Thanks to a potent combination of ingenious tactical A.I., flawless squad controls, and terrifying audio/visuals, these games are a perfect balance of realism and playability, without resorting to heavy-handed scripting and the predictable linearity in level designs found in its contemporaries. In fact, Blood is so good, it actually manages to put its predecessor to shame.

Unquestionably the best portable Castlevania to date; in fact, it's the best entry in the series since the much-vaunted "Symphony."

An unusual, creative, and very polished game that anyone with a Nintendo DS should seriously consider purchasing. The gameplay is addictive, even if it's restrictive.

It's certainly very enjoyable, it's incredibly slick, and packed with features, but it still loses out a little to Konami's game on that difficult-to-quantify quality; feel.

The A.I. will almost never actually honor deals and will backstab potential allies willy-nilly. This means that A.I. nations can never actually cooperate effectively. The A.I. also has no real tactical or strategic sense.

A sequel should use the foundation laid down by the games that came before it in order to leap forward. MMZ4, if anything, is a step backward.

It's certainly very enjoyable, it's incredibly slick, and packed with features, but it still loses out a little to Konami's game on that difficult-to-quantify quality; feel.

It's certainly very enjoyable, it's incredibly slick, and packed with features, but it still loses out a little to Konami's game on that difficult-to-quantify quality; feel.

And the staggering amount of collectible Pokémon and items will preoccupy you for weeks, if not months.

Few developers have been able to master the horror aspects of games as well as Surreal has done in the two Suffering games thus far, and with a bit more balancing, this could have been a great current generation sendoff for players looking to move on to the next-generation terror of "F.E.A.R." and "Condemned."

It worries me a bit that I'm starting to enjoy all this tedium.

The venerability of these selections combined with the substandard interface (exiting out of a given game is performed inconsistently and tends to be very confusing) and paltry selection of titles makes this one you can skip over without losing any sleep.

Less avant-garde than "Indigo Prophecy," far less self-important than "Myst V," Trace Memory is the very definition of a safe, comfortable, middle-of-the-road experience.

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.

Lunar DS isn't really up to the thrilling and dramatic heights the series was synonymous. Worse, the changes and tweaks the developers made, trying to bring Lunar into the 21st century, are irrelevant at best and annoying at worst. That said, this is a better-than-average handheld RPG with a likable cast, a charming story, and appealing graphics.

Adds a bit of new life to an already great game even if there isn't enough new to make the expansion pack truly exceptional.

Whatever the future brings, this collection represents a decade of brilliance, a look at a top arcade developer in its prime; any serious gamer needs to own this slice of history.

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.

The venerability of these selections combined with the substandard interface (exiting out of a given game is performed inconsistently and tends to be very confusing) and paltry selection of titles makes this one you can skip over without losing any sleep.

The collection's frontend is clean, simple and clever without being too involved, making navigating from title to title painless and quick.

Few developers have been able to master the horror aspects of games as well as Surreal has done in the two Suffering games thus far, and with a bit more balancing, this could have been a great current generation sendoff for players looking to move on to the next-generation terror of "F.E.A.R." and "Condemned."

While it lacks that magical little something to make it a classic, it's a stupendous example of design competence. It looks great, sounds great, it's well written, witty, and fairly well paced.

The Superstar control sets will ensure that each game has a lengthy highlight reel while keeping the gameplay fast and fun. Fundamental issues with the game and its key features keep it out of the upper echelon of basketball titles.

The most realistic basketball game on the market. It's an accurate representation of the sport and captures a lot of the intangibles extremely well. It's got enough gameplay available to keep both the arcade and simulation contingents happy.

Taken with the limitations of only four maps, on which to play one game type, all too soon you can find yourself in a mechanical rut playing them over and over. And that's something that the original didn't suffer from.

The controls have also been improved over last year's game, with improved first-person aiming in particular, which works very well for battles where you have to fire off shots as quickly as possible.

The Superstar control sets will ensure that each game has a lengthy highlight reel while keeping the gameplay fast and fun. Fundamental issues with the game and its key features keep it out of the upper echelon of basketball titles.

The most realistic basketball game on the market. It's an accurate representation of the sport and captures a lot of the intangibles extremely well. It's got enough gameplay available to keep both the arcade and simulation contingents happy.