Far from perfect but still an incredibly entertaining play, Afro Samurai captures all of the style and substance from the hit TV show with amazingly innovative combat and absolutely stunning visuals.

When it comes right down to it, Atelier Rorona just feels good to play. If you're craving a charming, character-driven game that doesn't involve a looming world-ending crisis and you can deal with a lot of repetition, you'll certainly want to give this game a go.

While the incorporation of stealth may not be the strongest feature in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, it's probably the only change worth noting. Although there are other modes for you to try, they're really not worth the time. [Dec 2004, p.134]

A mix of intense head-bashing against smart A.I. and an occasional crate-smashing balance out to some solid gameplay.

The "funny animals in footraces" genre tends to feel forced. In that tradition, Mad Dash Racing lacks emotional appeal; it’s a character game without likeable characters.

One of the freshest, funniest car combat romps to date.

The weather effects are beautiful (the storm sequences are downright scary), and pulling off a successful ship capture is an exhilarating experience once you manage it.

Still, Dungeons has enough humor and variety to overcome its shortcomings, and the campaign throws enough curve balls at the player to make up for its strategic shallowness. It could have better pacing and a little more variety, but as it is, Dungeons is a very witty, very enjoyable surprise.

Fails to do both the genre and the franchise justice. [Apr 2010, p.87]

Still, if you're a hardcore Dynasty Warriors fan or you're easily enthralled by the idea of mindless hack and slash gameplay, then Strikeforce is a decent enough game. But if you're looking for a more complex battle or can't stand Dynasty Warriors, this title won't change your mind.

Elements of Destruction can get a bit repetitive, mostly because you only have 3 elements at your disposal - a tsunami, flood, or avalanche wouldve been cool - but the enjoyment gamers get from laying waste to a wide variety of environments and EoD's oddball humor (Doc Herbert sending cows flying at a farm in Canada while singing the country's national anthem) more than makes up for its shortcomings.

Quantum of Solace is a good first-person shooter that, in my opinion, is the best Bond game since Goldeneye.

While Resident Evil Code: Veronica X remains an interesting (and difficult) side-story in the Resident Evil franchise, an impressive coat of HD polish just can't make up for terrible controls and archaic game design.

The flawed cursor interface gives you little reason to do anything but swing at every ball—in fact, if you take a pitch, the announcers instantly chide you!

A new arrow on the power meter shows you exactly how hard you should hit the ball-very handy, but it can't be turned off and makes the game a little too automatic.

Anyone who is at least remotely interested in the Dragon Ball Z craze should check out Budokai. For the rest of the bruiser club, however, you'll be sorely disappointed with this average brawler.

The $10 asking price is too much to plunk down for this shallow card game.

The sluggish controls make it hard to maneuver Mister Mosquito from avoiding hand slaps, insect repellent, and everything else that’s thrown at you.

I would never recommend Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 to a non-fan, simply because the gameplay is nowhere good enough to overcome the lack of interest in the toy box. But for the rest of us, we'll take a half-decent English language Gundam title wherever we can get it.

It's cute, fun, and for some extra whimsy it gives you a daily fortune reading as well. At twenty dollars, this game should be selling like crazy.

The training levels are a little tedious, but serves it purpose to have you naturally thinking and reacting as if you're Batman by the heart of the game.

The camera is pretty awful, requiring way too much fussing by the player to maintain a clear field of view.

Mafia's solid script, impeccable voice acting, and overall mood makes it worth a rental, though you're better off playing the PC version if you get the chance. [Apr 2004, p.65]

The controlls are tight with crisp response for the most part...There are plenty of weapon skills and magic attacks to master. [Apr 2004, p.70]

It's the desperate lack of innovation that's the problem; everything here has been done a hundred times before.

Problematic, though, are the sequences in which you have to swing around confounding and shoddily rendered 3D hub areas to capture Doc Ock, access new chapters, and unlock bonus missions against a timer.

Fights are fast and furious, and there’s no shortage of splashy, flashy special effects.

True-blue Medal of Honor fans will still enjoy Rising Sun’s cinematic style, respectful and historically accurate atmosphere, and heavily arcade feel. But for many, the game will feel too familiar in a fast-food way, lacking that old Medal of Honor magic.

Smarty Pants definitely has a more youthful vibe than SceneIt! but it's designed in such a way that both adults and children can have fun with it. [Feb 2008, p.82]

An even larger frustration, though, is everyone's inability to recover lobs. In most tennis games, if you hustle you can often find some way to smack the ball back over the net, even if it's behind you. Here your characters just give up even if you are clearly within a reasonable rescue range.

What was supposed to be a revelation, a next generation of sorts, has become instead a disappointing follow-up to a beloved game. [Mar 2004, p.68]

Phantom Brave is definitely a great game, but this low-effort regurgitation just doesn't impress like it should.

It's not quite Mirror's Edge or Dead Space, but if you like DMC, pick it up.

It isn't the best open-world game out there, but it does a sublime job of capturing what it feels like to be the head of a virtual crime family. [Apr 2009, p.81]

If you’re really serious about this, better game-creating titles do exist, especially on the PC, offering easier interfaces and more freedom to mess with the basic building blocks. Still, this makes for an entry point into the vast realm of game design.

