My biggest gripe with NASCAR 2005 is the lack of polish in the graphics department. The framerate was a bit sluggish at times and I had a hard time getting past the jagged appearance of the cars.

1) It's not flashy; 2) It's not easy; 3) There's not much of a reward waiting for you at the end. So as long as you're okay with Myst throwbacks in all their staid, obtuse non-glory, you won't be disappointed.

Gearheads who lust after things like a shiny new HKS Turbo will probably have fun tinkering with their fleet. Anyone else will fast become furious over dropping fifty bucks on this game.

Where the game will put a huge smile on your face is in the number of mini-games you'll be able to play.

"But it's a great drunken party game!" some will scream. I'm sorry, but it's far too complicated and asinine for intoxicated people to grasp. It took me forever to reach unobstructed FMV toplessness, and I was sober.

With the trophy-style attributes, some great little secrets to unlock, and the highly amusing two-player stuff, it's pretty hard not to fall in love with those cute little Pikmin.

"SmackDown" still has the superior career mode and looks a bit better for its capabilities, but Day of Reckoning owns in terms of gameplay and multiplayer. Just don't ask if it beats out my old favorite, "WWF No Mercy" on N64; that's just too close to call.

The fundamental gameplay is good, but thematically the game is not aesthetically pleasing.

A slightly reduced retail price and the cool unlockable stuff make VJ for PS2 one of the best buys I've seen all year. It offers something great for those of you that already Joe, and something truly epic for those of you that don't.

There were times when I was loving Astro Boy and times when it was boring me to tears.

It's no gimmicks, no frills, and ten times more enjoyable than yet another warmed-over SNES port.

It's passable at best, and surpassed by The Suffering in nearly every aspect. Sadly, Sony had the right idea in not bringing this title to the U.S., as it simply brings nothing new to the table.

It's definitely a solid title that offers fine gameplay and excellent replay value, but outside of the online play -- which is pretty barebones -- it isn't too much of an advancement over its predecessor.

There's no denying that this is going to be another enduring feather in the cap of one of the most exciting strategy game developers since the heyday of Microprose and SimTex.

Fans of the series will no doubt like the ability to test the relative strengths and weaknesses of, say, the GAT-X103 versus the GAT-X207, but gamers unfamiliar with mobile suit mythology won't get that same buzz.

The defense upgrades bring a lot of welcome strategy to the game, and the new AI is simply superb. Its amazingly deep, well thought out franchise mode is the best I've ever seen, while the basic gameplay still can't be beat.

The defense upgrades bring a lot of welcome strategy to the game, and the new AI is simply superb. Its amazingly deep, well thought out franchise mode is the best I've ever seen, while the basic gameplay still can't be beat.

The defense upgrades bring a lot of welcome strategy to the game, and the new AI is simply superb. Its amazingly deep, well thought out franchise mode is the best I've ever seen, while the basic gameplay still can't be beat.

The developers at Ubisoft have taken a great game and made it better, from the single player mode all the way through the multiplayer action.

It's simultaneously innovative and derivative, and it's a game, I suspect, that gamers will either love or hate, with little space in between.

Galleon is some weird sort of Tomb Raider+. It recaptures the elusive feeling of exploration and adventure felt in Tomb Raider, while greatly expanding on its running, jumping and climbing gameplay.

Once you get past all the rainbows and happiness, you'll find one of the best portable sports games around. And hey, those Ham-Hams ARE pretty cute.

A classic dungeon crawl with a couple of twists. It's set in futuristic Tokyo and it's cel-shaded. Unfortunately, those two nifty wrinkles aren't enough to make up for the game's otherwise lackluster play.

The elements were in place for a solid platforming title with a little hand-to-hand combat thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, a painfully annoying camera and some downright boring combat kept that from coming to fruition.

It has great graphics, exciting gameplay, and a solid online mode. If you can skip over the slightly gimmicky modes and stick to the excellent Franchise mode, you'll be happy that you whipped Mr. Jackson out at the game store.

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.

The elements were in place for a solid platforming title with a little hand-to-hand combat thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, a painfully annoying camera and some downright boring combat kept that from coming to fruition.

