These technical problems, in addition to its short length and inconsistent quality, make Heavy Metal F.A.K.K. 2 the most frustrating kind of game: It's only decent, when it could have been great.

The game's slow pacing, simple combat, weak production values, and other shortcomings collectively prevent Submarine Titans from being much fun.

The game would perhaps be visually palatable if not for the substandard frame rate, but alas, it's a little too jerky to really be pleasing.

A fun game with decent gameplay, but the shortage of modes, run-of-the-mill graphics, and lack of variety prevent "Surf Riders" from being to surf games what "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" is to skateboarding games.

The sound effects -- while a little drab -- get the job done, but the buzzer that signifies a new wrestler entering the ring in the royal rumble mode will drive you absolutely insane with its frequency.

The game's unbalanced units, as well as a few interface problems, cut it short of its potential.

Of all the helicopter simulations released this year, Razorworks' product is in a class by itself, and it will certainly earn itself a place on the ballot when the best-sim-of-the-year nominations come around.

If you buy into the whole button-mashing mentality of track and field games, you'll find that Sydney 2000 turns in a solid, finger-numbing performance.

The very small niche market of die-hard pinball fans this game is designed for should be extremely pleased with Big Race USA.

Most importantly, Daikatana just isn't any fun. Anyone looking for a Nintendo 64 shooter should do themselves a favor and look elsewhere.

Seems not only unpolished, but also unfinished - and the problems are so inherent in the design that a patch wouldn't likely salvage it.

The double set of "Strider 1" and "2" is an excellent starter kit for the uninitiated, but for veterans of the series, it's like dinner without the dessert.

If you look past a painfully weak back story and the painfully simple graphics, you'll find there is an enjoyable game to be played in Ball Breakers.

"Elite's" worst problem is that there's no real incentive in it -- the lack of story and repetitive combat offer no good reason to stick with the game.

Wonderful renditions of "It's a Small World"; "Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me"; and "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" await those who play the game.

Ultimately, Psycho Circus is one game you and the boys won't be playing all night.

With the addition of four-player multiplayer, "Army Men: Air Combat" is the best game to bear the "Army Men" name - granted, that isn't exactly a tough feat.

The game literally has so many flaws that it is impossible to mention them all in a single review.

You couldn't ask for an easier way to find opponents, trade pieces, and compete in tourneys than with this online-only game from the creators of the acclaimed online collectible card game, Chron X.

For fishing game fans that really enjoy simulation-style fishing games with all of the extras like boats and vast areas to explore, the game will undoubtedly fail to please.

Incredibly similar to the original -- so much so that even fans of the first game will be let down by the sequel's identical graphics, gameplay, and overall lack of innovation.

If you're after a good single-player game, rent "Fur Fighters" first to see if you can look past the game's camera problems.

Tennis fans should be in heaven after playing "Virtua Tennis."

Cleopatra is both more difficult and more complex than "Pharaoh," but it also makes the game seem new and fresh.

With the exception of its unique super-move system, it doesn't really have any strong points for or against it.

It's unfortunate that "Soulbringer"'s lackluster graphics and poor interface compromise what's otherwise a fairly standard action/role-playing game with an interesting combat system.

If you've ever enjoyed the great 2D strategy games of years past -- or enjoy high-fantasy-themed games in general -- then you'll like Warlords Battlecry, the latest game in developer SSG's long-running Warlords series.

Those willing to overlook AI and interface issues (and fans of the "Rainbow Six"-style action games) would do well to check out Hidden and Dangerous.

It's just a bad representation of real-life F1 racing, especially compared with EA's earlier "F1 2000."

A solid, balanced, and very polished game - which is why it's all the more unfortunate that its gameplay closely follows an otherwise unoriginal and limited formula for real-time strategy games: Gather resources, amass troops, and attack your enemy.

In a word, MK: Special Forces is ugly.

Succeeds on some levels and fails on others, but on the whole, it does a good job of being a party game.

Solid gameplay, numerous options, and attention to detail make Railroad Tycoon II an excellent simulation.

Overall, Activision has done a decent, if uninspired, job of porting the game to yet another platform.

Though it's based on the "Baldur's Gate" engine and is also set in the same "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" universe, Icewind Dale's originality and fast pacing make the game uniquely satisfying.

Like its predecessor, it isn't the most balanced game in the world, but that doesn't keep it from being a great deal of fun.

