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.