The RPG connection here is saliva thin, but if you’re thirsting for old-school controller-bruising action; you should sink your teeth into DA: VP.

Whether you're a long time fan or Pokemon newcomer, this is a solid, fun game. [July 2007, p.86]

Offers true harmony between arcade and simulation football games, but with more attitude than both of them put together. Oh, and it’s fun, too.

Of the three, only the PS2 version seems prone to annoying split-second jitters and pauses that break up the animation.

And yet, even with the flaws, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary dramatically succeeds in being a celebratory look back at what was considered a "perfect" first-person shooter experience 10 years ago.

The greatest feature in Baten Kaitos may be the fact that you can fight and travel as freely as you like.

It’s really no more than yet another extension of a five-year-old gameplay device. Concept, meet the breaking point.

An excellent flashback to old-school gaming in its finest hour. [Feb 2006, p.70]

With fun 15 levels to play through, The Last Guy is certainly worth a look.However, the downside is that the game has a very short life span.

One humongous drawback to this otherwise seemingly outstanding surf game, however, is the ongoing slowdown.

Treads familiar ground, but does it well, making this sequel worthwhile for anyone who enjoyed the first game and a must for anyone who hasn’t moved to the 128-bit gaming world just yet.

It's been far too long since another game of such scope, breadth, and originality hit computer screens. Theatre of War--while having some significant problems--is a game well worth looking at.

Regardless of its flaws, the depth of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 gives fans good reason to dust off their PS2s and jump around.

Pastel graphics comprise the visuals, and the audio ranges from passable (Sonic 2) to outright atrocious (Spinball).

While it's an interesting idea, the abrupt changes in pace really kills the excitement level.

Heroes is a relatively simple game that, at times, feels like "X-Men Legends" with DC character models. Still, the chance to take control of some of the most beloved superheroes on the planet is one that you just can't pass up.

Something else that blindsided me was the killer sense of speed. Dropping behind the wheel of a Charger or Cobra for a quick race was immediately satisfying and while NITRO definitely suffers from low-res car models and building textures, that doesn't stop the game from feeling frighteningly fast.

About the only shortcoming Ace Combat 6 possesses is an intimidating visage, especially if you're using the Ace Edge flight stick. This is definitely a hardcore game, not one intended for casual play given its attention to detail, simulation-style controls, and general difficulty.

While Indigo Prophecy is an intense gaming experience, it's easier to compare the title to a film affair. If you can get past the minimalist game interface Prophecy can be an awesome entertaining play.

Though switching weapons with the directional pad and both shoulder buttons takes a little time to get the hang of, the control scheme is tight and simple.

Amidst constant industry talk about brutal work conditions and failing studios, every bit of this package makes it seem like these folks are having an absolute blast creating one-of-a-kind games -- and it's an infectious type of jubilance that emboldens this memorable experience into more than the sum of its parts.

Rogue Agent will leave you shaken and stirred. [Feb 2005, p.72]

The fast-paced nature of this game and its frantic battle system are what makes it great, so RPG lovers should definitely give Zenonia 2 a shot.

The amazing create-a-wrestler feature easily exceeds most console titles: From appearance to specific moves, your mini-grappler can be made to order.

It’s a topnotch shooting game but hardly one that you’ll play for days on end.

While there aren't as many modes as in a pure multiplayer FPS like "Unreal Tournament," you'll be treated to an intense and thoroughly entertaining skirmish.

BR4 takes the franchise’s wild fighting to the extreme with a massive sensory assault. Every strike rattles the speakers, and lengthy combos are common, all accompanied by spellcasting-like bursts.

Although the game is short, it manages to stay fresh thanks to the way new areas and moves are doled out.

It's worth going through the hacking and slashing to get to all the winking and nodding. [Dec 2004, p.154]

A creative stab at reclaiming the essence of hog; if it only had a little more faith in its own clever idea, it probably would have broken the sound barrier.

Beyond the frustrating team dynamic, the overall single-player campaign exudes with special-operations intrigue. Several missions feel realistic to the point of reflecting what the actual SEALs train for and experience, which for fans of military shooters, is hard to pass up.

Through and through, this remake of Final Fantasy III has been a wonderful return to old school RPGs. Fans of Final Fantasy will definitely enjoy this nostalgic trip to a simpler time, and RPG fans in general would be well served to pick up this fun title.

While the story line is relayed in a disappointing series of 2D images and conversation captions (no animated cut-scenes or voice acting), and even the fights don't push the PS2 to its graphical limit, the interactive gameplay is entertaining enough to make up for it.

For 99 cents? Get this game. I'm serious. Do it now.

The music really does most of the heavy lifting here and I'd gladly purchase the soundtrack if one was made available but the game's lack of polish left me a little flat.

Bursting with awesome extras, Excitebike 64 should be more fun, but it just manages to be okay.

