For those gamers that were fans of the original from a single player aspect, Rise of the Witch King doesn't really add that much more such it should grab your attention. For die-hard Lord of the Rings fans, the minimal content additions will likely be enough.

Splinter Cell: Double Agent on Wii is definitely workable and even enjoyable, but you've got to work for it and and that may turn a lot of people off.

The multiplayer portion of the game is practically a game unto itself. Most matches quickly develop into fragfests – gone is any semblance of tactical approach.

Despite some satisfying leap-tall-buildings-in-a-single-bound moments above the skies of Metropolis and providing the best Superman adventure yet (again, not saying too much, if you examine the history of Superman games) with some moments of solid adventuring before getting too repetitively stale, Superman Returns just isn't that super.

A huge disappointment. The general concept is decent, but the game never evolves past that. The controls are frustrating, and the aesthetic / story of the game is such a yawn fest that only those with tremendous patience will be able to persevere for more than ten minutes at a time.

Interestingly, it’s the game’s inability to escape certain problems of previous games, like cameras and finding hotspots, as well as clinging onto the standard Zelda formula of traveling from dungeon to dungeon on a grandiose collectation that holds the game back. Despite this, it is still a must-have for anyone who owns, or is thinking of picking up a Wii.

Progress through Excite Truck doesn't just mean winning races. Performing rad power slides, collisions, tree runs, or massive air will earn you stars...(I can't believe I wrote "rad.")

Spike has done a great job making a game for Dragon Ball Z fans – possibly the ultimate Dragon Ball Z game, with loads of extras and 120 playable characters – but its shallow fighting engine, extremely difficult Wii controls, and mediocre camera positioning will bar all but the most diehard fans of the series.

It’s interesting, as the main game is very well suited to the more traditional gaming crowd, while the mini-games are a great distraction for casual gamers.

Enough venom. Don’t buy the DS version of Tomb Raider Legend.

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

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

Overall, accessible and straightforward and worth checking out if you’re a fan of either the genre or source material.

The cruel irony is that the game is going head-to-head with another iNiS developed title, Nintendo’s "Elite Beat Agents" – which not only has deeper game mechanics, but is plenty longer and a lot more fun too.

While EA will probably never make another Mutant League game of any sort, NFL Street 3 ensures that the game of football can still be irreverent and entertaining at the same time.

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.

Eragon does a good job of trying to emulate a classic style of game, and at times, it almost succeeds. But even at its best, it's no more than a clone, which is coincidentally, the same issue with the Eragon novel.

For fans of the book and movie, Eragon might be one of those games that you pick up mainly because you've already got the book and have pre-ordered the movie on DVD, but don't expect much from this game once you actually fire it up.

Even fans of the DOA might want to think twice about picking up a copy of Xtreme 2. Although the eye candy may send your eyes into a diabetic shock, that’s about all there is here.

It’s one of the most unique strategy/sim titles to appear on a console in recent memory, and fans of those genres should definitely consider giving it a look, however old they are.

Another negative aspect that many seem to overlook is that Gears of War doesn't sway very far from traditional action/shooter standards; there's not a whole of innovation here.

The entrancing graphics and addictively bizarre gameplay help define Every Extend Extra as a fantastic game, but the $20 price tag ensures its status as one of the best values on the PSP.

While the single player campaign isn’t a drastic improvement over previous versions of the series, the multiplayer goes the distance, providing one of the best experiences available on Xbox Live.

Technical hiccups side, Project 8 is as solid as it ever was, and Neversoft is slowly but surely improving the formula without diluting it.

Combined Assault feels much more like an expansion pack than a full sequel. The single player game once again doesn’t show much improvement, while the online play shines.

If you only buy a handful of games each year Elite Beat Agents should be among them. It’s fun, plain and simple.

There is a lot to do and you'll get every penny's worth.

A good first effort from Orbital Media -- with some tweaks any possible sequel could be turned into a franchise of sorts. It's a decent enough game, but it could use even more new ideas to truly stand out.

