And with its well-directed pacing, the game ends exactly when it needs to, leaving you satisfied and wistfully yearning for more.

The voice command system in EndWar is terrific, and hopefully, future games will take advantage of a similar control scheme. It just isn't enough by itself to raise the game beyond "mediocre RTS." It's definitely worth checking out to see voice command done right, but overall, it lacks the depth and substance to bring anyone over from superior PC alternatives.

The PES-versus-FIFA bout is always tough to call, but while neither disappoints, I'll narrowly side with the glitzier, überlicensed competition this season: FIFA 09.

Metro 2033's A.I. is terribly stupid and there's not enough variety in the weapons; yet despite all that it's still a compelling game to play.

A perfect fit for the PSP -- creative, stylish, and easily broken into the bite-sized chunks that work so well when gaming on the go. It's also a stellar game by its own merits.

Racing games have come so far since 1991 -- even on GBA -- I simply can't muster up an ounce of enthusiasm for such an archaic creation, regardless of how nicely it's been polished up. There's no question that GP Legend is well-crafted, but it's intensely boring.

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.

Are you one of those people who watches all of the extra features on your DVDs? If you answer "yes," if you're a fan of the film, if you love Grand Theft Auto, and you do not own the game on the current-gen platforms, there's a good chance you'll enjoy it. If you said "no," well...Don Vito Corleone finally gave you an offer you could refuse.

Grandia is a game best served in smaller doses, although the paucity of save globes in some of the more dangerous areas of the game means the intrepid gamer will have to trek on for long stretches at a time.

The "Medal of Honor in the air" description is fairly apt, actually -- although most of your missions (all 30 or so of them) are the standard dogfights and bombing runs, the package it's all presented in makes it feel much more fulfilling than Luftwaffe and the other old flight sims.

It's a game that takes a handful of seemingly unrelated genres and forms a union between them that exudes impossible amounts of charm. It's also a game that provides irrefutable validation for adopters of Kinect.

If you're looking at the game for continuing the fun, campy Mortal Kombat legacy, you'll find a lot to like here. If you're looking for highly technical fighting matches or evolved modern game storytelling, you'll do better looking elsewhere.

It's this carefully guarded lack of realism that keeps the game fresh. While the multitude of moves are clearly wacky, they're never too over-the-top, and it all fits together in this surprising, tight package.

One of the most frustrating elements of the game is the sense of helplessness in controlling and customizing units and squads, and setting up offensive tactical maneuvers. In the end however, the amalgamation of storyline and gameplay is successfully delivered as a truly unique experience in Perimeter.

Makai Kingdom has as many fresh new ideas as any other game they've developed. But just as Tony Hawk eventually turned a little stale after its fourth installment, so might it also be time for Nippon Ichi to try something really new next time.

It could have been made somewhat better by more accessible, easily relatable songs, but with an otherwise lacking career mode, everything about Warriors of Rock reeks of regurgitated design decisions and a desire to simply make as much money as possible without really trying to add anything new.

And for the eight hours or so you'll spend playing through the story, it's reasonably entertaining. But with such unreliable environmental exploits, the game devolves into little more than a stylish, mindless, unusually destructive shooter.

If anything, Judgment should be lauded for its flawless cover of X2 Reload and for taking the old beat-em-up formula to rock star-like levels.

You'll, fire thousands of rounds in hundreds of white-knuckled shootouts facing everything from soldiers to grotesques to specters, and tromp around in a totally bad-ass mech suit. Most importantly, you'll love every minute of it.

The interesting thing about Gun, however, is that it mixes broad free-roaming aspects with some of the most tightly scripted missions we've seen in any game -- quite an achievement for an original game from a company known for skateboarding titles.

This is a game that is filled with a simple yet endearing story, excellent game mechanics, eye-popping visuals, a challenging collection element, and a surprisingly bittersweet ending that will make you want to play it all over again, especially to see the once-static cinematics recreated in full 3D. Klonoa is one of the best platforming games of all time and this is a superior remake of an already flawless original.

If you've never overseen the Keflings, this is the version to get. For Kefling veterans, all but the most dedicated giants may find the World a bit too familiar.

While the story and writing are reasonably solid, they're not nearly riveting enough to outweigh the too-simple, occasionally glitchy nature of the fundamental game.

But be patient, put in the dedicated time, research, and strategic planning, and Sunshine Islands will reward you satisfactorily.

I've been willing to somewhat forgive the series' unbalanced gameplay until now, but after three games on two distinct platforms, the developers should be full-fledged M.D.s by now...so why do they keep making the same med-school mishaps?

Lego Indy's main quest isn't terribly expansive -- you can finish it in a weekend, and that's if you take your time -- but the game's unquestionably built for completists, with a ton of hidden treasure and extra characters (you can unlock pretty much every character in the films, right down to Last Crusade's castle butler).

Regardless of its small problems and the fact that it isn't an entirely new game, Revolution is still an excellent buy for Wii puzzle fans at a welcome $20. It's the perfect price point for such a game, and the motion controls finally deliver the quintessential Mercury experience.

Gameplay concepts this imaginative deserve more thorough exploration than the handful of basic, regurgitated puzzles that populate de Blob 2. Instead, we're stuck with a mediocre platformer that's too easy for adults and too repetitive for most anyone, kids in particular.