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.

But if you're one of those RPG players who detests games that require you to do anything more than navigate menus, or if you were hoping for some genuine innovation from Nintendo, Superstar Saga will have you barking up the wrong mushroom.

Overall, the single-player mode is a blast to play. The controls are fluid, the animations are entertaining, and the taunts are still over the top, as in the victorious declaration: "Invincibility! I am too uncanny!"

A masterpiece in almost every aspect, even if it is a conversion of a game from an increasingly long-in-the-tooth fighting series.

It’s a fast-paced, adrenaline rush kind of game, and it’s really quite difficult, but that should just mean it’ll keep you busy for a while.

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.

Too bad it's so short, but there's plenty to do in the city of L.A. once the story is over. This is the first game that treats the "GTA" model as inspiration rather than a quick ticket to the bank.

It's got the core gameplay to be one of the best strategy titles ever made, but failures in execution means that Silent Storm ends up being nothing more than a good game.

Like the best of Japanese-developed games, the artistry is spot on. It's artful and visually varied, and the soundtrack is appealing if slightly bombastic. Although the online options lag behind the quality of the rest of the game, this is a four-star title through and through.

It's really only its brevity and restrictive save game system that keeps this game from fighting its way to the top of the genre.

While it would have been nice to have a better way to organize workers' shift schedules, customizable characters, a richer combat system, and a multiplayer module, there's more than enough interesting things to do to keep you busy.

While Virtua Tennis for the GBA dominates with addictive gameplay, it fails to impress with its rough-shod graphics.

While releases from Acclaim, 3DO, Sega, and EA have done reasonable jobs in the past, MVP Baseball 2004 may come the closest yet to replicating the action on the field. It looks spectacular and I could easily use the same adjective to describe the gameplay.

It's not all that new and not all that different from the other games in Sierra's classic "City Building" franchise -- but it's loads of fun all the same.

A great-looking PS2 game, with good character models and beautiful environments. However, the one flaw in this gem is its framerate, which can bog down in moderately busy melees.

The only area that the Xbox version of this game really pales in comparison to its PS2 brother is in the lack of an online mode -- a pity when the system has the necessary hardware built right in!

Gamers looking for a more traditional arcade racer might need to approach NFSU with the following in mind -- it's tons of fun, it looks amazing, and it's best on PS2 due to the online portions, but be prepared to witness a perceptive lack of variety, and one huge-ass single-player challenge in order to get the most out of the game.

About as challenging, fun, and multi-dimensional as an overhead aerial combat game can get on a handheld system.

It may not unseat "NASCAR Racing 2003 Season" as this year's premier PC NASCAR sim, but the NASCAR Thunder series is now right on the leader's tail.

The best Battle Network yet.

Does the formula of giant robots and three-tiered combat succeed? Definitely. But there are a few quirks along the way to deal with, most notably the anemic unit pathfinding AI.

I couldn't ask for much more with MX Unleashed. A few more challenges in freestyle would be nice, but this really is the total package for race games -- which is no surprise, coming from Rainbow.

A great strategy game. If you liked the original, there's more than enough here to justify the upgrade.

The game's shot variety, graphics, and online capabilities truly take tennis games to a new level. The things that prevent the game from being as perfect as Kournikova's... legs... are the load times and poor implementation of risk and drop shots.

Players who are willing to stick it out will find an RPG of unrivaled depth, innovation, and replayability.

While it shares many common flaws found in the genre, Siren is the most innovative (and scary) survival-horror title we've seen in a while.

The game has some button scheme issues, but still comes across as a super sim that'll let you control your man like no game before.

Battle Realms screams quality. However, at its core it's still just basic real-time strategy, and if you aren't into click-happy real-time games then it's best to steer clear.