Handling, whether batting or fielding, is remarkably simple, rendering the action accessible by just about anyone.

If you're a fan of shooters and have a predilection for Ed Wood then this game has your name written all over it.

I don't think it has quite enough bells and whistles to dethrone "NBA Street," but if you loved Jam back in the day, you will find a lot to like in this incarnation.

An excellent game that disposes of traditional cheap RTS tactics, and instead rewards clever, direct action.

Fans of the series may be puzzled by a few missing features.

An entertaining and beautiful beat-'em-up that puts just enough of a spin on traditional gameplay mechanics to get the thumbs-up.

A college football game whose gameplay just does not compete with its competitor.

It emphasizes the bad side of console games: unlockable planes and maps, cartoony characters and situations, a lame checkpoint save system, and no multiplayer support (something the console versions of the game actually get). Missing are the imagination, innovation, and style of the best console games.

Its single-player mode can be frustrating, the player models are lumpy and odd looking, and the on-the-field gameplay achieves the impressive feat of feeling both too slow and too fast at the same time.

Every element of it is solid but unexceptional. Card battling is done far better by PS2's "Culdcept"; story is done better by a host of other RPGs. In fact, the only area where I think it'd be truly difficult to compete with PSO III is music -- this soundtrack is almost too good for the game.

If you're looking for a thinking person's shooter that'll let you go to all corners of the world and hopefully make it back alive, this is the one for you.

The longevity factor makes it a rental for even vaguely experienced payers. On the other hand, as a young player's introduction to gaming, I-Ninja is nearly the perfect tool.

Outbreak would have been a much, much better game had it had online voice communication. There's simply no excuse for omitting this feature in a game hinges on being able to communicate rapidly between party members.

Merchant Prince II literally is "Merchant Prince" circa 1993 with a few new game options, slightly updated visuals, and programmed with Windows rather than DOS in mind.

A mixed bag. The innovative level design and variety keep things interesting, but it's over far too quickly.

There's a name for what this game is; it's just not typical to console games. That's "expansion pack." And expansion packs don't cost full price. Sure, FFX-2 gives you another lengthy quest to play through, but it’s just not up to par with the best games in the Final Fantasy series.

Combined with the budget presentation all around, Day of Defeat feels like a bit of letdown in the end.

The FPS's non-stop arcade-style shooting is a fun break from a wave of "press yourself flat against the wall and look around the corner" sneak-around titles, but the clunky third-person fighting you have to do to take down the level bosses is goofy.

Just having new characters to play with is a nice advancement, and I ended up having more fun playing the game than I thought I would.

This game definitely is ambitious. Unfortunately, I would've traded things like the track creator and rider customization for tighter gameplay. Mototrax gets an A for effort, but about a B- in execution.

Primitive and unpolished, but its relentless goofiness, perfect use of the license, and twists on the stealth-action genre make it worth playing anyway.

While No Man's Land may not offer the depth of Microsoft/Ensemble's "Age of"... games, it's still a good value, with lots of gameplay and eye candy along the way.

A decent offering and an affordable way for a player to build skills and eventually enter the fray in "Warbirds" online.

The new simulation aspects are a good attempt to make this year's game appeal to every type of hockey fan, but the game still feels like it's caught in transition.

A competent and occasionally compelling hack-and-slash, but fans of the PC games will continue to dream of the true RPG they'll never get, and fans of Dark Alliance would presumably rather play "Dark Alliance II."

A deeper, better game than "Naval Ops: Warship Gunner," an RTS-lite with gobs of replay value...I just hope the next entry in the series addresses its weak graphics and lack of multiplayer.

If you're an action game fan and you want something that you can pretty much jump into and play without having to pore over a manual -- and you need something to occupy your time while you're waiting for those other, bigger games to come out -- BEA is a good candidate for your time.

While it's about as edifying and substantial as potato chips, it's also just as engaging and tasty.

A solid, competent shooter, one with a unique presentation and a story just intriguing enough to keep you playing through the end. The simplistic combat, generic design and savegame oddities keep it out of the realm of greatness.

Keep an eye on the patches for Kingdom Under Fire, once the major AI and multiplayer issues are resolved, it will be worth a second look.

Bomberman fans aren't in for anything really new with Bomberman Jetters, but it's hard to knock yet another faithful adaptation of one of gaming's most successful gameplay formulas.

Weird, sometimes wonderful, and certainly unique.

A solidly entertaining and charmingly classic role-playing game sure to delight anyone looking for hours of adventure.

It's way too easy to dash off a cliff into an instant death, which seems totally out of place these days.

It's not the most original or innovative of games, but when was the last time you got to face off against Dracula, the Wolfman, and the Frankenstein monster in the same sitting?

