A few poor design choices keep this game from being easily recommendable to all. Everything but the unforgiving boss fights get repetitive quickly; the game can be light on explanations, leaving a lot to your own deduction; and the pathfinding is terrible.

Gears is most likely to appeal to console gamers already in love with the game, who can now see it in glorious high-res detail and at superfast framerates -- with a muscular enough PC, that is.

If you think "Total Annihilation's" still the cat's pajamas, look no further than Supreme Commander. It's the "ID4" of videogames -- a little sleepy early on, occasionally a little baffling, but incontrovertibly epic...and you're here as much for the light show anyway, right?

For this season, consider it the way you would a September game with your team already eliminated from the chase: If you're the type that wants to check out the young prospects called up, you'll probably be right at home. If you've already been watching preseason football for a few weeks and are enjoying the first NFL games, it might not be your ticket.

A game whose lack of originality is matched only by its abundance of... well, pretty much everything else.

It is not in the new interpretation that this package fails to deliver, but in its presentation of a classic that demands a lot more respect and attention to detail than Special Edition delivers.

This time, the changes are a scattering of smaller ones. Track layout tweaks, customization quirks, 3D effects, first-person karting, and a power-up that adds to the general level of kart chaos by letting one player unleash seven items. MK7 isn't a kart game with a defining voice -- it's just a solid little kart game with a bunch of little tweaks.

If you're looking for a game that matches the quality of the previous games in the Ratchet franchise...well, keep looking.

This is clearly the best-playing FIFA game ever made, but that merely puts it above some of the most average-playing soccer games ever made. Even with the improvements, the game remains far too simple tactically.

So even though I had my share of frustrations playing through Monster Hunter, I can finally see what the big deal is...in Japan, at least.

The end result is a good-if-you're-into-it, poorly performing, but interesting social experiment that seems more geared toward determining how players will react to certain situations than challenging them in new and exciting ways to accomplish tasks that are fun and engaging.

As it stands, Race Driver 3 suffers from too much variety and not enough substance.

Crosses the line that separates challenging from cheap. Charismatic and brazen to a fault, it is something of a return to form, but denies the gamer an honest challenge and the eye-opening lack of balance results in a sometimes-electrifying game that isn't especially fun to play.

A game unsure of what it wants to achieve. When it lets itself, it's a fantastic adrenaline rush through well-constructed set-pieces and gloriously fun-to-watch violence. But it too often drags itself down with overly structured situations and restrictive, strategy-heavy gameplay.

As it stands, Race Driver 3 suffers from too much variety and not enough substance.

Branding aside, perhaps most frustrating is the omission of environmental interactivity -- napalm does nothing to bush and tanks are rendered useless by the thinnest slice of bamboo.

Disgaea 2 adds only one significant new feature to its gameplay: the ability of stacked characters to attack.

A game unsure of what it wants to achieve. When it lets itself, it's a fantastic adrenaline rush through well-constructed set-pieces and gloriously fun-to-watch violence. But it too often drags itself down with overly structured situations and restrictive, strategy-heavy gameplay.

NBA 2K10 is an excellent basketball game that's full of nagging technical problems. It's a shame that some players probably won't be able to look past the inconsistent frame rate, online issues, and A.I. quirks, because NBA 2K10 does many things very, very well.

It's still a good game -- lovely, and a little tired. But these days, even a favorite old dog like UT needs to learn more than a few new tricks.

Yes, it targets a small audience, but it hits a bull's-eye.

More than enough fun to last through the main story -- especially if you bring a couple friends -- but whether you'll be returning to it again and again over the course of months is dependent largely on your superhero obsession and tolerance for repetition.

In the end, I'd say Dark Hero Days is mildly recommendable, but with a huge caveat: It's a decent Disgaea... just not anywhere close to the best Disgaea.

As it stands, Race Driver 3 suffers from too much variety and not enough substance.

I'd actually prefer a minigolf version of this series on the handheld systems. Maybe that would get me worked up about a relaxing round of Hot Shots again.

This is clearly the best-playing FIFA game ever made, but that merely puts it above some of the most average-playing soccer games ever made. Even with the improvements, the game remains far too simple tactically.

NBA 2K10 is an excellent basketball game that's full of nagging technical problems. It's a shame that some players probably won't be able to look past the inconsistent frame rate, online issues, and A.I. quirks, because NBA 2K10 does many things very, very well.

The promise of a portable and blockbuster RE is mostly realized, and the control improvements and sense of scale translate effectively, but I sincerely hope Capcom chooses to skew from RE's cheesy past and make more memorable adventures moving forward.

