While a viable contender for anyone's gaming dollars, The Messenger is best suited for intermediate level detectives. Dedicated play requires a patient mind and hefty time investment, though not nearly so large an expenditure as most adventures demand.

The graphics, however, are the game's strongest suit. Viggo's Revenge sports the same cartoony characters and environments as the DC version, but they have been a tad improved thanks to cell shading technology.

Nothing less than a solid role-playing game with old-school style and flair.

Great graphics and storyline can't quite make up for its lackluster AI and tedious gameplay.

If you're willing to look past some minor gameplay quirks and some initial frustration, "Madden" is a worthwhile purchase.

Great visuals coupled with great atmosphere and music makes this a must-have for fans of the genre.

The high degree of difficulty is matched only by the high degree of bad music.

Scary it ain't, but D2's got its morbid charms.

It's not pretty, and the sounds may drive you batty. However, if you can get past the primitive and cutesy graphics, you'll find a fun and addictive experience that offers an enjoyable--and certainly more cerebral--PS2 experience that's currently unmatched.

Doesn't really add enough that's new to the game, nor does it tweak the gameplay enough to fix some of the problems in "Pharaoh."

A brilliant 3D world overrun by control and camera issues.

Aside from the graphics, the PS2 version of Live 2001 can't hold a candle to its PSX counterpart.

Still the perfect choice for casual fans that want to take some cuts as Manny Ramirez or bring some heat as Randy Johnson, but the lack of any new features is disappointing.

While the learning curve is as steep as some of the game's slopes, patience does pay off in this game, which should appeal to snowboarding fans. Unfortunately, the rest of us will find the game's strict guidelines to reality a detriment.

The empire component, while solid, is a little bit shallow, the AI is weak in crucial areas, and the game is also buggy on some systems.

It's a bit of a step backwards, taking the more exploratory 3D incarnations into consideration. Still, if you're looking for some chaotic old-school 2D side-scrolling mayhem, it's worth checking out.

A good-looking FPS with a huge assortment of baddies, as well as a multitude of impressive environments. And although the action is fairly cut and dry, it is still a shooter's joy while it lasts.

The funny thing is that the makers of this game actually guarantee to improve your real pool game. Speaking from experience, their claim turns out to be true, and spending a good amount of time on VP3 is analogous to attending a billiards clinic.

Deep Fighter ranks only behind the superb "Resident Evil: Code Veronica" in bringing mood to the table.

Serves up a decent game of b-ball, but sluggish gameplay and the lack of a few fundamental options keep it from reaching its full potential.

This was a good, but glitch-plagued game on the PC, and it may be just a little too complex for an easy transition to a console.

I've come to the conclusion that if there is even a glimpse of something with even the tiniest bit of fur on it, peeps will flock to it in droves, and it's to this I also attribute the success of "Basic Instinct."...BR3 is best left to the novice.

For all the complaints you can level at the game--serious though they might be--the fact remains that the combat controls are well designed, and kicking ass in this game is incredibly entertaining.

It's just a matter of personal preference, but I'll take Alex Trebek over the You Don't Know Jack pinhead any day. At least the free bag of microwave popcorn that comes with the game was good.

The bugs are inexcusable, but when it comes to baseball, there just isn't any other game that comes remotely close to being this deep and endlessly replayable.

What? That's it?...The above text is not a direct quote from my last date, but rather my initial reaction to finishing this fun, but brief, expansion pack.

Going about 600 scale miles per hour it is nearly impossible to discern what's going on with your gauges, not to mention the fact that it's really tough to know when you're about to destroy yourself...Only the most jaded of Wipeout players will feel cheated by purchasing this game and even they'll secretly have fun.

If you're a big Star Trek fan, you'll enjoy this game immensely. If you're not, you'll still enjoy this game, but some of the more subtle nuances will be lost on you.

Perhaps the freakiest, most outright offensive title since "Panty Raider," this no-brain child of development house Xilam proudly touts its own immaturity, Fred Durst-style. Technically, that's why you'll have such a blast playing the sucker despite a few glaring flaws.

Such a pleasure for longtime fans. The series keeps getting better, rather than rotting like the game's antagonists and citizens of Raccoon City...What makes Nemesis better than the previous installments is the improved interface.

