A fantastic stealth shooter that, for the most part, utilizes its strengths to great detail, providing a unique experience in terms of level design and the morality of killing in videogames.

An essentially generic nature is why Grandia Xtreme winds up being such an empty experience overall.

It's so overflowing with contrived gimmicks to (presumably) add to the depth and longevity to the game that its weak core gameplay sticks out like a sore thumb.

There are enough new features to ensure that the game is more than just a stagnant rehash, and the sheer depth of options is enough to keep the experience fresh for a long time - certainly long enough to get your money's worth and more.

A strong shooter with enough depth and variety to stay addicting for a criminally long time.

For an Xbox game, Fellowship Of The Ring sure does take a long time to load.

Technically, the framerate takes a hit here and there in some of the more ornate levels. It's noticeable, but it doesn't disrupt the flow of action.

The two biggest positives are its deep fighting gameplay and it surprisingly up-to-date roster.

For older gamers, the save feature means that they may finally get to experience those later levels that they never had the skill or stamina to reach back in the day.

The game is good and it's worthy of being called one of the better games the GameCube has to offer. The problem is it really doesn't stand out in any way, shape or fashion.

Myst III has so much going for it, in that clearly much effort was put into the plot, the acting, and the richly detailed pre-rendered graphics. But the whole experience never gels into an enjoyable game, and the world of Myst, while scenic, feels too static to be captivating.

No game in recent memory serves as a better example of style over substance.

It might have been possible to deal with such a ridiculously bad setup if melee was limited to bosses and occasional encounters, but in a wicked bit of irony, the miserable perspective is paired with an insanely ludicrous amount of battling.

If Quantum Redshift achieves anything, it’s to make us aware that this genre is in serious need of some new ideas.

The game is intended to be played every day, usually only for an hour or two, as opposed to the multi-hour sessions that are usually devoted to videogames.

At issue is the way 'violence' in the game has been obscured. Despite the fact that Mega Man Zero deals with war and genocide, it's disturbing to see how often the game never completely engages with its subject matter. Any instance of violence that does occur has been minimized in various ways.

The series that once had me completely addicted has now become so stale that it barely even registers as enjoyment.

There are so many impressive features that the artificial intelligence, in its best moments, rivals and occasionally surpasses even that of Bungie’s epic shooter "Halo."

Onimusha 2 may not be as great as it could have been, but it's clearly improved and worth your attention if the idea of samurai hacking up demons from hell sounds good to you. It sure does to me.

Technically the game gets many things right, besides the faulty AI. The graphics overall may be subpar, but the animations are done well.

While it’s certainly no substitute for a good history book, the game is usually executed, in both its setting and its gameplay, in a fairly believable fashion.

To say that the camera in this game is atrocious is like saying being kicked in the teeth kinda hurts-it gives the person an idea about how bad it is, but it doesn't even begin to describe the agony in detail.

There’s more of what worked, almost everything that didn’t is actually improved, and it feels as though the developers really put out forth honest effort rather than churning out a low-cost, low-imagination sequel.

Another barrier to immersion was that the level of realism is inconsistent, and conveniently tossed aside when necessary.

It is a mere sheep in wolves clothing that uses only the most socially timid and comfortable clichés like cigarettes-for-trade and prison escape maps to paint a PG-rated teen-friendly novelty amusement park interpretation of prison life.

"Buffy The Vampire Slayer" has always focused on likeable characters, sarcastic humor, and lots of action, and the game succeeds in capturing all of these elements quite nicely.

Another downside I had with this game was that it uses BMX jargon to a point where an introductory course on the subject would probably have been welcomed.

A sound choice that will not disappoint.

The graphics have a grainy low-resolution edge (similar to all 2D fighting games), but there's no denying the gorgeous colors, beautifully meticulous hand-drawn art and vibrant animation.

Certainly WarCraft III has improved exponentially from its predecessor in the areas of story and character development, which in turn results in a game of massive size that, in terms of sheer gameplay hours, will prove as fulfilling as any RPG.

If the game were less suffocating, then perhaps I would give it a chance. You'll just get too frustrated with this game waiting (read: reloading) at your next chance to drive through a frustrating trial.

This remolding of the classic action hero was a big departure from the traditional action the series was built on, and stood as a highly enjoyable, solid, and creative game worth getting into.

For fans of pinball or the walking dead, the game is a must-have.

The best thing about Lilo & Stitch is the wonderful animation given to the characters.

Unlike many other games that take a linear non-interactive approach, Way Of The Samurai is immersive and interactive every step of the way.

A bad game. In fact, it may well be the worst game of the year 2002. About the only redeeming quality it possesses is that it can be finished in well under five hours, making it so that the torture of playing the game itself is relatively short-lived.

Under pressure of shapes coming at the block from multiple sides, it's sometimes hard to distinguish between the bluish-green hexagon and the greenish-blue hexagon, and to position them accordingly.