But all transgressions are forgiven once you make it to Episode 5's finale -- a surprising, sparse, and spot-on little jaunt into "Reality 1.5" that'll likely stand as the series' landmark moment once it's bundled into a season.

UT3's Xbox 360 version is huffing and puffing and bringing up the rear, long after anyone cares to watch the race.

In its current state, and for those who just want a single-player RPG, this is recommended to D&D diehards only, who are probably the only ones with enough goodwill to slog through the problems. Everyone else -- wait awhile. A great RPG is in here somewhere; it's just not ready yet.

Adds a bit of new life to an already great game even if there isn't enough new to make the expansion pack truly exceptional.

More than enough fun to last through the main story -- especially if you bring a couple friends -- but whether you'll be returning to it again and again over the course of months is dependent largely on your superhero obsession and tolerance for repetition.

Unfortunately, such a light-hearted plot doesn't seem like a suitable reward for the grueling strategic depth of the combat.

Most of the environments -- despite some moody weather effects in the eerie flooded streets of Poland -- look blocky and blah, especially compared to the much prettier "Battlefield 2." But if you absolutely demand realism over pizzazz, you'll have to re-enlist with SOCOM. It's still the most true-to-life shooter you'll lock-and-load on PS2. [*Single Player review]

Extreme 2, though, offers little to differentiate itself. It's a coincidental callback to 1979's Space Invaders Part II: most of the improvements will matter to those who were already obsessed. For some, that's probably enough for a buy, and if you haven't played SI Extreme before, now's the time, as you're still getting an enjoyable rewrite of an arcade classic. But those who had a passing fancy before can pass it up for the time being.

As a product, this package is recommendable to anyone who hasn't experienced the first game, or wishes to add it back to their current library. It also includes a surprisingly fun multiplayer suite, with the Riddick vs. Everyone Else mode "Pitch Black" as the main attraction. But as single-player games, the unsatisfying Dark Athena should be played as a curiosity and then put back where it belongs: in Butcher Bay's shadow.

Beyond the bugs/glitches, the online matchmaking feels lacking compared to, say, Super Street Fighter 2 HD Remix or Street Fighter 4.

It's a beautiful remake and a testament to the longevity of smart game design; it's just not the must-buy it would be for a couple bucks less.

Whereas "Call of Duty 2" did an incredible job creating the illusion of an open environment, it's just the reverse here. You feel hemmed in and herded along at every turn, and the pacing also reflects that. Unless you rush forward, progress in the game grinds to a halt -- no considered approaches or tactical positioning, just advance and keep firing.

Because of all the extra micromanagement you need to worry about in C&C3 -- the aforementioned problems were never issues in "BFME2" -- some campaign missions become aggravatingly difficult. The A.I. opponent doesn't let up on the accelerator even though you can't manage everything as quickly as you can on a PC.

Despite the controls, BlazBlue Portable is a game that you'll probably find immediately appealing. It's easy to pick up and start firing off combos and flashy special moves, but for hardcore fighting game fans, only a handful of characters are viable on a competitive level.

The graphics engine is the strongest point. This game is gorgeous to look at--but not quite as much fun to play. If and when players learn to get organized, it'll be a lot more rewarding, and hopefully Novalogic will even out the play balance issues before its inevitable sequel.

The multiplayer component isn't likely to keep you occupied for long, but there's more than enough single-player content -- especially if you can take advantage of the Retribution Connect extras -- to warrant a purchase. Resistance fans won't be disappointed and newcomers to the franchise will find a very competent portable shooter in Retribution.

These games are much too late to receive any real critical raves, but the fact remains that you get a lot of game in Growlanser Generations.

With the flood of racing titles hitting the PSP right now, it'd be easy to miss Race Driver 2006. But if you're craving variety and great control in portable form, this is the game for you.

Sure, "GTA"'s story and sense of humor were pretty infantile most of the time, but it was still damn funny and did a bang-up job of satirizing American pop culture and consumerism. In Saints Row, however, it all feels obligatory. Like it was something they just had to do, and the result is pretty lifeless.

Gas Powered preaches to the choir: They've improved just about everything the faithful could have prayed for -- but they're not nabbing many converts.

Graphical foibles aside, The Witcher demonstrates the growing creative energy of European game designers, who continue to take chances with ever more innovative games, even as American developers obsess over the next "Halo."

Unless you're simply determined to pay $30 for a painfully hard version of a game you've probably played countless times before in its previous incarnation, you can live without this one.

