What promises to be a “race through Tokyo’s traffic-filled streets” is actually a race down a featureless gray highway that can barely manage to put two cars on your screen at once, one of them being your opponent.

Black can be summed up in one phrase. One dimensional. It plays like a great action movie, with a few problems, and literally doesn't give you anything but that.

The bottom line is if you’re a turn based gamer (it’s 3:00 AM and you’re telling yourself again, "Just one more turn..."), Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords is not something you are going to pass up easily.

The graphics and audio do give a respectable performance that most will be satisfied with and RF Online does a great job setting up a game that has potential. The tedious nature of the gameplay however may leave the more casual fans of this genre out in the cold.

It is fun to blow stuff up for a while, but with a bit longer, this game could’ve been much much better.

Simply put, there just isn't enough here.

It has all the right ingredients to make for an enjoyable 30+ hour adventure, and if you’re willing to overlook a few of its flaws, it’s one of the better RPG experiences you can have on your PS2.

It’s too short, too frustrating, and too unpolished to warrant a look over, awesome monkeys or not.

While Ape Escape 3 provides for an entertaining time, its age is showing through, even with the charming sheen a large army of monkeys helps create.

If you enjoy a good bit of puzzling, you’ll likely be able to play this game without much frustration.

Intensely frustrating, rewarding, and challenging, Dead or Alive 4 is not a game for those of us with short attention spans, anger management issues, or serious over competitiveness.

In everything but gameplay, this game is basically standard fare.

The most appealing aspect of this game is also its most hindering. Unlike previous AC titles, this time you can leave your hands in your pocket, and let an AI control your mech for the duration of all of your battles.

For the love of all that is holy, stay away from this game, it’s one of the worst examples of use of license out there.

The fact that I can’t give you a numerical value for 'annoying game design', I’ll have to settle with saying this game is Not Recommended.

Featuring the same combat system from Warrior Within, and best of all, a completely new and inventive narrative, Prince Of Persia: The Two Thrones is a sequel worth playing.

I certainly would be extremely unimpressed if it was on a console.

Just about every gamer I know could benefit from a bit more physical activity and this is a fun way to do it.

The graphics aren’t going to wow you either with less then impressive textures, animations, and just plain graphical quality. The audio follows suit with scripted voice acting and a lack of sound effects that would make WWII come to life.

This game is like having a good burger. It might not be quite a meal in and of itself, but done well, it is truly one of the best things you could have.

The true travesty in Quake 4 is the multiplayer functionality. Almost regressing, Quake 4 only supports 8 player multiplayer games, doesn’t support game browsing, and generally takes forever to get you into a ranked game match.

This is old school arcade racing right down to the shiny looking graphics. After playing "Need for Speed Most Wanted," I missed the obstacles such as oncoming traffic and hidden shortcuts.

So satisfying is the experience, that you’ll forget that some of the multiplayer levels aren’t laid out that well, either being way too big, or sardine tiny.

Without multiplayer, this game is great. With multiplayer, it’s amazingly fun. Definitely worth getting.

One of the most nicely immersive titles I’ve seen.

There isn’t so much gameplay here that you can’t beat it in a couple of days, and the fact that the levels aren’t completely free open really reduces the game’s sense of scale.

Everything is gorgeous from the city streets to the cars themselves, it’s definitely eye candy (at least running at 1080i).

Visually, Gun is one of the prettiest looking titles I’ve seen in terms of quality of design.

All in all, the biggest flaw in this game is that it’s a really sparse on game options, making it an extremely light gaming experience.

Golf fans will eat the title up and love doing it, but for the casual player, it may be too lacking in its final product.

It’s a little disappointing that the feature set is so thin but it does depend on what you were planning to get out of it.

In the end, the best thing that I can say about Amped 3 is that it’s fun, and simply has enough to do to keep you entertained for a good long time.

Everything from the fully licensed vehicles to the cracks in the road surface scream NEXT GENERATION!

IF you are not concerned with these other options and are looking for a game to play against you buddies on or off-line, you should be pretty satisfied.

