An original game that feels almost as tense as "Resident Evil," but with a realistic premise. [Jan 2003, p.32]

A solid platformer that features plenty of clever puzzles and a good deal of variety. [Apr 2003, p.35]

The biggest problem with the finished version, however, is the lack of a career mode... That problem aside, Pride FC is still an incredibly playable sports adventure. [Feb 2003, p.29]

.hack scores major points for its unique setting, but there's also some very solid game design to back it up. [Nov 2002, p.50]

The controls are fast and tight and there are enough play modes to keep you coming back to the pitch for quite some time. [Feb 2003, p.30]

The game has huge potential, but unfortunately most of it is unrealized at launch. [Apr 2003, p.30]

What P.T.O. IV really needed, however, was a heavier emphasis on enemy crunching rather than number crunching. [Mar 2003, p.38]

Get past the weak graphics and there's a stylish, original adventure game here, especially for fans of the first "Galerians" - to which this is a much improved sequel indeed. [Mar 2003, p.42]

What makes GGX2 so impressive after long sessions of play are its many layers of depth. [Mar 2003, p.32]

The real problem is the gameplay itself. Stiff, unresponsive, and devoid of any real skill or purpose, a typical session of B&B quickly degenerates into a contest as to who can tap the buttons before the other guy. [Mar 2003, p.42]

Overall, HSX isn't too bad, but it's definitely behind the times in terms of polygon count, special effects, control, and other such things. [Apr 2003, p.42]

A solid game with plenty of action, but the original set new standards for this genre, and DMC 2 just doesn't match its level of personality or polish. [Mar 2003, p.34]

A curious mix of brilliant artistry and some less-than-brilliant game design. [Mar 2003, p.41]

Looks great, controls well, and has more explosions per square inch than any three other games. We love it. [Feb 2003, p.34]

By challenging the player with various tasks, instead of just letting them do whatever, the game actually provides a reason to continue playing. [Jan 2003, p.27]

We only wish that there were more to do, tougher AI, and an online component for those lonely springtime evenings. Not perfect, but definitely not bad. [Mar 2003, p.38]

It's rare that game arrives that looks this good, plays this well, and feels this fun and fresh. [Feb 2003, p.26]

Isn't exactly a new game, [but] it is one of the coolest budget titles around. [Jan 2003, p.40]

The lightsaber challenges are very much on the weaker side of the force, and should have either been worked on longer or left out entirely. [Feb 2003, p.32]

Apart from the superb career mode, the game also offers up plenty of licensed cars, solid visuals, excellent handling, and some truly impressive collision physics/damage. [Jan 2003, p.42]

In recreating the action of the cartoon show, the developers have gone the easy route, implementing automatic special attacks rather than an effective combination system. [Jan 2003, p.42]

Definitely the best college basketball game we've ever played. [Jan 2003, p.24]

It is nearly impossible for the player to fail on any but the hardest level of difficulty. [Jan 2003, p.26]

For heaven's sake, why did they include a quickplay option that chooses two random teams? Who plays a sports game and doesn't want the option to pick their team? [Jan 2003, p.30]

Save for a few boss designs, the graphics are dull, while the arcade-styled controls are so simple as to almost reward a lack of skill. [Feb 2003, p.33]

It's a better overall package than last year's version, but the quest for a truly old-school wrestling game may never really end. [Feb 2003, p.31]

A truly epic adventure. [Holiday 2002, p.38]

Whiteout's effective controls and straightforward design let it achieve its comparatively modest goals. [Feb 2003, p.30]

There are also four unlockable characters (in addition to the original four) and extra game modes not present in the GameCube original, making this the definitive version. [Jan 2003, p.26]

The main downside of MM 2003 is its graphics... It's aggravating trying to play this game when the framerate and animations are so jittery. [Jan 2003, p.26]

I absolutely loved it, but I'm old enough to remember when the moon walk was the strangest thing Michael Jackson had done lately. [Feb 2003, p.35]

Finally an arcade-style rally game that's extremely fast, controls great, and is easy to get into. [Dec 2002, p.52]

