The lack of variety is actually a good thing. In an area of game development where being overly ambitious can destroy you, developer Luxoflux has instead created a smart, focused, and (most importantly) polished effort that should delight young fans of the film.

Shank is the freshest, most unequivocally rewarding beat-em-up game to come along in almost a decade.

By the time I finished with Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, my left thumb felt like it was about to fall off. In fact, while playing through it, I frequently had to take breaks during long encounters to rest my aching D-pad hand. But through it all, I persisted.

The FPS isn't the smartest of genres to be sure, but there are more creative ways of designing enemy encounters that make the player think "now how am I going to beat these guys?" rather than "how many of these guys do I have to beat now?"

Its parts are largely equal, which only leads to confusion. What becomes most important: building card decks, or mastering the minigames? Or, in the big picture, do you buy this game to play minigames or go on a chocobo adventure? There are simply too many things vying for your attention, and more than likely, none of them will get much of it.

This game is great precisely because it's an original take on a familiar world.

Is El Shaddai unconventional just for the sake of being different, or were the developers going for something bigger? Is being such an abstract game (on multiple levels) the overall point? Ultimately, I don't know the answer to these questions, but I'd definitely call El Shaddai an unconventional game and an entertaining adventure despite some of the creative gaps.

As ever, there are some issues with the combat system -- but this doesn't outweigh the overall quality, or the fact that you are getting one hell of a lot of game for a penny shy of 20 bucks.

But it's the seamless transitioning of the single-player to the multiplayer (you can hop in and out from one to the other at any save point) that really seals the deal.

If the thin plot of games with similar mechanics bothers you, this could end up as your favorite in the genre.

A surprising combination of both weirdness and wonder, this should help pass the time between now and "Twilight Princess."

The game simply bit off way more than it could chew with the stealth sections. The end result is certainly a thumbs up -- but only just.

The game avoids taking any necessary risks, focusing instead on presenting raucous concerts in the same carefully constructed way all of the Rock Band games have. But, honestly, both lapsed and longtime Green Day fans should enjoy this brief tour through the band's hits.

If there's one problem with EA's portable baller, it's that the controls simply aren't responsive enough.

It refines previous ideas but lacks that big "wow" factor we've seen in the past. It's thoroughly, thoroughly competent and shouldn't be overlooked, but it really is "Need for Speed Again."

Ultimately, as good a game as Kane's Wrath is, it's just better on PC -- you just won't get the complete experience with the 360 version.

This is a true rarity: a game for all ages that's still good enough to entertain anyone who likes Mario.

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.

The original Double Dragon may not be quite as good as you remember, but this adaptation makes up the difference with its major additions and subtle improvements. In a market glutted with lazy Super NES ports, DDA stands out as a bare-knuckle champ.

Assault Heroes 2 is a down-and-dirty hoot.

It's not nearly as robust at what you'd expect from a current-gen racing title, but, at 15 dollars, Hydro Thunder Hurricane's blast of late-arcade-era nostalgia is a perfect match for Xbox Live Arcade.

It's the easiest way to indulge your collectable fantasy penchants and delivers a surprisingly approachable, completely unique PS3 experience. So go geek out.

And all that loading is double-whammy. Not only does it increase the length of each game, it puts a heavy drain on the battery. You probably won't make it all the way over the hills and through the woods to grandmother's house playing Madden PSP on one charge, much less if you turn on the Wi-Fi adapter.

With its breadth of content, incredible amount of collectibles (even if their placement isn't as intuitive as I would like), and the new Assault game modes, this is one of the best Lego games created yet.

Origins isn't bad at what it does, but what it does isn't very ambitious.

If you have friends to play with and any measure of nostalgia for the arcade original, there's no doubt that you'll get every penny's worth from NBA Jam. If you have plans to play it alone or against random strangers, there are better options out there -- and it doesn't even take calculus to figure that out.

Most importantly, it nails the fun of hitting springboards, bouncing off enemies, and defying gravity with pure speed. While hardly perfect, it's solid enough that even reviving the old "Se-ga!" before the title screen feels appropriate. After a decade of missteps, Sonic has earned it.

For fans, Ultimate Ninja 3 has a lot to offer.