The problem is, driving crappy cars around dirt tracks as low speeds isn't very much fun at all. [Nov 2004, p.97]

Once again, a maravel of gaming. [Sept 2004, p.84]

It's physics are absolutely true to life, and its tilts - a propers smiting for too much cheating - are fairly issued. [June 2004, p.88]

A glorified mission pack... [but i]ts flawed but compelling single-player and addictive, feature-packed multiplayer component (both online and now offline co-op) guide this Arrow directly to its mark. [Aug 2004, p.78]

Well-designed platforming bits and clever puzzles remind you of what people saw in the original "Tomb Raider," but the game's dismal controls muck up these potentially enjoyable levels. [Oct 2004, p.98]

When all the bullets are spent and the smoke clears, you're left asking, "Sarge's War, what is it good for?" The answer is, well, you already know. [Oct 2004, p.97]

Even with all the problems, Sudeki is still worth your time. It's not the best RPG it could have been - Climax needs better writers, that's for sure (especially concerning dialogue and character motivation) - but it gives you a big, pretty, and at times smartly designed world to explore. [Sept 2004, p.92]

This fetid package comes ribbon-wrapped with a horrible, barely adjustable camera that sees to it that Catwoman must guess where her enemies are and where the next in an endless series of platforms sits. [Sept 2004, p.94]

The single most glaring problem with 2K5...is the crowd A.I. The audience is just flat-out stupid, and this is terribly unfortunate because it distracts from what would otherwise be a totally immersive NFL gaming experience. [Sept 2004, p.86]

EA has kicked its game into overdrive; in fact, the only major flaw to be found here lies with the retread, obtuse, and strangely homoerotic banter between TV commentators Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso. [Aug 2004, p.90]

Given the uninspired play and mechanics, it might be more advisable to drive the cars right into the bowl and flush. [Oct 2004, p.98]

It seems strange that Koei would incorporate these RPG-like features into the game in such a halfhearted fashion and the overall effect is sort of like giving the samurai warrior a sort of cool angular armor but no pants. [Aug 2004, p.94]

The web-slinging parts of the game are brilliantly done...Yet on the ground, the game looks and feels remarkably ugly. [Sept 2004, p.94]

You will actually find yourself laughing while playing, and virtually anyone can pick up and play this and have a good time. [July 2004, p.88]

Consider this a horrible trip down memory lane and use whatever means necessary to repress it. [Sept 2004, p.89]

The most impressive thing about Remix is its clean, intuitive interface. [Aug 2004, p.91]

The game is just realistic enough to annoy the bejesus out of you. [Aug 2004, p.86]

Here was a game with real potential to be what everybody had basically hoped for: "Grand Theft Auto" with really good graphics. Instead, what's here needs an air bag.

Sadly, Powerdrome is one time trial after another, and even with a real opponent via Xbox Live, there's not much more to it. [Sept 2004, p.89]

There's no solidity to the knight's movement, and the camera is usually twitching around like a plague rat on crank. [Aug 2004, p.87]

This wonky A.I., coupled with an online component that falls flat on its face, makes Mercury hard to recommend for shooter fans. Just like Hollywood, rote imitation works for a short time only.

As a veritable demolitionist's playground, Conspiracy proves a most promising affair, that rare release so packed with potential that the inevitable sequel is actually an already exciting prospect. [Aug 2004, p.92]

The game suffers from a handful of setbacks, the least of which is its surprising brevity. [Aug 2004, p.82]

If you love Harry Potter, don't mind that characters talk and whine incessantly, and would like to see Hermione push around an ice block over and over again, Azkaban is good for a few hours of fun. [Aug 2004, p.94]

The rush and stress of sprinting both teams from cover to cover in the midst of this chaotic bombardment, knowing that any random high-pitched streak or painted contrail could take out half your team in an instant, is unprecedented in military games to date. [Aug 2004, p.85]

Graphically exquisite and resplendently crafted, Bay is one of the best exclusive titles in the Xbox library. [June 2004, p.82]

One of the finest, purest, and most hardcore 2D shooter on any system to date. [July 2004, p.88]

If you're willing to stick it out through a couple of slow-paced early levels, it quickly hooks you and won't let go. [Aug 2004, p.95]

Multiple game types add some much-needed variety: skins play, challenge, and golf modes exhaust all possibilities for ball-pin interaction. [Aug 2004, p.83]

Sadly, simplistic landscapes, tacky colors, dorky characters, and an utter lack of polish justify the bargain-bin pricing. The poor graphics even leech the thrill of deformable terrain. [June 2004, p.93]

Environments are often so big Van Helsing and an antagonist do not appear onscreen together. [July 2004, p.92]

