The nonlinear design, careful difficulty ramp, and outstanding presentation bring this one above the pack. And hey, at least it doesn't have an Omaha Beach level.

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]

It's not "Burnout" by any means, but the way the whole experience revels in its country-boy demeanor oddly satisfies. [Oct 2004, p.100]

Like "EyeToy: Play," you might wonder how often you'd play this alone, but it's fun enough (and has enough multiplayer modes) that it's absolutely worth owning. [May 2004, p.97]

Still, God Hand is a guilty pleasure in that it's so embarrassingly poor in its basic design, yet totally awesome in its combat. [Nov. 2006, p.118]

Thankfully, solid graphics and audio, two-player Co-op and Versus modes, and lots of stuff to unlock keep this blast-a-thon steady. [Feb 2003, p.98]

I can't think of a more enjoyable puzzle-based adventure since "Ico." Though not without faults, Primal does so much right, you never really want to put it down. [May 2003, p.93]

There's a constant sense of achievement and unlike many sci-fi-themed racers, it doesn't get old as it always manages to stay so exciting and fun. [Apr 2002, p.106]

It has more of the same clunky controls and general lack of fun for which the series is known. [Oct 2004, p.92]

This is the most fun game in the PSP series purely from a control and competition standpoint, and it's overall a step in the right direction for a series that has been stuck in a major rut. [Jan. 2007, p.92]

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.

There is no substitute for the real golf experience, but if you are looking for a winter activity, need practice before the next round, or are craving golf on a rainy day, strap on the gloves and play Real World Golf. [July 2006, p.78]

Slaps you in the face with a fairly steep learning curve. [Nov 2002, p.194]

Ranks among the finest titles of its genre on the system. [Mar 2002, p.106]

It can be really exciting - or really frustrating. It all depends on whether luck is with you. [July 2002, p.100]

A blast to play - it's just that you're likely to spend as much time watching cinemas, storyboards, and loading screens as actually <I>playing</I> the game. For a six-to-eight-hour game, that's just not right. [Feb 2004, p.104]

While the battle system is solid, the battles themselves are dreadfully boring.

It's a great chunk of new maps and guns(and co-op!)for SOCOM fans, and it's as good a point as any for newcomers to try to penetrate the hardcore depths of the online community, no question. [Jan. 2007, p.80]

All of the ports are about as perfect as perfect gets. [May 2006, p.92]

As cool as the sword fights and boss battles may be, Bujingai may frustrate you for hours at a time with poorly designed levels that depend too much on jumping puzzles. [July 2004, p.88]

Overall, it's just a great pick-up-and-play game, but I don't want to give up depth just because a game is portable. [July 2006, p.84]

You can't save until you beat a level. Having to conquer a tough boss before being able to save any progress at all will irritate anyone with a social life. [Oct 2003, p.119]

The story is so fragmented, the missions so pointless, and the action so sparse that there's no drive to progress. [June 2004, p.90]

Falls flat due to its mediocre graphics, sticky control and awkward camera. [Dec 2001, p.172]

There is brutality here that will shock some of you with its dispassionate nature... There's a sense of claustrophobia and fear you experience in The Getaway that's unlike any other game. [Mar 2003, p.104]

Good for a few little bursts. [Jan 2006, p.107]

Fun and even a little addictive - it's still an interesting walk down memory lane for us twenty-something geezers. [March 2005, p.101]

Once you get past the negligible new features, there IS some fun hack-n-slash gameplay to be had with the four new characters. [Jan 2005, p.118]

As with any game that crams a ton of different types of games, the selection is pretty uneven--the racing games, for example, well and truly suck--but there are enough standouts to keep you coming back to the minigames once you've beaten the main game. [Jan. 2007, p.78]

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.

