The Chronicles of Riddick looks great, sounds great and the gameplay is a perfect amalgamation of shooting, adventure, platforming, role-playing and stealth. Though I'm certain to be crucified for my blasphemy, this variety and skillful execution makes Riddick equal to, and in some ways, superior to the single-player component found in "Halo."

Even though some of Ion’s design decisions, like the removal of the rope arrow and the inclusion of the third-person camera, will disappoint purists, it would be difficult for anyone to deny what a splendid experience this release is.

It falls back too often on the war weary build-a-base mechanic as its core, but the robustness and depth of the civilization tree will help ensure many hours of gameplay for RTS and series fans alike.

As an atmospheric "Devil May Cry" knockoff, Van Helsing is a notable success, despite the fact that the experience is only marginally longer than the movie’s running time.

There are some good ideas, like the grouping banner and the ability to plunder, that should’ve come off a lot better, but instead thwarted the gameplay.

If you have access to a broadband connection and take well to online co-operative games, then The Omega Strain might just be worth your time and money, primarily thanks to the massive collection of cool unlockables. However, the single-player aspect is so unbalanced and unpolished that the each mission quickly becomes a chore, a menial, labored process.

While it’s unlikely that the inferior graphics and sound would turn away any serious strategy RPG fans, boring gameplay mechanics and glitchy implementation should do the job.

The gameplay isn’t particularly groundbreaking, but the variety and extras found in the single-player campaign, combined with the enjoyable multiplayer mode, give the experience a healthy dose of replayability. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Not only are its production values low, but also its design decisions are questionable. None of the many highly touted injected wrinkles - the mini-games, Euphoria mode slowdown, cash purchase system, or whip-toting sidekick - have the desired positive effects on the gameplay.

My conundrum is that despite the issues and glaring oversights, Beyond Divinity is still fun to play.

When all is said and done, every session leaves you feeling like you’ve just read the latest issue of your favorite comic book. I can think of no higher praise than that.

The retractable library research toolbar notwithstanding, there’s no single feature that makes Thrones and Patriots a must have, but if you enjoyed the original title, the precise strokes in this expansion only add to the enjoyment of an already superlative RTS experience.

For anyone new to the genre, this isn’t the best place to start due to the technical flaws and PvP griefing. Even veterans of the online role-playing genre will find the many errors impeding their fun.

The graphics are fantastic, the score is excellent and the gameplay offers a great variety of fast-paced combat and brain-teasing puzzles.

While it’s hard for UFC fans to go too far wrong at that price, Sudden Impact isn’t exactly a joy to play with its dull visuals, antiquated sound and clumsy, monotonous gameplay mechanics.

Siren has a few basic problems that keep it from being truly exceptional, but its groundbreaking mechanics and brilliant execution of fear make it something survival horror fans won’t want to miss.

It has times where it bogs down in the monotony of endless waves of enemies that do nothing but cluster on your position, but it balances itself out with a great deal of depth in what they do.

Visually striking and completely engrossing, EA's latest for boxing fans is tremendously faithful to the sport. Granted, the artificial intelligence is a little lacking in certain areas and Xbox owners deserve an online component.

Solid graphics and music, decent level design and clever use of vehicles. The Achilles' heel is clearly the squad mate artificial intelligence, which virtually ruins the whole play experience.

War Times struggles along and ultimately becomes a casualty of its own conflicts. The shallow tech tree, paucity of unit types, ineffective pathfinding and tedious gameplay make enjoying it a losing fight.

The graphics and score are outstanding, but ultimately, the gameplay falls flat with heavy-handed mechanics and tedious goals.

With a decent story, authentic backdrop, intriguing personalities and classic puzzles, there’s a lot to like here.

The graphics and music are still great, showing great polish and attention to detail, but the story and gameplay are a bit of a letdown. What is missing here is the diversity and twists and turns, as well as the mystery, complexity, and enchantment of the outstanding original.

The foul language, twisted humor, nudity, gore and violence are beyond what most gamers will appreciate, unless "Postal" is your idea of fun. When compounded by the obscure hotspots, redundant puzzles, archaic control system and strictly linear gameplay, the audience for which this offering would be a treat becomes really small.

Frequent issues with controlling your avatar coupled with broken quests keep this gem from truly shining up to its full potential. The good news is there’s nothing so wrong with it that a few patches can’t fix.

A superbly sculpted hybrid of genres, crafted in a very logical, yet organic way.

Neither the graphics, sound nor gameplay are categorically bad, but each is consistently below average.

Massive non-linear playing fields, astoundingly intelligent enemies and a gorgeous setting make Far Cry a solid hit that sets the bar higher for the games that will follow it.