What's most impressive is the way a lot of humor is injected into the actual gameplay.

El Matador's story, characters, and gameplay add nothing new to the shooter genre. There's nothing here that's stupendously bad, but nothing good that's memorable either.

It's a stunning bit of work...Though not a blanket revision, this is a solid upgrade that assuredly fortifies SimBin's position atop the race-sim podium.

At $20, this just may be the finest piece of "budgetware" ever produced, with every bit as much to offer strategywise as RTS games three times its cost. Like the greatest board games, its entry curve is small, its interface elementary, and its potential for strategic depth enormous.

It doesn't possess the solid competence of a game like Saints Row, but a different setting, new toys, and a gameplay experience that's actually a bit fresh have more than made up the difference.

If you're into the unintentional hilarity of films like Turkish Star Wars, Paraworld is the game you've been waiting for all your life. On the other hand, as with most B-movies, the majority of folks will probably go through a lot less buyer's remorse if they just rent this one to knock out a few chuckles.

Online play -- including both co-op and the deathmatches that made Doom such a phenomenon in the first place -- can hardly even be considered "play." The lag is unbearable, the framerate excruciating. Aiming is nearly impossible.

All of a sudden, instead of dealing with urban sprawl and water rights, you're tasked with using a bunch of poorly controlled, dim-bulb A.I. legionnaires to defend against invading hordes. Battles have nothing to do with tactics, being determined only by who has the bigger, better-equipped force.

The stellar soundtrack that accompanies this epic war of the gods is merely the ribbon on top of an all-around-wonderful role-playing package. Don't miss this one.

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.

A system this young doesn't need any more titles like this potentially damaging its rep. The only thing keeping the game from absolute worthlessness is the fact that a competent SRPG can still be found within.

If this were a $20 budget title, then it'd be worth a purchase. But at the Xbox 360 standard $60 at the register, there's no way you should bother with Import Tuner Challenge. Wait for "Need For Speed Carbon," instead.

Shikamaru's godly strengths aren't enough to throw off the game's equilibrium. Coupled with the lush visuals, the deep fighting engine, and the inspiring character designs, Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 is definitely worthy of landing in your game collection.

The game has positives, they're just away from the 5-on-5 parquet.

This just doesn't feel like basketball: there's no drama, you'll go full quarters without bothering to glance at the scoreboard, and even the swish of the basket on a long 3-pointer feels off. Live 07 tries to bridge the gap between itself and its rival by adding features, but it doesn't come close to this year's clear basketball champion: "NBA 2K7."

This is clearly the premier basketball game of the year. In fact, when you match up NBA 2K7 bucket for bucket with "Live 07," it's a slaughter. We're talking a 120-48 type of lopsidedness.

The problems on defense, the monotony of the wait for the pulsating circles, and the frustrating goals in the Life mode really drag the game down.

A series of random mini-missions pushing you further away from feeling like you're a Corleone.

The entire production is treated with reverence and class, and this goes to show that you definitely do not always need the latest and greatest hardware for great gaming experiences. What you need is a dedicated development team, a distinct sense of style independent of processing power, and polished execution and interpretations of proven ideas.

Are you one of those people who watches all of the extra features on your DVDs? If you answer "yes," if you're a fan of the film, if you love Grand Theft Auto, and you do not own the game on the current-gen platforms, there's a good chance you'll enjoy it. If you said "no," well...Don Vito Corleone finally gave you an offer you could refuse.

Between its genuinely clever elements and its preposterously over-the-top ridiculousness, Square Enix and TOSE have crafted a spin-off that captures the appeal of the source material in an amusing and unique way.

The Xbox incarnation appears more faithful to the animation, while GameCube and Playstation2 versions look slightly less crisp.

Solid action-adventure gaming for their respective systems.

Solid action-adventure gaming for their respective systems.

For Nintendo's Game Boy Advance, the action switches to classic side-scrolling 2D. Boog must make his way through several different levels using power-ups and the occasional assistance from superpowered Elliot.

The Xbox incarnation appears more faithful to the animation, while GameCube and Playstation2 versions look slightly less crisp.

The Xbox incarnation appears more faithful to the animation, while GameCube and Playstation2 versions look slightly less crisp.

You won't find a better handheld RPG so fitting for bite-size moments of play, and those cute 'n' marketable pocket monsters are only the icing on the cake.

You won't find a better handheld RPG so fitting for bite-size moments of play, and those cute 'n' marketable pocket monsters are only the icing on the cake.

