My new favorite game.

While the game certainly has a flair for the illegal, the graphics are just average. Characters all look underworldly, but they also look to remedial and blocky.

It is far and away the greatest title of its kind ever to grace a console system and stands par, if not better, with any PC-based First Person Shooter.

One of the least entertaining things in Half-Life 2 is the weaponry. With the exception of the gravity gun, this game features the same boring weaponry that we've seen time and time again.

The atmosphere still feels tense, but you no longer feel like a helpless victim that has no hope of survival; rather, you feel like an action hero with all the right moves for a Hollywood summer blockbuster, big guns and all.

After the first fight you will see how much time was spent on the details of making the characters look and react as realistic as possible.

It is, without a doubt, the best single-player first-person shooter ever. Period. It is so good for so many reasons. But most importantly, it is fun. I mean really fun.

Personally, I expected to be unsatisfied with the cel-shading but was amazed at the textures and detail that is possible with this type of graphics design.

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that this may very well be the best racing game of all time. Yes, you read that correctly.

If you’re wearing body armor just before you start a new part of the plot, you’ll see your character wearing it in the cut-scene as well. I feel that this effect really adds to the suspension of disbelief in MGS2 and helps it be that much more impressive.

The look and style of both games remain the same, but the visuals look much cleaner. Framerates are much steadier this time around and textures look a lot sharper.

When you take the scope of the entire game into considerations, San Andreas is a real technical feat.

Manages to meld a great story, serious action, and limitless gameplay to produce one of the best games of all time.

The graphics are hotter than ever, and the bump-mapping technology, which gives even simple textures an illusion of depth and reality, looks even better than you could've imagined.

One word of caution though; this game will suck away hours of your life.

With a storyline that drew me in more than most games I’ve played recently, graphics quality that I thought was impossible on my TV, and a cast of characters that amused and delighted, I’ve found a game that I love.

If a 10-inch thick blade rammed through his heart has no effect on him, why should Sin Scissors' demon weapons affect him?

With the lone exception of the commentary, Madden 2002 represents a substantial upgrade from last year’s version and a worthy purchase for football fanatics everywhere, with beefed-up graphics and improved gameplay in several key areas.

A definite contender for the best game of the year.

The detail on the buildings, armor and other characters is just mind blowing. Again, if there was every any question about the $60 price tag, it will be gone within the first 5 minutes of playing.

While those looking for a revolutionary new game may not be entirely satisfied, any serious gamer who can even imagine enjoying this game probably will.

Quake is fun. Quake is cool. Quake is the best game of its type I have ever seen. Quake won't let me sleep at night. However, Quake could be better.

I particularly liked the consistent film noir theme (especially a bit of homage paid to "Casablanca" in Year Two).

Don't buy this game expecting a make over or new game, Advance 4 is the original but why change perfection?

Chaos Theory has an incredibly realistic quality that, when combined with the series' hallmark of incredible lighting and shadowing effects, will easily immerse you into Sam Fisher's world.

EA has struck absolute gold with this title.

Hands-down, the best game I've seen in years...The fantastic design, intuitive gameplay, spectacular graphics, inspired music and sound effects, sheer number of monsters and unique items, and the free Battle.net service put Diablo at a high level of excellence that future releases may never reach.

Not only is the control system comfortable, easy to use, and intuitive, but battling enemies is actually enjoyable. Heck, the more the better.

Without a doubt this is the best Star Wars game created to date. Even those not historically interested in RPGs or Star Wars shouldn't pass by this too quickly as it's rare to find a game executed with this level of quality.

The kicks, punches, and throws all look extremely close to an actual fight with the force of the hit being displayed in such a way that gives you a feel of the power.

This game can be a complete frustration, requiring careful, specific, and tactical gameplay. However, it is more than worth the effort to learn. If you are willing to slug through that, you’ll find an excellent title that will likely end up being one of the year’s best.

It is as addicting as ever and has taken all of the great aspects of the original and expanded on them. You will be playing this game for days, weeks, and months before you will even come close to finishing.

A really fun little piece of skater action, and has a much more forgiving learning curve than a lot of Action/Adventure titles that have been coming out recently.

