It's far more than just a really, really good-looking boxing game; it's a little glimpse into the future, and a remarkably good yardstick for ongoing reference.

Factor in all of the unlockable goodies and the innovative 3D effects, and you've got yet another genre-defining experience out of Kojima Productions that sits alongside games like Boktai as true boundary-pushing efforts.

Apart from a few quibbles (large maps still load at a glacial pace and the A.I. still builds cities right on top of yours), BTS takes a strong game with some serious flaws and turns it into a fantastic game with a couple of minor flaws. No small feat, that.

In all, you're given a huge amount of control over every aspect of your realm, and it's gratifying.

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

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.

It provides a shockingly large amount of game time (with Separate Ways, expect to be playing this game in the 25-30 hour realm the first time through).

Radiant Dawn is one of the best strategy games you'll find on any console, with a crazily addictive strategic core that more than makes up for the subpar visuals.

One of those rare games that manages to not only be creative and challenge many of the game industry norms, but do so within the confines of an extremely entertaining and polished game... One of the best games it's seen in quite some time.

Anyone who's ever laughed with glee at taking down a rival racer in a game of Burnout should be all over it.

Enormous, diverse, engrossing, daring, liberating, sophisticated and -- most of all -- ambitious. Yet at the same time it can be restrictive, banal, childish, unpolished and -- most of all -- frustrating.

Like "Warcraft III" before it, World of Warcraft is less about cataclysmic evolution and more about refinement.

Nearly everything about the new MVP, from basic gameplay to the advanced Dynasty mode, oozes quality.

On the whole, Corruption takes advantage of the Wii's biggest strength (with its unique controls), and minimizes its greatest weakness (through astounding art direction), while otherwise maintaining or improving upon the high standards and overall polish the series is known for.

Pandemic's packed the game full of well-coded smoke and explosion effects, and seeing a bomb sortie work its way across an enemy compound is almost a thing of majesty. Bring a tear to your eye, it will. It's this unwavering feeling of exhilaration that separates Mercenaries from the other "free-roaming" ripoffs.

It's a beautiful game, with an enormous amount of gameplay to keep you occupied. If you want something that really shows what the PSP is capable of, there are few better demos than this.

A terrific action-RPG that serves as an example of what a sequel ought to be. It's better than the original, absorbing and well balanced with enough challenge and variety to keep you busy for the 20-plus hours you'll need to get through it.

When a game is able to make grown adults throw their shoulders into turns or wave their controller in the air as if it's actually going to help avoid that oncoming tour bus (sorry, it won't), then you know somebody's doing something right.

Steampunk and fantasy mesh in a way that's thrilling and engaging, and perilously addictive. It's hard to find a comparison to any RTS you've experienced before; this masterpiece just may become a Legend in its own right.

Every item that was shiny on the Xbox looks dull on the PS2. Still, relative to other PS2 games, it looks great.

Lunar Knights is easily one of the finest games to date for Nintendo DS. Like the bard said, it plays just as sweet by any other name.

Essentially boring... All throughout my time with the game, my mind kept wandering, like it does in the company of someone who's nice enough but can't hold your interest.

Wario Ware is still Wario Ware, and whether you call it "Mega Microgames" or "Mega Party Games," you're still getting a GBA game at a GBA price. But it's one of the best GBA games available, and it works extremely well in a party atmosphere.

It's a great feeling seeing something you shoot explode into tons of little chunks (which looks similar to when buildings explode in "Return of the King" -- another EA blockbuster title), and some of the racing scenes define the word "epic."

It's fun, inventive, cute, often hilarious, and occasionally heart-pounding -- nearly everything you expect a Wario title to be. It's just not especially challenging nor lengthy.

It's about time a packaged, mostly complete, somewhat enhanced version of the original classic puzzler was made available and, despite the slight gripes, there's still countless hours of puzzle fun to be had in this economic, attractive package.

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.

"Dynasty Warriors" is an excellent series, but Devil Kings is just downright exciting to play, and there's something about being able to remember the names of the characters that's nice too.