This is definitely one for the mystery and adventure gaming crowds, but may quickly become a novelty for gamers of other genres.

Your classic RPG in shiny packaging, brand-new packaging.

There’s a whole heaping ton of unlockables, a really awesome wifi multiplayer feature, including Infect the World mode (where you infect players you beat who infect other players you beat, and so on), and the game is even nice enough to unlock all of the cutscenes and audio clips.

Once you start capturing criminals, I found there are some pretty decent mini-games through the EyeToy.

If you are passionate about your games then you cannot afford to miss what is arguably one of the three best Xbox titles ever made. Get it now.

Entertaining throughout, but rarely exceptional.

If you're still charmed in the slightest by the Dance Dance Revolution franchise, then Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 3 will likely put a big grin on your face, and if you're anything like me, it'll complement those unstylish dance moves just fine.

Personally, I would have liked a slightly more complex gameplay but what’s here works well enough.

First, I had a problem actually singing and performing the songs well, and second, I managed to cheat my way through most of the songs by humming really loudly.

What Karaoke Revolution Party does offer is a new diverse song selection with around 50 songs with the potential to download many more and hours of party entertainment.

To get the full effect of Gun, the side missions are a must as the game can be ripped through rather quickly without them. Take your time, enjoy the experience and story, and you'll be glad you did.

The pack in mic that comes with the game is pretty sharp and sturdy, although it's not like you have a choice since there aren't any alternatives on the GameCube.

There’s a level of immersion that’s created flawlessly through the often sharp visuals and impeccable sound, and if I weren’t the observant type, I’d be sure I was in the Matrix myself.

I love how this game makes my surround sound system hum and you would do well to purchase the fiber optic cable if your home theatre can accommodate it, the difference is astounding.

This game is downright awesome. It is fun to play, lasts you a good ten hours or so, and with the addition of various unlockables and other options, it is worth playing again.

Those that have been turned off by overly complex space sagas will really enjoy this perfect, “beer and pretzels” style title. Highly recommended for those who miss the simplicity, yet complex nature of the old Star Control titles.

I can’t really say I enjoyed anything about this game. It is completely normal for a franchise title, anything based on a film or TV property, and although I wish it weren’t true, I can’t recommend this game to anyone.

Shows some promise with their Life mode and the graphics could even be overlooked but the control interface needs some work.

Hits the right notes all around, providing a fun, action-packed experience. If it were only a bit longer, it'd earn the highest marks, but as is, it's worth a rental, if not more.

Incredibly simplistic gameplay.

Perhaps we missed something but the two games we were able to pursue in the time allotted both ended at apparent dead ends. We had very little incentive to sit through the dialogue yet again to explore other paths.

The plot is decent and falls in line with the complicated show, but the gameplay and in-game graphics easily slip below the acceptable line.

In the end, what makes SC3 stand out is the great replayability that it contains.

Detailed textures, weather effects, realistic explosions all put together a solid performance. The only issue I had was some slow down issues when too much was going on.

At first glance, this quirky little game captures the look and feel of the Shrek films well, but you’ll soon see that looks can be deceiving, once you crack into this little rotten nut.

The cut scenes are genuinely funny, with the franchise's trademark fairy tale humor and wit are constantly at play.

If these are the types of games we can expect to see coming to the PSP, Nintendo is going to see their market dwindle away.

Vietcong 2’s weak single player is balanced out by a fun, diverse multiplayer experience. It’s not Counter-Strike, but it has a gritty, small world feel to it that will appeal to the multiplayer fans out there.

Every bit as fast and furious as the original, this game kicked my ass.

It is possible to lose track of the hours spent tending to your zoo. In our view, this is the base measure of a successful strategy game.

With 24 campaign missions and endless replaying online, unless you have an aversion to RTS games you’ll want to give it a try.

With a simple interface, very very light narrative, and some of the best boss fighting I’ve ever seen, I loved Shadow of the Colossus.

Ambitious almost to a fault, which is a bit of a shame since the core of the game, while conceptually promising, just didn’t get it right.

