I think it's great that Nintendo is offering an incentive to kids to get them moving with the Pokéwalker. That's pretty much the only thing new happening with HeartGold, everything else is typically addicting of the Pokémon series.

Just firing this beast up, and blasting some bad guys without a care in the world feels very refreshing.

Overall, I couldn't be happier with MVP Baseball 2005. For next year, all I need is more mini-games, more un-lockable content, and a couple of pitchers who don't give up poorly-timed gopher balls.

The battles are as intense as ever and the gameplay is still as solid as the original.

With apologies to the Combat Mission franchise, Opposing Fronts has started to encroach on the "pure sim" functions of "dice rolling" strategy games, but wrapping it all up in good looking, frenetic action make it accessible to a much wider audience.

For those who have sinned in calling the Wii a casual console, this game is your punishment. But boy does it hurt so good.

As a lifelong fan of both text-based and table-top baseball games, I can honestly say that OOTP4 is the best baseball game I have ever played. The recent releases of its two biggest competitors, "Baseball Mogu"l and "PureSim Baseball," are both top-notch, but, in the end, OOTP4 out options them and certainly provides a smoother, more compelling re-creation of America’s pastime.

Three tables, all with different aspects of gameplay and a variety of characters from the Star Wars universe, will delight the army of Star Wars fans. But as always, regardless of the subject matter, the real supernova star of any FX 2 pinball game is the stellar ball physics and authentic pinball sounds.

Hockey enthusiasts will absolutely love NHL 2004.

The Gamecube controller butchers the game.

It remains to be seen if LittleBigPlanet’s portable community will be as dedicated or creative enough to continually pump out user-made levels, which has allowed the original PS3 version to enjoy repeated success even years after its launch, but regardless of whether you own both consoles or not, Sackboy’s portable world tour isn’t one you want to miss.

Visually the game is absolutely stunning with its use of cel shading in comparison to the presentation used in the first game.

From an aural standpoint GGX2 is equally impressive.

Be that as it may, the strengths of A Crack in Time overcome its weaknesses and on the whole is a fun experience.

Aimed toward the more "casual" sport gamer. If you just want to pick up the controller occasionally and play some basketball, ESPN is your game.

It's fun and non-threatening, and anyone watching it will be entertained.

Each game and each expansion is always just better than their last mind-blowing accomplishment, and here, the camera work and scene integration is the new star.

An engaging experience from start to finish, including the mini-games and boss battles.

OOTP 14 doesn't feature huge changes from last year's model.

All in all, Fight Night Round 4 is an excellent game, that will appeal to the boxing fans amongst us. Not perfect yet, but getting pretty darn close with each version.

With an outrageous plethora of fantasy league-style features, nobody comes close to capturing the authenticity of fantasy leaguing better than EA.

Overall, The Witcher was a game which strived for the peaks of the highest mountains, but only reached the base camp.

There are many great World War II games but in my mind Call of Duty 2 is the best of the bunch.

The single-player is great and the multi-player is even better.

Superior controls and artificial intellect go a long way to making this a quality simulation of NFL football on the field.

There's some uneven bits but Saints Row IV captures what video games should be or at least strive to be: Fun. And that exuberance of playing around in a big sandbox with almost no limits placed on the player while spinning an entertaining yarn that fully acknowledges that it's a game should put Saints Row IV on a lot of Game of Year lists.

All in all, Need for Speed: Most Wanted U is the standout game on the Wii U for racing, and probably one of the better games available on the console right now. It does have some faults, but is still an excellent example of the Need for Speed universe.

And that's what Mercenaries is all about. No, not democracy to a downtrodden people. Cash. And plenty of it!

The Sims 3 is pure simulation gaming fun, and the ultimate God game today.

Regardless of Marvel's heroes and villains, Pinball FX 2's realistic and engaging pinball gameplay is as close to bringing back the glory of pinball's Golden Age as it gets.

As much as I was pummelled by the higher echelon of boxers, it was (and continues to be) fun. It’s also open enough to be kid-friendly and punishing enough to offer the kind of experience many of us from the NES era remember so fondly.

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm offers a challenging campaign, plenty of story and character to consider, and much in the way of production value that few other games can match.

Nothing is better then running over a vulnerable pedestrian, drive under an 18-wheeler while going over 100, speed across red lights inching past others, and use your NAS booster, without being pulled over by a cop.

At $20US Guilty Gear X2 #Reload is a steal for those that are passionate about their fighting games. Snatch it up!

The more advanced lightsaber customization was another one of those things that made me think that the developers really did have a good grip on what being a Jedi is about.

It’s still pleasant, lighthearted fun and legions better than the embarrassing "Lunar: Dragon Song," making it the uncontested champion of DS RPGs.

