If you are looking for the 30 seconds of perfected and repetitive combat found in major North American developed shooters, then Metro 2033 is probably not for you.

It adds multiple innovations to the survival horror formula and improves on that genre immensely. Unfortunately, The Thing also holds on to some of the most annoying conventions of the genre.

Aside from the multiplayer (which is a hoot), there’s not a whole lot that’s new.

Although there are some gameplay moments if gamers aren't especially careful with expenditures early in the game when some dark clouds of boredom while waiting for some moola to multiply in the national vaults can rain on a sunny day of tropical island ruling, those who enjoy SimCity or Civilization-style resource management gameplay with a heavy dose of political behind-closed-doors wheeling and dealing will enjoy an excursion to Tropico in its latest rendition.

It's part of the "thug in a sandbox" action genre, so if you don't mind playing a criminal and can accept a few minor bugs here and there, The Godfather: The Game is a solid title.

Unfortunately, there's no online support, but SWON is packed with enough diverse gameplay with a heavy challenge level that you won't lament the online absence too long.

A little bit long in the tooth.

Resurrection of Evil isn't such a hot multiplayer game. There are a few different deathmatch modes but co-op mode has been eliminated. However, co-op still exists in the original Doom titles.

It doesn't have the same high quality of the "NBA Street" series due to the more urban roots of street basketball versus street football, but for a good adrenaline rush of smash-mouth football, look no further than NFL Street 2.

It has a great balance and will draw you in with its depth thanks to some innovation, and is fun, even if it’s fun in a serious way.

Outlaw Volleyball manages to be the only "pure" beach volleyball game on the Xbox.

The wacky characters, impossibly upbeat music and insanely addicting party management, will have strategy gamers obsessed long after the doldrums of the summer months have passed. Makai Kingdom isn't the best of the bunch, but it holds its own quite nicely.

With more emphasis on quick-hit, easy-to-play mini-games and casual-centric visuals with extremely basic controls, Madden NFL 10 on the Wii might as well be referred to as Madden Lite.

This iteration is a stellar continuation of the series – plus an offer for a free year of Golf World or Golf Digest to sweeten the deal for aficionados – but there’s room for expansion (including an LPGA event was good step!), rather than improvement.

A game that would be closer to an interactive episode of the show rather than a proper video game.

While F.E.A.R. 2 still delivers in its action and grim setting, especially for fans of the original, FPS games have evolved since 2005, and the very innovations that made the first game stand out have now become cliché and drawn out.

Tales of Graces F is a good game and though the story may seem like a typical JRPG, it does stray away from the stereotypes as the story progresses, and leaves you wanting to know what will happen next.

But despite the short length and difficulty, Klonoa’s classic strengths far outweigh its long forgotten weaknesses. Whether you were a fan of the original or a curious newcomer, Door to Phantomile is a wonderful experience that deserves to reach the reception it has long deserved.

An aesthetic surprise with great visuals and sound; and a huge disappointment of Gameplay and AI.

A horridly underdeveloped story, too short campaign mode, sometimes weak AI, and no Xbox Live multiplayer support at a time when Microsoft has proclaimed that every first-party Xbox game will have Xbox Live support adds up to a much-less-heavenly-than-Halo experience.

Puzzle fans will likely glom onto Mercury Meltdown Revolution and will revel in the challenge, creative levels, and the basic and accessible control scheme, but unless you're a puzzle fanatic there's only frustration to be found.

If there's one message everyone should gleam from de Blob 2, it's that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, or a game by its premise. What the game lacks in variety it more than makes up with its enjoyable simplicity (even if it also applies to the minimal difficulty) and collectible extras.

As a straight-up action adventure game, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron it's falls short in terms of excellence, but the titantic epicness of the concluding shots is so awesome that any Transformers fan should grab Fall of Cybertron if one's willing to overlook the shortcomings of some of the game mechanics.

It’s pretty amazing that one can actually see how much they are improving over time if they play the game regularly.

All told, Skylanders is responsible for hours and hours of enjoyment in my house.

If you're patient enough, and can regularly resist the urge to throw your DS against a wall, you're likely to find a really good handheld RPG in Ring of Fates. For those with less patience, you might want to give this one a pass, if only to preserve your DS from violent impacts.

There’s no denying that the visuals are perhaps some of the best yet seen for a PlayStation 2 baseball game.

If one were to describe EVE Online, the most accurate description possible would be "boutique MMO." It's not aimed at the WoW crowd. It's not trying to steal market share from the behemoths. Yet it has enough of a stable player base to elevate it beyond merely cult status.

All in all, Crysis 3 is an impressive game – it delivers on style and experience, just doesn't do all those little extras to really set itself apart from the pack as a true AAA title.

Furthermore, their solution to the lack of known teams and players was clever and, most importantly, works.

If you’re a gamer with a very heavy interest in war games, and a ton of patience then Sniper Elite is a game worth checking out.

Those that like management sims, dealing with the minutia of number crunching and furniture placement, and still enjoy The Sims will have a good time with it.

