The main problem that kills NightCaster's chances of being a great game is the very thing trying to make it unique; the targeting system.

Everything that worked in the "Smash Bros" formula-- a huge cast of very different characters, big cartoony action with lots of goodies, and a lighthearted sense of fun-- is missing here.

There's a lot of game to be had if you can get past the game's quirks.

As someone who wanted a true sequel to the original Ground Control that continued to break away from the generic mold things like the "Command & Conquer" series has become, I was ultimately disappointed.

A fairly hard game that regularly borders on the frustrating.

I and many other fans of Tom Clancy games enjoyed the uniqueness of Ghost Recon and the way it was previously and if they could revert to the game style of having controllable teams and set up plans of attack, while still having the new additions in graphics and features, it would make for a lot of happy gamers.

The U.S. version uses some over-the-top acting that borders on being agitating.

Provides eight to ten hours of streamlined, yet predictable gameplay. It's not a revolutionary title by any stretch of the imagination and it's vastly overpriced at $50, but it's worth recommending for a Star Wars action fan with money to burn and time to kill.

If you've been a fan of the series, you'll be right at home in the upgrade, but for those who are just starting out, there may not [be] enough here to interest you.

Occasionally you'll get the chance to move on and actually fight monsters, but it seems like forever and a day in between those moments.

A short and simple minded FPS shooter that will fill the void if you need some mindless run and gun action, but if you are looking for game play that is a little more mentally challenging and in depth, or even fun, than you will need to keep on looking.

A fun experience that feels like a light RPG snack rather than an epic role-playing game. If you dig action more than actual role-playing and can deal with all the hassles then Monster Hunter might be for you.

The reality of Supremacy is that is actually presents two totally different and unique strategy experiences. Both are good, but not great and both are punctuated with some really innovative ideas.

It has no huge deficiencies that make it a bad game, but it was clearly built with online play in mind and the solitary gamer may feel a bit cheated in the difficulty of the single-player mode. I know I did.

If NBA ShootOut 2002 does come in contact with eyes flush with water and induce vomiting.

It's a standard hold-down-the-gas-and-steer racer, with nary a drop of strategy or driving savvy. It's boredom in a can... er, CD.

A competent, if not particularly impressive, sequel. It makes some minor technological improvements, but packages them with major new flaws in the storytelling and gameplay.

What could cause such a winning formula to fall from grace? Camera... the bane of third party titles everywhere. And Obi Wan throws out all over-the-shoulder camera conventions and makes a totally static, completely uncontrollable camera.

The combat part of the game is pretty nice (but not perfect), and as we mentioned earlier, many of the game's key components are weak or just plain bad. In the end Sudeki feels like an incomplete RPG experience that needed a lot more development time.

With uninspired level design and a lacking audio presentation, the game has little to offer hardcore fans of the series.

The handling of the car can seem touchy at times, but I was used to it by the time I got to the end of the first mission. It gets around the corners and handles almost like the old car does, even when it changes into the boat mode or the ski/bike mode.

While a solid lightgun game in the classical sense, Time Crisis: Crisis Zone just does not offer enough innovation to highly recommend it if the player already owns previous games in the franchise.

A great pick up and play and slash sort of game. Long periods of playing this game will probably bore you, but if you need a quick RPG fix while commuting, it’s not bad.

So, while Test Drive: Eve Of Destruction has an almost absurd number of car crashing event variations and lots of vehicles to use, it is not going to be a cross-over hit with players that are not already predisposed to liking demolition derby driving games.

Most of today's crop of gamers will be left disappointed by the point and click game play, static environments, and the overwhelming amount of text to read.

You're going to give your controller a real workout as wave upon wave of enemies rush you and you send them straight to Hell. On the other hand this is a pretty mediocre looking game and it is a bit of a one-trick pony.

I won't lie. I had fun with this game, especially considering it was better paced than the game it copied, "Time Crisis: Project Titan." If you can look past a painfully ugly presentation, you'll be treated to a fun romp in the old west

Tron 2.0 looks and feels just like the movie "Tron", but ultimately some poor choices in gameplay bring the overall package down.

The game uses non-game elements without becoming overbearing to the point of irritation and the game's various multimedia flavors is spread out in such a fashion as to offer a steady stream of variety.

A good first attempt at bringing The King of Fighters franchise into the realm of modern 3D fighters, but it does not quite go far enough. At the same time I fear the changes will alienate some of the core KOF fans.

The storyline is very difficult to understand and just won’t make sense to newcomers at first, the gameplay is hard to stomach until players start to comprehend all the little “undocumented features” that the game’s brief tutorial utterly and completely fails to explain, the mission objectives get repetitive, frustrating, and even boring as the campaign moves on, and the game engine definitely demands a kick-ass system to ensure an experience that is at least somewhat smooth.

A very good simulator for naval combat that includes realistic ships, aircraft, mission types and mission areas. This is a great naval experience whether you have legs born of years at sea or if you are just looking to get your feet wet (that pun was intended).

Isn't quite stern enough to be a simulation game, nor is it easy enough to be an arcade game. What's left is a great looking game that's too shallow to be truly enjoyable.

