Nintendo's spastic tribute to itself stands quite strong as one of the most engaging multiplayer games available for any console platform.

The game does have a solid and innovative franchise mode, but given the available choices for football sims on the console, it is tough to recommend.

Luclin also has some of the most demanding system requirements of any PC game ever released...[It's] easily the biggest, most significant EverQuest expansion yet.

While Dark Alliance provides a capable story, it succeeds most on an instinctive level--as a pure gameplay experience. Every button and feature of the PS2 controller is used in a manner that is both intuitive and functional.

One part dark struggle for survival and one part cute fairy tale, Pikmin is an engaging game with the twisted charm found in a good Tim Burton movie.

The gameplay is hectic, the new trick system adds substantial depth, and the overall production is top-notch...But if you have a choice, the PS2 version is recommended.

While "The Simpsons" is often entertaining and enjoyable, The Simpsons Road Rage for the Xbox is not.

Little more than a 3D version of the arcade classic "Ironman Ivan Stewart's Super Off-Road," without the fun.

The average gamer is going to have a hard time looking past the game's generally poor production and repetitive gameplay.

Many of the interesting concepts in T:A llose their appeal shortly after the umpteenth quest to help some tortured soul in town.

Solid graphics and sound and fun gameplay are things just about everyone can appreciate in a game, and while the fishing genre doesn't have the widest appeal, the arcadelike aspect of the game opens it up to a wider audience.

Questionable physics and a sloppy trick system still hinder the game from reaching its true potential.

A thoroughly addicting experience unique to the Game Boy Advance that can be enjoyed by die-hard fans of the series and newcomers alike.

The game is plagued by poor control, an unintuitive interface, time limits, ugly graphics, grating music, and one of the worst save-game systems ever devised.

The game can be fun at first, but that fun quickly dissipates as the same basic formula is reapplied again and again, and you'll soon realize that if you've played the first level, you may as well have played the whole game.

With simple level design and enemy AI that is so dumbed down that it is virtually nonexistent, Ecks vs. Sever doesn't pose much of a threat in the difficulty department.

A capable shooter in its own right.

A bevy of bizarre obstacles and freaky power-ups gives Super Bust-A-Move a level of addictiveness and challenge rarely seen on handheld systems.

Those who waited for the GameCube version of Extreme-G 3 have been rewarded with a superior version of the game....A smart and solid racing game that provides an amazing feeling of true speed.

Stiff controls, some questionable AI, and other quirk...ruin an otherwise entertaining experience.

Offers lengthy replay value by allowing players to take up a number of roles on all three sides in the otherwise fixed campaign.

A good game that has a few problems--which range from minor control issues to placement of challenge points--but none of them are substantial enough to ruin the overall experience.

You'll be constantly amazed at the lack of refinement.

Some will immediately be turned away by the graphics and others by the more childish design, but if your PlayStation is still kicking, you might want to check it out.

The graphical tweaks are nothing to completely disregard, but on the other hand, they're nothing for Xbox owners to brag about either.

Every system has its share of dogs, and like a painter writing off bad paintings for being "good to get them out of your system," it's good for the Xbox to get this one out of the way early.

Aside from a few novelty options, Codename: Outbreak is an uninspired first-person shooter that really doesn't stack up against the glut of similar games currently out on the market.

Road Rage suffers from a number of problems, not the least of which is bad collision detection. You'll often find yourself clipping a corner of a building or slamming into another car even though you have room to spare.

And though it has an unusual and open-ended story, lots of spoken dialogue, and a substantial amount of gameplay, it also has frustrating action sequences and some noticeable technical problems.

Aside from a few minor issues, it's an extremely good port of one of SNK's last great NeoGeo games and is itself one of the last great games for the Dreamcast.

Of all the Harvest Moon games, Save the Homeland easily has the most solid storyline.

If it weren't for the lack of an ability to adjust team strategy on the fly, pick your own teams for tournament play, or perform special dribbles with any sort of effectiveness, FIFA 2002 would be approaching perfection.

Though it does become repetitive and certainly won't set any new standards, Combat nevertheless is a decent arcade-style shooter that should at least temporarily please newbies and anyone with an itchy trigger finger.

One of the great pure driving games of the new millennium.

The unique play mechanics of Soul Reaver 2, as well as its impressive graphics and excellent story, make it easy to recommend to fans of action or adventure games.

