It gets the job done in gameplay mechanics, but the online co-op and number of playable characters save the day.

SingStar has good karaoke and non-multiplayer online functionality, but it enters a crowded field and is really just "more of the same." Sure, it's a good same, but karaoke is karaoke.

It's fun enough to hold your interest for a little while, but the repetitive play will cut that time far shorter than the game's excruciatingly long load times.

It would be hard to not recommend this title to anyone who enjoys trivia, unless of course you have a sensitive ego which needs to be coddled when you get a question wrong.

Addictive gameplay that demonstrates the power of having two thumbsticks on a handheld device. The multiplayer options are more than adequate, and although there aren't technically a lot of levels, the very nature of the game will keep you coming back time and again.

Still the best NBA game you can play, without question. However, the lack of new features may prevent it from being a slam dunk worthy of your $60.

Tedious gameplay kills the coolness of the "wow" moments and brings it all down to an average level.

A chaotic ride through the Marvel world. Exciting, fun and even moreso when you play with friends.

Even with a new developer, the game doesn't miss a beat.

The back-and-forth structure is tedious, and the narrative needed to be much more fleshed-out. Too bad great loading-screen treatments can't make up for overall shortcomings.

Technically, graphically and aurally it's impressive, but if you're not into the act of driving or not on Xbox Live, it's best suited to be a rental. The multiplayer socialization and implementation is really where it shines.

A chaotic ride through the Marvel world. Exciting, fun and even moreso when you play with friends.

Unless you're absolutely die-hard about hard rock and heavy metal, Brutal Legend is one game you can relegate to a rental.

I'm surprised and saddened that this was outdone by a two-year-old game. EA's trying some new things here, but they don't quite work yet.

Good for fans, but action-RPG gamers probably already have a better game in hand.

A good addition to the stealth genre, but Garrett would much rather run and hide than to stand and fight.

COD3 packs more impressive features than any previous installment: gorgeous graphics and audio, an intense single-player campaign and a wealth of multiplayer options. Even if it isn't the most original WWII game, it's certainly one of the finest.

The Wii's enormous "casual" gamer base will eat Mario Kart Wii up with its accessible pick-up-and-play controls. Veterans aren't left out either with online play they've been clamoring for well over a decade.

2K Sports has introduced a lot of concepts and perfectly captured the college arena atmosphere, but the game itself needs a bit more work on all of its moving parts.

The game includes more updates and upgrades than I expected, and it's nice to have Master Chief back again even if it is in a game we've technically all played before. Certain sections seem more linear and artificially extended than I recall, which is disappointing, but when you account for the game's reduced price, it's still a good value.

While not a perfect PC to console translation, C&C3 is a great evolution of the control scheme for RTS gamers who've migrated to the home console world.

The sticker slap is my favorite new addition. The trick takes the place of the wallplant and enables the skater to turn a wall into a pitstop on the way to a huge combo. Leaping out of a grind into a sticker slap will send a skater right back to the rail, where he (or she) can retrace the path that already produced a good line.

Still, these neat little touches can't justify the purchase of this game by themselves, and the rest of Midnight Club Los Angeles just has too many less-than-next-gen issues to warrant choosing it over the outstanding Burnout Paradise.

Halo Wars, as solid as it is from a gameplay perspective, is not an appropriate game for kids weaned on teabagging and fragfests.

If you're looking for a racing game on which to spend your holiday cash, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift definitely deserves a look.

The production and sheer addiction make it easy to overlook the occasional camera problem.

Simple fun doesn't mean simplistic play. Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds stays within the bounds of pick-up-and-play fun without alienating more "refined" golf-game fans.

It’s scary, different and great at what it does, with only a few missteps and a story that needs some more fleshing out. Bring on the sequel!

The presentation and feel of the game is near-perfect, but the actual gameplay, particularly on offense, comes up short and frustrating. Lock-On D is a nice feature as well, but it can be a crutch.

The Team Tour mode is fun, but everything else about the game has been seen/done before. Maybe a $25 price should be next year's "added feature."

The presentation and feel of the game is near-perfect, but the actual gameplay, particularly on offense, comes up short and frustrating. Lock-On D is a nice feature as well, but it can be a crutch.

The shooter has outstanding graphics, addictive gameplay and solid multiplayer components, but it’s held back from becoming a true classic through its disappointing narrative and mediocre soundtrack.

It doesn't possess any flaws, but it's missing key upgrades to the original game. New skins and a couple of novel modes are welcome, but they don't overshadow the feeling that this is a slightly updated version of the original. No online component also holds the game back.

Heavy weaponry is still the name of the game, but the absence of Clank takes away a little of the magic.

