If you already own "ESPN NBA 2K4" basketball game, 2K5 is probably not worth the dough -- prettier graphics aren't enough. The $20 price tag puts it in reach of most everyone else, though.

The interesting thing about Gun, however, is that it mixes broad free-roaming aspects with some of the most tightly scripted missions we've seen in any game -- quite an achievement for an original game from a company known for skateboarding titles.

It's proof that developers don't have to shamelessly rip off Final Fantasy Tactics to craft a compelling, addictive strategy-RPG.

A welcome return to form for the series. Even the plot revolves around minor characters from "Suikoden II," and the loading screens show the game's characters as they would have been rendered in a 32-bit sprite style, as if Konami is apologizing for the turns taken after that era.

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.

A humungous game built around 12,500 real-life players with more modes and teams and options than a stadium has face painters, FIFA 08 is a superior soccer experience despite its ho-hum facade.

The PSP's analog nub also works well here with just the right balance of sensitivity and full range of motion, from tiny course-correcting nudges to hand over fist power-sliding.

Working your way toward the end of each level, experimenting with mixtures of the different ammo types, is just too enjoyable to miss. The feeling of accomplishment when you manage to take every member of a gang alive is worth the pain of the more difficult boss showdowns and somewhat unfulfilling plot.

This is a very serious rally game, much more so than RalliSport Challenge -- tackling a turn incorrectly, or having the wrong tire and suspension setup for the track at hand, will destroy your stage times. As a result, both your driving skills and your car-configuration know-how will be tested at every stage of the game.

But it's that wholly rebuilt, almost-a-sim physics engine that propels ProStreet to such heights. Tossing these weighty sedans and exotics around, knowing you're connected to the road by just four distinct contact points, then late braking into a turn and riding the very limits of adhesion through it, is ungodly fun -- and darned challenging.

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.

If you're looking at the game for continuing the fun, campy Mortal Kombat legacy, you'll find a lot to like here. If you're looking for highly technical fighting matches or evolved modern game storytelling, you'll do better looking elsewhere.

Fans of the Napoleonic period will get a rise out of Cossacks II, as will strategy buffs seeking out something a little different from the usual tank rush tactics. It's a terrific simulation of the age of "gentlemanly" combat, during which Napoleon almost took over the world.

Rumor has it that developers Traveller's Tales have more Lego games in the works after this (including one based on Batman) -- here's hoping, as this formula simply works.

Gamers who have been burned by the obscene difficulty of the first two Zero titles might be expecting number 3 to be more torture, not realizing that this time, they're actually given a fair opportunity to win. Zero is sorry he hurt you.

The multiplayer side of things, however, is excellent. The online play is smooth (depending on the server) and, truthfully, there's nothing quite like sneaking in to steal a control point right from under other players' noses.

Thanks to some tough (but never unreasonably frustrating) battles, a healthy dose of fan service, and a quality localization, Revenant Wings is a thoroughly enjoyable hybrid. It's hardly the second coming of Final Fantasy XII...but somehow manages to turn that into a strength anyway.

City Life is the freshest take on the city-sim genre in memory, managing to be both as challengingly complex as its more gearheaded forebears and more accessible to casual or more philosophical players.

Regardless of its small problems and the fact that it isn't an entirely new game, Revolution is still an excellent buy for Wii puzzle fans at a welcome $20. It's the perfect price point for such a game, and the motion controls finally deliver the quintessential Mercury experience.

You don't have to already be a fan, though, to appreciate the game, and that's a big part of its appeal. It's pretty easy to jump in, grab a gun and start starring in your own WWII movie mowing down Nazis.

An expansion pack done right. It doesn't pretend to be a full sequel, and instead just offers new maps, modes, and tweaks that make the overall experience better.

Arguably, it's good to have an RTS that is easy to jump into, but the economic systems and battle tactics might be too lightweight for some. Regardless, though, outside of starting your own New Zealand special effects company, no game will bring you closer to the battles of The Lord of The Rings.

Everyone who enjoys portable gaming, old greats or any combination of the two owes it to themself to pick up a copy of Battle Collection. It would be a great purchase even if PSP software weren't so hard to come by these days; as it stands, it's one of the best titles available for the system.