Lowbrow humor aside, Raving Rabbids still succeeds in being a far more compelling party game than a lot of its competition on the Wii.

Gatling Gears will cost you $9.99, but it is worth a play through. I don't think you'll find that it has much replay value, but maybe down the line you'll have a sudden urge to blow things up in your mech.

It doesn’t have the total package that Madden NFL 08 on the Xbox 360 brings, but nonetheless the Wii version of the only NFL football videogame around certainly succeeds in giving Wii gamers an excellent football game.

Partnered with the excellent look of arenas is the aura that only comes with a frenzied crowd.

It has its own learning curve, no undo button and a buried interface, but the creative aspects and polish makes VT a recommended title for fans of Tycoon games.

It’s got a great story and a well-defined protagonist, the graphics and sound provide a suitable sense of place, but the problem with the “lock” during combat and the funnel quality will more than likely turn some people off.

While the game looks good and controls easily enough in most instances, the weak AI robs Spider-Man: The Movie of much of its fun factor, being too easy for many GBA players.

If you're a hardcore extreme sports fan, Disney’s Extreme Skateboarding Adventure will probably have you bored to tears in within an hour. However, if you have kids or younger siblings (girl or boy) in the house, it fits the bill as a challenging, entertaining, kid-friendly game. [Add 23 points if you're looking for a kids game]

A lot less raunchy juvenile humor and more focus on fixing the weapon aiming would have elevated Shadows of the Damned from the depths of hell to a almost heavenly third-person shooter experience. As it is, though, once gamers acclimate their aiming and focus their efforts on the demon-hunting adventure found in the shadows of the debauchery, Shadows of the Damned is a sometimes-scary ride to Hades and back.

No, it doesn’t tread new territory that hasn’t been explored in a previous expansion, but nonetheless The Sims 2 Pets turns out to surprisingly be the most engaging and addictive expansion yet for The Sims 2.

I understand that designing a game that accurately portrays Spidey's gracefulness is a difficult task, but in previous games the right “feel” wasn't represented. This is the area where Spider-Man: The Movie makes the biggest jump.

Whether or not you should get GDRB is fairly simple. If you like Green Day, then the answer is fairly straightforward. If not, then perhaps you should wait for the next installments of Rock Band or Guitar Hero.

The multiplayer hits all the right notes when it comes to gaining experience points, load-out customization, a good mix of game types, etc. so there's plenty for the competitive player to enjoy.

DESA should be given serious consideration by all parents looking for a good game for younger children whether for themselves or some good family competition, especially if you are a parent that can overlook the nefarious advertising.

If this is your first Ratchet & Clank game, you might feel a little bit lost in the characters or story but it's still an enjoyable experience overall.

Despite some unpolished spots, Second Sight is easily one of the best balances of stealth and action, combined with a nifty gimmick and an excellent plot.

The wave graphics are solid; the soundtrack is marvelous; and, most importantly, the game play is tight and intuitive.

A fun diversion. It isn’t nearly as full-featured as its console big brothers, but it is at least on par with the best console footballers from the 16-bit era.

Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty is short, beautiful and is perhaps just enough to tide you over until next year.

Sounds good, looks good, takes about 40 – 50 hours from start to finish (plus more to complete the game 100%), it's filled with action, and is a good time for those that like being a criminal in a virtual sandbox.

While Reflex still retains the familiar gameplay and gritty urban outlook on war that made the original game such a massive success, it’s still difficult to recommend this severely downgraded port, even if the Wii was the only system available to players.

Despite the disappointing exclusion of Burnout’s Crash mode, which in my opinion really was one of the franchise’s significant features, and a somewhat surprising lack of online multiplayer, you’ll still find your burning desire for hot racing satiated by Burnout Dominator, although it’s certainly not as dominating on the hot virtual asphalt as its predecessor, Burnout Revenge.

While the selling point of Multiwinia -- that would be, multiplayer -- is somewhat lacking in regard to number of players all the other pieces are in place for a very satisfying experience.

If there is a sequel, and there probably will be, here's hoping Gearbox provides more squad management and little more complexity to the environments, since all the other pieces appear to be in place.

With a great baseball-playing control setup, MVP 07 NCAA Baseball is a solid hitting title that will stay entrenched in the gaming lineup of baseball-gaming fans everywhere.

Despite the constant companionship of allies, it still feels like you're the only person in the conflict.

If you have a sense of rhythm and you'd like to own an interesting peripheral then DK is probably the perfect game for you!

Singularity might not grab the collective gamer consciousness but it's a game worth playing, not just for the shooting and adventure of it, but to play the meta game of trying to identify the references and homage, intentional or not, from Half-Life 2 to Chronomaster to LOST to System Shock and many more.

The Club is one of those games that you are really going to fall in love with, or discard fairly quickly.

MAG is a solid effort by Zipper Interactive. It falls short in some areas, but proves to be an enjoyable experience that offers something not previously seen in any other online shooters for the Playstation 3.

For those that harp on replayability, Metal Slug 3 could be rated as low. However, with Live leaderboard stats and a couple of bonus missions (not to mention the level of difficulty) does quite a bit to extend the replay factor.

