It also does a great job of channeling the spirit of the game it's based on, unlike the recent remake of "Shinobi."

A hack-and-slash fest in its most basic, embarrassing form -- and faulty, at that.

While the boys on the screen take their fair share of lumps, ultimately it's the gamer that ends up absorbing the most punishment.

The game sports large creative levels, a unique trick upgrading system, and a killer sound, but whatever innovations the game makes are easily overshadowed by the frustrating controls and the return of the timed run.

A blandly mediocre game.

It never proves itself competent enough to deserve more than a weekend rental.

A collection of three games -- two great and one good -- that isn't up to snuff for a GBA comp cart.

With overly elongated levels, forced backtracking through previously explored stages, and increasingly eye-bleedingly giddy color schemes the further through the game you progress, Altered Beast: GotR is a slightly disastrous attempt to replicate the side-scrolling nature of its source material.

While titles like "Resident Evil" rely on shock value and cheap scares, Fatal Frame genuinely frightens in the worst possible way; slowly and subtly, ebbing away at you like a flesh-rotting disease.

As the great sage Ferris Bueller once said, "I must be honest here, I love driving it. I highly recommend picking one up. [It's so choice.]"

A standard racer... None of the gimmicks it tries really work. You never get a sense of a dramatic underlying storyline.

Doesn't come close to adding that certain something, and doesn't even fix some of the more glaring AI deficiencies that have plagued the game since it was first released.

A solid MMORPG, but feels like it's missing that special spark that will keep you hooked for weeks on end.

Drome Racers' controls are frustratingly floaty, just as they were in Rollcage, and the cars themselves are even floatier, hovering several inches off the ground instead of maintaining contact with "terra droma."

A capable arcade racer crammed with goodies … and a perfect cure for anyone suffering post-"Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4" doldrums.

It's the worst kind of tie-in, combining a feeble license with feeble game design, and expecting gamers to pay $50 for the privilege of suffering through the collective ineptitude.

A respectable effort, but disappointing reminder that when you swap content from platform to platform, something often gets lost in the transition.

It's amazing how well some of these games stand up. Yes, they're absolutely nothing to look at, but the gameplay in a lot of the cases is just as addictive and compelling today as it was 20 years ago.

The interesting Shox Zone system and impressive list of unlockables make it one of the more addictive arcade driving games available.

This terribly trite gameplay would be fine if the title of this software release was called, for example, "Go Dai: Elements of Power," but it isn't.

Even if its technical issues were resolved, you'd still be left with a flawed, boring game design that fails to capitalize on the inherent coolness of its theme and character.

An unexpected technical achievement for the GBA, but that doesn't make it a fun game -- it most decidedly is not a fun game.

A disgrace. The only thing 3D6 Games has succeeded in (besides going out of business) is creating the worst Shinobi game ever, one which will turn away potential new fans and make old ones weep.

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

Remedial action with faint glimmers of fun, wiped out by tedious and insipid gameplay.

The biggest difference between 2K3 and its competition, though, is the game's physics. Players move like they're actually on ice.

The embodiment of third-rate gameplay.

This is the worst of the three versions, if only because the 25-30 frames-per-second romp slows to five fps and judders along for a few seconds before righting itself.