C.O.R.E. is the kind of low budget crud that would be sold in drugstores, hastily bought by an uncaring relative to pass on as a birthday gift to a poor, unsuspecting gamer. At least that plastic Transformers knockoff can serve as a chew toy for pets or a test dummy for firecrackers.

The 10-year old, the most experienced gamer of the bunch, really hemmed and hawed about the score. “I think it should be a 7 because it’s fun but it’s also kind of really hard sometimes.”

There are one or two thrills to be had by fans of the old GI Joe cartoon, but that’s about all that can be said for Rise of Cobra, which is unfortunate because as campy as GI Joe is there’s a lot of potential for a good game.

There are legions of kids out there that want to be firefighters and this game offers a little look into that career.

It isn’t as much fun to play as Muzzled!, but The Bogey Man’s surprising puzzle-structure improvement and the usual cinema-quality story and cut-scenes do provide a good-but not-quite-satisfying ending to the first season of Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures.

Lots of fun, there’s really no reason not to get Wii Sports Resort because you get a lot of fun games to play and you get the Wii Motion Plus, which will no doubt come into use with a lot of future Wii games.

I love the animation and look of the game and some the technical fighting aspects, but there's not much else.

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?

This is one war worth repeating.

The motto of the United States Marine Corps is "Semper Fidelis." I can think of no higher compliment for ArmAII than that.

Following excellent Sam Max, Strongbad and Wallace & Gromit episodic series, Telltale Games has done it once again. Tales of Monkey Island's first episode, Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, is a "yo-ho-ho and a barrel of laughs" P&C adventure game.

Trine is definitely worth spending some time with. It doesn’t bring anything new to the table, but what it does it does well.

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is one of those games that has “cult hit” written all over it – maybe it won’t hit critical mass with a general audience but those that appreciate a good shooter and a well-told story should be happy.

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.

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.

As much as Overlord II plays to the fans, I’d still recommend it to anyone that enjoys games or thinks games don’t need to take themselves so damn seriously when it comes to plot or narrative or story and instead has some fun with it.

It's the game any fan could want, but the obstacles involved can turn even the most faithful fan against it.

For the more casual player, Smash Hits is a good opportunity to breakout the instruments from On Tour and have some summer fun.

If you remember the originals (fondly of course), you will definitely want to pick this up. If this is your first time packing a six-shooter in the Wild West, you might want to consider a rental first.

But with a strong story (a hallmark of all three episodes) a refreshing setting change to the carnival grounds, and a starring role for Gromit, a few stumbles (especially at the end of the game) aren’t enough to trip up Muzzled! as the best of the three episodes yet.

Prototype is about mucking around in a sandbox filled with viscera and it certainly excels at it.

The basics are covered early on; there are more than two dozen courses to play on and a continual stream of new challenges to tackle.

Sandbox destruction at its finest, Red Faction: Guerrilla will surely satisfy action gamers because many of the constrictions we’ve all become used to – that waist-high wall that stops you dead – are blown up.

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

inFamous is a type of game that doesn’t come around often enough and is easily one of this year’s strongest titles.

While The Munchables may not be the most memorable meal on the block, it’s still a sufficient dish that can be enjoyed by kids as well as older gamers with stricter tastes.

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.

For those of you looking to train hard for the zombie apocalypse long predicted by Max Brooks, and not have to deal with any silly cinematic conventions doing so, Killing Floor might very well be the sort of thing you need to sharpen your training regimen.

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.

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.

That said, Plants vs. Zombies remains a triumph for PopCap. The game joins their Peggle at the top of the addictive, just-one-more-level-and-I'm-off-to-bed, list.

Having an almost two-games-in-one element to it, The Last Resort weaves the best of both gaming genres (point & click adventure and mystery) together seamlessly, expanding the Wallace & Gromit world with even more characters involved in the gameplay for yet more fun folly from the wacky wannabe inventor and his devoted doggie.

All told, X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition is a very playable and satisfying action game.

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

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.

In trying to do something new with the Don’s View, it seems like the resources of the development team were stretched too thin, resulting in a completely forgettable experience.

The target audience for Tales of Valor is the completest, the sort of person who's been jonesing for a fix. The problem is that this particular hit of RTS goodness isn't all that great because there's so very little to it once you get down to the actual gameplay.

