Ratchet: Deadlocked doesn't push any boundaries; it doesn't break any ground. It's not haute cuisine. But sometimes you're just in the mood for peanut butter and for that, there's nothing better -- it's a little salty, a little sweet, and tremendously satisfying.

The controls are surprisingly solid. Once you adapt to the small venue, the mechanics flow pretty well.

Morrowind is still the most ambitious single-player RPG ever created. You will get lost in this game if you let its spell take effect over you, and no matter how many times you say "Aaagghh, why did the game do that to me?!!", you'll end up coming back again after you've chilled out a bit.

FPS snobs often talk smack about the TimeSplitters franchise for lacking sophistication and for being a bit silly, but the key to its success has always been that it puts fun ahead of any pretension. If that's what you value most, you could do far worse.

And unlike previous baseball video games MLB 2K5 moves at a nice pace.

Although some areas of the game were frustrating (beware the last boss), The Two Thrones features a classic interactive ending sequence and epilogue that nicely wraps up the whole trilogy and does the seemingly impossible -- that is, it makes you forgive and forget the lost years represented by The Warrior Within, and lets you to judge the trilogy on the whole.

It's not a game, and because you're never taught anything new, it's not really even "edutainment" -- Brain Age is a tool, one that sharpens your mind not just for playing real games, but living real life as well.

Like any good sequel, Lego Star Wars II improves on the original in almost every way. But most importantly, it's about the good episodes now. For that reason alone, Lego Star Wars II is one of the most enjoyable games of this fall.

It's unfamiliar, challenging, abstruse, and yet intensely original and fascinating.

If an absolutely brilliant story, finely detailed characterization, and faultless attention to canonical detail are what you're after, then, X-Men Legends is not what you're looking for. If you want a good game, though, and an especially good game to play with a couch full of superhero fans, this is the game to get.

It's a great game in the same way its predecessor -- "SSX 3" -- was a great game. It is not, however, a great game in the same way "SSX Tricky" was before that -- that is to say, it won't go on to be <I>one of the greats.</I>

It's not the best-designed shooter of the year, and it's far from the nicest-looking, but it is one of the most fun to play, thanks to solid controls and some of the most drop-dead hilarious cutscenes in recent memory.

Rugby 08's greatest asset is the simplicity of the controls. Rugby's a fast-moving sport, with lots of things to do, but almost every action feels intuitive.

Because the co-op missions are just gussied-up versus matches, and because the versus game doesn't have any variations in objectives (spies simply hack at computer terminals to retrieve files to return to the starting base) or modes, multiplayer may start to wear out more quickly than in previous editions.

A lot of bang for the bullion -- whether you crave a detailed toy-soliders-in-1197-AD simulator or a complex, rewarding Civ-style strategy game, this Total War is a total package.

A relentlessly inventive game worth the price of entry...The experience is flawed -- some might say hampered -- by the save system and curiously designed game structure. But whether you 'get it' or not, Dead Rising nevertheless provides a wealth of secrets and mysteries for both eager gamers and the adventuresome.

If you can handle the game's particular style (provided you live close enough to a Wal-Mart to buy one -- that's the only place you can get it), you'll find this a surprisingly well-designed game that offers significant playtime, will nurture latent gardening addictions, and will give you the goofiest "god game" experience you've had in a long, long time.

Griptonite has struck a delicate balance between utter linearity and the brain-numbing redundancy of "Harvest Moon," and the end result works pretty well.

An innovative take on how shooters and mech games can play, with a very nice addition of "collect-'em-all" gameplay from the variety of parts available.

An incredibly subjective experience, and it certainly won't be to everyone's liking. Yet at its best, the game turns Nintendo's DS into an odd spin on the iPod -- an intimate, portable, personal musical experience that shifts and changes each time you touch the screen.

The Superstar control sets will ensure that each game has a lengthy highlight reel while keeping the gameplay fast and fun. Fundamental issues with the game and its key features keep it out of the upper echelon of basketball titles.

A landmark in what some might consider more "casual" fighting games. Not only is it great fun, but it's the best fighting game on GameCube (sorry, Smash Bros is not a traditional fighting game), and one of the best 3D fighters around.

All 13 of the game's missions are well crafted and challenging, but after four iterations of this series, I felt a need for a new challenge.

In order to work within the mechanics of the sim, only the game-created factors figure into how well-received your movies are. The experience of creating your own movies during the game is rendered hollow by knowing that no matter how much tweaking you do, it doesn't figure into it.

