A greater challenge wouldn't have hurt, but this is a fun game.

The excellent camera will thrill those whose stomachs are still churning from the dizzying "nausea cam" in "Mat Hoffman."

It combines clever missions, interesting character abilities, and a smidgen of resource management into an absorbing game that fans of the strategy will be playing for quite some time.

The improvements in the gameplay department went a long way towards making this the most realistic footie game to ever grace a next-generation console.

Manages to maintain an impressive level of graphical detail, particularly in the enemy models and background environments.

The biggest change in 2003 is how the ball handles... The ball feels much more separated from the players now, and the control even reflects this.

This port is shameful!

Drop-dead gorgeous... [but] one of Hegemonia's major failings is that its real-time combat is usually simplistic and dull.

A mere shadow of its Xbox counterpart.

If you like The Simpsons and love skateboarding, you'll still hate this awful game... One of the worst games of 2002.

Something of an introduction to the world of game making. In other words, it presents some of the fun as well as most of the painstaking and sometimes tedious work that is involved.

If you're a Medal of Honor multiplayer junkie looking for a new fix, you'll get considerably more mileage out of it, especially the Tug Of War mode.

It is a decent effort to bring the RTS setting to the battlefields of Europe during World War II, yet it doesn't compare to such similar themed titles as "Combat Mission" or "Close Combat."

Accurately modeling the features that have made this series so endearing and capturing the action from a surprisingly workable viewpoint, it's a tremendous traveling companion for anyone with a taste for adventure.

Probably the best pure soccer game yet -- the best since the series moved into 3D.

The truly frightening part is it's a bit shy of must-have status due to pressing issues with artificial intelligence, item collection, and game balancing.

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

Compounding the problem is the AI's penchant for playing "bumper cars" if the player manages to pull away from the pack. The computer racers just love to crash into you as a means of slowing you down.

The generic nature of the challenges, graphics and controls forces me to propose that gamers try something else.

Where Disney Sports Soccer strays from convention -- and becomes a lot more interesting in the process -- is with the addition of magic items.

The game isn't deep enough to offer anything else more complex than a block-and-return-punch style of combat.

It seems like the game is not just merely unpolished or unfinished, but almost completely absent.

It's fun. Not mind-blowing, but fun.

It's the online component of the game that places you down in front of your TV, and refuses to let you leave for days at a time.

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to drive a balsa wood car full of helium, here's your chance. Slight bumps will send you airborne.

The biggest difference between 2K3 and its competition, though, is the game's physics. Players move like they're actually on ice.

A decent tribute to its source material, but fails to capture its best qualities.

Doesn't change much of the [original's] formula, or the graphics, or anything really, but it does offer online play, some different courses, and some fun multiplayer party games.

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

The production values for Frontline are way up there though, and with great voice acting, cool FMV cut scenes, and more atmosphere than most other FPS titles, the game is a winner for WWII action fans and newbies alike.

The production values for Frontline are way up there, and with great voice acting, cool FMV cutscenes, and more atmosphere than most other FPS titles, the game is a winner for WWII action fans and newbies alike.

By far the most straightforward and enjoyable version of the series.

The physics provide a near-perfect blend of arcade and simulation sensibilities: It's not so over-the-top that it's still believable, but it's also not so realistic that you'll need an intimate level of knowledge about tires, engines, and gear boxes.

Best suited for high-level characters that like to use every power at their disposal -- and that's where the expansion shines.

There are far too many gameplay, graphics, and presentation problems. I would say that the game is minor league, but that would be an insult to the guys in the AHL.

Arguably the best golf simulation on the market.

An entirely average platform romp skewed for a dumbed-down audience that doesn't live up to expectations.

For the hardcore this game won't be much of a "whirl," but younger gamers might find it amusing -- at least for a while.

Incredibly weird. While I found my time with Cubivore pretty intriguing, I'm betting that the majority of gamers will be left scratching their heads and wondering what the hell they've just witnessed on the screen.

At almost no point does anything feel remotely "extreme" about the game, and it feels like everything has been watered down to accrue that "E" rating.

No major breakthrough, but it is an exceptional outing suited to longtime RTS fans and newcomers alike.

With the exception of the graphics you've seen it all many times before, and probably with more flair and better characters.

It's fun, challenging, and it left this jaded reviewer as giddy as a schoolgirl -- in this case, a schoolgirl that happens to control a 120-foot tall robot.

By far the best feature of Substance is the audio. Supporting Dolby Digital, the sound effects, dialogue, and musical score are topnotch.

I do have to admit that smashing my GBA with a hammer out of sheer frustration was kind of fun.

The physics and graphics are better than they've ever been, but the AI, lack of features, and out-to-lunch rosters make it tough to globally recommend.

The Disney name and the cel-shading are good, but the repetitive gameplay, lack of many goals, and the poor enemy AI drag it down.

While AoM sports a new graphics engine and three unique factions, on the whole it plays very much like its predecessors. Too much like its predecessors, if you were hoping for a truly different game experience.

An ambitious genre-bending title killed by one tedious mission after another.

