Drill Dozer is every bit as good as any current-gen portable title you care to name and succinctly encapsulates why the 2D platformer was so popular to begin with.

A surprising combination of both weirdness and wonder, this should help pass the time between now and "Twilight Princess."

While MHX isn't a definitive reinvention of a classic along the lines of "Metroid: Zero Mission," it's a solid re-creation that's been given an exceptional audiovisual upgrade.

It's being sold now for $20. In a week, when they are selling it for $4.99, it will still be overpriced.

Director's cuts rarely come as fleshed-out, exciting or generous as this one.

It's being sold now for $20. In a week, when they are selling it for $4.99, it will still be overpriced.

It may not be the flashiest or most technically astute, but it's entertaining, well-suited for portable gaming -- something the competition still hasn't been able to figure out.

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 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.

Pandering to every college student and aspiring rap artist's deep-seated Scarface fantasies, 25 to Life is a 3D action-shooter that not only fails to innovate on any level, but rolls back design and technological advancements to the early PSone era.

The entire multiplayer aspect of Academy is so poorly implemented that it begs the question as to why they even bothered.

The costumes are a nice step in the right direction of adding new gameplay, but what a hypothetical fourth game really needs is an entirely new set of gadgets to play with.

Pandering to every college student and aspiring rap artist's deep-seated "Scarface" fantasies, 25 to Life is a 3D action-shooter that not only fails to innovate on any level, but rolls back design and technological advancements to the early PSone era.

WA4 is uneven, wavering uncertainly between "totally offbeat" and "utterly trite."

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.

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.

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.

It's still "just" a fighting game, albeit an incredibly polished and finessed fighting game, but it won't open your eyes to things you've never seen before. It will bring the fighting game community together, however, thanks to its online functionality, and that's a good thing.

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.

What we have here is about as close to a perfect-port of such a massive title that we're going to get.

Sorrows nails the controls, making the repetitive hack-n-slash action enjoyable in a Dynasty Warriors kinda way, and multiplayer is mostly successful. Unfortunately, the graphics fail to impress, the story isn't anything memorable, banging buttons is as effective as making use of the combos, and what should have been an epic quest can be completed by a novice gamer in around eight hours, with not much reason for replay.

Best of all, FF4A is more than a simple port. Like "Dawn of Souls," it offers a massive amount of bonus content.

Sorrows nails the controls, making the repetitive hack-n-slash action enjoyable in a Dynasty Warriors kinda way, and multiplayer is mostly successful. Unfortunately, the graphics fail to impress, the story isn't anything memorable, banging buttons is as effective as making use of the combos, and what should have been an epic quest can be completed by a novice gamer in around eight hours, with not much reason for replay.

Except for true masochists who believe that hair-pulling frustration equals enjoyable realism, Hammer & Sickle offers nothing worth paying for -- except maybe time to catch up on your reading while waiting for your turn to load.

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.

It's strangely engrossing, almost therapeutic in its mundanity.

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.

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.

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 pure action game, it's not really an RPG...and it's not even an action-RPG. It's a successful blend of all these elements, proof that Nintendo does have some good ideas for the DS.

For twenty bucks (and the cost of a link cable, if you don't have yours anymore), it's hard to find a more addictive puzzler [than "Puzzle League."] It's light on the superficial extras, but the basic can't-stop gameplay is completely intact, which is what really counts.

It's a great example of a movie tie-in that is easy to play, it's a successful combination of a first-person adventure and a third-person beat-'em-up, and at times it even feels like a dungeon crawler. But at its core, it's an extremely good (and extremely simple) survival horror game.

It's a great example of a movie tie-in that is easy to play, it's a successful combination of a first-person adventure and a third-person beat-'em-up, and at times it even feels like a dungeon crawler. But at its core, it's an extremely good (and extremely simple) survival horror game.

It's a great example of a movie tie-in that is easy to play, it's a successful combination of a first-person adventure and a third-person beat-'em-up, and at times it even feels like a dungeon crawler. But at its core, it's an extremely good (and extremely simple) survival horror game.

When played on a PC, where you can tweak both the settings and the hardware to get solid performance, Quake 4 works because of it. Without those options on the 360 you're stuck, unable to really get into it because just about the time you do, the framerate breaks. And with that, the moment is gone.

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.