Compelling narrative and crippled combat make Jade Empire a case of form over function -- and depending on what you want from a single-player RPG, that might be totally OK. It's short (in the 20-hour neighborhood for first-timers) and sweet; just don't let the premise trick you into expecting gameplay that isn't altogether there.

Age of Empires III takes the conservative approach to the conundrum of how to craft a new experience that remains faithful to the original. While that ensures fans will immediately feel at home with an old friend, it's questionable whether it sets another standard, or merely follows its own.

It attempts a lot of ambitious things and it almost succeeds at every one. But it's apparent that these grandiose ideas may have been a little too much to master the first go-round. But hey, at least the groundwork is laid for a killer sequel -- right, Ubisoft?

Metro 2033's A.I. is terribly stupid and there's not enough variety in the weapons; yet despite all that it's still a compelling game to play.

Unsurprisingly, playing through this Anniversary Collection is much like listening to a ten-album Grateful Dead box set: it's very good for what it is, and some of titles included are genuine masterpieces. But taken together, the monotony is almost overwhelming.

But because the "sport" itself is so simplistic at its core and there's not much beyond the standard exhibition and tournament modes, $29.99 would be an easier price to swallow.

Notably absent from the multiplayer options is a mode that allows you to play a multiplayer game with a single copy of the game. It's not often that you're going to get eight PSPs and eight copies of the game into the same place at once, so it's kind of odd that there's no provision for a good old-fashioned session of "pass the PSP." Shame.

Honestly, though, that's part of the problem. Way too much of your new game feels like you're just playing it safe.

The ambiance and atmosphere are usually enough all by themselves to suck you in; but never quite enough to make you ignore the hundred little things that matter.

It attempts a lot of ambitious things and it almost succeeds at every one. But it's apparent that these grandiose ideas may have been a little too much to master the first go-round. But hey, at least the groundwork is laid for a killer sequel -- right, Ubisoft?

The pick-up-and-play impressions started out positive, but as I spent more time with it, the less I enjoyed the novelty and just wished I could play good football... It's all in the game on the field, and with a defense that's allowing old-school, Hail Mary money plays pretty much at will, this doesn't cut it.

Though that simplicity can be an asset, in many ways it's the game's greatest weakness as well. The personality will carry you through the campaign, but repeating battles of attrition wear thin too quickly; Ronimo has some great ideas in this little package, even if the end result falls a little short of becoming an RTS classic.

Each little cartoon snippet you unlock is fun, but eventually you find yourself asking why you have to do so much work for them -- it's like watching a cartoon on a DVD player powered by a hand crank.

More than enough fun to last through the main story -- especially if you bring a couple friends -- but whether you'll be returning to it again and again over the course of months is dependent largely on your superhero obsession and tolerance for repetition.

Dawn of Dreams is a solid action game with a lot more play in it than its predecessors. More importantly, it's a title that shows that Capcom isn't afraid to mess with the formula.

If you've played this before in its previous incarnations and had your fill, or if the concept never really appealed to you in the first place, there's really nothing new enough here to bring you back.

2K6's biggest setback -- it doesn't have the instant visual appeal, next-gen look, or out-and-out raw emotion that gamers want to see in a next-gen sports game.

This is a game for Ninja Gaiden fans, who will play it on the toughest difficulties and upload their best playthrough videos online. For those purposes, it excels; for less devoted action-adventure fans, it's more of a violent curiosity than something to get invested in.

If you've played this before in its previous incarnations and had your fill, or if the concept never really appealed to you in the first place, there's really nothing new enough here to bring you back.

I guess I can see where some people might enjoy this existence, but it's not for me. I need some sort of concrete goal in my life. Not to mention variety.

In summary it's safe to say it's an above-average game and is certainly playable, but remains some way short of the best the genre has to offer.

The genre isn't in its infancy anymore, and developer Funcom doesn't have the trailblazer status that would grant easy deflection of criticism about unimplemented features and crippling bugs... Right now, Age of Conan is fun game to play -- this summer, it might be ready for the MMO pantheon.

Namco Bandai says downloadable planes, maps, and levels are to come, but unless they can fix the frustrating mission structure -- the game's largest problem -- I'm only mildly interested.

It's really a shame that these technical problems detract from what is an otherwise outstanding experience.

As a product, this package is recommendable to anyone who hasn't experienced the first game, or wishes to add it back to their current library. It also includes a surprisingly fun multiplayer suite, with the Riddick vs. Everyone Else mode "Pitch Black" as the main attraction. But as single-player games, the unsatisfying Dark Athena should be played as a curiosity and then put back where it belongs: in Butcher Bay's shadow.

