This once-great series goes back to its roots in fine and tan style. [May 2006, p.89]

One of the better games you'll find for your PSP, and a must-play for die-hard fans of the series. [May 2006, p.90]

The finally realized Metal Gear Online (as Kojima calls it) ranges from solid multiplayer fare to a total blast. [Apr 2006, p.76]

A fun action experience with plenty of the old-school Mega Man platforming that everyone has come to love. [May 2006, p.92]

After low sales killed Midway's interest in the series, it was unknown if "Shadow Hearts" would continue in the U.S.--but Xseed has picked up the torch, and, on balance, it's clear that the company has made a good move. [Mar 2006, p.88]

While pretty seriously flawed and diverse almost to a fault, Pursuit Force is solidly entertaining at its core. [Apr 2006, p.89]

All that killing feels perfect; combat is tight and satisfying, especially once you begin to master your MP-consuming special moves. [Apr 2006, p.86]

An excellent action-strategy fix for the "Dynasty" and "Samurai Warriors" fan. [Apr 2006, p.94]

Graphically, Shin Budokai is bright, colorful, and smooth in its cel-shaded wrappings. Fans will find the 18 characters and varied environments every bit DBZ-authentic. [Jun 2006, p.102]

My favorite part of the game was the loading screen, whicch is an extreme close-up of SpongeBob's face pressed up against the glass as his eyes twitch back and forth. That made me smile more than once, but other than that, my overall consensus is: "ehhhhh." [Jun 2006, p.102]

Criterion has succeeded in completely immersing the player in intense, cinematic gunplay--no other shooter has captured the pure awesome-ness and adrenaline of a suspenseful shoot-out in a game quite like this. [Mar 2006, p.85]

The game's story, written by the show's writers, is also top-notch, with the requisite last-second plot twists. [Apr 2006, p.81]

The only real downside is that the upgrade system is worthless. [Apr 2006, p.82]

Fits the format very well...Not very ambitious. [May 2006, p.96]

Like that hot chick at the bar - good looking but boring after five minutes. [Apr 2006, p.95]

Despite all the effort clearly put in to make it otherwise, FIFA Street is still boring. [Apr 2006, p.78]

The best ice-racing simulator for the PSP. Too bad there's no option for winter tires. [Apr 2006, p.92]

Solid, yet unspectacular. [Apr 2006, p.78]

Like Scott Spezio, this game is worth having on your roster until a better one comes around. [May 2006, p.96]

Cripplingly bad load times and no infrastructure play. [May 2006, p.96]

It's strictly for armchair racers that crave variety over substance. [Mar 2006, p.90]

You never really feel like you're controlling the racers, but rather just making suggestions that they follow or ignore at their leisure. [Apr 2006, p.80]

MS Saga succeeds in creating one of the first truly accessible Gundam experiences while still giving the hardcore fans a reason to play. [Mar 2006, p.87]

Just better enough than last year's game to warrant a purchase. Just. [Apr 2006, p.79]

A more exciting, more involving boxing experience than this year's PS2 game. [Apr 2006, p.90]

It's just a veil of mediocrity used to cover what amounts to a crazed-crowd simulator. No, wait, that actually sounds too fun for a game like this. [Jun 2006, p.92]

Ultimately, Getting Up's most serious problem is that it's so damn serious. There's none of the anarchic joy found in "Jet Set Radio." [Apr 2006, p.83]

Grandia III is a game filled with polish, slick visuals, and a fantastic battle system. It just happens to be bogged down by a fairly mediocre story.

An ugly, ugly game. [Apr 2006, p.80]

A fun distraction for the PSP, [but] slow and repetitive, sometimes to the point of boredom. Just keep the sessions short. [Apr 2006, p.90]

If for whatever reason "Tales of Symphonia" didn't grab you, you might want to consider giving Tales another try with Legendia. [Mar 2006, p.87]

While Arena Football plays well and offers some decent multiplayer fun, you'll find better sims---"Madden", NFL 2k"--and arcade-style games--"Blitz", "NFL Street"--out there. [Mar 2006, p.91]

Not only is it just an excellent port of an arcade game, but it also has one of the best rosters of any fighting game to date, along with enough extras to keep any sort of fighting fan busy for hours on end. [Apr 2006, p.90]

As a single-match footy game, WE9 is a visceral and satisfying experience that provides a greater sense of connection with the sport than "FIFA" manages. [Mar 2006, p.93]

Out of all the releases that have come out in the past few years, Mega Man Maverick Hunter X stands as an example of what every developer should do--actually take advantage of the new hardware and seize the opportunity to add something new. [Mar 2006, p.94]

There's a Jamaican bobsled team joke in here somewhere, but I'm too disappointed to figure it out. [Apr 2006, p.78]

Delivers a great baseball sim, though it might take a bit more work for you to enjoy it--in terms of getting used to no-name players and potentially adjusting gameplay options to your liking.