I actually think GigaWing 2 is a great game in many ways, but it is so short it makes even the super-low $20 price tag look steep.

The bottom line is that NASCAR fans will be pleased, and others won't be completely bored out of their skulls.

Worth checking out simply for its quirky faux contemporary rock theme song.

Some console role-players might just find this style of deep preparation and chess-like battle sequences too sluggish. Strategists who have been truly bored by trying to play "Panzer General" or even "X-Com" on a TV screen, however, will appreciate how much lush graphics, soundtrack, and effects can goose up a wargaming system.

A good three to four hours of fast-paced fun if you take the time to find the secrets, thus making it perfect for a weekend rental.

"Heavy Metal" magazine is known, well known in fact, for way-over-the-top action, violence, and gore... There is none of that here.

The combination of the beautiful visuals, awesome sound effects, simple control, and hysterical power-ups really makes Looney Tunes Racing an enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, the whole thing is noticeably short-lived.

Even more tragic is the fact that there is no way for you to turn the tables and play as the Arachnids. I don't know about you, but I wanted to be the first kid on my block to suck a human brain out of a skull with a three-foot long proboscis.

I'd only give NFL Quarterback Club 2001 a look if John Madden's voice drives you into homicidal fits of rage.

If you liked the first one and are bored its levels, this game is perfect for you. If you never got a chance to play the first one and want a solid trick-based game for the PSX this, too, is a great choice.

Staggering amount of customization, a virtual fleet of licensed vehicles, and an effective cross-platform online experience that gives a whole new meaning to the words "replay value" for a console game.

Although a brief new Age (Rime) with additional puzzles and subtle foreshadowing of the Riven sequel has been added as an ending bonus, it's not really enough of an incentive to play MYST over again.

If you're looking for your first PSX golf title, this is the game for you. But if you're a veteran PGA Tour player, the 2001 edition of the series may not be worth the upgrade.

Ridiculously long load times. Even with added structure, gameplay eventually goes stale.

This career mode-intensive cycle-racer does a great job of taking gamers through a variety of Ducati-brand bikes (new and vintage), along with plenty of impressive challenges and races.

But if you subject the actual gameplay to any real scrutiny, you'll see all sorts of cracks that mar the game's beauty.

Amusing and might be fun for a couple of days, but there's not much here to hold your interest. If, on the other hand, you're an adult and a big fan of "Quake" or "UT," and you have a young sibling, relative, or child that you'd like to play games with (minus the graphic violence and gore in most games), this is a great game to try out.

The game's lack of speed and overwhelming number of moves make it less of a draw for non-fans, but fans will be thoroughly floored.

It's got scary atmosphere, decent graphics, excellent sound, great dinosaur enemies, ominous locales, and plenty to do. If you've already played through the PlayStation version, there's little reason to run out to get the Dreamcast rendition.

This is creepy in a really bad way.

Though exceedingly difficult, this title's still a rollicking good time.

I wouldn't qualify it as mind-blowing in any particular way, but each of the game's component parts is solid.

Part of the pleasure in playing Sheep is just experiencing its originality and sense of humor.

While it has nothing on "Marvel vs. Capcom,"" Mutant Academy" plays uniquely enough to warrant a chance from fighting game aficionados, as well as from X-Men fanatics, old and new.

Final Fantasy VIII has been called an epic game. And it is, if epic means "boring."

Certainly a feast for the eyes, but questionable AI and control issues keep it from instant-classic status.

The novel point scoring system makes for intense play.

The gaming equivalent of a four-day candy and soda binge: nothing substantive, you know it's terrible for you, and you'll hate yourself afterwards. In fact, you hate yourself while it's going on, but it's such tasty junk that you just can't stop.

Has it turned out to be everything fighting fans had hoped and dreamed of? In a word, no. But the game is still a good fighter.

The game's depth and challenge factors are found sorely wanting. But what's on display isn't bad, remains perfectly replayable, and outfoxes the competition by a long shot.

A silly little action shooter that takes a smidgen of brainpower and a tongue placed firmly in cheek to fully appreciate.

Innovative gameplay, clever level design, and an abundance of mini-games serve to spice up an otherwise generic experience.

