If the training consisted of entertaining mini-games, then it might not have been such a big problem. But the training is so basic that the computer might as well do the training itself. Oh, wait, I forgot -- it does!

While the aerodynamics of dragon flight and combat tease you almost immediately, the game becomes repetitive quickly enough not to distract you from the plain graphics.

Super Bust-A-Move isn't the deepest game, it isn't as innovative as "Tetris Attack" and it doesn't have as many modes as "Tetris Worlds," but it is still an excellent game.

Next to "Crazy Taxi," this is the best racing/driving game on the console.

If you're playing this after finishing "Splashdown" or "Wave Race: Blue Storm," the graphics don't seem quite as spectacular.

Somehow, THQ has managed to pull of an interesting feat--designing a game that takes a different approach to the snowboarding genre and that is actually quite fun.

If it wasn't for the unfinished feeling to the entire experience, I would have to say Gorasul is a great game for someone looking for something a little different in their RPG titles.

While we were practically salivating to get started on this title, we spent an hour trying to get past the very unfinished feeling graphics and lack of any real depth to the changes included in Small Brawl.

A dynamic, well-crafted combat flight simulator. The action is stunning, and the game is an absolute joy to play.

In all honesty just another military fps/team based game.

It’s a fairly well done one but the controls are not nearly as precise [as "Crazy Taxi"], the moves not nearly as cool and the concept is more stale than Apu's old donuts.

There are some deficiencies in this game – most notably, how to equip a weapon without jumping through all the hoops the game has to offer.

While excellent games in arcade history, it seems as if the GBA translation does not do these great classics justice.

This batch of games will test your hand-eye coordination better than most games today.

One of the things I like about the game is that you can earn coins while at the Grand Prix that you need to purchase upgrades to fine-tune your car.

Aside from the inability to save the level play, the game is a lot of fun.

The cars and tracks are all wonderfully done. The graphics are beautiful and realistic.

This game packs an incredibly well-scripted storyline with puzzles, and outstanding graphics to deliver an intriguing third-person RPG that is a joy to play.

The slow gameplay may not bother everyone, but I guarantee that it will annoy anyone who has played the real version of the game because the difference in speed is very noticeable.

Hands down a classic.

One of the most frustrating games I have ever played...but is also one of the most entertaining. If you don't have any patience, Frequency probably isn't for you.

The dialog is so long and drawn out that it just gets boring. Too much talking and not enough shooting!

The sound track is exceptional. The music is solid, the vocal abuse is crisp, and the sound effects are exactly what one would expect to hear.

There are plenty of action and match modes to forgive the small imperfection in the graphics and controls.

That's the beauty of Tennis Masters Series: beating it doesn't kill your desire to play it again. In fact, it may actually enhance it.

A solid, option-ripe game that translates well to this format. Perhaps the control elements are a little tough, but that is part of the joy and challenge.

It's everything a Star Wars game should be -- exciting, entertaining and breathtaking.

One of the best video games ever made.

Harder to control than it should be. I love both the Xbox and GC controllers (a rarity, since most gamers like one, but hate the other), but Madden was not developed for either of them.

The best thing about All-Star Baseball 2002 is definitely the gameplay.

What I liked best about the game was the ease of play. You didn’t have to fumble through spells to see what works. If a spell could be cast, the appropriate spell would be used automatically.

Knowing the story is a great asset here, but I feel that anyone can enjoy this one. The colors, characters and environment add to the challenge of the quests.

Graphically speaking, this is the darkest game I've ever encountered on the GBA, and I don't mean philosophically! The incredibly dark screen made it a chore to see the characters and backgrounds.

I can't think of any other series which so successfully takes satire and political commentary in such a delightfully twisted and fun way. Oddworld is to bizarre as the Monkey Island series is to humor.

Hardcore gamers will love the high difficulty of the opponents, while casual gamers will be amazed at how many vehicles there are.