Company of Heroes seizes the bloated WWII genre by its tail and wags until years of excess bunkum sloughs off -- what's left is lean, mean, and a triumph for company-level tactics. The more you dig in, the more it gives back, and the less you care that it's another bout of Allied vs. Axis action.

Infuriatingly, it's just the sort of thing that would have been exponentially more fun with other people involved.

Tons of content, beautiful graphics, outrageously enjoyable gameplay -- these make up for its couple of foibles.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The series seems to be back on the right track. Here's hoping that ZX speaks of good things for Mega Man's future...and that we won't have to suffer through a few more years of half-baked sequels before those good things arrive.

A triumph of botched execution, with almost every element it introduces to the game serving to undercut it.

It'll feel like you're learning videogames all over again, and the reward is scoring off a wicked slapshot after a series of quick, sharp passes. Ahh, the joy. Ultimately, the biggest praise that can be heaped on this game is this: It feels like hockey.

EA's NHL effort is masterful, ballsy, and innovative. NHL 2K7 is stale, boring, and predictable.

Unfortunately, all these mild enjoyments delineated above are ruined by the bugs that crawl throughout this game. One bug wipes out all the cargo on your ship every time you set sail. Another prevents merchants from buying or selling anything. A third cuts off a minor side quest.

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.

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.

But the grand experiment of translating stylus swipes into intuitive no-look passes and alley-oops fails more often than it works, and that's the big "if" upon which the whole thing hangs.

It arrives looking like the work of someone who understands neither why we play games (to be entertained, not jerked around) nor the culture he's trying to parody.

Is NASCAR 07 a game, or a simulation? Well, yet again it's neither, and EA Tiburon has failed for the second year running to strike the glorious balance that it achieved with "NASCAR 05." It's certainly not "bad," but it's hardly the definitive game of the genre.

Is NASCAR 07 a game, or a simulation? Well, yet again it's neither, and EA Tiburon has failed for the second year running to strike the glorious balance that it achieved with "NASCAR 05."

The true strength of Nowhere to Run is built into its pick-up-and-play nature. It gets straight to the action, wasting no time indulging in slow-motion cinematic cut-scenes during battle sequences.

Offline, its hundreds of challenges and miles of roads will keep you satisfied for quite a while. But it's that moment, weaving through traffic in a Maserati, closing in on a TVR, with a Ferrari hot on your heels, all of them driven by real people -- who you're talking with at the same time -- that takes this game past its rivals.

If anything, Judgment should be lauded for its flawless cover of X2 Reload and for taking the old beat-em-up formula to rock star-like levels.

Yakuza is a wonderful foundation for a new fan-favorite series. And as an entry into the ever-growing criminal underground genre, Yakuza is a wholly unique, high-quality package that, while possessing as many flaws as it does triumphs, is a crime drama worth mentioning in the same breath as "The Godfather" (the movie, not the game).

Just as the visuals are perfect for the PSP's display, the mechanics are perfect for the PSP's button configuration, and the game design is perfect for the PSP's portability (it's easy to pick up and play at any given moment).

The true strength of Nowhere to Run is built into its pick-up-and-play nature. It gets straight to the action, wasting no time indulging in slow-motion cinematic cut-scenes during battle sequences.

If you have a younger sibling or a rugrat of your own, sure, it may well be worth dropping 30 bucks on this thing to express your affection or shut them up or whatever you need to do. You probably just won't want it for yourself.

The decidedly traditional approach that permeates every part of the game makes the decision to develop this as a "new-gen" game all the more odd, to say the very least.

There is no joy to be found within the data contained on this disc. Only crushing disappointment, suffering, and weak shin muscles.

UGnG gets the superficial bits right, yet the fundamental elements that have always made the series so compelling despite its esteem-crushing difficulty are either missing, compromised or broken in this sequel. And without those crucial underpinnings of quality in place, the entire affair collapses in a morass of mediocrity.

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.

While the uninspiring adventure mode is excusable, the camera and the framerate problems are not; those two factors break the game.

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

If only half of the verve present in the swooping camera zooms and snazzy editing of the cut-scenes had managed to jump to the five hours or so of actual playtime, this might have been a pretty cool game.

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.

Where the developers really missed the boat was in multiplayer. The standard combat arenas are all well and good, but that's pretty much all there is.

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.

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.

This is quite probably the only hardcore PC football game you're going to see this year, and it's a very good one.