On the PSP, it really shines, offering up a portable dungeon hack that matches its consoles counterparts in just about everyway -- something you can rarely say for a PSP port.

Unfortunately, the only thing I can say that really held true for my gameplay experience is that THAW didn't stand out to me.

If your stomach is strong and the "Evil Dead" movies are your thing, this should be right up your alley.

Tough call, but I do know that there's more then enough here for pure fans of Tony Hawk games.

The audio, however, really shines above all else, with a replicated soundtrack and absolutely superb voice acting by many of the original actors who starred in the film.

FEAR is an unqualified success in my opinion, as it creates a good, stressful, horrific environment that doesn’t quite jump you out of your seat as creep you out.

So overall it's a buy, except possibly for those who might find the apparent wishful-thinking anti-Americanism of the setting disturbing (It depicts Washington DC as a post-nuke grease spot with a ruin of the Washington Monument in the middle.)

This is an ambitious series of games targeted and, who knows, if they do well enough, maybe later versions will add a hint of a third dimension.

The fighting system is remarkable with a number of combo potentials and variety of moves that keep the combat from getting old.

I think SOCOM 3 is a bigger jump forward then the second one was, but with the graphics engine of the PS2 at its limit, I can only hope to see a much better looking SOCOM 4 on the PS3.

Quake 4 is fun. It’s not the evolutionary or revolutionary kind of fun, but it’s kind of old school FPS fun that the Quake series helped usher into the gaming world.

And I don’t have to tell you all that when a game looks as bad as this one, it really makes it a stretch to keep playing.

Not something that is going to impress anybody. Hardcore fans of the series may enjoy the humor and story line some but even they might feel less then satisfied after their purchase.

The game still suffers in gameplay because you’ve got to micromanage your population, telling people to go forth and do things one at a time, but at least your metropolis gets to be inhabited by a populous and intriguing people.

The game has a strong storyline and screams play me.

Gretzky NHL ’06, in just about every way, is a spitting image of its big brother counterpart on the PlayStation 2. It suffers the same flaws but it also has the same achievements, though the former outweighs the latter.

A middle of the line squad based game that fans are going to get enough out of. Others won't be as impressed and may not make it through.

Worms 4 Mayhem won't rock your world with its refinement and it won't keep you on the edge of your seat with excitement, but it's certainly an entertaining and interesting diversion, if nothing else.

A surprisingly enjoyable title that blends the sensibilities of old school arcade games with the complexities of modern gaming, making for a title that’ll likely please just about anyone, gamer or not.

The lack of quality in this game, its very short and simplistic play, and a slightly higher than 'really cheap' price point serves to, in my opinion, produce a game that isn't worth purchasing.

The overall feeling I got after playing this title was “what could it have been”.

If your old DDR game needs a song update along with some new features, give it a shot.

The graphics are dull and dingy and the audio isn't anything to write about. I suppose if you are a huge fan of stealth games, it might be acceptable but give it a rent first.

What started out as a linear platformer with strong stealth action aspects has transformed into a sprawling platformer that still has the stealth aspects, but so much more.

Even with its difficulty problems, the only really bad thing I can say about this title is that its way too short, and there’s way too little to do.

The graphics are solid and set the right tone, the story line will keep you playing to the end, and the gameplay will keep your Spidey sense tingling.

It doesn’t stand out. There’s nothing here to get excited about, as the gameplay is standard fare, and like many Capcom games, your ears are gonna bleed when you hear the voice acting.

There’s precious little to be said about an expansion pack, but I was really happy with Dawn of War, and I’m really happy with Winter Assault as well.

Fits the inverse of the corollary “Good graphics don’t always make good games”. Simple, easy to use, addicting gameplay will make this otherwise ugly duckling of a game appeal to the strategy fiends out there.

An excellent adventure title for those of us who haven’t had a good adventure game in sometime, and with but a few small tweaks, this game engine could produce many fine adventure games.

You can tell the amount of love poured into this game, it really shows. An excellent title for anyone who enjoys adventure games, especially those who like the less linear feel that Fable has to offer.