It's hard to recommend a game when there is a clearly superior alternative on the market that does everything so wonderfully. NHL 2K10 isn't bad and it is poised to make a run at the EA franchise sooner rather than later. But for this year, unless you are completely adverse to anything other than a quick arcade hockey fix, NHL 10 is the game to get.

It's hard to recommend a game when there is a clearly superior alternative on the market that does everything so wonderfully. NHL 2K10 isn't bad and it is poised to make a run at the EA franchise sooner rather than later. But for this year, unless you are completely adverse to anything other than a quick arcade hockey fix, NHL 10 is the game to get.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, it just tightens a few of the lug nuts.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, it just tightens a few of the lug nuts.

Despite the acceptable graphics and high-quality story, this one's not worth your while.

That rant out of the way, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 for the Nintendo DS is a fun game that has the most to offer when played cooperatively. The biggest flaw, beyond the minor aforementioned annoyances and distractions, is when you boil it all down this is a game intended for the consoles and that is where it excels.

Combat can be mildly entertaining for a short while, and there is a neat selection of superpowers to tinker with. In the end, though, the game's problems are piled sky high, making it simply too frustrating to be worth bothering with.

What's on offer here is pretty fun, regardless of what age you are. The game makes smart use of its few mechanics, and the missions are a nice, quick burst of entertainment. There's very little under the hood, though, and not much incentive to retread levels.

None of these games is perfect, but all of them will draw you in, and for $20 most gamers would be insane to pass this up - provided they didn't already acquire these titles through XBLA.

All in all, Scribblenauts is a game to praise.

Once you get a hang of the new controls, there's a ton of content here, though most of it is taken directly from the franchise's previous installments.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is one of the very best games to grace the Nintendo DS - it outdoes even its excellent predecessors. This game exudes quality at every turn, and it's easy to see it was developed with a remarkable amount of care and love.

SpaceBall's simple mechanics might be fun at first, but they quickly grow tedious as little changes from level to level. Two-player multiplayer helps, and there are online leaderboards if you're interested.

The overall lack of complexity and repetitive nature of the gameplay will seriously reduce the time you'll spend playing this game. It shouldn't take you longer than a weekend to win this war.

There are lots of missions and difficulty options, but they're all unlocked right away, so there's no sense of progress.

Darkest of Days also features very little content - there is only a single-player story mode to wade through that has very limited replay value.

Despite the superior presentation and excellence of the subject matter, there aren't a lot of game modes to play and the music selection leaves a lot to be desired. I wish DLC wasn't such an important factor.

Despite the superior presentation and excellence of the subject matter, there aren't a lot of game modes to play and the music selection leaves a lot to be desired. I wish DLC wasn't such an important factor.

It's a surprisingly long game, since it offers two different storylines and endings with two different characters. There are also challenges scattered throughout, as well as an incredible amount of swords to forge or collect.

If you're looking for a good-spirited hack and slash/exploration game or just something to have a fun time playing with a younger gamer, then be sure to give Mini Ninjas a try.

If you're looking for a good-spirited hack and slash/exploration game or just something to have a fun time playing with a younger gamer, then be sure to give Mini Ninjas a try.

If you're looking for a good-spirited hack and slash/exploration game or just something to have a fun time playing with a younger gamer, then be sure to give Mini Ninjas a try.

Mini Ninjas on DS is an incredible disappointment. There are clearly some great ideas present in the game, and the story set-up is built upon a solid foundation. Once you push the start button on this machine, however, it breaks down and falls in on itself.

Birds of Prey shines brightly as a solo endeavor in large part due to the extreme level of authenticity and attention to getting the flight mechanics just right.

Birds of Prey shines brightly as a solo endeavor in large part due to the extreme level of authenticity and attention to getting the flight mechanics just right.

Multiplayer modes are limited, though the dogfights and team battles for up to 16 players are still quite fun. It's satisfying taking down an enemy plane when you know there's a human cursing you out from his burning cockpit on the other end.

DiRT 2 is a worthy successor to the original, getting practically everything right. While I would have liked to have seen a greater emphasis on more technical rally racing, I had a blast with every aspect of the title. From the solid visuals to the sweet tracks, DiRT 2's got a lot to love.

DiRT 2 is a worthy successor to the original, getting practically everything right. While I would have liked to have seen a greater emphasis on more technical rally racing, I had a blast with every aspect of the title. From the solid visuals to the sweet tracks, DiRT 2's got a lot to love.