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.

To make matters worse, there are long loading times in the game. Mega Man X7 is one of those games where the player will be afraid to press the wrong button on the menu screens, because doing so will lead to much waiting and thumb-fiddling.

With over 20 hours of core gameplay within, and every minute of it more fun than the last, I can't help but enthusiastically recommend Jak II.

Complete in just about every aspect. Apart from the irritating escort missions and the short first run through, Max Payne 2 is perfect.

EA, please learn how to make a basketball game that's actually based off of basketball next year. Buy an NBA rulebook and have the lead designer thoroughly study it, please.

I’m sure that if you play with the right people, multiplayer can bring some entertainment, but if you are looking for a title with staying power, a plethora of unlockables and an actual challenge factor, look some place else.

Clearly, this is a game with an identity crisis. Kids can’t play it because of the scary ghosts and more mature gamers will be turned off by the puzzles that would be ridiculously easy if not for the occasionally wonky controls. So who’s left?

This game had serious potential amongst fans of the genre, but Eidos and Paradox have totally sacrificed depth and mechanics and put out true garbage.

The weak control scheme, combined with parts of the game that are completely counter-intuitive, hamper the game tremendously to the point where a serious gamer will, at best, pick this up for a rental. I think Capcom became so blinded by the concept that they forgot that the execution is just as important, if not moreso, than the design.

The squad-based AI is definitely worth a look, and despite all the flag-waving, the game manages to tell an involving story. It’s a shame that more effort wasn’t put into the graphics, or more variation wasn’t put into the gameplay.

There's just no challenge there at all, the Chain Tactic system just allows you to buy a bunch of straightforward Attack techniques and stab the crap out of everyone.

Of course, every Bemani freak will want this, but anyone looking for a challenge or the more traditional arcade feel will either want to pass on this or just import the Japanese version. Konami seems to forget that what worked in Japan is working here. You shouldn’t try to mess with a good thing.

The control, along with a small number of other poor design decisions, takes the game from being a blast to being an expensive bundle of frustration.

Dynasty mode will be a draw for those who have an interest in the management side of hockey. That aside, ESPN NHL Hockey is simply the better game in just about every respect.

No matter how much fun I had while playing through Academy, I could never shake the feeling that I was playing an expansion pack to Outcast rather than a full-fledged sequel.

There's something immensely satisfying about plowing through hordes of monsters with a group of friends, and Heroes does that exceptionally well, despite its other flaws.

Incomplete, plagued by gameplay bugs and experiencing more technical difficulties than any other game since the infamous "Pool of Radiance 2."

The overall size of the maps, the idiocy of finding all the remaining units down to the last probe before moving on, and the sheer imbalance and poor tactics brought it down.

The missions seem varied at first but then start to repeat with minor differences as the game progresses.

The puzzles are easy, the game gives you more health power-ups than you will ever use, and there isn't a single enemy that's remotely challenging after you pick up the second gun frame in the Prologue. All the "innovation" that this game was supposed to entail amounts to nothing but a big pile of Company Dinner-Fed, Marketing Grade manure.

May not be the best Banjo Kazooie, nor is it very long, but it's sure to be enjoyed by BK fans and any person who is looking for a fun little game to play on their GBAs. If you didn't like the first two games, then chances are you won't like Grunty's Revenge.

Not only does ESPN NHL Hockey retain all of the rock-solid gameplay the was present in NHL 2K3, but it couples it with a presentation that is the closest to a television broadcast feel as any hockey game has ever come.

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

While the plot does advance quite a bit, Bandai got a little sloppy with some of the threads, and you get the sense that they fell in love too much with the idea of a cliffhanger.

It is a little light on the value side, and you're going to have to put up with a couple of doozies in the way of missions.

It's good...but not great. As far as strategy RPG games, this pales in comparison to both "Disgaea" and "Final Fantasy Tactics."

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 best game I've played this year.