Repetitive above all else, the majority of the stages play out almost identically: kick butt, run away, kick butt again, run away again, repeat, and so on. [Jan 2003, p.30]

Gripes aside, Bounty Hunter still brings plenty of clever puzzles and exploration elements to the table in conjunction with one of the best presentations around. [Jan 2003, p.28]

There's little depth here even for a gun game. [Oct 2002, p.40]

Old school fans, however, will probably feel that MvC2 is a bit too hectic and find themselves hoping for an online PS2 version of "Street Fighter III" instead. [Holiday 2002, p.50]

The control and gameplay aren't great, but they're good enough for fans of the license. [Holiday 2002, p.54]

Definitely takes a step in the right direction, but everything is still so predictable. [Holiday 2002, p.38]

It's a middle-of-the-road action title with "Matrix"-like effects and bullet time of sorts, which results in an average experience with lots of flash. [Jan 2003, p.40]

It all goes by a little too quickly, but you'll have fun while it lasts. [Holiday 2002, p.46]

Objectives that are generally unexciting or that go on for far too long. Even worse, in some instances, you'll find yourself wandering around trying to figure out what to do next. [Jan 2003, p.30]

Each character actually has their own dedicated training session that does a wonderful job of teaching you the basic gameplay fundamentals. [Holiday 2002, p.51]

While the sometimes humorous challenges made us chuckle, their basic type remained the same. By the time all is said and done, the repetition led us to near boredom. [Jan 2003, p.28]

Another strange weakness is the storytelling, which glosses over key events and explains itself so poorly that if you don't know the story already, you might not figure it out. [Jan 2003, p.36]

The framerate troubles are disappointing. [Holiday 2002, p.54]

It's not the graphical tour de force that the original Xbox version was, but it's a much bigger, more complete game now. [Holiday 2002, p.46]

For those who've thought they could build a game with the right tools, this is a fine toolbox. Aspiring fighter makers are warned, though - it's also an unforgiving school. [Jan 2003, p.42]

It's lenient, arcade-like, and generally friendly as rally games go. Which means two things: It's easier to come to grips with, but as a result, it's a shallower play. [Jan 2003, p.36]

Substance over style is the philosophy behind this game. [Holiday 2002, p.54]

The game's major faults are a drop in the framerate when players swarm the ice during a line change, slower gameplay than some of the more current hockey titles, and its audio effects. [Holiday 2002, p.44]

There are plenty of cool moves, and the lead character is lots of fun to control, but boring level design and highly repetitive gameplay steal a lot of this potential hit's thunder. [Dec 2002, p.40]

A game with more tracks, modes, and polish than the first, but still very similar under the hood. [Jan 2003, p.32]

There's nothing in this game that hasn't been done elsewhere, and better. [Holiday 2002, p.44]

Simply a decent been-there-done-that platformer. [Jan 2003, p.40]

A cute, but ultimately half-baked idea that neither expands the genre nor nears the quality of other, better extreme games. [Dec 2002, p.60]

Ambitiously designed, expertly constructed. Most importantly, its gameplay has been tuned to perfection. Give it a try - it's one of the PS2's best games. [Dec 2002, p.34]

Giant robots have never felt so huge and real. [Holiday 2002, p.46]

The level designs are limited, repetitive, and visually uninspiring, while Zapper has all the personality of a last-minute stand-in. [Jan 2003, p.42]

A simple, short, yet fun, platforming romp. [Jan 2003, p.42]

The best of the series, but if you've played Smackdown one through three to death already, this one may get old fast. [Holiday 2002, p.32]

While not as intuitive as "Hot Shots 3," there is more depth and variety of gameplay here. [Holiday 2002, p.44]

And it must be said that this game is funny as hell (at tip of the hat to whoever wrote the pee-inducing "Explorer" radio ad.) [Holiday 2002, p.28]

The characters are designed to attempt coolness; instead, they just say unfunny one-liners to each other - that's inexcusable. [Holiday 2002, p.54]

