While it's not without its flaws, none of them are deal-breakers and it does enough right for you to suffer through the crappy parts.

Just learning the myriad of functions, trying to organize a group and then arranging transportation will easily eat up a couple hours before you've even fired your first live round at a real enemy.

With tons of weapons/armor/shields/artifacts to collect, a random dungeon creator after you make it through all of the campaign missions (each of which are replayable and earn you Fame, which unlocks more options and features), and a retro style to throw you back to a time when you first discovered video game dungeons, ClaDun is one of the most enjoyable games I've played in a long while.

The gameplay is largely untouched if not just a smidgen faster.

Dirt 2 looks great and plays every bit as well as Grid, but loyalists to the Colin McRae series may not appreciate the greatly diminished rally content and simplified tuning controls.

The operative words here are "Heavy Metal". Not all that black metal with all that panda make-up, or that judd-judd hardcore or that god-awful crap with turntables either - this is the good stuff.

Has enough class to disguise the numbers game of golf, and clears enough distance left by its predecessor for an easy lay-up for next year's installment.

I do wish there had been a bit more after four years of waiting. It's like rediscovering a long lost friend, and while he’s still the same lovable guy, it turns out he hasn't matured much or traveled around Europe in the intervening years. He simply never left home.

The gameplay improvements were a welcome change and the new split screen is an essential new addition to Lego games. However, without the characters or story to hold it up, the game doesn't reach the height of its predecessors.

A montage of innovation and disappointment. It brings to the table a mixed feast generously laced with Geo-Mod fun and decent gameplay, but the difficult control and platform jumping makes it harder to swallow. Still, this is one of few genuinely fun and exhilarating shooters out for the PS2.

By virtue of its impressive new control scheme and solid delivery, Fight Night 2004 doesn't really have any peers and by default can be declared the unanimous champ. However, it still needs a much better single-player Career mode before it can stand toe to toe with other, deeper sports games.

If Taldren could take care of the unwieldy camera and add a little more Star Trek weirdness, Starfleet Command might truly take Trek games where they’ve never gone before: into 'A' range.

Freestyle control is the same as it ever was, which is a good thing as it still trumps "ESPN" as the better, more responsive control system.

Though short (with total gameplay running around 4-8 hours), the story is really told well and should adequately entertain fans. But the meat of any expansion - new environments, new weapons, and new enemies – is painfully thin.

Considering the state of fighting games for the N64, Super Smash Brothers is actually high in its class. While the single player mode gets tiresome, it's a fun multi-player game and is worth a look.

Manages to compensate for dull graphics, empty interiors, lack of a multiplayer mode and unfriendly saves with intense action and impressive enemy AI. The game is fun, challenging, and ultimately worth the frustration.

It's gonna be a short battle, so let's try to have a little fun before it's over.

A solid action game made better by some awesome, well-implemented powers and a sweet physics engine. While the glitches and design problems hold it back significantly, this is still a daydream well worth taking.

If you've never played Tribes before, well, heed my advice - "There ain't no butter like butter that's washed down with a healthy helping of squirrel."

An uneven mixture of gorgeous graphics, upgradeable street racing vehicles, variety of race modes, unique customization, lack of opposition, repetitive tracks, and no law enforcement presence... Involving and fun, although not quite as engrossing as "NFS:HP2."

This game has no roadmap to wait on or microtransactions to dodge, as People Can Fly has focused solely on making a damn good third-person co-op shooter with a huge variety of weapon and ability combos that keep the action aggressive and satisfying. Sure, it doesn’t innovate in any huge way and its many flaws are tough to ignore, but Outriders is a blast from a simpler past and I love that.

Easy to play in small and long doses.

Adds a surprising amount of fresh content to an old hero. Despite its quirks, this is a satisfying handheld platformer. Mega, indeed.

Unpolished and unsure – too long for an epilogue, too short for a stand-alone title. Still, an enjoyable romp with an intriguing story can be found somewhere between the two, and you won’t have to be wide awake to see it.

Full House Poker is a full-featured Texas Hold 'Em simulator full of personality and depth.

Critics, business types, and your mom and dad don't understand that multiplayer is much more important to you than single-player these days. Head-to-head content gets the wealth of gaming time and Brink comes well equipped for hours and hours of gunplay.

A good game peppered with numerous little annoying bits. Still, the item acquisition, terrific fighting and solid graphics offer good adventure fun, and you could do a lot worse.

Critics, business types, and your mom and dad don't understand that multiplayer is much more important to you than single-player these days. Head-to-head content gets the wealth of gaming time and Brink comes well equipped for hours and hours of gunplay.

An extremely violent, bloody, foul-mouthed and visceral fighter filled with plenty of style. Unfortunately, good looks, a cool character creator and some sweet environments are commodities that lose their luster after several hours of play.

Critics, business types, and your mom and dad don't understand that multiplayer is much more important to you than single-player these days. Head-to-head content gets the wealth of gaming time and Brink comes well equipped for hours and hours of gunplay.

