A quality racing experience with blazing visuals, realistic physics, and an excellent trick system.

If Carve were trying to compete with AAA racing titles then it would be quickly dismissed as a failure, but with an affordable price tag and a multiplayer element including flawlessly smooth online racing, there is no reason that any fan of watercraft racing or Xbox Live gaming should skip this game.

On the bargain rack however, Harry definitely has the brass to stand out amongst on the tier-two competition – Ty, Haven, Vexx and I-Ninja.

There were times when I really wished for direct 3D camera control instead of a multifunctional hand, but then there were times when the creative use of that right hand was so clever I forgot all about the camera.

The control is excellent, the physics are perfect, there are loads of original tracks and landscapes, and the fun factor is off the charts.

Blows past its predecessor and annihilates this year’s competition. This is a new standard for soccer and for sports games in general. The new graphics engine not only enhances the details in visuals but actually improves the gameplay mechanics.

Hits the nail on the head in every aspect of game design. While not a perfect title, it’s hard to fault a developer who packs so much variety and intensity into a single game.

The control is excellent, the physics are perfect, there are loads of original tracks and landscapes, and the fun factor is off the charts. This is a must-own game for any MX fan who owns an Xbox.

In many ways Wrath Unleashed represents a significant step forward for the future of gaming diversity.

The best dungeon crawler I can remember on any platform, the superb interface, and super polished gameplay allow anyone to be able to pick up and enjoy this one.

Terminally flawed, a hollow exercise in empire building -- call it real-time strategy for Dummies. There's nothing wrong with focusing on a particular time period, but the design seems willfully shallow and superficial.

While I can think of plenty of minor tweaks and improvements that would make this game even better, as is, Wrath Unleashed is a bold and innovative concept that will delight both strategy and action gamers who enjoy challenging gameplay, fantasy creatures, spells, and sexy goddesses.

It’s a shame the light gun support just plain sucks and certainly steals away much of the potential charm of this title, but at least the gamepad control is more than adequate to play and enjoy an otherwise simple yet challenging shooter.

The XMP modes are outstanding and the gameplay is fast and furious, but no less challenging or problematic when you take the twitchy controls into consideration.

Aliens Blast: The Encounter never makes any pretense toward being anything other than it is, a simple straightforward shoot ‘em up extravaganza, and depending upon whether or not this is your cup of tea will be the major factor in your purchase decision.

A raucous blend of third person action gaming and light real time strategy to a package that is enjoyable, intuitive and immersing.

If you want a decent space sim with some strategy, I would go with "X2: The Threat." Universal Combat, as a whole, is not worth the effort it demands.

The ultimate tribute to nearly 20 years of platform shooters. The action if fierce, the graphics dazzling, and the difficulty is guaranteed to challenge even the most skilled veterans.

The best thing about these titles was that I didn’t have to practice them in order to beat my son.

Like a bad movie you have to see through to the end, Jack the Ripper will keep you in your seat right up to the disappointing conclusion.

Mafia manages to keep its engrossing story and wonderful audio package but loses everything else. The graphics are laughable by PS1 standards and the clunky controls and frequent load screens make Mafia an excercise in frustration.

Even with its online flaws Sega GT Online is a steal at $20, especially if the 2002 game isn’t already part of your game library... This is easily the deepest racer available on the Xbox. It’s a shame that it’s not the best.

As a solo game, Team Sabre is a bit lacking.

Best of all, Dark Alliance II is just a very accessible game; easy to get started and nearly impossible to stop, there is plenty of monster-bashing spread across some really great missions.

There’s a lot to like here: a wide variety of buildings and themes to mess around with, casino design, landscaping, and just plain wandering around looking at the pretty lights.

A bit of a cookie-cutter game that was simply taking an established engine and an established genre and putting a post-apocalyptic facelift on it.

Just another nail in the Star Trek coffin and proof that the curse is still alive. Even borrowing on the great story concept and tossing in some small fighters in favor of starship battles isn’t enough to save this title from its uninspired gameplay and average presentation.

It’s highly addictive and just plain fun.

This is not a game to be approached by the casual action gamer. There is a lot of strategy, planning, and even some character building required to achieve maximum effectiveness and mission success.

If you’re not a hard-core Counter-Strike player, Condition Zero is definitely worth a look. Veterans will probably want to stick with what they've already got.

Arx should take you around 30 hours to complete, possibly more depending on how fast you are at figuring out a few of the puzzles or how often you have to reload some of the more difficult combats.

Control is one of the most important things to truly let you connect with a game. With OMF I was unable to establish this connection and the game just didn’t really entertain me or draw me in. Fighting, the main thrust of the game, was often a chore.

The enhancements to the single player game are certainly a huge improvement and the multiplayer modes are reasonably fun although you might have trouble finding other people to play with or against.

Everything from the violent visuals, great sound, classic narration, graphics novel presentation, and intense gameplay is back and condensed into one of the best GBA action titles of 2003.

