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.

Fruit Ninja Kinect feels like an Eyetoy game from last gen -- and if you're familiar with Sony's attempt at motion gaming this shouldn't surprise you -- but the level of precision feels much better executed here thanks to the technology.

Catchy mixes, impressive visuals, and a much improved career mode make DJ Hero 2 worth checking out.

It is Shift's ability to bring the roar of the race to life, that manages to drown out much of its flaws.

What Perfect Dark still manages better than most is putting all those good things together in one convenient place. It's kind of a jack-of all-trades game that's long since been eclipsed in all its individual skills, but still ranks pretty strongly overall.

Catchy mixes, impressive visuals, and a much improved career mode make DJ Hero 2 worth checking out.

In a way, Dark Legend is like Overlord with training wheels on. Which isn't by any means a bad thing.

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.

It's tough for me to complain too much in the face of what is really a well thought out sequel that takes full advantage of the PSP though.

At its peak, Vanquish is a beautifully fast and intense fusion of East and West third-person gameplay -- it just isn't quite as good as the director or the studio's previous work.

Some repetitive puzzle design and a half-baked multiplayer component still aren't enough to completely tarnish Singularity, however. Beneath its flawed exterior lies a fine shooter that experiments with time manipulation more aptly than any game since Braid.

The developers executed that concept quite well. If the setup makes you chuckle, chances are the game will, too.

The team at Rare did an awesome job of retaining a surprising amount of features in this DS iteration. Even the colorful art style makes the transition, though it's understandably nowhere near as gorgeous as Pocket Paradise's console counterparts.

At its peak, Vanquish is a beautifully fast and intense fusion of East and West third-person gameplay -- it just isn't quite as good as the director or the studio's previous work.

I would have liked to see an expanded tutorial mode, something beyond just showing players combos and such, but at the end of the day I am glad Capcom's main focus was improving the core gameplay even if it means skimping out on some of the more trivial features aimed at a more casual audience. For competitive players though, this is truly the ultimate version of the game, both in name and execution.

Call it a first-person Diablo, an evolution of Resistance 2's co-op mode, Monster Hunter for the west, or a party game for FPS gamers. Call it the best example of the transformative power of multiplayer. Whatever you designate it, Borderlands is a decent single-player FPS/RPG that simply becomes great -- when playing with others. Besides, sheer midget panic is something that has to be shared with friends.

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.

I would have liked to see an expanded tutorial mode, something beyond just showing players combos and such, but at the end of the day I am glad Capcom's main focus was improving the core gameplay even if it means skimping out on some of the more trivial features aimed at a more casual audience. For competitive players though, this is truly the ultimate version of the game, both in name and execution.

But Revolution's greatest omission is testament to just how addicting the game is. It's disappointing not having the option to play "one more turn..." after a victory condition is achieved and continuing to build (or rebuild) your empire.

Scoring, match-making, and goalie quirks aside, this game literally has no competition in the marketplace other than itself.

Rage HD might not be massive in scope, but its potential audience sure is.

NBA 2K12 will have to settle for being the closest thing to perfect I've ever seen in an offline sports video game. But it could have done much more -- it could have saved our season.

Scoring, match-making, and goalie quirks aside, this game literally has no competition in the marketplace other than itself.

It sure wouldn't hurt to shake things up a bit.

NBA 2K12 will have to settle for being the closest thing to perfect I've ever seen in an offline sports video game. But it could have done much more -- it could have saved our season.

While Revelations lacks that one supreme improvement or standout mechanic that defined AC2 and Brotherhood each, it's still a damn fine sendoff for Altair and Ezio.

It sure wouldn't hurt to shake things up a bit.

A "good" game whose bugs keep it from being "excellent."