The extensive Franchise Mode (which includes this year’s Houston Texans) is the best in any football game ever, and the Madden Cards once again hype the game’s replayability.

The best RPG's, though, tell a compelling story, provide plenty of exploration, and let you mix it up with fun, addictive battles. On those counts, Grandia II is a rousing success.

Don't expect to jump in and then jump out of Banjo's world -- once netted, you'll remain til the end.

Its minor control issues notwithstanding, this is the best rally racer available on the PSX -- maybe on any platform.

It's the best, most well-rounded basketball game out there, and soars above the competitors.

There's no better platform game available for the PS2.

The game's major weakness is in the combat system - there's too many loopholes that can be exploited with the Draw technique, making combat tedious and mundane after a while.

Madden takes the trophy again this year, with "GameDay" closing the gap by a little.

As the title suggests, the gameplay in Beetle Adventure Racing is focused more on having fun rather than being serious. Thanks to the ludicrous amounts of jumps and turbo boosters littered on each track, your VW is capable of leaping into the air with the greatest of ease.

The seamless controls and extensive levels can only be matched by the spectacular graphics and superior sound.

Takes the vibe and style of the previous two games and ramps up the speed to even higher levels.

But what really takes Madden forward are the great extras, which this year include a Two-Minute Drill mini-game, create-a-player, -team, or –league modes, Coach’s Challenge, and more.

A wild and weird game that will captivate you with its innocence and innovation.

Like "Mario Party," " Bust-A-Groove," and even "Tetris" and assorted Tetris-clones, Samba De Amigo forces you to have a good time despite the fact that you don't want to caught dead shaking a pair of plastic maracas in front of your friends.

It’s a testament to the thought and heart that went behind Chrono Trigger that, despite a new loading problem, the game is still more fun than most of its present-day competition.

This is what a PlayStation to Nintendo 64 conversion should be - enhancing the original to make the most of the new host machine.

The best online game on the Dreamcast and will likely keep you awake for days straight.

EA Sports has crafted one of the best hockey games around, with stunning, realistic graphics and rock-solid game play.

Without a doubt the best flight sim available for a next-gen system. Ace Combat 04 shatters the competition.

A great FPS. The most serious problem we have with the game is stability – we lost all of our save games at one point, and experienced random freezes fairly frequently.

The sounds of Max Payne double the intensity of the game. From the beginning monotone opening to the deadpan, and deadly noirish conversations that Max has with the enemies, the game is a treat for the ears as well as the eyes.

You could easily be playing this game for 60-70 hours. That’s absolutely insane for a platform game – but every single hour’s a fun one. If you own a Dreamcast, SA2 is one of the system’s essential titles.

It gets boring fast, and you have to love wrestling to begin with, but if you are a fan, this is a cool game to have.

Some really sick stuff. The imagery and grotesque design of the enemies is disturbing, and the grainy film stock adds an element of brutal realism to an already upsetting game. Needless to say, we loved it...Not only disturbing and scary, it’s actually a lot of fun.

Either too easy or too hard, depending on the setting. You will seethe with frustration on the highest difficulty setting, and easily outscore opponents on the easiest setting. There is no in-between, which makes a great game really frustrating.

Thanks to both CD's being full of gameplay rather than superfluous full motion video sequences, it will take quite a while for even the most avid gamer to make his or her way through to the fulfilling conclusion. It's time well spent.

A monster facial to the arcade hoops competition. Bow down suckas - there’s a new champ on the court. Once NUFX works out the kinks, it’ll be unstoppable.

Graphics are very impressive; this is one area that R4 totally rules over Gran Turismo. The effects and graphics are nothing short of mind-boggling.