IGN

Indigo Prophecy is not a perfect game. There are camera and control issues, the graphics aren’t stellar, and the action sequences can be imprecise at points. However, the game’s sound, story, and characters are so strong, and the variety of situations players will find themselves in is so large, that at no point is this a boring play experience.

Relic's got a formula here that makes a lot of sense in this mad universe and promotes the kind of crazy and chaotic play that you would expect from a multi-faction battle. The Imperial Guard only add to the frantic gameplay in a positive way by allowing a slightly different style of play for the more defensively minded.

The new interface and improved graphics certainly make the PC version more enjoyable than the Xbox version but not to the extent that you'd need to rush out and play through it all over again. Given the game's flexibility in terms of alignment, it's definitely worth picking up for those who played the original once as a good or evil character and now want to see what the other half is like.

Despite those faults, however, Madden NFL 06 is still a fantastic game, just not as much fun to play as it has been the last few years. This was bound to happen with how well it's been consistently improving over time.

When it comes down to it, Dungeon Siege II is a fine game that takes a while to appreciate. Those expecting a straightforward dungeon hack will find those elements in spades, while the traditional RPG fan will also be rewarded with a long story and lots of world detail. I contend that if DS2 rubs you the wrong way then you're just not digging deep enough.

The thing to remember about Battlefield 2 is that it's exceptionally fun. There are most definitely some things that need some improvement, but that certainly isn't going to keep the game from owning our lives for a good long while. Anybody that was a fan of Battlefield before will have a great reason to renew their love affair when the game is released early this week.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has a lot of things going for it that make it an excellent gaming experience. The excellent narrative and voice acting make it a story to remember, driving is still a lot of fun, and the selection of missions to perform make it easy to look forward to what's next.

As I said before, though the game offers up many pleasures, it's not for the faint of heart. The campaign's tedious start is a significant obstacle to gamers who want to "get to the good stuff" without going through the motions of developing a massive resource base and drafting an army from scratch.

If anything, the core design of GW looks rock-solid. ArenaNet huge team has a royal load of gaming experience--but not a whole lot of persistent online experience, and that could be why a few problems crop up in the game--for me, at least. At this point, though, with their roster and this polished production, I think both ArenaNet and Guild Wars have nowhere to go but up, and I'm already looking forward to whatever they cook up next.

For better or worse, perhaps they should stick to what they're excellent at, namely fragalicious multiplayer mayhem. Or maybe Pariah was just the victim of running out of budget before it ran out of game, if the story is any indication. It's quite solid in most respects, but it won't tear you away from whatever you're currently hooked on. In fact, Pariah just made me want UT2006 that much more.