For as simplistic as the gameplay seems, there's a simple old school pleasure in dungeon hacking that makes Children of Mana so appealing, even if there are some occasional annoyances.

The presentation, sound, and much of the story create a very lush, vibrant world that is waiting to be explored. However, the monotony of the battles, and how the story falls apart near the end make it more difficult to enjoy the game in the long run.

$30 for a barebones package that doesn't have nearly the addictive qualities or visual panache of other games in its genre is a bit steep.

While many may miss the always-around-the-next corner, full-force police chase excitement from Need for Speed Most Wanted, Need for Speed Carbon still provides an adrenaline speed-rush with the spectacularly exhilarating drift racing down the curvaceous canyon roadways.

Besides just being fun and funny (I found the Pitfall mini-game hilarious for some reason) for Marvel fans, there’s enough here to warrant keeping the game in rotation long after its release.

Barrels explode, smoke, environmental damage (i.e. bullet holes), flying bodies… it’s all good. Provided you have the hardware that can handle it.

The biggest change in Volume 2 is that the display now takes up the entire screen, instead of having the right side partitioned for a status bar. The rest of the additions aren't terribly exciting, unless you really find that collecting a stable of horses and elephants to be all that interesting.

It's not a "AAA" title but it's one I can highly recommend to the under 12 age group.

In attempting to capture the essence of Tarantino's first masterwork, the developers mutilate it. By not bringing the rest of the original cast into the game, they leave all the heavy lifting to Michael Madsen, with predictable results.

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.

Enough modernization to upgrade the old-school point & click adventure experience evenly mixed with the same amazing storytelling, humor and problem-solving challenges that the genre was known for make this a triumphant return for both point & click adventures and the zany duo of Sam & Max.

For all of the claims by the mainstream media that this game is just like GTA, and will be a great harm to society’s moral fabric, the truth is far from it.

My instinct is that, despite BE5’s flaws, it might have potential for modding or for higher quality sequels.

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.

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.

An excellent, nuanced and deep game that will certainly please fans of the genre. But with the warning that it is not for all tastes and sensibilities, and not for casual players looking to shoot up a few aliens.

I know that I don't fall in the demographic that American Dragon: Jake Long is aimed at, but even I can recognize a bad game, even if it is sprinkled with one or two points of interest.

A solid story with accompanying satisfyingly gory and glorified GTA-esque Western gunplay along with added multiplayer and mini-game modes overcome a too-short story mode and just-barely-OK controls as Gun Showdown ride off into the sunset as a quality Western-themed adventure for the PSP.

No matter how you tee it up, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 is simply the best golfing game available today.

It certainly isn’t a hole-in-one for the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series gone portable, but with the career mode and enhanced online play more than making up for lackluster graphics and a dearth of mini-games (although there’s still a plethora of other golf-game modes), Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 still makes the cut as the best PSP golfing game around.

No matter how you tee it up, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 is simply the best golfing game available today.

Clubhouse Games is not as cheap as a deck of playing cards, but it's more versatile -- it's worth it for the multiplayer options alone (if card games are your thing).

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.

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.

Collectors of classic games could probably feel no remorse picking it up, but all others can safely give it a miss.

If you enjoy sports-gaming league micromanagement like only EA can provide, along with amazingly solid soccer offline or online via Xbox Live, you'll get your kicks with FIFA 07.

Hardcore action players will be able to blow through El Matador in six or seven hours because the gameplay and level design are very straightforward; it can't measure up to the most current titles or the promise of upcoming titles like John Woo Presents Stranglehold.

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.

I found issues with the unit balance and the visual style of the units and buildings wasn't for me. The story line is campy and doesn't succeed at being engaging or funny in this style.

Feels like a half-hearted effort in a saturated genre that won’t be keeping the folks at Blizzard up at night.

While it's a solid game, and probably superior in most ways to its competitors, Caesar IV doesn’t do any one thing magnificently, and the sum of its qualities just don't elevate this classical game to classic status.

