The graphics are beautiful, the sound effects forceful, and the between-challenge sports anchor schtick light and amusing, but the way these elements mesh forges a rich consistency greater than the sum of its parts.

There are still some strange sticking points--buried icons or inexplicable quirks--that leave room for improvement, and a more complete tutorial would also be helpful. But in the end, this is the tightest Civ yet.

Showcases a pleasant portion of gory violence and splashy red sprays, but the aloof camera can easily loses your character in the sea of suffering humanity, forcing you to rely on blind button mashing.

You'll find your comrades oblivious to gunfire mere yards away; facing an enemy gunner, with their weapons conspicuously inert; and haplessly running into your line of fire. Getting penalized for losses incurred like this is annoying enough; having a mission terminate prematurely because of it is downright maddening.

On a visual level, the game looks simply awesome. It's not quite as detailed as "Vice City" or "San Andreas," but it absolutely destroys the original "GTA 3."

If playing the divine hand to a house full of simulated people appeals to you, this is as good as it gets.

There's a very limited selection of game modes. Players can select Single Mission, Multi-Mission, or Multi-Player, however all the game modes feature the same Metroid Pinball tabletop worlds and goals--there's just a lack of variety.

You'll find your comrades oblivious to gunfire mere yards away; facing an enemy gunner, with their weapons conspicuously inert; and haplessly running into your line of fire. Getting penalized for losses incurred like this is annoying enough; having a mission terminate prematurely because of it is downright maddening.

If playing the divine hand to a house full of simulated people appeals to you, this is as good as it gets.

If playing the divine hand to a house full of simulated people appeals to you, this is as good as it gets.

Ultimately, AOE III has clearly won the battle for graphical supremacy, but for all its improvements elsewhere, it has yet to win the war for RTS dominance.

As a genre bending title that straddles the divisions between action, fantasy, adventure and puzzle games, Shadow of the Colossus pulls off a titanic feat by creating an immersive and highly entertaining experience that doesn't collapse under the significant weight of its own lofty ambitions.

The controls also suffer a bit thanks to the floaty physics and awkward use of the shoulder buttons for boosting and attacking simultaneously.

The actual fighting is simplistic and repetitive, and takes place in only a handful of non-interactive environments. Worse, truly horrendous load times plague every last element of play, making even something as simple as cruising by the shop a thumb-twiddling chore.

If you're prepared for the deliberate nature of its gameplay, Sniper Elite is a rewarding way to fight WWII from the comfort of your couch. Just keep in mind the prerequisite degree of patience.

The result of a single botched command or accidental mismanagement can mean death for you and your troops, making Earned in Blood a frustrating (but not unrewarding) experience.

It should come as no surprise that THAW is well endowed with generously sized, multilayered domains for which to carry out all your skating aggression--half-pipes, quarter-pipes, pools, wires, rails, and so much more are in abundant supply.

Tenkaichi succeeds in all the areas that DBZ fans love: brilliant, innovative graphics, a gajillion (more than 60, actually) playable characters from the beloved anime series, and (everyone together) Saiyans!

If you're prepared for the deliberate nature of its gameplay, Sniper Elite is a rewarding way to fight WWII from the comfort of your couch. Just keep in mind the prerequisite degree of patience.

While Stubbs the Zombie is rambunctiously fun, the game engine is extremely dated. Stubbs the Zombie is riddled with clipping, questionable AI, and if you thought The Master Chief's jump was slow in Halo, Stubbs is even slower.

As fun as these excursions into petty theft and extortion might be, the essence of The Warriors is combat, and it's the first game in ages to truly nail it.

Both a technical and narrative masterpiece, F.E.A.R combines elements of science-fiction and horror with a beautiful aesthetic presentation and incredible enemy A.I.

Though it may lack the polish and panache of mainstream football franchise games, Blitz: The League plays to its strengths as an over-the-top, hyper-aggressive action-sports experience.

As fun as these excursions into petty theft and extortion might be, the essence of The Warriors is combat, and it's the first game in ages to truly nail it.

Still, what Fire Emblem may hack off of your gaming ego in difficulty, it makes up for with good ol' fashioned beauty.

Engrossingly fun to play. [Nov 2005, p.132]

Despite the signature twitch controls, fans of previous Rush racers will be disappointed if they expect more of the same, so it's hard to understand why the name is used at all beyond mercenary marketing.

Beyond the frustrating team dynamic, the overall single-player campaign exudes with special-operations intrigue. Several missions feel realistic to the point of reflecting what the actual SEALs train for and experience, which for fans of military shooters, is hard to pass up.