While not being the first ever re-imagining of Space Invaders, Space Invaders Extreme is certainly the most striking, both visually and mechanically.

Considering it's a port, I would have been much happier if more attention was given to the audio and video.

Combat is satisfying and engaging.

Without a real single-player campaign and some equally progressive, detailed match types, this conflict is destined to be the biggest thing to <I>almost</I> happen to online gaming.

Combat is satisfying and engaging.

Guitar Hero: Metallica is exactly what you expect it to be: a solid, offhand reworking of Guitar Hero World Tour with a bunch of Metallica songs.

Like an unexpectedly good BLT. It&#146;s based a little too heavily on "Heroes of Might and Magic," making you long for the days of the "Armageddon Blade," but with some nice crisp bacon and cool fresh lettuce, it still makes for a satisfying sandwich.

Nothing goes on along the sidelines. There are no pedestrians watching, no birds flying overhead, nothing. Pretty hard to believe these world-class cities are so dead.

It controls well enough, it has enough story and conversation to move things along, it hits the nostalgia button beautifully… what more could I ask for in a classically-inspired game?

A fine FPS with plenty of action and intense gameplay, even if it is derivative, too short and a tad uninspired.

Despite the disturbing moniker and somewhat unintuitive front-end, the booty of this beast is a dancing joy. Clearly a step up and to the right from "DDR."

Building off an already impressive design set by its predecessor, this DLC pack only shows what awesome scenarios can be told in future content packs. Its story can feel disjointed at points, but it is contained between exciting missions and just about the exact amount of time you'd feel comfortable roaming around in a downloadable title.

At it stands, Test Drive Unlimited 2 is like a used Ferrari with a broken passenger seat - a solid ride as long as the player doesn't mind some of the nicks and bumps and is willing to drive mostly alone.

Offers a lot for what it is- a children's game where you raise and battle monsters. I found it entertaining for a while but I soon tired its repetitive nature. But then again, you might enjoy raising virtual pets.

Even though it isn't a long game, Fancy Pants Adventures oozes with charm.

At it stands, Test Drive Unlimited 2 is like a used Ferrari with a broken passenger seat - a solid ride as long as the player doesn't mind some of the nicks and bumps and is willing to drive mostly alone.

Definitely not the groundbreaker that Gran Turismo was, it is indeed a solid racing title with plenty of replay value to keep the engine warm. Dreamcast race junkies, this one's for you.

A remarkably accurate and functional port, and as such, there's a ton of content and great gameplay here. It's so true to its predecessor, however, that it's tough to justify buying again if you already own the PS2 version.

Even though it isn't a long game, Fancy Pants Adventures oozes with charm.

At it stands, Test Drive Unlimited 2 is like a used Ferrari with a broken passenger seat - a solid ride as long as the player doesn't mind some of the nicks and bumps and is willing to drive mostly alone.

You get a measly two camera angles from the start, and you’ll get more only after winning Grand Slam events, if you can believe that.

Though the Gamecube version of Chaos Theory suffers from tricky control and is missing online play, it's still an involved, mature game.

The game tries to be everything for everyone by offering a great variety of gameplay styles, but doesn&#146;t quite succeed at any of them. Each facet of the game has minor issues that hurt an otherwise enjoyable experience.

Unfortunately, even great length doesn't entirely offset the boring story arc and occasionally frustrating gameplay. The game seems intent just sticking to the dungeon/town/dungeon theme and tossing one fantasy RPG cliché after another at you, which does grow a little tiresome.

Doesn't match the frantic pace of a good first-person shooter or the complexity of a turn-based strategy game. Instead, it&#146;s a clever reinvention of something old into a multiplayer experience.

It&#146;s surprisingly robust and looks very cool thanks to the great animations, that&#146;s for sure, but the whole Dunk Contest isn&#146;t very intuitive.

Despite its better delivery, though, Major League Baseball 2K5 is not a better baseball game than "MVP 2005." Its offline content is simply not as deep and its play mechanics are broadly inferior.

The fact of the matter is Fable III feels like Fable 2.5 rather than a full-on sequel.

It takes place in a gigantic world with loads of great content, and the seemingly endless number of small quests means that if you only have a half-hour to play, you can actually get something done. However, Everquest II isn’t terribly intuitive or noob-friendly when you’re just starting out.

It's free, it's pretty, and it's got hot, busty vampire chicks. If any of those things interest you, Forsaken World is worth checking out.

It never really crosses the threshold to thrilling gameplay and an absent replay doesn't help, but it does kick up a lot of dirt and will leave racing fans satisfied.

Aside from the constant elevator music, Super Swing Golf Season 2 is a solid golf game with a lot of replay value.

Frankly, the Gamecube version of Gun holds up just fine, although it's arguably the most strained in terms of control scheme.

The headset works well, the gameplay is fairly solid and the online teamwork can be addicting. Just make sure your wallet can absorb the punishment, recruit.

Despite the disturbing moniker and somewhat unintuitive front-end, the booty of this beast is a dancing joy. Clearly a step up and to the right from "DDR."