Don't let its sophistication scare you - at the end of the long, mud-splattered day, the game is above all else accessible and fun. [June 2004, p.94]

Of the new moves, through-balls and crosses are much better than those in "FIFA 2004." [Aug 2004, p.86]

Strip away the sombrerors, spurs, and signature Rockstar sass, and what's left is an average third-person shoot-em-up some gallons shy of a full 10-gallon hat. [July 2004, p.84]

If one member of the team can handle the game's hot spots, Shrek 2 could definitely gratify little children. [July 2004, p.89]

The player has a choice. Doe she coax out Contracts' subtlety, or coes he play essentially the smae game he's been playing for two decades? The first option may have him tearing his hair out. [June 2004, p.90]

A stealth game that dramatically overstays its welcome. [July 2004, p.86]

If anything, this game sounds precisely like "Alias." Looking and sounding like the show isn't really enough, though. Alias also needs to offer thrilling gameplay...and, well, it doesn't.

This year's ESPN Major League Baseball seems less polished than its brethren, its new features seem halfhearted at best, and its graphics don't pack the punch they used to.

It's dense and intimidating, and it demands practice; give it time, and button-mashing will no longer seem relevant in boxing games.

An amazing sports game that plays like a song and has all the makings of a classic hit. [May 2004, p.89]

The realization that the game looks like crap is essentially an afterthought...This would pass as a minigame mode in "FIFA" or "Winning Eleven," but no way is it ready to stand on its own. [Mar 2004, p.80]

Lacks polish, underwhelms, pales in comparison to the board game that inspired it. [June 2004, p.88]

You'll be slack-jawed over "Shadow Strike's" online drama. Yes, it's <I>that</I> good. With single and multiplayer in one fat Xbox package, Tomorrow is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best pure-stealth action game today. [Apr 2004, p.74]

Playing 2005 with its jerky, disorienting fielder cam is akin to slicing up your head on a cheese grater, then taking a vinegar bath.

Your $40 buys you nothing but a video version of the standard, real-life trading card game.

In spite of any inconsistencies, disparities, or shortcomings, Breakdown is an enormously compelling, satisfying game - one imparting a joy of discovery sorely lacking in far too many of today's biggest titles. [Apr 2004, p.88]

There's a hell of a lot of content, with the three available characters having distinct missions with several enemy layouts. [May 2004, p.89]

Just another example of blown potential. [June 2004, p.87]

It's above-average stuff, certainly, but spotty writing and voice acting pothole the story. Still, despite its flaws, Suffering remains an enjoyable and surprisingly compelling blastathon.

Hands down, the best baseball videogame ever made. [Apr 2004, p.92]

Car handling and physics are spot-on, and real-time damage has been enhanced to the point where you wince every time you hit a rock or other obstacle, as the dents and dings rack up.

If you thought shooters needed more Stetson hats and Winchester rifles, you can't go wrong with this one. [May 2004, p.96]

It completely captures the core of that oft-revered 2D console gameplay and rerealizes it almost flawlessly...If Gaiden isn't the "perfect" action game, it's pretty damn close.

Episode-sized chunks linked by a central plot break up the game nicely, and although Mayhem clearly comes built for kids, its breezy gameplay and goofy sensibilities&#151;ghosts can be fooled by sheets draped over the protagonists&#151;win both adult hearts and minds.

Mototrax offers an almost visceral appeal - you can really feel the bike moving under you. [June 2004, p.86]

Buggy and unfinished - a shameful, full-priced add-on pack tarnishing the original Battalion's golden legacy. [May 2004, p.87]

It looks great, runs smoothly, and is certainly polished. The closest thing to an issue is the trick system. [Mar 2004, p.90]

Just another decent, 10-hour-long hop-n-bop to add to the pile. [May 2004, p.91]

For the most part, "Nothing" makes performing these Dondian stunts easy, with its intuitive controls, friendly camera, good level design, and clearly defined goals. But the inventory system could use some work. [Mar 2004, p.74]

For motorcycle masochists out there, it's a chance to create spectacular crashes involving helicopters, biplanes, and trucks. [Apr 2004, p.82]

Xbox Live support would have made this a must-buy, but it's still worht the money if you have friends to share it with. [Mar 2004, p.94]

A short-lived one-trick pony that's pretty much run its course. [Mar 2004, p.101]

The game's first few hours are dreadfully boring, full of genre cliches and pointless firefights. [Apr 2004, p.84]

The bare-bones graphics and simplistic gameplay render this disc a painful walk down memory lane. [Apr 2004, p.83]