Though I’m sure Activision would never go for it, I propose that Guitar Hero undergo a name change. Rather than “Guitar Hero: Metallica” it should be labelled “Guitar Hero for Metallica Fans!” because that’s a more apt description of what you get with each of these showcase titles.

There must have been something critical lost in translation when Lux-Pain was brought over from Japan because I was a few hours into the adventure and I still had very little understanding of what the hell was actually going on.

I’m a fan of the Red Alert series, warts and all. It’s just too much fun for me, whether playing with people through the co-op campaign of Red Alert 3 or the single-player aspects of Uprising, it’s all goofy fun. And that’s mainly what I want from my games: fun.

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.

The whole package is really put together with an eye on keeping it entirely consistent with its big brother counterparts, right down to the photo interludes between major operations.

Resident Evil 5 will obviously appeal to long time Resident Evil fans, particularly those that enjoyed Resident Evil 4 because a lot of what the previous game developed for the series has been honed by Resident Evil 5, giant cockroaches, mutant dogs, Las Plagas victims, inventory management, unexpected quicktime events, and bizarre story points included.

I’m a fan of the Red Alert series, warts and all. It’s just too much fun for me, whether playing with people through the co-op campaign of Red Alert 3 or the single-player aspects of Uprising, it’s all goofy fun. And that’s mainly what I want from my games: fun.

Empire: Total War is not for the historically faint of heart. It's a sumptuous feast that has a lot of meat to it, though the meat could use a good carving knife to go with it.

Sonic and the Black Knight is a fun diversion for kids, and a glimmering star of hope for longtime fans, but it’s going to take a lot more experimentation to restore the greatness of the mascot who once stood toe to toe with Mario

There’s certainly enough in the multiplayer portion of Killzone 2 to extend its shelf life beyond the relatively quick single-player Campaign and makes it worth your time.

Eat Lead has an excellent premise and a superb voice cast, but the gameplay leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

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.

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.

Although the story gets lost on its trip down the highway of quality with plot holes along with a sometimes too-unlikable cast of Harley-loving ruffians, druggies, murderers and criminals, the first DLC content for GTA IV is still a solid game that gives full-price gameplay for a discount price.

War has never been so compact and accessible.

It’s goofy fun and for $10, it’s what every arcade sports fan has been waiting for.

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.

Though there are few features of Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers that attempt to add some kind of complexity -- levelling-up the characters, power-up items, different meters to monitor -- but there's nothing here more complicated than slashing things.

Basically the games are just like you remember them – in many cases, just as simple and just as difficult as you remember them – and anyone wanting to round out their video game knowledge and experience with one big package, this one is perfect.

All the splashy, light-blooming graphics in the world and a “sexy” anime-lite protagonist can’t save X-Blades.

The action is very good, even if you can almost ignore finesse and button mash through a lot of the game, but there's not enough for me to keep coming back.

Gamers looking for a transcendent gaming experience most likely are not going to find it here. But for fans of anime, samurai movies, Samuel L. Jackson, and animated samurai movies starring Samuel L. Jackson, Afro Samurai is a literally bloody good game.

A somewhat eclectic game, Big Bang Mini offers all the spectacle of fireworks with plenty of visual attraction paired with an old-school-tough level of challenge and classic arcade-style gameplay.

In the end, despite the lengthy learning curve and a few aesthetic hiccups, Skate 2 is just about the finest and most feature-filled skating game you'll find that fans will eagerly eat up, as well as a slew of patient newcomers looking to stick it to the man with their gnarly and righteous skater skills.

Unlike the memorable Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings film trilogy (which are used to provide Lord of the Rings: Conquest’s cut-scenes), this newest EA Lord of the Rings title is more like the latest summer blockbuster: fun for the short time it lasts, but instantly forgettable once it’s over.

If you love the movie, you might want to try this out just to see what it’s all about. If you are hankering for a decent adventure game with a book twist, go grab Hotel Dusk: Room 215. It’s a much better “read”.

With diverse stories and settings, great animations and overall visuals, and strong point & click gameplay along with hilariously smart-ass ribaldry that’s becoming the developer’s trademark, 8-Bit Is Enough is a satisfying series conclusion.

It’s a short game, clocking in at 14 hours tops for most gamers the first time through, with at least a quarter of that time padded with “light seed” collection tasks that require you to re-explore levels after defeating bosses.

