After playing through the gorgeous levels, I couldn’t help but think that Z-Axis was becoming awfully close to being as good as Neversoft.

An enticing game that takes a lot of patience but also offers hours of rewards.

If not for "Final Fantasy 7" this would probably be my pick for game of the year.

Polished online interface + incredible sense of speed (i.e. bikes out of hell!) + perfect arcade handling (wheelies anyone?) + plethora of modes to tinker with + no "GT3: A-Spec"-type customization or realistic physics = the best PS2 arcade racing ever made.

For its $10 asking price "Stage II" (and Midway's other Psygnosis refugee "Team Buddies") cannot be beat in replayability. Buy with ease.

To say that Tekken Tag Tournament is as original for the PS2 as Tekken was for the PS would be a mistake.

This is the best in the series and my nomination for action game of the year. I loved every minute of the game including finding all of the secrets in the game.

The car sounds are just a bit bland with hardly any exciting over the top effects. The announcer is quite a smartass but not really in a funny way.

A stellar representative of a bygone era of gaming that put more emphasis on skill and personality that textured polygons or sex appeal.

In the end this is THE game of the year as far as I am concerned and even exceeded the amount of fun I had with "Final Fantasy X" a year ago.

A rock-solid Role-Playing Game with a moving story, believable characters, and loads of great humor that keep it from dragging you down...Hands-down the definitive role-playing experience for the PlayStation 2.

The truth is that simulation freaks who want their hockey tough and real could do no better. Arcade lovers should probably look elsewhere.

If you’d rather play a fast and offensive football game over a slower more realistic one, NFL2K2 is for you. It’s the fastest and easiest to play of the big two. If not for the sloppy AI, it might actually be better than Madden.

It's improvements, however, aren't as dramatic or gameplay-enhancing as those that EA's "PGA Tour 2002" has brought to the videogame golf genre.

A textbook case of a videogame sequel done right.

It's not for those seeking deep simulation style 'football' but it will do for everyone else.

You'll be hard-pressed to find another mutiplayer adventure as engaging and addicting as this one on any console, and gamers looking to add to their admittedly slim online collections won't be disappointed in the experience that awaits them here.

Highly addictive gameplay that seems to never end, generally impressive visuals, and a portal designed around an interactive worldwide community all combine to make this the best possible solution SCEA could have hoped for with regards to launching it's new 40GB Hard Disc Drive.

Thunder 2002 comes as close as any NASCAR title ever could to making me a convert to the sport, which is a high complement from someone that finds NASCAR races on TV way too boring and repetitive.

Quite simply the most amazing game I have ever seen, and that does include "Madden 2001"... The real problems appear with the AI which is dumb as can be.

Delivers the goods big time despite not delivering the ‘Revolution’ its title promises.

The closest an interactive experience has come to re-enacting the utter chaos and undeniable fun that is being a part of an ongoing epic battle in which you (alongside either a friend or a complete stranger online) play an important role.

Lacks soul or a reason for being other than cashing on a popular trend. Black Box’s follow-up to "NFS: Hot Pursuit 2" goes through its racing, style, licensing and online motions with a mechanical predictability that wasn’t present in either "Burnout 2" or "Midnight Club II." It’s still a top-notch arcade racer, but there’s definite room for both improvement.

It's still an atmospheric, disturbing, good-looking and scary-as-heck ride, but one too similar to what came before it to stand out from the trilogy.

The control system may be so new and fun that it's masking some of the game's problems. If so, then so be it for now because all we can do is love hitting this way.

If your a hardcore Konami fan you just might like what's here, especially the cool online play.

A visceral and exceptionally well-done PS2 FPS that gets by as long as you haven't played it online.

Gameplay aside, Mercenaries is loaded with tons of unlockables such as the ability to play as Indiana Jones, as well as opening up new vehicles and weapons (like the portable airstrike). Now how cool is that?