Many new buildings (and new gameplay modes) are already available in free patches, so if you're not interested in Destinations' vacationing layer (which, to be fair, adds another honest-to-goodness challenge to the game), you don't really need to drop another 30 bucks -- unless you really, really missed that monster-attack disaster.

The humor involved here is remarkably fresh in its non-edgy, non-focus-tested crassness.

It's hardly the deepest game around, but its combo system, barrage of enemies, and difficulty all dovetail with the endless brutal carnage to recall, in some ways, the Ninja Gaiden remake: If you're good and quick enough, you'll avoid getting hit, but when you get cornered, you'll be walloped.

If you've loved the Warriors games in the past, then I wholeheartedly recommend Warriors Orochi. It has all the hack-n-slash action that fans of the series want, with the add convenience of portability.

I realize that they're going for a snow and ice motif, but the color is really just a lifeless, ashy grey. Given how colorless the rest of the experience is though, perhaps it's appropriate.

Somewhere deep within Fracture, far, far below its offensively derivative crust, lies a worthwhile, original game. It's very much a game with a gimmick -- terraforming terrain on the fly -- and while that gimmick works well (if a bit too predictably), Fracture is thoroughly unexciting.

Namco Bandai wisely placed heavy emphasis on the sensory overload graphics, and the reason is clear: if you aren't laughing at the craziness, the game itself might actually drive you mad.

Even with its numerous imperfections, Blood Stone easily ranks as 007's strongest showing in a videogame since the original GoldenEye. Just try to keep some aspirin handy for the inevitable cellphone-induced headaches.

Half-way through most boss battles, the game presents the option of executing a 'finishing move' that will remove the rest of the enemy's health in one fell swoop. Deceptively, this maneuver is initiated by pressing a single button -- except it doesn't work most of the time.

It looks great on paper, but in execution it just isn't enough.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a standard licensed game -- it's got just enough content to make a virtual reenactment of the Human/Goblin war worthwhile for fans of the franchise.

The PSP version is the purest taste of Gunpey you're likely to receive anywhere. The skin collecting is addictive, and as long as you don't mind the brutal, linear, hours-long grind needed to collect them all, then this is probably the version most older gamers will go for.

In short, it's your typical platformer -- with all the good and bad connotations that term holds...It's just not very engaging, no matter how familiar you are with the source material.

If you have little cousins who don't care what kind of games you buy them, but just enjoy getting new games for their PlayStation 2, this is what you can get them. If you got it for yourself, you'd probably forget you owned it in about a week.

At the same cost as a single map-pack for Modern Warfare 2, Blacklight makes a pretty strong case for itself based on price alone. Just know that this is one instance where you get exactly what you pay for.

Ultimately Cook Off's combination of improved variety, a better interface and multiplayer gameplay were an easy decision over the DS's stylus controls, solo-only play and limited palette -- and palate.

Well, now, this is disappointing. I wasn't expecting a full-fledged GRAW experience on PSP, to be sure, but Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 comes off feeling like a slightly more high-tech knockoff of SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo...only without teammates, online play, a reliable lock-on system, solid level design, or online play.

What keeps me coming back to War in the North is the fact that the game does a remarkable job of divvying out loot. Enemy drops, breakable items, and eager shopkeepers are all there to make sure that you always have a consistent IV drip of high-fantasy swag at your disposal.

If you still haven't given the series a try by now and want the best version of the best installment, a rental is a good choice. Just don't be surprised if you find yourself overwhelmed with familiarity this time next year.

While it has few specific flaws, I can only recommend Loki to lovers of endless reward-based level grinding to the exclusion of all other play...and that market just ain't what it used to be.

Skate taps into a state of mind. Shaun White is just a succession of awkward obstacles posing as challenges in a game with bad controls and clunky animation.

It's more than just "Dynasty Warriors for the Xbox 360" and becomes more entertaining the further you make your way into it, but some irritating design decisions, combined with horrible voice acting and the generally repetitious nature of the action, results in a game with limited appeal for a mass audience.

The best part of Reshef of Destruciton is the three free trading cards that come with the game.

While the uninspiring movie didn't help matters, it's the lethargic gameplay that winds up making King Arthur an equally disappointing game. Repetitive and frustrating, it fails to live up to the potential of its cinematic presentation.

Skate taps into a state of mind. Shaun White is just a succession of awkward obstacles posing as challenges in a game with bad controls and clunky animation.

The first improvement is that everything is smoother.

My issues are that this game is so damn generic, shallow, and content with being nothing special, it surprises me that it asks you to pay full price at the door.

It doesn't help that The Guild 2 ships with technical issues: characters that disappear into walls, visual artifacts that take a restart to clear, buttons that don't work at all, and drop-sync issues with multiplayer games.