The breadth of the lineup puts it head and shoulders above any other home DDR, and DDR Max features a better proportion of danceable tunes in comparison to the Playstation games. [Dec 2002, p.60]

Shows promise, but it's not yet enough to win over serious fans. [Dec 2002, p.52]

Phenomenal storyline. [Holiday 2002, p.37]

The total package is a much bigger leap forward than "Hawk 3" in almost every way. [Holiday 2002, p.42]

The action in this game is somewhat undercut by loose control. [Holiday 2002, p.54]

Solid campaign modes, gameplay variety, and visuals make this a must-buy. [Dec 2002, p.42]

Fine shooting action served straight, no chaser. [Holiday 2002, p.30]

The game, as a whole, doesn't feel totally balanced. [Holiday 2002, p.32]

The camera control is difficult to use and the button layout requires a PHD to master. [Jan 2003, p.42]

A great game to play in short spurts and is really catered well to those novice golfers who [have] just purchased a PS2. [Nov 2002, p.52]

Poor collision detection keeps this title a step below "Tekken" and "Virtua Fighter." [Holiday 2002, p.54]

It's excellent gameplay pulls through in the long run for a solid role-playing experience. [Nov 2002, p.44]

The great physical satisfaction from the arcade game is lost without the honking-big sniper rifle. [Dec 2002, p.60]

The perfect example of a decent game with a lot of wasted potential. [Dec 2002, p.52]

There's no doubt RF2 comes from an entirely different generation of software. [Dec 2002, p.48]

The focus should have been on making the experience as exciting as possible, not just accurate. [Holiday 2002, p.50]

Its biggest fault is the fact that - underwater setting or not - it's very plodding for an action game, due in large part to some overly cumberson controls. [Nov 2002, p.54]

This is a much improved effort by Konami, but it's not going to out-"Tony Hawk" Neversoft. No way. [Dec 2002, p.42]

The variety in its environments is quite high, and the large number of mission objectives will certainly challenge you for countless hours. However, the overall level of difficulty isn't that high. [Nov 2002, p.46]

These are the coolest and most rewarding dunk-fests we've ever played - and NBA Live 2003 is the most entertaining basketball game on the market because of it. [Dec 2002, p.54]

When played head to head [with "Live 2003"], 2K3 feels a little slow, a tad unexciting and a touch old school, but it still looks and plays the closest to real NBA basketball. For hardcore hoops fans, that's what really matters. [Dec 2002, p.59]

One of the more challenging titles in the genre with a difficulty that ramps up pretty quickly. [Nov 2002, p.36]

Phenomenal tracks, control, and police interaction combine to create one of the most unique and challenging arcade racers ever - and the best on PS2. [Oct 2002, p.26]

One of the most cinematic, moodiest, and refreshing action titles to show up on the PS2 for quite some time. [Dec 2002, p.42]

It's an inventive take on turn-based combat. [Nov 2002, p.44]

Hockey fans looking for a major overhaul of this series won't find one, but that's not necessarily bad. [Dec 2002, p.46]

The game does teeter on the monotonous for much of the adventure, with little or no payoff in terms of stoyline or character development. [Nov 2002, p.38]

It would earn a recommendation if there weren't a superior military shooter ["SOCOM"] hitting the market at the same time. [Nov 2002, p.50]

You won't find a faster racer on PS2, and the control is simply some of the best we've ever encountered. [Dec 2002, p.43]

It still manages to finish as the best stock car racer you're likely to find on a home console. [Dec 2002, p.46]

Still one of the most rewarding racers out there. Stick with it long enough and you'll be glad that you did. [Nov 2002, p.50]

The game lacks a level of polish and fine-tuning that would have made it a truly great title. [Nov 2002, p.38]

What sticks out most is the excellent career mode. [Dec 2003, p.46]

Repetitive missions, bad flight controls, and too many robots make this game quite non-super. [Dec 2002, p.60]

As an overall experience, there isn't anything unique going on beyond the transformation gimmick. [Nov 2002, p.54]