A highly polished game that covers so many genres and styles of gameplay that it can hardly be classified. In less than 15 hours Beyond Good & Evil has become my second favorite game of all time on the Cube and easily one of my top five games for 2003.

A wonderful achievement in storytelling, an experiment in horror if you will, that no “scary movie” fan or gamer should miss.

As good a war simulation as this is, it tends to be so thorough in its attention to historical accuracy that unless you wear a lot of tweed and smoke a pipe, you’d probably do well to stick to your Battlefield 1942 mods. Fast-paced this ain’t.

It’s a unique racing experience that isn’t quite arcade and certainly not simulation. As long as you know what to expect going in you won’t be disappointed and you might even be a bit surprised.

They are fun, interesting, huge, and have considerable depth within the gameplay. But I find reality frustrating enough to not want to pick up a game that threatens to compound that frustration further.

A unique racing experience that isn’t quite arcade and certainly not simulation. As long as you know what to expect going in you won’t be disappointed and you might even be a bit surprised.

There simply isn’t enough variety in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and the repetitive combat, troublesome camera, and platform-like jumping puzzles will quickly go from entertaining to annoying long before the game is over.

I am very excited to finally see a quality racing game for the GameCube console.

The gameplay and puzzles are spoon-fed to you in easily swallowed bites, but much like Chinese food, when it’s over you will be full but not terribly satisfied.

The combat was overly simplistic, the gameplay was rather linear, and the overall game could be considered short, but that doesn’t take away from the chills and thrills that await anyone who decides to play.

A stunning achievement in interactive entertainment. With a solid story, engaging characters, stunning visuals, and delightful dialogue, this is one adventure you simply won’t be able to tear yourself away from.

I-Ninja just oozes with a perfect blend of charm, humor, and visual quality that has been long overdue in a platform game. A definite must-own title.

I-Ninja just oozes with a perfect blend of charm, humor, and visual quality that has been long overdue in a platform game. A definite must-own title.

A bold experiment that ultimately fails under the weight of its own ambition. There is nothing here that hasn’t been done in other games and done better, and while X2 might combine these elements, it fails to improve on any of them.

While SpyHunter 2 is certainly a much more refined sequel it seems that there are just as many new problems as there are improvements.

A landmark achievement in game design starting with the addictively fun core gameplay, instinctive controls, then rounding out the package with gorgeous visuals, stunning special effects, and professional sound work.

From its sense of humor to its finely tweaked gameplay, Armed & Dangerous is a spectacular and engaging game—a third person shooter for fans of the genre or those sick of the recent wave of formulaic entries it has received.

You’ve got a beautifully rich, engrossing sci-fi conspiracy story that suffers abbreviated cinematic story development. You’ve got a very cool RPG with futuristic upgrades, weapons and items that is hampered by a poorly designed interface.

A purchase is not recommended, however, due to the game’s short length and considerably degraded graphics and gameplay. After all, 50 smackers is a lot to invest in such a short-lived game, especially when it’s an inferior port of a PC title (largely the result of the PS2’s technical limitations).

The revised level cap will be a slam dunk hit, and the new resources will give builders plenty to play with. The campaign alone is worth the price of admission.

A mild diversion rather than the full-blown, stealth, spy-thriller it could have been. At times I had fun, but most of the time I was turned off by the frustrating gameplay and slow pacing of the action.

The gameplay and puzzles are spoon-fed to you in easily swallowed bites, but much like Chinese food, when it’s over you will be full but not terribly satisfied.

A streamlined version of its predecessor, relieving you of the tedious tasks of micromanaging skills and clunky inventory boxes, thus freeing you to play the game and experience the rich story and immersive world that Ion Storm has prepared for you.

Despite the lack of intelligent AI that ruined any team-tactical strategy, the game is redeemed by its original gameplay and ongoing humor that is interwoven into every aspect of the game whether it be movies, gameplay, or even the weapons.

Do I really mean that after 25 years of gaming, and thousands of titles in my collection, that Beyond Good and Evil is one of the best games I have ever played? Yes.

I spent the vast majority of the game sending units off into the darkness with little fear of death and all the tactics of a street brawl.

Rise of the Elves is like Disciples II with two more years of work put into it. It has all the strengths and weaknesses of the original and is overall quite a fun game that will stay on your hard drive for a while.

A lot like a mediocre sci-fi novel. It has a great atmosphere, some fascinating and innovative tech stuff but flat characters and a mundane storyline that ultimately kill its potential.

Not only has the bullet-time system been refined, the audio-visual presentation is flawless and the additional of a second playable character and tightly integrated story makes this one of the best action games of the year.

As a game, the design is weak with no story or motivation leaving only a barebones fighter. When you tack on the extremely poor fighting engine and twitchy graphics the game sinks further into mediocrity.

A great action game that will likely appeal to fans of the previous two Devil May Cry games. For fans of the Spawn franchise, Manson fans, or fans of Goth-horror in general, this is a no-brainer.

