I enjoyed Blood Rayne in spite of my own frustrations. In part because of its novelty, 2D games that look this good are too few and far between, and those in HD are even scarcer. However, the game goes beyond its novelty and offers a fun yet challenging set of levels.

Sometimes, stereotypes exist for very good reasons. Korean role-playing games have a reputation as low-rent incarnations of their more polished Japanese counterparts, and Magna Carta 2 does nothing to combat that perception -- instead, it embraces it wholeheartedly.

For serious Nights fans, Journey offers a bittersweet reunion that reminds us of what was so singularly special about Sega's airborne dreamweaver. Unfortunately, attempting to evolve the formula creates a host of new problems and issues that ultimately diminish the game's overall appeal. That said, this still represents one of the finest original third-party games available for Wii, and younger players will find a lot to love in this gameplay-rich adventure.

If you like a little more meat to your basketball games, this is surely a great game with plenty to keep you occupied both online and off, but when pit head-to-head against a full field of competitors, what Phenom offers is different, but not quite in a league of its own.

Despite the enemy repetition, you'll insist on plowing throw the stages repeatedly, trying to attain a high score in order to build up your inventory of unlocked items. Between the friendly price tag ($30) and no need for additional lightgun add-ons, it's an enticing value.

Inferno's a significantly less annoying experience in its PlayStation 3 iteration.

This is simply giddy, cartoonish mayhem with an extremely low bar for entry.

Although Sega deserves praise for Secret Rings' innovative single-player adventure, the less said about the four-player party mode, the better. It's another low-budget "Mario Party" rip-off that stretches out a few weak gameplay concepts into multiple multiplayer contests.

The biggest issue with the game, besides the slow pace, is that each level feels roughly the same, despite the shifting settings of each stage.

I'm taking Blue Dragon Plus for what it essentially is: a flat, RPG-like outing, which is mostly the fault of a design platform that needs revising.

The janky camera makes combat tough during crucial moments and makes things increasingly difficult when you're racing against the clock to lay down an aerosol tag. It makes you wonder if the game would have been better off in first-person view, but on the other hand, you would lose the immersion of being Trane.

By enlisting graffiti legends such as Futura and Shepard Fairey and hip-hop artists like P. Diddy and Talib Kweli, Getting Up presents itself as an immersive experience for those new to graffiti culture. This is where Getting Up shines: It is a game that can provide what no other game has before (no, we won't compare it to "Jet Set Radio").

Joint Strike is a great way to kill a short period of time...just like an arcade game should be.

Genre enthusiasts, beware: Golf: Tee it Up! hits the basics of the sport, but it lacks both the necessary finesse and panache to match up against the pros.

Dark Spire recreates both the best and worst qualities of a bygone era, making for a taste that's difficult to acquire.

Given the sheer amount of content and the variety of options -- and given that the gameplay is fun in small bursts -- you have to admit that Gravity Crash can make a pretty strong bang-for-the-buck argument.

Whether it's playing through a level that's obviously a rip-off of Gauntlet, the inclusion of a double jump, pits that cause instant death, or enemies who resemble some of the most memorable characters in gaming, The Simpsons Game takes 2D platforming, points out its clichés, and then uses them anyways.

The whole thing can be finished in just a couple of sittings. However, fans of the film, both young and old, would do well to give it a shot, as it's an entertaining platformer that complements the movie quite well.

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.

There is still a better product for consumers to pick up this year, and this is not it.

While it does have a few shortcomings (mostly in the pacing), Wargaming.net really has a lot to build on with Order of War, and I would be thrilled to see a follow up -- perhaps even one taking place in the Pacific Theatre.

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.

Unfortunately, the "shallow" moniker does apply in some respects, as the single-player Career mode is quite brief and represents the bulk of the game; plus, the absence of online play does nothing to help this. Given the slim pickings for racing fans on the Wii, though, it's easy to recommend NFS: Nitro, as it brings a solid (if however spartan) arcade racing experience to a system that clearly should have had one a long time ago.

This one's fun, no doubt about it, and the way the beats bang the environment is a must-see. But its lack of fighting depth definitely keeps it on the casual tip.

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.

It's all a bit dull, gameplay-wise, until you can trudge through at least one season of shutouts. The good news is that presentation-wise, Quidditch World Cup sparkles.

What "Made in Wario" makes drastically evident is just how slow-paced Mario Party 5 is.

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.

Blazing Angels is a lot of fun, but it's kept down by a lot of irritating levels. Hopefully for the sequel, we'll see an improvement in the mission types which aren't just dogfighting.

It has lots of small pluses, but not enough of it feels new or captivating. Far too short on thrills, Okayville just needs more pizzazz.

No, it's not going to go head-to-head with the onslaught of great FPSes we saw at the end of last year (though its slick, well-designed, robust multiplayer should give it some legs). But the unusual premise, solid writing, and nicely varied play make it worth a look for shooter fans looking for that next fix.

