An excellent all-around game.

But when you step back and consider the entire package, you start to appreciate Dark Athena for what it truly is. Instead, look at Dark Athena as a flawed yet enjoyable way to extend the thrill ride that is Escape from Butcher Bay.

A huge, huge improvement over the last few wretched Tomb Raider titles. Prince of Persia fans should definitely take note.

I was pretty sure that I would get bored with Axe in Face after a level or two, but the introduction of special abilities like the lightning bolt and unique enemies that must be attacked in different ways added variety to the game and kept me hooked for several consecutive hours.

Putting is harder, but much more rewarding--an Ideal Putt Camera helps with gauging potential break on difficult putts.

Stellar cell-shaded graphics, excellent voice acting (with Patrick Stewart reprising his cinematic role as Professor X), and multiplayer mayhem that make Legends look and feel like the A-list game that it is.

By combining solid pixel animations with awesome scaling and rotation effects, the developers have achieved an impressive, psuedo-3D effect.

Despite the great visual and sound package, Sega GT's gameplay isn't tuned for a fun ride: Competitions can be won only through buying the best parts - and not through your driving.

It’s a fairly mindless shooter with some cool strategy elements, and aside from some optional tactical coolness, it’s pretty straightforward. It’s a fun and violent game with a really great reward structure.

A solid simulation of the sport that offers more teams and unique options not available in its main and only competitor on the PS2, "Winning Eleven." Some minor control issues remain and the depth is still not where it needs to be, but it delivers a highly worthwhile experience nonetheless.

Sim fans will be disappointed with the under-powered defense, but for twitch players, NBA Live 2003 is a dream come true.

Unfortunately its new innovations and features aren’t worth the sticker price. The game’s hardly a lemon, but it can’t quite make it off the test drive rental lot.

Sonic Rush certainly isn't revolutionary, and it only barely makes use of the touchscreen, but it is a decent distillation of what's kept a sprite-based Sonic alive in the age of textured polygons, as long as you're fine with more of the same.

While this kind of slow, patient "stealth" gameplay has obviously been done before, it's never been done this well or been so throughly entrenched into every nuance and layer of design. [Aug 2004, p.64]

A solid and engrossing basketball game that may lack the high quality presentation and panache of EA's NCAA franchise, but holds its own with an engaging and fairly deep set of options and selectable play modes.

Overall, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is pretty much a picture-perfect port that won't disappoint fans or newcomers to the series.

Some lazily designed levels and trite puzzles keep Fox's first planetside excursion from being the classic it could have been.

Despite not being as creative or purpose driven as previous offerings, Broken Steel is a must buy. Its natural transition from Fallout 3's original conclusion and its open-ended nature are just what fans wanted.

Treyarch and Activision have done an great job with COD3 and created an experience that is at once much the same, but also better, than its predecessor.

Episode 2 is so well written, funny and enjoyable you'll gladly submit to the domineering, steel toed boot of your new red masked overlord.

The refined gameplay, the super slick presentation and the flexible controls all add up to one of the finest racing experiences ever.

I just hope they tweaked and improve the formula to address the issues I raised earlier because even with those small bumps in the road, Split/Second is still a worthy heir to Burnout's throne. If they can smooth out the ride, it will definitely deserve to wear the crown.

Put simply, if you own Fallout: New Vegas, this one's, well, a no-brainer.

Though the Genesis played second fiddle to the Super Nintendo, it had some awesome titles and thankfully, there are enough of them on this disc to merit a look.

Although graphically underwhelming and gifted with an annoyingly repetitive soundtrack, the depth, balance, and customization make Warlord's Battlecry a keeper.

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.

While N+ is a polished game, I am fine leaving N as a nice Internet distraction, even if the controls aren't quite as tight as when you play these handheld versions.

The game was number three in a field of three last year, but this season it looks great and has dramatic gameplay improvements for all skill levels. [Apr 2005, p.97]