The scope and magnitude of Call of Duty and particularly this expansion are most important. Gray Matter Studios did upgrade the engine a bit as explosions and other particle effects (like smoke and dirt) are more vivid this time around.

The actual gameplay is pretty solid throughout, the visuals are excellent and the rest of the presentation isn't too shabby. That said, it doesn't do anything principally different and online play could have been implemented better.

The game’s ridiculously repetitive and uninspired gameplay, combined with production values that would make nearly any gamer cry don’t form a winning combination.

The game's audio is magnificent. The entire package is excellent and really brings the game's presentation to first-class standards.

The actual gameplay is quite solid, if a bit easy. Nonetheless, it’s hard to recommend the game for a $49.99 purchase when there is so little replay value.

The game’s ridiculously repetitive and uninspired gameplay, combined with production values that would make nearly any gamer cry don’t form a winning combination.

Probably a perfect example a cartoon-licensed title. The underpinning gameplay is decent but the game uses the license to really spruce things up. Creating the many items and Gizmos in the game is quite fun, just like the rest of the game.

On the GBA, Jimmy Neutron: Attack of the Twonkies doesn’t distinguish itself as much as it does on the console versions. Nonetheless, the game remains a solid platformer with enough variety to keep the game interesting.

The underpinning gameplay is decent but the game uses the license to really spruce things up. Creating the many items and Gizmos in the game is quite fun, just like the rest of the game.

If there is one thing I did notice is that many of the game’s textures are a bit blurry and bland which contrasts the excellent jungle architecture.

It just doesn’t do anything particularly interesting to warrant playing through unless you’re a diehard fan of the series.

Offers varied gameplay and enough of it to keep things interesting. The game’s multiplayer and respectable presentation are good additions, but the game’s unforgivable save system really puts a damper on things.

It just doesn’t do anything particularly interesting to warrant playing through unless you’re a diehard fan of the series.

A strong candidate for the coveted Game of the Year award, Burnout 3: Takedown is one of the best arcade racing games to come out in years.

While there is nothing particularly wrong with it, it just doesn’t do much beyond what is expected in terms of actual gameplay.

A fun horror title with solid gameplay and an interesting storyline to keep you playing to the very end.

A strong candidate for the coveted Game of the Year award, Burnout 3: Takedown is one of the best arcade racing games to come out in years.

Quite enjoyable although nothing particularly innovative.

Quite enjoyable although nothing particularly innovative.

You can spend hours simply customizing your car, which will please the real tuners out there. The actual gameplay is solid, although the sense of speed and sometimes too realistic handling hurt the game a bit.

The coolest gadget is the 3DA camera which allows you to take a picture of someone and then emulate them perfectly.

A by the numbers RPG with plenty of leveling up, a great battle system and superb presentation. It doesn’t do anything particularly innovative, but should provide great fun for RPG fans.

A very solid tactical RPG. The game’s gameplay mechanics will surely please fans of the genre and particularly fans of Nippon Ichi but may frustrate newer players.

While multiplayer is a nice addition, it really pays to have friends who actually enjoy the game’s delicacies. Otherwise, they’ll likely be turned off by the whole thing.

Succeeds at pleasing its intended audience (the older teenage male, which I very happily fall in). As a trivia game, the questions are varied enough to keep things interesting and the breast parade never feels pushed or clearly added for marketing reasons.

The physics are arcadey but work. You’ll notice the planes breaking in the order you would expect them to. The environments are pretty and the draw distance is extremely impressive.

Succeeds at pleasing its intended audience (the older teenage male, which I very happily fall in). As a trivia game, the questions are varied enough to keep things interesting and the breast parade never feels pushed or clearly added for marketing reasons.

Day of Reckoning had the potential to be a superb game, but was held back by a lack of several things, such as a strong roster, voice-overs, and a strong Story mode, as well as its buggy AI.

While there is nothing particularly wrong with it, it just doesn’t do much beyond what is expected in terms of actual gameplay.

The ten hour campaign and relatively repetitive gameplay keep it from being a true gem.

The best golf game that you will find on a console. There is so much depth so much charm to this game. It is impossible to dislike unless you really hate golf.

Too many returning (though greatly enhanced) elements from last year’s version, combined with some ill-advised new additions (anything involving the obnoxious Tony Bruno!), conspire to bring Madden 2005 down a notch from the all-around perfection of the previous season.

