It has some good plot points and character development. But the story's shortcomings show the trials a young studio endures as it learns to craft a tale.

You probably won't put too much alone time into the game, but TV Party's an enjoyable pick-up-and-play option if you can get few friends or family members on board.

Episode II offers hints of excellence, but few of them have anything to do with the gameplay.

Edited down to a tight package this could probably make a pretty good machinima feature (or Sci-Fi original motion picture for that matter). But as a game, it fails.

A notch better on the PC than Xbox, thanks to significantly better visuals, but that's still not enough to push these valorous men past the paces of the best military games of this season.

City Folk just seems like a huge missed opportunity - either that, or a lazy cash-in on Nintendo's newfound casual audience. If it's the former, they ought to just call it Wii Mortgage Payments.

Legends of Aranna isn't radically different! Who'd a thought an expansion pack would actually just expand the original game and be done with it!?!

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."

The game's well-polished; it would have been hailed as revolutionary a few years ago, but now it's just another decent, 10-hour-long hop-n-bop to add to the pile.

Sadly, once the conceptual veneer peels away, you'll be left only with hollow rattle of an empty aerosol can.

Its core mechanics are sound, if inexpertly presented, and the further you advance into the story, the more the level designs open up.

Penumbra: Overture hits all the old notes like the Stones on their tenth farewell tour.

The upside is that Ultimate Match is based on the Dreamcast port of KOF '98, which gives you the option to replace the original backgrounds with new 3D backgrounds as well as customizing and saving individual color configurations for each character.

While Live 08 is definitely looking better in every respect (gameplay, graphics, and online), the series still needs more time in the gym.

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 difficult to ignore some of the more frustrating moments.

These are wonderful, terrible songs, all, and the SingStar team has selected a great cross-section of music.

But while King of Fighters 2002's old-school 2D graphics and 2003's 3D backgrounds may not win any visual awards, their fast-moving, hard-hitting gameplay more than makes up for it. Few games muster up the same sort of thrills that the KOF roster does.

One half of the time, Frontlines won't work. The copy I downloaded from Steam crashes to the desktop soon after I click start. The retail box, running on Vista and branded Games for Windows, craps out three-fourths of the time I try to join an online game. No joke.

The real lesson here is that if you can take out one of her twin sisters for this Anniversary date on another platform, then that's the route to go. Otherwise, while it remains a grand adventure, traveling by Wii makes it a bumpier ride.

In all, you're given a huge amount of control over every aspect of your realm, and it's gratifying.

As a creative tool Unbound is great, but as a game it feels a little sparse. Despite its seemingly casual nature, the technical side of Unbound shouldn't be underestimated -- it quickly frustrates players looking for a light challenge while rewarding the more dedicated who are willing to invest the time.

If you can stomach the somewhat random difficulty during the single-player campaign, you'll be treated to a mostly exhilarating trip through the different battles of Europe, including a virtual take on the Battle of the Bulge.

Spike, through their years of crafting this intricate milieu, has given the fans what they wanted: a fun, exciting portrayal mirroring the spirit and ferociousness of Dragon Ball Z.

OK, the individual missions may not all be epic, but the side story of this renegade squadron (whose tale weaves in and out of the events from the original movies) is one worth seeing through. (Hey, you can be done by lunchtime.)

Endless Frontier's boss battles are even worse, and they are numerous.

If you absolutely need to play Modern Warfare when you're on the go, well here it is, and it's pretty good. But really... how often will you want to?

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.

Epic Mickey despite its mechanical flaws and sometimes over-reliance on gaming tropes, makes me want to play through it again and see how the world would be different if I wasn't so nice.

A more appropriate name would've been "Star Wars: The Force Mildly Contained" -- rarely does the Force truly feel like the ultimate weapon, something that separates you (Darth Vader's not-so-secret apprentice) from the rabble of stormtroopers, Rodians, and Felucians.

Unlike "Rising Sun," Finest Hour goes beyond the epidermal layer and strives to provide a realistic yet still engaging and addictive experience on all fronts, not just for your eyes. And, luckily enough, it succeeds.

Although VOOT's endemic control woes aren't impossible to overcome, it keeps the game from being the truly pleasurable adrenaline blast it should be.

Even by simply adding a little waggle to the dancepad, DDR: Hottest Party could have been a great game. Unfortunately, thanks to the god-awful setlist and generally poor presentation, it makes us want to take our dancing shoes elsewhere.

A lovingly crafted tribute to some largely unsung shooters, and well worth the list price.

Though it doesn't need a particularly impressive presentation for the formula to work, Glory Days 2 surprises with silky-smooth, colorful visuals reminiscent of a shrunken, high-speed Metal Slug.

At this point, three expansions and three years after the original game, the factions in Dawn of War feel like the various menu items at Taco Bell: The order in which you pile on the beans, cheese, or lettuce doesn't make that big a difference.

