Probably the best single-player dungeon crawler we'll see on the DS for some time. Game balance is great, the game looks beautiful, and there's even some really fun writing hidden beneath the youth/casual storyline.

A fun but underwhelming title thanks to a lack of replay value and miscellaneous quirks.

The lack of visible competitors in the single-player modes, combined with the relatively slow pace, can make the game a dull affair. There's just too little sense of speed, danger, or excitement, and that bodes ill for a racing game.

Unless you're a fan of repetitive beat-'em-ups that require dozens of hours of devotion to unlock every last item, level, and character, RotK won't have much to offer.

Madden NFL 07 is more than competent; in fact, it's very good, but unless you've waited all this time for a football game for this platform, with only a few weeks left in football season, you may want to just wait for next year's game.

The game is brutally violent, unapologetically vulgar, and simply a hell of a lot of fun to play.

It's a beautiful, poetic game that inspires creativity, despite its technical struggles.

After years of living up to the name of evolving the beautiful game, Konami's latest Pro Evolution Soccer effort is an embarrassment for a series that has served as the dominant title in the genre.

Glitches and control scheme issues aside, I had a tremendous amount of fun playing through Renegade Ops. Variety of vehicles and playstyles, tons of cool powers to upgrade, and the online features make it a solid offering for PC gamers who are fans of twin-stick arcade shooters -- especially if you like some '80s action-flick machismo thrown in for good measure.

The downside to this aspect of the game is that (as mentioned) it can be downright frustrating to get to the point where you are actually even a minor 'player' on this regional stage.

As an arcade racer, it's very easy to play, but doesn't have the shortcuts and environment interaction that makes it a blast to play.

All the ingredients were in place, and the resulting concoction isn't totally worthless, it's just that between the freaky game design decisions and poorly thought out content, this is a meal some gamers may not have the stomach for.

It's just too bad that the second game in the series turns out to be a bit tarnished instead of the exemplary hobbyist tool it deserves to be.

Those who have mastered the LEGO Star Wars titles will discover that this game has a much greater emphasis on puzzle-solving than its spiritual predecessors had.

With sluggish controls and passable graphics, the only thing that saves FIFA 2003 is its license and awesome sound.

It's a huge step in legitimizing surfing games, much like how THPS was for skateboarding games. The graphics are very impressive, the controls tight, and the wave physics accurate.

May not be as flashy graphically as "Live 2002," nor as polished technically as "NBA2k2," but it stands a solid middle ground between the two as an enjoyable game.

Handling, whether batting or fielding, is remarkably simple, rendering the action accessible by just about anyone.

It tries really hard to please both jaded vets and exuberant fanboys, and for the most part, it succeeds, even if the story mode's a little short and on the easy side.

Its simple controls and manic gameplay make the game stand out in a genre already filled with mediocrity. If you can get past the irritating voiceovers, you'll find an entertaining experience you can't wait to share with your friends.

One can only hope that a sequel will improve on certain issues, such as a few clunky mini-games that eat away at the fun factor, but overall, for the sense of humor, entertaining presentation, and the online scoreboards, Rayman is the winner in this launch battle.

Considering the strong debut we saw last year, we're not quite as impressed by what's been added to the experience.

What's most important to us is that this game has come closer than ever to recapturing everything we loved about the first Ghost Recon and for that alone we think it's worth checking out.

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.

It's refreshing to see an original portable game, but Scurge: Hive has some serious problems; mainly, the obnoxious time limit and frustrating enemy fights.

Every now and then, amidst the explosions, enemy fighters, and wispy clouds rolling by, you'd swear you were watching some CG re-creation on the History Channel. It's all pretty cool.

The game's minor tweaks here and there do a lot to smooth out some of the weakness from before, and the new gameplay features add just enough to the game's familiar formula to make things interesting.

The gameplay is fast and furious and fun for about three fights. Unless button mashing becomes the latest fitness craze, Knockout Kings 2002 will not impress you or your fitness instructor.