In the end, the sharp graphics trump the competition (2K Sports' "Top Spin 2"), but the oversights in gameplay and the pros-only career mode hold Virtua Tennis back from being a must-play. For a quick knock-around with friends, this can't be beat, but for a deeper, more authentic tennis experience, go with "Top Spin 2."

Rough in spots and a bit too casual for some, Test Drive Unlimited nevertheless delivers a truly innovative format and a gorgeous, massive world populated by real people. Now get in and drive!

It's easy to spend an hour watching these nifty starships float around a two-dimensional plane, but as soon as you start mousing, you'll want to quit.

There's a decent flying game in Blazing Angels, there really is. It's just buried under so many obtuse design decisions and horribly awkward Wii controls that it's not even worth looking for. On the Xbox, Xbox 360, and PS3 it was a decent experience for WWII flight fans despite a handful of quirks; on the Wii, it simply doesn't work.

Really good simulations have the ability to make you sweat, and while Wolves of the Pacific is still a patch or two away from realizing its full potential, the thrill of the hunt and the constant risk of instantly switching from hunter to hunted provides an abundance of nail-biting tension and drama.

It's perfect for players who love kill-everything-that-moves games like "Dynasty Warriors" and movies like "300." It's not so perfect for those who fancy themselves "true" Shining Force aficionados, though.

AC4 feels like a house that's been added onto so often that it's a maze of twisting passages, oddly shaped rooms, and doors that go nowhere. There may be something worthwhile hidden within, but it's not worth the effort to find it. Time to tear it all down and start over.

AC4 feels like a house that's been added onto so often that it's a maze of twisting passages, oddly shaped rooms, and doors that go nowhere. There may be something worthwhile hidden within, but it's not worth the effort to find it. Time to tear it all down and start over.

The fundamental game is just so epic, the world so vast, the options so varied, that you'll find more quality gameplay shoehorned into this disc than just about any other game I can think of. But the version sitting on store shelves right now is inferior to its brethren on other platforms. So I can really only recommend it if you don't own a 360 or a PC capable of running the game well.

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.

Considering the basic concept the series is built on, Full Auto 2: Battlelines has perhaps the most needlessly confusing plot ever put to disc.

The PSP version does have a bug that prevents your companions' special abilities from actually working, but that doesn't have much impact on the gameplay.

The majority of my Puzzle Quest hours were logged on the DS, and though the PSP version does look a hell of a lot nicer, I liked the convenience of the stylus for moving puzzle blocks.

How do you get "Diablo" wrong? It's like screwing up tic-tac-toe or something. But that's just what Monte Cristo's done with Silverfall, an epically crummy action-RPG with gimpy controls and bugs that'd make a flophouse mattress blush.

If there's a heaven, I think it's full of giant spiders and rocket launchers. It's a place where skyscrapers collapse if you breathe on them too hard and you never run out of ammunition. When I die, I want to go to Earth Defense Force 2017.

The best news to come out of all of this is the implementation of the Sixaxis: It's not overbearing or intrusive. For example, it only takes a few small gestures to bump someone against the wall. And that's about as extreme as it gets -- which is the proper way to handle the controls.

The control scheme is definitely the selling point here (tossing people around never felt more fun). However, for those who already own some incarnation of this series this comes as guarded approval. Ask yourself: How many times do you need to escort the Don to the hospital or take out the Barzini family before it feels too old?

This game is so boldly beautiful, but the gameplay just doesn't live up to the Champions League standard. The card-game element is superb, but the rest of the package doesn't completely justify the $60 price tag.

One thing Champions League clearly has over Winning Eleven, though, is the ability to transfer your Treble campaign back and forth between the PS2 and PSP, so you never have to go without. The games are identical, and while the PSP has a tough time with everything, doing transfers on the PS2 will save you time.

The story mode is ingenious, and it's shocking no simulation sports game in this era has taken this on until now. But the execution does have flaws.

The game's greatest fault, really, is that it's over too soon. Missed opportunities and some perspective oddities aside, Kororinpa: Marble Mania is a solid, charming puzzler.

Wing Island's missions -- set on serene-but-sterile-looking islands -- are often as boring as they are bizarre. Dumping water on fires? Eh, kinda fun. Delivering fruit crates to hard-to-hit drop zones? Sure. I'll try that. Bombing blah-looking rock formations? Uh, someone wake me up when we land.

A desert island game, but only in the literal sense.

While there's lots for baseball junkies to manage in their hunt for Steinbrenner-like control, errors littered around the game weaken the experience. But if you're more concerned with how a player hits against a right-handed pitcher over 5'10" at dusk with a full moon, this one's for you.

It's too bad, then, that Custom Robo Arena's RPG elements are so mundane, a connect-the-dots of "talk to this character, trigger this event."

Customizable background themes, icons, and skins are offered to spice up the aesthetic, but they're not the least bit pleasant to look at and offer about as much artistry as clip art.

There are a few brilliant core improvements, such as the beautifully implemented grappling system that lets you swing around with your blades. But for the most part, the game's best features are context-specific things rather than features that change or improve the title as a whole...A stellar example of what can be done when a developer focuses on telling a story and lets that drive the game.

The control hiccups may cause problems, but most of them can be countered with care. But the biggest bonus: Not once will you see starlight dancing off the ball.