Yes, other brawlers may perfectly replicate the real-life trajectory of a fist making its way to a face. But God Hand takes you back to those days when you were a little kid in Chuck E. Cheese's. And that's far more satisfying -- and impressive.

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

One thing that ModNation PSP does have going for it over its big brother is that its loading times are generally far shorter. But beyond that, it's inferior in every way.

While Scene It? is only just full enough of movie quizzing to hold up for several parties, it's a near-perfect translation from tabletop to 360 and, in fact, probably plays more closely to what its original creators intended.

If getting the mechanics right is enough for you, there is more than enough here to keep you busy for quite a while.

The game is filled with lots of good and well-executed ideas, but they all seem to exist independently of one another. It's a popcorn movie that clearly took a good deal of talent to pull together, but comes up short of creating the grand adventure that it seems to be trying for.

It's solid, but its subtle gameplay stutters make us hesitate to recommend it too strongly -- and all the more impatient for Winning Eleven's next iteration.

Kinect Sports works well enough as a launch title and has more than enough heft to ensure that it's not labeled as just a tech demo. Yes, there are some kinks that need to be addressed, particularly with the hardware, but if you're looking to pad out the library for your shiny new peripheral, Kinect Sports should be a definite consideration.

Storm of Zehir may have a lackluster story, and that's OK, because it doesn't need one. It gives you the means -- the freedom -- to make your own story. And isn't that why we like RPGs in the first place?

Great graphics, an updated card database and an excellent pseudo-adventure mode make this the franchise's best handheld effort to date.

At the base, the game is very likeable idea, controls brilliantly and does a lot of stuff right. But when the balance shifts from "I'm going to keep trying because I know I can get better" to "I'm going to keep trying to justify the $50 I just spent," then there's a problem.

If you've got the patience for a slow-burn party game and tolerance for hands-off interaction -- and you're cool with indirect mayhem and humiliation instead of constant head-to-head brawls -- I can see the game growing on you. Dokapon Kingdom may well hook a certain type of player, but I will say that it just didn't grab us.

Given that Beautiful Katamari's graphics don't look a whole lot different from those in the PS2 original, it's hard not to appreciate the irony of the game's title.

The Crown feature definitely motivates you to get involved in the entire game, and even the gameplay glitches are tolerable if you're playing on a level where you can drop enough shots to keep up (Starter is probably best). It's not perfect, but it's fun enough that it doesn't have to be.

Own the City still isn't the best racer on the PSP -- Burnout and Wipeout are both better -- but it's a major step in the right direction for a series that has been stuck in a major rut.

Not exactly what fans would call "Super Saiyan," but certainly good enough.

there are too many blown buckets because the shot stick seems a bit inconsistent, especially right around the hoop where players should be more willing to roll in a layup or go for a dunk.

Unless you really, really like the franchise, this collection will do nothing whatsoever for you -- it's six largely identical games of varying quality. For those who can't get enough of that robo-rock/paper/scissors action, the exceptional quality of these ports (and the promise of a "new" spin-off) should be more than enough to offset the repetition.

It's a great game for a younger DS audience who will be thrilled simply by seeing their creations run around the screen and get wrapped up in the narrative (and maybe even trade creations with their friends), but older gamers will find disappointment around every turn in the creative freedom that it hints at but never truly delivers on.

Considering the low price, multiple game modes, challenging single-player, level editor, and funky art style, Gravity Crash is nothing to give the high hat to.

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.

Flawed as it is, the sheer replay value of all the races and classes makes Battlecry III a good value at the bargain game price of $29.99.

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.

It's unpolished, unfocused, and proves nothing more than the now undeniable fact that the series needs a serious makeover and a lengthy vacation.

Too many corners were cut to ensure the timely shipping of this PS2 release, and Rockstar Vienna's lack of care shines through.

Twisted Metal fans who haven't already picked up Head-On for the PSP should do so now, and potential double-dippers should consider the improved controls, the five new levels (which are all pretty good), and fewer technical hurdles for multiplayer.

Adventure of Link might be more for completists than its predecessor was, but you can certainly find plenty here to keep you busy for some time.

Shallow fun after all, and it's fun nonetheless. On that mental list we all have about the Wii's capabilities, it's safe to cross off "racing."

The online play -- particularly co-op -- gives HAWX significant replayability. Everything from the picture-perfect planes to the stunning real world environments looks great, even after multiple passes.

For fans of the series, you'll feel like the developers ordered the series to "hold its position" because it hasn't gone that far from the previous SOCOM. And unfortunately for us, unlike your teammates in the game, it actually obeys every order.

First among F.E.A.R.'s transgressions is the nauseating framerate. This isn't me being metaphorical here; the framerate in this game is so bad that it literally made me feel nauseated after any appreciable playtime. We're talking about something in the realm of 20 fps; that's just inexcusable for an FPS.

Fans of classic games -- or anyone who has ever longed to save the world by answering trivia about the Golden Girls, really -- can't afford to miss it.