Conan isn't really a horrible game. There are moments when all the flaws fade away and you'll experience a great animation that slows down at just the right times and chops off just the right heads and you'll start to think that the game is actually pretty fun, but it's all extremely straightforward and lacking a lot of polish.

The core of the game is simply a fun, great looking button-mashing brawler, and there's a good time to be had with it if that's all you expect.

Phantasy Star Portable 2's appeal ends with the multiplayer, however. The exceedingly dull single-player, frustrating boss fights, and dated combat system prevent this latest Phantasy Star from being anything more than just that.

Provides a visually interesting world, with competent gameplay mechanics, but it ultimately fails to completely draw the player into the depths of its promised insanity to satisfaction.

What would've otherwise been a fun multiplayer shooter is marred by a series of technical issues.

Super Sluggers succeeds and fails as most Mario sports games do. Its quick, arcade-style action is easy to get into and plenty fun, coming at the expense of the nuances -- and balance -- you'll find in a sim.

With a long-running series like DDR, it's a risk to mix up the core gameplay that made the franchise a success. But with this year's tweaks and music refresh, DDR Hottest Party 2 is definitely stepping in the right direction.

Burnout Crash's ability to underwhelm is actually rather frustrating. The game would fit right at home on an iPhone or iPad, and it can be rather fun. But with all the amazing games available for consoles, it's hard to see why anyone would choose to invest their time in Burnout Crash.

By hiring a live events team of twenty or so digital actors and writers to plan events and step into the shoes of the familiar main characters they've been providing opportunities for player involvment in unique plot developments on a surprisingly regular basis, with interesting things happening every few days.

It's not that the game is terrible -- heck, it's not even bad -- it's just that it fails to do anything to claw its way out of mediocrity.

Conan isn't really a horrible game. There are moments when all the flaws fade away and you'll experience a great animation that slows down at just the right times and chops off just the right heads and you'll start to think that the game is actually pretty fun, but it's all extremely straightforward and lacking a lot of polish.

It might even be considered a pretty decent RTS of usual sort, but taken as a historically accurate simulation; it's utterly disappointing and comes nowhere close to challenging the Total War series.

Essentially, what the player is buying is a competent music video player with microphone attachments.

The game's main "problem" is that it badly needs four players. I say "problem" because that's only a problem if you don't have three friends to play with.

While ancient China seems forever destined to bust apart at the seams, and Koei seems forever destined to remind us of this, DW5 rejuvenates the series with a series of subtle changes that make it worth taking the plunge yet again.

The artificial intelligence is also AWOL. The alertness of each unit is figured individually, and not shared even amongst a group.

Another issue is simply that the enormous buildings make any map seem crowded and critically limit the number of placement options for base building.

Nothing else holds up to the visuals -- not the music, not the script, not the gameplay. Seriously, it's like you've managed to combine the worst bits of your own games along with the most annoying excesses of Japanese RPGs and came up with something so indescribably bland as to defy logic.

If city simming is something that appeals to your obsessive-compulsive tendencies, well, Cities won't disappoint. If, however, you're more interested in creating something that's very much your own and making it part of a world full of similarly unique creations, I'm sorry, but I don't think that'll be happening here.

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.

XSeed's Fishing Resort, developed by Prope (Let's Tap) tries to spice things up by letting you do some things that aren't just fishing, and they do add a cute Japanese touch to an otherwise bland genre, but it still has trouble standing out.

Seriously, though -- for Kingdom Hearts fans who missed out on COM the first time, this is definitely the best way to play it. While the new stuff is small (a few so-so minigames in Hundred Acre Wood, additional voice acting from the Sixth Sense kid, etc.), my memory of Chain of Memories hasn't changed: It's a pleasant little title that reminds me how much I want Kingdom Hearts 3.

MySims sits uncomfortably between its heritage and its aspirations. It's not as much fun as The Sims, and it's not as much fun as "Animal Crossing." As the only game of its kind on Wii, it's the best by default -- but that still doesn't mean it's particularly great.

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

A solid hack-n-slash game that will appeal to fans of the genre, though it'll wear thin quickly.

While there's gobs of visual polish, including a vast array of impressive generic player heads, 09's gameplay double dribbles in too many key spots, making this little more than a palatable No. 6 seed -- it's worth supporting if you're a rabid fan of the sport, but it's far from Final Four material.

You're better off picking up a third-party Wii lightgun casing if that's what you're after, but Crossbow Training provides a surprisingly satisfyingly -- and cheap -- slice of Zelda all by itself.

Joint Strike is a great way to kill a short period of time...just like an arcade game should be. It's brief (you can beat it in about 30 minutes), but that plays to its strengths, as it never feels repetitive during such a short time period.

Maxis hasn't changed the game drastically and shouldn't have to for an expansion pack that is adding a new (and cute!) perspective to an already solid game.

It's addictive, funny, and will make you feel more than a little sad when it's over.