A very good game – not explosive, it won’t turn the gaming world on its head. But it is incredibly easy to pick-up and play.

But it’s nice to see that Nintendo is at least vaguely on track with this series – maybe we’ll get a traditional entry next, and maybe this time they’ll let us configure the controls.

While it definitely has a "something borrowed" gameplay and visual style, and a instantly forgettable, brief single-player mode, its invigorating and intense Xbox Live multiplayer at such a well-worth-it bargain price provides gamers more than enough incentive to enlist into Section 8: Prejudice's call of duty.

I'm not convinced that anyone who hasn't already played the original game -- which is available on Xbox 360 for $20US most places, and just launched on PC with the DLC episodes -- would be able to even marginally follow what the hell is going on in American Nightmare. No doubt it would up the bizarreness of the game for those players but the main draw is more or less for fans only. And, really, this writer is okay with that.

Feels like a new game when you compare it to previous Rayman games.

Like the Wicked Witch of the West, the battle engine dissolves (i.e. explodes) when immersed in water.

I really liked playing Spider-Man: Shattered Dimension because every level seemed to have something different to do, and failing that, at least it always looked radically different from level to level.

At times the multiplayer features can be quite entertaining but there may not be enough wrinkles added to the gameplay to keep groups playing. [Score = 94 if no experience with GBA game]

The Bard is a poor close-in fighter, but he also sucks with ranged weapons. Luckily, he has friends.

Lemmings is a re-hash of an old classic, but it gets nearly everything right. Team17 once again confirms that they are masters of simple, fun, funny games.

NHL Slapshot does a great job playing to the strengths of the Wii, which makes for an accessible experience and smooth on-ice action.

It’s a very nuts and bolts sort of RPG with a fair amount of nooks and crannies to check out, but the game lacks the pop that will keep a player glued to their seat until the wee morning hours.

And with the kind of game V-Rally 3 is with it’s realistic rendering of the sport, good numbers of options, and good racing, it’s likely we’ll see a V-Rally 4. Recommended to rally fans for sure.

With some great-looking explosions, a comfortable control scheme, good action and mission variety and structure, and, of course, genuine fun and humor, Destroy All Humans! is a highly recommended summer title.

Not even the innovation with the headset or the cruel dismemberments can blot out a maddening linearity.

Maybe the biggest surprise here is that Triumph Studios included an online option. A couple of Versus modes -- Slaughter and Pillage -- and Co-Op Survival fill out an already substantial game.

The control aspect takes a bit of practice and some of the longer, tougher missions take a bit of patience to replay a few times to find the best points of tactical advantage, but Battalion Wars succeeds on being both an action game and a game of strategic pondering.

A no-brainer as a family purchase... Great stuff.

Anyone on the lookout for a fast-paced, cutesy arcade baseball title which happens to feature famous Nintendo mascots need look no further.

On PC, Prototype 2 hums along nicely in the presentation department, but playing a game a game like this with a keyboard and mouse is ridiculous. It's not as accurate as playing with a controller, which this reviewer switched to after about 20 minutes fidgeting with the keyboard and mouse and finding them completely impractical at best and frustrating at worst.

While the British humor leanings of Fright of the Bumble Bees might not be everybody’s cup of tea (and crumpets), and doesn’t have the same hilarity level of both the Sam & Max and Strong Bad games, it is funny enough and continues the Telltale Games propensity for creating yet another very enjoyable point & click adventure with a smartly written story and tough-enough puzzles.

There’s no diplomatic way to say this, it never feels like you have anything interesting to do across MM3's many missions.

If dating is your game and "partying" is your middle name, then dance on downtown with Nightlife, where the nighttime is the right time for loving and partying hearty all night until the sun rises in the morning.

Space Marine is a satisfying action game.

This is one of the best rosters in all of the KoF games, and longtime fans will probably not be disappointed.

In the end, Demigod does a lot of things right.

Don't be fooled as I was – Pokémon Emerald is a great strategy RPG.

JA is a good-looking game. It may not be the most beautiful game ever, but it moves at a good clip and the lightsaber duels look very cool, especially when you're on a roll.

Dead Space 3 is a very solid action shooter that still delivers plenty of scary, survivor-horror frightening moments.

Like "Max Payne," BR is fun while it lasts and it has enough style to make it worth revisiting.

Yes, it's a blatant rip-off of Grand Theft Auto. So were a lot of other games - but at least The Godfather is a good rip-off of the genre setter.

All in all, I'm a huge fan of WWE 2K14 and am excited to see what we can look forward to on the next generation consoles. A few more tweaks and a shinier coat of polish and we'll be talking about how the WWE 2K franchise is as much of a must-have for all sports fans.

If you like the match three concept and RPG’s too, there is no question you are going to love this game. If you’re a bit dicey on both then I’d suggest you try before you buy.

Yakuza is a top notch beat ‘em up with enough extras to flesh out the genre, and breath new life into it for a new generation.

It might not be the best way to be introduced to the genre because it is so deep in the gameplay department, but those accustomed to the genre will eat this up and have a great time.