This review was originally written before Jerry Orbach passed away. As a longtime fan of the series, I would like to add that he made the show truly great. He will be sorely missed.

The free-roaming feel of the Old West writ small, this is a game you can finish, complete, and conquer within the space of an average rental. But, on that count, rent this game!

It is flat out gorgeous eye candy, it has decent sounds, and great gameplay. If it weren’t for the weak AI and limited environments, the game would have been nearly perfect.

Like the previous entries in the series, it has a strong storyline and gripping, tight gameplay. But it's because of the subject matter at times that the player might be turned off.

It's interesting to watch your progress after a couple of weeks of daily play. Who knew that math could be this much fun?

With its very tight storyline, great combination of features from several older games, challenging but not frustrating puzzles, good graphics and awesome sound: this game beats even "Wizardry 8" in its peer group.

With Ring of Fates, I feel like the seed of a great game is in the card. It just was never allowed to come to fruition, and the end result is a game that feels half-completed.

The hardcore baseball game fans won't like it, and I don't know how many other people like me are out there who are just really, really tired of dealing with the seemingly decreasing value of gameplay in these baseball games. I liked it though.

This game is available for multiple systems, but if you happen to have a Wii, then that is the system on which you need to play this game.

It just doesn’t bring the same level of excitement as its predecessor.

A well put together play that is a vast improvement over most other flight sims of the genre. Whether or not you buy it depends on how dedicated you are to flight sims, or to historical gaming in general.

Once the "coolness" fades after the third hour, you will wish you would have rented this and not purchased it.

The absence of a true Story mode and a roster lacking many of the top WWE superstars may sway wrestling fanatics away from this one. Despite the fact that the game is missing those aspects, however, Wrestlemania XIX is still an excellent game.

The gritty feeling portrayed throughout the game is genuine, and the action is intense. While Novalogic could have slapped the Black Hawk Down name on a cheesy "Quake 2" mod and sold a bazillion copies, they decided to take the high road and produce a quality game.

Probably the best game I had the pleasure to play this year. Combining a very simple concept with a good presentation and an addictive enough gameplay to keep me playing for years to come, the game has breathed a lot of fresh air into the otherwise stale gaming market.

Surprisingly, the game features actual voice actors from the film. Rarely does a game get one, let alone an entire cast of Hollywood personalities supplying voice content for it.

The story included was strong enough to keep me interested.

The best thing to come out of the prequels, since the films thus far have not stood on their own.

If this game were just revamped to have cleaner 3D, and better framerates in 2 player mode, I think it would STILL blow everyone's mind today [March 2005]. Solid, fantastic work. If only someone had followed your lead, Alfa System...we might actually have a market for light gun shooters still.

They tried to cram too many unusual features into the game, and though each is interesting and has potential individually, the resulting hodgepodge is no better than the average RPG.

I was disappointed and if you are a fan of the HM games, you will be disappointed too.

If you don't like Penny Arcade, or the humor that their strip usually relies upon, the odds are good that you won't find much here to justify the price tag; Precipice's story does little to bring the player's character into the universe as more than just an observer or someone along for the ride.

Donkey Konga's Tarukonga feels flimsy. The drums are too small to give a solid thump with your hand and so the layer of abstraction that's supposed to be formed there (i.e. you feel like you're playing an instrument, not hitting buttons on a controller.) is VERY quickly peeled back.

A partially fun, partially frustrating escapade for Phoenix. Once again, the puzzle construction is likely to send you running for a FAQ when, if it was done right it should have you yelling "Take THAT!" at your digital legal foe right along with Phoenix.

All missions are full co-op ready. You and a friend can play together to beat the game together! This was always my favorite feature of the previous versions of this game (as well as other old school games). This only makes the game more fun to play when a buddy is over.

While the single player aspects were shallow and unrewarding, the multiplayer is a huge success.

Make no mistake, this is a dyed-in-the-wool mid-generation PS1 RPG with no aspirations to being anything more. But it does what it does astonishingly well, so much so that it becomes much greater than the sum of its parts.