I usually prefer the speed of real-time strategy, but FFT has made me go both ways (you know what I mean).

A neat pick-up-and-play variation on Bejeweled and a solid entry for the franchise.

A fun ride. It doesn't bring very much new to the table, but it also works just fine and doesn't make you take your shoes off at the security checkpoint.

A good game. For a mere $20, you get plenty of mindless old-school fun, albeit for a relatively short time.

The fast-paced action and variety of arenas make it perfect for killing some time even if it doesn't deliver the most rewarding gaming experience.

There’s plenty of room for improvement, since there isn’t much in the way of creative ability or battle variation, but the diverse track picks and simple control scheme help put together a game that will definitely keep the crowd hyped.

A relatively short game that can easily be passed in a single weekend. Normally this is a bad thing, but it may be due in part to the fact that it isn't as frustrating as "Ghosts to Glory," with a lot less annoying platformer bits. You won't be tearing your hair out from missed platformer jumps, so feel free to toss that bottle of Rogaine you had from since the last game.

Many action-oriented gamers arena&#146;t going to like this game at all, but you strategy buffs will be pleased that Gladius is such a strong contender, because you really don&#146;t have any other options. There are no other games like it.

If you're after a deeper football game or something that you can play alone, getting Blitzed isn't the right choice (the right choice is NFL 2K).

As a follow-up, Medal of Honor: Underground missed my high expectations, but only because the first one was such a great start.

An uneven mixture of gorgeous graphics, upgradeable street racing vehicles, variety of race modes, unique customization, lack of opposition, repetitive tracks, and no law enforcement presence... Involving and fun, although not quite as engrossing as "NFS:HP2."

Drawn To Life features some excellent sound and music.

Having the real music and the real music videos is both an unexpected plus and an unexpected minus.

Many action-oriented gamers arena&#146;t going to like this game at all, but you strategy buffs will be pleased that Gladius is such a strong contender, because you really don&#146;t have any other options. There are no other games like it.

Despite its disappointingly lopsided online play, Shift is easily among the best multiplatform racing games available, and its cockpit view sets a new gold standard for the genre.

Age of Empires 4 isn’t a bad game at all. I had a lot of fun with it. Its biggest problem is that it plays it too safe. It wants to capture the success of Age of Empires 2 so much that it never really gained an identity of its own. I hope that in the future, the devs take the asymmetrical civilizations further and focus on mechanics that evolve the Age of Empires franchise. There’s a solid foundation here, and if built in the right direction, it could lead to something special. For now, it’s too old school for its own good.

It obviously won't satisfy those looking for a long, deep, story or a rich customization palette. But it's got enough adrenaline in its little heart to put up a remarkable fight.

All in all, if you buy StarCraft, you're buying it for the multi-player. The single-player is just too short and disappointing...The game just doesn't live up to the lofty goals of its predecessors, and for that, it suffers.

Though the series is pretty much stale these days, that wasn&#146;t always the case, and the Mega Man Anniversary Collection serves as a reminder that while the games might feel a little dated, the Blue Bomber still has some fight left.

It brings a legendary game into the next-generation with good graphics, tight control and solid if redundant gameplay. It might not be "Goldfinger," but it's a far cry from "Moonraker."

'Always run' option is a great friend to have.

A hard, somewhat lengthy tactical RPG that gets the job done. However, it’s an older game being published by Mastiff as though it were new. And even more importantly, "Disgaea" came out last year and is more polished than La Pucelle.

Ultimate Mortal Kombat is the real deal, and it’s mind-blowing to think that I can not only play it at home, like I used to daydream about, but it fits snugly right in my pocket.

Definitely one of the more enjoyable kart racers in recent memory.

It’s funny, bizarre and, at times, downright filthy, precisely the kinds of things I look for in my Japanese games. Unfortunately, it’s got other things I'm not so crazy about, like few sub-quests, constant random battles and excessive loading. But if you like your games sexy, this might be the perfect match.

American developer Double Helix has managed to stick its landing—right in the uneasy, dark parts of the mind that define the Silent Hill experience.

Greed Corp is probably not a title for everyone, but the value-to-cost ratio is great.

Despite its obviously derivative mechanics and gameplay, Dark Cloud offers a solid, fun experience and at least tries something interesting with its village building system.

Given a little patience, however, X-Men Legends will reward you with a good storyline and fun gameplay.

The new feature I found the most interesting is the ability to tax different income brackets.

Call of Cthulhu shows that the first-person perspective doesn't always have to pack an uzi, and can even be the perfect view for players interested in a more cerebral challenge. Its dated look and absurd difficulty will probably consign it to mere cult status, but perhaps that's really where a game based on Lovecraft belongs.

The tour of duty deftly combines intuitive squad-based tactics with fast-paced action, though those wanting to go career will be disappointed in the lack of long-term value.

"Tetris Attack" has been dipped into a big vat of melted Pokemon goo, creating a shell of backgrounds and music that's now called Pokemon Puzzle League.