If you want a taste of fighting in the Guilty Gear universe, skip this title, and get "Guilty Gear X2" instead.

In 30-minute stretches it’s a fine challenge.

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.

Despite some inane gameplay features, the arcade-style flying and fighting is very good.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star sure isn't like the Paper Mario games that have come before it. So much so, that's it's hard to think of Sticker Star as a role-playing game. If role-playing is defined as collecting and using stickers, then it would fit, but it doesn't.

It definitely takes the edge off for younger players who just want to have fun but it provides little risk for those expecting some kind of severe punishment or challenge.

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

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

A difficult FPS-style game that suffers from a few short-comings that prevent it from being a truly great game.

It's a lengthy romp with plenty of action, though it does fall somewhat flat when it comes to being memorable or offering stand-out encounters; it's gory entertainment, doesn't take itself seriously -- the recent release of "Viscera Cleanup Detail" confirms that -- and has some good first-person swordplay for $40.

APE is quite tactical, the control is good and it should keep fans interested, even with the fog-of-war, funnel levels, and pathfinding problems - a good RTS entry.

While the game is fun to play, it’s not too fun to look at.

This genre is notably absent from the console world. A number of real-time strategy games have made in-roads in establishing this almost PC-exclusive genre on consoles but until mouse and keyboard get the nod, it has hit a wall. I'm just glad it has done so with a steel drum beat.

Blue Dragon is a harmless, lighthearted role-playing game at its core with too many cutscenes but with some really great strategic battles.

Had Madness Returns cut its length by half and tossed in a few more gameplay mechanics, it could have easily been one of the best titles released this year.

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

The kind of game that will appeal for immediate accessibility but perfectionists will be turned off by the shear repetition required to get everything in the game.

With bigger guns and even bigger levels, Unreal Tournament 2003 seems to say: size does matter.

For those of you diehard fans who can quote Scarface the same way other people quote Monty Python, Scarface: The World Is Yours is exactly the game you've been waiting for for the last quarter century.

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.

Honestly, when you want to tune out and just hack through hordes of rushing enemies for a half hour, Too Human fits the bill.

It lacks the certain fun factor that elevates a game to "must own" status instead of sitting at "rent a few times." Some of this is owed to the basic design of the game.

As long as you know what level to put your expectations, there's a decent enough hockey game here.

Taken as a scripted series of events the gameplay can be engaging, particularly after an unusual plot twist.

Besides my complaint about not having enough extras, Anthology also suffers a little from not having an online component.

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.

It doesn’t break any new ground. I don’t care if the heads-up display tells me I’m going 600 mph, the sensation of speed isn’t any greater than in Mario Cart.

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

Simply put DSII is your average squad shooter. There is nothing breathtaking about this game but it can provide you with some hours of enjoyment.

An overall average enjoyable experience ' a little more enjoyable if you enjoyed the film and are in the pre-teen demographic.

Overall, Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends is entirely inoffensive fun, even if it lacks in the challenge department.

The sound is where the game really suffers. There are only two types of music you can listen to during the game. These include Rock and Techno. Both are horrible.

After playing the game for a few 3 hour sessions, the gameplay seemed quite repetitive, and there was little challenge either mentally, strategically, or in twitch reflex.

Fans of the Patrician series will doubtlessly find a lot to enjoy from the newest iteration. Those who haven't been exposed to it before will find a very deep trading and city building simulation, but the pace may turn off players who prefer their empires built in a day.

There are some good ideas here, but they're overwhelmed by all of the visual effects that are being thrown at the player.

Just Cause offer’s some interesting gameplay elements and is definitely worth checking out if you’re into sandbox style gameplay. The only real complaint that can be levied against Just Cause is its lack of depth and polish, which makes it better suited for a rental.

While it is a tad disappointing that the game doesn’t have its conductor’s staff, the overall selection of music encountered and execution makes for a refreshing departure from the status quo in the genre.

More like a puzzle game interspersed with fighting than anything else.

Battlestations: Midway offers up a change from other World War II themed games and real time strategy fans are really going to find some enjoyment in this title. Those who are more interested in action-packed gameplay may find the level of micromanagement and accessibility to be a problem.

But for their kids, Friend or Foe is excellent preparation for more complicated action games until they graduate to Teen games thanks to the depth of the combos.

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!

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.

Those that hate obtuse puzzles will want to steer clear. The real attraction to GKIII is the information about Rennnes-le-Chateau and surrounding environs. It’s the next best thing to actually traveling to the south of France, and a lot cheaper.

The humor is often funny and always clean, which is a real accomplishment.

Football fans should have no problem picking up U.E.F.A. and enjoying themselves with a layered experience, but for me and gamers like me, I have a hard time even fairly scoring U.E.F.A. because it is so niche, so specifically targeted that a fully “objective” review just isn’t possible.

The raw elements of DRvAK should please hardcore strategist, but it needs a little more polish in terms of pathfinding and formation options (which are extremely limited).

But those looking for a mix of good multi-tiered fighting that's finally available online with some elements of an action-adventure (although nowhere near as engaging as the fighting aspect) that also provides long, fan-appealing anime cut-scenes that weave together another Naruto tale should be satisfied with the second installment of this particular Naruto-based franchise.

Fills a void on the PC, that gray area between Freddy Fish and "Half-Life 2."

When the smoke clears, Operation Arrowhead is a decent addition to ARMA II. It adds more avenues for players to experience military operations, and view them with decidedly different perspectives.

There are a lot of better stealth-action games out there, but die-hard stealth-action fans should give Cold War a try.

