The total package is solid, and while it's not the holy grail fans have hoped for since the N64's "No Mercy," it's light-years beyond what THQ used to try and sell under the SmackDown! name.

If it was a book you'd call it "a real page-turner"; it can be nigh-impossible at points to put down. When all is said and done, as the credits roll across the screen, you'll remember the poignant moments as part of the story, not the actions you took that caused them to be played out.

I'm shocked that 10 episodes in, Telltale's still finding gimmicks to keep this stuff fresh.

The possibilities are endless, and you'll experience something new in every match you play. Try to leave your preconceived notions about what this game should be at the door, pick it up, and just have fun because that's what this game is all about.

This is the game that can actually bring both hardcore and casual rockers together for a good time. The multiplayer is easier to jump into than Rock Band, but the game's more intense difficulty settings still provide a challenge for the plastic-instrument elitist.

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

So is Super Stardust HD better than "Geometry Wars"? That is something that will likely come down to personal preference. I happen to much prefer Super Stardust for its diversity of gameplay -- multiple weapons, multiple stages, multiple ways to build up score -- and its better graphical and aural presentation.

While it's far from the platforming/role-playing godsend that some Nintendo fans expected, Super Paper Mario still qualifies as a must-play for any Wii owner. It's creative, fun, and perhaps most importantly, funny.

And with a game this entertaining, that transcends demographics so stylishly, that offers such addictive just-one-more challenge -- well, the only real puzzle here is why anyone wouldn't want to give it a go.

I can see anyone coming back to this again and again over the next few years, and that's more than enough to justify the peanuts they're asking for Audiosurf.

I'm honestly pretty underwhelmed...Mario 64 DS is a poorly-conceived port of an otherwise good game.

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.

FPS fans should appreciate the rich Metroid universe, and Metroid fans should recognize the technical achievements NST pulled off. Then everybody can be happy.

This time, the changes are a scattering of smaller ones. Track layout tweaks, customization quirks, 3D effects, first-person karting, and a power-up that adds to the general level of kart chaos by letting one player unleash seven items. MK7 isn't a kart game with a defining voice -- it's just a solid little kart game with a bunch of little tweaks.

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.

While it's certainly not a perfect game, NCAA Football 11 is a great template for EA's future football offerings to build upon.

If you're a fan of strategy games, you'll love Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. And if you want a game that will bring your GameCube out of retirement, this is the one.

Boom Blox may not be the best Wii game, depending on your proclivities, but it's definitely the best use of the Wii yet. It's immensely accessible, wonderfully tactile, and stands as one of the best treatments of gaming in a 3D space.

You'll find a much smarter brand of football in 08: Quarterbacks now scramble when no one is open, wideouts continue to make blocks 30 yards downfield, and defensive backs rarely fall for the deep ball. Some might even say that pass defense is a tad too stingy this season.

Even if I find the multiplayer too staid, I find the possibility of cool user-made levels (via the easy map editor) tantalizing. Like any good Grand Theft Auto, Far Cry 2's overall package makes up for any individual flaws -- enough for it to be on a short list of best FPS games this year -- and so it's fitting to summarize it as...well, GTA: Mogadishu.

Altogether, the game spins an interesting tale, and though it might borrow some ideas a little heavily from certain other games, it implements them well.

The differences between Diamond and Pearl and their predecessors are small, but they add up. Refinement is paramount here -- refined balance of battle skills, refined relationships between monster types -- as is expansion.

It succeeds based on the merits of its infinitely replayable, highly finessed fighting engine. While "noobs" might be content to knit the same canned combos over and over, veterans will relish the ability to improvise, discover, and master new moves, combos, and strategies, day after day after day.

The perfect antidote for people who think they've seen it all when it comes to the stealth genre.

Minor camera issues aside, Return of the King is a refreshing example of competent licensing melded with the hack'n'slashery we all know and love.

The stealth-based gameplay that MGS introduced has rarely been equaled, and it's as perfect here as it ever was. If I seem disappointed, it's only because there are signs everywhere that this could have been a remake of epic proportions, but the extraordinarily talented creators settled on a port.

The graphics and control system are almost worth the price of admission all by themselves -- it's rare to find a sports game have this much pick-up-and-play addiction in this age of sim-oriented titles.

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.