Insert "cruel and unusual punishment" or similar prison-term jokesterism here. Bonus points for working in the words "salad" and "toss." [Apr 2006, p.82]

Perhaps the biggest problem with Ape Escape Academy is the fact that you literally spend more time waiting than you do playing.

But Ape Escape 3's presentation is what really hurts the whole package. The graphics are mediocre, especially for a first-party game late in the PS2's life cycle. The voice acting is painfully stilted. And the translation is woeful.

Having long since outlived its usefulness, the Wild Arms series has gone, with this entry, from merely banal to actively irritating. With such a wealth of RPGs getting translated nowadays and more companies than ever eager to get into the act, it's about time this appendix was removed.

You have to be a huge Mega Man nut if you want to get these games--especially since many of them are newer than the games released in the original Mega Man collection, meaning that all-important element of nostalgia just isn't quite there.

The surprising thing is that while it may sound like a bad afternoon in school, the game is actually astonishingly addictive. [Mar 2006, p.96]

Formula Front turned out surprisingly well for a late-stage retrofitting. [Mar 2006, p.96]

This is one of the best wrestling games created to date. [Mar 2006, p.93]

It's a bite-size nugget of nostalgia and mindless fun. [Feb 2006, p.77]

The package's presentation is incredibly minimal as well, with the games dropped into the most generic of interfaces. [Mar 2006, p.94]

The simple infrastructure multiplayer adds some replay value, but overall this port is poorly thought out. [Mar 2006, p.97]

In terms of gameplay, the game surpasses its console counterpart, but the technical snags drag it back down.

Pac-Man plays minor-league Mario for the two people left in the world who still can't get enough key puzzles and Easter egg hunts.

While Revelations adds a moderate amount of content to "Warrior Within", at its core it is essentially the same game. [Mar 2006, p.92]

When I wasn't short-circuiting the game myself, there were bugs to contend with--about once an hour, the game would freeze and I would have to restart. [Mar 2006, p.94]

But if you're looking for a somewhat new angle on the old platforming formula with a little taste of Pikmin thrown in, then Tokobot is worth checking out.

An eminently satisfying game in its own right, and a more than worthy sequel--already it's going head-to-head with "God of War" in game-of-the-year debates around the office. Regardless, to my mind it's the best Prince of Persia yet. If you play just this one, you'll think it's excellent. But if you've played the last two, you'll think it's a masterpiece.

It's just not very exciting to play or to watch, and for a college basketball game that just shouldn't be the case. [Mar 2006, p.90]

Two games in one: both are bland and tedious. [Jan 2006, p.99]

Good game variety, nice customization options. [Nov 2005, p.93]

It has the most idiotic aiming scheme in any WWII game.

Kong radiates the ultimate gaming feeling: being a total badass.

The gun battles that account for 99 percent of the game are extremely flawed. Bulletproof's aiming controls--no matter which configuration or sensitivity settings you choose--are as sloppy as they come.

Good practice for aspiring Final Fantasizers. [Jan 2006, p.99]

A game for zealous fans and gamers with damaged short-term memory. [Jan 2006, p.96]

An adequate, sometimes engaging adventure that just has too many annoying little wrinkles that were never ironed out. [Jan 2006, p.96]

Fans of the series will no doubt dig the new features, but Alter Code: F remains simply decent. [Jan 2006, p.96]

In spite of its goofy, vulgar, utterly over-the-top style...the game's damn addictive. [Jan 2006, p.105]

The landscape could be considered a character in itself - it rivals the state of San Andreas in size and detail. It's one of the few landscapes where you can look in any direction and realize that the mountain in the distance isn't scenery. [Dec 2005, p.116]

Pac-Man World 3 shows up to class every day but settles for straight C's. It will mostly appeal to youngsters, and I'm sure that kids will find something in it. But the folks who grew up with Pac-Man won't find much to love in this lazy cash in.

