Visually TT is nothing to write home about, the AI is brutal and the learning curve is mega-steep, but if you've come for some seriously fine tuned tournament competition, TT offers a deeply nuanced excursion through the fine art of ping-pong. [July 2006, p.72]

X-Men: The Official Game is pretty awful. [July 2006, p.71]

X-Men: The Official Game is pretty awful. [July 2006, p.71]

X-Men: The Official Game is pretty awful. [July 2006, p.71]

X-Men: The Official Game is pretty awful. [July 2006, p.71]

X-Men: The Official Game is pretty awful. [July 2006, p.71]

In the very opening, when Bowser surreptitously swipes the Princess, any Mario fan will smile in newfound satisfaction, ready to re-live, perhaps for the first time since that first time, what it's like to play a gem of a Nintendo game. [Jun 2006, p.52]

It's packed with missions and objectives, clever yet straightforward level design and delivers co-op and single player switch-on-the-fly movie derivative critter-foolery. [July 2006, p.72]

It's packed with missions and objectives, clever yet straightforward level design and delivers co-op and single player switch-on-the-fly movie derivative critter-foolery. [July 2006, p.72]

With 16 players and 16 guns blazing, the game is violent bliss, and certainly a war demanding to be fought over and over again. [Apr 2006, p.58]

For long time horse racing fans, Gallop Racer 2006 brings some great improvements in both the racing and breeding aspects above previous versions. [July 2006, p.72]

If you're jonesing for old-school, demerara-sweet gameplay wrapped up in a shiny 21st century paackage, by all means, merge with OutRun 2006. [Jun 2006, p.48]

Drifting and slipstreaming has never been so much fun. [May 2006, p.60]

When not playing single-player or against friends, spend some time with one of seven mini-games; okay, so they're not all that fun, but playing it will unlock pieces for building your own custom Robo Ky, which is. [May 2006, p.61]

Atelier Iris 2: Azoth of Destiny may seem out of place on the PS2, but it has a simple charm that will win over anyone with fond memories of the 16-bit RPG era. [May 2006, p.47]

It's not that it's bad....it's just not as good as the last few games in the series. [May 2006, p.52]

Midway didn't over-think Rampage TD, rather, they made it look amazing while retaining and improving on the game's simplistic yet addictive gameplay. [May 2006, p.54]

Midway didn't over-think Rampage TD, rather, they made it look amazing while retaining and improving on the game's simplistic yet addictive gameplay. [May 2006, p.54]

While there's certainly no shortage of PSP racing games on the shelves, there's a veritable drought when it comes to Rally games: a drought that Bandai Namco Games intends to eradicate with the impressive WRC. [Mar 2006, p.50]

Although the game holds an intriguing and extremely likable protagonist in the plucky slacker Zoe Castillo, the rest of the game in the gritty parlance of the streets, blows enormous monkey chunks. [Jun 2006, p.49]

Although the game holds an intriguing and extremely likable protagonist in the plucky slacker Zoe Castillo, the rest of the game in the gritty parlance of the streets, blows enormous monkey chunks. [Jun 2006, p.49]

Effective or not, this is a uniquely engaging piece of interactive software--and it's 20 bucks. [Jun 2006]

Tomb Raider: Legend is about as good as games get right now. [May 2006, p.43]

Samurai Champloo is by no means perfect--the repetition bug nibbles away now and again and the characters lack subtle animation nuances such as walking--but for what it is, and more over what its fans expect, it smells pretty damn sweet. [Apr 2006, p.47]

It's the new high-water mark for road racing. [May 2006, p.54]

Stripped down and limply recycled from the already lackluster PS2 version of From Russia With Love, this latest Bond action title is crippled by more than inconsistant designs; the control scheme just never feels passable. [Jun 2006, p.57]

It's all about the career mode in Top Spin 2, where you can build your own superstar through the ranks. [May 2006, p.54]

In ten years, Kingdom Hearts II will be remembered as one of the absolute triumphs on Playstation 2. [May 2006, p.41]

For people new to the game, or those only with arcade experience, this will be a great home version. [Apr 2006, p.62]

If you're new to the series, Far Cry Instincts: Predator is an excellent first-person shooter package. [May 2006, p.48]

I'd still kill for a lock-on or strafe but one out of two isn't bad--especially given the quality of the acting and story arcs Untold has on tap. [Apr 2006, p.73]

It's thorny, to be sure, and the caveat remains: handle these roses with care. [Apr 2006, p.59]

In the fusion of strategy and action, the game proves itself worthy of continuing the Dynasty. [May 2006, p.53]

In the fusion of strategy and action, the game proves itself worthy of continuing the Dynasty. [May 2006, p.53]

Online play proves more challenging and, without the poor voice work, certainly easier on the soul. [May 2006, p.45]