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]

A robust fighting experience. [Sept 2006, p.81]

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]

The surprisingly solid two-player mode allows you to wage war on a friend in sea-battle form, which proves highly addictive and competitive. [Apr 2002, p.105]

The big problem is that none of the tasks are that engaging, and are made less so by the graphics. [Sept 2002, p.118]

If you're a hardcore Star Wars fan &#150; and only if you're a hardcore Star Wars fan &#150; the story should interest you. But, like the six-to-eight-hour game itself, it's just too short. [Feb 2003, p.102]

Dynasty Warriors maniacs (i.e., people like me) will love it. The rest of you should only bother if you'd rather pay 20 bucks less for a stripped-down version of what the full game has to offer. [Dec 2003, p.156]

Should please dance freaks looking for something a bit more serious than DDR.

The hacking 'n' slashing power never grows old, because your path to winning a battle is wide open. [Feb 2003, p.100]

Battlecry also looks friggin' amazing - here's yet another game where cel-shading does wonders. [Nov 2002, p.188]

Maybe the most irritating thing is that, for all its complexity, Bombastic isn't the slightest bit difficult. [Sept 2003, p.93]

Mere diversions that don't have much lasting appeal. [Feb 2002, p.116]

Substantially deeper than any EyeToy title I've seen so far. Granted, that's not hard to do, but it's still a nice surprise.

Easily the best compilation of quality classics ever seen on a console. [Feb 2002, p.108]

What's more surprising, given the kiddie theme, is the amount of strategy. [Oct 2002, p.142]

Fans of the original gmes will surely dig this latest installment (and will enjoy the occasional subtle references to previous titles), and everyone else ought to at least get sucked in by its unique story line. [July 2003, p.93]

The game just lacks the depth to keep hardcore fighting-game fans interested. [Nov 2001, p.167]

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

Arcade deliciousness is soured by the lack of a carer mode, but it's still oh so sweet. [Aug 2006, p.83]

The gameplay is a bit awkward and quite repetitive, but no game has captured the feel of Dragon Ball Z quite like this. [Jan 2006, p.92]

The only really fundamental issue with the game is its length. [Jan 2002, p.128]

The grandaddy of all PS2 baseball sims needs a big face-lift. [May 2004, p.99]

Ultimately feels like an action-platformer for masochistic, smart-aleck kids. [Oct 2005, p.102]

The whole package has a polished look. I even watched a few cut-scenes long enough to figure out that the title Earned in Blood makes reference to how Red tries to gain his fellow soldiers' trust. And Brothers in Arms is beginning to earn our trust, too--as not just "another war game."

Where "Gallop Racer" rules is in its tutorial, which eases you onto the ol' dirt runway. But where it fails is its lack of an immersive Career mode, which is exactly what makes Jockey such a surprisingly worthwhile experience. [June 2003, p.105]

The bigger problem is that 2000 and 2001 aren't the best games in the series. [Jan 2004, p.123]

Despite some ugly flaws, however, Medal of Honor Heroes manages to fulfill the PSP's promise of delivering a console-level experience in a portable medium. [Dec. 2006, p.132]

Simply superior than that previous effort in just about every way imaginable. [Mar 2002, p.108]

Soft of resembles a four-person "Ico" &#150; only not as pretty and much harder to get the hang of. [Jan 2002, p.132]

True, there is a sense of colossal achievement that results from completing a shoot...but I really don't think it should be such a painful experience to get there. [August 2002, p.106]

For me, the simple combat takes a backseat to turning everything I love into a videogame character. [June 2005, p.95]

Just like a fine chalupa meal at Taco Bell, you're getting exactly what you paid for, no more, no less.

If you have a companion who shares your hankering for country music, indulge. If not, give this a pass. [May 2006, p.82]

I'm no prude, but the thing that spoiled Road Kill for me was the fact that it tries too hard with the adult content. I'm fine with swearing in games, but here, it seems gratuitous. [Nov 2003, p.138]

Inconsistent voice acting and poor plot development. [Dec 2001, p.168]

One of the most comprehensive entries in the music-creation genre. [Jan 2004, p.120]

It's merely competent in my humble opinion. [June 2003, p.104]

Gives you an adequate adrenaline rush and provides a realistic experience (minus the bruises and broken bones, of course), but it lacks the polish of other EA Sports titles.

