A game that shouldn't have been made. It's a hardcore product with next to nothing new to offer to the hardcore. Meanwhile, more casual people will be turned off by the confusing learning curve and the utterly awful aesthetics.

The graphics are crisp and well defined, with everything remaining faithful to the source material. John Williams' scoring is simply some of the best orchestral work ever, and all of the signature Star Wars sound effects remain as amazing and unique as ever.

Fans of the series will love Silent Scope 3, though the game may be too difficult for everyone else.

Even though I had some fun with the Shining Tears, most of it stemmed from nostalgia and imagining what this game could have been.

Though we found plenty of things to annoy us, the basic gameplay and extravagant character roster (once unlocked) should be enough to satisfy most fans.

A reasonably solid action game with some extremely annoying but often fun elements. There's no doubt that with some ingenious multiplayer modes and some creative thought behind a better set of touch-screen features that Spider-Man 2 would have faired much better overall as an entertaining piece of software on the Nintendo DS.

While it's not perfect, Road to India is a stylish and imaginative adventure game.

Not even Eliot Ness and the Untouchables could bust down the doors and reveal the fun in Gangsters 2.

It's an unpolished game that will drown players in nostalgia for the first several chapters, but it's nothing we haven't all played before.

Sadly, this control system is less than ideal for directing a character who is both hard of hearing and retarded, two traits which I suspect a simple battery of standardized tests would reveal in our heroine.

It has a simplistic hand-to-hand fighting system, a jerky, broken camera, crappy, jarring level designs, and horrifically frustrating platforming elements. It pretty much just fails at emulating the combat-heavy action games that have inspired it, and you'll constantly remind yourself of this as you play.

Topsy-Turvy's sensor isn't quite so advanced -- it only picks up three moves: left, right, and neutral. This gives you far less control over the onscreen action, and can be especially frustrating when you want to roll that boulder just a tad to the right so that you land on it instead of that pit of spikes after you jump.

We have to admit to being a bit disappointed at how similar Star Force is to the Battle Network games. We were hoping that Capcom would take this opportunity to reboot the series into something fresh. Instead, we have more of a sidestep than a step forward.

Whether you see it as a fantasy-slanted Gears homage or a punched-up and streamlined dungeon-crawler, the end result is roughly the same: Hunted is an adequate diversion for co-op aficionados, but little more.

The problem is that there's only so much that can be done with the concept, and it becomes routine and boring before the game is even close to over.

While the game should have included at least a little bit of museum-quality extras, at $20 it's still a hard deal to pass up.

As a concept, Starvoid is pleasantly surprising; as a multiplayer game, the lack of community is disastrous, which makes Starvoid both quite easy and annoyingly difficult to recommend.

This game is good for a quick robot violence fix or if you happen to be a huge Gundam fan, but that's about it.

Luxor remains a quality take, if mostly derivative, on its little piece of the puzzle genre. While the lack of options make the game's $29.99 tag a little much, Luxor provides the kind of pick-up-and-play gaming that's not as common on PSP, especially compared to what's commonly available on DS.

Sonic Rivals 2 is a faithful return to Sonic's roots. Aside from a couple of speed bumps, this is one title that should be welcome in any fan's collection.

While the singleplayer campaign doesn't give gamers many reasons to stay engaged, we can envision a large online community racing, tricking and wagering while snowballs fly through the air. Because really, isn't that what snowboarding is all about?

From vanilla A.I. and a very limited game engine, to technical issues and a frustrating camera, it's a game that's extremely hard to recommend.

It's still a decent game in the grand scheme of things, if you can get past a few fits of boredom and the desire to be Chewie.

A lackluster package of average single-player and slightly better multiplayer. Unless you're a huge and/or irrational Bond nut, it offers nothing that competing games don't do better.

For most gamers, there are just too many other RPGs out for the PS2 to justify picking up something as routine, and routinely mediocre, as the final edition of .hack.

The basic gameplay of Avatar is so fundamentally flawed that even those few bright spots would only set you up for disappointment. Because, despite the guiding hand of Cameron, Avatar is ultimately just another big-name movie game that doesn't fulfill its early promise.

Most importantly, the gameplay feels just a bit looser and less controlled. That's not to say it fails -- it just could have been better.

Knowing THQ could have done worse isn't a glowing compliment though, and at forty bucks and four hours, the little side-scrolling mini-game included (played by spending tokens you find in the main game) and lame unlockables add no real value.

Unless you're a huge and/or irrational Bond nut, it offers nothing that competing games don't do better. That's a shame, because the premise is grand.

There are some great AC/DC tracks here which would make a fantastic addition to any Rock Band collection, but you'll have to pay a premium to get them, including a lot of songs you're probably not interested in. Unless you're an absolute AC/DC fanatic, you're probably better served waiting to pick this up on sale sometime down the road.

And although you can probably get twenty bucks' worth of fun out of it with a little effort, why wouldn't you just drop the cash on a game that did it better two years ago?

Good fun in a nostalgic way, but younger gamers might not get what all the fuss is about.

