Though the game features several imaginative environments, the same can't be said for its pedestrian, trope-riddled story.

EXA doesn't differentiate itself from the herd; in fact, its blatant lifting of so much from Neo is a definite detriment. Shining Force EXA isn't extraordinary. Quite the opposite: it's extra ordinary.

Expectations. Every game has them coming out of the gate, but remakes and reboots have it even worse. In the case of Painkiller: Hell & Damnation, a reboot of the original Painkiller and its expansion Battle out of Hell, it's less about these small details and more about the substance. Is the action still fast? Are the enemies stupid and plentiful? Are the weapons still ridiculously awesome? Yep, you bet, and... well, mostly.

The most mediocre JRPG you can imagine from Enchanted Arms and no more.

You also don't feel particularly bloodthirsty when you've got this bouncy music playing in the background. The music just isn't that good in general. It's dull and repetitive...Aside from some gripes here and there, FF:VR is a well done adventure game.

There's just not a lot of meat here, and after a single playthrough, you'll probably be ready to move on to the next big adventure.

NBA Live 07's gameplay itself is right up there with its console siblings -- and even better in some respects (one shoot button). I'm still going with the NBA 2K series on consoles, but I think I've found my new favorite portable hoops title.

NBA Live 06 knocks the progress of this series back to the Stone Age. It sacrifices everything (dunk contest, Superstar Freestyle moves, Franchise mode) for next-gen graphics, yet ends up looking worse than "NBA 2K6" -- which kept all of its features in tact.

The game's presentation is easily worth the attention of even the most hardcore comic fans. The graphics are all fairly well defined, though the PS2 version doesn't look quite as sharp as either the Xbox or GameCube versions.

Unless you're predisposed to buying anything that is related to the show, just ogle a few gameplay videos, fancy a screenshot or two, and call it a day without wasting fifty bucks.

If you just want to have a lot of fun batting a ball bearing around fantastic locales, then Flipnic should be 20 bucks well-spent.

The online multiplayer mode is worth playing, and it's a fun game to play when you want to give your thumbs a break from Madden. However, Head Coach should have learned a lot from the two-dimensional predecessors and web-based fantasy football games whose audience it's attempting to appeal to.

There was great potential with Star Trek: Legacy, and the foundation has been laid for a truly stellar game. But the end result feels rushed and that potential still remains untapped.

Despite Uprising's many strengths in unit and map design, imbalanced units and lackluster AI mean it misses the mark.

Control of the camera can be problematic at times, ranging from a minor distraction in some situations to a major problem in others.

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.

A sad mess that not only has virtually nothing to do with the movie or the ride, but is a pretty poor game in its own right.

[It] would make a fine purchase for masochists and parents looking to punish their kids. Other than that, gamers could play "Crazy Taxi," and then watch an episode of the TV show to end up ten times more satisfied than this game will make them.

Although this game is influenced by two outstanding titles, the end result isn't so hot.

The game's particularly ruthless A.I can offset the fun a little. Surviving certain levels is tough enough, but having to do it over and over to complete all the objectives borders on the inhumane.

In some ways, the problem with Unreal II is that it tries to wear too many helmets. It's a sequel to the original title, and has a healthy multiplayer mode intact because of Unreal's highly popular tournament editions. In the end, it does both without excelling at either.

If you're really into the whole brain training thing, Hot Brain is a perfectly serviceable game. Just be aware that you're not getting a lot of bang for your buck. You'll have fun, but once you finish a couple of rounds, you'll start to wish that you could have more.

The simple fighting engine allows for some easy to get into action that will satisfy Naruto fans' desire to see their favorite characters pulling off their signature moves. If you want anything deeper than that, however, you're out of luck.

Wild ARMs XF is an interesting strategy game, one that will entertain you with its charming storyline, an adorable puppy unit, and plenty of customization options. On the other hand, the attractive video sequences you may remember from the RPGs were replaced by rather uninteresting town conversations.

Within an hour, you've pretty much seen and done all the game has to offer.

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

HH 2003 isn't a particularly awful game, but rather it's a bit dull and unrefined. It should have had a lot more conditioning before being released for the public.

Does offer gameplay that lives up to its name, but should have taken cues from the Wide Open in the title and made the total package just a little bit bigger.