Incredibly intelligent AI, a wide selection of well-balanced weaponry and vehicles, and audio/visual to do the Xbox launch justice.

A wild, arcade-style race and fight program that will have gamers twisting and turning in their seats almost as much as the courses twist and turn.

TransWorld Surf isn't all bad, but there are more than a few problems that prevent it from being a really good game.

One of the best games of the year on any system.

The number of things you can do with your parties and characters seem infinite, and it brings a personal feel to the experience that I haven't experienced in a long time...a dream come true for old-school RPGers.

If you really like light-shooters and are looking for something different than a modern setting, you will probably find the game a breath of fresh air.

Sounds simple, and, at first, it seems so, but this game can turn on a dime. What seems like certain victory, or defeat, can be reversed in a second.

Seems, at first, complex, but is in actuality a football fanatic’s dream come true. The game may feature animations that are a little too swaggering, but otherwise well done. And the player AI is incredible.

Fuzion Frenzy is actually worth playing with your friends. Not just for laughs either, but for the entertainment value. It's hard to believe, I know. But this game is a blast.

The Kudos system is one of the most original features ever to grace a racing game. Project Gotham practically created a whole new genre.

It is a challenging program, but lacks a fresh storyline and relies too much on the arcade elements.

Believe it or not, the water in DoA3 is more realistic than the water in "Wave Race: Blue Storm."

A fun and truly original jaunt which breaks the mold of combat racing titles.

The graphics are better suited to a PlayStation or hand-held system, and the audio track is not up to snuff, considering what can be accomplished with this system.

If I had to choose just one, I'd go with NASCAR Thunder. It may not be as realistic, but overall it's more fun to play...However, the unstableness of NASCAR Heat's vehicles heightens the intensity of the experience to levels NASCAR Thunder cannot reach.

This is a terrific blend of arcade-style gaming (as in with the players steaming and bursting into flame) and straight-ahead sports simulation.

The pitch control (sounds like a flight sim, but when you are airborne, that’s what it feels like) is a nice touch, and coupled with solid graphics and sterling sound, makes this a solid driving simulation.)

Stunt GP should have been called Snail GP because the cars move so slow. I don't care if they're supposed to be radio-controlled vehicles or not -- this is a video game, and developers are supposed to take advantage of this virtual world and create fun and entertaining games.

It is both stimulating to the eyes and ears and will have you jumping out of your chair when the fit it’s the shan. The character rendering and animation is top notch.

The most frustrating part of the game is the slow acceleration of the trucks, which as we all know is realistic, but something about barely moving just isn't too fun.

The mission settings are remarkable though, as are the overall graphics and sound in the game, which almost make up for the somewhat cheesy objectives.

This is a wonderfully challenging PC title which should sate the appetites of a niche long neglected - and it even gives you more than you would want by giving it a aesthetically pleasing presentation!

Yes Armada 2 is good, but when it gets bad it’s plain ugly. You gotta love it.

It reintroduces the sometimes forgotten concept of a 10-15 minute learning curve, and has done away with a 200-page flight manual on the basics of aviation.

The unrealistic player movements and lack of AI make this one disappointing.

With the 40 plus new social interactions you have many options when it comes to making and maintaining friends both downtown and in your neighborhood.

The graphics look fine when pulled back, but tend to get blurry the closer you get to the object of the zoom. And there doesn’t seem to be any way to rotate the camera to allow a better view of a single object or citizen.

Instead of endless hours of fun as I had anticipated, I was rewarded with pain and frustration from a game that really has no great strongpoint to offset its' weaknesses.

An intriguing challenge, and one of the better civilization games to emerge this year.

The graphics are virtually flawless, down to the smallest detail - the interactivity with your environment and the attention to detail will have most people playing through multiple times just so they can find every little secret.

While it does add some new concepts to the genre, it still may leave you feeling like it wasn't quite geared up for the power of the Xbox.

