Solidly designed, solidly programmed, very pretty, and about as close to "Zelda" as PS2 and Xbox will ever get. This one deserves to be a sleeper hit.

The only real knock against Two Towers is its limited replayability. [Feb 2003, p.68]

It can be a little too difficult at times, especially when trying to make finicky jumps on a small screen while, for example, riding a bus. But the balancing issues are confined mostly to the bosses. [Aug 2004, p.91]

One of the fastest, most insane combat-racing games ever devised... If the tracks were a little bit less ambitious or the trick system streamlined for human hands, DD would easily be one of the best games of its type. [Aug 2003, p.78]

Or you could get them and play them again and again the way you play a favorite album, because your $30 will get you two of the funkiest, most charming grooves you'll ever see in videogame form. [Jan 2004, p.90]

The great gameplay and story of Lunar remain intact. [Feb 2003, p.97]

The framerate is also speedy-slick, and your ninjas feel and move as light as a feather. [Apr 2003, p.69]

The slow tracks still outnumber the fast ones; here's hoping the downloadable packages include a few more peppy songs. [Dec 2004, p.132]

Just make sure you tell people you didn't realize it was a Trek game, considering how cool it looks and fun it is to play. [Sept 2003, p.69]

Enemies number in the hundreds along branching paths of glory. [Feb 2003, p.92]

It's fun and impressive, but neither the drama nor the realism will convert anyone who isn't already planning on naming their first-born "Dale."

Although there are plenty of missions to complete and mosters to vanquish, even die-hard D&D fans might struggle to stay awake throughout this game. [Mar 2004, p.84]

After numerous shoddy attempts to bring classic Contra gameplay to a next-gen system, Konami finally gets it right. [Feb 2003, p.92]

Solidly designed, solidly programmed, very pretty, and about as close to "Zelda" as PS2 and Xbox will ever get. This one deserves to be a sleeper hit. [Dec 2003, p.100]

A fairly standard shooter dressed as a visual and aural masterpiece. Sadly unappreciated by the vast majority of the gaming world. [Feb 2003, p.93]

To get the most out of this game, start the expansion pack with a brand-new character. We imported a high-level cleric - Beaverskull Bablicious - from NWN and found Undrentide to be too easy. [Sept 2003, p.76]

Overall, everything feels responsive, scores and stats come out realistically, and the atmosphere just feels right. [May 2004, p.84]

Imagine the leap a game like "Dead or Alive 2" made when it became "3," and you can see the potential being wasted here. [May 2003, p.63]

Takes everything The Two Towers did well and improves upon it in every way.

47 doesn't interact smoothly with his world. His movements come right out of the Max Payne School of Character Animation, with the antihero sliding and gliding across surfaces rather than running...None of this feels right. [June 2004, p.84]

It's difficult to justify the price tag when the single-player campaign offers little lasting value. [Sept 2004, p.84]

It's different than any RPG you've played before, and better than most. [Apr 2003, p.62]

Not nearly as exciting as it sounds. [June 2003, p.70]

Does an admirable job of re-creating the feel of the films. [Feb 2003, p.95]

A totally new game. Unfortunately, it lacks the depth of the other games here, and therefore won't satisfy hardcore baseball fans. [Apr 2003, p.64]

The best board game and card game of this generation, Culdcept features simple, deep, addictive gameplay that's topped off with great four-player multiplayer support. [Jan 2004, p.52]

To be perfectly clear: This is the best 2D fighting game ever made...a 2D fighter fan's dream come true. [Sept 2004, p.95]

A stellar third-person shooter that pulses with feverish invention, A&D welds together top-notch controls, a truly mental plot, and some of the most strategic gunplay to hit consoles in ages.

Like most strategy-RPGs, it's a lot to bite off at once, but it's a fine game for players who know what they're getting into. [Dec 2003, p.86]

It's not baseball. Slugfest is "NFL Blitz" with bats... If you know what you're getting going in, you'll have a blast. [Apr 2003, p.65]

One fine tactical strategy series...It's just too bad that so little has been changed. This isn't Dynasty Tactics 2, it's "DT: Special Edition." [Nov 2003, p.77]

The indisputable highlight of Hit & Run is its hysterical dialogue, voice acted by the show's cast and crafted by the show's writers, but the gamelay doesn't suck by comparison. [Oct 2003, p.70]

The overlooked early gem of the PlayStation's RPG library. [Aug 2004, p.102]