It may just be the best arcade style online shooter ever made, and it’ll likely only be unseated by next year’s incarnation.

Okami achieves what so many games strive for but most fail to deliver upon by providing an experience that feels lovingly crafted in each of its elements without sacrificing length or originality.

The Gamecube controller is not well suited for a game like Soul Calibur 2. While it has the four buttons necessary to play the game, the sliding grip on the shoulder buttons makes for poor controls of a special attack bound to one of those controls.

Succeeds as a fighting game in so many ways it nearly redefines what makes this genre so much fun.

Another major failing of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the Xbox is the unnatural controller layout, and it's a fault that can't be too heavily attributed to the developers.

Just seems to be a poorly designed port of a rather good console game.

Bland techno or rock riffs are common staples of fighting games, but SCII takes a much more elegant route and utilizes an orchestral soundtrack. Simply put, it works wonderfully. The voice acting is spot on as well.

Not only will you get your money's worth, but you’ll probably still be playing it when "NHL 2003" is released.

It delivers solid gameplay that outperforms its predecessor in almost every aspect.

I literally got the bejeebers scared out of me when I played it during the midnight hour. Any game that gets under my skin like this one gets my seal of approval.

The robust gameplay and detailed graphics of their latest creation make playing this game over and over again a sheer delight.

A groundbreaking historical strategy game, but not because of innovation, rather because of execution...The random scenarios, the multiplayer combinations of 1 to 7 players on each side, and the top-notch AI make this a historical game that has great re-playability.

Those who have enjoyed other Sim-style games will enjoy The Sims, but for others, the game may not differ enough from real life to seem interesting.

What really stands out however is the career mode which is loaded with possibilities. In addition to RPG elements like leveling up, there are plenty of cars and tracks to conquer and an inordinate amount of upgrading to be done both cosmetic and functional.

If I wasn't afraid of the weight of the statement, I would definitely call this the greatest game ever made. Instead, I'll just say it's quite possibly and probably the greatest.

Regardless of whether you’re an aspiring Gen. Douglas McArthur, you are going to love this game.

Boy, did System Shock 2 suck me in and not let me go. It’s been two weeks since I got this game and I look forward to playing it every day.

With solid gameplay, numerous options, and loads of extras, most will find their money well spent. Even the graphics and audio are impressive, leaving little to be desired.

Without a doubt one of the best strategy games I’ve played. Activision has successfully combined full RTS and turn based genres in one game while maintaining the balance between them, putting any serious strategy fan to the test.

If you’re looking for a damn good skateboarding game, on any platform, start here.

Bland techno or rock riffs are common staples of fighting games, but SCII takes a much more elegant route and utilizes an orchestral soundtrack. Simply put, it works wonderfully. The voice acting is spot on as well.

The only reason I did not give this game 100 out of 100, as great as it is, is that it is a sequel. It is not a totally new idea with groundbreaking creativity and originality. Don’t get me wrong, I love this game and it already has my vote for Game of the Year.

Yes, this game slowly creeps under your skin and doesn’t let go.

The smartest, best looking, all around coolest action game -- ever.

Make no mistake about it, this is the game most Civilization lovers have been longing for.

The real stars of the game are the Nazi soldiers. Their reactions and behavior are unparalleled in any other PSX game. Actually, the enemy AI rivals PC games and even exceeds them in some places.

One word of caution, though; if you have a bad neck, stay away from this game. It is virtually impossible to play without bobbing your head or moving some part of your body. You have been warned!

It's a good game, however, just like the original Metroid Prime, and if anything, it's only true weakness is the fact that it's too much like the old game, and doesn't feature quite enough innovation.

Madden NFL 2005 is probably the only game that I think deserves to charge more than it does. It's a game that will give you an entire year of fun in single player, multiplayer, online and off.

A superb football game. The graphics and level of realism are just unbelievable, although the Xbox version is a hair better and framerates seem a tad smoother.

Soaked in detailed graphics and nerve-wracking sound effects, this is a game for the hardcore gamer who wants to be a part of World War II for better or worse.