The core game is still in there in Command, but it's buried under layers of gimmicky interfaces and an atrocious framework.

It would appear that the transition from consoles to the GBA has sucked quite a bit of the fun out of the game; ironically, the GBA game seems dumbed-down when compared to its console counterparts.

There is very little new to be found in the GameCube version unless you're planning on having three friends around often enough to enjoy the multiplayer aspect of the game.

The game is a bit convoluted at times and it takes a bit of patience to figure everything out, but once you do, the game really picks up. I know it is not a title for everyone, but for anyone who ever had dreams of running a big wrestling show, this is for you.

Uninspired visuals, disgustingly easy gameplay, and a complete lack of any real motivation to play the game awaits any who dare purchase this title. It is tedious and boring at every level.

Extremely violent and even a bit disturbing, but it is also one of the finest games to grace the Playstation 2 in some time.

But, if you can get past the unnecessarily complex controls and obscene difficulty of said missions, you'll be rewarded with a rank based on the speed with which you completed your objectives, the damage inflicted on your enemy, and the number of letters you're gonna have to send home to your troops' families.

Super Mario Strikers both surprised me and disappointed me at the same time: it looks good, it plays good, and it takes the dreadfully boring sport of soccer and makes it somewhat enjoyable.

The game is worth a purchase if you're looking for a decent new party game, but it isn't anything more than a weekend rental if you're not.

It looks like I will be playing this game online for months to come; I have yet to touch the offline game since my first time playing. It’s sad, too, considering that this game was supposed to be so well rounded.

This glorified tech demo is an excellent game for groups, whether the serious gamers you'd expect from a college dorm or the kids at a family reunion.

I just wish George would stop flooding us with mediocrity and take a break from new releases to give us a helping of something special.

Some of the games control so poorly that they’re unplayable, there are glitches and some lazy emulation, and the DVD content is disappointing, to say the least. That said, if you’re willing to look past its faults (which is easier to do given the $20 price tag), there are some gems to be found here.

It shows flashes of inspiration in some areas, while being content to rehash ideas in others. If you're the type who wants another fun RPG romp without worrying about trying anything new, you'll have no problems with this title.

With a very loose control system and a steep, steep learning curve, this game is for Hardcore (capital H) Star Wars fans. Any other fan of any other game will be easily bored.

I came away with a very “been there, done that” feeling after completion, and there are several titles which execute this general style more effectively.

Although you won't get much replay value out of it, it's an awesome game to have on the shelf/in the CD folder for periodic replays. It doubles as an immensely fun two-player game as well- it's quite amusing to grab a buddy and go cranium-crunching.

Honestly, there are good ways to do a rail shooter on the Wii; this is a poor start, but at least it, like Umbrella itself, will serve as a shining example of what not to do.

For such a derivative game, if you have any fondness for Japanese RPGs or Tolkien, Lord of the Rings: The Third Age is actually quite a bit of fun. For others, this will probably just be one more license game they will never bother to play and although I enjoyed it, I can definitely understand that side of things.

Worms HD has it’s moments that dazzle on screen and in gameplay. Namely the online component is really where you’ll want to play; but it ends up as a great local multiplayer with your real-life friends (if you have any).

There's no doubt it's a fun game-- after all, who doesn't like hopping in a plane and making a rain of lead-- but its flaws make it a bit inaccessible to someone new to the style of play.

Second Sight finds common ground between length, story, style and freshness to deliver a game that won't disappoint. Even though it may be a tad on the easy side, you'll have fun simply by toying around with your abilities and solving some of the puzzles to be had.

The core gameplay is enjoyable enough, and would be more so if it weren't for the run marking bug, but there is little about the game that makes it seem designed for a handheld platform.

With a ton of great games that still hold up to today’s standards, as well as all the extras and the little touches that show that Anthology was lovingly crafted as opposed to hastily slapped together, as many similar collections tend to be, it’s hard to find any reason not to recommend it.

