Offers about seven hours of solid gameplay--give or take an hour--though it suffers from the same problem as Uru: There's no replay value for your $20 once you've completed the game, aside from revisiting your favorite ages and soaking up the scenery again.

Starshatter provides a welcome dose of innovation to a space sim genre that's been practically rendered extinct, but its originality ultimately fails to translate into a satisfying gameplay experience.

The game's level of challenge often borders on being punishing, but fans of tactical strategy games will find that the effort is worth it.

Delivers a high-concept sci-fi setting, a load of innovative gameplay, and beautiful graphics. And though it falls short in a few areas, it's still a breath of fresh air in a genre in need of it.

On its own merits, Galactic Wrestling is a solid grappler. But anyone hoping for a real step forward from the first Ultimate Muscle game is going to be a bit disappointed.

Fails as an adventure game, offering no emotional resonance at all. It mostly succeeds well as a puzzle game, though.

Both a very good side-scrolling shoot-'em-up and a spectacular follow-up to the original game, but, like so many other similar games on the GBA, it doesn't really bring anything new to the genre.

The story is lifeless, and the circa-2001 graphics and audio just don't cut it anymore.

The story is lifeless, and the circa-2001 graphics and audio just don't cut it anymore.

Whether you're strictly a movie buff or have followed the comic book for years, you're going to easily be able to identify with the characters, stories, and missions that the game serves.

But the game design doesn't take full advantage of the huge city, so instead you'll usually end up repeating the same half-dozen or so tasks over and over again, with some unique challenges thankfully sprinkled in to keep things moving.

Why didn't the PC get the GOOD version of Spider-Man 2? Who decided to make an entirely different and decidedly mediocre version of the game specifically for Windows users?

The game design doesn't take full advantage of the huge city, so instead you'll usually end up repeating the same half-dozen or so tasks over and over again, with some unique challenges thankfully sprinkled in to keep things moving.

But the game design doesn't take full advantage of the huge city, so instead you'll usually end up repeating the same half-dozen or so tasks over and over again, with some unique challenges thankfully sprinkled in to keep things moving.

Its puzzlingly addictive nature simply cannot be reasoned with, yet at the same time, it helps solidify the game as one of the best games of pool to come out on a console platform in many years.

If you fancy yourself a skilled Internet sleuth, Missing may prove to be an engrossing and unique experience.

If the developer was out to break the game of poker, then it succeeded masterfully... The last thing on Earth any poker player should do is pick up a copy of World Poker Championship.

There isn't much reason to continue playing once you've finished the second, kind-of-good mission. And honestly, there isn't much reason to even do that. Still, there's a germ of a good idea here.

Deliver[s] a stunning presentation coupled with solid gameplay and a lengthy campaign.

With additions like a frighteningly deep franchise mode and online play, SlugFest's already option-laden package gets even deeper this year, though some of these additions are better suited for the game than others.

With additions like a frighteningly deep franchise mode and online play, SlugFest's already option-laden package gets even deeper this year, though some of these additions are better suited for the game than others.

Everything positive that has been added to the game doesn't do anything to counteract the mechanical artificial intelligence and visual problems that plague much of it.

Soldner does feature some neat innovations...Unfortunately, though, these original elements can't compensate for Soldner's fundamental stability, control, and gameplay problems.

Simply one of the richest, most well-put-together classic compilations ever made, and it manages to not only refrain from sacrificing key elements of gameplay for the sake of making the hardware transition process easier but also makes improvements that are not only great but practically seem like common sense.

The addition of light role-playing elements to the otherwise standard golf gameplay doesn't always mesh particularly well, but the game is otherwise put together well enough that such minor design peculiarities are easy to overlook.

Anyone looking for the next "Street Fighter" probably ought to look elsewhere, but Dragon Ball fans (even casual watchers) will be more than delighted.

Everything positive that has been added to the game doesn't do anything to counteract the mechanical artificial intelligence and visual problems that plague much of it.

Unless you're a dedicated fan of the sport, it's unlikely that the game's focus on car setups, strategies, and never-turn-right racing will appeal.

This is simply one of the richest, most well-put-together classic compilations ever made, and it manages to not only refrain from sacrificing key elements of gameplay for the sake of making the hardware transition process easier but also makes improvements that are not only great but practically seem like common sense.

While the PS2 version of Driver 3 doesn't have quite as many glitches and problems as the Xbox release, the game still feels like a buggy, unfinished product. What's more, much of the gameplay is uninspired, frequently frustrating, and boring.

While the game itself isn't completely broken, it's uninspired and frequently frustrating or boring. Consider that, along with all the glitches, and it adds up to be a game that isn't worth your time or money.

There are still too many unpolished aspects and simply not enough challenge to make the game appealing to anyone outside of the most devout Alias audience.

It's marred by substandard graphical performance, long loading times, and artificial intelligence issues, and it simply isn't as impressive as its counterparts on other platforms. On its own merits, though, it can still be a tense and exciting first-person shooting experience.

