The action here is more cerebral, emphasizing teamwork and accomplishing specific objectives over twitchy combat—it’s great fun.

The controls are tight, and the gameplay is on-target even if there’s a slightly frenetic, arcade, unMadden-like feel to player movement.

With a four-player mode and user-created remixes, the replay value goes through the roof.

Between the overly simplistic fighting system and weak enemy A.I., the game is way too easy to beat—you can successfully complete the Tournament mode by doing nothing but mashing the A button.

A solid, enjoyable snowboarder with a fairly high difficulty factor and lots of gameplay.

By far the most ambitious and complete wrestling game in history...but its weakness lies in the attention to the game, not to the details.

Boasting fantastic graphics and awesome transparency effects for water and fog, Wario Land 4 pushes the GBA to its visual limits.

The player models and animations in NBA Live are simply jaw-dropping.

Exciting missions, unbelievable visuals and sound, and, like the first Rogue and Naboo, a replay factor through the roof.

The GameCube controller responds well, and both the silly speech quips and the Offspring punk tunes sound great.

A great game...But if you're looking for the best jet-skiing game this fall, keep an eye out for "Splashdown" for the PS2...it has the potential to smoke Blue Storm.

It's not quite the flagship title you might expect for a Nintendo launch, but Luigi's Mansion is still a must-have.

What's so super about SMB? The added multiplayer games that turn this enhanced arcade port into one of the the best party games ever.

Might not be real NHL hockey, but it might be all the hockey you really need.

The Fun Factor directly corresponds to your level of Potter fandom: The joy of this game comes from experiencing Harry’s universe, not from the repetitive, trite gameplay.

Pottermaniacs will love exploring even a 2D version of Hogwarts, but be prepared for challenging and sometimes frustrating gameplay.

The newest Oddworlds feel rather canned, confined, repetitive, and contrived, and Munch and Abe control more stiffly than most characters put in similar situations.

This immersive sci-fi epic delivers both an expansive story and electrifying first-person combat, making it one of 2001's best games.

You can actually feel one with the waves as the water elegantly moves your board across the serene, beautifully created ocean.

The wonderful level designs and slick character animations are hampered by draw-in, some slowdown, and poor collision detection.

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

This sickly 3D adventure is plagued by endless repetition, frustrating controls, bland graphics, and just plain boring level design.

It's a sweet package for your permanent library, bu tif you've played any earlier version and aren't a Tony junkie, you can get by with a rental to check out the new stuff.

Shrek himself is a visual marvel. The thing is, once you’ve taken your jaw off the floor, you’re stuck with a dull and frustrating game that’s too difficult for younger players and not engaging enough to hook older gamers.

Good but unspectacular graphics and above-average sounds almost forgive the simple-but-clunky controls.

This speedster is definitely much better [than "Metropolis Street Racer" for the Dreamcast] in every respect.

The gameplay, however, isn’t anything that hasn’t been done already, and the paint-by-numbers seek-and-destroy missions can get pretty dull after a couple of hours.

Minor audio issues aside, DoA3 nails its Xbox debut and firmly establishes itself as the best home console fighting game of 2001.