In exchange for the additional complexity and size, you'll have to tolerate low-resolution graphics and a few more gameplay problems than you might have come to expect from Blizzard games.

While some might be initially put off by the youthful nature of "Kirby 64," the depth of the power combo system really brings a lot to what would otherwise be an average platformer.

Though the game uses Epic Games' Unreal engine, which was once lauded for its exceptional visual quality, "Deus Ex" is actually a fairly bland-looking game because of its incessantly dark industrial environments.

An extremely ambitious simulation that provides plenty of original gameplay but fails to adequately refine its presentation.

The game did add a parry maneuver that, when mastered, really changed the face of the game.

"PGA European Tour" lacks the needed bells and whistles to get a good rating, while the game's tired, sparse graphics and gameplay glitches prevent it from breaking even.

"BeachHead 2000"'s limited gameplay won't hold your attention for long.

It's very short, so even novice adventure gamers won't have much trouble finishing it in a few sessions.

Not only is "Shogun" a challenging and engrossing 3D real-time tactical combat game, but it also features a great turn-based strategy component that complements the combat wonderfully.

Borrows too heavily from other games and lacks that "hook" to make it worth dealing with excessive defending, a thin story you'd expect to see on Power Rangers, and aural competence.

The huge number of levels available and the two-player split-screen mode -- slowdown ridden as it is -- make for an incredible amount of value.

It's got a great premise and an ambitious design, but the game is mired by its repetitive and often frustrating combat, ill-fated design decisions, and forgettable characters and story.

Despite its few shortcomings and frustrating design issues, you'll find that "Ground Control" is not only one of the best-looking games to date but also one that's suitably challenging and rewarding.

May be slightly short, but it makes up for it by being relentlessly ingenious.

It is, however, exactly what most puzzle fans are looking for: a fun, value-packed addictive experience that looks as good as perhaps a puzzle game can or should.

Gauntlet Legends wasn't a particularly good arcade game, and it's just as bad on the PlayStation.

The number of things that you can unlock in the game is simply staggering.

The Runabout series not only hasn't kept up with the times ("Crazy Taxi" is this type of game almost fully realized), it's lost a lot of what made it so appealing in the first place.

If you're a "SimCity" fan who's not interested in solving other people's problems in the prefabricated scenarios or making your own material for the game, then you can let "Unlimited" pass you by.

A melange of the action, adventure and RPG genres, Square has truly beaten all odds and produced an engaging, seamless epic unlike any other. Despite a few interface and complexity issues, Vagrant Story is a rare and nearly perfected game.

Isn't an excellent game, but it's very good.

Some will cry about the frame rate, and some will wish the game featured real riders, but even these woes are forgotten when the game itself is so scrumptious.

The game often shows its age, especially graphically, but never feels antique; what it lacks in visual style it makes up with charm.

Buried under the layers of poor visuals and rough control, there is indeed an engaging, playable game.

An enjoyable story-driven space combat sim that should meet, but not exceed, the lofty expectations of fans of the developers' previous games.

As you explore the new continent of Kunark, it'll become increasingly clear to you that the expansion's value is as immense as that of the original game.

Its real-time strategy elements and its focus on cooperative piloting tactics are so central to its gameplay that Allegiance can be very challenging to learn, but it's well worth the effort.

But the story is a bit disappointing compared with the complex plot of "Thief," and the game itself lacks the surprises of the original.

A beautiful, comprehensive, and highly enjoyable racing sim that's suitable for just about any driving enthusiast.

Ridge Racer 64 takes ideas from the first two Ridge Racer games and puts a new spin on them, introducing the arcade racer to the Nintendo 64 in a way that will interest even longtime fans of the series.

The Sims' actual gameplay is rather limited in some respects - either by odd inconsistencies or by actual restrictions placed on your actions.

It's the sort of game that will carve out a space on your hard drive and stay there while other, newer games come and go. X is not for everyone, but it'll almost certainly become a classic for fans of more slowly paced, economics-intensive space simulations.

The shopping list of things that don't work right is long and comprehensive.

This is one case where the whole is definitely less than the sum of the parts. Crime Cities is initially impressive, but its frustrating controls and simple mission design make it quickly lose appeal.

Just one of the two campaigns along with the multiplayer mode and customization features should be enough to keep you busy with Airfix Dogfighter for a while.

