It loads frequently, the graphics are bland and first-generation, and the music smacks of elevator-itis. Plus, the game’s looping structure is cooler in theory than in reality.

If you're a diehard, you'll relish playing through your favorite early battles in the epic story. Sagas is a competent first entry to the action genre, just not exemplary.

While there are some cheap thrills to be found in the title's rail-shooter segments and hardcore Terminator fans will no doubt want to rent the title just for the chance to go toe-to-toe with a T-600, I can't recommend Salvation as anything more than exactly that: a rental.

Malice has lost much of its gee-whiz sparkle. Now it’s an intentionally weird, unintentionally uninteresting platform adventure that might have been cool were it a launch title and the bar were still low. In 2004, it looks and feels more like a skippable relic.

The controls are surprisingly cumbersome for a twitch game in which precision is crucial. Steering and aiming is a nightmare, and certain weapons border on unusable.

The premise, when paraphrased, is an interesting one and as a huge fan of last year's Time Hollow and any good mystery in general, I'm always willing to sit through any amount of text if it provides a means to an end, or at the very least, something somewhat cohesive. Lux-Pain fails on both accounts, serving as a poorly thrown together, somewhat interactive novel that really doesn't know what it wants to be - or, if it does know, it certainly doesn't want to be a game.

Unfortunately, the stealth elements fall tragically short of well conceived—it’s more along the lines of comically maddening.

The graphics—still blocky and pixilated—look worse when compared to this year’s crop of PlayStation games, and the controls are still frustrating and complicated.

The generic levels, poor audio, and sometimes downright confusing level objectives and bizarre CRT system become a little worse for wear.

The game has its pluses, and for old and new Astro Boy fans, you could do a lot worse. And for those who just want to experience the unbridled power of shooting hundreds of bullets out the ol' poop shoot, you should know that it's not as fun as it sounds.

If you were hoping for a game with the personality of Parodius, look elsewhere -- there may be a decent, if flawed, Gradius design somewhere inside Excellent, but finding it may not be worth the trouble.

With all of these faltering features, Spyro’s newest adventure feels more like it was meant to be played on the PlayStation rather than on the GameCube.

Even with improved graphics and a large character roster, Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World ends the DBZ series on PS2 with a bust instead of a bang.

You’ll often spot limbs and objects poking through solid surfaces, but you’ll almost never see your opponent properly framed—the camera angles are simply dreadful and rarely offer a decent view of the combat (or even the immediate surroundings).

Ultimately, Sarges' Heroes is a weekend rental of mindless fun.

It's almost not Sonic's fault -- 3D games just don't age well -- but this lazy port makes the Blue Blur look slower than ever.

The graphics are stunning and the season mode will keep you busy for quite a while.

Despite offering a laundry list of moves and button combinations, the game's complicated controls feel shallower than the three-buttoned Capcom arcade classics like "The Punisher" or "Alien vs. Predator." Group battles feel too constricted with the auto target locking mechanics, and the simplistic one-on-one fights are somewhere on the level of "Pit Fighter."

The game does have one redeeming factor, the visuals.

The ideas behind Fishie Fishie have a lot of potential, but the "single-button to do everything" concept makes the entire thing a frustrating battle of man versus machine.

It's shallower than the shallow end of a kiddie pool during a drought, and dammit, it's such a disappointment, because the series has delivered compelling storylines and settings, if nothing else, up to this point.

This game might be worth a rent for a diehard Indy fan who is not an experienced gamer.

Despite some impressive world-map graphics and extremely catchy anime-style music, Digimon World 3 disappoints in countless ways.

The almost total lack of interaction makes the title difficult to recommend to many audiences, but if you need to fill out your Pokédex and enjoy watching cute creatures fart on each other, My Pokémon Ranch might be worth a look.

You can see everything the game has to offer in an hour or two, and similarly, the two-player split-screen mode gets boring very quickly.

"Quotation Forthcoming"

Without even a hint of fun multiplayer competition, you and your friends will certainly catch an unfavorable fever caused by a dismal showing of Pac-Man Fever.

It's a solid and enjoyable title with enough action and plot to keep you interested over the long haul. [July 2008, p.77]