It has great graphics, exciting gameplay, and a solid online mode. If you can skip over the slightly gimmicky modes and stick to the excellent Franchise mode, you'll be happy that you whipped Mr. Jackson out at the game store.

While it's got a few problems, particularly with the load times, frequent checkpoints, and lack of multiplayer options, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is still a good game.

While NCAA Football 2005 could still use a bit of a graphical overhaul, and the running game still needs some help, the additions of Homefield Advantage and the Matchup Stick really add a lot to the game.

While NCAA Football 2005 could use a bit of a graphical overhaul, and the running game still needs some help, the additions of Homefield Advantage and the Matchup Stick really add a lot to the game.

While NCAA Football 2005 could still use a bit of a graphical overhaul, and the running game still needs some help, the additions of Homefield Advantage and the Matchup Stick really add a lot to the game.

It's solid enough, with only minor bugaboos as a single-player game, but it really kicks butt with its multiplay.

There's been more than enough time for Harmonix to tweak the game's Vocal Analyzer to help avoid cheap tactics for getting high scores. Having said that, the game is still highly entertaining and quite enjoyable.

While this undoubtedly sounds familiar to RPG veterans, Symphonia manages to distinguish itself through solid and enjoyable gameplay.

If you want some quick fun and a chance to bring to life that wild race course you've dreamt of, TrackMania might be just the thing for you.

If you can overlook some minor gameplay quirks, you'll be rewarded with one of the more unique and in-depth action games you've played in a while.

Standalone, The Path of the Shell misses most of what made the original Uru an interesting game to play.

Soldiers could have been a fantastic game, but in the end is brought down by technical issues, bugs, and a level of difficulty only a sadist would enjoy.

Perimeter certainly has its share of problems, from a bizarro-world storyline and ho-hum multiplayer support to lackluster artificial intelligence. But playing the game is just so much fun that it's almost impossible not to recommend.

The few good puzzles contained within aren't worth the time and risk that you might not even be able to complete it.

Even with the new systems, the core mechanics are losing their edge and the tournament structured story isn't helping things, either.

Even with the new systems, the core mechanics are losing their edge and the tournament structured story isn't helping things, either.

While Spider-Man 2 has some issues, nearly everything is outweighed by the fantastic web-slinging and the huge city environment.

If you've got a 7-10 year-old who enjoyed the movie, feel free to tack another star on to the score; otherwise, consider yourself warned -- this is not your father's Spider-Man 2.

While Spider-Man 2 has some issues, nearly everything is outweighed by the fantastic web-slinging and the huge city environment.

While Spider-Man 2 has some issues, nearly everything is outweighed by the fantastic web-slinging and the huge city environment.

Pool Paradise may look like a homebrew video game, feature the most colossal collection of lame characters to interact with since "Tao Feng," but the bones of this game are strong and solid. This plays an exceptional, nay incredible game of pool.

The puzzles kept me intrigued for days, the storyline was irresistible, and the e-mails and Internet research were a joy. Sadly, the ending left me cold and put a damper on the whole story, and some of the puzzles were so annoying they ceased being fun long before they were complete.

The intense gameplay makes it one of the best strategy games we've played this year.

It has plenty of meat to go along with the sweetness, and is part of your well-balanced gaming diet.

What will dazzle veterans is how complete a package Loaded is.

I honestly don't remember playing a wrestling game with an engine this bad in years, and I've played quite literally every wrestling game out there.

You'll have to deal with a clunky interface and menu, silly single-player missions, brain-dead A.I., bizarre vehicle physics, horrible net code, dull graphics and sound, and more bugs than a Georgia swamp in June.

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.

It's no ProTools, but for what amounts to Remix: The Game, the package is quite acceptable.

It's so good and so easily accessible that it has replaced my beloved "Final Fantasy Tactics Advance" cartridge as my travel game of choice. And really, that says more than any score could.

An official apology for last year's dreadful "DBZ: Taiketsu." It gives gamers a true sense of the high-flying fighting action that makes up the anime series.

The gameplay is uglier than Paul Bearer in the nude.

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

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.

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.