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

If you have a younger sibling or a rugrat of your own, sure, it may well be worth dropping 30 bucks on this thing to express your affection or shut them up or whatever you need to do. You probably just won't want it for yourself.

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.

If you have a younger sibling or a rugrat of your own, sure, it may well be worth dropping 30 bucks on this thing to express your affection or shut them up or whatever you need to do. You probably just won't want it for yourself.

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.

As neat as the touch-screen controls are, they don't take attention away from the rest of Freedom Wings' faults. The whole thing feels like a 1990's shareware PC game; it loves to dole out its action in small chunks.

There are some really cool ideas here that belong in a better game: the tech tree, the random encounters, command ratings, and the shipbuilding, for instance.

What's worse is that even if game design and locations fail to excite, then a good combat system could salvage the whole package. But again, Dirge fails to capitalize.

It's more than just "Dynasty Warriors for the Xbox 360" and becomes more entertaining the further you make your way into it, but some irritating design decisions, combined with horrible voice acting and the generally repetitious nature of the action, results in a game with limited appeal for a mass audience.

It's like a faster, more fluid "King's Field," all the way down to the ugly, 3DO-quality graphics -- not everyone's cup of mead, to be certain, but still a satisfying first-person hack-n-slash for those who prefer to take their treasure-hunting on the go.

If you've been craving the flavor of hot ion bolts and heat seekers, but can't bear to reinstall Freelancer yet again, DarkStar One should hit the proverbial spot.

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.

Broken World does offer everything an expansion should, after all: new game elements, new characters, tons of content, and fan-suggested tweaks. But, somehow, it still isn't all that much fun. The only conclusion to draw from this evidence is that the base game isn't very compelling in and of itself.

And that's the main reason to buy it: to simulate the exhilarating competitive spirit found in the arcades and to play against different people from all parts of the world -- all without ever leaving the comfort of your own home.

Like the original game, the best way to play FlatOut 2 is with a group of drunken buddies. No one's ever going to mistake it for anything more than it is: an adequate execution of a silly idea.

Like the original game, the best way to play FlatOut 2 is with a group of drunken buddies. No one's ever going to mistake it for anything more than it is: an adequate execution of a silly idea.

The monkeys stick to the comfortable security inside their balls and the platforming stays recognizably formulaic.

If your fetish for black gold is such that none of these problems dissuade you from getting one of the few games ever made on the oil business, you'll find a decent selection of scenarios, a free play mode, and even multiplayer. The rest of us should simply avoid the title and use the savings for gas money.

The D-pad issues are too problematic for this to be a perfect fighting game, but, as a game you can take anywhere, it's very close.

The game's short levels are made longer by the lack of a save feature. There's only one checkpoint per level and no health pickups anywhere; this kind of artificial difficulty gives nothing to the player but more frustration.

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.

Too hard for novices, too repetitive for veterans, and too silly for warmongers, CivCity Rome falls into the netherworld of games that you wished you could've liked more.

There's some frame-skipping when things get really frantic, which is often, but it doesn't murder the experience.

WarPath's only saving grace is that, despite being one of the most forgettable FPSes we've ever seen, it's not actually bad when played with some real human beings. Unfortunately, there don't really seem to be very many human beings playing the game on Xbox Live.

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

EA put a great deal of effort in capturing the emotional aspect of college football, but it mostly goes to waste because the Momentum Meter fails to accurately translate that energy and how it can impact what happens on the field.

Mixed with all of the elements that made the PS2 games successes, NCAA Football 2007 for the PSP is a fun hybrid to waste time with while on-the-go, despite some control issues and a serious error in the running game.

If only the Native American mysticism had figured in more. If only the spirit "death walk" had developed into something more than a shooting gallery. If only the voice acting and storytelling were a little better. If only there were more than just deathmatch to the multiplayer. All those half steps...but even combined, they don't amount to a stride backward.

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.

If only the Native American mysticism had figured in more. If only the spirit "death walk" had developed into something more than a shooting gallery. If only the voice acting and storytelling were a little better. If only there were more than just deathmatch to the multiplayer. All those half steps...but even combined, they don't amount to a stride backward.

There isn't much depth to it all... But the formula itself is fun and the art and sound teams did an amazing job creating an immersive experience.

This superport does an admirable job of taking a complex PC game from an intimidatingly complex PC genre and making it an accessible console title. If any part of your heart enjoys playing on Live, you'll be too busy crushing the hobbits to even notice that you can't quite select the unit you were aiming for.