Another problem comes in how Conflict: Vietnam handles aiming. Whenever I drew my weapon in first-person view, a bulky rifle sight popped up and took over a good chunk of my screen. Making matters worse, the sight proved to be completely ineffective.

With tasty graphics and a finely-tuned battle engine, Dust Strikers is another quality entry into the Guilty Gear series that while not offering anything new (or better) than other DS fighting games, is still an enjoyable game.

Precisely what you'd expect from Wario: tons of juvenile, yet still pretty funny, scatological humor and some passable minigames. What saves it from mediocrity is the fact that it is actually really challenging.

In the end, one of the many cluttered rooms serves as a metaphor for the whole experience: sure, all the stuff in there works, and it serves a purpose, but a little more elegance could have made the whole remarkable.

JF4 introduces several leading edge innovations into the genre that set it apart, yet at the same time it manages to crash and burn when it comes down to just the basics.

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

Once you get a few levels into the game, you start to see the purpose and role of each weapon, and Constantine encourages you to think strategically about how to take down enemies.

Complete with more bugs than month-old flypaper sitting outside a slaughterhouse, True Crime: New York City is utterly mediocre.

This port is shameful!

If you can live without high scores and multiplayer, then you'll be fine. Just don't bother if you already own the original Namco Museum and Pac-Man Collection. Rally-X isn't worth $20.

Not a perfect game, but it does a decent job at what it sets out to do.

There are too many times where you'll be asked to complete a goal by an NPC and you'll literally have no clue what to do or how to proceed in order to complete it.

The graphics are crisp and well defined, with everything remaining faithful to the source material. John Williams' scoring is simply some of the best orchestral work ever, and all of the signature Star Wars sound effects remain as amazing and unique as ever.

While it has the series' trademark snappy dialogue, sultry vixens, and more double entendres than a classic Rodney Dangerfield routine, it's missing one thing: the fun. The mini-games dragged after only a few hours, and getting through the game felt like a chore.

Touch Detective has great stylized graphics, interesting-looking characters, a simple interface, and humorous writing, but it all adds up to nothing when the core storyline and gameplay are so lackadaisical.

While the drive-and-shoot gameplay of Starsky & Hutch unavoidably becomes repetitive, the solid level design and great two-player mode combine to make it one of the best budget titles for the PS2.

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.

It lacks depth, offers minimal incentive to continue playing past the first hour or two, and doesn't do anything with its online offerings that could convince you to neglect the countless other games that offer far richer multiplayer experiences. There's no reason to pick this one up unless you're desperate for something in the space milieu.

The game's lower level of difficulty and varied gameplay styles make it easy for just about anyone to get into the game and enjoy the experience.

The overall integrity of the game has remained intact. So if you're jealous of your DS-toting friends walking around with those giant swollen craniums of theirs due to all of that brain-boosting gaming they're doing, do yourself a favor and give your own melon a workout with a healthy dose of classic chess.

The easy difficulty setting and lighthearted tone might cause older gamers to scoff, but there's no denying that Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a quality game that the whole family can enjoy.

Yeah, it's still fun when you've got three other friends involved, but when you get down to it it's an antiquated game that doesn't have the pizzazz that people expect out of a downloadable remakes these days. Honestly, I'd have been happy with a cheap, no-frills port of the original arcade version (something that this remake doesn't even include, incidentally).

If you don't know a Liu Bei from a Lu Bu, you're not going to be interested, but those who understand the thrill of taking down the thousandth enemy in a single battle will enjoy it. Just be sure to give the new Renbu system a chance.

Even the slightest mistake can lead to an instant beat down from a swarm of CPU-controlled gang members. The aggressive A.I. is relentless in its attacks and, especially later in the game, will easily frustrate even the most hardcore fighting fans.

The "move all over the grid" aspect is really fun, too, even if you do end up fighting the camera a lot of the time.

Between the occasionally spotty controls, the linear quest, and the highly repetitive mini-games, only the most dedicated Potter fans need enroll this term. Oh, and it was very disappointing to find out that the final boss battle doesn't have you playing as Professor Snape. Very disappointing.

It's faithfully done, easy to play, and a showcase of pop-culture references and parody. You won't get many hours of game for your 40 dollars, but you will get some laughs.

Doesn't come close to adding that certain something, and doesn't even fix some of the more glaring AI deficiencies that have plagued the game since it was first released.

Maybe in Dark Void 2, in which a brash, headstrong pilot gets a hold of a jetpack created by an aging engineer and uses it to fight zombies, we'll see the full-fledged realization of this game's genuinely interesting designs. Until then, however, jetpack fans will have to settle for half-baked.

If you judge TMNT on its own merits as a platform-hopper with a dash of semi-imaginative combat thrown in, then it's a fine game.

If you need the realistic tracks and real vehicles, Asphalt: Urban GT will deliver. Otherwise, you'll probably want to get your DS racing kicks elsewhere.

If you've wanted to play Rogue-like games in the past, but found them to be a bit too unforgiving, this is an exceedingly good alternative to look into.