Capcom is billing the PSP version of their classics collection a "remix" but really, it's a whole new album. [May 2006, p.58]

The fighting in all its forms proves to be a sticking point, and Godfather suffers accordingly. [May 2006, p.49]

The fighting in all its forms proves to be a sticking point, and Godfather suffers accordingly. [May 2006, p.49]

Suikoden V is easily twice as long as the next-longest title in the series, a length it achieves not with filler dungeons and needlessly frequent battles, but by sheer weight of story. [Apr 2006, p.57]

Here's the sticking point--the game is neither as fun nor as well-made as the other Katamari games. [May 2006, p.57]

Instead of making a sequel that justifies the switch to turn-based strategy(by putting you in charge of a squad of characters, for example), the developers have repeated the same strange experiment with the same mixed results. [Apr 2006, p.70]

Tao's is a decent kids' action/RPG but with so much greatness on DS, even that's a stretch. [Apr 2006, p.72]

The fighting in all its forms proves to be a sticking point, and Godfather suffers accordingly. [May 2006, p.49]

An y game that can sweep you away like this deserves out utmost reverence. [May 2006, p.51]

While they could easily have made a straightforward Tetris port for the system, Nintendo instead chose to really go all out for this one, especially in building the one-player portion of the game. [Apr 2006, p.96]

Metroid Prime: Hunters is born from incredible pedigree, and it certainly shows. [May 2006, p.56]

Driver: Parallel Lines is a slice of the '70's done right. [Apr 2006, p.63]

Daxter makes a much better lead than he ever did a sidekick. As a lead critter, he's everything I look for and then some. [Apr 2006, p.71]

The amount of content spread across these three discs is truly staggering, and Persistence is a quick, pick-up-and-play online experience that offers tremendous variety. [Apr 2006, p.52]

I've played a lot of remakes, and rarely do they strike a balance between the old and new as well as Mega Man: Powered Up. [May 2006, p.57]

Online action provides the game's best thrills, with up to eight players slogging it out at one time. [Apr 2006, p.28]

With 16 players and 16 guns blazing, the game is violent bliss, and certainly a war demanding to be fought over and over again. [Apr 2006, p.58]

With 16 players and 16 guns blazing, the game is violent bliss, and certainly a war demanding to be fought over and over again. [Apr 2006, p.58]

Our eyes have been spoiled by the Playstation 3 and recent Playstation 2 games so there was just no way we could put up with the tiny screens and horrible visuals. [Issue#153, p.83]

Onimusha was one derivative sequel away from entering the "Tomb Raider" spiral of franchise death. Instead a timely revamp has sent the series in a promising direction and given it more momentum than it's had in years. [Apr 2006, p.55]

On its own merits, the game deserves purchase; it's near-perfect in its presentation, extremely fun to play, and always allows players to feel as if they've accomplished something. [Apr 2006, p.56]

I don't mean to be Captain Bringdown, but even the thought of slaughtering hundreds of people using the same attack over and over again is losing its luster. [May 2006, p.59]

There's enough to unlock to keep young fans engaged but I was hoping for more TM Naruto action. [May 2006, p.54]

Pokemon Trozei is a game I really wanted to like. Unfortunately, the gameplay falls flat. [May 2006, p.61]

Ten minutes into Tales of Phantasia, you know pretty much what you are getting into: a pleasantly involving, perfectly traditional role-playing game that sticks to all the old-school conventions that recall the glory days of hand-drawn adventures. [Mar 2006, p.50]

The lack of online play for Black is notable, but not necessarily crippling. Black works well as a single-player adventure, despite its uneven patches, and certainly does its part to advance the genre of the console shooter. [Apr 2006, p.61]

Dungeons and Dragons Online will provide a nice vacation from the epic raid game and a great alternative for players that prefer regular grouping in their online RPG's. [Apr 2006, p.77]

Like the show it's capably siphoned from, 24: The Game rides on a breathless urgency, folding its events around a condensed 24-hour hunt for terrorists. [Mar 2006, p.41]

Exasperating mini-games; bad AI, camera jams, and a slap in the face story to any fan...This is not good...no--this is really not good. [Apr 2006, p.63]

The great thing about the PSP version of the Arc of Napishtim was that it was to mirror the Japanese PC game which.....picked up a bad case of American localization, conceding its hand-drawn sprites for renders, and anime scenes for bulky CG. [Mar 2006, p.48]

For the most part, players become spectators in their own war, forced to play only the tiniest of roles in the successes and defeats of their armies. [Apr 2006, p.72]

The lack of online play for Black is notable, but not necessarily crippling. Black works well as a single-player adventure, despite its uneven patches, and certainly does its part to advance the genre of the console shooter. [Apr 2006, p.61]