Being able to explore Hogwarts as not one, but all three of your favorite characters is, as Ron would put it, brilliant. But older gamers will find little challenge in the game's simplistic block puzzles.

Underneath the technical problems is an innovative, creepy, and intense experience.

Not as good as "Guilty Gear X2" and maybe "Capcom vs. SNK 2," and is so complex and steeped in tradition that it's not the best introductory package for someone wholly unfamiliar with The King of Fighters.

The intelligent touches and relative difficulty make Rogue Ops generally fun for fans of the genre. The unevenness in the presentation and controls keep it from really setting the genre on fire.

Acclaim's long-running series continues to get on base with its fundamentals, yet strike out when it comes to flash.

An entertaining, but shallow, experience. This game has some sweet graphics and some fun combat, but not a whole lot else.

For every innovative new feature, there's a gameplay gaffe or design flaw that drags it down; it's certainly better than last year's hyperactive NBA Live 2003, but it's still a year away from being something truly special.

It's challenging, the graphics are beautiful, and the gameplay is easy and accessible.

For most people, the Music Generator will provide much more creative fun than they expected out of a console.

More fun than not, but the repetitive nature and framerate problems dampened my enjoyment. I couldn't help feeling that it was a PC game slapped on a console.

There's not even the slightest attempt to string together the gameplay with a storyline; every mission is a self-contained hunk of hardness.

It's very derivative, and beyond a few puzzles requiring you to use all four characters in tandem, there's not a lot that's new here. At the same time, it's mostly enjoyable while it lasts.

The core mechanics and level designs are all excellent enough that the extra characters won't detract from the game should you decide to ignore them. In the end, this is the best and most realized of the Sonic Advance games.

While it's no masterpiece, Omega Strain is worth playing for online junkies who've grown tired of the endless hours of "SOCOM II." Those that lack a network adaptor should probably rent first.

Most Bond fans will still prefer dusting off the old N64 for a few rounds of "GoldenEye," which remains the undisputed king of 007 games.

The single-player game is too easy and the multiplayer game is too impractical. If Square had found a way to balance the multiplayer gaming, this would have been a fantastic title.

Worth checking out for platform and Sonic Team fans, but is likely too difficult and glitchy for more casual players.

Hardcore duelists might find the game slightly less challenging than its predecessors, due to some new rules and the lack of any multiplay, but if Yugi's your boy, the cart is worth checking out.

If you're a Voyager nut drooling at the opportunity to explore every nook and cranny of the ship...or are an Elite Force multiplayer junkie looking for some variety, then this Expansion Pack is exactly what you're looking for.

While you might not complete Wrath Unleashed in a weekend, it's possible that it won't hold your attention for too much longer. Although Wrath does what it does very well, it suffers from a lack of ambition.

It's offensive, psyche-damaging, brutal, makes no sense, and is unforgiving and violent. And damn good fun.

The intelligent touches and relative difficulty make Rogue Ops generally fun for fans of the genre. The unevenness in the presentation and controls keep it from really setting the genre on fire.

There have been a few MMOs that have tried to build stable gameplay structures based on universal PvP/guild play system -- "Shadowbane" being the most high-profile example. Almost none, however, have done it as well as Lineage 2.

With the variety of unique character choices, the interesting level-up method, and rocking multiplayer, Shining Soul II has its charm. Still, I can't help feeling it's still missing something to give it more oomph, at least in single-player mode.

There's not much new in MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries, but what's here works reasonably well.

If you're a series veteran, or found yourself wishing the previous PS2 entries had less number-crunching and more action, you'll probably love RTK9. I'm squarely in [this] category, but not because I disliked 7 and 8's RPG elements; I just appreciate KOEI's willingness to keep tinkering with a 15-year-old franchise.

The customization element is a definitely a high point, but without interesting and rewarding missions built around them, they just aren't as meaningful as they could be.

The headset is a gimmick, you and your team aren't always on the same page, and the whole thing plays like just another forgettable first-person shooter.

If you dig survival-horror games and you're up for a new story and setting -- and don't mind some very familiar gameplay -- Curse is a good time.

It's exciting when a relatively unknown development house like Techland can spring forward with such an intriguing effort, and if nothing else, we applaud its ambition.

Veteran shooter fans and adrenaline addicts might find it a bit too slow for their taste. For others, though, PlanetSide may be the perfect fit to fill a genre that's been waiting to explode for a few years.

An extremely solidly-made, quality game, but lots of what gamers love about Castlevania has been jettisoned in an attempt to streamline it. The result is a very playable but somewhat dull game.