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

In short, the game delivers what I would have expected. It’s an average title at best, appealing to the biggest ABBA fans.

At its low price, this game should earn some consideration from any gamer looking for a cheap and simple game for a young child. Even so, however, I would highly advise you take a look at Mario Party or WarioWare: Smooth Moves instead.

Overall, Puzzlegeddon is a competent puzzle game with some innovative twists.

Although there are all kinds of these games out on the DS, this one is definitely worth your time.

While the quick menus help you get on your board as soon as possible and the camera never gets in the way of your next trick, this game would have benefited so much from better controls that didn’t cause you to miss rails and slam into walls.

If a 16-bit-esque Sonic game appeared on Xbox Live Arcade or PSN, I’d likely be all over it because the glimpses we get of a the Sonic of yore in Sonic Unleashed are very fun. It’s not enough to redeem the entire game though.

Jumping from cliff to cliff overtop of a deep ravine in South America can be a lot of fun, but it gets lost in all the times you died retrying a leap not knowing that there was a hidden ledge far off to your right.

While playing offline or split-screen isn't as fun as playing with a two or three friends online -- Left 4 Dead thrives on camaraderie -- so that's probably your only consideration when purchasing the game, because everything else is too awesome to miss.

I give them props for trying to re-work the popular Most Wanted angle of this series, I just wish it was a bit more evolved instead of running out of gas too early.

Four turns out to be the funniest episode yet, with a great spy-spoof story serving as the gameplay background.

The game graphics are alright, certainly not as polished as other fighting games this generation and definitely not a challenger against the Soul Calibur series.

Play it for a few hours, play it with your friends, after that, go to sleep and dream of SSX 5.

While Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades is a very solid follow-up port of the franchise to the DS and the technology to get it working is brilliant - why don't more developers make use of the GBA cartridge port for DS games? - I can really only recommend Decades to fans of the franchise, with the proviso that they have relatively small hands.

Chronicles of Mystery: The Scorpio Ritual is a decent title that is just a little shy of greatness.

While the tacked-on combat portions bring a blemish to the game’s identity, and the overall length is a bit on the short side (although there are plenty of speed runs and time trials to encourage multiple playthroughs to master each area for the best online time), Mirror’s Edge is still a breathtaking adventure that has brought a new immersive experience to players along with the thrill of the hunt(ed).

It’s similar enough to Red Alert 2 to feel really comfortable and though there’s been a lot of extra things added to the toy box (and not all of them work), it’s still fun.

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.

So, if you’re looking for “bang for your buck” this is it – near limitless vehicle creation, interesting levels, mini-games and multiplayer outside the main story, a light-hearted sensibility and mostly optional items to collect make this a good game and worthy of attention.

World at War proves to be another solid addition to the Call of Duty franchise.

For an action fix, particularly Horde mode, Gears of War 2 is recommended.

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.

It'd be probably work well for a rental, but much like a Sci-Fi Channel Original, Legendary isn't something you'd want to admit to having played.

So, as long as you’re between the ages of 6 and 9 (or you’re buying/renting for such a person) you’ll likely have some fun with Madagascar : Escape 2 Africa.

It’s similar enough to Red Alert 2 to feel really comfortable and though there’s been a lot of extra things added to the toy box (and not all of them work), it’s still fun.

Though Fallout 3 is a good game and it lived up to all my expectations, it is certainly not for anyone wanting a quick game.

If you can deal with the control scheme issues and the quirkiness of the game, you will enjoy playing MotorStorm: Pacific Rim if you can’t, you probably will have a good bout of controller tossing after you get screwed out of a race by some nonsensical bull.

Having a continuous supply of new levels helps LittleBigPlanet remain fresh – there’s always something new to fool around with, even though there are plenty of half-assed levels out there.

After a slow-paced beginning, Baddest of the Bands finishes with an encore performance that rock and rolls past Episode 1 and settles right behind Episode 2.

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.

From the amazingly vast landscape to the equally impressive NPC interaction to the first-rate story to the many, many choices and gameplay freedom it presents to gamers, to the co-op that will have gamers coming back for return visits to Albion long after the revenge on Lucien has been satisfyingly taken, Fable II is a stellar and engrossing RPG of the highest order.

Taking flight for the seemingly last time, Spyro gets regrettably grounded by some debilitating gameplay features, most notably the camera that will have gamers madly spewing fire and brimstone.

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.