In all areas--gameplay, graphics, sound, and overall longevity--Full-Fat and Acclaim have literally created a handheld miracle.

The single-player mode is good. It's...good. It's pretty good. But with the faint-praise damning out of the way, you'll be happy to hear that the multiplayer game is outstanding.

The best [PS2 football game] of the bunch. With its responsive control, completely realistic graphics, and the best AI around, NFL 2K2 is the game football fans should own.

A simple but challenging rhythm game with unique gameplay and one of the best game soundtracks ever.

While outstanding graphics can make a good game seem great, occasionally a game features gameplay so weak that even amazing graphics can't camouflage its flaws. Enter AquaNox, a game with far more flash than substance.

A great game in its own right and is wholeheartedly recommendable to anyone who enjoys racing games.

One of the worst games to be released this year or any year, on the Xbox or any other platform. The fact that Microsoft's supposedly rigid approval process allowed this game to see the light of day is simply disgusting.

While Amped is visually impressive and loaded with options, its technical merits are drastically undermined by its shoddy gameplay.

Tends to be dry, unpolished, buggy, and difficult to learn. It's a game that reaches for the stars, gets well underway, and yet in the end only makes it as far as the moon.

It can be amazingly fun at times, and the production value, laden with WWF panache, is top-notch.

Destined to be a classic. This is one of those simulations that reminds you why you love the genre. It has all the fidelity, immersion, playability, polish, and graphical splendor that enriched classics like "Red Baron," "Aces over the Pacific," "Falcon 3.0," and "European Air War."

Sluggish controls, paper-thin career mode, fictitious players, and mediocre court graphics.

The gameplay is simple enough for beginners to enjoy, which should please those turned off by "Fire Pro Wrestling," but there's also enough advanced strategy to keep you occupied long after landing all five championships.

The gameplay is tight and varied, the graphics are detailed and bright, and the sound is second to none.

The rebounding game, which wasn't very strong to begin with, has taken a hit, as the control schemes for both rebounding and facing up on a player are utterly counterintuitive.

Making use of nearly every bell and whistle that the GameCube hardware has to offer, Rogue Leader is a jaw-droppingly gorgeous game.

The GameCube version slightly edges out its PS2 brother...It succeeds at what it set out to do--it puts you into the role of Batman.

The quick-and-dirty port does everything the DC and PS2 releases did--meaning it looks good for a Dreamcast game but pretty awful when compared with anything else released on the GameCube so far.

As great a game of football as nearly any fan of the series could hope for, and while it focuses on technical and simulation elements a bit more than the other games on the market, the game stays true to the Madden name.

While not perfect, Wave Race: Blue Storm is the most accurate video game representation of water-based racing ever to be released.

Luigi's first solo excursion has flashes of brilliance and is fun while it lasts, but the short amount of time it takes to complete it makes it a hard recommendation.

[It] features a wealth of gameplay modes and an impressive amount of on-field control. But the game's AI quirks, challenging batting, and camera problems are indicative of a game that has been rushed to market.

Solid graphics, addictive yet accessible gameplay, and some of the best multiplayer action on the system make it a winner.

Always frantic, NHL Hitz 2002 provides some high-level entertainment for the first couple of days and works best as a multiplayer game, but the handicapping AI makes the gameplay unbalanced.

Rather short. It only takes a couple of hours to finish the entire quest and a few more after that to collect all the film reels.

Underwhelms with an extremely brief story, overly simplistic platform jumping sequences, and repetitive gameplay...Suitable only for children.

A lesson in boredom. Without a jump command, the platforming elements are all but wasted, while the spell-flinging portions of the game are equally forgettable.

While visually and aurally sound, and at times impressive, Harry Potter's GBA debut is neither innovative nor particularly compelling from a gameplay perspective.

A very smart game with great puzzles, yet there's not enough variety in those puzzles to keep it completely entertaining throughout.

It's disappointing to see a franchise that had so much promise fall flat, but 4x4 EVO 2's poor track design, uninspired graphics, and shallow racing keep it from reaching the status of its predecessors.

A complete thrill ride from beginning to end, an experience perhaps best described as a 16-hour-plus version of the siege scene from the film "Terminator 2"...easily one of the best shooters ever, on any platform.

It's noticeably better looking than the lackluster PlayStation 2 version, but it still has its fair share of problems...[It's] not fun.

