After spending 20+ hours with this game I have no qualms calling it the best action platformer of 2004. It’s just so insanely polished, beautifully designed and amazingly addictive that it’s a wonder that it took me this long to review it.

The sound design is bad, Plan 9 From Outer Space Bad, meaning that it's so bad to the point that it's unintentionally hilarious. Without a doubt, this is the most memorable soundtrack of the year, but for all the wrong reasons.

The biggest problem with the game, however, is the repetition. After the first few missions, most of the game settles into "kill monsters, build town, repeat."

It’s a good game but it doesn’t try to do anything to make the series better, everything is simply re-treading old ground.

It does offer you a new twist on the genre, but it’s not necessarily one everybody will like.

Nice touches are strewn about the game such as dust clouds that arise in the wake of your characters, bright visuals that can blind a cat and my favorite, minute versions of your characters by the energy bar that mimic your character's current actions.

With a robust story mode, a deeper grappling system and the addition of online play, this is the best wrestling game available today.

The fighting is pretty straightforward, and once you get a few power-ups, even that becomes simply routine.

What you have here is the most polished, feature-laden, action-packed Grand Theft Auto title to-date. I've had my qualms with the franchise in the past but this is the first time that I was able to sit back, shut off my brain and enjoy the experience.

Rhythm games usually wear out their welcomes after a few weeks, but Taiko’s hands-on addictiveness provides months and months of wholesome family entertainment.

Even though I found myself somehow drawn in when I played, it often felt more like work than play.

They play upon an RPGers Pavlovian response toward barrel-bashing and rat-hunting, manifest one of the genre's most unforgettable anti-heroes, dutifully employ intelligent scriptwriting, and make it all a very enjoyable chord.

Be aware, however, that OutRun2 is very loyal to its ancestry, so if you’re expecting all the latest bells and whistles in a console racer, you will be disappointed.

You'll find the solid arcade golf game you've been looking for, but not a whole lot more.

Adults will hate the characters so much they'll probably never get past the second world, whereas the children will be turned off by the games dark look and steep challenge (especially towards the end).

This title just doesn’t have the longevity to get my recommendation.

The single-player aspect is decent but it gets much better if you have a friend around. That's because the developers wisely decided to include single-system co-op for the entire game. You and a friend can play through the entire campaign, split-screen style.

It’s not groundbreaking, but the intense action and decent mission structure will allow you to shut your brain off and have a great time.

It’s not a bad game per se, but it’s just got a lot of nagging issues that make it almost a chore to play.

Even for those not willing to hop into gaming’s “kiddy pool,” come on in: the water’s fine.

Even for those not willing to hop into gaming's "kiddy pool," come on in: the water's fine.

Playing these old games really gave me some perspective on the progress we've made in games since these were initially released. Midway has also priced this collection aggressively and at $1 a game you really can't beat the bang for your buck.

Even for those not willing to hop into gaming's "kiddy pool," come on in: the water's fine.

If you can turn your mind off for a couple of hours you'll have a great time with the third Law & Order installment.

A messy experience that just isn't any fun. The graphics look fine and the control is generally pretty good, but you've been here before with far better games.

If you’ve ever been a fan of the franchise you owe it to yourself to at least rent it. What starts out as a weekend rental just might turn into your next yearlong obsession.

I wish the fighting system was a little tighter and didn't feel so much like button mashing, but generally speaking, this is a step in the right direction for Mortal Kombat.

A fascinating real-time strategy game that will completely immerse you in the action.