$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.