Like an exceptionally well-done dramatic movie or must-read book just too good to stop watching or put down, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons has striking visuals, a strong narrative and good-enough puzzles. However, it will be most remembered for its engrossing, dramatic and emotionally charged adventure.

An extremely good fighter; just don’t expect it to reinvent the wheel.

The main focus here was to improve the AI and even though some of the additions like the ones I mentioned above are welcomed, overall it just feels more like some tweaks to the veterans of the series rather than something that's completely new and improved.

While a few missing extras and features might keep Third Strike: Online Edition from being the ultimate edition of Street Fighter III, the amount of care put into the core game as well as its online multiplayer easily elevates this release as the definitive version. The

It’s a game that fatigues quickly. There’s nothing wrong with the gameplay, per se; it just feels a little bit empty. Try playing through the game without using the bullet time feature, and you’ll see how bland it really is.

For those that want a more relaxed game experience devoid of that “Go! Go! Go!” mentality, you’ll feel quite at home in Animal Crossing: Wild World.

All in all, DMC was a fun surprise to review and one of the best games released this year.

There was enough original action and story line to keep me playing right to the end and wanting more missions.

As the only game franchise that my wife actually wants to play, I have no problem giving the Unwound Future a massive stamp of approval.

It's not really a better game than the original, as the controls are still a little bit wonky, but it is more creative, and you have to give props to the developers for giving us some humorous reasons to play the same (excellent) game again.

Perhaps one of the coolest parts of this game is that after every level is completed, Sly learns a new stealth move, which helps him get by enemies and dodge traps and ambushes.

It’s nice to see that Harmonix decided not to rest on their laurels and instead try some new things with Amplitude, and the diversity in the available music tracks is commendable.

This is the best four-player game since the original "Gauntlet" and the resulting fun is worth the effort.

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

There’s a big list of spells, many details to track, loads of different units to recruit, train, and summon, a good level of challenge, an interface that doesn’t get in the way of playing the game, and a very intriguing end-game sequence.

One of my favorite features is the tutorial called "Offensive Driving 101" where you are taken through a list of all of the best techniques for getting ahead. (Where else can you drive like a maniac in a Student Driver car?)

A very good rally racer. It looks good and plays even better. For those interested in this style of racing, this title is one worth looking into.

FT is also a perfect example of how music can make half the experience. The Gone Jackals, a biker band, provided much of the music and it’s situated so perfectly that it’s almost as if it was written especially for FT. Add to that a very good cast of voice actors, some very funny lines, and you’ve got a nearly flawless game.

This is the best online shooting experience available today, including the recently-released Xbox translation of the PC sensation "Counter-Strike."

Although the single-player is a roller coaster ride, complete with "on rails" vehicle sections that are over all too soon the multiplayer will ensure that you stick around.

Max Payne 3 has an action-packed and long-lasting single-player campaign driven by an expectedly solid single-player story that is a Rockstar trademark. That combines with very entertaining multiplayer that will have gamers playing long after the single-player campaign is complete.

What seemed like a worthless waste of effort by the EA Black Box development team in daring to take on the mighty Tony Hawk skating franchise turns out to be completely worthwhile as the new kid skating around the block is anything but a wannabe poseur.

As a Warhammer table top player, all I can say is this game has been a long time in coming. If you are tired of the PvE grind in WoW or simply prefer a more tactically oriented PvP game, I heartily recommend WAR.

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin comes with the highest recommendation – the only thing preventing wider appeal for the series, is its difficulty level which is high even for experienced players.

This is what an adventure game should be: easy to look at, great puzzles and sound, simple interaction, humour, solid writing and the power to transport the player somewhere else for some fun.

It took long enough for a sequel to arrive but Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon offers a spirited romp, a good level of challenge, and might spur some thought regarding your very existence.

A trip through his cerebral mass would be an interesting journey, just to see where Schafer comes up with his characters and their quirky realms.

It almost seemed as if the music game genre was starting to fade, however GH5 still manages to incorporate some interesting features and bring new things to the table, even if to does not have the same level of polish as the Rock Band games.

Simple gameplay that can stay entertaining for a long period of time. You can't really ask for much more from it.

All in all, Rainbow Six Vegas is an excellent tactical simulator, one that does provide some good replay in forcing you to play at near perfection (on the highest difficulty) and with some patience in order to succeed.

Though there are minor improvements over the original, Viewtiful Joe 2 is a rip-roaring ride with plenty of fun packed into the experience.

Fisher never wanted to come back to Washington, D.C., and resume his Splinter Cell lifestyle, but with a very good (although short-lived) and very good-looking single-player story along with another strong co-op mode (both offline and online) gamers will be more than pleased with Fisher’s stealthy combat return.

The good news is that there’s a lot of environmental interaction, which affects AI’s gameplay.