The multiplayer mode of Black Arrow is as strong as ever and this is exactly the reason why so many people are playing it on Xbox Live at any given time.

Even up against recent heavyweights like "Painkiller" and "Far Cry", Doom 3’s visuals are a notch above. Using pretty much every graphical technique available like normal mapping, self-shadowing, per-pixel lighting and others that my frail brain cannot understand, the Doom 3 engine is sight to behold.

If you only own a Gamecube, and don’t need online play, Pandora Tomorrow is still recommended but more for a rental than a purchase.

Casual gamers may want to pick it up also since it is a rather fun party game and even non-gamers can learn the simple controls in a try or two.

When it is all said and done, though, Tales of Symphonia will provide Gamecube gamers fifty to eighty hours of solid, battle-happy role playing goodness.

Where Soldiers best succeeds, though, is in the visuals. This is one immensely detailed game. The various environments you’ll find in the game feature incredibly detailed structures and high-resolution textures, which will surely push your videocard.

The one area that KD Lab didn’t skimp on is the visuals. The game simply looks fantastic with incredibly detailed units and environments.

The background music is fitting for an action game, and the rest of the audio is made up of powerful sound effects and pretty crisp voice clips.

Incredibly fun. I finished the story mode and spent almost an hour continuing to explore the city.

On the Xbox, the game is a visual stunner. As impressed as I was by "True Crime"'s recreation of Los, Spider-Man 2 surpasses it because even though it is about half the size of the real New York City, everything is so distinct (the streets' repetitiveness plagued "True Crime") that I am grateful for that decision.

Incredibly fun. I finished the story mode and spent almost an hour continuing to explore the city.

The multiplayer matches are very frenzied. Add to this first-rate production values thanks to excellent visuals and a compelling soundtrack and you have a winner.

If you thought Slugfest was a little too childish or simple, you’ll enjoy the new changes like the franchise mode. We’ll all enjoy the new online gameplay, though.

The audio portion of the game is wonderful, as expected. The sound quality of the included tracks is excellent, as are the numerous included samples in the game.

The game’s visuals are awesome. The characters are sprite-based and extremely faithful to the show it is based on.

The audio portion of the game is wonderful, as expected. The sound quality of the included tracks is excellent, as are the numerous included samples in the game.

If you’re a racing game fan in general and can get accustomed to the typical IndyCar Racing League races, you’ll find a depth of gameplay modes to last you well into the summer.

Guys at Reflection could have fixed the spotty AI and graphical problems. As is, fans of the series will certainly want to pick this up since this up since it is the best iteration of the series.

With more development time, the guys at Reflection could have fixed the spotty AI and graphical problems. As is, fans of the series will certainly want to pick this up since this up since it is the best iteration of the series.

There is no reason in beating a dead horse; no Gamecube owner expects online gameplay from a Gamecube title. With that said Rainbow Six 3 offers enjoyable squad-based gameplay and will certainly fill up the appetite of Gamecube owners.

The level design is solid in Pandora Tomorrow, although the PS2’s levels are hampered by simpler, less-detailed designs than its Xbox counterpart.

There is a lot of value in the game with a rather large single-player mode (about twelve hours) and co-op, four-player split-screen and Xbox Live support. While there are other FPS that do things better, Shadow Ops is a solid entry.

I wasn’t expecting much more than a novelty act, to be honest. The well-implemented psychic elements in the game really make Psi-Ops stand out and provide a fun experience throughout.

I wasn't expecting much more than a novelty act, to be honest. The well-implemented psychic elements in the game really make Psi-Ops stand out and provide a fun experience throughout.

Enjoyable, if a tad simple.

Sonic Advance 3 doesn't revolutionize the franchise but the new multi-character system allows it to keep it from being redundant and allows for an enjoyable experience.

As long as you aren’t expecting another great platformer, Crash Purple works.

The mini-games are satisfying, despite their slight repetitiveness, and are quite a bit of fun. If there is another mini-games focused Spyro game in the future, the platforming elements need serious work, but overall the game’s style works.

The game is extensively authentic and requires a lot of thought to successfully complete it.

If you're a SNK NeoGeo fan, go purchase this right now since you'll enjoy the visual fidelity and bragging rights that come with Xbox Live.

The game's audio is awesome. The soundtrack is fitting to the tense action present on-screen. The sound effects are particularly enjoyable, as they offer a bit of everything.

A very solid game, just not the upgrade I expected from the console versions. Nonetheless, the game remains fun to play and offers a compelling experience.