Steering becomes a problem even in analog. The least little movement of the analog stick jerks the car to the side.

A rather short game, pulling in at about 6-7 hours to complete, the repetitiveness and the arduousness of the gameplay and fighting style, makes it seem much longer, although, admittedly, it is one of the better Batman games to be released in some time.

It is actually short and easy enough that a two-day rental will probably be all you’ll need to blow through it.

It's not going to set the world on fire for its originality of presentation and gameplay, but for a younger gamer, this a charming and solidly-built platform action/adventure game that should give them some real entertainment with fair value added by the trading card and multiplayer aspects of the cartridge.

It is great to see at least one respectable Terminator game. It is not the best game out there, but it is the best Terminator game the fans of the franchise have ever seen.

Fix the damn game up, give me an actual living universe, and a combat system that makes sense, then we'll talk. Until that point, I'm going to blast through "Freespace 2" again and look forward to the online-only rendition of the game series (due out in the distant future) with hesitant anticipation.

Honestly, I think you’d have to be a super fan of the 2D fighting games to really think this game was great.

It fails in my eyes as an innovative title that people will find themselves wanting to pick up in the face of "Doom 3" and the impending "Half-Life 2."

While Spirits and Spells has a great visual style and an appropriate, if repetitive, soundtrack, it is definitely a flawed game.

The interface is very efficient for maneuvering the pieces around the board, for creating a unit, for performing research and for performing political actions. But when it comes to deploying troops, grouping units and selecting specific units, the interface fails pretty miserably.

Both a unique and amusing game, but not everyone is up for the amount of time it takes to actually complete a game.

Reloaded must first stand on its single-player experience. There it pales in comparison to the king of Xbox action/adventure platformers: "Psychonauts."

Sadly, an impressive graphical presentation and some surprisingly fun offline gameplay (I would've preferred a more storyline-oriented campaign, but the skirmish-styled gameplay is still quite entertaining) just aren't enough to make Star Wars: Battlefront anything more than an above-average title.

For starters, there's the brilliant notion that you need no skill to play the game, nor do you technically even need to steer the on-screen graphic. Just tape down the gas button and let the game decide for you, since 99% of the track is just a straight line and you can't turn around.

Translation wise, the game seems geared toward the Dragon Ball crowd, with brash conversations and lots of street corner language, which doesn't quite fit the mood or visual atmosphere of the game.

If you are a fan of the original Larry installments, don't expect the same charisma or flair that they had with this….it's a new chef trying to add some added spice in the same kitchen, only they used too much of the wrong spice.

Everyone in general is pretty stiff, and trying to control our hero while dodging the insane amount of enemies is more chore than thrill.

It looks good, handles well, and has a nice variety of things to it, but it doesn't stand out when tossed in with the rest of the PlayStation library.

The game is just plain unapproachable to the average gamer... Is it possible that whoever play-balanced Devil May Cry 3 is a bitter person who loathes humanity and is working actively for the death of joy in the world?

Put simply, the games are beginning to wear thin. If you’d don’t have any of the previous editions of Mega Man Battle Network, this is a good one to buy and enjoy. For returning players, hold off purchasing and demand that Capcom do a little bit more next time.

A very deep, very rich game intended for those who truly appreciate historical accuracy in strategy games. The strategy is deep, rich and fulfilling, without the need for action or adrenaline.

With a higher difficulty level and some presentation quirks, Pokemon Colosseum is a great game for the Pokemon veteran and not such a great choice for someone just now getting into the games.

The camera causes a bit of frustration and takes away a lot of the strategy elements that could have been in this game if it had allowed the player to see the entire room as it was entered, but overall the game is fun and should be given a serious look by fans of science-fiction themed action RPGs.

Surprisingly compelling story, expectedly terrible gameplay.

While Alien Shooter: Vengeance does have a few flaws in it's mix and is a rather old-school title in both it's gameplay and it's graphics, at the same time it is actually quite entertaining in that it can be increasingly hard to put down the farther you get into the game.

An average third-person action game the leads you by the nose and doesn't give you too many choices to make. You'll spend the bulk of your time battling the same bad guys, killing walnut heads to unlock areas and occasionally battling some pretty impressive bosses.

Maybe Secret Agent Clank scratches that Ratchet and Clank humorous blasting itch for you. For me it didn't. Too much repetition, too much stealth and too little story flow left me cold.

By the time it's all over, just after you've finished the dopey out-of-place boss fight, you're left with Generic Shooter Videogame Number Umpteen, drawn out with a few levels stuffed with filler instead of gameplay.

The bottom line is that this game is strictly for younger fans of the property, all others need not apply.

All in all if you miss the quaint old town and feel like returning for old time's sake then Origins mostly satisfies.

Tenchu works best when taken as a puzzle game that requires you to master your ninja sense and proceed step-by-step, error-by-error, to every stage’s inevitable boss. As a “stealth action” game, however, it falls short of expectations.

If you want to take a walk down the memory lane of video gaming and enjoy playing in short spurts, SEGA Superstars Tennis fits the bill. Otherwise, try before you buy.

It’s hard to ignore the fact that Hot Pixel is a blatant clone of Wario Ware, but try not to hold that against it.

