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.

It would be nice if the game included some of these types of events as mini-games that players could jump to at any point instead of only making them available in the middle of levels, but there are enough memorable moments in here to overshadow that.

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.

Camelot's finessed, perfected tennis engine means that Mario Power Tennis -- for all its bizarre features and explosive moves -- is one of the best choices for tennis buffs on the market today.

Despite its minor annoyances, Buzz is still the best assorted trivia game around.

The genre isn't in its infancy anymore, and developer Funcom doesn't have the trailblazer status that would grant easy deflection of criticism about unimplemented features and crippling bugs... Right now, Age of Conan is fun game to play -- this summer, it might be ready for the MMO pantheon.

A more than worthy remake of a gaming great, and RPG fans should consider it a mandatory play. Remakes aren't a science -- they're an art...and Dragon Quest IV has been re-created with deft strokes.

An exciting exercise in completely rethinking old strategies. And this, after all, is what the best expansion packs do: not just add, but entirely revise.

Namco Bandai says downloadable planes, maps, and levels are to come, but unless they can fix the frustrating mission structure -- the game's largest problem -- I'm only mildly interested.

It's really a shame that these technical problems detract from what is an otherwise outstanding experience.

The physics issue on its own isn't that big of a flaw, but when you combine it with the occasionally questionable bullet hit detection, it becomes more aggravating...So though it's far from perfect, it is a good overall game.

Currently, online is too inconsistent to be taken seriously. Without the quality online play, the Tekken community will have to take their battles offline, limiting the potential for community growth. And the small details Namco Bandai neglected hurts the overall experience. Tekken 6 is excellent, but with better netcode, it would have been outstanding.

As a product, this package is recommendable to anyone who hasn't experienced the first game, or wishes to add it back to their current library. It also includes a surprisingly fun multiplayer suite, with the Riddick vs. Everyone Else mode "Pitch Black" as the main attraction. But as single-player games, the unsatisfying Dark Athena should be played as a curiosity and then put back where it belongs: in Butcher Bay's shadow.

For a few weeks, Pirates! reached full-fledged addiction status for me, complete with numerous lost hours and mutterings of "just one more mission." A fine summer fling indeed.

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.

Like the other awesome turn-based strategy game for the DS, Advance Wars Dual Strike, Age of Empires provides the deep, addictive balance of strategy and action that should keep you toting that wee silver clam around with you for weeks.

Taking manual control of the defensive secondary is a losing proposition. Neither the swat nor intercept moves respond intuitively to the buttons, and the new smoother animations seem to come with the penalty of making it harder to figure out what the right place is to make your move.

This year it's pushed farther than it has ever before by "borrowing" from Winning Eleven. As a handheld, it holds up over time -- but we can't help but to hold our breath to see Winning Eleven head-butt back on the PSP.

SVR 2010 is the ultimate wrestling gamer's sandbox. And the combination of one of the most finely tuned 3D wrestling engines with the ability to create and download so much new content, makes 2010 the best SmackDown title to date.

Based on the series' past legacy of excellence, it's just a shame that Grimoire of the Rift feels more like an expansion pack than a bona fide sequel.

I'd be hard pressed to find a better golf videogame out there today other than Tiger Woods 10, but EA needs to be mindful of complacency with next year's release. They got awfully close to not making par this time around.

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.

You don't have to settle for mediocrity as a fan of the genre -- and you sure as hell don't have to support it.

Even with the new story Dungeon Siege II never quite manages to shake the underlying sense throughout that if you squint hard enough at the screen you could be playing the original game. It's as if answering the critics became such a preoccupation that instead of a sequel, Dungeon Siege II became the perfected version of the original.

Sam & Max follows a formula, sure, but sitcom predictability is proving to be this series' secret strength -- it's rare to see a game conjure up such strong narrative continuity and familiarity in such short a time span. In Telltale's hands, recycled assets take on the aspect of recurring joys.

It's a great game in the same way its predecessor -- "SSX 3" -- was a great game. It is not, however, a great game in the same way "SSX Tricky" was before that -- that is to say, it won't go on to be <I>one of the greats.</I>

The end result is a good-if-you're-into-it, poorly performing, but interesting social experiment that seems more geared toward determining how players will react to certain situations than challenging them in new and exciting ways to accomplish tasks that are fun and engaging.

A big reason why the things you do are so much fun is because the controls are exactly like the game needs them to be.