All of the things EA did right with FIFA World Cup 2006 are overshadowed by the simple truth that what should be the most fun part of the game -- having exciting scoring chances -- is completely negated by shoddy game performance near the nets.

All in all, it's amazing the amount of content that's packed into this game -- this is more than a sequel, even while including a redux of the first game's three movies.

It's not a matter of whether it's challenging or not--the difficulty level you select at the beginning of the game determines that--it's that, despite the juicy subject matter that Stardock could have taken and run with, there's less depth here than there is in the average puddle on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Blood in the Sand takes its missteps in stride. The game doesn't takes itself too seriously and if you try to, it completely unravels. Similarly, go in looking for old school street cred and you'll come up empty.

Both games -- the Wii version especially -- ought to be so much better.

Nostalgia is determined to make its way in a crowded market on sweetness alone. It's charming and competent, but you can do much better on the DS. In this lousy economy, with so many quality alternatives, Nostalgia's attempt at repurposing fond memories isn't quite good enough.

While not flawed, it's devoid of substance. For the rest of us, there are superior options -- from this generation as well as the last -- to indulge in armchair snowboarding thrills.

Whatever the case, it's absolutely perfect for parties.

Ultimately, Secret Agent Clank just feels disjointed. Whereas developer High Impact Games' previous PSP effort, "Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters," played it safe with overly familiar levels and mechanics, this Clank spin-off squeezes a hodgepodge of half-baked concepts into the basic framework of a proper Ratchet & Clank game.

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.

Is NASCAR 07 a game, or a simulation? Well, yet again it's neither, and EA Tiburon has failed for the second year running to strike the glorious balance that it achieved with "NASCAR 05."

Hexic 2 is an excellent puzzle game on its own merits, but the original was perfection. For fans of the first game, multiplayer, new pieces, and new leaderboards to conquer should be well worth the 800 Marketplace points (around $10), but those who haven't given the series the time of day should explore the original first.

Divinity II genuinely surprised me; loathe as I am to admit it, I may have entertained the slightest of preconceived notions about the quality of the game, but Divinity II totally shattered them. It may not be ready to take on BioWare's finest, but if you're feeling an RPG (or dragon-riding) jones, you could come up with helluva worse ways to spend your coin.

There are enough MMOs out there that deserve to be roadkill, and Auto Assault isn't one of them.

Still, if you want to play through a good story on the easy or normal difficulty settings, there's a lot to like here.

Adults still captivated by the Lego formula will probably find more to like in the shinier console versions, but if you know a young Dark Knight-in-training, Lego Batman for DS offers enough competent (but largely unexciting) action and unlockables to keep 'em busy for some time.

Hardcore (read: non-American) fans will find it vapid, but those same fans are far better served by "Winning Eleven."

A somewhat archaic, unpolished platformer belied by a novel premise and seemingly interesting world to explore. I enjoyed it enough as an introduction to a very cool, deliberate aesthetic, but it's tough not to desire a Mushroom Men game that executes its ideas more skillfully -- never mind one that takes more than five hours to finish.

Solid controls, multiplayer options, and creation tools stand out, though some jagged textures and their frustrating side effects hamper an otherwise solid execution.

But let's be realistic: if you're interested in picking this up, it's going to be because of the multiplayer. Section 8 feels like it's starting to tap into something, and if you're looking for something just a little different, yet instantly familiar, you'll definitely get your money's worth (on the PS3 anyway).

While Army of Two does have its high points (an attack on an aircraft carrier being one), levels often lack excitement and instead deliver much of the same over and over. As mentioned before, it's not bad gameplay, but it never builds to much of anything. In fact, the entire game is rather anticlimactic.

Solid action-adventure gaming for their respective systems.

One warning to potential consumers, though: The bizarrely long cut-scenes (and the baby-game story they painfully tell) will bore any gamer old enough to read them. Avert your gaze.

The game's an okay platformer with colorful visuals, decent (if generic) music, and control that gets the job done. It's just that there's nothing at all special here.

The one killer drawback to Jam Sessions is that you can't play individual notes.

If you can get past the controller and don't mind sustaining permanent hand injuries, Decades is a fun, short rhythm game.

Fairly meaty, but ultimate a godsend for retro-junkies rather than general audiences.

So it's not for multiplayer fans or story fans or innovation fans, but Dark Sector is certainly a good game. When it all comes together and you're ducking in and out of cover while shooting and throwing the Glaive at groups of enemies, it's a lot of fun, and the visual spark and A.I./pacing/combat polish make it worth playing.