Therein likes Magic Pengel's beauty... it's the fact that you can bring to life almost <I>anything</I> you imagine. [June 2003, p.106]

The framerate here bogs down so much that it actually hampers gameplay. And there's no excuse for that - Emperor's Tomb isn't doing anything PS2 can't handle. [Aug 2003, p.98]

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]

It's considerably less tedious than you might expect from a game like this - it's just not quite a classic. [Aug 2003, p.101]

It's like a feeble attempt at a mission-based driving game (think "Midnight Club" or "Driver" or something, I guess - it's hard to tell since it's hard to tell since it's so half-hearted) with Mini Coopers thrown in for really obvious movie "flava." [Sept 2003, p.97]

EA Sports has been gradually enhancing the presentation of F1 over the past few years, and this time, it's stunning. [Aug 2003, p.97]

Given the heritage, and the burden it carries as a flag-bearer for videogaming, it's appalling... The biggest issue I have with it is that the controls are atrocious. [Sept 2003, p.90]

The most fun I've had with a Resident Evil game in years. [July 2003, p.98]

The puzzles are so ploddingly bleak that you might find yourself craving more awful action just to keep you awake. The biggest problem? The utterly lackwit level design. [Aug 2003, p.103]

It seems like the designers spent so much time working on fancy effects that they didn't have enough time to bother with things like level design... It's a pretty major disappointment. [Aug 2003, p.101]

It also suffers some stultifying strikes: excruciating difficulty, obtuse mechanics, a stifling lack of freedom, and a brutal mission structure that punishes you as often as it rewards you. [July 2003, p.94]

You can only truck for so long before things start to get stale. [Aug 2003, p.97]

Purely from a gaming standpoint, it's so brilliantly crafted, you should try it. [July 2003, p97]

Boy, did we get screwed. Why? Guess what kind of multiplayer mode RtCW has on PS2? Go ahead, guess! Give up? NONE. [Aug 2003, p.102]

Not a masterpiece, but it has something nailed that so many games seem to lack: it's fun. Lots of fun. Seriously. [July 2003, p.97]

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]

A full-featured chess game... But it's flawed in a lot of little ways, and these little flaws add up. [July 2003, p.93]

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

The tension isn't there when it comes to working on race tactics. [Aug 2003, p.99]

There's definitely 20 bucks worth of gameplay here. Just don't expect a masterpiece. [July 2003, p.95]

Take the red pill. And by "take," I mean "rent." [Aug 2003, p.96]

It's pretty shocking to see how well Finding Nemo's story and settings translate into a game. [Aug 2003, p.99]

It's this kind of extra depth that helps round out an already compelling experience. At the very least, it's enough to keep me coming back for more, eagerly awaiting the next chapter in this utterly unique franchise. [June 2003, p.104]

Besides the rosters, this is the exact same game as last year. [July 2003, p.97]

Multiplayer is a hoot, rebounding is spot-on, the Career mode lets you unlock legends, and the new defensive counters add loads of strategy. But most important, the first game's rubber-band logic that kept every game close has been abandoned. [May 2003, p.94]

This game makes me want to puke. [July 2003, p.99]

The game IS gorgeous. The graphics are beautiful the sound effects are spectacular, and the overall presentation is extremely stylish. [May 2003, p.92]

The fan in me can't help but like this game. Despite some questionable A.I. and repetitive attack animations (surprisingly brutal for a Teen rating), the Stealth mode (activated by awkwardly holding down L2 - another control issue) presents a genuinely cool graphic effect similar to thermal vision. [June 2003, p.108]

Should prove surprisingly playable for fans of the show... Unfortunately, InuYasha's actual fighting engine is rather mediocre, not to mention unbalanced, so hardcore fighting buffs will probably want to steer clear. [May 2003, p.97]

The first PS2 game to really get my heart racing. If you really get into this, your adrenal gland will start juicing out its stuff so much that you'll actually feel that buzz. [Apr 2003, p.82]

It may well be the best-looking PS2 game yet. [May 2003, p.89]

