A wholly decent entertainment experience although it won’t change anyone’s opinion about the genre it unfortunately sits in.

RF’s biggest speed bump on its way past Mediocrity Street is the hard-to-figure-out license and Race of Champions mode.

The first couple of difficulty levels are complete pushovers, so anyone with previous experience should jump to the Hard difficulty level. Then the game comes down to accurately predicting opponents and taking advantage of their weaknesses. (Luigi is atrocious at returning "fish tile" power shots.) As with most games like these, maatching skills against computer-controlled opponents takes a backseat to human competition. Either way, Mario Tennis Open is pleasant, though it seems to lack any addictive extras or some hook to make it addictive.

It is neither particularly offensive nor particularly engrossing, but for a licensed property, one could certainly do far worse.

Not everyone is going to take a liking to Shiren - it's a game where you need to actively seek out its pleasures, and other than some occasional advice from wandering NPCs, you'll need educate yourself by reading FAQs or interacting with other Shiren players.

That's not to say it's not enjoyable or that it's a bad game – it is very easy to pick up and play for enjoyment in short spurts – it's just average. If you want the definitive Crazy Taxi game, this is it.

As far as move tie-ins go it’s better than some of them without actually having much innovative about it besides the Wii controls.

While Magical Starsign offers a bit of amusement, and more than its share of chuckles, the actual game mechanics keeps it from being too engrossing.

What ultimately makes IndyCar Series good instead of great is it’s inability to really target an audience.

Although the characters are an eclectic collection of freaks, strippers and malcontents, looks are deceiving – this is a hardcore golf game.

There may be some complaints about the game being a linear affair, with nothing in the way of free-form exploration. Those complaints are absolutely accurate, but I hardly view it's linear approach as something to whine about. It lets the story run it's course without the chance of the player running off the rails trying to dig around through a branching story.

All things considered, SimCity may have just been too big to fit on a handheld. That said, if you can cope with the limitation of one save slot and some small text and graphics, SimCity DS might be worth it check out.

With nice graphics and a storyline you don't mind following with a likeable hero, Prehistorik Man is a GBA title that has a lot going for it even though it follows the tried-and-true path of the 16-bit platform game to a "T".

Earth Defense Force 2017 overcomes its weaknesses by being brainless and ridiculous fun. It’s as simple as that. Play, have fun.

NCAA March Madness 08 definitely gives it the old college try and is still a solid college basketball game overall, but just the act of trying to be great isn’t good enough, particularly when there’s not much of an upgrade from its predecessor in the franchise.

There never seemed to be alternate routes to take; there's one way to go and that's it.

High Voltage hopefully learned some lessons during The Conduit’s development, they obviously learned from the mistakes and strengths of the likes of Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 and Metroid Prime, because the basic groundwork has been laid for an even better sequel.

Iron Storm does look and feel dated because of the graphics, and because of the type of gamplay that is offered. While it does feel like a complete game, and while I did feel satisfied playing it, it left me felling like the storyline should have been done justice.

The basics of the original remain intact – clap, slap and bang the bongos.

There’s still the occasionally spastic camera to deal with – as if even the game itself can’t keep up with what’s going on – and the feeling that something bad-ass is happening with all those button presses without really knowing what, so if you want nuance, just keep looking.

If portable Basketball on the go is what you’re looking for, you could do worse than The Inside. But the real inside scoop is the fun time-wasting mini-games, which depending on whom you ask, either compliment an otherwise generic sports package, or eclipses it.

There are some cool visuals, a combat system I like, plenty of save points, and just the right amount of Korean-cum-Japanese craziness and campy ellipses to be enjoyable.

While it may appear that Glory of Heracles is overridden with negatives, it still equals an overall solid RPG adventure, with a well written localization that helps establish its charm when the graphics fail to do so.

A 3D fighter for people who hate 3D fighters.

However well done the game is from a technical standpoint, its actual content makes a mockery of the men and the operations it tries so very hard to flatter.

