An incredibly good "gateway" game. If you want to take a child away from their Dora the Explorer and Barbie games and guide them into the more difficult, more rewarding games that the older children play, Hello Kitty Roller Rescue is the game to do it with.

The game had the potential to be something great, since it was a unique combination of space combat, first-person shooting, and strategy, but in trying to incorporate all of these components, the quality of each was neglected.

I so want to love Advent Rising, I honestly do. It's good, stable science-fiction with a heavy supernatural sub-plot and enough action to make Han Solo's trigger finger hurt for days. Unfortunately, all of that wonderful stuff is damaged by a hare-brained control scheme that simply doesn't work well enough when it has to.

For the most part, it succeeds, but slippery control, merely average graphics, and short playtime leave this one to be a rental at best.

With changes in button configuration and new features, the learning curve is a bit steeper. There is a way to convert back to the controls for Madden 05 controls, but the new button set can be advantageous, especially the X button for the "new" running ability.

There are some promising features here, but most of them are either implemented poorly or tacked on as an afterthought, and the camera angles and difficult passing game don't help things. Madden NFL 06 is really for fanatics only.

If you've never touched a football game in your life, it might be a little out of reach for you, and if you've played every football game out there, it might seem a bit boring and pointless.

It's instantly reminiscent of Tribes, and in my book, that is a very, very admirable game to be comparable to. It's fast paced, well-balanced, and looks amazing with an impressive array of mech design that manages to not just clone anime cybernetics. Perhaps best of all, Lighthouse has chosen to release this with no CD-in-drive restrictions.

So does Shaman King: Master of Spirits 2 crest the proverbial Mt. Everest into the land of "great game?" No. This was definitely one of the titles that turned around for a hot cup of joe instead of trying the impossible.

For only $29.99, you won't find a better or more complete online experience for Xbox.

A slow starter, especially when enemies run away from your character like there's no tomorrow. Once you acquire charge attacks, the game gets a lot more fun.

The number of flyable aircraft and the attention to detail in modeling them just can't be beat. With the mission editor, and the excellent online component, you'll have plenty to keep you busy.

It simply has no place in the current sea of PlayStation 2 shooters; it is far too flawed, far too easy, and lacks far too much of the intensity that gamers pick up tactical shooters for in the first place.

For the most part, however, Outlaw Tennis manages to pull off something I didn't think it could do: it blends goofball antics and serious tennis kind of nicely.

Makai Kingdom does a great job of catering to the compulsive, play-to-crush RPG power-gamer without becoming as obsessed with micromanagement as "Phantom Brave’s" gameplay inevitably was.

Overall, I kept wanting and trying to really love this game, but time and time again, one of the game's flaws would keep me from reaching that level of gaming bliss.

For the most part, however, Outlaw Tennis manages to pull off something I didn't think it could do: it blends goofball antics and serious tennis kind of nicely.

Another Wonderful Life gets by on a startling amount of charm that makes a return visit at least worth a lengthy rental, even for farming veterans.

The basically unexplored African and Italy campaign serves to add a bit of spice to an otherwise overplayed time period, and the sheer variety of the missions and goals add a lot of replay value to the game.

You can have some fun with this game but only if you're willing to forgive a lot of design flaws and put a lot time into memorizing the labyrinthine control scheme.

If not for issues with the touch screen, and especially the simple yet deep problems set off by Shin'en's camera angle choice, I might have gone as far as to write my letter of recommendation for Nanostray to sit in non-Japanese shmup classic status, along with Amiga greats like Apidya.

Darwinia is, all told, wonderful. It's the kind of game that would show impressionable young kids the breadth and scope of the medium without overwhelming them with mechanics.

Tight car handling, a career mode that's fun without being too technically involved (unlike "Gran Turismo 4" or "SegaGT") and that same sense of speed we've come to love as of late in our racing titles establish Flatout as a worthy companion, if not successor, to "Burnout 3."

If you're a big Full Metal Alchemist fan, or even just enjoy flipping through manga or catching the show on Cartoon Network, then Crimson Elixir is definitely worth a rental.

Addictive, varying gameplay. Whether you choose to be a trader or a flat-out ruthless pirate, you'll find something to enjoy in this open-ended exercise in the pirate lifestyle.

There is an incredible amount of depth, replay value, and fun to be found on this one disc.

A great start for what will hopefully become a style of console gaming that will grow, meet many improvements, and finally show the world that art and videogames can, indeed, be one.

A game with which the player can stay active and engaged, but not one which the player will enjoy with more than the slightest note of glee.