WSM has its hooks set deeply enough in me that even the frustration isn't enough to tear me completely away. I may put the game down for a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months. But like an alcoholic who's been clean for an extended period of time, all it takes is one drink - or two clicks on the World Soccer Manager icon - to fall right back off the wagon again. In this case, I find that I don't mind that so much.

I loved NFL Street 2, but in the end it refused to grab my attention as sharply as the original, perhaps because the key single player modes are inherently similar between the two games.

I can't help wishing that Totally Games and LucasArts had gone in for a penny, in for a pound, and made the whole thing Live-compatible. If we're not going to get "Battlefield 1942" from EA, this could have been the next best thing.

I wish more games had the voice acting and overall audio quality displayed in Earned in Blood.

It won't have the longevity of "KOTOR," and the difficulty factor basically reduces to an enemy health multiplier, but Jade Empire is still an enjoyable romp.

Has everything a good game needs, but the non-interactive scenes overshadow the interactive.

There are a lot of good things in this game and I wouldn't be surprised or disappointed to see Neversoft revisit this franchise again, hopefully polishing the rough edges.

If you have multiple gaming consoles, I’d strongly recommend picking the game up on either the GameCube or Xbox, both of which support four-player mayhem without something as impractical as a MultiTap.

Golf vets may be bored, but everyone else will have a ball.

With smooth visuals, a gripping plot (when not relegated to Disney-land), and a mostly-captivating soundtrack, Kingdom Hearts II is a title any adventure/RPG/fun-loving gamer will desire to add to their collection, despite not shining as well as the original.

Perhaps the most interesting feature is that intelligent creatures will not forget Mr. Carver. They may give up on finding Mr. Carver, but they never forget the presence. It's almost like Metal Gear: Twin Snakes on alert mode, except when alerted the guards never do quite get up.

Legend actually has a coherent plot that makes sense, even as fantastical things arise, which is more than I can say for the previous Tomb Raider titles, which seemed to be little more than glorified excuses to eyeball Lara's sweater puppies (nostalgists beware: they ain't what they used to be).

Another fantastic script with more one liners and jokes than should be allowed.

The game tries very hard, above all else, to leave players with a lasting grin on their face. To this end, it succeeds. There are plenty of flaws, but the 'cool factor' is through the roof.

More importantly, they also nailed all the aspects that made the film so great, and the much larger adventure their tinkering yielded is certainly appreciated.

Alien Hominid is a shiny, bloody cartoon you can play by a team of guys who wanted to make a shiny, bloody cartoon you can play. It works.

Worth a look-see, but memory card requirements effectively banish this one to the realm of "Either buy it, or don't bother."

Occasional jankiness is made up for by a ridiculously low price and copious shooter goodness.

My uneasy feelings on Madden as a premiere example of videogame-as-renewable-commodity aside, the series continues its slow and steady march of progress.

It's not the "best" version, but it's the most complete. If that makes any sense.

If you’ve played the console versions of "Burnout," you’ve played Legends.

It would have been nice if more than 16 tracks had been included, but the Dirt Wurx track editor makes up for that somewhat.

If you liked the previous games in the franchise, leap on this one. All others, approach with caution.

It's still a buy, but fans hoping for something new are in for a sore surprise.

The difficulty and audio make the price of entry a bit high, but the story and scale are worth it if you're looking for something a bit different.

Addictive and entertaining, but a bit short on songs.

The accompanying hard drive is a neat toy, and there's no denying that FFXI is addictive. $12.95/month after the first one, though? That's a fair bit o' jack.

If you're a Ratchet fan, Deadlocked is still worth picking up, but rather than being a meaty new adventure in the series, it will probably serve mostly to deepen your nostalgia for its predecessors...not that that's a bad thing. That co-op play sure is nifty, though.