While NBA Live 07 might not be starting-lineup material, it sits comfortably in the sixth-man spot, indulging its longtime fans of the franchise with another reliable rendition to get their "basketball jones" on.

It’s not quite as strong as what you might find in some of the Final Fantasy versions on the DS, but this is still a strong title for the portable system that could and worthy of your consideration.

Gamewise? Think candy - I liked the game in small doses.

If you are a tactical shooter, this isn't your game. It's the combination of many small parts from different genres so it will probably only appeal to the casual fan.

It’s great to see Electronic Arts put some effort into a platform specific release instead of the sub-standard ports the Wii often tends to get. Highly recommended for fans of the series, just bring your wheel to the party.

Spinning a new tune for the franchise, Def Jam ICON’s incredible graphics, a really fresh gameplay innovation, great hip-hop soundtrack, the ability to play to your own “beats” and solid online fighting come together in (Bone, Thugs-N) harmony.

A game parents will be able to safely play with their pre-teen kids.

A linear action game that certainly brings style in spades, but has a series of flaws that prevent it from being a truly great game.

When a game's so hard that playing becomes more of a chore than enjoyment and the online gameplay that could have made up for the extremely taxing single-player mode doesn't even work the way it should, not too many gamers are going to give it a fair chance unless they're a uber geek that thrives on the computer-related features of TRON 2.0 Killer App.

A great add-on for fans of the Quake series and multiplayer mayhem. This is a must have for the frag fanatic.

It may not replace traditional board games, but Mario Party 5 is another solid addition to the Mario Party franchise.

As a first release and a re-launch of the Turok franchise, the team should be proud; the action moves at a good clip, it looks great, the sci-fi clichés make us comfortable, and it’s fun.

As something to mess around with for no money down, World of Warplanes offers a wonderful arcade flying experience even if the richness of the gameplay modes is about ankle deep.

Simply put, if you're not a fan of the genre, then Phantasy Star Portable 2 isn't for you. If you have been a fan for this long, then the good news is that there's more missions and loot for you to spend the next few weeks collecting, as well as a fully online multiplayer that's both functional as well as free. Whether you'll find an audience of fellow PSP players connected at the same time, however, is almost as uncertain as the universe itself.

If you want to play baseball on the Wii, try The Bigs or MLB Power Pros. Even though Sluggers does have fast paced action, giant baseball super pitches and fireball star hits, as a baseball game, Mario Super Sluggers is too simplistic for the average game player.

The idea behind NFL Head Coach was an interesting one. But too many little flaws and deficiencies shelve the game on the nearly-unable-to-perform list, at least at the performance level it set out to reach.

Definitely isn’t as good as "Mario Kart," but bring some friends over and you can still have one hell of a fun gaming experience.

Medal of Honor 2: Heroes doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. However, like any good sequel it keeps what worked in the original and improves on much of what was wrong.

If you’ve got pre-teen kids they are going to love this game and the co-op mode will allow you to join in the fun. When the kids are not around, and you think nobody else is looking, pop the disc in yourself. You just never know what you’re going to find down that rabbit hole.

The learning curve for Downforce is about 2 hours – within that time, most people should have figured out the nuances of the hairpin turns and how to contact other cars to spin them out.

Like most PSP games, Moto GP is pretty much the same as the Playstation 2 version, just smaller. While the translation is very well done, there’s nothing interesting and worthwhile unless you really need it in a portable format.

The turn-based strategy offers quite a bit of challenge but the fighting should be just right, with just enough different characters to keep you going.

While all this gameplay is offered, and the core strategic elements of the game are sound, the game is crippled by its mediocre production values.

Even the interface is out of the olden days.

As much of a cool mixture of '90s nostalgia and modern gaming, it doesn't mean that the game is all the memorable. Having the entirety of Manhattan to swing around between inside missions is a technological feat, but it might have done Beenox better to make a smaller, more densely populated environment to explore and experience different story beats.

The idea of WWII espionage and sabotage efforts on the Eastern Front is ripe with possibilities for a game, but Death to Spies bungled the execution on this one.

