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."