Simply said, Final Fantasy Origins is a must-have title for any RPG lover - no matter how casual or passionate your devotion to role-playing games. [Apr 2003, p.88]

The key to Vendetta's success (I mean, seriously, rappers <I>wrestling?</I>) is that it's fast, fluid, and features an almost perfectly balanced wrestling engine. [Apr 2003, p.86]

The fools who don't live and die for horse racing (we'll call them funambulists) will find this game generally confusing, and will probably never figure out the diluted betting system. [June 2003, p.105]

I am spectacularly disappointed... Because aside from looking gorgeous, Auto Modellista is an absolute pig. [June 2003, p.102]

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]

Regardless of its faults, Dynasty 4 is a pure adrenaline rush - the type, for me, that only the original "Devil May Cry" has rivaled on PS2. [May 2003, p.92]

By far the coolest feature, though, is the ability to partake in the park's attractions. [May 2003, p.97]

It's one of the worst-looking titles ever released on the PS1. [June 2003, p.107]

The online implementation is the best I've seen in a PS2 game. [May 2003, p.90]

A cool-ass shooter... Honestly, at $15 bucks, it would be a serious crime for shooter fans to pass this baby up. [June 2003, p.105]

The game can be beaten in a handful of sessions, and although it offers some replay value with its unique points system..., I doubt most of you will be motivated to bother. I know I wasn't. [Apr 2003, p.92]

Though Clock Tower 3 includes a little more action than the previous games, and remains a decent core adventure game as other horror titles, it fails where it really counts: the scare factor. [May 2003, p.90]

Challenges are all over the place, randomly ranging from boringly easy to annoying difficult. [Apr 2003, p.90]

Your typical "Twisted Metal" knock-off, complete with a ho-hum lineup of vehicles, bland weaponry, and uninspired courses. Gameplay's no better. [May 2003, p.97]

Mechanically, a solid game. But somehow, it lacks the one intangible element "High Heat" has managed to capture: urgency. There's no tension here. [Apr 2003, p.97]

The biggest improvement (for me anyway) is that Namco absolutely nailed it with the controls this time. [Apr 2003, p.90]

Hot chicks on the loading screens, madcap commentary, useful cheats, and an all-new Special Pitch will keep arcade enthusiasts smiling like Steinbrenner after signing a 14th starting pitcher. [Apr 2003, p.96]

It's so well-balanced, you're not limited to a video game strategy. You can play it any way you like. It's real soccer, and that why we love it. [Apr 2003, p.100]

The main problem is that there's just no sense of speed. You can be going Mach 1.2 and it feels like you're driving a charter bus. Uphill. Against the wind. In a foot of snow. Towing another charter bus. [Apr 2003, p.84]

There's reason to play it over the other, better baseball games this season: Spring Training Mode... Besides that very cool option, MLB 2004 is average in every way. [Apr 2003, p.95]

It'll take some getting used to, but but for the first time, a game has made pitching as much fun as hitting. [Apr 2003, p.96]

No other game out there offers such a chaotic yet brilliantly visceral gaming experience. [May 2003, p.96]

The reason this process is so gut-wrenchingly irritating is that the controls for My Street, quite frankly, suck. [Apr 2003, p.90]

The way it controls, which, in my opinion is like crap. [May 2003, p.93]

Given that Snake is the ultimate videogame stud, it's great to work through some new objectives with his gritty new perspective. [Apr 2003, p.87]

Rather than fixing what was broken, they just offer tips, which themselves are faulty... Wrath has "rush job" written all over it. [Apr 2003, p.92]

Catching a fly witch chopsticks Miyagi-style is easier than whacking a pitch in this game. [Apr 2003, p.95]

It's flawed, for sure, and it's a bit too heavy for its own good. But if you give it your all, you'll come away from the game exhilarated and exhausted, with sexy android images and deep metaphysical questions rattling around in your mind for months to come. [Mar 2003, p.112]

What keeps the title afloat is collecting items, snapping pictures, and building up your character. It actually becomes mildly addictive. [Mar 2003, p.103]

