Places an emphasis on action on the pitch and supplies a few of the gameplay modes that are missing from EA's popular FIFA series.

Though it isn't totally remarkable from a technical standpoint, Pirates is an endearing and well-thought-out game.

An excellent, original fighting game that's especially fun for two players.

The combat is certainly fun, but not to the extent that you can overlook some of New Legends' other problems, like its camera issues and its short length. The game lasts only a little longer than five hours and lacks any extra features.

One of those rare games that is simply addictive.

NASCAR 2002 is not the quantum leap ahead some might have expected, nor is it free of flaws, yet it is another winning installment of what clearly can be considered the standard-bearer of all racing simulations.

A great game of hockey... It may not have all the features that we would have liked, but it's certainly a lot of fun to play.

The best part about State of Emergency is the way every facet of the game comes together to form a perfect feeling of panic.

The overall lack of supplementary features isn't a major drawback, however, since what's important to a modern wrestling game, aside from the graphics, is solid multiplayer action and challenging CPU AI. Disappointingly, these areas don't fare much better.

High Heat 2003 may not be the best looking or sounding baseball game, but its realistic gameplay laps the competition.

Players who have just jumped on the video game bandwagon with the PlayStation may become frustrated with Maximo's detail-oriented gameplay and repetitive nature.

Though there are a number of hidden characters you can unlock, Racer Revenge is ultimately a short-lived experience that will keep you entertained, but only for the first few times you blast through its courses.

The joy of Puyo Pop lies in its gameplay.

While it has its moments, its lack of refinement makes playing it a disjointed and frustrating experience.

If you've ever been at least slightly captivated by the romance of the rails or have perhaps thought of dabbling in model railroading, Trainz could easily make an enthusiastic convert of you.

The game holds up fabulously, and the slight modifications that Nintendo has made to the game for its handheld release make it even better.

Blitz old-timers will balk at the game's completely different timing and needlessly expanded playbooks, but in the end, NFL Blitz 2002 is the best arcade-style football game on the home market.

It's not just more of the same--this creative, fun, extremely intense shooter is even better than the original.

Although it's not as energetic or complex as many modern-day puzzle games, it doesn't really disappoint in any specific area either.

An excellent graphical showpiece...[but] a general lack of gameplay depth, drab physics, and annoying mission design all get in the way of what could have been a fantastic, action-packed driving game.

You might have to take some time to get adjusted to the sometimes touchy collision detection and the occasional frame rate drop, but these problems aren't drastic enough to completely mar an otherwise solid gaming experience.

Tropico was a great game, and Paradise Island does exactly what you want from an expansion--it makes it even better.

The game's excellent music just can't compensate for its poor graphics or clunky interface.

While the game is slightly flawed due to some imbalances in its gameplay, it's ultimately a satisfying experience thanks to a mix of classic Sonic 2D gameplay, a familiar cast of characters, and new technology.

MR3 successfully combines five extremely unique motorcycle disciplines into one convenient package and delivers a substantial helping of thrills and spills. However, it is not nearly as deep as it initially appears or as sophisticated as a third installment should be.

Puts a unique twist on the current trend in skateboarding games. If you're a fan of the genre looking for something new, AirBlade fits the bill.

Its frustrating single-player mode, dated gameplay mechanics, and lack of interactivity make it difficult to recommend for a purchase.

Grandia II may not look like much from a technical standpoint--disappointingly, the game actually looks a bit worse than the original Dreamcast version--but its visual design is well done.

Even though it has its share of drawbacks (enemy AI weaknesses, occasional pop-up, and a lackluster ending), its positive aspects (variety of gameplay, numerous side quests, and nice graphics) outweigh the negatives.

Namco may have had to cut a few corners to fit the 3D fighter onto Nintendo's handheld, but the end product looks and feels enough like the original game to succeed.

An ideal port--one that significantly improves upon the original game rather than adequately adapting it.

Surprisingly funny.

Despite a slick presentation and several clearly enjoyable moments, Salt Lake fails to capture the magnitude of this periodic winter spectacle and is in reality an entertaining yet brief whirl through just a fraction of the events you might expect.

It streamlines the sport of golf so that you don't have to deal with any of it except the good stuff: hitting the ball and sinking shots. SimGolf's building and design elements are easy to use and surprisingly open-ended.