The splendid level design, and the attention to action make this worth playing, and if you're into the local multiplayer, it makes it worth buying.

Just an average game. It started out strong, but then it simply lost steam toward the end.

While .hack is not going to thrill anyone with its visuals or sound, the sheer replayability and depth of gameplay is incredible, and that’s what games are SUPPOSED to be all about. Bandai, you have guaranteed yourself a customer for your future .hack episodes.

Sega, however, has seen fit to present the games in such an unflattering collection as to present players with a difficult choice: Do I support the half-assed porting of some of gaming's most treasured titles to current systems, thus ensuring that future retro releases for the company will be as dismal? Or do I withhold my money and wait for Sega to release an unfettered, improved version of the games -- a release that may not come due to supposedly lackluster performance and a dearth of interest?

It's simple, it's elegant, and most of all, it's a blast.

The sad truth is that after playing the first level, you’ve already seen everything that the game has to offer. The game’s unique take on the typical shooter is interesting and well executed, but it isn’t enough to justify Kill.Switch’s decidedly one-dimensional gameplay.

With the lack of really fun and interesting missions (I never want to have to say, “That’s it! If I have to protect one more transport, I’m joining the Empire!”), and the flat-out boring commando missions, this game falls far short of the high standards Factor 5 has set for themselves.

A solid, average fighter.

While "B&W" simply was dull and arduous, B&W2 ended up being far too easy to handle with little reason to go through again as the opposite alignment.

What makes matters even less thrilling is the fact that many of the games are devoid of replay value, being little more than glorified puzzles.

What a horrible, horrible waste. The game had it all. Slick presentation, a decent, yet completely predictable story, fun gameplay, and even branching to add levels of replayability. And then someone cast that all aside because of their stupid need to have their own version of the final trench run mission, combined with the fact that they have no idea how to create a good boss.

Atlus has managed to somehow improve upon one of the greatest NES games ever. To beat-em-up fans such as myself, the old school greatness means two schools – Cross Town High and River City High, with all the turf in between. Atlus took us back, and there's no reason for anyone to resist one more bout with Alex and Ryan.

"Where's the Capture function?!" In FM3, that was an awesome attack. You'd pop the enemy pilot of out his wanzer, and you could kill him and take the wanzer, or if you wanted to fight honorably, you'd hop out of your wanzer, and engage in a man to man fight. In FM4, no such luck. [JPN Import]

While its core concept and educational fluid dynamics demonstrations earned the game a couple tenths of a point extra in the Overall category, it unfortunately commits the two cardinal sins of a puzzle game. No replay, and no learning curve.

If all you really wanted out of life was to be able to roll up new objects and read what someone writes about them when they've been given the go-ahead to be as wacky as possible, Me & My Katamari might be enough to keep you satiated.

Forgettable but playable. With few faults, fans of the first who want more of the same should check it out. Otherwise, with so many great platformers to choose from on the GBA, I suggest N-Tranced only to the kids who have never experienced the joys of Crash on the bigger screen.

With the laughably bad art and writing in the cutscenes, and gameplay clocking in at less than a day's worth of casual play, I would MAYBE recommend this at a half-price purchase. This is a definite rental. You definitely should play this, but you definitely shouldn't pay for it.

All things considered - the cheesiness of the story, the somewhat dim-witted AI in minigames, and the fact that there's only two or three original musical pieces in the whole game - this is one of the better ways to do a minigame collection on the DS.

While Transformers is a great game, the replay value is surprisingly low. This is mostly because it consists of just a single player campaign mode. While increasing the difficulty level will bring different and more challenging combinations of enemies, the strategies remain the same.

It reminds me of that old report card comment- the game has a lot going for it, but it isn't working to its full potential.

One half of Shadow of Rome is a solid, if mildly frustrating, bloodbath that will please anyone looking for a chance to let off some steam. The other half of Shadow of Rome is an annoying slog through a weak knock-off of Metal Gear Solid’s sneaky parts.

