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Tomb Raider - The obvious point of reference is Indiana Jones, Lara is very much a female variation on Tim Burton's half-interested updating of the Batman character: She's rich, graceful, athletic, supposedly obsessed with a dead parent, and, in her downtime, close to somnambulant. But that's about all we know. Character shadings take a back seat to confusing exposition and feeble mysticism. more info

Final Fantasy XI - Since Square Enix revealed that Final Fantasy XI would be an MMORPG, series fans have been crying for them to rename it Final Fantasy Online, to save the enumeration for a "real" Final Fantasy game. The game will certainly challenge series fans about what a Final Fantasy game is, and MMORPG fans are in for a similar challenge. After surmounting two very different learning curves, however, both camps will find Final Fantasy XI to be a beautiful and well-crafted game if they can get over some of its shortcomings. more info

Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament 2004 - Of all the collectable card games based on oddly named kids with unrealistically spiky and angular hair, none has been quite as successful as Yu-Gi-Oh! The little guy and his pals have made the concept of having pictures of monsters come to life and fight each other just as much a part of our culture as Thanksgiving dinner or baring one's breast during the Super Bowl. The Yug-ster is back on the GBA with Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament 2004, and if you're a card-carrying duelist, you might want to hold off on buying a few of the latest booster packs so you can drop the dough on this cart. more info

Tony Hawk's Underground - Gamers, you remember how great Tony Hawk 3 was, and how the following game was even better, right? The courses were much more expansive and featured improved level interaction, keeping players entertained for weeks at a time. Now let's see if you can guess what I'm going to say about Tony Hawk's Underground. It feels weird to be giving similar praise to another Tony Hawk game, but as long as Neversoft continues to improve the courses that can't be helped. THUG's courses are the biggest yet. They're very urban expect to see lots of houses and other neighborhood content. The visual field is nearly perfect, giving you the illusion that the world goes on forever. Sadly it doesn't, but any time you step out of bounds the game will automatically take you back to where you belong. more info

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - Splinter Cell follows the exploits of Sam Fisher, an experienced NSA agent who gets called in to investigate the disappearance of two CIA agents in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. As more of the mystery surrounding these agents is uncovered, more questions surface. And as Fisher tries to prevent World War III, things get a little personal. more info

Onimusha - According to Capcom, feudal Japan was full of these evil dead guys. They just can't seem to kick that brain-eating habit and the intelligence of the locals are suffering because of it. You are the great Samanosuke Akechi, swordsman extraordinaire. Inabayama Castle has been overrun by evil Demons and, of course, it falls on your armored shoulders to stop them. So how does Samanosuke kill what's already dead? Easy - with the power of Ogres! It seems that the Ogres and Demons had some sort of falling out in the past and the Ogres are more than happy to help mess up things for the Demons. more info

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne - There are some things that will never stop haunting a man no matter what changes occur in his life. Sometimes a man can never really shake the dark cloud that seems to follow overhead no matter how hard he tries to run from it. For men like Max Payne this dark cloud shrouds him like a cloak and he is haunted by the ghosts of loved ones lost to violence. Once again, Max Payne sets out to seek his own brand of bloody violence in Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne but little does he know that on this quest there is someone who can set him on the right path to his salvation or lead him to his downfall. Yes, this is a true sequel to a great game. more info

Madden 2005 - Our brief, early look at Madden NFL 2005 finds the game headed in a promising direction. The visuals are well on the way toward living up to the high standards of the franchise, and the work being done to the gameplay should make for a compelling experience. Given the game's position as an institution in the sports genre, it's nice to see that Tiburon is still trying to tweak the formula. Madden NFL 2005 is currently slated to ship this fall for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, PC, and Xbox. Look for more on the game in the coming months. more info

GTA: Vice City - As big as GTA3 is, Vice City dwarfs it in almost every way. The city is absolutely huge and so full of back alleys and interesting locations that just touring around is fun enough. And with so many different styles of vehicles and bikes, it's neat to find out what each set of wheels is capable of-especially while learning how to do tricks on a motorcycle or piloting a helicopter. Trust me, flying over Vice City for the first time and realizing its sheer size is humbling. more info

Dead or Alive 3 - DOA 3 is probably the best-looking fighting game yet, with much more exciting and vibrant environments than past DOA games. Witness the flock of birds flying around as you scuffle on the beach in front of a gorgeous sunset. Check out the deformation of the snow on the 'Snow' level as you scoot around. From the terrific water effects to the fantastic sun glares and lighting, this is really a top notch effort. The new levels are pretty cool, particularly the 'Lost World', in which you begin fighting atop a cliff only to eventually plummet down, down, down. While not all the stages feature breakaway walls and multiple levels, most do, and it's very rewarding finding the hot spots. more info