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.

The battle system helps make the rest of the game come even closer to Final Fantasy X, and this time, that's a compliment. The result is a game that's faster and a little more fun to watch.

If you already own "ESPN NBA 2K4" basketball game, 2K5 is probably not worth the dough -- prettier graphics aren't enough. The $20 price tag puts it in reach of most everyone else, though.

It offers a stellar single-player adventure mode experience, a ton of unlockables, a comprehensive two-player versus mode, and best of all, the original freakin' "Mortal Kombat II" arcade game. For all of these different modes in a single game, the price tag is practically a steal.

Endless Ocean isn't like most games. While others drive tension and excitement to a fever pitch, Endless Ocean's deep-sea visuals and bubbling sound effects slowly dissolve your cares and stresses -- while occasionally eliciting gasps of awestruck disbelief.

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.

The level of depth and complexity in the gaming is substantial for a handheld title, and in some ways is a bit more forgiving than its console brethren, but casual gamers should be warned.

The premier choice for fans of the game behind the game.

If you're looking at the game for continuing the fun, campy Mortal Kombat legacy, you'll find a lot to like here. If you're looking for highly technical fighting matches or evolved modern game storytelling, you'll do better looking elsewhere.

The fun comes from watching how differently each season unfolds and how it affects your Sims: Winter helps with family bonding, spring brings romance, summer builds friendships, and fall quickens learning new skills.

Major events -- such as the arrival of a Crusading noble to join in your jolly pagan fox hunt, or the forming of a new faction -- keep you on your toes and inject personality, encouraging you to almost "role-play" the tyrannical zealots or freedom-fighting underdogs you're controlling.

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.

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).

On its own merits (which we're reviewing it on), Rock Band on PS2 is a fundamentally excellent rhythm game that simply lacks the variety and presentational polish of Harmonix's previous work. Compared to its PS3 and 360 versions, it comes up surprisingly short.

It doesn't do anything you haven't seen before in an Xbox Live Arcade title, but that doesn't mean you won't get your money's worth in content and downright clever, addictive design. In reality it's a second chance for an unreceptive Western audience, but card nerds know it for what it really is: a second coming.

It's not a particularly original adventure, but MvsDK is a classy reminder of where these games all started. And as it happens, it's pretty fun, too.

It lacks the eye-popping unpredictability of its predecessors. And fumbling to conform to some of the more arcane controller positions can take you right out of the game. Despite these modest shortcomings, though, WarioWare should be a welcome addition to any Wii library.

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.

The interesting thing about Gun, however, is that it mixes broad free-roaming aspects with some of the most tightly scripted missions we've seen in any game -- quite an achievement for an original game from a company known for skateboarding titles.

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.

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.

Multiplayer has been improved upon as well, with full four-player co-op throughout the entire campaign and a huge number of online dogfighting options. And again, it all works beautifully because the fundamentals of the game are so simple and solid.

You'll find enough options and maps to keep you happy, the best part definitely being the eight-player support with one cart. Slightly less cool is the four-player support via Nintendo's Wi-Fi connection, though it's tough to complain.

An excellent game for the wrestling purists, and while it would actually have been nice to get a little more good ol' WWE brand tackiness, it's hard to decline what the game offers: beautiful bodies on beautiful display, doing beautiful violence.

While it lacks that magical little something to make it a classic, it's a stupendous example of design competence. It looks great, sounds great, it's well written, witty, and fairly well paced.

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>

While Madden 07 does have a couple of great changes to its basic gameplay, it's beginning to feel like the same old game. It's a strong fundamental football game and lead blocker is a cool new feature, but it's not reinventing the wheel, like the passing cone was last year.

Crates and barrels aside, Batman Begins is generally a well-produced game. Its visuals are often striking, and are distinct in style from those of the film.

As a WWII fighting experience, it rivals EA's Medal of Honor in atmosphere and immersion. The in-game graphics are spectacular, with detailed aircraft and some lovely explosions, and the only obvious issue is some pop-in from high altitudes.