Exasperating mini-games; bad AI, camera jams, and a slap in the face story to any fan...This is not good...no--this is really not good. [Apr 2006, p.63]

So, take some of the best ideas from Mario and Kirby and throw in a lot of fun item collection and fantastic attention to detail and you have Super Princess Peach. [Apr 2006, p.73]

Fight Night Round 3 takes the sweet science of boxing to bloody new levels, and he results are certainly impressive. [Mar 2006, p.40]

Every year Codemasters puts out a new version, and it's as sure a bet as anything in this industry that it will be even better than last year's--and that once again it will be mostly ignored by U.S. gamers. [Mar 2006, p.44]

Every year Codemasters puts out a new version, and it's as sure a bet as anything in this industry that it will be even better than last year's--and that once again it will be mostly ignored by U.S. gamers. [Mar 2006, p.44]

Every year Codemasters puts out a new version, and it's as sure a bet as anything in this industry that it will be even better than last year's--and that once again it will be mostly ignored by U.S. gamers. [Mar 2006, p.44]

SR is packed with mostly quirky nuances that take time(and a little frustration)to master, often resulting in races being determined by track memorization as much as mastery of your particular racer's strength's and weaknesses as they pertain to each wild ride. [Apr 2006, p.63]

MS Saga: A New Dawn, while graphically sound isn't on par with the likes of Grandia 3, Dragon Quest VIII, or the forthcoming Final Fantasy XII. [Mar 2006, p.43]

SR is packed with mostly quirky nuances that take time(and a little frustration)to master, often resulting in races being determined by track memorization as much as mastery of your particular racer's strength's and weaknesses as they pertain to each wild ride. [Apr 2006, p.63]

SR is packed with mostly quirky nuances that take time(and a little frustration)to master, often resulting in races being determined by track memorization as much as mastery of your particular racer's strength's and weaknesses as they pertain to each wild ride. [Apr 2006, p.63]

Fight Night Round 3 takes the sweet science of boxing to bloody new levels, and he results are certainly impressive. [Mar 2006, p.40]

Fight Night Round 3 takes the sweet science of boxing to bloody new levels, and he results are certainly impressive. [Mar 2006, p.40]

The control is good, but there is no jump or evasive maneuvers making SOE 2 an altogether innocuous, all too familier assault. [Apr 2006, p.62]

It has its moments but it's a bit buggy and surprisingly flat in the paint department. [Apr 2006, p.63]

Immediacy gets lost in translation as the PC's empire building real-time strategy "Age of Empires" moves to the Nintendo DS, where it takes up residence as a turn-based game [Mar 2006, p.50]

There's nothing that boldly stands out about the progression, presentation or general set up in Full Auto; it's just a kick to get in the car and plow to the finish line for the next event. [Mar 2006, p.42]

Grandia III may not be everything it could have been, but it's a great game nonetheless. [Mar 2006, p.39]

Drakengard 2 picks up where its predecessor left off, warts and all. [Apr 2006, p.63]

It has its moments but it's a bit buggy and surprisingly flat in the paint department. [Apr 2006, p.63]

With so many RPG’s vying for those last few PS2 dollars, Namco sought to make theirs stick out like a troll at an elves’ convention and so they’ve reached deep into their bag of tricks to present something truly original, while sticking to the genre’s time-honored covenants and their decidedly storybook-meets-manga design etiquette. [Jan 2006]

Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max is Street Fighter Heroin. [Mar 2006, p.48]

It's fun to relive the experience we had years ago on a tiny handheld, and given the nature of the DS, you can forgive more of the rougher edges. [Apr 2006, p.69]

Quotation forthcoming. [Nov 2005]

They don't come any more addictive than this, friend. With any luck this is exactly the type of game we'll see on the Revolution. [Feb 2006, p.59]

This is where the PSP begins to run away from the DS. Yeah, I said it. [Feb 2006, p.60]

Monkeys have taken over television broadcasting and are feeding the masses an endless torrent of stupefying garbage. [Mar 2006, p.42]

All 6 games (and one bonus) still stand as some of the best and most challenging of 2D gaming, starring one of the most revered characters in the gaming universe. [Jan 2006, p.49]

All 6 games (and one bonus) still stand as some of the best and most challenging of 2D gaming, starring one of the most revered characters in the gaming universe. [Jan 2006, p.49]

They don't make 3D fighters more beautiful and fluid than Dead or Alive 4. [Mar 2006, p.43]

With apologies to Quiet Riot, this metal health may well drive you mad. [Nov p.102]

It's Gauntlet through and through, packed with switches to be thrown, puzzles to solve and medievil overtures that compel you to gnaw on large turkey legs...only polished to a glistening sheen. [Jan 2006, p.47]