It’s not as vast as or as free, but it is a nice fresh coat of graphics and slightly different concept to an otherwise tired genre make it worth a shot. While it doesn’t overcome Grand Theft Auto, it easily makes an appropriate rival.

While not as deep as "Virtua Fighter 4," I actually found Dark Alliance much more entertaining.

The addition of weapons and dark powers to Jak’s arsenal of attacks make combat more intriguing; however, the grandiose Haven City is quite the opposite, serving only as a presentation piece and an inhibitor to tackling the superb gameplay found in the missions.

The levels are great, the tricks are great, but the implementation is just awful.

The revamped gameplay manages to stay fresh, but is still able to keep that special something that made the original game so engrossing.

Intense, energetic, and simply fun, you’re sure to need a shaken martini after experiencing the action-packed gameplay of James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing.

Roadkill is the s---. Its combination of vehicular-action and mission-based gameplay make it one of the most well designed cross-genre titles of the year.

Lovers of Morrowind will love Tribunal, and simply should not go without it. The improved journal alone is worth the price of admission.

The whole time I played this game I enjoyed myself thoroughly... The world is gigantic and the people are so friendly that it just begs to be played.

The graphics for Moto Racer: Advance are top notch and make it truly a great game to play on the GameBoy. The gameplay is just as much fun as any racing game I have ever played.

The game executes soundly, and feels more polished than the original Morrowind.

The smooth mixture of classic baseball gameplay and new-school baseball violence works well, and had the game’s defensive system been better, MLB Slugfest 20-03 would’ve been the perfect arcade baseball game.

This game did really well in all areas that a game could do well in. The only thing that kept it from getting it a perfect Seal of Excellence is the fact that there is a frustration involved in the game that will turn many people off to it.

A terrific title. Allowing gamers to go through each mission either sneaking around and sporting disguises in third-person mode or blasting your way through waves of guards in first-person mode, the game is a lot of fun.

While not perfect by any means, there's enough fun in Bombing Run and Double Domination alone to make this one worth picking up for some multiplayer fun.

Ridiculously fun and engaging.

Xenosaga's biggest strength - an incredibly deep, often thought-provoking storyline - could end up being its commercial downfall. The abstract philosophical references and heavy religious imagery bookending the sheer glut of cinematics may simply prove to be too much for the casual gamer to handle.

With well-rendered cinemas, obvious Hollywood-esque narrative direction, and enough signature Matrix fare from beginning to end via tightly implemented bullet time, the game captures ample essence to qualify as a solid translation.

A BIG game. After several weeks of playing I'm still only in the second chapter of a total of five.

Port Royale takes advantage of this amazing time and creates a wonderfully fun economic simulation. The graphics are great, and the sound fits the bill.

It would be a shame to pass up Europa Univeralis II over something flashier because the likelihood is that others just can’t compete with the combined epicness and fun of the game.

The gameplay is not worth spending the dough for unless you have children that are dinosaur fanatics in your household.

Pool fans will be happy with this game (unless they have a "Diamond Viper II"), especially if they're snowed in this winter and can't get down to their local billiards hall.

A fun third-person shooter with some uneven gameplay issues.

It is a masterful piece of RTS gaming that will entrench those who dare to delve into it deep into the thrills of deep space combat. At first it is a little overwhelming with the ability to jump from one map to another. It is enough to lose a lot of players. But for the hardcore RTS fan this game will be a true gem.

A fun, visually captivating game.

Overall the game was exciting and thrilling, but in the long run this game will get tired and repetitive. The speed will keep you thrilled for a long time.

If the gameplay could have been executed better, it would have been a great game, as it had some really cool atmosphere and monsters.

A true delight, offering fast-paced hack and slash action gaming in the comfort of my living room. With a in-depth storyline, multiple quests, a hefty assortment of weapons and awesome graphics, Heroes is a solid title for those gamers who just love a good adventure.

A giant leap ahead in the series offering players realistic terrain and well balanced units without the need to micromanage every aspect of the game system.

Despite a general lack of interactivity in the game’s central areas and levels, the game contains plenty of gameplay across its five stylized locations.