For being a bonus racer, there's nothing advantageous about playing as Banjo -- his stats are arguably below average, including some undesirable handling. You're better off continuing to save Sega Miles for the character you really want to play as.

With bonus songs from Perry's solo efforts and a fully animated Steven Tyler swallowing the microphone, the game's target audience is very clear -- and for them, the game's existence is justified.

Pariah's virtues, ultimately, are adult virtues: it's a solid, serious, deeply competent game. This competence may not prove an adequate substitute for the moment-to-moment buzz of the mindless FPS in its terminally adolescent pomp.

At its best, Darksiders plays like an interactive compilation of this console generation's most interesting game mechanics. At its worst, it's like sitting through a mediocre cover band as they fumble their way through your favorite tunes.

While this may amount to little more than yet another Mega Man sequel, it's still one of the best 2D action games to come along in years.

Despite the moments that Lost Frontier falters, most of the game is a solid sequel that lives up to the Jak legacy. The platforming is a nice homage to the existing Jak games, and the flight combat builds a new element that feels both refreshing and familiar.

While the game has its fair share of annoying problems and suffers from being a bit too straightforward, it offers a solid off-road experience; motocross fans will be hard pressed to find a title better than this one.

Like golf, it's certainly a great game, albeit one with limited appeal.

A determined sea explorer can easily capture the bounty of the depths on film in an afternoon. Still, I enjoyed what I played and would definitely consider plopping down some cash for downloadable expansions (cave diving, please!).

The game simply bit off way more than it could chew with the stealth sections. The end result is certainly a thumbs up -- but only just.

I remember feeling concerned that the game was flying by way too fast, and it wasn't until I actually looked down at the total time played that it hit me that this thing isn't short: I was just enjoying it so much that I didn't notice.

Like golf, it's certainly a great game, albeit one with limited appeal.

With its massive song list and skill-based gameplay, Dance Dance Revolution is back and better than ever...Easily -- and by far -- the best game of "smash-the-arrows" in town.

It's a fine interpretation of the old brick-breaker style, and it should keep you entertained, even if it's only once or twice.

Where The Red Star is best is in its combat system, which brilliantly blends melee attacks, shooting, and blocking defenses. There's an almost poetic beauty with the mastery of these, as you unconsciously perform incredible attacks by switching between and blending the three.

All Stars serves up some fun arcade-style play and great mix of Legends and modern-day Superstars. However, the game's slow loading sorely needs to be fixed; and its Create A Superstar mode could definitely use a little more beefing up.

Sylpheed gets one thing perfectly right: the intensity of the dogfight. The sheer volume of things on your viewscreen during each sortie is almost overwhelming, but it adds that white-knuckle feeling that's so important to a game like this.

You can't help but feel like Artoon underachieved with Blinx 2 (especially with the boring, offline-only multiplayer mode), but you'll forgive them long enough to play through the game once.

Few developers have been able to master the horror aspects of games as well as Surreal has done in the two Suffering games thus far, and with a bit more balancing, this could have been a great current generation sendoff for players looking to move on to the next-generation terror of "F.E.A.R." and "Condemned."

Despite the high challenge level, Bangai-O is most definitely a "pick-up-and-play" experience, but it's best not to try and clear large parts of the game in one sitting -- and you won't, unless you know you're awesome. But even if you're not, you'll come back to it often.

It's a game of trade-offs and cautious play -- a challenge meant for hardcore RPG fanatics but amusing enough that newcomers might find it worthwhile, too.

If you're looking for just having some dumb fun driving in a big sprawling city, smashing and shooting every last thing in your way, then Wheelman is a great pick. However, it never even attempts to reinvent the wheel from any other free-roaming action-adventure.

All Stars serves up some fun arcade-style play and great mix of Legends and modern-day Superstars. However, the game's slow loading sorely needs to be fixed; and its Create A Superstar mode could definitely use a little more beefing up.

Though Fireteam Bravo 3 may not take many steps forward, it sure as hell doesn't take any steps back. (Which, after the promising but horrifically flawed experiment of Tactical Strike, is something of a relief.) It delivers that familiar SOCOM experience, and you know what? As dated as that's getting, it's still plenty entertaining.

