It's a highly specialized title, with a unique feature that will either delight you or drive you crazy. But those who get into the nitty-gritty of designing custom monsters to play will find in this game rare pleasures and rewards.

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.

When it works, Total Overdose is a surreal blur of bullets keeping time to the merengue. But for each of those moments there are an equal number that run together into an indistinguishable mush of gunning down guys in sombreros to Latino rap.

An open-world zombie game has far more potential than what Techland is putting on display. There's certainly a lot of fun to be had on Dead Island, but don't be surprised if tedium sets in once you've murdered a zombie in every way imaginable (estimated time: 20 hours).

The whole thing can be finished in just a couple of sittings. However, fans of the film, both young and old, would do well to give it a shot, as it's an entertaining platformer that complements the movie quite well.

Personally I've had a lot of fun in the game, and I don't want to be starting from scratch when the game is rocking. But that, my friends, is truly up to you. May the Force be with your decision.

Pain has plenty to offer within the realm of silly enjoyment and simple, visceral character interaction; it should be mentioned that you can even pose in the air like Superman or twirl your legs like a helicopter for a bonus score as your cruise towards your goals. As a $10 title though, it feels a bit thin on content regardless of the execution.

Possibly due to the lack of any real danger/reward progression, or perhaps because of the inherent visual cacophony -- which hits even harder in the perfectly playable, yet crazily hectic, two-player multiplayer co-op game -- Galaxy eventually feels more than a bit repetitious.

The needless addition of QTEs to the formula and a relatively short single-player experience keep it from becoming a legend in its own right.

A solid hack-n-slash game that will appeal to fans of the genre, though it'll wear thin quickly. To everyone else, it'll be a pretty game that more or less proves why the hack-n-slash genre has been dead for so long.

When it works, Total Overdose is a surreal blur of bullets keeping time to the merengue. But for each of those moments there are an equal number that run together into an indistinguishable mush of gunning down guys in sombreros to Latino rap.

It does a lot of things right (great looking graphics, fun multiplayer, and quality voice work), but it's constantly held back by unfortunate design decisions that replace satisfaction with frustration.

The janky camera makes combat tough during crucial moments and makes things increasingly difficult when you're racing against the clock to lay down an aerosol tag. It makes you wonder if the game would have been better off in first-person view, but on the other hand, you would lose the immersion of being Trane.

Volition did a great job creating a variety of missions -- Darius' battles between the Cultists and aliens intertwine extremely well, and don't overlap each other or feel too overwhelming.

It looks fantastic as far as 3D games on DS go, and I'd rank it among the better loot treadmills currently available for the handheld. Just don't go in expecting a flawless -- or particularly modern -- experience.

While the action can be uneven -- though never bad -- creativity and charm carry the game to a higher level. The humor will get you through the slow levels, the authentic voices and writing will satisfy your fanatcism, and the cameos... will keep you entertained.

FlatOut basically feels like a slightly more frustrating successor to the original "Destruction Derby" series on the PlayStation 1 (well, the first two games).

It's kind of like a junior sandbox approach that younger gamers will enjoy because they can just trundle around without crashing or waiting for loads and older kids will love because it allows them to explore a large area and find characters and items that they'll recognize from the movie.

It's kind of like a junior sandbox approach that younger gamers will enjoy because they can just trundle around without crashing or waiting for loads and older kids will love because it allows them to explore a large area and find characters and items that they'll recognize from the movie.

As it is, it feels like a one-night brainstorming session came up with a whole bunch of random ideas thrown in a pot and clumsily stirred. There might be a good game in here somewhere, but it needs to cook a lot longer.

The final package is a motorcycle racing game that is certainly good, but far from the best on the market. If your weapon of choice is the PlayStation 2, however, and you lack for next-gen options, then consider MotoGP 4 all the ammunition you'll need.

The dual-protagonist storytelling manages to be both compelling and original, the multiplayer is a guns-blazing good time, and the entire aesthetic (not just the graphics, mind you, but the art direction, music, and sound) will have you ordering up a good sarsaparilla in no time.

While Team GrisGris clearly has a deficiency in game design, they should be commended for their ability to surprise and disgust with the most limited of assets.

The frustration many hit during punishing sections in this sort of game is never allowed to develop. All the skill moves still require the right touch; the designers simply opened the window of what constitutes the "right" touch just enough to let everyone in (with some practice).

It's all not as bad as it could have been, but nothing you can't get from dozens of other games.

It doesn't feel like Guitar Hero. Sure, you get to press buttons in rhythm and watch an avatar bounce around the screen...but some major components are lost because of the platform. The DS certainly doesn't look or remotely feel like a guitar, and the songs -- though high quality -- just don't sound quite as awesome popping out over the system's tiny speakers.

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.

Perhaps the weakest addition is a new targeting mode that allows the actual aiming of shots.