Impressive a feat as creating a 3D shooter with cinematic aspirations for the DS may be, it doesn't mean much when it's not fundamentally fun to play.

Finally, the multiplayer component isn't bad, though there are two things that are glaringly missing. First, there's no straight-up deathmatch mode. Players will be taking the side of either the cops or the criminals, and the sides aren't particularly well balanced. Second, there's the inexcusable absence of splitscreen play.

This game is so boldly beautiful, but the gameplay just doesn't live up to the Champions League standard. The card-game element is superb, but the rest of the package doesn't completely justify the $60 price tag.

If you can stomach the somewhat random difficulty during the single-player campaign, you'll be treated to a mostly exhilarating trip through the different battles of Europe, including a virtual take on the Battle of the Bulge.

It's shame that this port has been borked so badly; I don't think No More Heroes found the audience it needed on the Wii, and Heroes' paradise isn't going to do this franchise any favors.

The Bigs has the bells and whistles -- without "MLB SlugFest"-style BS like punch-throwing or loop-de-loop curves. Thank heavens. The cocky presentation is fantastic, it looks great (especially the crowds), it plays great, and it just might make you smarter than a session of "Brain Age."

There's absolutely no excuse for the GameCube version to offer only two-player action when it could so easily be expanded to include four and make full use of all those wonderful controller ports.

The depth and quality of the special quests, like the two-player treasure hunts, makes Monster Hunter Freedom 2 exceptionally replayable, but as previously mentioned, your experience boils down to having people to play with, lest the game's depth be squandered.

Serious Sam 3 is a game that deserves to be played, because it shows what shooters were and could have been. It shows that there's more to the genre than what AAA developers have shown us in the past decade.

Bully's biggest problem is that it's a shoddy port job, rife with technical missteps that wouldn't warrant comment if they weren't so profoundly damaging to the game.

Unless you fancy yourself a hardcore DC comics fan, you'll find little to hold your interest in DCUO in its current state after the first several hours of gameplay.

It's half the price of the stellar new-gen version of NBA 2K8 -- and pretty much half the game.

Omega Five isn't anything special -- a blessing in some respects, but ultimately its curse. It's a side-scrolling shooter, highly reminiscent of the 16-bit era (even the music is in line with the best shooters of the late '90s), and while it's a short game on the whole, its challenge is nearly insurmountable and definitely not for the mass market.

The game mechanics are still what you'd expect from this type of strategy game (meaning they work). It's only hampered by slow, slightly cumbersome controls, the occasional viewpoint problems of a 2D-game-in-a-3D-world environment, and some of the most sadistic Achievements seen in a downloadable Xbox Live Arcade game.

It's a solid if uninspiring little game with a definite nostalgic appeal for fans of old action-RPGs such as "Crystalis" or "SoulBlazer." Or "Ys", for that matter.

You ought to at least give Raising Hell a rental, as the expanded content adds plenty of value to an already good game. Besides, I can't think of a better way to indulge that evil streak in all of us.

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.

The graphics are pretty, the visual design is solid and the music is excellent. But the gameplay would have been unacceptable five years ago on PlayStation; portability doesn't make its shortcomings any more tolerable today.

This version of Samurai Shodown II doesn't bring much new to the mix, but that won't matter for fans of the original. The classic's here in all its glory and occasional goofiness -- if you're outfitted for the experience, slice away.

Me, I'll dish out a just 6.5 and demand that the next time a scant offering of maps and modes are going to be released, they'd better cost exactly $5 or exactly nothing.

It's unpolished, unfocused, and proves nothing more than the now undeniable fact that the series needs a serious makeover and a lengthy vacation.

It reinforces just how fresh Trash Panic is compared to the timeless (if a bit long in the tooth) nature of the world's favorite puzzle games.

The racing and deathmatch modes, multiplayer online or offline, are both very well done and lend themselves surprisingly well to racing controls that don't seem built with racing in mind.

You might have some fun if you've never played another Naruto fighting game -- but anyone who's spent time with the franchise will find this pales in comparison to its predecessors.

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.

Despite the unique abilities of each party member, and the odd sections where you need to take advantage of said abilities in order to advance the level, most of your time playing Demon Stone will be spent jamming on one attack button over and over again.

Legendia seems a sure hit among the series' dedicated fans -- provided they don't feel that familiarity breeds contempt. But for everyone else, this flawed adventure's good looks and occasional moments of cleverness probably won't go far enough to distinguish Namco's latest Tales from the last few.

It won't light the world on fire, but this next-gen playground of destruction offers you tons to do (well, tons to explode), it's always enjoyable, and I dove right back in after the credits rolled.

So it's not for multiplayer fans or story fans or innovation fans, but Dark Sector is certainly a good game. When it all comes together and you're ducking in and out of cover while shooting and throwing the Glaive at groups of enemies, it's a lot of fun, and the visual spark and A.I./pacing/combat polish make it worth playing.

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.