In essence, the closest motorcycle fans are going to get to a bike version of "Gran Turismo."

The typical fashion model hangs out on the French Riviera and wears a slinky black dress with a fancy designer name on it. The typical RPGer eats a lot of french fries and wears a size XXL black T-shirt with a crewmember of the USS Enterprise on it. These similarities were not lost on From Software.

If a game doesn't bring anything new to the table, one must wonder why the developers even bothered in the first place.

Maybe the best entry in the all-too-often disappointing "Star Trek" category.

The PS2's first college hoop game doesen't blow the roof off the arena.

After spending some time in front of the tube playing this game, I was left wondering, "Is that it?"

Given the sordid history of Looney Toons games, it's simply enough that this duck doesn't suck.

It's the second-best RPG on the Dreamcast, and is surely a fantastic second helping that satisfies that next-generation RPG hunger that's only just been alleviated by "Skies of Arcadia."

The game is repetitive, no doubt, but there are enough challenges to make it worth a sitting or two.

My only major beef with the DR2 is that the problems of unit pathfinding that plague just about every other strategy game are alive and kicking here as well.

A stress buster with mindless fun.

Has everything an F1 fan could desire. But for experts it may be a little too easy, and for outsiders it's just not as fun as some of the other racing games out there.

Die-hard point-and-clickers may be turned off by the lack of any real brain-busting puzzle action, but an engaging plot combined with terrific graphics and sound should make up for these shortcomings.

A solid--albeit brief--game. However, because of the game's flaws, it makes a prime rental candidate.

A mixed bag. And it definitely isn't for everyone. If you want a serious NASCAR sim and are willing to put up with some very schizophrenic graphics, this is your game.

Dozens of magical rings will have you wishing you had more than ten fingers, but the poor enemy AI will have you occasionally flipping one of them at your screen.

GunBird's the word, standing out as one of the best finger-crampin' exercises since the Rubik's Cube.

All in all, this is another fine addition to the genre, but how many can one gamer take?

If you can get past the over-sensitive controls and find a vehicle or two that you like, then there's a lot of mindless fun to be had here.

What could have been a groundbreaking title has been reduced to an exceptional weekend rental.

An entertaining, mission-based driver with hilarious commentary and fairly engrossing gameplay. This is definitely a sleeper hit for the aging PlayStation.

After spending a week tiring of this title's company, memories of the countless frustrations encountered are also taken away from the affair.

Despite there being 13 different racers, all the characters seem to have the same abilities and driving styles.

The 24 mini-games that make up the whole present a pretty good cross-section of every gaming style imaginable. They're all handled well.

More an interactive movie than a game, RE2 looks pretty but lacks challenge.

Players expecting next-generation gameplay to accompany the update in the graphics may find themselves a bit disappointed. But if mind-numbing powerslides pulled off in polygonal heaven is your thing, then RRV does indeed fire on all cylinders.

Great-looking models of some of the coolest planes ever made. Easy to jump right in and start blasting.

One of the most intriguing blast-a-thons in recent memory.

You get the feeling that the voice work was done by people that roll their R's when ordering the "Burrito Supreme" at Taco Bell.

It's a shame that the developers didn't polish "Rally Challenge 2000" a bit before they sent it out the door, because it has a really cool racing engine at its core.

If you are a World War II buff or a strategy enthusiast, by all means take PGIII for a cruise, but if you want variety and visual stimulation from a game, search elsewhere.

Like a mixture of "Mario Kart" and "Motor Toon GP," RC Revenge Pro's pint-sized racing terrors are armed to the teeth, delivering a totally lighthearted, fun and competitive racing experience.

But if you move through the settings from easy to normal to hard to very hard, you've got a challenging shooter that is as graphically appealing and fun as any out there--except, of course, for "Radiant Silvergun."

Even with its flaws in gameplay mechanics and visual presentation, Capcom's port of Resident Evil 2 is a thing of beauty, preserving the euphoric atmosphere of a game that no other gaming company has been able to duplicate to date.

Has some arguably unique approaches, but seems to be lacking many of the checks and balances that would reign said approaches in from out-of-control excesses to interesting novelties.

For the first time, a mech-style game makes you feel like you're actually inhabiting the suit, not controlling it from afar.