Last year the clear winner was NHL 2K7 when it came to online play. This year the playing field is definitely more even – it didn’t matter what game I put in I always had fun while playing over Live. However, having some friends over to play, the choice was always NHL 08.

Despite the delayed journey to the West, Ni No Kuni is definitely a title you should at least give a chance. There is a demo up on PSN that you can go ahead and download, and once you get used to the combat system and mechanics of the game, you’ll be treated to an adventure like no other.

Drastically improves on its predecessor’s shortcomings and turned out to be one the better games that I’ve played in a while – the presence of the in-game saves that were missing from the previous version alone nearly makes the game 5 times better.

An extremely good hockey game but has one major failing in my eyes: lack of fun.

Too much of a good thing doesn't seem to apply to the Sly Cooper Collection. I went through all three games back-to-back and it just left me wanting to get hold of another Sly game rather than stick the collection on the shelf and forget about the series.

A perfectly enjoyable and satisfying finale, that seems to eliminate the aggravatingly grating Soda Poppers once and for all, along with a grand wrap-up of all of the season's storylines, make "What's New, Beelzebub?" a must-play for all Sam & Max fans until the as-of-yet-unannounced-but-highly-likely-coming-soon Season Three makes its debut soon.

It’s got everything; humor, excellent cutscenes, great graphics and strong gameplay. What more can you ask for?

After some effort is put into actually learning it, the flow of the game actually feels pretty good, even to me.

A stunning and beautiful game.

With a great new single-player mode, the addictive and engrossing Legacy gameplay, online Xbox Live matches, the usual collection of boxing's best fighters in history and the further enhancement of great gameplay and boxing physics, Fight Night Champion packs a punch of excellence as an undisputed champion of gaming greatness.

Being able to snap the lid closed after a round and pick it up again hours later while I'm standing in line at the bank makes Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition the ultimate version of the title. The portability factor and ease of use, even without the production values of the console version, just made it easier for me to get into.

I’m far from finished with City of Heroes -- I'm still having fun even after so many hours.

All in all, those new to the franchise would be better served to pick up the Mass Effect Trilogy releases that came out at the same time and would get all 3 games for the same price. However, if you don't have access to an Xbox, PS3 or a gaming PC, this isn't the worst way to go.

Pokémon Diamond or Pearl will satisfy any fan of the previous games: it’s accessible, it’s fun, it features online play and trading, and the battles are more involved than ever, and you’ll get hours of enjoyment out of it – as long as you play against people your own age.

Whether you're miles ahead of your opponents, in the heat of it or straggling behind, it provides you with an adrenaline filled rush.

It has tons of replayability and lots of fun, even if it might take a while to grasp the control and get used to the speed issue.

In this reviewers opinion it meets or exceeds Halo 2 in every category.

It’s refined battle system, the use of a job system, and a much more palatable story make it well worth checking out for fans of console RPGs.

An old game in new clothing, which, fortunately, is a not a bad thing. Sure, some of the sound effects are recycled from the earliest C&C titles – send out infantry to be slaughtered and tell me I’m wrong – and it does not bring anything significantly new to the genre but is sure is fun.

For a solo player the purchase doesn't make much sense; grab Guitar Hero and some downloadable content. For someone with a lot of friends into music games, this will get a lot of play, especially with the potential endless supply of songs over Xbox Live.

A great game. The humour is consistent right from the start and nearly always borders on ridiculous, which is a nice parry to the action.

If you are a big fan of "The Sims" and are looking for a little vacation from that game, crack out the margarita mix and sun block before heading on over to the exceptionally good Tropico. May your reign be long and your Swiss bank account large!

With it’s own unique cast of characters, it has managed to provide a fun experience without innovating the FPS genre or even its own franchise.

If the GameCube is your only access to gaming bliss and you’re a hockey fan, then there really isn’t a better hockey game for you than NHL 2004. Just be prepared to groan when you have your friend trash talk you when they score a back handed one timer from the point.

While the package is certainly one of the best-looking fighting games ever, the overall gameplay is hit and miss (though it hits more often than it misses) but with human opponents it can be good fun.

Pure is an enjoyable racing game even when an attempt to squeeze in one more stunt results in a pin-wheeling ragdoll rider and dropping a couple of positions. The visceral appeal of driving really fast and performing all manner of impossible gyrations is strong enough to make Pure a gotta play title.

Crysis 2 is an excellent first person shooter and delivers a different experience than what other titles in the genre are currently offering. "Have it your way" is really the name of the game and whether you love frantic shooters or stealth based games, Crysis 2 has a little of everything.

Even with all the positives running for the game, I still felt a little bit underwhelmed by SCIV, it’s definitely still a solid entry to the series and finally being able to play online is worth the buy. If you are new to the series, I do not think you’ll be disappointed.

The music is one of those touches that really remind you that this is a Disney property. All of the musical scores for the worlds are either originals or very strikingly similar ones.