It's clunky, and some stages are just plain dumb. Transworld is just another log to toss on the fire. [Jan 2003, p.114]

The one big advantage Shenmue II has over its predecessor is that it's much larger. [Jan 2003, p.111]

On a console, you're left with a classic board game and no nifty little houses to roll around in your hand and lost under the couch. [Dec 2002, p.144]

The design is light years behind the PC market. [Jan 2003, p.101]

EA has started down a road that sits directly between bieng boring and being goofy - creating a golfing tradition we can all get on board with, starting now. [Nov 2002, p.134]

Just as good on this system as it is on the Xbox. [Dec 2002, p.130]

Certainly a great addition to the EQ universe, but falls short of the "Scars of Velious" expansion, which is still the best in the series simply because it offered so much content. [Jan 2003, p.118]

An uneventful, but not altogether unenjoyable racing game that fails to distinguish itself from the pack. [Dec 2002, p.120]

Far from revolutionary. [Dec 2002, p.123]

These games might have been fun portables 20 years ago, but now they're too simple and boring. [Feb 2003, p.110]

I was surprised at how fast this GBA version of Doom moved. It can really haul. [Dec 2002, p.152]

Its strengths greatly dwarf its shortcomings. [Dec 2002, p.126]

There are far too many flaws for it to compete. [Dec 2002, p.123]

I wonder if this is the game that should have graced the big consoles instead of "Robotech: Battlecry." [Jan 2003, p.122]

The story aspects and art style are unique, but the seemingly slow-motion gameplay is not. [Feb 2003, p.105]

This game does what all RPGs (and good books) set out to do: harness your emotions. I couldn't recomend it more. [Dec 2002, p.107]

But after spending a mere 30 minutes to complete the adventure, you'll soon discover that there's too little sustenance to provide a satisfying portion of gameplay.[Nov 2002, p.138]

It's as easy to put down as it is to pick up. [Nov 2002, p.134]

This game does retain its glory, but you actually have to work, and work hard, to find it. [Dec 2002, p.106]

Simplistic and primitive, but for the most part it works. [Mar 2003, p.92]

Alhtough you get used to it, the numerous blind spots are highly annoying. [Jan 2003, p.122]

It's almost embarrassing how behind the times this series has fallen. [Nov 2002, p.137]

Addicting as hell. [Dec 2002, p.137]

Many missions - while fun - take away from the skating, which is why we play the game. [Dec 2002, p.130]

Enough with the damned analog swing already! [Jan 2003, p.102]

Not bad, but not good either. [Dec 2002, p.123]

I cannot commend developer Eden Studios enough for everything from top-notch presentation to delivering a white-knuckle rally ride that'll have fans enthralled. [Jan 2003, p.96]

Defender's real strength comes through in its willingness to be a shooter in a market full of mediocre hybrids. [Nov 2002, p.126]

I sorely miss the old weapons that Konami decided to remove. Gone are the spray gun, missle launchers, laser cannon, and super bomb. [Dec 2002, p.116]

If you love magic and mosters, you really can't go wrong. [Dec 2002, p.142]

Doesn't offer enough depth or strategy. [Jan 2003, p.114]

It feels more like a next-generation "Colony Wars" than Defender. This, of course, is the highest of compliments. [Feb 2003, p.105]

Sometimes the fighting gets so intense, you can feel the fate of Middle Earth weighing down on you more and more wtih each blow. [Dec 2002, p.111]

If anything, the game did show me how much torment I can put up with before breaking down, sobbing, and pleading to make it stop. [Dec 2002, p.125]

The physics, audio, and accuracy are lacking. [Oct 2002, p.84]

The gameplay has a nice balance to it, but is also fairly shallow. [Dec 2002, p.118]

Gives new meaning to depth. [Dec 2002, p.149]

The sound, on the other hand, makes me cower in a corner, trying to find a warm place. [Nov 2002, p.122]

Good, but a multiplayer mode would have been nice. [Nov 2002, p.128]

Wehn BloodRayne breaks into an attack she is as fidgety as Bart Simpson on a Slurpee rush. [Nov 2002, p.127]

Geo-Mod technology is a beautiful, beautiful thing. For some strange reason, blowing away an entire wall to get to an enemy cowering in the corner of a storeroom just feels good. [Dec 2002, p.110]

The story is delivered witih all the emotion of a grade school play. This woldn't be such a bad thing, if the gameplay weren't absolutely abysmal. [Dec 2002, p.122]

A sexy goth vampire chick shooting and slicing skeleton spiders and Nazis in the 1930s? You gotta love that! [Dec 2002, p.144]

The fun of these party games wears thin rather quickly. [Dec 2002, p.144]

I couldn't get over the amateurish production values, camera bugs, and shallow camera controls. [Dec 2002, p.70]

Not only is it the best in the series, by far, but it actually supports a decent combat system with a fairly balanced cast. [Jan 2003, p.102]

With the sad Story mode, you're left having slightly more meat than the original, but that isn't enough to make this an out and out must-have. [Dec 2002, p.128]

Moves slower than Jacque Cousteau on the toilet. [Jan 2003, p.96]

The best fighter-combat title since "Rogue Leader." [Dec 2002, p.128]

Somewhat amusing... but only, and I stress this, if you've already consumed every little morsel within "Tony 4." [Dec 2002, p.122]

The platforming aspects have all been done before, and that will keep little Ty a sliver away from greatness.[Nov 2002, p.128]