World in Conflict packs a dizzying learning curve. Even with a dozen or so games under my sexy cummerbund, I felt like my choices were far too random. Multiplayer is especially exacting, requiring impeccable teamwork and constant communication to keep matches from capsizing into total pandemonium.

Better than any PSP shooter yet, Dark Mirror functions without a second analog stick. The extraordinary grace of the remaining controls is enough to almost forget how nice dual-stick control would be.

If the first game was a mere starter pack -- and it was -- then fans of Naruto will be very pleased with the selection of fighters and features found here.

It's kind of like a junior sandbox approach that younger gamers will enjoy because they can just trundle around without crashing or waiting for loads and older kids will love because it allows them to explore a large area and find characters and items that they'll recognize from the movie.

Despite the learning curve, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is a worthy purchase. Even if you can't find people to play in the two-player modes, the story mode has enough action-packed content to soak up the entire DBZ legacy, and to keep you busy for a long, long time.

It's fast, deep, and engaging, and the story mode is perfect for laying back with when you've got a free moment on the bus.

If you're a fan of strategy games, you'll love Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. And if you want a game that will bring your GameCube out of retirement, this is the one.

While Chessmaster Live isn't going to suddenly fatten up the ranks of wannabe grandmasters, it does offer nearly everything you'd want in a competitive simulator while including all the necessary tools for engrossing offline and online matches. It's also a great chess educator.

If it was a book you'd call it "a real page-turner"; it can be nigh-impossible at points to put down. When all is said and done, as the credits roll across the screen, you'll remember the poignant moments as part of the story, not the actions you took that caused them to be played out.

With a bright, buoyant soundtrack, sharp, eye-catching visuals, and tightly-wound responsive controls, Sonic Rush is the Sonic game Sega's needed to make for years.

Ultimately, Digital Graphic Novel might be the truest MGS experience -- no gameplay to get in the way of pure plot. While it may be geared only at franchise fans, it's hard to fault Konami or Kojima Productions for bringing out something that we haven't seen much of on the PSP lately: interesting software.

Gameplay is balanced with a feel almost like a football game and similarly gives more sense of reward for good tactics than often felt in strategy games.

The other major RPG released this week, the disappointing "Blue Dragon," promised to transport players back to those beloved days. Wild Arms 5 is the game that actually delivers.

FPS fans should appreciate the rich Metroid universe, and Metroid fans should recognize the technical achievements NST pulled off. Then everybody can be happy.

All 13 of the game's missions are well crafted and challenging, but after four iterations of this series, I felt a need for a new challenge.

Ace Combat 5 is not a major leap ahead of 2001's "Ace Combat 4"...But if you liked that game's impressively detailed presentation and instantly playable controls, then strap in and get ready to take off.

As an originator, Valkyrie Profile is an inspired maverick in a field of me-too RPGs, beautiful to look at and exciting to play.

The game's "exclusion zone" setting, a no-man's-land roughly 30 square kilometers surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, is very much "Mad Maxim": post-Soviet road warriors just beyond the containment dome. Bleak as the end of the world (or at least life as we know it), it's an invention as gorgeous as years-old graphics overhauled for a late launch get.

Like any good sequel, Lego Star Wars II improves on the original in almost every way. But most importantly, it's about the good episodes now. For that reason alone, Lego Star Wars II is one of the most enjoyable games of this fall.

And even if you're bored with beating your friends, there's a vast array of unlockables to collect, which will surely delight your inner obsessive compulsive.

The vaunted cross-platform play works mostly as advertised (including Achievements associated with killing/resurrecting users from the alternate platform), but we still have to question whether it's worth the hassle and cost for PC users.

Its core gameplay mechanic meets, and in some ways excels over, EA's baseball game... and yet, the window-dressing features are all fairly useless compared to MVP's innovative pitch meter and other extras.

It's a highly specialized title, with a unique feature that will either delight you or drive you crazy. But those who get into the nitty-gritty of designing custom monsters to play will find in this game rare pleasures and rewards.

Most notably, the game does its best to reward creative pathfinding. Do a little searching in each level and you'll find myriad vents, air ducts, and the like, which, when utilized, help give you the jump on your opponents and let you avoid head-on fights.

One of the highlights of the year for Net-connected PS3 owners. For many, this will be a fresh experience, lessening the impact of the modest mode options and lack of some fan favorites from prior versions. At the same time, the lessons learned over the years of iteration and the sparkling new graphics engine make this the latest and greatest version for fans of the series.