Developer WOW takes advantage of Xbox Live's potential to deliver truly compelling multiplayer races. [Dec/Jan 2004, p.98]

Looks spectacular, with dazzling day-glo colors, ultrasmooth movement, and trippy effects. Every stage explodes with breakneck speed, insane loops, absurd corkscrews, and other gravity-defying razmatazz. [Mar 2004, p.82]

An omelette of a game whose eggs are a bit too runny. [May 2004, p.80]

It's quirky...it's garish...it's horribly annoying...The control is so utterly broken that one has to wonder what the developers were thinking. [Apr 2004, p.87]

What makes an otherwise solid action RPG mediocre is the obscenely slow and tedious beginning. [Mar 2004, p.101]

It's just a bad game with crappy cinemas and more than enough frustrating moments to make you weep into your Romulan Ale. [Dec/Jan 2004, p.89]

Despite questions about its pacing and multiplayer options, Street will still keep the controller in your hands for hours. [Mar 2004, p.87]

The inventory control is needlessly fiddly, casting spells is more trouble than it's worth, and it's very easy to miss a hint and completely lose track of the plotline. Just like Morrowind, though, Arx's core quality stands above all the glaring issues, and it's hard to stop playing once you take up the quest.

With each day presenting a enw opportunity to fly or fall face down, Bustin' Ouot never loses its luster. [Mar 2004, p.83]

Combine this undistinguished feel with the game's pedestrian graphics and lack of Xbox Live or system-link support and you have one of the most disappointing big franchise games in recent memory. [Mar 2004, p.90]

Anything resembling compelling level design or effective camera control was left on the cutting-room floor. [Mar 2004, p.101]

Yep, this is basically a rehash of last year's Chamber of Secrets game for Playstation, with similar visuals, controls, and combat. [Mar 2004, p.82]

When playing against human opponents of varying skill levels on Xbox Live, the game becomes surprisingly fun and entertaining. [Mar 2004, p.101]

Isis strives to be "Resident Evil," but instead ends up as its less-palatable ward, "Resident Unpleasant." [Mar 2004, p.101]

A good story told well is a rare thing, but for the third time, Revolution has done just that. Players looking for an intelligent adventure will find few better Xbox titles than this. [Mar 2004, p.82]

Unbridled rage, piss and vinegar, diminutive features, and cool quips ("The steel is cold, yes!") add up to make Ninja a genuinely likable figure starring in a game that's not as good as it should be, nor as bad as one might fear. [Mar 2004, p.86]

Despite a few obligatory new features such as a dull off-road car mode (ooh -- the tires inflate!), Hunter 2 feels less like a sequel and more like an add-on disc. [Mar 2004, p.86]

As for the learning curve: think of this game as "Splinter Cell for Dummies." [Mar 2004, p.79]

Gorgeous to behold, boasting dynamic lights, shadows, and interactive environments, making it relatively easy to suspend disbelief. [Mar 2004, p.64]

Embarking on the game's destruction train gives players access to dandy weapons such as the shark gun. [Mar 2004, p.93]

Players are made to feel as if they're interacting with real characters in a dynamic world. [Mar 2004, p.97]

On of the game's most unforgivable design flaws is that there is simply nothing to gain or strive for when playing. [Apr 2004, p.91]

To the point: It's bowling, it's fun, it's $20. 'Nuff said. [Apr 2004, p.91]

Beyond the lame characters and infantile gameplay, Whiskers' trapping aren't half bad. [Mar 2004, p.95]

Overwroght melodrama and third-person-persepctive gunplay make for an excellent mix. [Mar 2004, p.81]

Most, however, are legitimately entertaining even today. [Mar 2004, p.86]

A video coprolite. [Mar 2004, p.86]

Hardcore "Revolution" fans will be most excited by features debuting in Ultramix...Beginners and those who lack a natural rhythm will be disappointed, though. [Mar 2004, p.99]

Academy isn't so much a first-person shooter (although there are nifty rayguns) as it is a third-person lightsaber hack-em-up, and the laser sword combat here is about as graceful as that tubby Star Wars kid (Google hime for a preview). [Mar 2004, p.98]

An official disappointment on Xbox, yet the game's undying popularity defies critical analysis. [Mar 2004, p.78]

Playing the game through Xbox Live is literally like having a shared arcade machine in your living room. [Mar 2004, p.100]

Brimming with heart-stopping moments where you've got to take big gambles....A perfect union of storytelling, gameplay, and technological wonder. [Mar 2004, p.96]

Where the game falters is in the A.I. of CPU players; simply put, these guys fell kicking and screaming from the artificial-intelligence tree. [Mar 2004, p.99]