It's got a decent amount of polish, and the extra content it continually dangles in front of you is a nice incentive to keep the app on your iPhone or iPad, regardless of whether or not you want to start paying small bits of actual cash for the game's exclusive weaponry.

It takes you about three seconds to learn how to play it and it takes quite a few mistakes before you hit a game over, but this is a remarkably intense, challenging game.

Skate 3 doesn't go as far as I would have liked, but it's still a great addition to the franchise. [July 2010, p.90]

Certain tracks are a bit redundant with a few too many identical turns and jumps, but for the most part, they're a lot of fun.

For many, Final Fantasy XI will be the Holy Grail of nonlinearity: a wide-open RPG universe with Final Fantasy flair, defined by its players as much as its developers, beloved for all its flaws. Love it or hate it, there’s nothing like it on your PS2.

Excellent car models, lighting, and reflection effects help the smooth visuals create a sense of blazing speed, and the beautifully detailed tracks are punctuated by vicious turns and loops that require you to master braking and powersliding without losing too much velocity.

If you're looking for an iOS game with triple-A production values and you've already played both Infinity Blade and Rage, Death Rally is a good bet.

If you've never played a Disgaea title before, then head out and grab Disgaea 3. For veterans of the series... yeah, it's more of the same, but with this franchise, when has that ever been a bad thing?

The fact that Ubisoft was able to remaster one of the greatest chapters of the Splinter Cell on a portable platform with only minor downgrades is a small miracle. Splinter Cell 3DS is far greater than it has any right to be, given the drastic overhaul made to the control scheme and the newness of portable 3D gaming.

The lack of a single-player campaign aside, the game is strong evidence that independent developers take more risks than the big boys. It's a daredevil act to put out a game in a genre that's long out of fashion and it's even more impressive that Dark Water Studios made the game so well-balanced and fun. It's a steal at $10 and a great throwback to the glory days of flight and fighting.

Once you learn the controls, they respond sharply. The fully user-controlled camera can still leave you in a lurch, but locking onto one target in a group makes the frequent two-or three-enemy smackdowns winnable. [May 2004, p.70]

The gameplay isn't going to challenge hardcore gamers as the enemies simply aren't that tough, but the presentation really shines. [May 2005, p.95]

With all of its ingenuity and charm, this episode is a great first step in Telltale's Pilot Program.

Battles never manage to become tedious, and while I most likely won't be doing a second playthrough, I'm glad I dropped the two dollars on PrincessFury -- the experience was well worth it.

One of the better dance/rhythm games out there, and with so many unlockable goodies, it’ll make Britney fans want to consistently play it, baby, one more time.

Sometimes enemies take time to notice you, but once they do, the A.I. is fairly impressive.

While it isn't perfect, Spirit Tracks does enough things right that you won't regret persevering through the initial sluggishness. Once the game picks up momentum and speed, it packs a locomotive sized punch, one that doesn't reinvent the wheel but still manages to do the storied franchise proud.

Aside from the camera-angle blemish, Sonic 2 for the Gamecube is still loads of fun.

Good, but it never really lives up to its title - a vision that could have benefited from a little more focus... Jack-of-all-trades, master of none. [Jan 2004, p.110]

The real fun for many IC players will be the Army Editor, which lets you play with combinations of animals and create your own creatures.

Despite its impressive depth, this game is no masterpiece... But if you find yourself intrigued by its premise, there’s enough quality adventuring here that it can almost become an obsession.

Granted, the underlying structure of DQ8 is totally derivative and younger gamers may find the pacing too slow, but those with an appreciation of its style will rejoice in what is essentially the culmination of kooky Japanese RPGs.

For less than a dollar, Berzerk Ball is extremely full-featured for a homerun hitter. That said, if you hate extra features and you just want the hitting fun, there's also a free version.

Solid and well-built—it’s just not going to knock your mechanical socks off in the imagination department.

Overall, though, if you’ve already conquered the PS2 version, you can safely skip right past this game.

The most obvious problem is that the system is far too forgiving of dragging a wheel or two off-track. Do that in real life, and you'll easily lose control almost instantly. In Enthusia, you'll barely even feel the car pull in that direction.

Yet as innovative and inviting as the Forgemaster system and customization facets are, Curse is slightly hexed by a repetitive play scheme: enter room, kill enemies, exit room, repeat.

Sooo much to love in terms of graphics, story, and sheer originality, but the endless cycle of insanely difficult die/repeat/whatthehell? gameplay will eventually dominate your experience.

If it's OK for Peggle to borrow heavily from pachinko, Kickin Momma should be able to take some cues from Peggle. In many ways Kickin Momma is the best of the three.

And to have the ability to see all 22 players on the field at one time as well as have the kick meter on the lower screen is more of a novelty than a practicality.

Kirby's latest adventure is an unabashedly adorable and addictive affair, even when suffering from a limited reward system and lacking difficulty.