OK, so Shivering Isles doesn't reinvent the fireball. But the impeccable design and construction of the original game breathes life into this expansion -- not, as you might assume, the other way around.

Though it's improving each year, SmackDown vs. Raw could really use some friendly (or TNA's case, not-so-friendly) competition.

Pulling its trigger condenses everything that's right about Call of Duty 2 into a single moment. Online or off it is the epitome of visceral thrill seeking.

Despite the limitations, it's an incredible feat that SNK was able to get a GBA game to look and play this well on its first try.

NFL Street could have benefited from a faster pace, which would have enriched the gameplay. It takes a little getting used, but once you do, it's worth it.

The PSP version is the purest taste of Gunpey you're likely to receive anywhere. The skin collecting is addictive, and as long as you don't mind the brutal, linear, hours-long grind needed to collect them all, then this is probably the version most older gamers will go for.

If there's one thing you can say about Head On, it's that it certainly provides you with plenty of game to play.

Does the motion control work? Absolutely. Granted, casting spells with the Wii Remote isn't a perfect affair, but the interactive nature easily pushes the Wii version above the others, despite its higher-resolution console brothers.

Konga represents a somewhat hefty financial investment, especially if you want to round up enough peripherals to fill your GameCube's controller ports, but for sheer universal fun there's nothing else on the system that compares.

The setting, story, and graphics of Kohan II are so full of cliches that one is almost surprised to find a wonderfully original and engaging game beneath the generic packaging.

It's kind of like a junior sandbox approach that younger gamers will enjoy because they can just trundle around without crashing or waiting for loads and older kids will love because it allows them to explore a large area and find characters and items that they'll recognize from the movie.

When all's said and done, Episode 6 (like its predecessors) doesn't stretch much past the two-hour mark, but it's all just as well, since the assorted puzzles never get tough enough to become frustrating, nor easy enough to insult you.

And even though the character float problem persists, the new tournament save option and improved aesthetics (some really nice lighting work can be seen in some of the outdoor courts) are worth the upgrade.

At times, Jak 3 seems to be scraping the bottom of the idea barrel...While this final chapter is not the platforming clinic of the first, nor the trendsetter of the second, it is an extremely satisfying finish for the series.

Its high-concept nature never translates into pretentiousness -- on the contrary, the English script is by turns hilarious and intriguing. Despite its imperfections, it's unique, daring, and occasionally strange.

Daisy-chaining raw resources to refined goods to end products hasn't been this gratifying in years.

Despite several technical deficiencies in this port, The Orange Box is still one of the most rewarding gaming experiences of 2007. We do, however, recommend you steer clear of the PS3 version unless you don't own an Xbox 360 or a PC with a moderate graphics card.

The AI in the single player game is also pretty weak. This works both ways; not only does it mean you can mow down waves of enemies without getting touched, but when you need your teammates to help you capture a point, they're usually nowhere to be found.

For the first time ever, Lara Croft controls fluidly -- her world isn't divided into little squares, and she can perform complex series of acrobatic maneuvers without a pause (and often has to, later in the game).

The game has all the things that have made "Battlefield" a PC favorite. In particular, the vehicles work well, maybe even better with the controller. Flying a helicopter with two sticks feels natural and the ground vehicles, like tanks and humvees, are a snap.

It's kind of like a junior sandbox approach that younger gamers will enjoy because they can just trundle around without crashing or waiting for loads and older kids will love because it allows them to explore a large area and find characters and items that they'll recognize from the movie.

The analog hitting is MVP 06's most significant addition, and it'll certainly be tough to go back to button-press swinging in the other upcoming baseball sims.

The frustration many hit during punishing sections in this sort of game is never allowed to develop. All the skill moves still require the right touch; the designers simply opened the window of what constitutes the "right" touch just enough to let everyone in (with some practice).

This is the type of game you can play to pass the time on the morning commute, while watching TV, or waiting in line for your husband to buy power tools. Touching is good, play well with others, etc. -- Nintendogs is a unique game that brings something new to the DS.

Sam & Max follows a formula, sure, but sitcom predictability is proving to be this series' secret strength -- it's rare to see a game conjure up such strong narrative continuity and familiarity in such short a time span. In Telltale's hands, recycled assets take on the aspect of recurring joys.

