Fun, exciting, tough, and educational - don't let that last part scare you. By the time you realize you've learned something, there will be thousands of slain warriors at your feet.

Harvest Moon 64 features no aliens whatsoever. While we’re at it, there are no dancing monkeys for you to "be". Don’t even think about laying waste to some hellish underground network with your super-powered death rays, either. Doesn’t sound like fun? Neither does collecting a hundred and fifty animals but look how well pokemon turned out.

Rez is mindless, simple fun - with the emphasis on fun. If you don't blow out your eyes on this one, you're sure to blow out your thumbs.

The bar by which other shooters will be measured. Get one, and get some new batteries, because we’re sure you’ll be hooked by this game.

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

This game is now the standard by which all other games have to live up to this year. It’s a great game with some serious chilly thrills...CB2K1 snatches the crown from the hands of "SSX" thanks to speed and style.

While it's not going to set anybody's house on fire, it's a title with broad appeal that's as worthy of being a top launch title for the system, as the original Ridge Racer was.

There's a lot more to do here than there is in Thunder. But whether or not you get to the mini-games will depend on your skill and your patience. If you develop both during the first few rounds of Heat, you'll be hooked. We were.

After months of 2K1, GameDay, and Madden, Blitz is a welcome and very fun addition to the football lineup.

All said and done, Knockout Kings 2002 does not have a contender in sight, leaving it as the definite king of the ring.

It almost goes without saying that the game controls impeccably and sounds great (this is Need for Speed, after all), so the excellent variety of play modes and fresh-feeling historically-oriented gameplay should be more than enough to convince you of the title’s worth.

Drakan tries - and sometimes succeeds - in being better than average, but it eventually gets Drakan'd right back to a formulaic adventure game.

The best version of this game lives on the Box - accept no substitute.

A quality football game with an excellent pedigree behind its game engine...the most serious deficiencies being in the undeveloped legacy mode and the horrendously bad commentary.

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.

It's as good as a game like this can be -- the only negative is that we've seen it all before.

There’s no way the game will appeal to those who can’t stand Pokemon. There’s just not enough to make the game stretch that far.

A pure adrenaline rush, a fun-filled fantasy representation of a sport that already has its over-the-edge moments.

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

We only recommend it to fans of the series and RPG players who can't stomach all the fancy-shmancy-ness of RPG's like Final Fantasy and games of their ilk.

It may be derivative, but it’s still a lot of fun. The only real negative may be that most players have probably not heard of many of the included characters.

Using elements of "Ridge Racer," "Gran Turismo," and even Sega's "Super Hang On," Namco has come up with one of the best motorcycle racing games ever.

The engine sounds of these oddly shaped cars is almost perfect.

Maneuvering Jehuty is about as intuitive as you can get with the use of a single analog stick. Every combat option from firing your weapons and thrusters to raising your shields becomes an extension of your hand.

The hardest part of the game is listening to E. Gadd, and the biggest challenges are the patterned and easily beatable bosses.

There are so many options to earn -- like new levels, more continues, faster recharge on your special weapons – that you’ll find yourself playing over and over again just to see what’s next.

It's the gameplay, though, where NHL Faceoff comes through, even outdoing EA's series in some respects.

At an adult party with a bunch of players (and a couple of GunCons), Point Blank 3 is simply a blast.

Crash takes you on a huge adventure that may be repetitive, but sure is entertaining.

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

With the excessive amount of tricks available, well planned and superbly designed skate parks, and solid soundtrack, it almost makes you forget that there's a guy named Mat Hoffman waiting in the wings.

While some people may feel that Castlevania was not meant to be 3D, we'd have to sorely disagree, being pleasantly surprised with the job Konami have done here. Have no doubt, Castlevania 64 kicks some major butt!!!

With a limited number of tracks and hidden riders to expand the game, you may find that it’s biggest challenge will be keeping you interested past the rental return date.

FIFA handled a little better, but World Tour has a little more depth. FIFA looks a little better, but World Tour has more heart in the animation.

Even with the graphical limitations of the PS One, the game still looked good enough to scare the wits out of us, and often seemed more threatening and tense than the "Resident Evil" games.

A solid stealth ninja game that is a pleasure to play.

It doesn't have the longevity that we'd like, but it's one of the only games in the series to really make you feel like you're playing war with the plastic men you grew up with in a fun, satisfying way.

It's less of a game than Pokemon Stadium to be sure, but fans of the whole phenomenon will leap right to it.

Like any program of its ilk, the quality of the results you get from it will be in direct proportion to the amount of time you put into it. Just beware of the memory limitations.

Multiplayer is just as frenetic as always, including 8 modes from the classic Monkey Tag to Capture the Flag.

NFL Blitz isn't about football - it's about fun, and it delivers that message with extreme results.

Inoffensive, cute, and somewhat challenging, "Kirby 64" won't slay you with great graphics or spectacular gameplay, but it will keep younger gamers interested for quite a while.