A great action game, especially for the Xbox since we didn’t get "Devil May Cry," and Otogi: Myth of Demons is about as close as you can get to this style of carnal gameplay. For fans of the Spawn franchise, Manson fans, or fans of Goth-horror in general, this is a no-brainer.

A great action game and there is nothing else like it available on the GameCube. For fans of the Spawn franchise, Manson fans, or fans of Goth-horror in general, this is a no-brainer.

The control scheme falls rather flat, the documentation on actually playing the games can be spotty and the overall presentation of the whole thing is quite underwhelming.

If you are looking for more popular music you might want to check out "DDR2MAX" for the PS2, but if you are in the mood for some killer techno tunes and house music then Ultramix is the ultimate selection of high-energy dance beats.

I could go on for another few thousand words about the immersive gameplay and just plain brilliant game design waiting for you in Beyond Good & Evil, but I would rather you go out and get your own copy and start enjoying it for yourself.

Despite the graphical flaws, poor mission design, and lack of a compelling story I still have to admit I had "fun" playing this game, actually more fun than I did on the PC.

Once you look through the cel-shaded visuals, professional voice acting, and graphic novel presentation and effects, you are left with a pretty standard shooter that doesn’t really innovate or improve upon the genre.

Once you look through the cel-shaded visuals, professional voice acting, and graphic novel presentation and effects, you are left with a pretty standard shooter that doesn’t really innovate or improve upon the genre.

If you enjoy slow, strategic, stealth gameplay, if you hacked your way through "Tenchu" and wanted more blood and violence then look no further. You won’t find a more stylish or disturbing game than this.

Puts a serious strain on the PS2 – a strain that drastically and negatively affects gameplay.

Gave me a negative vibe with the way it portrayed people of minority races and foreign cultures and the condescending manner in which the badass cop goes about his business. We have enough fear and hatred in this world already, we don’t need to breed more.

Paints an epic tale while sporting an uncommonly, enjoyably light-hearted approach to much of it. It holds its own not just as a sequel but as a true, full-fledged Final Fantasy title in its own right.

And there lies KOTOR’s most valuable feature, total freedom, freedom to go where you want to go, do what you want to do, and let the adventure unfold at your own pace.

Taking the story into the past was a nice direction on the part of the writers, and the story and missions are inventive and flow nicely, but the poor performance of Adama tarnishes the overall presentation.

I-Ninja just oozes with a perfect blend of charm, humor, and visual quality that has been long overdue in a platform game. A definite must-own title.

Quite simply, the best action flight game released for the PS2 this year for sure and quite possibly the best that has ever graced the console.

From “console port” to delightfully entertaining diversion, SWON eventual won me over and vanquished my early skepticism.

It’s easy to learn and difficult to master, but the experience you have from beginning to end will be challenging and rewarding.

If you enjoy an interesting “battle” approach to racing and tweaking your car to the Nth degree then I encourage you to really dig for this title and add it to your permanent PS2 library. Don’t let the cheap price fool you.

The game isn’t that long and it’s also an easy game to play thanks to plentiful weapons, ammo, and power-ups. You seldom even worry about dying unless you are totally careless.

It has some redeeming qualities which are massively out weighed by its shortcomings. If you see this game for $5 it might be worth the effort to pick it up but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

A lame-ass game. Mucha Lucha: Mascaritas of the Lost Code is a horrible piece of work that should have never been released.

With the limited scope in gameplay, primitive graphics, and repetitive comments from the judges, this is a game best left for the bargain bin, a weekend rental, or perhaps just skip it altogether.

There is enough original single-player content to keep you behind the wheel for over a month and the comprehensive Xbox Live support not only complements the solo gameplay but also adds immeasurable value to the multiplayer racing modes.

A landmark achievement in game design starting with the addictively fun core gameplay, instinctive controls, then rounding out the package with gorgeous visuals, stunning special effects, and professional sound work.

Everything is here for great hockey; it just lacks the flair or polish of the competition, but in all fairness, this is a debut effort as opposed to the other games that have been around for years.

One of the most delightful and exciting action titles you can play on the Xbox or any console for that matter.

Even though the game becomes a bit of a chore to muddle through near the end I can’t help but recommend Whiplash for its delightful design and truly funny characters.

Sure, it may be a dumbed down version of the card game, but by focusing on action and strategy the game becomes much more accessible to casual gamers and those who aren't already hardcore fans of the card game.

Only a marginal improvement over last year’s game.

Once you look through the cel-shaded visuals, professional voice acting, and graphic novel presentation and effects, you are left with a pretty standard shooter that doesn’t really innovate or improve upon the genre.

As a standalone game you will find at least 15-20 hours of quality gaming waiting for you between the missions and the challenges.

A landmark achievement in game design starting with the addictively fun core gameplay, instinctive controls, then rounding out the package with gorgeous visuals, stunning special effects, and professional sound work.