It's apparent that the story and atmosphere of the game is much more important than actual gameplay.

It's apparent that the story and atmosphere of the game is much more important than actual gameplay.

NBA 2K10 is an excellent basketball game that's full of nagging technical problems. It's a shame that some players probably won't be able to look past the inconsistent frame rate, online issues, and A.I. quirks, because NBA 2K10 does many things very, very well.

Though that simplicity can be an asset, in many ways it's the game's greatest weakness as well. The personality will carry you through the campaign, but repeating battles of attrition wear thin too quickly; Ronimo has some great ideas in this little package, even if the end result falls a little short of becoming an RTS classic.

I just wish the game's signature (and somewhat watered-down -- go Teen rating!) Fatalities ("Heroic Brutalities" for the politically correct DC heroes) appeared in each character's move lists, as I'd rather not look up a button combination every time I want to shoot my opponent in the face or drop a Mortal Kombat arcade cabinet on his head. You know, the important stuff.

An uneven effort, MotoGP '08 is a decent game that should please most newbies and occasional riders but proves that Milestone has a ways to go before it fully grasps the handlebars.

Still, while the setting, strategy, and sprite-based visuals -- this wouldn't have been impressive in 1998, let alone 2008 -- are a tad disappointing, they're also all quite serviceable.

While I have some issues with the difficulty, which is maddening at times, Comic Jumper is a genuinely fun game.

Aside from a handful of disappointing puzzles, however, I still see loads of potential in Puzzle Agent. Its goofy, Coen-brothers-do-Twin Peaks storyline kept me glued to my computer monitor for the roughly three hours it takes to finish the game.

It's neither "Konami SuperStar Athletics," nor is it exactly the arcade game you remember from the '80s -- New International Track & Field straddles the line between both, and it turns in a respectable portable performance of its own.

Unfortunately, the "shallow" moniker does apply in some respects, as the single-player Career mode is quite brief and represents the bulk of the game; plus, the absence of online play does nothing to help this. Given the slim pickings for racing fans on the Wii, though, it's easy to recommend NFS: Nitro, as it brings a solid (if however spartan) arcade racing experience to a system that clearly should have had one a long time ago.

The promise of a portable and blockbuster RE is mostly realized, and the control improvements and sense of scale translate effectively, but I sincerely hope Capcom chooses to skew from RE's cheesy past and make more memorable adventures moving forward.

It's a slight advancement over its predecessor, VT 3, but its biggest weaknesses, the online and single-player modes, mire an otherwise satisfying experience.

All that said, Young Thor -- when you're not repeating the same levels over and over -- is an enjoyable, pick-up-and-play romp-fest.

An uneven effort, MotoGP '08 is a decent game that should please most newbies and occasional riders but proves that Milestone has a ways to go before it fully grasps the handlebars.

While it maintains its easily accessible, casual gameplay, obsessive players (like myself) can still work hard towards getting 100% on all dishes. This blend is exactly what makes me love Cooking Mama in general, and Cooking Mama 3 is a great, if occasionally exasperating, addition to the series.

Despite the faults in character variety, you get a good Ninja Turtle fighter using a proven engine, but maybe Ubisoft will do one better than the Konami of 1994 and produce a sequel worth wishing for.

Lost Planet's sophomore effort attempts to improve on past faults while shifting direction into an entirely new territory, but the overall feeling is muted. The game can be an enjoyable, fun adventure, but only if you're willing to share the experience with friends (or strangers).

Bookworm lacks a bit of the addictive magic that draws me to PopCap's other titles, but this spelling game still offers an enjoyable distraction for wordsmithing on the go.

Though not a great game on its own, Patrician IV has all of the things that make good trading games interesting and challenging.

But ultimately, even though a lot of things about MUA2 aggravate me, the moment-to-moment gameplay of superheroes beating the crap out of robots/mutants/soldiers with fists, mystical hammers, repulsor rays, giant tongues, and what-have-you feels solid and enjoyable.

Shuffle Dungeon's strength lies in its level designs, which are cleverly crafted so as to force tough choices at the spur of the moment. The limited structure grows a bit long in the tooth once you've been playing for a while...but even so, it never stops pushing you to make those snap decisions.

An uneven effort, MotoGP '08 is a decent game that should please most newbies and occasional riders but proves that Milestone has a ways to go before it fully grasps the handlebars.

But my biggest problem with Keflings is its lack of...well, a soul.

Extreme 2, though, offers little to differentiate itself. It's a coincidental callback to 1979's Space Invaders Part II: most of the improvements will matter to those who were already obsessed. For some, that's probably enough for a buy, and if you haven't played SI Extreme before, now's the time, as you're still getting an enjoyable rewrite of an arcade classic. But those who had a passing fancy before can pass it up for the time being.

It's hard not to be a little disappointed with MotorStorm: Arctic Edge -- it plays just like its siblings on the PS3, and I mean just like its siblings. While that's likely good enough for many, the "been there, done that" feel of the game means that it gets old quickly.

While it's not the most fantastic thing ever, a couple of its components -- namely the stylish presentation and the battle arenas -- are brilliant. Wet has the makings of a universe I'd like to revisit, but I'd want to see the same amount of polish that's been afforded to the wrappings in a follow-up.

The game suffers by comparison to stronger titles that are similar enough to make such a comparison unavoidable.