What could have been a shining example of spooky fun ends up being Microsoft's answer to Nintendo's "Luigi's Mansion"; like that game it takes a well-tested team and results in a short but attractive and spookily cute game with strange play mechanics that never quite works right.

While this game is quite the looker, its gameplay is far, far too repetitive and strangely difficult. It's more of a license cash-in than a modern-day version of the classic games.

Possibly the finest snowboarding game ever. SSX 3 offers an insane amount number of challenges, near-limitless replay value, and tight gameplay from start to finish.

While No Man's Land may not offer the depth of Microsoft/Ensemble's "Age of"... games, it's still a good value, with lots of gameplay and eye candy along the way.

One long exercise in frustration.

Possibly the finest snowboarding game ever, SSX 3 offers an insane amount number of challenges, near-limitless replay value, and tight gameplay from start to finish.

Possibly the finest snowboarding game ever. SSX 3 offers an insane amount number of challenges, near-limitless replay value, and tight gameplay from start to finish.

It's not trying to complete with "Half-Life 2" or "Doom 3", but if the plan is to entertain and freak players out, it's mission accomplished.

The more I played it, the less I enjoyed it. It's a rudimentary beat-'em-up game which borrows the combo compliments of "Devil May Cry" and the buy-a-combo system of "The Two Towers," and thinks those elements by themselves are enjoyable, which they're not.

A decent offering and an affordable way for a player to build skills and eventually enter the fray in "Warbirds" online.

The more I played it, the less I enjoyed it. It's a rudimentary beat-'em-up game which borrows the combo components of "Devil May Cry" and the buy-a-combo system of "The Two Towers," and thinks those elements by themselves are enjoyable, which they're not.

You could, of course, look at UFO: Aftermath in a vacuum, as if "X-Com" never existed. Even then, however, you're just left with a series of weak real-time tactical battles loosely connected by a shallow strategic shell.

An excellent example of a "slacker" game: it gets as little done as it can while making sure it fills its quota so it can be out the door for the day. There isn't a thing new here and it makes no attempt to improve the genre.

The formula that Mr. Vogel and Co. have mastered here is, as before, how to combine fast-paced exploration with smart surprises that keep you guessing. Do yourself a favor and try this game, because as they say in Arkansas, "It's the gameplay, stupid."

Though some may be disappointed by the linear gameplay, most will take comfort in the fact that the scripting is well done and helps make for a well-crafted experience.

An excellent example of a "slacker" game: it gets as little done as it can while making sure it fills its quota so it can be out the door for the day. There isn't a thing new here and it makes no attempt to improve the genre.

While the overall game experience ranges from frustrating to epic, there's something special about the title as a whole.

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.

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.

By and large it's a boring, scattershot attempt to bring MMX into the new millennium. The original "Mega Man X" is one of my favorite games ever -- and the flaccid 2D sections in this game aren't half as good as any of the levels in the original game. The 3D bits are more compelling, but still substandard.

The movement and timing puzzles that make up the bulk of the gameplay can be tedious and frustrating, but completion of a mission always brings a rewarding sense of accomplishment.

These new elements seem to have been thrown in merely for the sake of being different, and the result is a confused mishmash of ideas that is more banal and frustrating than fresh or exciting.

The action in Max Payne 2 is as adrenaline-pumping as anything you'd see on the silver screen, and you're in control. Or dangerously close to spiraling out of control, as Max often is. Despite the length, this is top-quality entertainment.

Thanks to revolutionary ten-man motion captures, the look of 2004 will impress you. This is the first hoops I've played where everyone on the court acts the way they're supposed to.

As a game, though, Celebrity Deathmatch dies a faltering and unfunny death.

Despite its daunting start, in the single-player mode, MMZ2 plays very much like an enhanced version of its predecessor, which is a good thing.

The gameplay is completely unfulfilling, and the game just doesn't justify it by being funny. The television show's humor was always crass, but the game somehow seems grim and dull.

Thanks to revolutionary ten-man motion captures, the look of 2004 will impress you. This is the first hoops game I've played where everyone on the court acts the way they're supposed to.