A dark, difficult, bloody stealth game that puts fell weapons in the player’s hands, and almost taunts them into action.

A dark, difficult, bloody stealth game that puts fell weapons in the player’s hands, and almost taunts them into action.

If you’re a fan of mindless destruction, you’d be hard pressed to find a game as immediately gratifying as Painkiller. Just don’t expect it to be a cure-all.

ESPN MLB isn't a bad game at all, but is functionally a step backwards from last year's game and just can't quite keep up with "MVP."

But if you never played the GBA game and don't have that system, you shouldn't pass on investing in Wario's weird company, especially considering its current stock price of a mere 30 bucks.

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.

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.

A zombie could have a hundred flailing tentacles and a cool set of giant spider legs, but without a mouth, it just hasn’t got any bite.

While Sacred is a fun, addictive diversion, its relentless simplicity makes it feel like it’s not quite a full fledged game. I don’t need a complex crafting system, but I do need to feel like I have some control over my character’s abilities and destiny.

Repetitive combat only provides gamers with a taste of the original Onimusha flavor and the absence of any real story or unique features leave this samurai wandering the battlefield without much fight left in him.

Ho-hum gameplay combined with simple annoyances make this game a shadow of the popular cartoon it was based on.

The game itself is good, far better than the online "Everquest" games for the PS2 and even holding up well next to fancier PC MMORPGs. It’s genuinely fun and runs well.

It’s not gonna revolutionize the way you think of FPS gaming - that’s a job for "Half-Life 2," we hope - but Far Cry will give you a great 20-hour adrenaline shot in the arm. The impressive technology and sheer fun lead to a good choice for FPS fans with hefty rigs.

Strikingly beautiful technologically as well as aesthetically... From its fantastic delivery to its tense gameplay to its innovative multiplayer, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is an absolute femme-fatale of a game.

But most mystifying of all is the absence of any kind of multiplayer. There’s no Xbox live support and no two-player mode. Believe it or not, the only way to play with someone else is to have two consoles, two copies of the game, two TV’s and the Xbox link cable.

Marrying the best elements of traditional UT with "Halo," "Tribes II" and a bit of the "Battlefield" series, the game serves up intricate, breakneck battles at blinding speeds.

A decent baseball game and is genuinely better than the last offering, but you get the sense that the developers are more spending too much time with cute bonus features like the EyeToy support and headset commands rather than focusing on ways to improve the gameplay.

That’s just about all Breakdown has going for it: a genuinely good sci-fi story. But even that gets overpowered by numerous gameplay flaws, from the unconvincing AI and crummy fragging to the boring environments and irritating pacing.

The gameplay that was amazing a year and a half ago is not as shockingly new, leading to a battle that many of you will feel you’ve already fought. Still, the seamless inclusion of land, sea and air combat coupled with the intensity of jungle warfare wins it a medal of honor.

So the story and gameplay fall flat, but part of what made the Seven Samurai film so incredible was its revolutionary cinematography. Does Seven Samurai 20XX at least excel in its look? Nope - the streak continues.

Misses the mark completely due to its slow pace and boring gameplay. Fire bad, indeed.

Solid in every department, this one will be hard to top simply for the fact that it has very few weaknesses. While other entries might feature better stat-tracking or deeper Dynasty modes, they’ll be hard-pressed to be as well-rounded as MVP.

Solid in every department, this one will be hard to top simply for the fact that it has very few weaknesses. While other entries might feature better stat-tracking or deeper Dynasty modes, they’ll be hard-pressed to be as well-rounded as MVP.

The graphics and sound may have more flair than the original, but the guts are the same. Revisiting it for the second time is fun because MGS itself was great, though it’s still just revisiting a game many of us have already played.

Solid in every department, this one will be hard to top simply for the fact that it has very few weaknesses. While other entries might feature better stat-tracking or deeper Dynasty modes, they’ll be hard-pressed to be as well-rounded as MVP.

An overachiever with too many character flaws to make it big. It just can’t swim with the sharks. Save your money and pick up "Mean Streets" instead.

This is officially a budget title. Despite its small problems and lack of online play, that’s just insane. This is a well-rounded game that would still be recommended if it cost full fare, so race to the store and pick up a copy before they come to their senses and sell it for what it’s worth.

While Drakengard combines two distinct gameplay styles, neither works well due to the awful AI and severe repetition. Enemy pop-up and some slowdown don’t help either.