The A.I. will almost never actually honor deals and will backstab potential allies willy-nilly. This means that A.I. nations can never actually cooperate effectively. The A.I. also has no real tactical or strategic sense.

No single aspect will blow you away, but there's enough variety, the puzzles are fun, the controls work well, and you keep moving quickly, so it's a fun ride that's unlikely to bore you unless you try to play through it a second time.

The majority of the environments are quite sparse, with few buildings yet plenty of fog to help hide the fact that the draw distance here isn't that spectacular. The lack of vision also doesn't help when you're traversing the grassy plains and trying to get a read on your enemy's position.

Solo players won't find themselves with much depth, while multiplayer fans without a heap of DS-wielding friends will scoff at the poor level design and inability to have much fun without at least three players.

Sadly, aside from the malaise-inducing offline modes, most of Vigilante 8: Arcade's issues are technical in nature. Framerate drops, floaty steering and physics, a shaky camera, and environmental clipping are all things you'd expect to be addressed by release (some are likely leftover from the earlier releases), and with just five total arenas available until the premium DLC comes out, it's hard to believe that gamers will stick around long enough to make Vigilante 8: Arcade an essential Live Arcade purchase.

The game's main hook is that it's entirely played with the stylus. If only said stylus mechanic was actually responsive.

TiQal falls squarely on the casual side of the puzzle spectrum, but it's an interesting change of pace for hardened veterans looking for a more relaxing puzzle experience, and a solid primer for block-dropping novices.

Play is made for people who don't really like games, and if you're someone who really does, that's a problem. Sure, most of these minigames are fun...for about 10 minutes. But hey, maybe your grandma will want to marry it.

Romancing SaGa will please those gamers who want a very long game. There are many locations to discover and explore, and each is delightfully designed, although the tedium of fighting the same kinds of monsters may get in the way of leveling up.

Solid action-adventure gaming for their respective systems.

Arkanoid Live is good for some occasional casual fun -- as it's always been and always will be -- but with an iffy aesthetic and not much more variety outside of a standard two-player versus mode, it's probably not something you'll want to boot up often.

KOF12 fails to seize the windfall in online matchmaking. It uses an archaic, even backwards, system that serves only to frustrate the player.

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.

About the only thing going for Kuon is the fact that it doesn't have "Resident Evil's" character-relative controls (but then, neither will "RE4"). That, and the story is actually pretty interesting... well, at least I think it is, anyway.

In short, this is a completely standard beat 'em up with nothing innovative, nothing that stands out, and a number of features that have been less than ideally copied from other games. Beyond that, it's a decent title.

As a quick time-waster on PSN, Landit Bandit mostly fails -- it's just too complex and difficult a game mechanic to offer a fun five-minute romp here and there.

Need For Speed: ProStreet is definitely not without wrinkles. That said, good drivers will be able to find ways around the quirks, both on the track and off. It all depends on whether you're looking for a quickie thrill or a more involving challenge.

When you start seeing the same character model serve as two different people during an in-game cut-scene, you'll truly know all is lost. There's nothing remotely unique or engaging about Driver '76 (or its lifeless multiplayer) to balance the endless parade of frustrations. Steer clear.

Not a bad game by any stretch, but simply feels half-baked-somewhat of a throwback to "NBA Shootout 2000" on my PlayStation, when I was expecting something a bit more contemporary.

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!).

I can certainly think of worse ways to spend your time, but that list would pale in comparison to the staggeringly long catalogue of better ways.

Total Destruction also offers a multiplayer mode, with the GameCube version allowing four players at once, while the PS2 version offers only two players. This clearly makes the GameCube version one of the best choices in frustrating entertainment.

It's just a damn shame that the nigh-amazing "The Rocketeer versus UFOs" premise crashes hard into "tepid Gears of Uncharted knock-off" ground.

A good -- if not great -- game. Learn to deal with the artificial intelligence on particular tracks, and the experience in an enjoyable one. Just as long as you're not looking for a very deep -- or even all that logical -- career mode.

Sure, it's cool that you'll find references to some of the more popular third-person action titles, such as Prince of Persia's balance-beam act and hand-over-hand wall crawling, but nothing in here screams innovation.

It's a bad game, but it's a bad game with aspirations, and every so often it manages to entertain in spite of its gaping, hideous flaws.

The fact that this game is fun for exactly 20 minutes, and only in a group of two or more, should keep you from buying this game. In the end, Boogie is light on dancing, light on karaoke -- a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none moment of fluff.

A very standard beat 'em up/third-person shooter that has many of the elements you'd expect (minor upgrades between levels, slow-motion special power) and none that you wouldn't.