series – it's just THAT GOOD!

It's shallow, it's hollow, but it is a whole lot of fun. And it's only fifteen bucks for heaven's sake!

The production values are top notch in every department. If you're the kind of gamer who craves the weird and unusual, look no further; this is your game.

There were times when this game aggravated me so much I wanted to throw down the controller, before I realized I was holding a $250 controller.

While not the most polished title around, Close Combat: First to Fight should give you wannabe jarheads out there enough of a fight for a while, especially in the decent Co-Op mode.

Tries to do just a bit too much and ends up not really excelling at anything.

Not only redefines our perception of multiplayer games, it raises the bar of the deathmatch genre to new heights and will become the benchmark by which all future online combat games are measured.

The story is innovative, and so is the attunement system and the character advancement system.

The bottom line is Dead To Rights II tries to make like a summer action blockbuster, but ends up more like that large tub of movie popcorn; too expensive, too short-lived, and ultimately unfulfilling.

A shining example of a sports game not only working on a handheld, but actually holding its own with the big console systems.

Hardcore RPG fans may complain about the relatively short story, or the lack of detailed resource management – but for the everyday gamer like myself, Jade Empire fits the bill just fine.

If you're hard up for an action-shooter then you might want to check this out when it hits the $20 bargain bin, but otherwise I'd have to recommend you skip this latest installment in the Jack Slate saga.

Fun and addicting for one obvious reason. It’s an insanely high-speed arcade style racing game that’s faster than any other racing experience out there.

The gameplay is fast and furiously addicting, and even though the overall difficulty is generally way too easy (thanks to slipstream turbo), there are plenty of random events that will cause you to lose more than your fair share of races.

For a game that relies on teamwork and the use of light as a weapon, you can't go too wrong with a budget priced title that looks and sounds as good as this one even without the online component.

The first teen survival horror game to date, and a game that is one of the creepiest on the market today and one that will keep you on the edge of your seat with it’s great sound effects, solid graphics, amazing black aura effect, and some truly disturbing faceless creatures.

With all of its original game design, multiple game modes, and creative level design, Mercury just oozes with style, and is a must own title for anyone with a PSP who enjoys a game that challenges your mind and your reflexes.

For a party of friends – either local or online – Spy vs. Spy would make a great weekend rental, but gamers looking for substance in their action platformers would most likely be disappointed with Spy vs. Spy.

With a little more work, this game could have been exceptional, but unfortunately, it stops its ascent to greatness with simply average.

The gameplay is slower and more intense than Tom Clancy’s roster and no less authentic or compelling in its presentation.

It’s rare and quite refreshing to come by a game that is so unique in every aspect, with such complex characters and such a great story, that I feel the same sense of satisfaction that comes with reading a good novel when I play it.

Whether you are a kid, have a kid, or just a kid at heart, LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game is a definite most-own title.

The game we were all hoping Doom 3 was going to be in the first place. It just took a few more months and the help of Nerve Software to get there. The difficulty is much higher now, but with the added power of the double-barrel shotgun and the innovative uses of the grabber, plus the insanely cool artifact gameplay balances out nicely.

You don't play Doom 3; you experience Doom 3. I was reminded of those haunted mansions or "dark rides" they have at theme parks with all of the scripted scares.

It's involving, at times surprising, and vastly entertaining throughout. The tight controls, the amazingly large skill set that Sam has, and the carefully woven tale of double-crossing and high-tech terrorism all combine to make this game one of the best spy-fiction titles available anywhere.