The only knock on the game might be its difficulty. It's a hard world, after all, but the game's target audience (children) might find DESA too tough to master. [Oct 2003, p.70]

A Mario-esque mascot racer. [Feb 2003, p.97]

Fast and frenetic, ATVOF3 is a great title, so much so that we can forgive the occasional restart from behind an unmovable obstacle. [Jan 2005, p.87]

If you want to relive the good old days and hat that your favorite 2D franchises are being recast as crappy 3D shooters, give Hominid a try. [Feb 2005, p.94]

Acclaim made a lot of improvements and did a great job at capturing some of the spirit of baseball, but the actual on-field experience seems a little off. [Apr 2003, p.64]

This more expansive and finely tuned sequel takes all that was great about its predecessor and finesses the formula while losing none of the charm. [Dec 2004, p.108]

Aside from a single heckler who insists that Andruw learn how to spell his name, you only ever hear a light roar—even when the ball is hit. As a result, you simply don't feel all that enthralled.

Like getting socks for Christmas, it's good and comfortable, but not what we wanted. [Feb 2003, p.96]

With great presentation and a fantastic dynasty mode, this is the premier college hoops game this season. [Jan 2005, p.118]

A great realization of Nintendo's much-vaunted connectivity strategy.

With the new modes and new tunes, Extreme feels more robust than other versions of DDR. It's more accessible without neglecting its core audience - fancy footwork to be sure. [Nov 2004, p.118]

Snide voice acting turns cutesy bit players Globox and Murfy into electronic annoyances, and Hoodlum Havoc revels in its lame humor. [Apr 2003, p.68]

Even if the image of the precious Hamtaro in an apple suit makes you cringe, there's a solid game behind the cuteness. [Sept 2004, p.94]

Brilliant graphics, incredibly detailed environments, smart controls, and 30 sinister standalone missions. [Oct 2004, p.120]

And again, boss encounters are both overwhelming and plodding. [Nov 2004, p.127]

The hand-to-hand combat is, despite a handful of unlockable combos, pure button-mashing chaos. There's a clever fight in which you shove your opponent into a fiery stove, but that's the only strategic scrap.

Gory and twisted in ways only the mature freak can appreciate. [Feb 2003, p.71]

With its violence, use of Xbox Live, and deep franchise mode, this title will appeal to both hardcore and casual baseball fans alike. [Aug 2004, p.96]

Taiko: Drum Master's surreal happy-happy smiling drums and their friends are much more charming and should easily win over the hearts of music-loving PS2 gamers across the globe. [Dec 2004, p.132]

The game's frequent puzzles also range from simplistic to mildly frustrating. Fortunately, you'll be finished with the game in a weekend.

Although there are plenty of missions to complete and monsters to vanquish, even die-hard D&D fans might struggle to stay awake throughout this game.

Compared to its predecessor, NFSU2 is more. More city, more courses, more cars, more parts, more style...just more of everything in general. The game is huge. [Dec 2004, p.99]

The hand-to-hand combat is, despite a handful of unlockable combos, pure button-mashing chaos.

A game that moves fast, controls brilliantly, and looks utterly fantastic. [July 2003, p.77]

By upping the number of creatures in a stable, Tecmo has dramatically quickened the game's pace, with only a minimal trade-off in terms of the number of menus a trainer must plod through. [Jan 2004, p.60]

The hand-to-hand combat is, despite a handful of unlockable combos, pure button-mashing chaos.

The game has a bit of a learning curve, and unfortunately, the Practice mode could've been more intuitive, like "Madden 2004's" Minicamp mode.

The game's frequent puzzles also range from simplistic to mildly frustrating. Fortunately, you'll be finished with the game in a weekend.

With its violence, online play, and deep franchise mode, this title will appeal to both hardcore and casual baseball fans alike.

Offers racing thrills that compete with those in full-sized games. [Dec 2004, p.125]

Flight-sim purists will be horrified by SWON's simplicity, but everyone else will be too busy having fun.