This game is smokin’ folks. Galactic Battlegrounds delivers a fast paced action packed Empire stomping, Wookie howling, Rebel Alliance whooping, Jedi slashing, Sith Lord choking good time. Remember it’s all in the Star Wars universe, and it’s all good.

The carnage does fly in this game, only the problem is that it’s all done unrealistically. You won’t believe how easy it is to blow an enemy’s limb off or blow a head clean off even with something as simple as a .44 pistol. And seconds after you kill somebody, the body melts away to nothing.

One thing I particularly liked on this game, and hope to see more of in future releases is a quick save mode. This allows you to stop where you are and quick save before you do something difficult.

Mastering some of the techniques will present a real challenge and the story line and characters are cute and appealing.

The main problem with this game was that it became, at times, very unfair. The enemy armies are able to "grow" opponents much faster than you can create warriors.

The only real sticking point with Spyro is a seeming ultra-sensitivity to the controls.

Like a large pot of soup. The soup makes a great dinner for the first few days, but by the end of the week, it isn't quite as appetizing as it was before.

The first cinematic racing game ever made. It does things that have never been done in a racing game before, things that we're only used to seeing in "Metal Gear Solid."

It could have been better in a couple of areas, graphics, and sound. However, I did enjoy the game, and loved the way it was presented.

The martial arts moves are well rendered, the storyline is passable and the animation is very nice.

Gameplay is not terribly exciting, playing this sim in real time can be extremely tedious, the pace is slow, deliberate, and tense.

A fairly entertaining game. If boxing games are your thing, then you should check it out.

The sound effects are all extremely accurate, whether carving in powder or carving on ice, the noise produced will make you think you're actually on the slopes.

The best racing game of the year..."Gran Turismo 2" and "3" are just as good, but they are definitely not better than Splashdown.

A new way to look at RTS games and a great story that may change how you view those "other" RTS games.

There is a lot of solid game play here, great challenges and a persistent online world that is as intriguing as it is inviting.

The result is a next generation soccer game that is enjoyable to play and more importantly, an accurate simulation of how the game is actually played by the pros.

Any Crash Bandicoot fan would be a fool not to go out and buy this game. I started playing at 2am one night and did not stop until three in the afternoon!

The sound is undoubtedly Burnout's biggest flaw. The music is absolutely horrendous and deserves to be turned off at the first possible opportunity.

This is the best PlayStation soccer game currently on the market. The gameplay, graphics and audio tracks are all superb.

Just slightly above average.

A great new feature is the black market...Now you can take your chances in the black market to trade some stuff you don’t want for the goodies that you do.

Instead of a cute Japanese character I'm forced to look at a Buzz Lightyear reject.

The game also sustains virtually no loading times, despite its faithful recreation of a ambient gothic world. Even with the impressive graphics, the game still runs smooth as silk.

This is a great game for people who want a challenging format. It takes a lot of planning for the missions, and they are not completed easily.

An intense, action-packed game that captures the spirit of the first-person shooter genre in heart-pounding fashion. It is a visual delight – if the blood and gore doesn’t bother you – and a real treat for the ears.

What it lacks in graphics and sound it more than makes up for in concept, difficulty, and yes, nostalgia factor.

This game comes as close to the real 4 wheeling, mud slinging, rock climbing, log jumping experience as you can get without actually climbing into a real 4X4.

You do get a good feel for speed but without any consequence, you can slam a wall at well over 100mph and drive away as if the car was new, no damage at all. That doesn't give you much incentive to learn to do anything but slam the accelerator to the floor.

It’s a game that is very competitive to play, and once the controls are grasped and you can take full advantage of this game then you will be capable of things that would be unimaginable to even the most famous of supercross stars.

A classic in the making, Civilization 3 once again serves up a big plate of turn based gameplay covered in gobs of strategy and tons of choices, this is one that will keep you coming back for another helping over and over again.

Doesn't only look better; it also offers more realistic and fluid game play, along with a currently unequaled multiplayer mode that will keep gamers coming back for more.