We can't forget the single-player game that's over in less than three hours once you've learned the routes of each mission, a series of me-too mini-games that offer no reason to play them, and an offensively small number of rewards. That's the DRIV3R package; all flash and no substance. [*Reminder: GameSpy equates 2 stars with 60/100.]

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.

While it's got a few problems, particularly with the load times and frequent checkpoints, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is still a great game. It looks nice, offers enough challenges to keep you engaged, and has the best multiplayer action around.

When you get two equitable teams playing (something helped by the fact that players are randomly assigned to a side when they join a server), Joint Operations is really a fantastic piece of work and easily holds its own alongside "Unreal Tournament 2004", "Battlefield Vietnam", and "Planetside".

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.

While all of this good on paper, the game fails miserably when it comes to execution. Simply put, Evil Prophecy just isn't any fun.

Perhaps the single biggest fault of Shadow Ops is that the game simply offers nothing new to the genre and lacks any personality.

While Psi-Ops doesn't break a lot of new ground in the action or stealth fronts, the addition of psychic powers adds a boatload of entertainment value. Thanks to some of the best ragdoll physics ever seen on the PS2, you'll be happily tossing burning enemies into walls or off bridges for hours.

While Psi-Ops doesn't break a lot of new ground in the action or stealth fronts, the addition of psychic powers adds a boatload of entertainment value. Thanks to some of the best ragdoll physics ever seen on a console, you'll be happily tossing burning enemies into walls or off bridges for hours.

The Blitzkrieg series has some good points, but what historical RTS fans are waiting for is a game with Blitkrieg's graphics, "Airborne Assault's" A.I., and "War Times'" 3D terrain.

And the best part of all -- you won't have to go eBaying for a Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer to play it.

With its well-designed levels, fluid pacing, and hyper-violent combat in eerie locales, The Suffering is a fun way to safely tap into your dark side.

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.

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.

Borderline unplayable.

A unique and utterly enjoyable experience; and thankfully, this is true whether or not you've got three friends around to enjoy the adventure with.

The library of mini-games alone makes the game a must have for anyone looking for hours of mindless fun. Add to that all of the cool extras unlocked when linked with a copy of Spyro Orange, and you end up with an awesome cross-franchise certain to leave you craving more.

On its own, it has plenty to keep most gamers entertained for hours. Add to that the connectivity options with Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Revenge and you end up with a surefire formula for success.

The ease of defense and careful consideration that must be paid to offense is refreshing. However, there are a host of issues, the pathfinding in particular, that turn what should be an entertaining game into a title best left on the shelf.

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.

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

Let the kids have their fun. Just play it a little once the kids have gone to bed.

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.

The game is actually ten times more deliberate and strategic than even the most realistic squad-based shooters, and if you try to approach it like one of those, you're going to die a dog's death ... ten times over.

It's simply too good and too tasty to ignore. Not to mention it's the first decent step towards next-next-generation visuals.

A fantastic game -- it's easy to pick up and play, has great character and depth, and is even better with a friend.

A terrific game. All of the stealth gameplay, intricate level design, Byzantine story branches, and delightfully larcenous action makes a welcome return in this edition. The godfather of stealth-action games is back. Unfortunately, while Thief: Deadly Shadows stands as an equal to any of the previous games in the series, it doesn't exceed them - nor does it move the franchise forward as much as it was obviously designed to do.

Fans of River City Ransom on the NES and brawlers as a whole will love this version.

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.

A quirky and sometimes frustrating puzzle action title that fails to do its two famous mascots justice.

As a play-alone game, it's well worth the money, but without even moderately acceptable multiplayer support it's going to have an uphill fight to find a larger audience -- and that's a shame because it deserves better.

While the yin and yang of treading the fabled thin blue line is intriguing, the gameplay of True Crime is hampered by a host of negatives. It's a fun game, but it's hard to recommend to hardcore PC gamers.

It obviously has its share of problems, but plopping down $20 (or less) for an innovative concept like this isn't a terrible decision. I can see some people really loving it, and I don't blame them.

Thanks to the huge amount of customization options, this game offers much more depth of gameplay than what's found in your average fighting game. If only so much tedium wasn't involved in accessing all of it.

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.

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?