One thing's for sure about The Sims 2 on PSP: when load times comprises 30 to 40 percent of the gameplay experience, it's excruciatingly boring.

This game makes me a little sad, because it's a fun action-RPG with a lot of potential that just feels a little bit undercooked.

It's hard to get excited unless you're on a big nostalgia trip. Yes, it's cool to explore the castle in full 3D at last, but the mechanics within are almost a little too tried and true.

Even with some minor hiccups, 4 Elements HD is worth the price. If you're a match three-fan looking for a game that will bring back fond memories of turkey legs, flowing white beards, and pointy hats, you'll get your money's worth out of this title.

It’s too easy. You'll be able to breeze through the game's 13 levels and only encounter about three tough bosses, which comes out to roughly $17 a challenge.

Baja aspire to be a simulation, yet it ends up losing its appeal in the process

Sure, the gritty atmosphere and balls out gunplay offers up some thrills, and yes the multiplayer options hold some potential but the hard-boiled noir tone and interesting amalgam of varied ideas never truly comes together to form the cohesive action thriller that the game aspires to be. [Dec 2007, p.121]

Though Opoona is original and exciting, there are too many problems for it to be anything more than an interesting diversion. [May 2008, p.84]

Wants to be the PlayStation 2’s "House of the Dead," but it lacks creativity and spooky bite.

An interesting action/shooter and a worthy side story for the series. Forget about the ill-fated "Survivor"— Dead Aim is a first-person Resident Evil game that works.

Mindless, twitchy, quick-shot FPS fun...but it’s so hyper-generic it seems like a clone of a "Doom" clone.

With plenty of frenetic crossfire, you’ll get more frustrated with the controls than with the Iraqis.

The control mechanics are intricate, though quick tic-tac-toe passes with the right stick, more in-depth faceoffs, and speedy line changes using the directional pad are nice features.

Little room for personality, not many instances of clear level design, and not a whole lot of time before the game gets dull. [June 2003, p.104]

NBA Hoopz comes off as a simulation wannabe, simultaneously betraying "Showtime" fans and only weakly attracting serious hoop addicts. Stick with "NBA 2K1."

Darkspore probably won't replace your favorite dungeon crawler anytime soon. The satisfying controls and mountains of loot really only serve as a baseline in terms of this genre's gameplay. It would've been great if Maxis could have added some variety in the game's missions, but as it stands, Darkspore is a fairly redundant game with a slightly interesting character editor.

This is a game that was made to break the ice at parties and gatherings of gamers, and it does that job amazingly well.

If you were a casual player of the original, it's probably not worth picking this one up. However, if you are new to the series, engaging gameplay and fun multiplayer options make FF2 easily worth your hard earned 800 Microsoft Points.

Still, it isn't all bad. Explodemon has a lot of heart and some interesting ideas at play, but even in its short shelf life it wears a little thin. There are leaderboards and lots of collectibles to uncover, but once you've played the first two levels you've seen it all.

The Baconing is a good game, but a lack of innovation or worthwhile improvements stop it from being a much better one.

As for the game itself, I like to call it "Band Hero: Abridged." The set list is varied, fun and up to date, with tunes from Avril Lavigne to The Rolling Stones. However, without a career mode, you have access to all 30 songs from the start.

While it’s possible the casual gamer may be enchanted by the presentation, Panic’s high difficulty level will delight only hardcore players.

Far from perfect but still an incredibly entertaining play, Afro Samurai captures all of the style and substance from the hit TV show with amazingly innovative combat and absolutely stunning visuals.

If the clumsy controls and glitchy graphics hadn't already killed it, there might have been some game left to salvage.

I did enjoy Severed -- in fact I'm thrilled that Visceral is actually creating single-player DLC, since so few companies ever bother to do so. So, is it worth playing? Sure. But can Visceral do better? Absolutely.

A pretty big step up from "Brotherhood of the Blade." The storyline has been upgraded and fleshed out to a nice degree, and the new attack types are fun to tinker around with and work in to your overall combat strategies. It's just the little things, like the now clunky menu, and the boring levels that really end up preventing the game from being a true success.

Best administered in small doses, don't expect to spend a lot of quality time with Zombie Panic in one sitting.

While not without value, instead of wrapping up my time in the Capital Wastelands in a nice big irradiated bow, Mothership Zeta just left me wondering how much fun being in space could’ve been.

Plays a decent game of PS2 football, but it’s at least number three behind "Madden NFL 2002" and "NFL 2K2" this year—and that leaves little running room.

It's like day old meatloaf: still delicious, but still meatloaf.

Despite its quirks and graphics that fall short of the original's, Naval Ops: Commander packs enough firepower to keep fans of the series stoked. Nonfans, however, may quickly get left in its wake. [May 2004, p.65]

Delivers all the requirements of an exciting FPS, and the 20-buck asking price is a sweet incentive. Second Encounter is a shooter with simple requirements: A minimum of brains and maximum of reflexes.

This is a great game for Razor enthusiasts that like simple (very simple) gameplay.