If you have the means to play the Xbox or PC version of Pandora Tomorrow instead, then you should. But this is a respectable port overall, and if you consider it only in the context of the PlayStation 2's library, it's still a great game.

A surprisingly accomplished, by-the-books, futuristic racing game.

When it really gets going, it's an exhilarating game of modern combat, albeit one that's also weighed down with some bugs and gameplay issues.

Unfortunately, the game loses some of its shine to some tedious pacing, some visual issues, and, in some cases, the weight of its own complexity.

After the novelty of watching purposely weird characters launch frogs through Mouse Trap-style obstacle courses wears off, which, admittedly, might take a little while, you're left with a simple, shallow game.

It's an interesting concept, but it's ultimately a concept whose appeal will largely be based on your particular level of interest in McFarlane's designs--and on your ability to put up with some rather clunky gameplay and production values.

Its puzzlingly addictive nature simply cannot be reasoned with, yet at the same time, it helps solidify the game as one of the best games of pool to come out on a console platform in many years.

The game's shallow simplicity, short length (well under 10 hours), and control issues detract from any appeal.

The campaign missions can be pretty intense at times--but the underlying action itself lacks the sort of visceral punch that shooters ought to have. It's not that big of an issue in the heavily scripted single-player levels, but Shadow Ops' clunky multiplayer gameplay significantly suffers for it.

For the most part, the game is your average military-themed third-person action adventure, complete with locked doors, navigation puzzles, and pattern-based boss battles against a variety of colorful foes. But Psi-Ops sets itself apart incredibly well with its series of well-implemented psychic abilities.

For the most part, the game is your average military-themed third-person action adventure, complete with locked doors, navigation puzzles, and pattern-based boss battles against a variety of colorful foes. But Psi-Ops sets itself apart incredibly well with its series of well-implemented psychic abilities.

Save the strange decision to remove multiplayer modes, Blitzkrieg: Burning Horizon is the ideal expansion pack. It amplifies the core concepts of the original game and ramps up both the AI and the difficulty without straying from the tactics-first philosophy that allows this series to stand apart from the RTS crowd.

FirePower is what Combat Flight Simulator 3 should have been in the first place, and it is a must-have expansion for current or potential owners of that sim.

It isn't the deepest game in the world, and some may find the gameplay repetitive over time, but the gameplay works well and the game's presentation is passable, too. If you're interested in some light puzzle-solving mixed with even lighter platforming, Sabre Wulf fits the bill.

Though a lot of players will find the less-forgiving-gameplay style of the game to be a bit of a turnoff, this is still a solid game of tennis, and it's the best one to have appeared on the PlayStation 2 in years.

Though The Suffering tends to rely more on startling you with visual effects and sudden attacks than on actually trying to scare you, it's still a pretty refreshing take on horror-themed games.

If you consider yourself a fan of the strategy-tactics RPG genre, you're not going to mind that the graphics are a little outdated or that the audio has some hissing and popping in it. Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon is just too good to pass up.

Sonic Advance 3 actually brings something new to the table--a tag-team play mechanic that ultimately enhances the overall product rather than mucking it up.

If you've been waiting for a truly compelling reason to invest in a GameCube-to-GBA link cable, this is probably it.

With its strong minigames and well-made platforming mechanics, Crash Bandicoot Purple is a good, solid choice for fans of the genre.

On its own, there really isn't enough to Spyro Orange to keep players interested for very long.

It provides absolutely nothing that hasn't been seen and done countless times before and done better at that. Unless you're absolutely rapt with morbid curiosity about how Malice ultimately turned out, your time and money are definitely best spent elsewhere.

Bogged down by lackluster artificial intelligence and poor pathfinding.

A by-the-numbers movie-licensed game that makes pretty good use of its source material without really doing anything too surprising. It's perfect for kids.

Xevious is certainly a classic game, but it's a classic <I>arcade</I> game, not a classic NES game.

A solid trip down memory lane for fans of the original NES game. But is that trip worth $20? Probably not. If Excitebike had been part of a larger compilation of NES classics, it would be much more welcome.

The classic platformer holds up pretty well after all this time, though some minor technical issues prevent this reissue from being as super as the original game.

Though the game is old and has been followed up by plenty of other, deeper games in the series, The Legend of Zelda still holds up quite well, making it one of the only games in Nintendo's Classic NES Series that is worth the $20 price tag.

But it's a classic <I>arcade</I> game, not a classic NES game. So this release does a decent job of duplicating the NES version of Pac-Man...but Pac-Man isn't famous for being an NES game, and this port of the arcade classic isn't terribly accurate or compelling.

It provides absolutely nothing that hasn't been seen and done countless times before and done better at that. Unless you're absolutely rapt with morbid curiosity about how Malice ultimately turned out, your time and money are definitely best spent elsewhere.

A by-the-numbers movie-licensed game that makes pretty good use of its source material without really doing anything too surprising. It's perfect for kids.

