The core one-on-one fighting action is easily the best part of the game. It's gory, intense, and quite complex, meaning it captures much of what has made MK an institution among fighting games.

It's nice to see an effective clinch control enter the mix, and it's even better that clinches can be shrugged off or avoided altogether, preventing the move from being an automatic fail-safe.

A long-in-development shooter from Germany that--despite occasional bursts of endearing "deepest depths of your soul" wackiness--is ruined by sloppy design, bugs, and a desperate need for some editing.

This is a huge game, but not in a good way. There simply just isn't enough action or variety to keep your attention, and the complex economic structure feels just a tad bit too complex for its own good.

While some of the extra modes aren't as strong as they could have been, the core fighting is nearly perfect, whether you're playing against other humans or computer-controlled opposition.

This gem of a space tactics offering is everything that fans of the genre have been waiting for, as it takes gorgeous, next-generation graphical technology and applies it to an exciting game about starship combat, rogue artificial intelligences, galaxy-spanning wormholes, and more.

It's a short, simplistic shooter that's not worth even its budget price.

This unique marriage of the puzzle and adventure genres isn't for everyone, but those of you out there who like solving puzzles while hopping around will definitely get your money's worth.

A fairly playable, albeit generic, portable air combat game with a passable selection of fake planes and simple missions.

It's a short, simplistic shooter that's not worth even its budget price.

The franchise modes are comprehensive enough, the selection of different online play options is extensive, and the whole game almost looks and sounds just as good as a broadcast on ESPN HD.

Though it suffers from a curious lack of evolution in terms of some of its central aspects, most notably its racing AI, when GT4 works to its strengths, it delivers like few games of this console generation.

Despite feeling somewhat formulaic, this installment of Ys still provides a bunch of challenging, old-school hack-and-slash action for devoted thumb-warriors.

It delivers a solid, fast-paced experience that provides a nice balance between the fresh and the familiar.

A soccer game that boasts far more style than substance and has more in common with the FIFA games of old than it does with "FIFA Soccer 2005."

Delivers a good balance of tactical decision making and up-close action that will be most appealing to existing fans of Koei's other beat-'em-up works, but it's simple recipe for mass warfare can create an armchair general out of anyone.

The bottom line is that if you're looking for a realistic and feature-rich baseball video game, you can't go wrong with MVP Baseball 2005.

You won't quite get that just-ripped-the-cover-off-the-ball satisfaction earned once upon a time in High Heat, but you will get a sense of much-needed Major League authenticity that PC baseball fans have been missing over the past few years.

Leave it to Sonalysts to create a modern-day naval survey simulation that has the breadth and depth of the oceans where the combat it simulates takes place.

A solid, fast-paced experience that provides a nice balance between the fresh and the familiar.

The good news is that these fighting games--true to their classic roots--have aged gracefully. And, finally, you can play them online.

It truly manages to re-create what it must be like to be on the wrong end of a mob shakedown, because by the end of the experience, you'll pretty much feel like you've had your head caved in with a lead pipe.

A soccer game that boasts far more style than substance and has more in common with the FIFA games of old than it does with "FIFA Soccer 2005."

The bottom line is that if you're looking for a realistic and feature-rich baseball video game, you can't go wrong with MVP Baseball 2005.

The bottom line is that if you're looking for a realistic and feature-rich baseball video game, you can't go wrong with MVP Baseball 2005.

It's got some flaws and it's not very long or replayable--you'll probably finish it in 12 to 15 hours, without much incentive to go back to the beginning--but it's fun while it lasts.

KCET's best soccer game to date, which, in terms of on-the-pitch gameplay, basically makes it the best soccer game ever made...even taking the seminal Sensible World of Soccer games on the Amiga into account.

This is a complex, complicated turn-based wargame featuring literally hundreds of authentic modern military units, as well as a big campaign, dozens of stand-alone scenarios, and a full-fledged map editor.