Killer zombies, gushing green blood, scary monsters...give it a try and it'll give you the willies.

The running control scheme could stand for a little bit more precision tuning, and sometimes it's possible to force one's way through a level by randomly changing the gravity, but iJumpman feels like a game that should cost much more than it does.

Normally we don't mind short and sweet, but you could seriously finish the game in one long afternoon. Still, despite some frustrations, the game is mostly an intense, exciting, and worthy entry in the long-running series.

Two-player affairs expose weaknesses in the pitching portion of the matchup, but it’s forgivable since the majority of GBA owners will likely go at it alone.

They've definitely provided you with huge maps on which to race and some tough opponents to race against, but the whole city looks drab and plain.

Most surprising are the vehicle-based sections of the game. In a word, they're fantastic.

Overall, you can't beat the combination of monkeys, maracas, and the undeniable infectious tunes that come along with it, so Samba De Amigo gets a solid four out of five stars.

Sadly, Saga is slightly gimped when measured up to its Wii counterpart, Bit.Trip Complete. Aside from sometimes-wonky controls (gyroscopic movement for your paddle in Beat or Flux are inexplicably absent, for one), 3DS owners have been bafflingly shafted on the extras Complete offers Wii users, though the bonus of 3D effects here isn't a terrible compromise. Minor gripes aside, this is still a must-own 3DS title.

Most surprising are the vehicle-based sections of the game. In a word, they're fantastic.

A die-hard Tenchu fan, Heather was more than happy to see the series return to form in its latest portable iteration. It may even move a hardened assassin to poetry.

And although the sound of a shopping game sounds only slightly more fun than the real thing, it's actually quite enjoyable.

Sure, crashing is discouraging, but Burnout’s are quite a show, and you can even save your “greatest hits” to a memory card.

Despite a contrived love story, limited camera control, and levels that tend to drag, Konami has provided a refreshing change of pace in this punishing man-versus-nature offering that it requires you to stem the tide of destruction and actually save lives for once. [Apr 2004, p.74]

When taken as a whole, La Pucelle: Tactics is a great strategy/RPG loaded with hours upon hours of solid gameplay, multiple endings, side-quests, and a high degree of customization. [June 2004, p.91]

By playing Banjo-Tooie, you can get a sense of what platformers used to be like. Besides Nintendo with Mario, no one pulls them off better than Rare and this is no more evident than in this well-made remake of the classic Banjo-Tooie.

Just like its predecessor, Advance Wars 2 is a great, excellently balanced, and super-fun strategy game, but it feels more like an expansion pack than a sequel. If you never played the first one, skip right to number two.

Hitz’s greatest hit is its fluid control, which makes the hockey fly by. It’s no NHL 2002, but Hitz should be a blast for arcade sports fans.

The gameplay is certainly realistic, but overall, the physics of how the ball moves feel a bit floaty at times. In the final analysis, ESPN MLB trails after "MVP Baseball" and "MLB 2005," making it a good choice for those who aren't satisfied with those league leaders. [Apr 2004, p.89]

Wetrix works. It might not click with every puzzle fan at first; but after a few hours, the addiction’s pretty potent, and Wetrix starts to show itself as more than a mere digital water demo.

The puzzles can be especially frustrating and there isn’t a whole lot of action, but cerebral brainteasers and humorous interaction between the brothers makes the gameplay refreshing and fun.

A deliberately, paced adventure, Dino Crisis nicely fits the bill; others will be more satisfied with any of the "Resident Evil" series.

It's essentially a simple first-to-three game, but it's unique and incredibly fun once two players really get a grasp of the controls. If you've got someone to play with, Dizzypad HD is worth a download -- even if you only plan on purchasing Battle mode.

It's an original puzzle concept, and it's a good, challenging time. If you're the kind of person that can get into a casual puzzler like Peggle, give this a shot.

Magnetica, while simple in premise, is a great puzzle game for those looking something more than a Tetris clone. The action is fast and hectic, and the touch-screen controls are responsive, giving the whole game a very polished feel.

So when everything clicks just right, that click is deafening; a good match here is very, very good, and good matches show up just often enough at this early stage to make the rest worthwhile.

Though heinous sitting-duck A.I. keeps the single-player experience a bit wan, waging galactic civil war over the internet with real live people destroys, despite slight technical flaws and cumbersome aerial vehicle controls.

Minus points for adding a golf Gamebreaker, and Xbox custom soundtrack support for in-game play would have been nice.

Just like the players of the sport it's based on, the series sees gradual improvement over time through iteration, though it's fair to say a figurative shot in the arm wouldn't be unwelcome from time to time.

Putting on a three-man aerial show is about as tough as it sounds, but making the Gamebreakers controllable definitely improves the strategic aspects of the game. [March 2005, p.84]

Essentially the same game with a slew of slick improvements, and gamers will have an absolute blast throwing down dunks while exploring its new features.