Sam & Max's design crew runs a well-oiled humor machine, and Ice Station Santa flaunts everything from suicidal alley rats to demented gift exchanges to a trio of time-displaced Christmas spirits who turn the expected feel-good story cliché on its head.

All the focus on the game's details comes at the expense of its questionable design and overall lack of cohesion. It's here that the latest Castlevania comes up short.

Although Nintendo has been visiting the WarioWare well fairly often of late, it still manages to feel fresh and addictive.

The Dracula X Chronicles isn't a perfect compilation; the original games suffer from some nagging issues, and the remakes aren't an across-the-board improvement. Even so, it would be a must-play for fans of classic action games even without its historical significance. As it is, fans of action games should play it simply because it plays well; fans of Castlevania should add it to their collections immediately and never let it go.

The most distinctive thing about the Taiko games is the bizarre cast of characters Namco has invented for the series.

At its best, the 360 version is the standout, but if you add up all the features, pretty much any system owner can be proud of their version and how it holds up against the others, which seems to be what Ubisoft had in mind. And which also is very annoying for those who want the single best version across the board.

The GameCube version has taken it on the chin, presumably thanks to disc space limitations -- eight of 28 music tracks are gone, there's no choice of voices for the main character (compared to six options on other platforms), the framerate suffers from occasional hiccups in crowded stages, and there are spots of very poor texture detail.

You won't spend as much time with True Crime, but that time will be spent enjoying nicer visuals and a very deep story experience, as opposed to flipping cars across parking garages.

And even though CAC is enjoyable in single-player and online multiplayer, it really is one of those games that shine when it's you and your buddies sitting on the same couch and playing on the same TV...And yelling. And throwing elbows.

It's all down to the style and irresistible cheerful feeling you get when you play these games.

The content itself is rock-solid, and offers an absolutely unique take (visually, as well) on years of carefully refined multiplayer notions. Undertow isn't quite a must-buy, but it's easily one of the more sensible ways to spend $10 online.

A very respectable entry and a much better game than last year's version, even with a few unresolved issues.

Logan's Shadow, like "Dark Mirror" before it, doesn't quite stack up to the better Metal Gears and Splinter Cells, but it's absolutely worth a look for stealth-action fans yearning for something to tide them over this year.

But for all its fire and flash pyrotechnics and soulless premise and execution, there's a delightful source of naiveté powering the proceedings here -- like a raw, juvenile fantasy torn straight out of the id and slopped wholesale onto our PCs. [*Single-Player review]

Being able to hop on Wi-Fi for a quick frag here or there, even if it was only with three other people, could have spawned an active online community. While that omission may limit its long-term appeal for some, Call of Duty 4 on DS remains an impressive accomplishment and a game worthy of the name.

Once you've managed to team up with a group of heroes you can get along with, CoH turns into a great game.

Although some areas of the game were frustrating (beware the last boss), The Two Thrones features a classic interactive ending sequence and epilogue that nicely wraps up the whole trilogy and does the seemingly impossible -- that is, it makes you forgive and forget the lost years represented by The Warrior Within, and lets you to judge the trilogy on the whole.

Offers a plethora of options, online play, and no innovation to a game that doesn't really need innovation (except to my own twisted imagination).

It's a great game in the same way its predecessor -- "SSX 3" -- was a great game. It is not, however, a great game in the same way "SSX Tricky" was before that -- that is to say, it won't go on to be <I>one of the greats.</I>

The story progression, variety of missions and locations, appropriate alternate costumes and great controls make it easy to buy into this world.

If you enjoyed your time with what was undoubtedly the best strategy game of 2005, but eventually moved on to other things, Warlords is enough to get you hooked all over again.

Infinity Ward has mastered a formula of its own making for both single- and multiplayer combat; Call of Duty 4 is louder, better looking, and more chaotic than ever. But it's certainly a formula, one that becomes more transparent with each version.

A fun game to bash around with, and it's one of the best Sonic offshoots the series has seen so far. If you can get over the odd balance, you'll find that it's also one of the best pick-up-and-play fighters on the GBA, too.

Impressive because The Warriors was such a good and complete game the first time around, with a lengthy story, fun brawling mechanics, and a host of that classic Rockstar optional stuff that we don't have to do but are compelled to anyway -- and it all works incredibly well on the PSP. But at the same time, The Warriors was never really designed to the strengths of a portable system, so unless you haven't played it already, there's no real need to play it again while in transit.