An overall solid entry into a crowded platformer market. I would have scored KDL a lot higher if it wasn’t hindered by annoyances such as the camera and having to trek across the land to get to shops.

Whether for first timers or double dippers, Re: Chain of Memories is a worthy addition for fans and newcomers alike.

It’s not exactly The Sims, being toned down to appeal to a much younger audience. In fact, it’s hard to believe anybody except females under the age of 14 will find the MySims’ pastel-colored universe and sugarcoated characters a charming gaming adventure.

Its presentation and slick detail are a credit to the developers, but the often laborious pace will put off those seeking more intensity in their RTS offerings.

With forebodingly scary levels, huge end bosses and plenty of enjoyably hellacious, gory FPS gameplay, Painkiller: Hell Wars has enough quality features to blaze a fiery path into the Xbox library of shooter aficionados as it is one of the most devilishly pleasurable FPS titles on the Xbox.

All in all, it's a decent game it just doesn't offer anything spectacular.

Wizard-wannabes under the age of 15 will be infatuated.

Overall, the game is a bit above average. If you love the license, you'll have fun and you'll forgive some of the issues. If you can't wait to be The Undertaker, or Randy Savage or even Jake the Snake then this game will leave you howling in (and out) of the ring.

If "Warcraft 3" is a tactical blitz, O.R.B. is the slower, relaxed alternative. It's a seldom-traveled path: a game of patience, development and, lest we forget, strategy.

It’s got its flaws and it's share of bugs, but being able to have free reign almost cancels them out.

A solid, if unremarkable, example of the weirdly successful genre.

The fisticuffs get tired pretty fast (as will your right thumb) trying to beat up the bad guys, particularly the later stages that feature god-like AI opponents and extremely trying boss battles.

The developers at Ubisoft are obviously Batman fans because they’ve made a game that sticks close to the source material while weaving a solid story and giving gamers a chance to play an episode of The Animated Series.

Virgil's Downfall will add another 8 or so hours of story to your Devil May Cry game, and for those who enjoyed the original game immensely the extra few dollars to purchase is a good investment to get a little more of the same experience. As long as you don't get your heart set on getting the exact same play that you loved about the original you'll be leaving happy.

The game controls pretty smooth, except when your player gets the ball. In perhaps an effort to emulate the awkwardness of dribbling, all of your movements are delayed slightly.

If the combat and story (even as long as it takes to get going) wasn’t as good as it is, I would be much more hesitant to give Web of Shadows a positive recommendation.

Beyond the storyline, there is not one thing that is truly well executed in this game.

The great unknown with Brink is whether a strong online community will form and maintain itself. And that's the crux of the matter. Blazing through the Campaign takes little time and earns a good number of achievement points but the game is lumbered with awful AI. I had limited online play with real people and found Brink to run smoothly enough but this is before a thousands of people jump on to find a game.

A hack-and-slash with plenty of action-adventure gameplay, Rise of the Kasai is a good game for the gamer who loves the blood-spilling with huge and heavy weapons.

NFL Street 3 reaches a lofty level of “Chad Johnson-ness” for its outrageousness and over-the-top gameplay along with the nice embellishments of new modes and moves, but a sometimes-aggravating camera, lackluster graphics not up to the level of its console brethren and handheld controls that don’t entirely feel responsive as they should be deflate any game ball that you could have potentially handed out to NFL Street 3.

Though the DS touch screen screams to me “Customized playbook!” it must have been screaming something else to the developers.

While certainly a good game, the fact that it is overshadowed by its other iterations leaves a feeling of expectance. Rainbow Six 3 does deliver but those with more than one system at home will like want to pick up a different version of the game.

A good RPG for adult gamers and possibly even a great RPG for young gamers - especially those obsessed with deck-building card games like Yu-Gi-OH! and Dragonball Z.

All in all, I had a great time playing through the campaigns again – with the collectible nature of the game and character power-ups for armor and weapons it's a great game for a little break from reality. I found the $40 price point to be a little expensive myself, especially when I bought my original game for $20… but if you have some money to drop, it might be worth it to give it a spin.