My biggest complaint with SB is that there is no sort of story line to go with the game.

If you are a fan of the genre, history or war gaming in general then this is a must have title.

The lack of an epic, driving story prevents the game from achieving the greatness of other Final Fantasy games.

A must-have for Xbox Live subscribers, Counter Strike for Xbox far exceeds expectations with outstanding online multiplayer matches exuding intensity, competition, and pure fun.

Aside from slight issues with the physics and camera, Downhill Domination does more things right than wrong with its wealth of gameplay modes and bike customization.

While it appears to be ridiculous, I found it to be the most entertaining game I have played in a long while.

A veritable masterpiece almost worthy of the stout Italian himself.

Its linear gameplay offers ample opportunity to relay a smashing style that resoundingly beats out other recent competitors in the genre. Unfortunately, a clumsy interface jars an otherwise stylish, story-driven experience.

With the updated graphics and cool God Mode this game will give you hours and hours of tinker and tweak gaming pleasure.

Graphics for 4x4 Evo are gorgeous.

It will push you to be a better gamer, but once complete it has little replay value.

It is the best RPG experience you can find on Xbox to date (sorry "Morrowind," you were impressive, but you were just not that much fun).

While the improvements made to driving are welcome, as are the new courses and characters, the gameplay ultimately suffers due to poorly designed putting.

Who'd have thought you could have this much fun with barnyard animals.

The final battle isn’t a huge deal, and the ending isn’t spectacular, but it’s one hell of a ride to get there.

Although limited in its length, kill.switch manages to fit in innovative gameplay backed by intuitive, streamlined controls that are some of the best on the Playstation 2.

The loadout screen is also a pleasant surprise. The pseudo-holographic rotating representation of you chosen ship gives you a good idea of how the hard points fill out.

The sophisticated AI and epic gun battles keeps the gameplay exciting even though there are a few poor level designs.

Manages to provide some of the most challenge and fun I've had with a fighter in years.

The graphics may be a bit lacking, and it may run a bit slow (I'd really hate to imagine a machine near the system reqs), but it's a blast.

Blending elements of both action and adventure, Legacy of Kain: Defiance offers plenty of fast-paced combat between solving puzzles.

Players who enjoy spending three, four, or more hours on a single game mission will find a lot of enjoyment in Warrior Kings.

The turn based strategy game was surprisingly fast paced-there is so little waiting that I almost felt like I was playing an RTS.

Features slick controls, an outstanding presentation, and challenging play. Unfortunately, the game’s AI is a little too challenging to the point of being too difficult.

The game play is exciting and difficult at times but all in all it is an astounding chance to take on the role of a Veritech fighter pilot.

I had a few bad experiences with this game but let me tell you this - as soon as I am done typing this, you guessed it - I'm Going In. I think you should too.

The interface of this game has been stream lined and is quite intuitive. The functionality tends to be well organized and rides the line between useful and overcrowded quite well.

While not ground breaking in the graphics department the addition of psychic powers to your arsenal not only provides for some excellent new forms of combat it also provides for a great source of replay value.

A nice return to a classic game scenario, but is far too short and fails to bring anything new to the series. While playing Blue Shift was fun, I would compare the experience to eating Chinese food. No sooner had I finished, than I wanted more.

It has provided me with in excess of 60 hours of pure addictive gameplay, and has earned a permanent spot on my shelf, sharing space with the likes of "Kings Quest 1" and "Doom."

The graphics look sharper, the creatures look and move more realistically, the items are impressive, and the quests seem to be a little deeper.

Although its plot didn’t captivate me, its exciting gameplay did. Gameplay is covert, yet exciting and had my heart beating rapidly each time I crept up on an enemy for a stealth kill.

Although the game plays similarly to previous Red Storm games, The Sum of All Fears is much easier, and it lacks both preplanning and character advancement elements.

The graphics are quite goods, as are the maps, with lots of little places to work around and use for cover. For the snipers out there, you will be pleased.

Beyond some pesky micromanagement at times, Earth & Beyond is a well thought out and executed MMPOG in the voids of space, offering a compelling and expanding storyline set far into the future where you can actually explore the galaxy that we only dream of exploring today.