It's the best Ridge Racer yet... If all you're looking for is a fast, fun, and highly replayable racer, you're getting a solid, full-featured package in Ridge Racer 6. But if you're looking for slightly more meat on the bone, "Project Gotham Racing 3" is a bit more filling.

A lackluster story, unlikable characters, frustrating level designs, lack of more mid-mission checkpoints, all stick out like sore thumbs in an otherwise superfluous package. And we, like lovers scorned, are only bitter because we care.

The comfortable 360 controller is actually better for this game than the trusty old mouse and keyboard. Movement with the analog sticks is natural, intuitively transitioning from walk to run without having to hold down a special key.

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

Ultimately, what really makes Condemned worthy of your sleepless nights is its relentless pursuit of total ambience, a design quality that's intrinsically tied to the power of the Xbox 360. Survival horror has simply never looked this good.

Excels at being both a brilliant showpiece of the power of Microsoft's new console as well as a thoroughly enjoyable racer.

An incredibly unimpressive port of the best hockey game of the year.

There's nothing at all safe about this game, and as a result the finished product is raw, unpolished and lacking depth -- but it's also one of the most "next-gen" and exciting games you can play right now on 360.

If you're a true fan of golf looking to get more out of your money (a lot more) and didn't already pick this up on the Xbox, PS2 or PC, I suggest that you back up, go out and find a copy of this for a current system and come back next year when EA will have its act together.

The passing system seems to have regressed a bit and takes us back in time to the days where tapping the pass button in FIFA was like showing your complete faith in the forces of chance.

2K6's biggest setback -- it doesn't have the instant visual appeal, next-gen look, or out-and-out raw emotion that gamers want to see in a next-gen sports game.

Underneath the show there's still a snowboarding game that's fun to hang out with, but only in doses.

It's fast, good looking, boasts a great car list, and gives you plenty of game for the money. You get about 15 hours of gameplay from the main career mode, plus there are 68 additional challenges that will take you a fair few hours to get through, as well as online play.

There are tweaks and features to look forward to in future versions, but one simple fact tells you all you need to know about this one: once you play Madden on 360, you won't be interested in playing it on anything else.

Now what are you waiting for, a medal? You'll only get that if you survive, marauder -- if you can survive the tedium of never-ending waves of bugs and repetitive missions.

Thanks to this control scheme, Infected is designed tightly enough to be compared to classic shooters like "Robotron" and "Smash TV," but unfortunately the game takes this idea a bit too far with some of its missions.

The reason I know Dragon Quest VIII is 90 hours long is because that was my time when I finished it. It's that good.

If you like a strict challenge and don't mind fighting the camera, by all means have at Aeon Flux. Just remember that your good friends here at 1UP warned you.

The nod back to the cop chase mechanics of the Hot Pursuit games is certainly welcome, plus it's interesting to see that the vaunted "open" gameplay of the last two games has been dialed down by a more forcibly linear structure to keep things interesting.

The nod back to the cop chase mechanics of the Hot Pursuit games is certainly welcome, plus it's interesting to see that the vaunted "open" gameplay of the last two games has been dialed down by a more forcibly linear structure to keep things interesting.

If framerate problems doesn't annoy you, then the stupidity of the A.I. may force you to say, "that sh*t is wow, bananas." Enemies are stricken by stupidity, as they'll simply stand there and allow you shoot the living daylights out of them.

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

An annoyingly expansive world, and reams of stilted dialogue, have all been squeezed onto a handheld system -- with nary a load time to be found! -- and that is a feat nothing short of miraculous.

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.

If framerate problems doesn't annoy you, then the stupidity of the A.I. may force you to say, "that sh*t is wow, bananas." Enemies are stricken by stupidity, as they'll simply stand there and allow you shoot the living daylights out of them.

As a current-gen game it's stunning. The Xbox version is notably impressive, and even moreso when you see it side-by-side with its sibling on 360.

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.

Everything about MKDS comes together into a surprisingly compelling package, a portable racing game on par with anything ever to appear on a console.

I've always been a hater of this series (far too arcadey for my tastes) but this time around, I'm completely sold. There are a few issues standing between it and true wrestling perfection (a better targeting system would be nice), but they're hardly anything to tarnish the experience.

There's plenty of good, plenty of bad and plenty of weird on Taito Legends. The games are reproduced well, too, if not precisely up to arcade perfection.

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.