Taking manual control of the defensive secondary is a losing proposition. Neither the swat nor intercept moves respond intuitively to the buttons, and the new smoother animations seem to come with the penalty of making it harder to figure out what the right place is to make your move.

Based on the series' past legacy of excellence, it's just a shame that Grimoire of the Rift feels more like an expansion pack than a bona fide sequel.

You don't have to settle for mediocrity as a fan of the genre -- and you sure as hell don't have to support it.

Even with the new story Dungeon Siege II never quite manages to shake the underlying sense throughout that if you squint hard enough at the screen you could be playing the original game. It's as if answering the critics became such a preoccupation that instead of a sequel, Dungeon Siege II became the perfected version of the original.

The end result is a good-if-you're-into-it, poorly performing, but interesting social experiment that seems more geared toward determining how players will react to certain situations than challenging them in new and exciting ways to accomplish tasks that are fun and engaging.

It's kind of disappointing that a sequel that finally upgrades its character sprites would at the same time not move anything else up a level. And I would like more people to play and enjoy Disgaea games, because the fact is everyone is getting the best sequel until "Disgaea 5" comes out (probably). But it's a step forward that could have, for once, been a leap.

The ambiance and atmosphere are usually enough all by themselves to suck you in; but never quite enough to make you ignore the hundred little things that matter.

Honestly, the level of enjoyment you'll get out of the game will largely depend on which character you play. If the character you play is now one of the stronger fighters on the roster, then you'll most likely have a blast steamrolling the competition.

A mostly unremarkable, occasionally exhilarating run through a dystopian Nevada. Just don't expect a long, drawn-out action adventure -- if it was, you might put your arm under serious stress from all the swinging.

Taken with the limitations of only four maps, on which to play one game type, all too soon you can find yourself in a mechanical rut playing them over and over. And that's something that the original didn't suffer from.

What's in question here isn't whether this or that technology is hooey -- it's impoverished, store-brand imagination.

In the end, the sharp graphics trump the competition (2K Sports' "Top Spin 2"), but the oversights in gameplay and the pros-only career mode hold Virtua Tennis back from being a must-play. For a quick knock-around with friends, this can't be beat, but for a deeper, more authentic tennis experience, go with "Top Spin 2."

It's too obtuse for a newcomer to the sport, but those who understand the gravity of the phrase, "downloading the right Option File" and all that comes with it, PES 2012 is worth a look, once Konami has finally ironed out its issues.

In the end, the sharp graphics trump the competition (2K Sports' "Top Spin 2"), but the oversights in gameplay and the pros-only career mode hold Virtua Tennis back from being a must-play. For a quick knock-around with friends, this can't be beat, but for a deeper, more authentic tennis experience, go with "Top Spin 2."

It reminds me of that college professor who taught a fun class but didn't explain things very well -- in the end, you didn't learn as much as you could have. Second Opinion's fun, but in the end, you feel like you didn't enjoy it as much as you should have.

Still, the big question remains: With Rock Band 2 coming to Wii in a matter of months, is this really the best time to ask people to buy a bunch of expensive peripherals that are on the verge of being bested by their next-gen counterparts? (While the first game's instruments will work with Rock Band 2, the sequel will come with new -- and improved -- peripherals.)

What we're left with is an unfocused baseball game that neither excels as an arcade experience nor as a baseball game -- it's only an average player in the bigs.

And that map editor -- when United maintains its stability -- is undoubtedly the game's marquee feature.

If anything, Sing and Dance is a good idea on paper, but absolutely flawed in its execution. Arrows are laid side-by-side, making the more difficult patterns a pain to read correctly, and having to focus on scrolling arrows while watching your singing pattern (to make sure the game is recognizing it correctly) is incredibly counter-intuitive.

Aficionados need not hesitate -- The Broken Bond presents the Naruto franchise in a largely engaging manner, with plenty to see and do in the campaign and via Xbox Live. It's a less definite prospect for newcomers, though, as the fan service and familiar scenarios go a long way toward masking the frustrations and limitations found within.

No, it's not the significant leap 2004's Century of Flight was, and performance -- usually unworthy of mention -- is the big sinker here. Otherwise, Flight Sim X is a solid, if not quite spectacular, tenth iteration.

Rare is still very much Rare: inspiration is taken from multiple sources, a solid-but-unspectacular game is built on that inspiration, every imaginable color and graphical effect is dumped on top of it, and everyone is given an awful pun for a name.

Unplugged's gameplay and high-fidelity music fits the PSP almost perfectly, but for all the big features that are mysteriously missing, the developers didn't pay enough attention to the small details, either.