Compromises too much of what worked well with "XG3" (graphics and bike maneuverability) for its fans to welcome with open arms the new additions to the series' formula (improved weapon system, wilder-than-ever track design, Season mode, etc.).

Never has decimating hundreds of undead bad guys with a friend by your side and bad-ass weaponry at your disposal been so boring, dull and depressing.

The ability for a player to drive Starsky’s Torino while a second player blasts away Hutch’s Magnum using a GunCon peripheral adds a modicum of multiplayer worth to what is otherwise a deadly-dull and repetitive clone of a dozen similar (and much better) action/driving games.

Once you complete each campaign mission, the game unlocks an alternate campaign that allows you to switch sides and fight for the forces of evil! How cool is that to get to be the bad guy after you save the day!

The complete and total lack of a buddy list in any shape or form, simply reinforces how amazing this year's Madden is in that respect. Lobbies are simple to navigate, but without a list to assist you, tracking down your friends is essentially an impossible task.

There’s just something weird about playing a Disney-sanctioned, watered-down version of "Tony Hawk 4" that will put-off as many grown-up players as it will enchant.

So quirky in style, Japanese in appearance and intricate in difficulty (the numerical configurations for multiple dice rolling are staggering!) that even after learning how to play it I didn’t have any fun whatsoever playing it.

Unlike "Madden 2004" and "ESPN NFL 2K4" though, one doesn’t get the feeling when playing GameDay 2004 that the developers pushed themselves (or their game) to the PS2's theoretical limit. Cool online football experience though!

The fighters move so fludily that one almost feels as if they are being helped from the onscreen character.

Ugly graphics keep this from scoring higher, and yes we realize graphics aren't everything... Buffy fans should be pleased though I think VU Games can do just a bit better.

Eventually Outrage Games' baby reveals itself to be a generic and ultimately repetitive hack-and-slash endeavor that can’t hold a candle to the likes of "Soul Reaver 2" and "Mark of Kri."

Fanboys (and girls!) of Bender, Frye, Leela and the Planet Express gang will definitely want to add this game to their collection; it’s much better than comparable software based on TV shows cancelled prematurely.

Harmless and basic in both look and execution, Smash Cars lacks a hook compelling enough to make it standout when compared to already-discounted quality RC videogames like "Re-Volt" and "Stunt GP."

The best fighting game ever made, for PS2 or any other system... "Soul Calibur II" comes close (and surpasses it in the minds of those that don't know any better), but VF4: Evolution is interactive one-on-one brawling at its purest and most visually alluring peak.

The most complete and polished piece of football software I've ever spun (!) on my PS2.

"Devil May Cry Lite" would have been a more appropriate name for this somewhat-successful attempt by Capcom’s Studio 6 to add mild RPG trappings to a genre known for button-masher frenzies.

It's Midway's over-the-top-and-drop-dead-funny execution of the genre's conventions, however, that give the game a dose of personality that makes it stand out.

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.

It's a testament to the prowess, technical execution and sheer addictiveness of its premise (race through ever-changing courses/tracks made to resemble theme park attractions) that Rides Gone Wild remains the heir apparent to "Waverace 64's" crown as the best water-based racing game ever made.

Who ever thought Atari Jaguar owners would still be playing the best Alien Vs. Predator videogame ever made EIGHT YEARS after their system's death? A rental for the curious, Extinction is as forgettable an RTS game as they come.

It's this sense of bike duty and absurd self-imposed goofiness (the game has a sunny and lighthearted side to complement its brutish exterior) that ultimately make this game the perfect '7.'

An acquired taste of mechanized action warfare that thrives on narrowcasting its offerings to the select few that buy every installment, Silent Line is ultimately more bark (i.e. rental worth) than bite (i.e. purchase consideration).

Do you need more proof of NCAA Football 2004’s superiority? Besides being the only version of the game to support online gameplay and having a ton of new teams/camera/angles/fight songs/sound effects added, how about the absence this season of last year’s pretenders-to-the-throne from Sega and Sony?

A sports game on par with Crave's UFC-licensed fighting games. Konami's alternative fighting endeavor will be welcomed by gamers patient-enough to see past the K-1's awkward graphics/sounds and simplistic gameplay.

Though the graphics are miles below the photo-realistic polygon bodies in “Beach Spikers” (GameCube), “DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball” and “Outlaw Volleyball” (XBox) the control and gameplay are spot-on.

The game is just too short and easy for the average PS2 action junkie reared on a steady diet of "Sly Cooper," "Ratchet & Clank" and/or "Jak & Daxter."

A jack of many videogame trades (RPG, “Mario Paint”-type paint program, “Pokemon”-like arena battles, etc.) that somehow succeeds at making a fun and coherent whole out of its many disparate elements.

Some people (myself included) just can’t stand games with graphics as choppy and visually butchered as this one.