While every part of this package is well made and fun, there's not much new -- no online to spice things up, no new graphical upgrades, and a movie that's many years old. But we suppose that's the point -- this is a way to celebrate the series being around for 15 years, and at that, Anniversary Collection does a good job.

Once you get into the rhythm of it, the back-and-forth between combat and outfitting gives Front Mission an enjoyable pace. There is a caveat, though: Trying to pound through multiple missions in any one sitting puts a significant damper on your enjoyment.

If you're looking for some stealth gameplay in a sandbox environment, this is a great beginner's course into the world of Agent 47. If, however, you're expecting something as revolutionary as the multiplayer in Pandora Tomorrow, or the high polish of Snake Eater, this isn't for you.

The game avoids taking any necessary risks, focusing instead on presenting raucous concerts in the same carefully constructed way all of the Rock Band games have. But, honestly, both lapsed and longtime Green Day fans should enjoy this brief tour through the band's hits.

Though flawed, it adds a handful of creative new elements to the basic mix, preventing it from being a callow rehash. There are better games for DS, but this one demonstrates moxie, technical brilliance and no lack of ambition.

While it doesn't reach the status of a great Western, it's still a marked improvement over its mediocre predecessor.

The game mostly manages to walk that fine line between catering toward the casual and the hardcore, but in those moments when it leans more toward the hardcore crowd, you experience DS-shaking frustration.

Under the Knife 2 is an experience all gamers can enjoy, not just stylus savants -- and that's how Trauma Center should've been done from the start.

This slowly-increasing sense of challenge is what elevates Pac-Pix above so many of the clever tech demo that comprise the DS library.

Purely as an action-RPG, it's a competent game with a few significant flaws in the name of simplicity/accessibility, but as an experience, it shines with humor and wit all over, and makes me hopeful for an improved sequel.

DJ Hero attempts to mold turntablism into a mainstream medium. It succeeds, but stumbles along the way. I didn't experience the sensation of scratching and mixing, until I turned it up to Expert difficulty. Beginner is way too easy, and Hard is lackluster.

This is a bargain-priced re-release of an older title. Did you always want to play the original, but forgot where you put the disc? Grab this puppy off Steam or XBox Live and have yourself a grand ol' time. But if you are into realism, refinement, cohesive plot structure, and/or crates, go blow your hard-earned cash on some pansy, frou frou FPS and quit wasting my time.

A worthy entry in the series that manages to one-up its DS predecessor.

No More Heroes is practically two entirely different games mashed together. One is a funny, smart, stylish action game that never fails to entertain. The other is an open-world game that fails so completely in every regard that, despite all appearances, it's easier to question the developer's intent than it is to accept that it's what they were going for. Fortunately, you barely have to play that second game to enjoy the first one.

Well, yeah. I think it's pretty darn fun.

So long as you don't mind guiding a hapless bird to the exit a couple hundred times, Ivy the Kiwi? is a gorgeous tale with a whole lotta heart.

So, sure--Beijing may not be gold-quality throughout, but it's the best Olympics game we've had since, well...probably ever.

For players willing to fully invest, Spectrobes can prove to be as interesting and fulfilling as a Seaman/Pokémon hybrid. If the thought of excavating and incubating ancient creatures doesn't thrill you, though, you should probably consider collecting monsters that are a bit easier to catch.

The physics issue on its own isn't that big of a flaw, but when you combine it with the occasionally questionable bullet hit detection, it becomes more aggravating...So though it's far from perfect, it is a good overall game.

A solid, serious, deeply competent game. This competence may not prove an adequate substitute for the moment-to-moment buzz of the mindless FPS in its terminally adolescent pomp.

When the strength of the game lies solely on the shoulders of an inconsistent narrative in a limited yet gorgeous environment, I can't help but feel robbed of an experience that should be greater than the sum of its parts.

It's not heavy on strife, narrative, or story, but there are a considerable number of medals, feathers, and extra levels to collect even after you finish the game. So long as you don't mind guiding a hapless bird to the exit a couple hundred times, Ivy the Kiwi? is a gorgeous tale with a whole lotta heart.