An almost total lack of innovation makes the game seem pretty dated when compared with other games on the market.

Features more changes and enhancements to the original game than most annual sports games from EA or Sega do, and the bottom line is that MotoGP 2 is a great addition for racing fans who missed the original MotoGP.

It's one of those very rare computer games that draws on all the usual fantasy conventions but presents them in truly inspired, artistic form...[It] has an elegant simplicity about it.

The least exciting NFL game on the Xbox.

Barely playable. The benefits of GoDai's smart control scheme and the inherent coolness of the protagonist's formidable powers are mercilessly buried by shoddy collision detection, maddeningly poor frame rates, and a primitive animation system.

A game with no real outstanding qualities. That said, if the core gameplay is enough to hold your interest and if you enjoy collecting rare items, the game may be worth a purchase.

Between all the minigames and the inspired addition of a younger creature for your own creature to look after, you'll find that Creature Isle is a great place to visit.

It's almost a shame that the detail put into the graphics is all but hidden by the overhead view that you're seemingly stuck with.

It has all the necessary fundamentals intact, but a general lack of polish and a long list of annoying quirks make it difficult to recommend.

Judged against the higher standard imposed by your potential $20 investment, Betty Bad is seriously lacking in gameplay and quantity of content.

At a time when shooters seem to be evolving into two distinct kinds of games--either focused on realistic tactics or on arcade action--Medal of Honor represents the absolute best that action-packed, event-driven shooters have to offer.

Starfighter looks great and has a good story, though not all its missions are engaging, and they start to feel repetitive as the game goes on. The game doesn't last that long, either.

It's technically competent in the end, and many of its little touches are quite impressive, but there are clearly more memorable shooters of its kind already available.

The strategic elements of the squad-based combat mix well with the explosive action, and enough of the back story is relayed in the mission debriefings that having watched the original series isn't a prerequisite.

The few improvements it includes do little to address the flaws of the original game, and since the new game is just more of the same endless waves of enemies, it can't really be recommended even to those who might have enjoyed Beach Head 2000 in some way.

While Konami has toned down the simulation elements of Winter X-Games Snowboarding 2002 so that it will appeal to a broader audience, the challenging controls and plodding snowboarder mode will turn off all but the most ardent snowboarders.

Downright painful to play...utter garbage that should be passed up without a second thought.

Solid in terms of gameplay and spectacular in the graphics department. However, the problems with its AI, the lack of zone defenses, the control issues, and the generally bland presentation keep it from achieving hoops simulation greatness.

Virtually every aspect of the real NBA game is accurately represented and well implemented to provide a roundball experience that is second to none.

Marginally better looking than its PlayStation 2 counterpart...For anyone who likes Madden or "NFL Fever 2002" but wishes the control were a bit more responsive, NFL 2K2 is a game you'd probably like.

Improves in gameplay terms upon its NBA counterpart, but even as a first-year effort, the options and features available in the game are rather paltry.

If you're in the mood for something that is decidedly different than other games on the market, Sega's quirky, abstract art-influenced shooter just might fit the bill.

Quite an amazing bit of eye candy, but it's a real shame that the game behind the pretty graphics just doesn't hold up.

Car Tycoon may appear to be a decent ride, but if you're looking for a really excellent management game, you should look elsewhere.

A high-quality real-time strategy on the GBA--that's Mech Platoon in a nutshell.

A lengthy enough endeavor for shooter fans of a mildly forgiving disposition.

A complete mess. Virtually every technical and stylistic aspect of the game is either shoddily handled or feels somehow incomplete.

A very playable vehicular combat game, and its water gimmick, along with several other elements, works to differentiate it somewhat from the rest.

The gameplay is fresh, innovative to a certain degree, and a real eye-opener for those who have grown tired of the swords and sorcery settings of "EverQuest" and its ilk.

One of the PS2's most likable, most offbeat shooters.

Aside from the visual problems, the game also suffers from weak artificial intelligence, which makes playing the single-player game for any real length of time pretty unexciting.

Easily one of the best PC-style role-playing games to ever grace a console.

The game's visuals have the distinct look of a PS2 game. Since that's not in and of itself a bad thing, the game looks good, but it's not the best-looking game on the Xbox. Looks aside, the Xbox-exclusive episode is the main attraction here.

