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.

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.

Regardless, after only five to six hours of family-friendly trivia, questions start to repeat -- effectively killing the fun. Microsoft promises downloadable question packs sometime down the line, but the jury's still out on the price or size of these additions.

Yes, it's the most charming game that I've ever played, and it's one of the most enjoyable. But the real beauty of LBP is even less tangible: creative empowerment at its finest and an unparalleled motivator to want to create.

While the adventure entertains about as well as its predecessors, Baddest of the Bands makes one notable misstep -- auxiliary elements like Teen Girl Squad and the classic-gaming minigames are less prominent in this iteration.

While the adventure entertains about as well as its predecessors, Baddest of the Bands makes one notable misstep -- auxiliary elements like Teen Girl Squad and the classic-gaming minigames are less prominent in this iteration.

Guitar Hero delivers exactly the things I want out of a rhythm game: great peripherals and fun-to-play music. It's not perfect, but I have a great time whenever I turn it on -- and that's what's most important.

By making the game available to a broader audience and including several excellent challenges (along with all-new Achievements), Portal isn't merely alive -- it's stronger than ever.

Fable 2 is filled with more great ideas than the last 10 years of "Final Fantasy" combined.

The game's buggy as hell, with severe slowdown, characters getting hung up in the level geometry, and stuttering audio.

But decent two-player co-op's just ketchup on a crap sandwich. The game's buggy as hell, with severe slowdown, characters getting hung up in the level geometry, and stuttering audio. Those problems are amplified in the PS3 version, whose only other major differences are unneeded Sixaxis flight control and a noticeable lack of Trophy support versus the Xbox 360's Achievements.

With this game, series director Koji Igarashi proves that he can still breathe new life into this long-running, often self-cannibalizing franchise.

You might have some fun if you've never played another Naruto fighting game -- but anyone who's spent time with the franchise will find this pales in comparison to its predecessors.

BioShock remains one of the most impressive and (if you never had the chance to play spiritual predecessor "System Shock 2") fresh first-person shooters around.

Shadows is halfway there. I experienced plenty of cool "Spider-Man" moments throughout thanks to the basic locomotion and combat and the occasional well-done cut-scene...but Shadows never really hits any sort of stride. Rather, it settles into a rhythm of repetition and drags out as its third act self-destructs.

Shadows is halfway there. I experienced plenty of cool "Spider-Man" moments throughout thanks to the basic locomotion and combat and the occasional well-done cut-scene...but Shadows never really hits any sort of stride. Rather, it settles into a rhythm of repetition and drags out as its third act self-destructs.

Bully's biggest problem is that it's a shoddy port job, rife with technical missteps that wouldn't warrant comment if they weren't so profoundly damaging to the game.

Even if I find the multiplayer too staid, I find the possibility of cool user-made levels (via the easy map editor) tantalizing. Like any good Grand Theft Auto, Far Cry 2's overall package makes up for any individual flaws -- enough for it to be on a short list of best FPS games this year -- and so it's fitting to summarize it as...well, GTA: Mogadishu.

Even if I find the multiplayer too staid, I find the possibility of cool user-made levels (via the easy map editor) tantalizing. Like any good Grand Theft Auto, Far Cry 2's overall package makes up for any individual flaws -- enough for it to be on a short list of best FPS games this year -- and so it's fitting to summarize it as...well, GTA: Mogadishu.

So, if it feels a bit dated, why the hell have I been staying up till 4 a.m. playing this game, then? Easy -- the ridiculously engrossing crafting minutiae sucks me in every time, whether it's cooking up a sumptuous feast, penning tomes of arcane knowledge, or composing orchestral opuses.

You don't have to settle for mediocrity as a fan of the genre -- and you sure as hell don't have to support it.

It's the game part of this game that stinks, and the rest of it should have just been a DVD.

It's the game part of this game that stinks, and the rest of it should have just been a DVD.

It's the game part of this game that stinks, and the rest of it should have just been a DVD.

While MC:LA won't necessarily wow you beyond its technical achievements -- it sticks too close to the feel and formula of preview MC games -- it still offers plenty of thrilling (and sometimes frustrating) driving.

Innovative only in its exceptional presentation, L.A. Remix is nevertheless a fast and furious jaunt through not one but two massive bergs, and it does just about everything a city racer could ever be expected to do within the miniaturized PSP environment. Despite its few foibles, this is a keeper.

Wii Music may have a hard time winning over the skeptics who just want to laugh at it, but give the game the chance it deserves. You just might realize it's pretty damn fun being in on the joke.

The real attraction here is the game's Sticky Fingers-like bulge of music.