I wish the multiplayer offered more, as it would no doubt extend the title's replay value. The single-player experience is enjoyable, if not revolutionary.

The combat is fun, and you're allowed a pretty satisfying level of leeway as to how your characters develop. But it ends there. All the other things that make a great RPG are absent. No memorable characters, no clever dialogue, no rousing story.

With its unique two-player mode and very reasonable MSRP, Starsky & Hutch is a no-brainer of a purchase for light-gunners, penny-pinchers, and people with friends. This is one of the best budget releases I've ever played.

Multiplayer mode is a good addition, but doesn't make up for the fact that the single-player mode has been made worse. This isn't Tenchu's shining moment, which is what it should be. Instead, it's a quirky step into multiplayer.

With four-players in tow, it's a total blast, but for those that are looking for some solid, non-anger-inducing solo play, you'd do well to swerve away from this one for sure.

It's very derivative, and beyond a few puzzles requiring you to use all four characters in tandem, there's not a lot that's new here. At the same time, it's mostly enjoyable while it lasts.

The qualifications -- short length, lack of replay value, and control issues -- knock the game down value-wise, even though I think anyone who's attracted to quick, violent squad play will have a good time.

The ability to play as both the Prince and Farah is an interesting addition, but in practice it devolves into standard "you stand on this switch and I'll stand on this one" gameplay. The resulting balance leaves the replay value quickly sucked dry once you've had your fill of the game.

Despite my picky complaints, I still really enjoyed my return to Shining Force, and couldn't stop until I got all the way through it.

Though it does have its pleasing points, ultimately Conflict Desert Storm II is caught between appealing more toward hardcore military simmers or action fans.

Where's the battle map editor? Although Wrath Unleashed provides only 21 battle maps (four of which are locked), there are only a handful of three- and four-player battle maps, and they're bound to get stale after a few rounds of play.

Unfortunately the high system requirements and tedium of building will probably turn away hordes of players who otherwise would've had a great time.

Often sloppy or silly, but it does feature loads of outrageously violent action.

While the overall game experience ranges from frustrating to epic, there's something special about the title as a whole.

While it doesn't let you bang away with the 1000-plus monsters available in the Yu-Gi-Oh! games (at least not yet), it does offer somewhat deeper and more complex gameplay.

If your'e looking for an off-the-wall spot of multiplayer fun, WDL may be just the ticket. Otherwise, you may want to rent before plopping down 50 big ones.

Barring the terrible control scheme, the single-player version of URU: Ages Beyond Myst is a solid adventure title. Beautiful graphics and sound, fun puzzles, and lots to read and learn about the D'ni makes for an atmospheric game. But the lack of the advertised multiplayer component is a real disappointment.

Despite its overall graphic luster and enjoyable gameplay, QPR2 is relatively short on variety, and, as such, woefully short on shelf life, particularly for enthusiasts in possession of "ATV: Offroad Fury 2" for the PS2.

A game that manages to innovate in an already saturated racing market by offering fun gameplay, and a solid dosage of realism and options.

The interface problems are enough to keep Journey To The Center Of The Earth from being a four-star game, but fans of point-and-click adventures will find plenty of puzzles and story to make it a game still worth buying.

It faithfully reproduces the classic action series, and the handful of modern conveniences are a nice addition. However, the display method the game uses looks bad and the extras are not quite there.

If you’re an enthusiast of well-designed levels who doesn’t need twitch action to be satisfied, you should definitely give it a go. All others will likely nod off.

On the right track...but in the end just comes up short...Fireblade misses the mark when it comes to graphics with dull textures, dull colors, and dull environments.

After my ears finally healed back up from the game's soundtrack, I was pleasantly surprised by IndyCar Series 2005. For a budget title (retail price is about $20), the game really comes across as a solid racing title. The learning curve is definitely steep, but it's still a good enough game to appease most fans of the genre.

There's nothing that can't be fixed by a patch, however. If you are an RTS fan, Empire of the Ants will deliver.

Lords of the Realm III doesn't look like a budget game -- its production values are high, as the 3D graphics are serviceable and the sound very well-done -- but at times it certainly plays like one.

Not much has changed since last year, and not much is different (other than the graphics) between the 2001 version and 2002.

The movement and timing puzzles that make up the bulk of the gameplay can be tedious and frustrating, but completion of a mission always brings a rewarding sense of accomplishment.

A serious and right-minded improvement over "Wrestlemania X8," and offers a preferable engine to "Smackdown!" for wrestling purists. If only the single-player mode had anything (and I do mean anything) to offer except a steel chair to your expectations.

This game is simply a heck of a lot of fun to play with a friend.

Mildly enjoyable, but I found it hardly engaging.