The single-player game is too easy and the multiplayer game is too impractical. If Square had found a way to balance the multiplayer gaming, this would have been a fantastic title.

Worth checking out for platform and Sonic Team fans, but is likely too difficult and glitchy for more casual players.

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.

If you're a Voyager nut drooling at the opportunity to explore every nook and cranny of the ship...or are an Elite Force multiplayer junkie looking for some variety, then this Expansion Pack is exactly what you're looking for.

While you might not complete Wrath Unleashed in a weekend, it's possible that it won't hold your attention for too much longer. Although Wrath does what it does very well, it suffers from a lack of ambition.

It's offensive, psyche-damaging, brutal, makes no sense, and is unforgiving and violent. And damn good fun.

The intelligent touches and relative difficulty make Rogue Ops generally fun for fans of the genre. The unevenness in the presentation and controls keep it from really setting the genre on fire.

There have been a few MMOs that have tried to build stable gameplay structures based on universal PvP/guild play system -- "Shadowbane" being the most high-profile example. Almost none, however, have done it as well as Lineage 2.

With the variety of unique character choices, the interesting level-up method, and rocking multiplayer, Shining Soul II has its charm. Still, I can't help feeling it's still missing something to give it more oomph, at least in single-player mode.

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

If you're a series veteran, or found yourself wishing the previous PS2 entries had less number-crunching and more action, you'll probably love RTK9. I'm squarely in [this] category, but not because I disliked 7 and 8's RPG elements; I just appreciate KOEI's willingness to keep tinkering with a 15-year-old franchise.

The customization element is a definitely a high point, but without interesting and rewarding missions built around them, they just aren't as meaningful as they could be.

The headset is a gimmick, you and your team aren't always on the same page, and the whole thing plays like just another forgettable first-person shooter.

If you dig survival-horror games and you're up for a new story and setting -- and don't mind some very familiar gameplay -- Curse is a good time.

It's exciting when a relatively unknown development house like Techland can spring forward with such an intriguing effort, and if nothing else, we applaud its ambition.

Veteran shooter fans and adrenaline addicts might find it a bit too slow for their taste. For others, though, PlanetSide may be the perfect fit to fill a genre that's been waiting to explode for a few years.

An extremely solidly-made, quality game, but lots of what gamers love about Castlevania has been jettisoned in an attempt to streamline it. The result is a very playable but somewhat dull game.

I wish the multiplayer offered more, as it would no doubt extend the title's replay value. The single-player experience is enjoyable, if not revolutionary.

The combat is fun, and you're allowed a pretty satisfying level of leeway as to how your characters develop. But it ends there. All the other things that make a great RPG are absent. No memorable characters, no clever dialogue, no rousing story.

With its unique two-player mode and very reasonable MSRP, Starsky & Hutch is a no-brainer of a purchase for light-gunners, penny-pinchers, and people with friends. This is one of the best budget releases I've ever played.

Multiplayer mode is a good addition, but doesn't make up for the fact that the single-player mode has been made worse. This isn't Tenchu's shining moment, which is what it should be. Instead, it's a quirky step into multiplayer.

With four-players in tow, it's a total blast, but for those that are looking for some solid, non-anger-inducing solo play, you'd do well to swerve away from this one for sure.

It's very derivative, and beyond a few puzzles requiring you to use all four characters in tandem, there's not a lot that's new here. At the same time, it's mostly enjoyable while it lasts.

The qualifications -- short length, lack of replay value, and control issues -- knock the game down value-wise, even though I think anyone who's attracted to quick, violent squad play will have a good time.

The ability to play as both the Prince and Farah is an interesting addition, but in practice it devolves into standard "you stand on this switch and I'll stand on this one" gameplay. The resulting balance leaves the replay value quickly sucked dry once you've had your fill of the game.

Despite my picky complaints, I still really enjoyed my return to Shining Force, and couldn't stop until I got all the way through it.

Though it does have its pleasing points, ultimately Conflict Desert Storm II is caught between appealing more toward hardcore military simmers or action fans.

Where's the battle map editor? Although Wrath Unleashed provides only 21 battle maps (four of which are locked), there are only a handful of three- and four-player battle maps, and they're bound to get stale after a few rounds of play.