All in all, I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed by Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. While it is not a terrible game, it doesn’t live up to the expectations that the first one created.

I really did not like Blinx 2 in the least. What could have been a redemptive game that just needed to retool a predecessor that really wasn't that far off from being a very good game turned into a disaster.

Basically dreck. I should have been a straight-up action game or a full-fledged role-playing game with a coherent story to accompany more connected levels. Instead it's long, boring and not worth anyone's time, even if the touchscreen spellcasting is kind of fun.

I imagine that G-Force will be one of those Trojan Horse games for my nephew that gets him familiar with games that are definitely for the mature player. Who would have thought a guinea pig with a jetpack could be a Trojan Horse?

The average gameplay can get tedious in its chore duty, so those who aren’t entranced by all things Harry Potter should be forewarned, but fans will have plenty of fun in the halls of Hogwarts found in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix .

A solid title that will appeal to those looking for a more realistic fighting game.

If one had to buy an ATV racer for the PS2, I would suggest "ATV Offroad Fury 2"; it gives you a lot more bang for your buck.

If the overhead perspective doesn't frighten you off, Grand Theft Auto Advance is a good GTA game to take on the road.

Proves that gameplay and story can (and always should) supersede flash and that a game does not need a big budget to tell a great story.

Despite the insanely difficult and nearly impossible Challenge mode and the sometimes-unfair violent behavior on the part of the A.I.-controlled racers, a good visual presentation, great trick system and tough races make ATV: Quad Power Racing 2 a good addition to the Xbox racing library.

It’s also over rather quickly, with very little in the way of replay value. Still, it’s a great looking package with a solid game attached, which is more than can be said of most licensed titles.

A sharp, visual style and a great co-op mode that overcomes the average action gameplay provide a wonderfully wizardly good time despite a too-short and too-easy escapade.

This game may not be on par with its predecessor, but it has done a fabulous job of becoming a far more accessible game to a number of different types of gamers, be they newcomers or seasoned veterans.

As I said, some of the multiplayer magic was lost in the transition to Wii, which puts a kibosh on some of the fun.

Between the highly customizable weapons and armor, the four warrior fighting dynamic, and the general joys to be had hacking all manner of demons to ribbons, there are plenty of reasons to give this game a whirl.

BloodRayne is already no stranger to sequels so I'm hopeful that developer WayForward might be given another chance to squish some of the frustrating bits. Don't go changing the graphics and animation! Just make the split second controls a little less poke-you-in-the-eye difficult.

If you still want to feel that retro-love pick up NBA Jam, but don't expect to be blown away by its features or anything new, for there is truly a lack of both (except in terms of dunks? there will always be lots of dunks).

If you’re a fan of the genre and you’ve got a friend who wants in on it too, then I really can’t think of any good reason not to grab this one immediately and dive into it.

Magnetica probably won’t gain any converts to the puzzle genre. It’s repetitive, can often be frustrating, and it’s based on a game that’s been around since 1998, however, for quick play sessions for puzzle fans, Magnetica is worth the $40US. For everyone else, it’s harmless, it does what it does and it does it well, but if you’re not interested in puzzle games don’t worry about missing anything.

Overall, it might not be Pigsy's Perfect 10 – but it's definitely a solid 7 and worth downloading if you have the original game.

Insect Armageddon is missing the magic B-movie sensibility of its predecessor -- Insect Armageddon looks too sophisticated! -- but it's still an okay action game to play with friends and strangers who would rather blast giant monsters than serve as cannon fodder in Call of Duty or Battlefield.

Although the single-player adventure runs out of fuel way too soon, the intensity of the racing while driving beautifully rendered "dream" autos makes up for the brevity, and a few replayable modes (Challenge and online) greatly increases Need for Speed: The Run's gameplay driving distance.

It’s a good game – not a great one, but it will definitely keep you entertained for a good amount of time.