While the multiplayer does add a little something to package, it’s obvious that the campaign – the true co-op campaign - is where the main focus is. As good as the game looks, and as huge as the bosses are, it’s not all that fun to go through alone.

Even offset by the low price and the arcade-style context, Battlestar Galactica just doesn’t have the punch to stand out in today’s market. Even the graphics engine is marred by low-resolution textures, small engagement zones, and dated special effects, and what bothers me about this game is how it could easily be a lot better were it simply blessed with more expanded gameplay.

Sideway comes across feeling more like one of the me-too Mario clones of the NES era despite its unique, singular look and perspective-shifting style. The platforming is nowhere near as tight or as taxing as in Super Meat Boy and it lacks the dynamism and genre synthesis of Outland. It's not even as compelling or innovative as IOS examples such as Mos Speedrun or League of Evil

Die hard fans of the show will enjoy it, however with no replay value whatsoever and an extremely short play time, there’s not much justification for buying it. Those that aren’t into the show’s scatological sense of humor, or those looking for a deep courtroom experience won’t find much here.

As it is, nothing really separates it and makes it unique. Despite the cool setting, this is by the numbers game design that you’ve played a million times before.

It may take some finagling to find it, but there is a solid flight game beneath the problems. It's just a bummer that you have to dig into several menus, find some buddies, and replay the campaign repeatedly to get to it.

Alice is a competent action-platformer with richly imaginative worlds steeped in allusive imagery. Half of the fun is seeing how American McGee has transformed the beloved stories into a wicked journey that nicely complements and embellishes its source material. Alice: Madness Returns can be darkly engrossing, but also, a devestating reminder that more is not always better.

The control scheme for each game can be set up individually to however you like within the options and menu settings, although most of the similar games found in the assortment can use the same layout for each.

A good way to kill some time and is worth giving it a run for its money.

If there's one true complaint we could lodge against Over The Hedge, it's the game's real lack of camera control.

As good as the game looks, this is a setting that is so familiar that you can’t just give the player a bunch of 20 minute tank battles and call it a day. Not when Relic has experimented with resource capture zones and static defenses in Company of Heroes.

While Capcom Puzzle World doesn't deliver as much gaming goodness as it could, the great implementation of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo on the PSP is really worth the price of admission.

If there's one true complaint we could lodge against Over The Hedge, it's the game's real lack of camera control.

Overall, it seems as though the PS2 is on its last legs and this is one last way for Konami to cash in.

Neither of these games bring home the gold in accurately simulating the Olympics, but ESPN International Winter Sports does a less-worse job of doing so [than "Salt Lake 2002."]

Retains the style of Capcom's Viewtiful Joe series perfectly, but doesn't back it up with a very deep action experience.

A significantly better game than the original. With better AI and unit pathfinding, and the inclusion of a more practical camera, it would be one of the better World War II RTS games around.

As an Undead Nightmare-like DLC pack for Yakuza 4, Dead Souls makes sense. As a full retail package, the combination of the zombie theme and the recycling feels desperate and ill-advised.

The puzzles are easily the game’s most enjoyable aspect, as the combat is underwhelming with few exceptions and exploring the linear facility isn’t tense or frightful.

For some bizarre reason, Konami thought it would be a great idea to make the screen as tiny as possible and make it as difficult as possible to fix it. You have to pause the game (while in game) to adjust the screen size. While in single player it’s not a problem, but during an Xbox Live game, it’s very much a problem.

Even though A Witch's Tale isn't quite as easy as NIS might have expected (and grows a bit thin after the first few areas), it's still a game with an unmatched aesthetic.

Part action game and part puzzle game. While it isn’t the best at either genre, it is a rather entertaining but short and expensive game. If the multiplayer and other content is released at no cost, I reserve the right to revise my feelings accordingly.

It has the same lack of subtlety and rapid pace - plus it looks better. But it comes off as an average and unnecessary entry in the series.

But with over 200 hundred puzzles to solve, two gameplay modes and some nifty unlockables this cool little puzzler is worth it.

In a game like Silent Hill: Shattered Memories the immersion is crucial to giving the player the full experience and unfortunately, that experience doesn't come along with the game's other high points to the PSP.

The shipped version of Silent Hunter IV feels like little more than a half-working teaser of things to come.

The simple controls and straightforward gameplay make it possible for anyone to play. Unfortunately, the number of levels is too small for the game to have any lasting appeal and issues with the camera can be frustrating.

With all there is to do in the game, it’s a shame that it isn’t more interesting. For the most part, the touch controls work well and there’s plenty of variety to the events, but for some reason, Mario and Sonic at the Olympics doesn’t really hold your interest once you’ve played each event once.

I’d definitely recommend a rental before plunking down the hard-earned green for this $60 purchase. It is just barely above average with a C+ score.

What in the end keeps Full Auto from being worth the steep $60 price of admission is its lack of depth. Honestly, in just a couple of hours you can see most of what this title has to offer.

Without a goal or the feeling of adventure, doing the missions just feels like a chore.

It is still The Sims though, and it's remarkable how durable the core experience remains even on a small screen.