And even though the game's overall single-player campaign wasn't as memorable or as consistent of an experience as I was expecting it to be, the game's robust multiplayer modes more than make up for those disappointments. It's definitely one of the better multiplayer games available on PlayStation 3 and easily one of the best-looking games available to console gamers today.

Given the white-knuckle speed and immediacy of Ys Seven's action, it's strange to think the game requires so much patience.

Historia may not have the panache or cachet of this season's other RPG releases, but behind its humble surface is an engaging role-playing game that deserves a chance.

As a portable gaming enthusiast, I love being able to play a game of this quality on the go. I just wish as much attention had been paid to the nuts-and-bolts of the game as was lavished on appearances.

These two games are badass. Those of you who remember them fondly from your Osh Kosh days will be swept up in a wave of nostalgia right at the title screen, and everybody else will be hooked from level one.

The single-player can certainly be a drag with its difficulty and somewhat mundane (and cheap) competition. But in multiplayer, you're constantly being rewarded in one way or another, whether it be through making progress towards a challenge, gaining fans, successfully risking a wreck to win a race, or winning a race by a hair.

The game is a grand adventure through a fantastical version of feudal Japan, and exploring the mythos and art of this other world should be more than enough reason to give it a try.

My Life as a King's depth is surprising for a downloadable title, and it suggests that this could have been slapped on a DVD and sold at retail price. But such as it is, downloadable is the way to go, and based on the evidence here, the Crystal Chronicles series has a bright future ahead of it.

Everything from the bickering banter between Starscream and Megatron, the cold calculated communiques from Soundwave, or the heavy-handed speeches from Optimus to rally his Autobots, it's all here. War for Cybertron is an entertaining game that's just as enjoyable as it is playable.

The main problem is that it doesn't feel like it was poorly designed, but that simple things were simply forgotten. But really, those things don't make the story any less entertaining, the rock god theme less enjoyable, nor the characters' well-animated faces less expressive. And with long practice and good friends, the multiplayer can be incredibly rewarding.

Guardian Heroes isn't a long ride, but it's one worth taking. If you owned a Sega Saturn, this will bring back memories. If you're a newcomer, now you'll know what we saw in the system back in 1996.

Most soccer nuts awaiting this summer's Euro-only tourney in Switzerland and Austria will buy this one anyway, but for those on the fence, I recommend giving this one a shot. Particularly at the slightly reduced $49.99 price tag.

New for some and familiar for others, 1943 will once again keep players up well into the night for just one more round. Before long, the greenhorns will be wily vets, experts on the ins and outs of all three maps, and eager for more.

Regardless of how insane it sounds, it's not the making and sharing of your own levels that makes Little Big Planet special this time. You still get an excellent platformer with an unmistakable style, but the nearly-identical look and feel makes this PSP edition feel like an expansion pack.

Football fundamentals matter now. Successful plays come from knowing the situation, calling the right play, making a good pre-snap read, and then executing -- the same criteria that determines the outcome in a real game.

It's definitely a game for RPG fanatics who go in more for the challenge than the plotline, and no doubt casual players who pick it up for the oh-so-cute cover art will be rather surprised by how brutally it savages their dignity (although a generous learning curve should help ease them into their suffering). Still, it's a definite success, taken on its own terms.

Dead Space ultimately feels like an incredibly polished and varied 6-hour game stretched out to make it twice that long. While I felt like I was repeating the same objectives a few too many times, the combat held up so well that I didn't even mind...too much.

While it borrows unabashedly from several other titles, the game does a great job of providing its own fun and unique flair.

You might die a little too easily at times, but with such a short campaign, and puzzles that are easy to figure out (if sometimes are hard to pull off) AYIM's is an indie game worth owning on Wii.

Everything from the bickering banter between Starscream and Megatron, the cold calculated communiques from Soundwave, or the heavy-handed speeches from Optimus to rally his Autobots, it's all here. War for Cybertron is an entertaining game that's just as enjoyable as it is playable.

Despite the minor flaws, I loved most every minute of Wolf of the Battlefield. This is a great game to pop in when you're sitting around with only a few minutes to spare, or when a couple of friends are looking for a quick way to kill some time.

It won't light the world on fire, but this next-gen playground of destruction offers you tons to do (well, tons to explode), it's always enjoyable, and I dove right back in after the credits rolled.

Though once you get sucked in, it's hard not to search for the absolute fastest path out. After all, it's only 30 seconds, right?

What's here is basically the best of both worlds -- an easy to pick up, yet deep fighting engine mixed with a substantial career mode and online features.

As a Ghostbusters fan, this game comes through by delivering an entertaining experience with plenty of laughs and just the right amount of action. Instead of being a hashed-together port, the Wii version of Ghostbusters shows that when a developer puts real effort into tailoring the look and gameplay of a port to the system, the results can be every bit as enjoyable as the original.

MM9 is an unapologetic nod to one of gaming's greatest eras. It might've been made especially for nostalgia-crazed dorks like me, but it's something that any challenge-seeking gamer can dig.

If X-Scape's '80s style and immersive first-person gameplay catches your eye, then there's a damn good chance you'll love this throwback adventure. It's easily one of the most unique titles exclusively available for the DSi.

If you're really picky, you can quibble about certain aspects -- not as many cool visual effects as you'd hope for in a modern shooter (depth-of-field, motion blur, etc.) or occasional slowdown (mostly when respawning after an active firefight), to name two. But, overall, Resistance 2 is an extremely well-assembled FPS, with an improved campaign, fun competitive multiplayer, and a damn neat take on co-op. I wouldn't go as far as to say this is the definitive PS3 game, but it's certainly one of the best PS3 exclusives I've played.