Football fans will have a great time with this one (especially with multiplayer), and there's plenty there for nonsports folk. But in the end, this one falls just short of greatness. [Feb 2005, p.88]

So detail oriented and text heavy that it appeals to only the most diehard and, perhaps, anal-retentive. [Nov 2003, p.77]

If "Battle Network 2" was a tasty burrito, Battle Network 3 is a tasty burrito stuffed inside a larger, tastier burrito. [June 2003, p.79]

What's surprising about Outlaw Volleyball is that it plays as well as it looks, like "NBA Jam" on the beach... With its sexual references, tan lines, and gyrating asses, Outlaw Volleyball makes "DOA" looks like McDonald's Playland. [Sept 2003, p.71]

If you're frustrated by "FFTA," this is strategy with training wheels. [July 2004, p.92]

It's a good game, but it lacks the qualities that make the greats - the Marios, Castlevanias, and Metroids - absolute must-haves. [June 2003, p.79]

Despite some well-done presentation and solid controls, major missteps in the level design and entire multiplayer system cause Brute Force to lose all the fun from what should be a great time for you and your friends. [Aug 2003, p.69]

It's the closest any DBZ game has ever come to replicating the insane airborne fights from the show. [Jan 2005, p.114]

The physics engine is dead on: Balls handle as they would on a real table. [Aug 2003, p.80]

It's not baseball. Slugfest is "NFL Blitz" with bats... If you know what you're getting going in, you'll have a blast. [Apr 2003, p.65]

Charging $40 for a glorified expansion pack is a bit pricey, but fans will find everything they love about the original and more. [Aug 2004, p.91]

It's not baseball. Slugfest is "NFL Blitz" with bats... If you know what you're getting going in, you'll have a blast. [Apr 2003, p.65]

Oddly, though, Yuke's employs two separate buttons for blocks when there's clearly no need to use more than one, and it offers no option to modify this scheme. [Nov 2003, p.74]

All the atmosphere is here - the confusion and fear - but beyond that, DFBHD doesn't involve much more than mowing down hordes of mindless enemy drones. [June 2003, p.73]

The stellar visuals and spot-on sound design keep these from being too terribly dull, but clumsy combat and woeful repetition will try your patience.

We keep stumbling onto funky new aspects the more we play it - like the fact that your relationships with your pals in this faux-MMORPG depend on the time you spend with them and the gifts you give them. Just like in real life. [June 2003, p.73]

The experience could have been even edgier if the enemy A.I. was fully up to snuff. [Nov 2004, p.136]

An incredibly deep military flight simulator, Lock On is overwhelming, except to the most die-hard flight-stick jockeys. [Mar 2004, p.83]

The novelty wears off and Konga becomes repetitive, especially without other bongo owners to play against or with. [Nov 2004, p.130]

It's ironic, then, that one of the most striking things you will find on Xbox today is stellar throwback to the halcyon days of 2D gaming. [July 2004, p.87]

These are fantastic (albeit amazingly difficult) games that every RPG should experience. [Feb 2003, p.75]

Easy to pick up and easy to play, a la "Virtua Tennis." [Feb 2003, p.96]

The levels are repetitive, boxy mazes with nothing interesting in them aside from battles, and the story's for fans only. Still, it's a technically excellent and fun game that begins to wear only through repetition and ease. [Jan 2005, p.84]

Snide voice acting turns cutesy bit players Globox and Murfy into electronic annoyances, and Hoodlum Havoc revels in its lame humor. [Apr 2003, p.68]

What it lacks in substance, it makes up for in brilliance, and while we're averse to rewarding style over substance, in this case, we can't really deny the game's addictive appeal. [Feb 2003, p.73]

Like the SAT of videogames, a rapid-fire test of standard videogame skills. From the ability to process onscreen information on the fly to punching the A button like mad, you're drilled on speed, timing, control, stamina, and even intelligence in a couple hundred 5-second games.

It's shamelessly hilarious, leaving no topic or genre stereotype sacred. [Dec 2004, p.110]

Ultimately, however, Manhunt becomes more laborious than shocking. Along the way, the vaunted enemy A.I. turns transparent, detracting considerably from its aura of paranoia.

Clumsy combat and woeful repetition will try your patience. [Oct 2004, p.118]

The best reason to get this is the ability to link with the Gamecube version to transfer items and spells. [Feb 2003, p.97]

All traffic and pedestrians are removed from the game. Fortunately, the capture the flag and tag style modes are plenty entertaining, especially with a larger group. [Aug 2003, p.78]

The emulation is solid, delivering sound and gameplay that's up to par. [Jan 2004, p.86]

Excellent gameplay and some damn-fine GBA RPG graphics. [Mar 2003, p.72]

An otherwise pedestrian city-building game, only Tropico 2's setting salvages it from being a complete shipwreck. [July 2003, p.79]