It's a close contender with all the latest horror-themed action-adventure games for the PlayStation, even though it isn't as engaging or intense as it might have been.

This isn't the same Silhouette Mirage that debuted on the Saturn nearly three years ago, however - the game has somehow transformed from a delightfully quirky platforming romp into an average, unbalanced, and tedious exercise meant for "hard-core gamers."

This is a game that will take most gamers months to complete 100 percent.

It's clearly the best traditional computer role-playing game of the year and is bound to be an all-time favorite for many of its inevitable fans.

Offers no dramatic graphics overhaul or drastic redesign - just a new setting, new subject matter, and more of the same great Civil War strategy, which is nicely refined through a series of subtle enhancements.

Rises above the rest with its solid multiplayer performance, from its good weapon balance to its great level design...The most complete first-person shooter available.

Though admittedly not for everyone, Harvest Moon 64 is a strangely compelling, original little game that makes hours melt away incomprehensibly.

Those who obtain perverse pleasure from collecting every last coin and item in this type of game will be titillated - and those who don't will be frustrated.

The game is good. Whether you've seen the movie or not, Toy Story 2, as a game, stands on its own. It's not complicated or sexy; it's just a fun, straightforward, nonlinear adventure game with puzzle and platform elements.

It's not complicated or sexy, and, in fact, the N64 game isn't all that attractive or well designed. But it is possible to have fun with it. If you are a fan of the Pixar films, the game struggles to deliver the same experience in video-game format - largely due to the missing fmv cutscenes.

From waterskiing, to swimming alongside a whale, to riding a rocket-powered horse, to flying a flaming powder keg, Rayman 2 is full of gameplay surprises. Definitely one of the best platform games I have ever played.

No matter how appealing any of it may seem at any point in play, Septerra Core's rigidly linear structure and reprehensible combat system unequivocally rear their ugly heads and weaken what could have been a better game.

A solid, well-rounded online role-playing experience that's at least as good as any other out there.

It's neither smart, nor frightening, nor fun. Readers are better advised to look at either the most recent "Oddworld" or "Resident Evil" titles, and leave this one for the antique collectors.

Nothing really adds to the game's realism like the enemy AI, which is more advanced than any we've seen in console first-person shooters before.

A huge improvement over the first title, RE2 succeeds in making you feel as though you're in the middle of a horror film - one in which you'll jump many, many times. If you've already played the PlayStation or PC versions of RE2, there's really no reason to buy this game, but for N64 owners who haven't tried yet, it's an absolute must-have.

The graphics have been redone, the music is different, there is a slew of new weapons, the mission structure is a bit more complex, and the city feels a bit more alive. But at its core, GTA2 is the same old game.

It's a great Mario Kart clone, and it succeeds where the likes of Mega Man, Bomberman, Diddy Kong, the Chocobo, and even Mario himself have failed.

Nitpicky complaints do little to spoil Jet Force Gemini's bottom line: It's chock-full of gameplay variety. Nintendo 64 fans should pick up this title without delay and hope that Rareware's team of top-notch talent will continue to churn out even more games like this one for years to come.

It's a traditional adventure with some excellent plot elements, interesting challenges, poorly written dialogue, and below-average acting. The 3D engine is more of a gimmick than a true improvement.

One of the best space sims ever made and is a solid candidate for game of the year.

The game exudes a pride in the aircraft that is palpable even to the uninitiated gamer. Just observing the aircraft in flight, especially at high altitude with contrails streaming, is enough to evoke admiration for what the developers have achieved.

If you've ever liked any other real-time strategy game in this classical style, then you'll clearly see why this one deserves so much credit, even in direct comparison to the finest examples in its category.

As a historical monument of two genre landmarks, it is fantastic; as two individual RPG titles, each is a masterpiece of gameplay and storytelling; but as a modern collection of classic titles, the package falls unfortunately short.

A role-playing masterpiece that delivers in all of the ways that really matter. While perhaps a little behind in the technology curve, Grandia's innovation, atmosphere, and story make it one of the most noteworthy RPGs in recent memory.

Fans of the first Suikoden game will love the sequel - it improves on everything that had made the first game memorable. Suikoden II brings nothing new to the genre, but it executes well enough that no one will really care.

It's one of those games that will keep you coming back long after you've mastered it.