The sheer number of battles, along with the multiple endings (the story branches at several points based on the gamer’s selections), extra maps with hidden treasure not found in the main quest, and the multiplayer function that allows players to put their squads head-to-head make Tactics Ogre a game with a lot to offer in terms of gameplay.

The most serious problems in Star X lie with its controls. The ship's movements are limited due to poor button configuration.

Despite its flaws and the fact that I went through a great deal of frustration with the game, I would still recommend No One Lives Forever for what it is: a solid though ultimately unremarkable first-person shooter who's biggest asset is not its gameplay or controls, but its heroine and clever and compelling story.

For a game that offers nothing but brawler-style combat (along with the occasional jump across a ledge), it's simply not acceptable that the fighting itself is such a boring experience.

While it's not as glitzy and gadgety as the titles on the consoles, it's one hell of a portable title that will bring back fond memories for anyone who grew up with the 8 and 16-bit era baseball titles.

No matter how many games I played, I regularly gave up shallow bloop and in-the-gap inside-the-park homers because I couldn't gel with the computer's logic of who should be fielding the ball.

The game is a gorgeous and perfectly balanced game where no fighter is better than another is. Kumite mode helps define this game as purely skill-driven, but its simplistic controls make it accessible to anybody.

While the game lacks the intense action of today’s adrenaline-driven games, it makes up for it by offering an engrossing story that’s sure to suck in anyone with enough patience to put up with the title’s languid pace.

The lack of ability to control the pitch in the air is incredibly frustrating.

Puyo Pop achieves what a good puzzle game asks for, simple execution yet addictive and deep fun, adding a distinctly weird Japanese flavor to a premise that originated in Russia.

This game managed to do something its 3-D counterparts never could: catch my interest and hold on to it. I spent a lot of time simply looking around each level, experimenting with each character and attempting to find the various chao emeralds.

Seems like a battle system without a role-playing game. There is little variety or depth to the combat, and even in the presence of assorted power-ups it becomes painfully repetitive after only a short while.

It never builds on the gameplay or aesthetic qualities of Doom in any meaningful way—it’s merely content to cover the same old ground and hope no one notices.

I was once again left disappointed, unfulfilled, and betrayed.

The research was obviously done for FFX, as religious references from around the world can be found throughout the adventure, whether it be the Crusades from Medieval times or the Church’s determination to have Galileo refute his radically new scientific theories to name a few.

It is Daxter who gives the game its flavor—more so than the relatively anonymous Jak. This flavor is ultimately what sets Jak And Daxter apart from a lot of the other platform games out there.

Those already converted to the unique sport of monster breeding will find Monster Rancher Advance to be a fine continuation of the PlayStation series that translates very well to the Game Boy Advance.

Unlike so many games today on the market, Ecks Versus Sever has the crucial gameplay part down, but drops the ball on the extra amenities and comes off like caviar on the inside, but Fillet-O-Fish on the outside.

I enjoyed the violence in Dynasty Warriors 3. However dignified the game’s treatment of its subject may be, I was neither appalled nor enlightened by the violence. I was thrilled by it.

Halo does suffer from repetitive gameplay, a lack of full exploitation of the ideas and gameplay introduced at the beginning of the game and a disappointing multiplayer mode. But all in all, it is a worthy release for gamer's willing to bet on Microsoft next-generation console.

In a very Hitchcockian gesture Kojima structures the entire game around a plot twist no one will see coming and many might not even like. This kind of audience-foiling gutsiness is always a delight in my book.

Proves that old-school gameplay isn’t dead and may still be able to teach a trick or two to the next generation.

Works because of the little things-a fact that makes it a refreshing gaming experience in this day and age where everyone seems bent on completely overhauling the basic tenets of what makes a good game.

While the gameplay of Mega Man Battle Network is excellent, what fascinated me most was the world in which the game took place.

If anything, Revival did more to ruin my memories of the old Street Fighter games, because I don't ever remember playing a Street Fighter title with controls as poor as this one.

The game has an undeniably amazing world to take part in, and I never once stopped marveling at it from start to finish.

The greatest part of GTA3's open-ended nature is the choice to conduct your character as you want. Feeling good? It's possible to complete the game without harming one innocent person. Feeling bad? Hell, my game's body count statistic just passed one thousand.

A wonderfully immersive adventure, radiating both the creativity and technical expertise of its experienced designers.

The changes Kinetica introduces into the formula are so miniscule, for the most part, that only a true connoisseur would notice or care.

If "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" is the American sitcom of skateboarding games, with predictable pacing and familiar set pieces, than Yanya is the genre's ridiculous Japanese anime, always ready to mess with your expectations of what the genre should be.