It may not be as expansive as other real-time strategy games, as it focuses solely on combat, but Myth: The Fallen Lords is bloody, good fun, especially when you move into the multiplayer arena.

It’s evident plenty of time was spent recreating these historic battles and aircraft. The immense amount of detail associated with the control system and interface is evidence of this.

If you are any kind of space combat game fan, don't let this one get away!

Up Your Arsenal has capitalized on what has made the series so beloved: incredible action, outrageous weapons, endearing and humorous characters, beautiful visuals, and everything in between that has made the series stand out in a crowded genre.

I still think this is the GameCube's equivalent of "Halo."

A truly good game, mired only by small weakness and as short of a single player game as has been presented before.

It isn’t every day I manage to find a game with this much replayability, and I think that speaks a lot for the effort and eye to detail that Incog, Inc. put into this game. Excellent graphics, audio, and gameplay all balance to create a truly rewarding game.

It can be frustrating at times, but is always engrossing.

One of those exceptional games where the great gameplay makes up for mediocre graphics and sound.

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.

Although "Wind Waker" could be a huge disappointment, Zelda: Ocarina of Time / Master's Quest won't be.

It’s all rendered beautifully, possessing a realistic quality that will likely be unmatched for quite some time. Animation is incredibly fluid and the attention to detail is impeccable.

The action is fast, fluid, fun, and it never feels like just a big hack-n-slash fest.

With so many different ways to play, tons of secrets to uncover, great graphics, a rocking soundtrack, and the ability to create your own skater and skate park, THPS2 is a high water mark for all 3D accelerated titles.

What Jedi Knight lacks in spark, it compensates for with the oodles of money that a giant like LucasArts can throw into the development process. Add to that good environments, great music, tons of options, solid gameplay, and smooooooth net connections and I can certainly say that fans of the genre won't be disappointed.

The graphics and level of realism are just unbelievable. Although there isn't a world of difference between the Xbox and PS2 version, the graphics are a bit better on the box game and it does support progressive scan.

With a slick combination of pleasing graphics, awesome music, huge environments to explore, and a killer combo control system, the game's replay value flies over the ramp and off the charts.

While I didn’t like it at first, I grew to like the ability to only save your game in the special sanctuaries. Yeah, it makes the game more challenging, but it really fits in with the Castlevania world.

Graphically this game is brilliant. While I can't say that the graphics were jaw dropping for their quality, the motion capture is by far some of the best I've ever seen, not just for the cutscene intro but also in the game play as well.

Call of Duty can be described in one word: intense. There are no complicated mission objectives, no key-fetching to open doors (in fact, there aren’t even any doors to open), no squad-command signals - none of that. It’s all about edge-of-your-seat action, and it’s executed remarkably well.

I was very impressed with the programmers' willingness to try something new and different. It's something that is tough to do when you have a franchise that is as popular as Crash.

Certainly the best racing game out there for the Xbox, what it lacks in high level racing realism it more than makes up for in sheer fun.

This is a much more robust, mature and complex game than the original – leaving you with the impression that this is Will Wrights dream finally realized.

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.

I swear your will I.Q. increase the longer you play it, as you are forced to really experiment and think things through just to get to the next stage. An awesome game with an awesome plot.

At times challenging, and at others simply frustrating, you’ll need keen wits and grace under fire to deal with the obstacles presented in this title.

An excellent game that is well-balanced and addictively fun to play.

Getting used to the controls can be a bit challenging at first, but you will soon be rowing the raft and netting monkeys with ease.

I think 989 Studios did a great job in creating a realistic environment. It is almost like you are playing your own interactive movie.

It has an innovative style, quality design and some elements that have never before been seen in gaming, like the alignment system. It's easily one of the most entertaining games I've played in a long time.

With larger levels, RPG elements, and all around improved gameplay there will be few platform games that will perform at this level.

I was a tad disappointed in the slowdowns but, given the beauty of the game, it was forgivable.

I would buy a GameCube for this game only and not be disappointed. If I never play another game on the system, I already feel I got my money's worth. That is how good this game is.

Offering a compelling mix of solid graphics and college-specific gameplay, along with the best dynasty mode to date -- NCAA Football 2002 is without competition.