A couple of good ideas, a couple of bad ideas, but all executed so poorly that the game almost feels unfinished. Combine that with a control and camera system that's been getting progressively worse for the past six years or so, and it's official: The hedgehog has jumped the shark.

A surprisingly solid movie-licensed title--despite its somewhat odd use of a balled-up Charlize Theron.

It's not as pretty as last year's game, but this refined Underground still delivers the goods: fun, fast racing.

What's basically an upgraded "Rivals" doesn't stand up to recent racers like "Burnout Legends." [Jan 2006, p.105]

Aside from a few minor changes--some added minigames, an excised level--this is the same game as its PS2 counterpart. [mar 2006, p.97]

The underlying game is solid and would have been great had Activision taken the time to iron out the myriad bugs and glitches.

Really rolls back the clock, but it also makes an excellent time waster, and its up-to-date visuals help take the edge off. A solid adventure. [Jan 2006, p.105]

This is an attractive, fun game, and if it had a better story and slightly more polish, it would be one of the best for the system. [Jan 2006, p.104]

Definitely reinforces the "toy" part of Eyetoy. [Jan 2006, p.90]

The only thing that really sets Flow apart is its music. While "DDR" occasionally throws a hip-hop-flavored track in with the J-pop, Flow is 100 percent Brooklyn block party, circa 1981.

The melee combat is competent, but when many enemies are onscreen, things turn into a bit of a button-mashing clusterf***.

Matches are still way too slow most of the time. Aiming issues make your wrestlers look clownish when they attempt to start a throw and instead just swing at air. And worst of all, tag-team partners--the bane of any wrestling game--are still dumb as dirt and simply don't do what they're told.

A cut above its peers. [Jan 2006, p.100]

The most challenging poker game yet - so newbies beware! [Jan 2006, p.95]

With only a few exceptions, it exceeds every expectation. Bravo, indeed. [Jan 2006, p.102]

You can scalp baddies, but there is no in-game benefit or reward for doing so. [Jan 2006, p.94]

Gameplay works when it's not broken, but awful story scenes and graphics make for boring stretches. [Dec 2005, p.118]

As you might expect, it's great for parties, but the solo modes leave a bit to be desired. [Dec 2005, p.126]

A supremely worthy successor to the most-frightening throne.

A by-the-book tactical RPG that takes no chances, but can be engaging. It's also short (campaigns under 15 hours) and whoever heard of a short RPG?

It never seems to target the right enemy, and it often takes too long to circle around and get an enemy in your sights before you're able to use the lock-on.

When it really comes down to it, what this game's about is no-frills rocking. And no-frills rocking is what it does very well. [Nov 2005, p.98]

Where Curse of Darkness succeeds is with its secondary features - the devil forging and the item-creation system. [Dec 2005, p.126]

With a better targeting system and more free-form gameplay, this could have been a winner. [Dec 2005, p.130]

Sure, the production values are a bit better in FRWL (I particularly like shooting grenades off of the enemies' belts) and there are some decent gameplay tweaks (such as the "Bond focus" aiming for precise shots and the lack of stupid stealth levels), but the overall game is just plain easier and more sedentary feeling when compared to the previous game.

The signature piece of Battlefront II is the ship-to-ship combat... This element makes Battlefront II feel much more like the complete Star Wars experience. [Dec 2005, p.108]

To put it simply, there are so many small fundamental problems--the passing feels stiff and has some weird bugs that cause the ball to fly off in random directions (not to mention the fact that the AI, while mostly consistent, does have a tendency to cheat a little bit when intercepting passes, at least more than any human opponent would).

Mutant Nightmare has improvements over its predecessors here and there, like a better camera and nice graphics, but when the basic game is this boring, that's about as useful as replacing the air freshener in a house build in the sewers. [Dec 2005, p.123]

All in all, this is about what we've come to expect from a competent World War II FPS: frequent moments of drama and tension and cinema interspersed with some fairly run-of-the-mill shooting.

A feast for creative quirk-seekers; a famine for lazy mainstreamers. [Dec 2005, p.130]

The voices are great, the gameplay's not half-bad - but the AI is such an impediment that the fun quickly drains away. [Jan 2006, p.99]