The game often ends up feeling like a string of puzzles whose solutions are pretty obvious. Nevertheless, Full Spectrum Warrior is very good overall, and deserves credit for being something other than just another military-themed shooter or strategy game. It's just too bad that it isn't more involving.

It's so unbelievably good that it almost feels like it was brought back in time, because most all of today's action games (on the Xbox or otherwise) just aren't in the same league.

When taking it out of its native arcade environment and bringing it to a home console, SNK has made some specific choices that make this already challenging game difficult to a fault.

Features a memorable protagonist, a great setting, and some very interesting missions. It also happens to suffer from a variety of miscellaneous, minor flaws. These are unfortunate, since Thief: Deadly Shadows is great game, for the most part.

Exceptionally easy and surprisingly brief, but while it lasts, it's a fun romp for its target audience through Prisoner of Azkaban's twisty storyline.

A pretty faithful remake of a fondly remembered NES game, though this works against its success almost as much as it helps its cause.

An engrossing team-oriented, turn-based RPG.

Features a memorable protagonist, a great setting, and some very interesting missions. It also happens to suffer from a variety of miscellaneous, minor flaws. These are unfortunate, since Thief: Deadly Shadows is great game, for the most part.

Both on its own and as a tribute to Mario's legacy, Mario vs. Donkey Kong does a great job.

A solid real-time strategy game, but it's one that doesn't differentiate itself much from its illustrious predecessors.

Once you dig into Transformers' gameplay, you'll find a surprisingly intense combat model that's pretty tough but also rewarding once you get a handle on it.

The game's transition from console to PC wasn't handled as smoothly as you might have expected, thus leaving a game that was already a little uneven feeling a little broken in some spots.

It's an intriguing experiment that ultimately suffers from shallow, simplistic gameplay and an uninvolving story mode rife with bland characters.

The game attempts to combine zany locales with tried-and-true bowling mechanics, but the game lacks substance and ultimately won't please bowling fans, be they hardcore or casual.

Regardless of what you call it, the game attempts to combine zany locales with tried-and-true bowling mechanics, but the game lacks substance and ultimately won't please bowling fans, be they hardcore or casual.

It's an intriguing experiment that ultimately suffers from shallow, simplistic gameplay and an uninvolving story mode rife with bland characters.

While the level of customization is nice, the RPG section of the game and the actual combat leave a lot to be desired.

Although the upgrades are certainly a nice change of pace for what has been a fairly uncompromising series of games, the core game is still much the same as it has always been, and as such, Samurai Warriors remains a game primarily for those already enamored with the Warriors franchise.

The action is fast and basically satisfying, resulting in what's a simple but fairly good game all around.

If you're looking for a horrifically bad game that takes less than two hours to finish--but arguably does follow the plot of the film--then, by all means, give Van Helsing a shot. Just remember to hold onto the receipt.

The action is fast and basically satisfying, resulting in what's a simple but fairly good game all around.

A disappointing package that clocks in much closer to the other Syphon Filter sequels instead of standing up to the fantastic original game.

Sega opted to stick with what worked last year but made a few minor tweaks and additions here and there. So, like last year, this is a great game. However, it's one that the other games have had time to catch up to and, in some areas, surpass.

It's not the best way for newcomers to get acquainted with this style of gaming, but fans of anime and other strategy RPGs are naturally going to like La Pucelle.

UEFA Euro 2004 might have only a fraction of the teams and features found in this year's FIFA offering, but the gameplay and options it offers are actually sufficiently different from those found in FIFA 2004 to make it a worthwhile purchase.

UEFA Euro 2004 might have only a fraction of the teams and features found in this year's FIFA offering, but the gameplay and options it offers are actually sufficiently different from those found in FIFA 2004 to make it a worthwhile purchase.

Rallisport Challenge 2 isn't just a sequel--it is easily one of the most purely pleasurable driving experiences you're likely to encounter on any platform.

UEFA Euro 2004 might have only a fraction of the teams and features found in this year's FIFA offering, but the gameplay and options it offers are actually sufficiently different from those found in FIFA 2004 to make it a worthwhile purchase.

If you can forgive Red Dead Revolver for its hubris, you'll find a game with some great style and enough fun moments to justify the rough edges.

Shrek 2 for the PC is strictly for kids, though considering its clunky controls and short running time, it's not even a terribly good game for them.

There are too many different playable characters and too many unique gameplay elements that just don't gel. And though the story is well told, there's just not enough focus on Red.

While there's nothing markedly different between the Xbox and PC versions of World Championship Pool 2004, it's impossible to deny the fact that the game just doesn't measure up as well on the PC.

The game is put together pretty well, but the game is very simple and very short. On top of that, the lame wordplay and fart jokes that pass for humor just don't cut it.

It promises many hours of addictive adventuring, all with a tone that succeeds at being self-consciously humorous in the face of some fairly conventional fantasy trappings.