The key to Hight Heat 2004, and the reason it already ranks high on the list of my all-time favorite games, is that it's the best bargain in games. A full 162-game season will last you about 90 hours. [Apr 2003, p.94]

One of the most extraordinarily deep and innovative games I've ever experienced. [Apr 2003, p.84]

Pure fun... With so much variety, the game has more than enough absurdly addictive elements to keep you busy for untold hours. [Mar 2003, p.108]

Everything about Roses is designed to make you feel like a total loser. The difficulty level is ratcheted up so high, you're bound to lose billions of battles before you can build a decent deck. [Apr 2003, p.98]

It's more of a puzzle-solving game, yet it somehow remains completely thrilling throughout. [Feb 2003, p.99]

There's no excuse for such an absurdly awkward control scheme. [Apr 2003, p.92]

The game features an abundance of fighting styles, and everything from the grapples to the counters comes off incredibly well. [Feb 2003, p.108]

I had to muddle through almost half of this 20-hour RPG before .hack really grabbed me... And now, I'm hooked. [Feb 2003, p.100]

The best part of the game, though, is beating a defender on the dribble and creating a scoring chance. It's energizing and it's effort well-spent. [Feb 2003, p.109]

Rarely more than mildly diverting at best. From the first moment, the game left me feeling decidely underwhelmed. [Mar 2003, p.110]

A solid, if limited, dance title... If Rhythm n' Groove has another 15 or 20 songs, DDR might have something to worry about. [June 2003, p.107]

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]

I can't remember the last time I experienced this LITTLE fun playing a videogame. Bad pacing and poor level design have a lot to do with this. [Mar 2003, p.103]

The game is loud, boasts a blazing metal soundtrack, and features characters that are supposed to mirror real-life rockers. [Mar 2003, p.103]

The best part is that some jittery-fingered button-masher won't necessarily win. You actually have to box. That's something the arcadey "Ready 2 Rumble" couldn't figure out. [Apr 2003, p.84]

If you think toying around with the track editor sounds like $10 worth of fun, check this out. If not, don't bother. [Apr 2003, p.87]

The game seems to have taken a step back in the "cool moves that are also helpful" department. [Mar 2003, p.106]

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]

Why would I want to play a game that consists mostly of <I>waiting</I>? [Apr 2003, p.87]

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]

You may start off thinking it's a bit odd, but as soon as you begin identifying with your Sim, you're hooked. [Feb 2003, p.106]

The sequel rocks. Hard. In fact, I can't think of a more stupendous leap in quality between a game and its sequel. [Mar 2003, p.103]

It's incredibly satisfying, regardless of your gaming abilities [thanks to huge explosions], and it's so well designed that the control system becomes transparent after spending very little time with it. [Jan 2003, p.118]

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

It&#146;s dreadfully ugly and unredeemingly unfun. [Mar 2002, p.110]

It's minaturized, astonishingly deep, and loads of fun. It's also super cheap. [Mar 2003, p.114]

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]

Story aside, PRD is a damn fine racer... I'm completely addicted. [Feb 2003, p.109]

Fighting Game Fan: "I'll admit, I was surprised at how deep the game is, and I actually enjoyed the Story mode, despite the oddball characters." [Feb 2003, p.104]

Offers up the most authentic college basketball experience. [Jan 2003, p.139]

The levels are huge, but you don't feel like there's much freedom because the game very strictly controls where you can and can't go. [Feb 2003, p.109]

There's surprising depth and lots to do for a younger crowd. It's perfect for an under-13 gamer. [Feb 2003, p.101]

It's roughly animation-free. [Jan 2003, p.138]

Sadists can now add a new option to their perverse torture list: Play Evolution Snowboarding. [Feb 2003, p.101]

Too slow and clunky, and the load times will put some softcore gamers to sleep. [Feb 2003, p.104]

True hunters will see nothing but shortcomings. [Apr 2003, p.87]

Stunningly beautiful - jaw-dropping at times... One of the finest action games I've ever played. [Jan 2003, p.137]

If you like Whiteout... try Liquid Paper... perhaps on your eyeballs, to block out this eyesore of a game. [Feb 2003, p.109]