It's clear that Infogrames wanted to take advantage of the hype surrounding the PlayStation 2 launch, and it had to strike while the iron was hot. That meant that like every other publisher under the sun, it needed a port or an update to an already popular game—and Unreal Tournament was as good a choice as any.

I think my main problem with the game is that it doesnt take enough chances. The arcade-style retro approach that the game takes is strikingly different from most games currently on the market, but the designers never exploit it in any remarkable way.

Cannon Spike proved to be a good time for a short while thanks to the two-player mode, but it cannot escape the limitations of being an arcade port. Generic enemies, bosses and environments might have made the game progressively unenjoyable, but insufficient continues and a steep difficulty curve made it unbearable relatively quickly. It's amazing that after I set my sights low, expecting nothing more than a fun multiplayer experience, Cannon Spike still managed to disappoint.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Violence

Welcome to the first installment of a new feature here at GameCritics.com—the Bargain Basement. It’s as sure as death or taxes that anyone who takes up videogaming as a hobby or profession will find themselves eventually rooting through a bargain bin at one point or another.

Welcome to the second edition of the Bargain Basement. It’s as sure as death or taxes that anyone who takes up videogaming as a hobby or profession will find themselves rooting through a bargain bin at one point or another.

As Scott established in his review, Super Mario Bros. 2 was just a placeholder until the true sequel, Super Mario Bros. 3, was ready. What I find ironic is that Nintendo has re-used the same game for the exact same reason. The highly-anticipated port of Super Mario World, would not have been finished in time for launch (as of this writing, it is only a few months away) so Super Mario Bros. 2 was the substitute. Unfortunately, by taking such a shortcut, Nintendo has wound up with the same result. When it was all said and done, Super Mario Advance left me wanting a true Super Mario game.

After forcing myself to sit through Final Fantasy VIII and The Legend Of Dragoon, I appreciate any game or developer that does away with prerendered 2D backgrounds. Though not always as pretty, 3D graphics like those found in the game add a level of interactivity—and dare I say realism—that the aforementioned titles were missing.

Grandia II isn't a landmark game by any means, but it comes pretty close to being an amazing role-playing game done in the traditional style. It looks great, has solid gameplay, great characters and a well-written story, but it's basically as straight-forward a role-playing game as you're likely to find.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Animated Violence, Mild Language