Actually feeling like a rock star -- for most people under 40, the next best thing to a superhero or a T-Rex -- is transcendently entertaining. "Guitar Hero" is still the way to go for lone wolves, but if you have the space, the manpower, and the means, Rock Band unquestionably, unequivocally rocks.

As a sequel, Pikmin 2 is very nearly perfect; it refines the shortcomings of the first game while adding a ton of new elements, yet feels both balanced and polished. The attention to detail is phenomenal.

If Crackdown were nothing more than a GTA-ish game with the fat trimmed away and some insane physical abilities, hell, that'd be something to be thrilled about. That it represents the best, if not the first, online multiplayer sandbox game on a console is just gravy.

It's more than a repackaged oldie, and is about as accessible as it gets. Put this game on in a room full of people, and everyone is drawn to it, especially the people who don't think of themselves as "gamers." That makes it legitimately something for everyone.

No other version allows you to swat the rock off Shaq with Princess Peach the way the GC iteration does. Whether this is 1) cool, or 2) a joke to you is a matter of preference, but it's worth keeping in mind if you have younger, or more open-minded gamers in your den.

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.

Remarkably well-honed-arguably Paradox's finest achievement in the form to date.

It transcends the traditionally obscure rally genre and becomes a game that anyone can enjoy, even if their idea of a good driving sim is "GTA III." It's the difference between a good game, in other words, and a truly great one, and the folks at DICE have made a truly great game here.

Quite easily, the best baseball game on the system. Even with its minor flaws, it combines all the simlike statistical realism true ball hawks crave while throwing in additional modes of play to keep those with shorter attention spans enthralled.

Story aside, the campaign shines. The pacing's on par with Factions in terms of how quickly you gain levels (not that those matter much in Guild Wars anyway), and the game's 20 missions present lots of replay incentive thanks to a tiered reward system.

The more intricate the rat maze, the more necessary the reward -- part of Portal's sinister genius lies in the cheese-crumb trail it leaves. Puzzle solving is an end in itself, and the game's Skinner boxes (note that, like the computer intelligence pulling our strings, Valve remotely tracks player progress, indirectly seeing what stumps us) are supremely entertaining to crack in on-again-off-again sessions.

Brave Story is a comfortingly familiar type of RPG that still feels fresh, thanks to the strength of its characterization, the attention to detail, the swift pace of battles and quests, and the technological proficiency of its load times.

An awesome addition to a deservedly-lauded series. Now excuse me while I finish my powered-launch, 3000-foot air-powered supercoaster. The peeps are gonna love it!

The formula is as hectic and hilarious as it's ever been, and having it reside on a hard drive, ready for eight-player online action at any moment, makes it the perfect Live Arcade title.

The year of development shaped Rise of Kunark into an admirable expansion. Even though PVP content is largely ignored and midrange characters will level elsewhere, it's apparent that SOE's finally hatched an add-on that puts a shine on the entire game.

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.

But it also feels like a more polished game, and the base mechanics work extremely well by the time you reach the end of the single-player campaign. It doesn't quite have Riddick's pacing, due to the open city that asks you to find your own way through, but it presents a better feeling of accomplishment and familiarity by the end.

Relic Entertainment's latest effort does most of the usual RTS things right -- well-balanced, good-looking, deep multiplayer game, all that -- but what sets it apart is how good it looks and sounds while it's doing them.

It brings to your mouse and keyboard the most adrenalin and expletive producing firefights of any shooter made to date, and not just by a little bit. How good? Good enough that facing a mountain of hype-fueled expectations F.E.A.R. will blow you away and you'll be ready to play through it again on the next higher difficulty before it's even over.

The second way the songs are better is how they're played. The notes and chords are laid out in natural and engaging patterns that make sense musically and with the way your hands are moving.

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

It's the first game where I've actually felt a sense of attachment to my customized car, and it's one of the most entertaining racing games around.

It's certainly very enjoyable, it's incredibly slick, and packed with features, but it still loses out a little to Konami's game on that difficult-to-quantify quality; feel.

People who haven't played the current-gen version should get the 360 version if: They are breathing.

Each module of Factions was obviously overseen by the staunchest of perfectionists, because they work amazingly well. Factions is a must-buy for Guild Wars fans and a must-try for everyone else.

Very few games can truly claim to be for all players of all ages, and this is one of them. With a delirious mix of slapstick humor, comic storytelling, infectious music, and tons of replayability, Elite Beat Agents is one of the best music-oriented games to date and stands among the cream of the DS's impressive library. Don't miss it.

It's not the best-looking of the football titles out there, but it's the most fun to play and compete with.

In the end, this is by far the cream of the baseball handheld crop this season. The animations are smooth, the players look great, and the innovation -- particularly online -- is to be applauded.