Ultimately, MMX6 will appeal to fans of the series, but gamers looking for more than strict jump-n-shoot fare should look elsewhere.

The controls are solid, the Japanese vocals and English subtitles are well done, and while the game does make you grind through levels, it was nice to know that my actions would make a difference even if I died eleven floors down.

The gothic-anime art direction and voice acting are impressively well-done, and although the painfully long load times hinder the general flow of the game-play, the overall game-play, soundtrack, voice acting, and art direction makes up for the technical deficiencies.

Fans of real life racing and previous incarnations of this title will be happy for sure, but the learning curve and lack of customization when it comes to upgrades may disappoint people who want more of an arcade feel.

Quantum of Solace is a good first-person shooter that, in my opinion, is the best Bond game since Goldeneye.

The Mercenaries 3D had the potential to be an awesome expansion to Resident Evil's popular survival mode. But due to a severe lack of new content, it's not worth $40, and it almost certainly won't hold your attention once you complete the all-too-brief missions.

It has some slick production values, and Acclaim goes all out on dreamy visuals, gorgeously detailed architecture, a Vikingly heroic score, and juicy sound effects, but skimps on any kind of depth and rewarding gameplay.

The game's style suits portable gaming perfectly, it's just a shame that there isn't much there to keep any gamer occupied for long.

Espionage action games have evolved beyond the standards this series helped establish, but Syphon Filter's combat and accompanying controls remain too old-school for their own good. [June 2004, p.65]

Miles better than "Kakuto Chojin," but it’s still a few short steps behind "Dead or Alive 3" and "Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance."

MS Saga is like a cake without icing: it qualifies as a simple dessert, but it's just not tasty enough to be memorable.

An innovative and quirky experiment, Away: Shuffle Dungeon never quite rises above simple hack-and-slash mediocrity.

While the overall control scheme works well enough, kicking long range field goals through the notoriously tight uprights is far too simple. The limited playbook also gives the game a stale feeling and the half baked telemetry system fails to save the gameplay with largely unimportant statistical minutia delivered in eye-straining small fonts and obnoxious menus.

One of the most challenging match-your-fingers-to-the-onscreen-button-presses game since the sub-genre’s conception.

Casual twitch gamers may be turned off by the flying learning curve and amount of strategizing required to complete each mission, but you can’t deny the hedonistic thrill of buzzing over a desolate desert landscape and letting loose!

The sex appeal factor is just okay, so it’s not going to blow you away if you’re mainly in the market for eye candy or compromising situations.

Any game that kicks off each stage with the phrase “Kick Their Ass!” can’t be all bad, and Gungrave is far from a dog.

Worms 2 is here to rectify the mistakes made with the first game, but I'm sad to report that it isn't entirely successful. Yes, there are tons of new weapons and modes, and online multiplayer is finally here; theoretically, Team 17 did everything they should have to deliver the ultimate Worms experience, but a still-clunky UI and shoddy graphics make this an inadequate sequel.

For those of you who party religously, you won't be disappointed. [Jan 2006, p.80]

Despite its shortcomings, Onimusha Tactics is a solid game with an engaging story. If you're looking for a casual strategy game without the tedious character setup options, then Tactics is for you.

So while Spyborgs' target audience might leave a few scratching their heads, it really shouldn't deter those who remember and enjoyed repeatedly beating up various things through the use of combos and co-op teamwork. Because ultimately, this rare Wii game has a lot more going for it than its questionable target demographic.

High Voltage's shooter sequel is certainly not a vast improvement over The Conduit, but its campy campaign and decent multiplayer is enough to make Conduit 2 worth recommending to fans of the first game. And if you're a fan of shooters who's willing to look past the game's many flaws, you might want to give the game a chance.

The de-emphasis on micromanagement is welcome, but the feeling that the game is doing too much for you might kill it for intergalactic armchair generals.

It's a fair package -- more expansive than Dead Money but not quite as rich as Point Lookout, which is the current gold standard for Fallout DLC. And, of course, it's a long way from the expansion packs of yore, where $30 could occasionally yield what amounted to an entirely new game. Ten dollars is a fair price for what Honest Hearts brings to the table, but its ultimate appeal is down to whether or not you're still in the middle of a campaign. As it is, this four hour romp through Zion National Park isn't quite worth dusting off your seven-month old copy of New Vegas.

The game features physics that wouldn’t be caught dead in a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

The icing on the cake is the game’s superb production value, which includes beautifully crafted sound effects like devastating explosions and the eerie whistling of radioactive wind, solid voice acting, and copious visual details that flesh out a nightmarish world decimated by nuclear warfare.

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

No online multiplayer! Not like we generally expect that from Wii games, but we should be able to by now.

As a shooter fan and someone who watched all eight films that make up the Alien, Predator, and Aliens vs. Predator series, I had high hopes for the title, but it fails to do both the genre and the franchise justice.

Even with these few legacy issues and the limited multiplayer functions, Samurai Warriors: State of War is a far better game than its previous Dynasty Warriors PSP brethren, and worthy of checking out for your portable gaming hack-and-slash tactical strategy pleasure.