A rhythm game lives and dies by its music. Taiko Drum Master is packed with songs that you can find yourself playing for hours, and get a decent upper-body workout from too (hey, you try pounding through Oni mode for a couple hours without burning some calories).

While most shooters nowadays have you dodging through a hailstorm of bullets, the enemies in R-Type make you think a bit more. There a definitive patterns and ways to dispatch every creature in the game, learn them, and you don't find yourself in tight situations.

The slight flaws of the second are easily drowned out by the overall brilliance of the game play and intriguing storyline. While overall GS2 didn’t match the overall excitement I had for the original it did satisfy my RPG tooth until "FF Tactics Advance" comes out.

I have never been able to make a character that fit so closely to my exacting specifications as I have in City of Heroes.

I’m no expert, but I’m sure that Tetris improves children’s spatial skills or something. Getting a game together on wifi can be a pain, and most people will have a mode or two that they can’t stand, but overall, it’s nice to see how well Tetris has aged.

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.

Besides the occasional inability to actually grab things as a monster, I can't really find anything detrimental in Rampage: Total Destruction. The true party game, it's that simple dose of pure fun that we really shouldn't move too far away from too often.

Probably my biggest surprise was the overall fluidity of the controls. Gameplay is the game's strongest asset no matter what way you look at it.

I was pleased to find that my six-year-old daughter had as much fun as I did playing the game. Although she became a bit frustrated at points (as I did) she still was able to manage to manipulate the pikmin the way she intended.

The game isn't pretty and can be frustrating when the A.I. decides there's no bleeping way you're winning a fight, but an addictive battle system and surprisingly in-depth RPG elements will keep most players interested for a long time.

The game really has it all. From perfect physics to great graphics, TP2002 is a solid, well-developed title.

Literate, funny storytelling is at a premium in gaming these days, so it’s really good to see developers making a real effort to make their audience laugh – even if they have to rely on semi-frequent potty humour to get the yuks.

Definitely belongs in that elite class of quirky games, like "Rez" and "Katamari Damacy," that should at least be experienced, if not part of any self-respecting gamer’s collection.

While it can be tough at some points and a bit difficult to master everything in the first hour, it’s a great gaming experience and besides, that genie Ruby is kinda cute.

The graphics and animations are the best I have yet to see in a RTS, and the in-game effects are powerful. Just get ready to laugh like a maniac at what the units say during the game.

Speaking of seeing, there are plenty of nice visuals in Hitman 2. The intro looks very nice on my GeForce 3, the fields, the tomatoes, all the cutscenes, when they aren't completely dark, look fabulous.

It's the kind of game that made me feel disappointed it was over. If all games that were just polished versions of older games like Atelier Iris 2 is, then I'd never want for an original game again.

Imagine taking the freedom and tricks from "THPS" and combine the adrenaline-pumping fun of a "Jet Set Radio." ... Truly a breath of fresh air for the gaming community.

An excellent game in nearly every way and actually manages to be an improvement over the original.

We may be stuck with this edition for the next five years, but it’s an outstanding little sports gem to be stuck with, and for a price tag that can’t be beat.

A solid little title, despite annoyances like imperfect control and an inadequate save system.

As glorified expansion packs go, however, it's certainly one of the best, and while the price does seem a bit high, it's still worth every penny.

It does give you the closest thing you can get to playing the card game without sucking your bank account dry, and the card game really doesn't need much added to it in order to be fun.

It's a refreshing surprise that I think came out of no where this past holiday season.

I was pleased to see that it played well, and far surpassed my expectations.

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

This is the best crowd animation that I have ever seen.

It's not an epic adventure, it's not a classic Zelda game, but it is a fast-paced, fun multiplayer experience that manages to be visceral, exciting, and thoughtful all at the same time.