To its credit, Mutant Nightmare is a touch better than the last game, "Battle Nexus," in that it doesn't force-feed you a gaggle of terribly clunky platforming sequences to try to keep things interesting. But beyond that meager distinction, this still isn't a very enjoyable game.

Apart from the stylus-based reel controls, there's nothing particularly good or interesting about Super Black Bass Fishing.

The game's poor frame rate seems almost inexcusable considering the hardware it's running on.

A fairly conventional real-time strategy game that covers a lot of ground that we've seen in better World War II-based games.

History Channel: Civil War is good for a few mindless hours of shooting action, but not much else. History buffs need not apply.

Between Tork's slightly unfinished feel and the rising standard for 20-dollar games, Tork really doesn't have a whole lot going in its favor.

Overall, 007 Racing isn't polished enough to fill the needs of objective-based driving game fans. Fans of these types of games would be better served by "Driver 2."

The sheer number of cars and tracks in Micro Machines V4 doesn't make up for the underlying frustration of the racing.

History Channel: Civil War is good for a few mindless hours of shooting action, but not much else. History buffs need not apply.

There's a pervading feeling of trying to keep yourself busy (almost like a cat playing with a mouse) than being kept on your toes by your foes.In the end, Yoshi's Story is good for a rental at best.

Fails to live up to the lofty expectations of its own brand thanks to simplistic gameplay, lackluster presentation, a lack of co-op play, and an overall dearth of polish.

Spryo: Shadow Legacy is a watered-down action role-playing game that isn't challenging or engaging enough to sustain its brief campaign.

If it weren't for the overly touchy control and the game's overall lack of difficulty and length, X-Squad could have been a contender.

This rendition of Open Season is a plodding adventure full of inane fetch quests and lifeless dialogue scenes.

It should be able to tide over hunters looking for some off-season adventure on their PS2s. On its own merits, though, it isn't much of a game.

Misses the mark thanks to completely linear level design, choppy graphics, and the puzzling absence of multiplayer modes.

If you can stomach staying in largely the same places and killing the same people over and over and over again in a bid to win your character a pair of sunglasses or to unlock an elementary schoolgirl to murder varmints with, feel free to check out this game.

While it doesn't change or enhance enough of the core game to attract players turned off by the original's extreme attention to detail, convoluted interface, and design flaws, it contains so many subtle tweaks and improvements that it is a must-buy for fans. The only drawback is that this $10 expansion probably should have been offered as a free patch.

Pushes no boundaries and takes no chances.

The gameplay is a mix of sloppy third-person action and even sloppier puzzles, putting the weight of the game squarely on Ash's tongue-in-cheek macho colloquialisms.

Unfortunately, Hitmaker's quirky sense of style and revising of existing formulas are all but absent from Confidential Mission, though it's doubtful these things could've saved the game from its well-worn premise.

Shining Force Exa is fun for the first few hours, but it quickly wears out its welcome with dull combat and a frame rate that struggles to keep up with the action.

Music is a generic sampling of the pop-punk found in many games today, but you won't hear much of it, because it's obscured by the incessant, annoying buzz of motorbike engines.

Compared to the console Dynasty Warriors games, Dynasty Warriors Advance is a watered-down imitation. On its own, it's a fairly generic and very repetitive button masher.

The game itself employs a number of horrible, tired RPG conventions and a budget presentation, making it difficult to recommend to even the most fervent of fans.

This rendition of Open Season is a plodding adventure full of inane fetch quests and lifeless dialogue scenes.

Though a few of the changes are constructive, the new developer, Coyote, has generally made a mess of what used to be a good game.

This rendition of Open Season is a plodding adventure full of inane fetch quests and lifeless dialogue scenes.