Fire Team Bravo is amazing simply because it's broken through first. The team at Zipper have done an admirable job of shrinking their larger-than-life, third-person shooter package onto a PSP without losing much in the translation.

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.

If anything, Sing and Dance is a good idea on paper, but absolutely flawed in its execution. Arrows are laid side-by-side, making the more difficult patterns a pain to read correctly, and having to focus on scrolling arrows while watching your singing pattern (to make sure the game is recognizing it correctly) is incredibly counter-intuitive.

In terms of sheer creepiness only "Silent Hill" can give it a run for its money, and Fatal Frame inspires dread in such a different way that it's really worth experiencing.

If anything, Sing and Dance is a good idea on paper, but absolutely flawed in its execution. Arrows are laid side-by-side, making the more difficult patterns a pain to read correctly, and having to focus on scrolling arrows while watching your singing pattern (to make sure the game is recognizing it correctly) is incredibly counter-intuitive.

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.

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.

Rare is still very much Rare: inspiration is taken from multiple sources, a solid-but-unspectacular game is built on that inspiration, every imaginable color and graphical effect is dumped on top of it, and everyone is given an awful pun for a name.

Truth be told, 1UP recently held a group "review" session that lasted late into the night. After a few beers, some leaps off the couch, about 8 renditions of Boston, countless moments of faux-rockstar posturing, and actually stomping so hard that we broke the disc during the thundering finale of "Take Me Out," everyone seemed to agree on a score for Guitar Hero... But our scale only goes up to 10.

The problem with Mario Party is this: the downtime is completely ridiculous. In a game where the sole purpose is to entertain you in a party-like environment, sitting out for periods of up to 10 minutes at a time, waiting for everyone to roll the dice, run around, shop for items, use said items, compete in stale, single-player mini-games, pointless microphone games and other random events drives one to tears of boredom.

For players that can muddle through the often copious and tedious battles and sometimes lackluster environments, this is a worthy Castlevania adventure -- and thanks to the devil forging and item creating, a rather unique one at that.

The notion of hopping into an X-Wing, shooting down a flight of TIE fighters and then boarding an enemy Star Destroyer to disable its shields is one that has been deeply rooted in many a Gen X'ers mind. This is now possible, and while space combat is not as refined or complex as say X-Wing Alliance, it opens up the game beyond ground-based combat.

Ultimately, you'll be much more satisfied playing "2K6" instead or even EA's "NCAA March Madness 2006" for basketball purism.

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.

Not only is the camera annoying, but baiting the enemies into your trap becomes a mundane routine that's based on a few simple tactics -- most of the enemies are too stupid to realize they're being set up for a trap.

The notion of hopping into an X-Wing, shooting down a flight of TIE fighters and then boarding an enemy Star Destroyer to disable its shields is one that has been deeply rooted in many a Gen X'ers mind. This is now possible, and while space combat is not as refined or complex as say X-Wing Alliance, it opens up the game beyond ground-based combat.

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.

It sounds cool on paper, but there's really no telling as to which weapon choices will result in which evolutions, so the entire feature becomes essentially useless to anyone but the truly hardcore who will play through several times.

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.

Those expecting a wildly different gameplay experience will be disappointed. Those who expect to play City of Heroes with a darker setting, evil looking characters and a meaner narrative will love it. It's good to be bad.

The thing that makes RE4 so much fun is that the developers took a cue from modern zombie films, eschewing the clichéd shuffling zombie in favor of savvier, more intelligent opponents.

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.

Playing a new Soul Calibur is like embarking on a two year (or however long it takes Namco to release the next game) journey into personal mastery, constantly pushing yourself and your friends to become better players. That's the mark of a transcendent fighting game, and Soul Calibur III has the makings of a classic.

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.

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.

There's plenty of good, plenty of bad and plenty of weird on Taito Legends. The games are reproduced well, too, if not precisely up to arcade perfection.

From the mellow sounds of Leonard Nimoy's narration to the polished world view that allows you to smoothly scroll from satellite view to up-close and personal, this is the consummate update of a classic.

Gunstar Super Heroes is a superpowered orgy of 2D effects like you haven't seen since the golden age of video games, primarily on the Sega Genesis.

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.

There's plenty of good, plenty of bad and plenty of weird on Taito Legends. The games are reproduced well, too, if not precisely up to arcade perfection.

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.