A great action game – much better than the original.

Too short and not polished enough.

Who is the audience for this game on the PS2? The answer is really only those who don't own either a Dreamcast or a decent PC.

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

The others try for the Big Show, but will get sent back to the Cactus Leagues when you get your hands on this.

This is a fun little arcade-style racing title designed to give you an outlet for aggression. Go into it with the right expectations, and you'll have a blast.

If you're new to the series, this is arguably the best Resident Evil game ever made.

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

The graphics are the game’s strong point, with fluid character development and crisp backgrounds.

The game is still fun to play while respecting the limits of physics and surfboards.

Once you've played a while, and realize that a full franchise mode is missing, along with create-a-player and free agency trades, you'll realize that Drive didn't drive hard enough to compete with 2K2 or Live.

Just what fans of the series had been waiting for, a solid game that's even more real than before.

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

Changing into an angelic creature with magical powers from time to time is something you haven't seen in a survival horror title before, and makes Devil Inside well worth playing.

Simply the best Star Trek ship game on any console system right now, it's a good thing that Activision took the time and care to give the Trek fans an experience worth waiting for.

It’s fun, not terribly complex, and good-looking (kind of like my last girlfriend).

The perfect version of this game, and the one that will be remembered as the best of the bunch.

Smoother, faster animation (the game runs at 60 frames per second) and awesome lighting effects dominate the game's look, while transparency filters, water effects, and background movements round out the spectacular visuals.

Check it out if you love to fish, or if you just want to spend a lazy afternoon with a beer in one hand and your rod in the other.

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.

What do caviar, waterbeds, and David Lynch films have in common? They’re all unique acquired tastes - as is the Tokyo Xtreme Racer series. Once you’re hooked on the “scene”, though, you’ll never let go.

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.

As a multiplayer game it treads over most of the competition. The solo mode borders on evil thanks to its difficulty level.

Norse mythology provides plenty of story and imagery to this 3D action game.

Fans of the title and the WWF in general will flock to it – everyone else will raise an eyebrow and leave it at the rental counter.

A good, enjoyable experience for people who just want to beat each other up, and are unconcerned with rules, penalties, or fairness.

It’s infinitesimally better than the PS2 version, but "NBA 2K2" still packs a more flavorful punch.

From the ships to the explosions to the environments, you'll see more and better textures, and you'll definitely feel a more completeness in the graphics that was missing on the PS2.

What you need is patience, thorough reading skills (to get through the manual), and a real appetite for destruction.

If you like your games brainy and scary, Alone in the Dark is just the medicine the witch doctor ordered.

The world of first-person shooters is so crowded that in order to stand above the crowd you need to at least have outstanding graphics, and Renegade fits that bill.

An extremely difficult action RPG with some nice graphics and high system requirements. It's a game of trade-offs that will appeal to a hardcore audience but does not have broad crossover appeal.

Overall, this game is just not much different than the original Ready 2 Rumble. It's definitely a fun game, and if you don't own the original, go ahead and put this one on your short list.

The unconventional control system can take a short while to get completely accustomed with - being able to rotate and move in any direction can quickly result with up becoming down and players getting disorientated very quickly.

A sunny-side up surprise, the best movie-to-console game in ages and not that far from the Dreamcast version. Two wings up.

Although it briefly brought back memories of the classic "Jungle Strike" and even "Chopper Attack," it felt like a rehash of the older Air Attack game – and it is. But this rehash doesn’t even have enough spark to keep you interested for very long.

It's not perfect, but it does capture the all-important essence of seat-of-your-pants racing against other human opponents in officially sanctioned events better than any other console game ever. And yes, that includes GT3.

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

If you get past the controls, you'll be rewarded with a fun, thoughtful adventure.

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.

It's a beast-changing, head-slapping, jaw-ripping brawler with attitude and style and sex - always a good combination.

After playing "Cossacks: European Wars" and "Age of Empires," Star Wars Galactic Battleground is like an extra layer of meat on a really good sandwich - you could do without the meat, but you would also enjoy the sandwich a little more with it.

Although "Fantavision" is more colorful and uses more graphic power than Super BaM, this game is far more addictive, and a lot easier to play in two-player mode.

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.

The wide variety of reality-based planes combined with convincing engine sounds and strategic combat missions will please veterans of more serious sims, while the easy control scheme and familiar setting will please the kids.

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

A great fun game, the only small drawback being super easy battling compromised by super cheap attacks later in the game (Magneto is pure cheese).

Nothing new if you’ve played the PSOne version, but a blast if you haven’t. Another problem -- it’s over way too soon.

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

The graphics look gorgeous.

This game, like too many now, is just a clunker wrapped up with pretty graphics. It may satisfy all you gamers that absolutely despise the bright and cheery atmosphere of Myst, but lacks in gameplay. So don't worry about calling the Orkin man, this cockroach is just about dead.

Our only real gripes are the controls and the sluggishness of some of the titles on less powerful systems.

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.