Their gameplay was unlike any that came before, and it followed a comfortable rhythm. Okage: Shadow King has its charm. But it is, ironically, too off-kilter for me to consider it a cult classic.

The game is accessible enough that I had a chance to defeat a master that I rarely come close to beating on other games.

It may not be flashy, the gameplay might be incredibly unsophisticated and repetitive, and the whole game is certainly showing its age-but it's still fun.

The pacing can be a little languid at times, and the combat and movement controls could use some tweaking. Also, this game feels a little linear and lacking in extras when compared to the original.

For every 500 games that are boring, uninspired, graphically-enhanced rehashes, just one title like ICO is enough to reinvigorate my love of games and keep me going another day.

Unfortunately, while Advance Wars devotes the entirety of its gameplay toward a military simulation, there is utterly no thought put towards the moral implications of armed combat. To be honest, such an aspect is not to be expected, as the subject is rarely broached in video games.

There's a lot of content here, and the game strikes a great balance between cute novelty personality satisfying technical elements.

At some point, refinement becomes self-defeating as gamers grow tired of overused concepts. Unfortunately, GT3 simply does not offer anything new or unique. Where will the creative minds of developers take simulators in the future? Despite its strengths, GT3 leaves that question unanswered.

There are few games as fun as Bomberman, and even though it is just in a new shape, the refinement of the multiplayer battle mode makes you want to take it with you everywhere.

The game was solid, addictive, and incredibly likable. However, in the greater scheme of things, Circle Of The Moon is a small step for the Game Boy Advance, and nowhere near a giant leap for videogames.

My advice -- hold on to your $30 until Nintendo releases the inevitable sequels to Super Mario Advance featuring games far worthier of another look.

So ingenious, yet simple in its execution that it would have succeeded on almost any platform. In spite of a few flaws, it is damn near a match made in heaven.

This particular port has been remade almost from scratch and gives a new lease on life to a franchise that was wading in stagnation.

Alluring pop divas…political rebels…musical party game...Unison spreads itself too thin trying to satisfy all of these criteria, and ultimately comes up short everywhere.

Doesn't offer very much that is new. The game is more than a little formulaic at times, using rehashed bits from other Final Fantasy games and not taking them any further.

Load times are also an issue. I spent too much time waiting, whether it's waiting to go through menus or for each level to load and reload.

The second half's ridiculous difficulty hampers its full potential and causes it to lose significant points... [but] if the idea of a bloodthirsty, darkly violent version of "Marble Madness" sounds like your idea of a good time, check it out.

All I can think about is its similarity to FF7, and how stale and unoriginal the whole experience is. This game is such a rip-off of Square's FF7 that I can't believe Sony hasn't been taken to court for copyright infringement.

Coin-ops need to be easily approachable and need to produce an immediate satisfaction while home games need to have lengthy play-life with a long-term sense of growth and development. Legends manages to be a good (but not great) example of both of these styles of gameplay and have melded them successfully into a neat hybrid.

Just about perfect for what it is: an old-fashioned, action RPG with loads of gameplay, a strong narrative and unparalleled presentation.

While Parasite Eve II meets most of the criteria for a fairly good horror shoot-em-up, the biggest problem with it is that it doesnt really add anything that hasnt been done before several times. The underlying, flawed control framework of the game has already been revised and improved upon by other games.

Here is a PC game that not only doesn’t hide its console roots, but rather unabashedly embraces it and, in my opinion, succeeds because of it.

The developers have taken the theme and backdrop story very seriously and it shows because the WWII iconography in MoH is captured beautifully not only in the costumes of the characters and the design of the architecture, but it also permeates through the detailed movie-like orchestra scores that make up the background music.

When it comes down to it, stripping away the gameplay, all GTA2 brings to the table is foul language, gratuitous violence, and aging 2D graphics. Once my bloodlust was quenched, GTA became a monotonous and painfully shallow game.

FFA would have easily gotten a 9.5 if only it included "FFV"; the game is so good by itself that it warrants such a high score.

Ultimately, I think it's the focus on the characters and the growth they experience that takes Grandia over the top. The angle the designers took for Grandia as a more lighthearted and anecdotal adventure is refreshing. It never overwhelms like the newer, over-ambitious efforts that are out there but rather, offers up the less tangible part of gaming.

Recreates some of the humor and visceral energy of the Chinese novel that loosely inspired it. But the characters and dramatic movement in this story of war are given enough time, thought, and care to come into a life all their own.

It was so easy to get into that I was almost fooled into thinking the real-life sport could be that easy.

For all its depth, though, I quickly discovered that I had little control of the game after the early part of it.

Without quiet moments of reflection, down-time to relax, or any meaningful relationships that go beyond the passive cut-scenes within the actual game, it all starts to feel as unrelenting as the final quarter of a bone-crunching Steven Segal movie.

By far the worst thing about Driver is its inability to really draw me into its universe.