If you're playing for the satisfaction of building up power and conquering territory, or for the unique experience of, say, creating a badass platoon of headless knights and running across a friendly vampire bat to stick by their side in battle, you'll probably be able to ignore the game's problems and focus on your accomplishments within the game.

Especially boring was the fact that characters that die cannot be brought into the game immediately -- you have to go back to the nexus (that's not what it's called, but hey, it's my review) and get them, restarting the level again in its entirety. Ugh.

While Big Scale is a fun game for racing enthusiasts, it quickly loses its charm due to its limited scope.

While Time Crisis 4 has its fair share of graphical, gameplay and control faults, its fast, fun on-rails shooter action will appeal to anyone looking for a break from controller-based shooters. Just don't expect anything spectacular.

We have to admit to being a bit disappointed at how similar Star Force is to the Battle Network games. We were hoping that Capcom would take this opportunity to reboot the series into something fresh. Instead, we have more of a sidestep than a step forward.

When it comes right down to it, Heatseeker just isn't a good value for the money, compared to what else is out there for the PS2.

A worthwhile romp for RPG lovers that don't mind the hackneyed story and characters. The backtracking and endless travel are a chore, but once you get all four characters on board, the combat and crafting systems make it almost worth it.

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.

Right out of the gate, Spider-Man 3 is going to smack you in the face with some of the worst next-gen graphics you have ever seen.

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.

The AI is shoddy, ball physics are often laughable, and, worst of all, there's no online play for any of the systems.

Undercover may push the nostalgia button for the NFS faithful. But substandard presentation and a host of nagging technical issues cause it to sputter across the line for a distant third-place finish.

Upset as I am towards Capcom for the price hike, and putting the cosmetics rant aside, Resident Evil 2 is still one of my favorites in the series.

While Stitch never provides more than a mild challenge, it's thoroughly entertaining.

The biggest issue I had is that basically all of the AI drivers show a complete lack of road smarts.

The game's lack of personality is underscored by its lack of difficulty. Playing through Samurai Jack is about as challenging as watching an episode of Samurai Jack.

The ideas weren't taken to their logical conclusions; the designers stuck their toes in the water, pulled them back, and decided they needed to gather a little more gumption before they could dive in. Maybe in Dark Void 2, in which a brash, headstrong pilot gets a hold of a jetpack created by an aging engineer and uses it to fight zombies, we'll see the full-fledged realization of this game's genuinely interesting designs. Until then, however, jetpack fans will have to settle for half-baked.

A well-crafted game, but it's so by the books in so many ways that it never really gets off the ground.

It feels painfully slow on the PC, and the controls are better-suited for a mobile touchscreen than a mouse and keyboard combo. It even manages to lose a feature in the translation, which is stunning given how much more powerful the PC is than, say, the iPad. Throw in the fact that it has little to nothing to do with the series proper, and it becomes impossible to recommend this spinoff, even to the most dedicated Total War fans.

Die-hard fans of the genre might be able to find some value, but those same fans would be better served by the likes of Final Fantasy Tactics A2 on the DS, which not only features superior gameplay, but is also about $30 cheaper.

Instead of delivering a total experience, Kong feels more like the developers decided to throw together two half-finished games and hope for the best. The end result is an average experience.

A disappointment of near-epic proportions. Sega ripped out the very heart of PSO's legendary addictiveness, replacing it with a repetitive, tedious grind that shows no signs of ending.

The game just falls short in too many ways. There are no mini-games to play when maze-running gets old, and there's no multiplayer.

An innovative and solid shooter.

It's just a crappy movie tie-in, pushed out just in time for the upcoming film.

The gaming is tense, the firefights exciting, and the price reasonable, but poor mission design and dated camera controls sink the game into the upper echelons of mediocrity.

The biggest problem with Lethal Skies is the consistency of the difficulty level. The game fluctuates between incredibly easy and annoyingly difficult with no rhyme or reason.

It's like any "Resident Evil" game but with dinosaurs instead of zombies. It's also not a very good conversion. Recommended only if you are a survival horror fanatic. Everyone else… be afraid. Be very afraid.

The game's lack of personality is underscored by its lack of difficulty. Playing through Samurai Jack is about as challenging as watching an episode of Samurai Jack.

I've scored the GCN's LoW2 lower than the PS2 and Xbox versions because of its lack of the interviews featured on the other platforms... combined with the GCN's persistent slowdown.

The action portions of the game can be fairly called a stripped-down version of the console game, and the strategic Mob Wars mode feels poorly balanced and hinges more on its problematic action sequences than on real strategy.

What it lacks in options and complexity, it makes up for with good old-fashioned mass destruction action. It's simple enough for anyone to pick up and get into, but it still manages to offer a lot to hardened genre fanatics.

The artificial intelligence is improved and ball physics are much more realistic than in the first game, but while FIFA Street 2 makes a good first impression, it gets bogged down by unresponsive player controls and repetitive action.

The AI is shoddy, ball physics are often laughable, and, worst of all, there's no online play for any of the systems.