About the best definition of average that I could ever imagine. [Nov 2002, p.144]

The Game Breaker special shots are, frankly, corny; and the Dynamic Dekes are just too hard to control. [Nov 2002, p.142]

This was just better than 2002. Now all I need is a better boxer creator and punch stats. [Nov 2002, p.132]

A game for those who don't mind sacrificing some realism for a more exciting experience. [Nov 2002, p.119]

Accuracy reigns over adrenaline, and NBA 2K is the king of video hoops yet again. [Nov 2002, p.118]

A solid, great-looking game, just not the masterpiece I was hoping for. [Dec 2002, p.123]

Has the same impressive and deep career mode featured in VT2 for the Dreamcast. [Jan 2003, p.122]

A serious tour de force for deathmatch. [Dec 2002, p.141]

Godzilla may not be the deepest game in the world, and it may lack variety, but it's one heck of a party game and a highly amusing feast for the eyes. [Nov 2002, p.131]

Don't expect the thrills to last very long. Whether you finish it quickly, or tire of the routine, it just doesn't have the depth or drawing power to keep you hooked. [Nov 2002, p.136]

Others, like myself, will instantly fall in love with the intense adrenaline rush of the chase, and be able to play this game all day and night. [Oct 2002, p.80]

The fuzz and Need's sense of speed are what kept me playing. However, many of the modes are the same rat race in disguise. [Nov 2002, p.141]

The graphics are great and the only deterrents are some questionable physics and the idea that a cop could catch me in my Opal. [Nov 2002, p.134]

The battles are easily the best part of an otherwise middle-of-the-road RPG. [Oct 2002, p.85]

Basically one huge lesson in trial and error. [Dec 2002, p.140]

It's a little different, but if you dissect every little detail, it's actually a step down from last year's release. [Nov 2002, p.120]

I liked the battle system, and the magic scheme was much more robust than I expected, but in the end this game came off as little more than an RPG that tried to be epic, but fell short. [Nov 2002, p.126]

The game's story, humor, and action are well implemented, but I would have liked to see a little less emphasis on stealth. [Dec 2002, p.148]

If you're a devotee to "Quake," "UT," FPSs, or online games in general, this is certainly a ride you won't want to miss. [Dec 2002, p.147]

Overall the game seems more complete than the first. [Nov 2002, p.124]

While the multiplayer modes are nice, poor targeting, underwhelming graphics, and erratic movement make this game a mere blip on the radar. [Nov 2002, p.144]

The frantic fighting and creative spell-casting are highly addictive, and the difficulty is where I'd want it to be. [Oct 2002, p.86]

Off the track, the game is a revelation. [Oct 2002, p.82]

The game's steep learning curve will have sim-heads in heaven, but may be a little too tough for most. [Nov 2002, p.128]

The cutscenes look good, and surprisingly, the voice acting is some of the best I've heard lately. [Nov 2002, p.128]

Full of more holes than Swiss cheese. [Nov 2002, p.119]

Sheffield tried too much and didn't focus enough on the gameplay necessities. [Nov 2002, p.113]

When you use a trebuchet (an enormous catapult) to launch a diseased cow over an enemy's walls and watch his population drop like flies, you can't help but get that warm fuzzy "I love this game" feeling. [Dec 2002, p.149]

Blistering combat that's wrapped in an almost flawless presentation. [Oct 2002, p.89]

Trick buttons can't pull chase out of mediocrity. [Oct 2002, p.91]

Battlecry gives you some blistering combat, but the franchise could truly explode if it tapped into the series' rich subtleties. [Nov 2002, p.140]

If you happen to be a huge fan of the series, I'm certain you'll appreciate the small additions and changes. [Dec 2002, p.123]

I just couldn't get into the bland fighting half of the game. [Nov 2002, p.128]

A game that borrows a page from the glory days of Crash Bandicoot and delivers a gameplay experience that sticks to its guns and keeps the action constant. [Nov 2002, p.108]

I think I'd rather have Gandalf turn me into something unnatural - like a hairy newt - rather than play this game again. [Dec 2002, p.150]

While this isn't the new Mario adventure I am still waiting for on the GBA, it is one heck of a platformer. [Nov 2002, p.150]

The jumping portions of the game are still a little iffy, and I killed myself quite a lot from misreading the view, but in the end I enjoyed exploring the worlds. [Dec 2002, p.152]

The controller simply lacks the precision to effectively transform a dodge into a flip, and then nail the enemy. [Jan 2003, p.110]

It's a hand-me-down with holes, but one that may still keep action fans warm at night. [Oct 2002, p.91]

A decent addition to the series. [Nov 2002, p.133]

Has just about everything you're looking for in an action/adventure game. [Oct 2002, p.84]

Easily reigns as the best dungeon crawler on the PS2, and one of the most engrossing RPGs around. [Nov 2002, p.122]

Sixteen-player online deathmatch is truly a sight to behold, and you should probably think about keeping anyone prone to seizures or heart palpitations out of the room because things move real fast. [Nov 2002, p.116]

This latest edition has not broken [my heart], although my hopes for what it should have been were slightly disappointed. [Oct 2002, p.78]

Unfortunately, THQ changed absolutely nothing, which means that "Golden Axe," in particular, looks and sounds extremely dated." [Dec 2002, p.150]

So high above the competition it's not even funny. [Mar 2003, p.92]

A faithful reproduction with some welcome enhancements and improvements. [Nov 2002, p.150]