Middle age is looming, Disgaea. Maybe it's time to consider the video game equivalent of moving out of your parents' basement and getting a job.

The atmosphere here is thunderously successful, and its strength makes this a recommended play all by itself.

In a way, Dark Legend is like Overlord with training wheels on. Which isn't by any means a bad thing.

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.

Shadows is halfway there. I experienced plenty of cool "Spider-Man" moments throughout thanks to the basic locomotion and combat and the occasional well-done cut-scene...but Shadows never really hits any sort of stride. Rather, it settles into a rhythm of repetition and drags out as its third act self-destructs.

I'm just not convinced that this grab bag of half-baked ideas and gratuitous filler makes for a great videogame. And I learned something about myself, as well: It takes a lot more than sassy books and hermaphrodites to keep my interest these days.

In spite of all these problems and all the times I threw my controller at the screen while yelling at the fellow Pevensie children for being such dolts, I kept coming back to play. It is engaging, and in parts quite enjoyable.

This one's fun, no doubt about it, and the way the beats bang the environment is a must-see. But its lack of fighting depth definitely keeps it on the casual tip.

Brink is unfinished. And that doesn't mean it's full of technical problems. Well, it's got those too. But mostly, it's just an unpolished, poorly executed mess of ideas.

A game that desperately needed another six months of beta-testing.

The load times ruin this game. Just going into the pregame menus will buy you several seconds of delay as the system freezes up. Restarting a course will only take a few seconds, but the initial track load will usually clock between one and three minutes. That's right, sports fans, we said three minutes.

How can you really appreciate the glossy perfection of a "10" if you never play the intermittently brilliant/frustrating games like Rise of the Kasai?

In the end, it's fun to play, and will keep you engaged. But the muddy visuals, lack of Wi-Fi, and undersold Gamebreakers will throw you for a loop.

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

It's difficult to dismiss the overlying cuteness and simple-but-solid gameplay, which continues to put the series on the top tier of portable RPGs.

Lost Planet's sophomore effort attempts to improve on past faults while shifting direction into an entirely new territory, but the overall feeling is muted. The game can be an enjoyable, fun adventure, but only if you're willing to share the experience with friends (or strangers).

I expect Symphonia veterans to be split on whether the decision to remove the field map (replaced here by a simple menu) was wise -- while it cuts down on the number of battles, it makes for an even more linear, less exploratory experience.

The game's run-and-bop antics unfold in the charming SpongeBob universe, but the portrayal of the characters falls flat and feels like a joke that never reaches the punch line.

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.

When the (catchy) electronic music is pounding and you're in tune with the game, it's an exciting, transcendent few seconds; it just never lasts, as you're brought back to earth by the sheer inanity of what you're involved in.

A "solid" game: It works great on a technical level, and presents enough challenge to engage veteran players, but also enough on-screen direction and help to make it accessible to the game's younger audience -- it's just too long.

The experiment is a success and testament to the fact that EA really has been spending more time crafting these games as the movies and books become more ambitious. If "Half-Blood Prince" produces the same leap in concept as we've seen here, Potter fans will really be in for something.

Lost Planet's sophomore effort attempts to improve on past faults while shifting direction into an entirely new territory, but the overall feeling is muted. The game can be an enjoyable, fun adventure, but only if you're willing to share the experience with friends (or strangers).

Deadly Premonition is by no means a great game, at least in the traditional sense, but I'll be damned if I didn't enjoy every minute of my nearly 42 hours playing it. The setting and story might have a little too much in common with the early 1990s television series Twin Peaks, but the homage is done with love and admiration.

It just doesn't have enough substance to stand out on it's own.

An irresistible little charmer. It's short enough that it doesn't overstay its welcome, clever enough to be engaging, full of enough action to be consistently fun. Fans of the film series will, of course, want to grab it, but action gamers looking for a dose of sarcasm, zombie guts, and light puzzles will find themselves amused as well.

No, the Punisher believes in planning ahead and has come prepared with an infinite supply of ammo—his clips might run out, but you never need to find more.

It's all a bit dull, gameplay-wise, until you can trudge through at least one season of shutouts. The good news is that presentation-wise, Quidditch World Cup sparkles.

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.

If you're looking to get in on some air combat without a huge wait, you may be disappointed. More hardcore flight fans, however, will eventually find an enjoyable experience somewhere beneath the fluff.

Viking: Battle for Asgard falls far short of its potential.

While it's nowhere near as addictive as the regular color-coded Pokémon games, Almia's still a decent diversion -- I just wish the story offered something a little deeper.

It's very much the baseline definition of a Japanese console RPG -- with all the bad and good that entails.

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.

The biggest problem is that we've seen everything Juiced has to offer before.

Much like Wii Play before it, Wii Party has about a night's worth of uneven entertainment in it before it's ready to take up a life of farming dust on your shelf.

Ambitious? You bet. Worthy of your money? Maybe, if you can accept that racing is just one part -- and an inconsistent one at that -- of a very big picture.