The first thing that drew me into the game was the amazingly beautiful world in which the game takes place.

It immersed you in a pit of action and puzzle solving, all classic adventure game elements, and it was just fun controlling Indy and his whip.

A large and varied weapons arsenal, as well as vehicular-based play, makes XMP fun to play; however, its apparent influence from other games limits its originality and future playability.

One of the most interesting and odd games that I have played in recent years.

A very creative game; baked with remarkable graphics, a nicely furnished plot and sprinkled with dazzling effects, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance is definitely worth buying.

The wonky physics and a slightly limited variety of custom parts keep this one from a higher score, but Xbox owners looking to inject some originality into their racing experience would do well to check out Apex's unique approach to a somewhat stale genre.

Where Dead to Rights really comes into its own is gameplay.

I was amazed at the strength of the gameplay. With the tremendous online abilities and the multiple options for each player, the game has great depth.

The unoriginality in unit appearance kind of killed the game for me and the good soundtrack that overshadows the game can get on your last nerve depending on how long you've been playing. It just continually loops.

Were it not for the lack of Xbox Live support, the somewhat tedious pace of the Career mode..., Sega GT would be nothing less than a "Gran Turismo" killer.

A very cool game, with some minor shortcomings. The fact that it has 200 stages, and a cast of misplaced nostalgia inducers makes this a nice one to grab.

I have played a lot of flight simulation games; this one definitively gives you more control over the fate of the world than any I have played before.

The perfect balance of non-linear gameplay and plot development, the game offers a unique experience that successfully evolves the gameplay of the original.

A superb entry that offers seemingly limitless gameplay (to the tune of 120 hours). In terms of bang for your buck, value does not get much better than this.

An optimized visual performance clearly makes the PC version the preferred edition of the game; however, the game attempts to combine excessive violence with stealth-action gameplay, but fails to invoke a sense of value and worth in play.

The new Interceptor transformations and customizable weapons system makes playing Spy Hunter 2 varied and entertaining; even more, the challenge offered by the game’s enemies and bosses ensures proper use of these new toys.

While hip-hop doesn’t necessarily speak for the entire sport of casual football players, the tough, offbeat style of football played in NFL Street does.

With a great background story and good graphics this is definitely one of the more fun games I have played in recent times.

The combination of FPS and RTS works so well together in this title that you may wonder why no one has tried it before.

Gameplay is solid, fun, and addictive. On the other hand, graphics-though they are fresh-could have been better.

I was particularly impressed with the polished depth and quality combined with the relatively low system requirements. That is a rarity these days.

Hours of enjoyment, but not overly original.

While you won’t have to bring your driving wheel to play the game, you will have to bring your thinking cap, as K-1 features precise, simulated fighting modeled on real K-1 fighters.

George’s finely crafted witticisms and Nico’s finely crafted, er, investigative skills make the game a pleasure to play; moreover, the plot is engrossing and really pushes you to keep gaming in an effort to uncover more of the nefarious scheme being perpetrated.

It’s solid and balanced, visually spectacular, offers a fairly easy though engaging single player campaign and skirmish mode, and is true (perhaps too true) to the common conventions of the genre.

The game brings nothing new to the table, but what does these days? If you’re looking for a new exciting game, this isn’t for you.

Adds a whole new dimension to The SIMS world that I felt it was dearly missing.

There’s just something about running and jumping that never gets old, and it’s precisely this indescribable “something” that, despite the outdated play mechanics and antiquated visuals, allows me to bestow a wholehearted recommendation upon Anniversary Collection.

With its pick-up and play style, catchy visuals, and an hilarious audio track, even video game virgins will glean enjoyment from this game.

Despite issues regarding balance and difficulty in gameplay, Massive Assault does offer an entertaining turn-based game that novice strategist can easily get into.

It has 150 famous matches for you to watch, so you can learn from the world’s best games of all time, and progress towards your goal of becoming one of the world’s chess masters.

Anyone who appreciates action-oriented RPGs in which the focus is on creating your own story rather than following one that has been predetermined, this game is required playing. Not only is it open-ended, but also it is massive.