Relying too much on its past as other more advanced games pass it by, the series is fast becoming one for diehard fans only.

It’s like playing with Hot Wheels when you’ve grown up with Matchbox racers. Variety aside, there’s not much in the way of style.

The game has no direction or purpose, and its one of the few games that seems so dull on the PlayStation 2.

Best of all, the enemy's AI is fairly ruthless and will put up a good fight.

Once you get the hang of things, Wetrix can be an addictive and fun puzzler. Don't feel bad if you can't be bothered to dip your toe in, though - you won't be the only one.

If you’re expecting the latest in 3D graphics and CD-quality sound, you’re going to be disappointed. Besides the extra cinematic scenes made especially for this release, this plays, looks and sounds just like a 16-bit SNES game.

If cars really behaved like those in VP, the carnage on our nation's highways would immediately result in a national speed limit of 15 to deter the sort of fish-tailing, wildly over-steering behavior exhibited in this game.

This radical departure adds a level of depth to the series as a whole - MM fans should pick it up out of loyalty - anyone who's not a hardcore fan should let this one settle back into the big blue.

Except for deathmatch mode it's really no different than any other space sim, and the controls are much too difficult. Otherwise, though, it's well-executed and solid, if a bit too familiar.

Plays little more than an interactive "Choose Your Own Adventure" book.

This one is just for the old-schoolers who want to remember when gaming was a niche and not a business.

The most interesting thing about the game is its very nice looking 3D engine.

Somewhat less than the sum of its parts, StarLancer just doesn’t provide anything we haven’t seen before.

The mechs are slow and ponderous, the missions linear, and the controls complicated.

Even though small additions have been made, you'd be better off waiting for THPS3.

Too short and not polished enough.

Far from an awful game due to its relative depth and difficulty. It just doesn’t do anything we haven’t seen before.

There's nothing all that special about the units or the missions, and there's absolutely no innovation to the gameplay itself.

No big surprises here, from level design to weapon selection. A complete retread of yesteryear's game play.

It’s not bad (like "Green Rogue" bad), but it’s certainly not 3DO’s best game (like High Heat Baseball 2002 for the PC).

Plagued by nagging glitches and cumbersome controls, MLB 2002 nevertheless delivers one of the better hardball experiences on the PSOne.

This game ultimately rises above average with equal parts charm and challenge, qualities that have been missing from the 2D side-scrolling titles of late.

It's a game for Chan fans: everyone else would do better with "Final Fight One."

They score major points on style, definition, and realism in movement. But points get taken away for the sparse look and sound effects.

Where World Driver Championship fails is in its handling. It looks like the developers have studied at Namco's driving school as every one of the 30 cars on offer handles like the treads have disappeared from the tyres.

The game is fun to watch (and that's mostly what you'll be doing) for a couple of hours, but beyond that the repetitive pre-scripted cut-scenes and ease of play will leave you bored.

Graphics alone can't make up for blunt, repetitive gameplay and a grating soundtrack.

Lack of courses and players are a real deterrent. However, the depth of the game engine is enough to keep die-hards entertained.

Within two hours we beat every Championship mode, and made it through ten of the arcade matches, where we were quickly squashed by the cheap AI. It's a shame, because we were having so much playing up until that point.

Slowly becoming the Utah Jazz of console sports franchises -- produces enough so that you can't ignore it, but possesses neither the flash nor the innovation to beat the younger competition in the ratings game.

It seems cliché to say it, but there's just not much new here, and what is new (the higher difficulty) is not welcome.

If you've never played Quake on any machine before, this is one of the best versions available this side of the original PC game.

A great effort, but when compared to games like Turok or Golden Eye, it falls short. With glaring problems in the multiplayer modes, it's hard to see Duke Nukem 64 being taken seriously as a contender in the 3D shooter category.

The most glaring drawback of gameplay is that there's no effective radar/tracking system to point you towards your remaining enemies, especially when they're out of range.

Its anime influences also feel forced and plagiaristic. Overall, this is one of the bigger disappointments this year.

It may be short on imagination and long on Disney, but it’s not a bad game for kids. Action gamers may find Atlantis a bit lost.

Despite a fairly impressive game speed even with eight riders, Supercross is a headache-inducing eyesore.

It's a little better than last year's game, and the play editor helps, but you've seen this, and done this, before.

It's a lot of fun if you weren't expecting much.

Black Kat is like me first marriage, aye - fun for a few hours, and then as slow a death as you never want to witness, matey.

Nostalgia freaks and curious geeks could use the history lesson that this disc teaches - it's an emotional purchase.

A walk down memory lane with one of the better platform games of the early days of the Super NES and Genesis.

It's more like a reworking of "Prince of Persia."

More likely to drive you insane than put you to sleep, counting these Sheep is a treat for die-hard puzzle gamers.

If DW3 was the video game equivalent of "Braveheart," then Kessen II is Kuroswawa's "Ran" -- just a little more meat in your dish.

A relatively solid, if unspectacular, first effort for the F1 Championship series on the PS2 that plays pretty realistically. On the other hand, there's nothing here that a casual racing fan would find immediately compelling.

It's not the most innovative game, and actually copies a block or two from other puzzle games, but the repetition gets endearing after awhile.

A decent kart racer that never makes full use of its license and falls a bit flat in gameplay.

Pro BMX was a solid game on the PS One – this should have been just as solid.

