An innovative take on how shooters and mech games can play, with a very nice addition of "collect-'em-all" gameplay from the variety of parts available.

If you're a true fan of golf looking to get more out of your money (a lot more) and didn't already pick this up on the Xbox, PS2 or PC, I suggest that you back up, go out and find a copy of this for a current system and come back next year when EA will have its act together.

Even the most hardcore Star Wars fans will be disappointed in what could've been an opportunity to highlight the true power of the Force.

If you're into the unintentional hilarity of films like Turkish Star Wars, Paraworld is the game you've been waiting for all your life. On the other hand, as with most B-movies, the majority of folks will probably go through a lot less buyer's remorse if they just rent this one to knock out a few chuckles.

It's a lot more game than you'd expect from your average handheld title, and one that transcends the usual, disposable nature of portable games.

Underneath the frustrating instability, behind the graceless chat window, and beyond the procession of NPC dialog boxes, you tickled that deep primordial need to gather more stuff and get stronger. Loot and leveling are the essence of any RPG, and you're equipped to satisfy that jones.

For players that can muddle through the often copious and tedious battles and sometimes lackluster environments, this is a worthy Castlevania adventure -- and thanks to the devil forging and item creating, a rather unique one at that.

While the story's stock sci-fi-RPG material and the combat system could use a bit more polish, Spectrobes is a great choice for those looking for a little no-commitment, light RPG action, or for bored Pokéfans still waiting for Platinum.

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.

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.

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.

Farming's hard, tedious, repetitive work. And don't let anyone tell you different.

Progressing from a lucky-club-swinging rookie whose every shot is a hook or a slice to a seasoned golfer using advanced club sets in Super Swing Golf: Season 2 is entertaining -- if you are patient enough to learn the ropes.

There's no question that Crackdown 2 is a mere shadow of the first game, which stands as an absolute classic. The sequel feels more like an ambitious user mod than a true follow-up.

The fact that so much game is available for everyone for free right away is a noble idea, but there needs to be more of a benefit to those who invest in a premium version.

If you're looking for a more full-featured game, with greater variety -- and don't mind the cartoony milieu of Gunpey DS -- then you will find this version not only a superior value, but a superior game.

Double Helix has stayed true to the series' foundation while also taking steps in a brave new direction; they've crafted a tale that stands well within franchise lore, and they've produced horrifically beautiful environments, occasional framerate drops aside. If Double Helix learns from their mistakes here -- combat balance being the most glaring issue -- their future work could rival the series' best.

The landscapes have opened up tremendously, the controls have been tightened, and the graphics have improved. They're not great, but serviceable.

More strategy could have been applied, and moving that strategy into the multiplayer game would have added a lot. Otherwise, what you have is the same DW4 with a slightly more tactical story mode.

Even for a veteran strategy otaku like yours truly, the learning curve is intimidating -- but if you're willing to unwrap its numerous layers, R3KXI has a lot of USDA Select packed into it.

Diehard COH multiplayer fans will want this by virtue of being able to use the new units that all the other veteran players will be using with their copies. But the player who either wants a great offline experience, or simply another fantastic COH expansion, might feel a bit cheated and disappointed with how paltry this expansion feels.

An entertaining adventure that boasts impressive production values, especially given its origins in a tiny development house. Its greatest failing is that it stands uneasily on the line between arcade-action and console-adventure.

Nervous Brickdown has style and relative variety, but it's twice the price it should be and a bit too late to the puzzle party.

Going head-to-head can make for some surprisingly complex, drawn-out games, and if the single-player campaign is fun, going through it co-op is 10 times better.

A little Crysis here, a little Half-Life 2 there, TimeShift's patchwork construction definitely shows. What you wind up with is a standard shooter where you blast away until things go sideways, and then it's time to mash the "easy" button.

If you know you're getting into an easy and simple brawler, then The Brave and The Bold is one heck of a ride. It's unapologetically simple and goofy, and it not only presents a good throwback to the 16-bit era, but also to a more lighthearted take on Batman in general.

While it's true that things have improved, that doesn't mean it's suddenly a great game. While the downplaying of the storyline does help streamline the game, it also makes your goals seem a little disconnected and random.

Two things I really dig about World Tour Soccer are that the matches feature generally realistic scoring (on a couple goals per match), and the game buffers your button presses a bit, which means jamming on the pass or shoot button will normally result in multiple, wild passes or shots fired off into the middle of nowhere. You have to remain calm and play the game correctly in order to be successful.