Hollywood creature designer Stan Winston lends his psychotic imagination to all of the monstrosities that pop up in the game. Instead of coming from obvious spawning points, creatures emerge from nearly any surface. The technique effectively adds dread to normally benign environments we haven’t experienced since our days in the Boy Scouts.

Getting the timing down on when to load up the front suspension for extra liftoff on jumps takes a few races, but it quickly becomes second nature. Unfortunately, the game isn’t very realistic when it comes to rider collisions.

Fact is, it's good. If you dig the Aeon franchise, Charlize's long, lithe getaway sticks, or third-person action games, check it out.

The kids who take the short bus to school will learn to drive stick faster than you'll learn to gain even a rudimentary level of control over the Vertical Tank.

The line "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules" has never been so fully embodied by a video game.

While the hand-to-hand stuff won't win any awards, the deep selection of vehicles (from pickup trucks to high-tech battle tanks) and the frenetic pace of the game more than make up for it.

The biggest difference is the ability to manage your wingmen. Coincidentally, the game uses the same wingman commands we use when it's Ladies' Night at our favorite rum bar: attack, cover and disperse.

Online support for PS2 and Xbox plus multiple race modes will keep you on the track for days.

After about 15 minutes of gameplay, our thumbs felt like Robert DeNiro in "Casino" had worked them over in the backroom with a hammer.

We're especially fond of the Homecourt Advantage meter, which fills up during games; the closer the score, the louder the fans get and the harder your controller shakes, making it tougher for the visiting team to hit jumpers and free throws.

While it's fun to watch the dwarf hacking away with his ax, the death spells cast by the necromancer make for far more enjoyable viewing.

Sadly, Fight Night has left out back-alley options like fixing fights, in-fight cannibalism or even a seemingly drunk Larry Merchant doddering about the ring during the post-fight interviews. There’s always next year.

While the hand-to-hand stuff won't win any awards, the deep selection of vehicles (from pickup trucks to high-tech battle tanks) and the frenetic pace of the game more than make up for it.

Buy. But be warned that if you're not already a Star Wars Galaxies player, it will be a long time before you're able to afford a decent ship.

The game is all about firepower. Rescuing tied-up hostages will get you power-up weapons like flamethrowers, heavy machine guns and a ground-hugging Iron Lizard missile.

Worth buying, especially for the cartoon raunchiness. But don't let on that this is the only way you meet women.

The computer AI, just like your girlfriend, will sniff out your weaknesses and exploit the living crap out of them.

The game alternates between first- and third-person views, but it is all action, allowing you to fight riding the Cyclone in motorcycle form or wearing it as mecha battle armor. Either way, it's a way more bitchin' ride than your little Vespa.

While it’s fun to watch the dwarf hacking away with his ax, the death spells cast by the necromancer make for far more enjoyable viewing.

The line "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules" has never been so fully embodied by a video game.

The only problem is that unlocking each of the available spacecrafts is sort of like ripping off your big toenails with a pair of pliers. Well within the realm of possibility, but in the end, it just doesn’t make much sense.

Peppering enemy ships with lasers and smart bombs while navigating trench runs is white-knuckle fun.

Bonus points: "My Sharona," the greatest freakin' song of all time, is one of 30 tracks in the game. Oh, my little pretty one!

If you want to make the most of the game, you’ll have to walk through the entire qualification process. Since it’s governed by actual military rules, you’re looking at a good couple of days from boot camp to field operations.

The plot doesn't make a lick of sense, but once you start knocking demons around the way Barry Bonds hits fastballs, trust us, you won't mind one bit.

We love it for the über-violent finishing moves and optional online action and hate it for the "instant death traps" we get stuck in on nearly every level. If only we were less clumsy!

The fighting engine is the tightest in the business.

A pleasant surprise. Yes, we were still creeping through bombed-out aircraft hangars and taking over bunkers brimming with Nazis, but we were enjoying ourselves for the first time in ages.