I don't care what it is, you watch it 30 times in 33 minutes and it starts to get old. [Nov 2004, p.136]

Strictly in terms of gameplay, it's a work of art...Unfortunately, Shinobi stumbles in its level and enemy design. [Dec 2002, p.152]

Surprisingly polished. [Aug 2006, p.76]

In every way that matters, College 2K3 doesn't hold a candle to EA Sports' benchmark NCAA series. [Sept 2002, p.115]

Falls flat on its face on just about every level. [June 2001, p.98]

Take the great career mode, the interesting challenges, and solid online play, and you've got one excellent bike racer on your hands, even despite a few speed bumps here and there. [Sept 2006, p.76]

The word "frustrating" doesn't even begin to describe it. [Apr 2002, p.108]

Ty 2 seems to have it all: a huge open environment, gorgeous graphics, superb production values, myriad fluffy animals with Australian accents, and a ton of different gameplay styles. [Jan 2005, p.107]

The humor and writing is really top-notch SpongeBob SquarePants! It's just like the show that we all love to watch! SpongeBob SquarePants! The gameplay is simple but never gets dull...

It's nice that Pandemic attempted to improve "Full Spectrum Warrior", trying to make it feel more like a game and less like something based on military theory. But the host of said improvements take FSW from and interesting if tame combat simulator to an irritating way to spend an afternoon. [July 2006, p.76]

As long as you and yours can stand some frustration, it's a solid purchase. [Jan 2005, p.106]

The naval engagements look sharp, with some nice water effects and a lot of action, but the combat seems like dumbed-down real-time strategy. [Mar 2003, p.108]

To put it bluntly, this game's graphics are a mess...still a great RPG. [Feb 2002, p.107]

Rogue's greatest asset is its variety, which constantly refreshes the experience before that "new game" smell wears off. [June 2006, p.93]

Beyond the online component, Outbreak essentially plays like any other Resident Evil, only with a lesser story, better (though still imperfect) controls, and improved voice acting.

Fighting battles, debating policy, dueling, and expanding an empire with an endless series of menus does have its charms. [July 2005, p.75]

The biggest deal is the opportunity to actually explore Hogwarts. [Jan 2003, p.124]

The EyeToy camera tracks the position of your head and hands and translates your movements into character action. And it works amazingly well. [Dec 2004, p.118]

This game is hard – we're talking brutal, controller-throwing frustration here. The biggest problem is the control scheme. Frankly, it sucks. [May 2002, p.99]

What's so great about this game is that it delivers a true sensation of underwater combat without getting all hung up on the details that would normally lead to frustration. [Nov 2002, p.190]

Sealth missions excepted, you're in for a genuinely fun eight hours of gameplay in The Hulk. [July 2003, p.91]

If you have even the slightest love for a warped look at the fairy tales we all grew up with (all based around the new film, of course), you won't want to miss Shrek 2.

The devil may indeed be in the details, but if you dive into Freedom with the mind-set of "knowing is half the battle," you'll be rewarded with a game that will provide you with--no lie--over 100 hours of truly compelling gameplay. [Jun 2006, p.100]

In the end, if you're got a fellow strategy fan sitting within a 30-meter radious of you, then you can have a fine old time with Open Warfare. But, if not, you're unlikely to get more than a rental's worth of gameplay out of it. [Jun 2006, p.102]

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

Out of nowhere, BloodRayne 2 ranks among PS2's best hack-n-slash titles. [Dec 2004, p.124]

Tries so hard to be good, but fails at just about every turn. [Dec 2001, p.169]

If you can get past the basic setup, a great, pure role-playing adventure awaits. [Feb 2002, p.114]

Despite the terribly repetitive combat (broken up by an absolutely terrific trio of boss battles), I still had lots of fun - although it was largely due to the way I played the game. [Oct 2003, p.115]

It's not perfect, and if you don't have the ability to play online, it's a little brief, but all in all, it's a very competent game. [Mar 2004, p.99]