If you've played or own any of the games in the NBA Street series there's enough new content here to offer a unique experience as well as plenty of familiar ground to tread while on the move.

Old-schoolers who cut their teeth on the original Bros. have a lot to enjoy in Super Princess Peach, while new players will find an excellent and challenging introduction into one of gaming's most venerable and popular genres.

It's just too easy. That added onto the obstacle glitch in this game really kills the thrill of strategy, simply because there is none.

Unfortunately, there is very little replay value to this game. While kicking the crap out of Willy hasn't really lost its magic after all these years, you can only go through this game at most a handful of times before it becomes repetitive.

If you've got a PSP and a love of pure, twitch-your-brain games, you simply owe it to yourself to grab EEE; this literally is one of the best reasons to own a PSP.

If you like the cel shading technique, prepare to be literally blown away...TDK does a splendid job with the color schemes, and most of the little effects compliment the main graphics perfectly.

I found the games uninspiring, difficult to control and choppier than Steak-Ums.

Now we can only hope that Nintendo starts following the unofficial naming convention for the system and changes the title of at least one of the next-generation RPGs to the only logical choice - Pokémon Darmstadtium.

My excitement was diminished after a good 20 minutes or so, and the tactics I was looking to learn from this title did not transpire when playing Halo 2. And in the end, my comrades over on Xbox Live were still there to ridicule me of my purchase, so I am here to inform you not to make the same mistake I have. Stay away.

You have to play it twice (or save the game before a certain junction) to truly take in the entire dynamic story. Don't ever doubt the value of a good Japanese RPG...this is the kind of offering that will allow it to continue to shine as its own genre.

Everything about it simply seems above average, like a filler tennis game for those who are waiting for the next ultimate tennis game.

A top quality Civil War military strategy game. Its brutal realism and tough tactics make it a must own for a strategy gamer who is getting sick of the same old fare being hawked out by other companies.

A number of excellent minigames keep the game enjoyable long after finishing the main game.

Yeah, the art direction is incredible. While the story isn't particularly mind-blowing, it is serviceable and entertaining. But the control scheme is so awful and frustrating, clearing the game is more a matter of patience with poor layout than any skill or talent.

Much like "Darkwatch," this is a game that you definitely want to play, but you're probably better off not paying for, at least not while it's $40. [Import]

The primary stumbling block that I can see is that fans of Meteos will feel a little underwhelmed, while Disney fans might be left wanting more challenge too quickly for the game's good.

It doesn't have as much as its esteemed cousin, Brain Age, but what it does offer is fun. You will quickly find a favorite game, and spend some exasperating moments trying to best your top score.

Oh the controls, in my opinion they sucked a$$. The rolling technique and all was cool in conjunction with the ducking and aiming aspect; but the way it was executed was horrible.

Ultimately, Ridge Racer 6 is a lame duck racer. It comes off as far too simplistic and far too easy to ever be of any fun.

The developers took a great concept from a variety of sources, put them in a blender, hit puree and voila... a veritable slushy of gaming goodness.

Even the non-stellar titles are at least playable, and nothing that I would consider "bad," since they all had their own sort of innovative aspects.

The Armored Core franchise will never be something for the casual gamer. It simply requires more thought and creativity than most people want to employ for a videogame.

In a generation of games where developers put more time into cutscenes, talking, and character development than into pure gameplay, this hack/slash RPG is a huge relief. There's a time and place for games that are more like movies, but Shining Soul 2 is a reminder as to what this hobby of videogames is all about.

A very good RPG. It has a solid battle system, excellent story, and never once becomes a cakewalk nor obscenely hard. Atlus struck gold with this title.

It's seriously fun and additive.... for a few hours. The game loses its flavor quicker than a pack of Fruit Stripes gum... its colorful and packs a ton of enjoyment at first, and a few minutes later it turns grey and tastes like a rubber eraser.

The only thing that really hurt the game was the lack of options and multiplayer functions.