A disappointingly sloppy piece of software.

It may not be as accessible as Sid Meier's Gettysburg, but it's different enough from the traditional turn-based, hexagonal wargame that wargamers should sit up and take notice.

While there's nothing here that would warrant picking up this version if you already own the PlayStation 2 or GameCube editions, the Xbox version slightly edges out its brothers.

Too frustrating and convoluted for kids to have any fun with it, and all but the most desperate adult GameCube fans will find it tedious and unentertaining as well.

A beautiful game that manages to have the appeal of its predecessor and winds up being both frustrating and addicting at the same time.

The difference between FFX and other games is in the sheer scope and undeniably impressive production values. The ambitious design of FFX ultimately pervades in every aspect of the game.

While it's better than the poor GameCube port of the original "Crazy Taxi," ultimately, the only saving grace Road Rage has is that it's a Simpsons game.

The game requires quite some effort to learn, but once competition picks up against the aggressive AI, Capitalism II shows its colors as a great strategy game. Also, as if to help your own bottom line, the game's a real bargain at $20.

First-person shooters and real-time strategies are more at home on the PC because they require a mouse and keyboard to be enjoyed to their fullest extent, and Conflict Zone on the Dreamcast is a prime example of why this is the case.

The game utterly fails to capture the majesty and mystery of the Dune universe, turning it into an interactive Saturday morning cartoon--and a bad one at that. Toss this one to the worms.

While it's not the best-looking or most technically impressive RPG out for the system, Breath of Fire is still a rock-solid game.

The PC version's visual quality--on a suitably good PC--managed to completely live up to the very high expectations produced by the early press, and the good news is that the Xbox version essentially looks just as good.

Despite its considerable depth, Shadow Hearts is easy to get into and yet maintains a satisfying level of challenge.

Not entirely unlike Nintendo's Super Mario World, except that it's significantly more dull and frustrating.

The real fun of Driven is that it is so easy to play and yet so strategic in execution.

A difficult game, and, as the developer's first effort, it's a bit rough around the edges. For serious fans of the genre, the game can be very time consuming and rewarding in the way a good strategy game should be.

The deepest, most realistic 3D NHL game on the market. Even though its graphics fail to take advantage of the Xbox hardware, its depth of modes is staggering, and the gameplay is predominantly tight.

Looks slightly better than the PS2 and GameCube versions of the game, but its unstable frame rates can occasionally hamper the gameplay experience...If you have a choice, the PS2 version is still recommended.

A fairly by-the-book first-person shooter given depth by the Star Trek mythos.

The game loses much of the original PC version's polish in translation to the PS2--loading times are bad, and the game's sluggish frame rate and blurry textures aren't flattering, especially if you've seen the far-superior-looking PC and Xbox versions...Otherwise outstanding.

It doesn't present an original game design nor is it a particularly compelling experience.

With a number of real-world tracks, well-designed fantasy courses, and a couple of exclusive features, this edition of MX 2002 delivers everything that the PS2 version had to offer--and a little bit more.

If you're looking for a fishing game that comes pretty close to re-creating the actual sport, you'll be pleased with this game.

If you don't own any of these games on other versions of the Namco Museum series, or if you're a fan of the arranged games that make their home debut in this package, then this game will satiate your appetite for classic gaming.

Although it features reasonably unique character designs, interesting concepts, and a huge explorable world, Legend of Alon D'ar fails in execution with substandard quality in nearly every respect.

While it generally lacks originality, its tight execution and heavy action elements ensure that things never become dull.

Despite these shortcomings, it's still Mega Man, and the gameplay is still entertaining, making X6 an attractive package for hard-core Mega Man fans.

A bonus two-player race mode provides additional value for when you've unlocked everything in the single-player mode, but it's definitely not comprehensive enough for longtime replay.

A game that you will have no desire whatsoever to play in your free time, but as soon as you have something important to do, it will become the most interesting thing imaginable.

While the gameplay isn't quite as unusual as the premise, S.W.I.N.E. is a solid real-time strategy game with plenty of humor, all wrapped up in a beautiful shell.

It is an unforgiving and sometimes treacherously authentic game that minimizes the importance of top speed and accentuates such real world concepts as torque, grip, gravity and four-point suspension...Simply too intriguing to ignore completely.