All in all, Sacred 2 had some interesting twists for the Hack-and-slash RPGers amongst us. It was not without its’ flaws, some of which will be harder to overlook for some gamers. If you can get past those weaknesses, the game itself can get quite enjoyable if not entertaining.

While bitching about the problems with the enemy, if you manage to hit your enemy with a bullet, I’d make sure to hit him repeatedly… head shots aren’t necessarily fatal, and shots to legs can usually be walked off after bouncing around for a few seconds.

It seems safe to say that Steel Diver will not reach the level of popularity among Nintendo's most beloved franchises, but Miyamoto and company still deserve kudos for inventing another unique gameplay experience that is seldom seen elsewhere. While the learning curve can be steep, enough patience will lead to a satisfying package that's two games in one and easily bears replaying.

Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D is a step in the right direction when it comes to reaching out to the "hardcore" audience, but there are too many strikes against the title to make it one I'd recommend. Unless you like crazy.

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.

If you're a fan of adventure games, staying away from Syberia II is like refusing to drink water in the scorching desert because it's not cold enough.

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.

As an adventure game on-the-go for younger gamers, Trace Memory offers a solid challenge and a very good presentation and use of the touchscreen.

The game is nothing more than it pretends to be. It's about dancing and the music selection is great.

While the immersion factor is high, it’s hard to feel like you’re playing much more than a support role in the overall war at times, unlike the role played in the Starfighter games.

While the game clocks in at about 5 - 6 hours from start to finish, I don't know anyone masochistic enough to undertake such a challenge.

When the playability distractions are absent from Breach, though, it is a relatively good, albeit barebones, Call of Duty online military shooter substitute.

It doesn’t have the playability to make it essential in today’s gaming market. With so many titles competing for the time and money of gamers, it is simply not up to par.

If "The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind" were stripped of its depth, its open-ended gameplay, its plethora of quests and overarching story, and its hardcore role-playing game mystique, Enclave would be the result, an often entertaining but equally often frustrating game.

As a result, Kung Fu Panda is easily recommendable for the younger set and to parents that are looking for a video game for their kids to play on those rainy days when homework has been completed.

The single-mindedness of the gameplay makes it easy to get into, but in the long term, the game has less to offer.

All in all, Tony Hawk HD proves that while you can't always go back, it certainly can be a lot of run to reminisce. Definitely worth a short-term pickup or for a quick break from reality… long term though? Not really.

Commandos Strike Force is the only game I've ever attempted to play on Xbox Live where there wasn't a single player playing.

All in all, Rainbow Moon is a charming indy title – obviously not as polished or fleshed out as it could have been, but certainly worth the lowered price point on PSN.

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.

Those expecting a more action heavy experience will feel a little let down, but as a puzzle heavy action game, Lara can more than hold her own.

With enough patience, and perhaps a printable list of vocal commands by your side, EndWar can become an engaging strategy-based game. It may not reach the level of PC gaming’s most popular RTS games, but for console owners, this war is anything but hell.

Accessible is the key word when it comes to Burnout – the game's most notable feature is the butter-smooth, quick responsive control, especially with the perfect fit of the GameCube controller.

Aficionados of the real-time strategy genre might want to buy Earth 2160 even though there are almost too many options to consider when it comes to vehicle design and the lackluster campaigns could have benefited from a lot more attention.

It's hard to knock this package, considering it does what it sets out to do, and does it pretty well.

The game by itself, is sort of bland and unexciting because of the lack of variety.

I found the presentation technically impeccable, but was not able to sufficiently overcome the difficulty in issuing orders and controlling the camera to derive a lot of enjoyment from the game.

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

An element that remains inconsistent is the computer-controlled AI which can fluctuate between incompetent to god-life over the course of a single round.

Fans will love it, but there's no harm with sticking with previous games in the NHL series.

If you’re a fan of the original game, snatch it up because it adds lots more to Galactic Battlegrounds (including some user-made maps) and should bring you hours of gaming. (Trust me.)

All in all, Leisure Suit Larry Reloaded was an exceptional game to play and is definitely worth the $20 for those who played the originals, the remake, or just want to see why this franchise was so revered back in the day.

That's pretty limp, but the games themselves are good enough to stand on their own as a worthy purchase for collectors and those that may be curious about the series.

A strikingly realistic fighting game that will be immensely fun for those to rent, but I can’t imagine getting more than 15 hours of enjoyment out of the game.

For players who missed out on the original Butcher Bay, now is the perfect opportunity to take part in the interstellar jailbreak and the following pirate raid making up its second half.

Having some smarter AI and more purposeful stealth elements would have gone a long way.

A disappointment. The game lacks polish thanks to enemies that never stay dead and a lock-on method that is only so-so.

Isn’t a bad game, however it isn’t terribly spectacular either. It’s unrefined, but still a reasonably fun title, more worthwhile to rent or track down in the bargain bin one day.

Revisiting the levels to mop up adds some replay value to the otherwise rather short game.

This late in the PS2 life cycle, there really isn't any excuse for a port that is so shoddy, especially when it is coming a year and a half later than the original release.

Simply put: Operation Surma is a half-assed "Splinter Cell."

This the most frightening game I’ve ever played. This is due to two factors: the light-sourcing and the sound.

As it stands, it feels like Namco just didn’t know where to draw the line on content for this game.

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.

A relatively simplistic shooter.

Unfortunately, while they are GrX’s greatest trait, the battles are also GrX’s biggest weakness. The problem is there are simply too many of them.

Bland and non-involving.

It’s like playing an extreme hand of poker, complete with kicks to the face and pile drivers. It’s almost turn-based. Matches typically turn into exchanges of combos. If you don’t grasp this fact, you’ll be trounced by the AI.