A decent entry-level real-time strategy game, but will probably prove too easy for anyone who's ever played "Warcraft" or "Command & Conquer."

A fun and open-ended tactical shooter marred by pathing issues.

Particularly well done are the new "Hell in a Cell" matches, which finally allow you to perform aggressive moves like rubbing an opponent's face against the chain link fence, or throwing an opponent off the top of the steel cage.

If you've played "Syberia" and absolutely need another adventure game, give this one a shot.

Coupled with strong graphics that grow more impressive over time, as well as the standard Disney incentive to open additional animated cutscenes, Treasure Planet isn't quite the gem it could have been, but it does soar at times.

Despite the beefed up single-player game, Drive's lack of online play keeps it from taking top honors from "Sega Sports' NBA 2K3."

A game so resoundingly mediocre or downright awful that only the most hardcore helicopter enthusiasts would ever want to play it.

This is, quite simply, one of the best games of any genre available for the PC (and even the Mac!)

Delivers the best console golf action this side of "PGA Tour Golf" for the Genesis.

A broader, deeper, and more addictive version of the brilliance found in its predecessor. And while it isn't quite perfect and the graphics show some age, it's clearly one of the best games released in 2002.

Not quite as bad as the movie, but it is most certainly in the same ballpark.

A solid snowboarding experience, but it lacks the flash and pomp of a truly great game.

Isn't just a game, it's an experience you'll never forget, and the inclusion of the Shenmue: The Movie DVD makes it that much easier to get on board.

Not only is it the most attractive golf game ever to be released, it also features some revolutionary gameplay ideas that will likely be copied for years to come.

Sonic Team has done so many things right here that it's hard to wrap my head around everything simultaneously.

It's a golf game with strippers, but its gameplay won't be getting a huge tip.

While not offering much for players below level 46, The Planes of Power, with its smorgasbord of content, is a very good expansion pack for higher-level players as well as veterans who have been around since the beginning.

Any sense of coolness quickly evaporates as soon as you pick up a controller as Jet X2O suffers from a control scheme that is twitchier than a two year old on speed.

The best home version of DDR ever made.

These games probably should have stayed buried in the time capsule from which they were pulled.

Even if you've never played any of the DOOM titles, if you like first-person shooters and you own a Game Boy Advance, DOOM II is an absolute must-have game.

Magnificent controls, thrill-a-minute gameplay, and an incredible sense of pacing elevate the title above the average senseless shooter.

Clearly missing some pieces, but the product may be salvageable.

It'll take a much stronger effort than this to give anyone other than Robotech fans the game they've been waiting for.

Constant fun, whether in small doses or extended sessions.

A borderline disaster. I say "borderline" because there are a few things which save the expansion from being a total flop, but they are few and far between.

Disappointing, and CFS3 actually falls below standards set by previous series titles.

Fail[s] to live up to its potential. What's left is simply a frustrating and tedious single-player game.

Suikoden fans will immediately "hate" the new battle system, while they will probably just "dislike" the world map and the move to 3D graphics with no camera control.

Just like some of its zombies, this game lacks meat.

The lack of a strong storyline or multiplay hurt the game, though, as do the controller options, which leave you with a choice between the far too simplistic and the overly complex.

An unfortunately overcomplicated variation of "Bust-A-Move."

This Worms game is aptly named: it's a blast!

Featuring a lovely variety of online-multiplayer games based on the best trick system in gaming, THPS4 is terribly addictive and ridiculously fun.

The game's strongest point is its graphics and audio presentation, which captures the vibe of a WWE telecast very nicely.

This is what your hands should be doing in their spare time.

Doesn't have enough depth and substance to be great. If you don't like its faux hip-hop style then you won't even find it good.

While titles like "Aggressive Inline" and "Mat Hoffman 2" come close to competing with THPS3, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 blows them out of the water...[but i]t seems very strange to me that this game didn't have official Xbox Live support.

Its depth and addictiveness is second to none. If the GameCube is your only console, then I wholeheartedly recommend this game.

A highly playable, though somewhat clichéd, golf game.

There are fleeting moments of fun in Reign of Fire, but they're quickly smothered beneath lame level design, wretched controls, and a surprising lack of intensity, considering all the dragons and missiles and fire and whatnot.

Considering the amount of detail that clearly went into designing the lush landscapes, enormous environments, and character art for this game, it's really a shame that the fun factor seems like less than an afterthought.

If you think that you're up to wrestling with sensitive controls, then V-Rally 3's formidable package would be well worth investing in.

In my case, the funnin' exceeded the bummin', but not as much as I wanted. This just isn't the game that'll bring 2D gameplay back into vogue.

A game rife with control problems and uninspired gameplay.

A faithful re-creation of a stellar PS2 game, but considering the beefier hardware and a year of development time, it should have been more.

With fast, violent, and even subtle sporting action all wrapped up in a gorgeous audiovisual package, Deathrow is a real winner of a game.

If you've enjoyed Zoo Tycoon so far, you should find plenty more to like in Marine Mania.

The AI is stuck in neutral, the races aren't exciting enough to get your engine running, and the missions feel a bit flat.