I know this is a bargain title, but I can’t come close to recommending Bold Moves to anyone other than the die hard Ford car fan.

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.

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.

Value for the buck-wise, Baten Kaitos is awesome. The main game takes between 35 and 40 hours to play through and side quests could add maybe five to eight hours to that.

The game is pretty good graphically, but the music and great voice acting is where it really shines most.

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.

Ultimately, it’s barely any better or worse than the ones that came before it – and probably after as well.

For everyone else that got tired of the same repetitive gameplay years ago, there’s absolutely nothing to see here.

Overall, it’s a satisfying Pokémon romp. The perspective is a little different but the addictive turn-based battles and exploration are in full effect and still lots of fun.

An evolutionary leap not just in RTS, but for video games in general.

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.

All things considered, I'd choose NHL 2K7 as the "champ" this year for hockey on the Xbox 360. But NHL 07 is close behind.

All things considered, I'd choose NHL 2K7 as the "champ" this year for hockey on the Xbox 360. But NHL 07 is close behind.

NHL 07 isn't much of an upgrade, save for the updated NHL roster, over its predecessor. And it does still commit a few unforgivable penalties for gamers, particularly the maddening A.I., which at times can be brilliant while at the same time being frustratingly dumb (especially the goalies), allowing ridiculously easy goals from far distances to find their way into the back of the net twine.

Each game barely lasts more than five minutes, making it an ideal pick-up-and-play game, and the arcade feel is likely to impress even sports games haters.

Gameplay additions this year feature just a few new components – driver ratings, the Adrenaline Meter, adjustable car handling – and they really turn out to be tweaks instead of innovations.

The game’s soundtrack is eclectic and solid but small.

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 can be very difficult when it comes to playing for perfection, but the challenge is not always a deterrent, it can be seen as an opportunity to see if one can do it.

It doesn't feature the same level of changes of most expansion packs, but the strategic elements are sound and the campaign is long enough to justify the paltry $20US price tag.

This is a phenomenal achievement on virtually every level.

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.

Dragon's Lair HD is purely for old school arcade players that want to relive the glory days, it's a perfect rendering of the action and gameplay of the arcade game, but it could have been so much more.

Despite just slightly tweaking last year's game, Madden NFL 07 proves to have enough Pro-Bowl caliber features to prove its dominance as the best football and one of the best sports video games around.

Nostalgic cameos and sweet pyrotechnics aside, Ninety-Nine Nights is ultimately a frustrating experience.

Though Dead Rising pulls its inspiration from the George Romero classic Dawn of the Dead, the expected hokiness of the plot and dialogue is surprisingly absent (same for any obvious social commentary).

FlatOut 2 is an above-average racing game, which means casual racing fans will feel satisfied with its features and gameplay. The more demanding hardcore racing fans -- those are the ones that mull "Forza Motorsport" in-depth -- won't be so happy.

No franchise was built in a day, and I’m afraid it might take another installment before CivCity Rome lives up to its potential.

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.

Online play, new features, and completely perfect gameplay once again show everybody why NCAA Football 07 is always considered one of the best sports video games year in and year out.

A fresh and exciting step forward in a market that always threatens to be staid and blinkered, and I hope future games will steal (not borrow) its innovation, its excitement and style.

Prey has enough setpieces to make it worth checking out, even if it’s not particularly compelling overall.

It’s not without minor flaws, but overall, it’s a really satisfying experience that broadens the horizons of console gaming.

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

Although it lacks the depth of other portable soccer games, and the AI may be a bit too wussy for veterans, World Tour Soccer 06 is a great choice for less serious games due to its easy pick up and play nature.

I cannot suggest a purchase to anyone except hardcore fans of the console versions due to the controls and crappy camera work.

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.

There are some great character designs and backgrounds (most noticeably in SFA2/SFA3). There are also some great character animations.

But it more than makes up for that with a smoking-hot single-player adventure sure to provide one last summer sizzle on your Xbox.