The basic premise is very straightforward and isn’t likely to satisfy more than casual fans of the genre.

The game falls short in too many spots and it is a major disappointment on the overall. This game left me feeling bad.

Disgaeas’s great gameplay is present in La Pucelle, although the game still won’t win any “Best Graphics” awards.

The game’s visual style is excellent. Red Dead Revolver very accurately represents the West...Technically, the game doesn’t fare as well. The frame-rate drops a bit too often on PS2 and there are a number of collision detection problems.

Technically, the game fares rather well, considerably better than the PS2 version. The frame-rate stays at 60FPS for the most part, although there are a bit of drops here and there.

One of the best things about Shrek 2 is the multiplayer. Up to four players can play, each controlling a party member. Anyone can join in at any time, so if someone leaves, the AI will continue playing for them.

The animation is excellent as are the level designs. Vicarious Visions did a great job at bringing the Shrek atmosphere to the GBA.

One of the best things about Shrek 2 is the multiplayer. Up to four players can play, each controlling a party member. Anyone can join in at any time, so if someone leaves, the AI will continue playing for them.

One of the best things about Shrek 2 is the multiplayer. Up to four players can play, each controlling a party member. Anyone can join in at any time, so if someone leaves, the AI will continue playing for them.

The Croteam-developed games developed a sense on tension because it was a bit tougher. Here, you are given much ammo to destroy the enemies so it becomes even more of a shoot-a-thon.

The gameplay is very similar to previous games. If you haven’t played any, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

If you can deal with several gameplay mishaps, you’ll enjoy the game since Siren does a great job at telling its story in a new and involved way.

If you can get a group of friends who don’t mind, the game becomes insanely fun. And those videos can later be used for blackmail.

The controls handle very well on PC, so you don’t even need a gamepad to enjoy it. The only exclusion here is that the PC version doesn’t support voice support, and while a bit annoying may be worth it for the better visuals.

The game looks a lot better since Rockstar has made use of the Xbox’s visual processor for higher resolutions, better textures and a much better framerate.

It has made the game feel more responsive and added more immersion thanks to the fans’ animations and various chants.

What makes Painkiller different from other similar games are the awesome visuals. The architecture is particularly great.

If simple fun is what you’re looking for, you can’t get much better than Serious Sam.

The microgames work best when you can move around and not be stuck to your TV. If you do get some friends who can live with some of the crazy found in the game, you'll have hours and hours of fun.

With great game play, and a awesome soundtrack Ballers is sure to keep you occupied for a long while.

The visuals in NBA Ballers are excellent. All the other NBA games have striking player models but they don't compare to the ones in Ballers.

It is fun for the same reason that something like Serious Sam is fun to play: the simplicity of it all. Fans of previous games may be a little turned off by the new arcade-like gameplay, though.

Although not quite as surprising as it was last year (I don’t think anyone expected a handheld Splinter Cell to be that good), it’s still a solid experience.

My new favorite shooter, which is saying something considering all of the notable additions lately. Striking visuals, high-quality AI and open-ended gameplay make for refreshing FPS game.

If you’re planning on playing online, it’s a must have game. If you don’t plan on playing online, the single-player game is still awesome, just don’t expect many changes.

While it lacks innovation in the single player portion, I don't think anyone else could have crafted such a unique way to play the game in multiplayer. If you're planning on playing online, it's a must have game.

A solid tactical shooter for PS2 owners, but with Rainbow Six 3 and SOCOM II currently engaging gamers, there are better choices.

With great visuals, fine audio, pleasurable online and solid gameplay, MLB 2005 is a recommendable purchase for any PS2 baseball fan.

A nice blend of "Ninja Gaiden" and "Splinter Cell," and offers a lot of bang for your buck.

If you’re looking for a new racing game on your PS2 and only have $10, give Corvette a try, it won’t disappoint you. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with it, and you will surely get what you pay for.

A big part of what made the PC version be so great was the whole atmosphere; you felt like you were in Chicago in the 1930s. Unfortunately, the visual inedibility of the Xbox version takes a good chunk of this feeling.

They made the game much smoother in the gameplay department, the PS-X version's biggest weaknesses.

The characters aren’t great but are satisfactory and animate rather way. Not much in the way of visuals, but the art style definitely serves the game.

The visuals in the game are awesome. The tracks and characters are very detailed and smoothly animated.