Just too easy, too short, and too busy visually. It’s initially quite an impressive looking and sounding game, but you know the saying about looks being deceiving.

A well-rounded, challenging game without much flash or innovation.

With the addition of min-games like First and Goal, Blitz is destined to become a party favorite, but don't expect a lot more than last years game.

Batman Vengeance had a hopeful start, but the controls, cameras, and crappy graphics make this bat look like a rat.

A fairly dry, emotionless golf simulation that’s competent in execution but lacks inspiration.

You never really escape the feeling that you've played all of this before - twice, in fact... As for people who just like to drive around and cause mayhem, we've got one word for you - "Driver."

The two biggest knocks against Confidential Mission are the aforementioned lack of real innovation and the game’s short length. You can finish the game in about fifteen minutes.

Although not the stellar accomplishment that "Splashdown" was for the Atari label, it's still a solid effort, and a good choice for fans of motocross.

Uneven pacing, clunky interface and mismatched visuals undermine the game's potential.

Can’t live up to its big brother on the PS2, but don’t let that stop you from playing it, especially if you’re a NASCAR fan. It’s fun, exciting, and very playable, but its hard to keep people who’ve seen the Sistine Chapel to appreciate graffiti.

If you want something more advanced for your Advance, pass this fossil up.

It's just that Bungie was obviously trying for an ambitiously epic, innovative game with a distinct style and a hip, futuristic plot, and almost none of those new and unique elements work well.

Pretty vanilla, as RTS goes.

What it lacks in the variety of teams it makes up for in the variety of options.

If you think of it as "Road Rash" up close and personal (and want to see a game like that), then go ahead and break these balls.

The objectives in the game go from too easy to patience-busting hard, and that's a shame, because if there was consistency in the objectives, the game could have headed in another direction.

It has solid graphics, fairly good sound, but flawed driving mechanics that ultimately bring the game down.

Long on ideas but well short on design and execution -- a game that for the most part looks as good as originally promised, but with some shoddy controls that almost ruin the experience.

Of the two "last-gen" versions of this game out there (N64 and PSX), this is the better one. It pales in comparison to the PS2 and DC versions, however.

A good puzzle game that too often repeats itself and never shows the edge it needed to stay ahead of the game.

It’s a repackaged version of the original. A few new levels aren’t enough to give this game a proper fun factor score – if you’ve played before, you’ll be disappointed.

The odd nature of the story and world is a change of pace (now there's an understatement) from the rest of the pack, and this one is probably worth checking out.

Brevity is what kills this game. It's not impossible to play through the whole game in under an hour, and some of the side games, like a 2-player head-to-head game, just don't seem to extend the fun.

The game is not there for the amusement or entertainment of the general public - it's a special, silly game reserved for true aficionados of the Simpsons. Count us in.

It's not as good as Shaun Palmer or Tricky, but it does a good job of extending the playability with the mission-based levels.

Dogged by its short length, unlimited continues and past-due graphics, this shooter barely scrapes by the mediocre mark.

Great graphics, excellent sound, and solid controls are all offset by a game that’s over before it started. This one is way too short.

The Roseanne of racing games. Some may say it has substance, but man, is it ugly.

In order to even get out of the gate, you really have to like snowmobile racing.

It's almost impossible to ignore the game's graphical flaws -- specifically, its propensity to suddenly switch from high-res to low-res mode in the middle of a race, taking the frame rate south with it.

An above average game -- it just had so much more unrealized potential. And it gets damn annoying at times.

Moves a bit closer to the PC version in terms of both features and quality, but it's still not quite there.

This is an un-pretentious little role playing game that doesn't try to be anything more than it is, and as a side-quest to a larger RPG universe, it succeeds.

Cleaner looking than "Triple Play," but lacking solid mechanics in the pitching and fielding.

Just too basic to really hold much interest, and it’s too difficult to figure out for such a simple game.

A basic, solid, hardworking title, with just enough familiar territory to keep fans of the show happy, and enough work to keep persistent (albeit young) gamers satisfied.

In the short term at least it's fun, very good fun in fact, and excellent for those retro fans who are desperate for a 2D platforming fix. Just don't expect to be playing it a year from now.

It's too short, it doesn't give you enough freedom, and the replayability is limited.

it's no SSX Tricky or Shaun Palmer, but it has a great look and some daunting challenges.

Technically speaking, Silent Scope 2 isn’t much of an advance over the original Silent Scope, and in some ways it’s actually a step backwards.

Still has its brand of goofy appeal; there’s nothing quite like the sight of stuffed animals pumping each other full of lead...Hardcore FPS fans and platform purists should stay away.

Of the four versions of this game out there, this is probably the least fun due to the choppy frame rate and blurry graphics, not to mention the apparently missing fighters.

Barely on par with your average "Tetris" clone.

The main problems with 4X4 Evo, though, are the frustratingly cheap cheating of the computer opponents that never seem to let you actually get ahead by spending your hard-earned money on upgrades...

The game is exhausting because of the number of different races, but it doesn’t take long to get bored with it.

A Pile of Shoot. The control is almost flawless. Maneuvering your ship isn't the problem -- the crowded action is the problem.

These are still great, classic games that are worth owning if you can find the package for a decent price.

Impressive for its visual and audio style, these Brothers need more help in the gameplay department if they hope to become a franchise.

It's all the worst traits of arcade racers thrown together, exaggerated to the point of grotesqueness, and then slapped into a game that's at best a visual mixed bag.