Easily the most graphically impressive, deepest, and by and large most enjoyable surfing game to be released yet.

[It] does not suffer from any single huge, crippling flaw; rather, a handful of smaller problems plague the game and keep it from achieving BMX greatness.

If Wizardry 8 truly is the last game in the series proper, its engaging and addictive gameplay and surprisingly good graphics and sound make it a worthy finale to the Wizardry series, as well as an excellent RPG in and of itself.

Unquestionably the best-looking light-gun game ever released, as well as a game that will seem instantly familiar to "House of the Dead" fans while still pushing their skills.

"Rayman 2," "Klonoa 2," and "Jak and Daxter" are all members of the same genre as Tarzan Untamed--adventure--and each does the two things Tarzan Untamed fails to do: impress visually and last beyond a weekend.

A miserable failure...Gamers are advised to avoid this game, period.

Technical problems shroud the entire experience with the feeling that you've paid to play a beta. And that's unforgivable, good moments or not.

Anyone playing Tony 3 or anyone with the DC version of Tony 2 needn't bother.

Amazing visuals have come at a price--as a gameplay experience, Shrek is pretty unsubstantial. Only the youngest of players will find its gameplay compelling in the least, and even they, by now, have become accustomed to something more.

Actually playing a game that has a mix of simulation physics and overriding arcade control is really anticlimactic since it doesn't do quite as good of a job at either style of play. Be that as it may, NFL Fever 2002 is still a very solid game.

Can be fun for short periods of time. The longest game will last about 45 minutes, at the end of which you'll have little desire to come back for more.

Less a racing game than it is a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater with cars instead of skateboards...[It's] also notable for its generally impressive visuals, breadth of gameplay options, and sheer number of tracks and circuits.

Unlike "Ace Combat 04," however, AirForce Delta Storm lacks the overall gameplay and visual polish that made Namco's game so memorable.

Looks absolutely stunning. It's the best-looking home fighting game ever released...Once you get past its graphics--and you will--you'll find that DOA3 doesn't offer much of anything that hasn't been done in other 3D fighting games.

A good-looking game with good split-screen multiplayer but a relatively dull single-player game.

Sadly, the shallow gameplay ensures that the game gets really old, really quick.

Should be quite appealing for its intended audience: die-hard fans of NASCAR. However, its laundry list of customization options and relative focus on technical driving may prove frustrating for borderline fans of the sport.

The enjoyment NHL Hitz 2002 deteriorates rather quickly due to its negligible computer AI and simplistic gameplay, but if you're looking for some quick-hit fun from your hockey games, it's an excellent choice.

An adequate introduction to arcade racing on the Xbox, but its lack of gameplay depth, its punishing AI, and its conservative graphics keep it from attaining greatness.

NASCAR Thunder 2002 on the Xbox is the most visually appealing stock car racing game on the market, and its gameplay will appeal to a wide range of racing fans.

The game was never too solid to begin with--aside from its amusing track design and decent customization elements, there really isn't anything much there in regard to actual compelling gameplay.

A solid and enjoyable snowboarding game that successfully brings Tony Hawk to the mountain.

Ghost Recon has some real strengths, but handholding micromanagement, an awkward interface, bugs, and other problems and weaknesses often sap the fun out of the game just when it starts to get entertaining.

Those [arcade] bells and whistles aren't available in the home version of the game, and what's left is a shell of a game with very little replay value.

[It] isn't a horrible game, but its lackluster level design, poor enemy AI, and easy level of difficulty pile up to detract from what it does offer greatly.

The GameCube version may be less jaggy than the original PS2 release, but its lack of online multiplayer and somewhat sketchy frame rate keep it from living up to its full potential.

Although the grand strategy is a bit misguided, the tactical combat is a splendid twist on the concept of collectible card games.

In practice not all of these new features are successful. In fact, if you enjoyed the original Armada, you might find yourself nostalgic for that game while playing Armada II.

The excellent graphical effects, nonstop action, and nominal helicopter content make this a great game to fire up for a while just as a change of pace.

Hot Date's real additions are its expanded social options and its new downtown area...[It] does an extremely good job of making The Sims a more interesting game.

A huge game to say the least--it's much more time-consuming and involved than the typical real-time strategy game, and its staggering variety of units is as impressive as it is intimidating.