It doesn't offer anything innovative, but it's good old-fashioned fun, which is something the Xbox 360 seems to be missing.

The combat forces you to think, which is a nice change of pace. For half the price of most other games, you'll likely get twice the enjoyment from Phantom Dust.

There’s some good gaming here for people new to the franchise, but some parts will feel old to experienced AOE vets.

The open-world genre has never looked so good, but it could've played a bit more realistically given the subject matter. A few fewer Biblical references would've been nice, too.

Excellent co-op puzzle game that in this reviewers opinion, tries far too hard to be cute and quirky which forces the game off the mark.

Still, even with its virtual omission of anyone not with "man" at the end of their name doesn't keep LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes from being fun. Watching a beloved hero like Batman fight baddies and his own issues with Superman is a great combination, and it's all presented in the family-friendly LEGO wrapper we've come to expect from Telltale. If you or anyone in your house is a fan of the caped crusader - even the newest iteration - you can rest assured that LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes will be a hit.

I'm surprised and saddened that this was outdone by a two-year-old game. EA's trying some new things here, but they don't quite work yet.

Feels like it should have been designed as a "Dynasty Warriors" clone. It would have done a wonderful job as such. The environments and character designs are beautiful accomplishments, and the sense of scale is an incredible feat. But the RTS aspects hurt the game badly.

The game hits its stride late, but when it does, it hits it big. There's a lot of fun here for the patient gamer.

I'm surprised and saddened that this was outdone by a two-year-old game. EA's trying some new things here, but they don't quite work yet.

A solid first entry for the Tiger Woods series on PS3, but it lacks innovation to set itself apart from its doppelganger on the Xbox 360.

Possibly the best new-gen (or any) version of Madden since 1995.

Practically three full games for the price of one. Seriously, you won't find a better value in games these days. And for those who were addicted to Tetris, Puzzle Kombat is going to steal away many hours of your life.

2K Sports has introduced a lot of concepts and perfectly captured the college arena atmosphere, but the game itself needs a bit more work on all of its moving parts.

Still, these neat little touches can't justify the purchase of this game by themselves, and the rest of Midnight Club Los Angeles just has too many less-than-next-gen issues to warrant choosing it over the outstanding Burnout Paradise.

A chaotic ride through the Marvel world. Exciting, fun and even moreso when you play with friends.

A chaotic ride through the Marvel world. Exciting, fun and even moreso when you play with friends.

The level of detail, the foresight that went into planning the Story Designer and character creator, the Training Facility to catch newbies up to speed without dumbing the game down for franchise vets...the title really has it all.

Beefier graphics and a complete game are nice, but still missing some overall next-gen polish.

Inconsistent, incoherent and insanely trying at times, this game feels decent but is still far from being the killer app we’d hoped it would be.

Getting out of the "Mech injects a level of strategy that was missing from the original game, and it also helps immerse gamers in the scale of the world Day 1 Studios and Fasa have created.

Good for fans, but action-RPG gamers probably already have a better game in hand.

With three campaigns, 30 lengthy missions and online multiplayer, it’s no wonder Codename: Panzers will keep you playing (and loving every minute of it) for a long time to come.

All in all, the next-gen version of Prince of Persia is fun and even relaxing at times, but overall it's a little disappointing. And that statement is coming from one of the development team's biggest fans.

If you have played it and are wondering whether it's as good as you remember, it is. It may even be better than you remember.

WarChiefs lives up to its role as an expansion pack: rather than shake up the core game, it manages to offer up enough enhancements to make it interesting. Highly recommended for multiplayer, less so for the single-player campaign.

Put all this together, and Bully: Scholarship Edition is a great game.

If you want to feel like you're immersed in a heavy conflict, with combatants screaming commands, bullets zipping through the air and grenades exploding, Ghost Recon 2 is the game for you due to its powerful audio engine. The key weakness? The weapons sound like toys.

If it wasn't for the disappointing Den Defense mode that gets forced on you and the lack of some deep conspiracy storytelling, this title would compete with Brotherhood as top in the series.

It's still the same old Madden, emphasis on old. The mini-games are fun, but next time focus on fixing those bugs and giving us some more meat, OK guys?

The level of detail, the foresight that went into planning the Story Designer and character creator, the Training Facility to catch newbies up to speed without dumbing the game down for franchise vets...the title really has it all.

If you're a fan of the series, then you'll enjoy this, though possibly feel like you've paid full price for what is basically an expansion pack introducing some new mini-games, online support and extra characters (like Ratchet and Clank.)

Quite a fun game, once it gets up and going.

The game hits its stride late, but when it does, it hits it big. There's a lot of fun here for the patient gamer.

The free-roaming gameplay, expansive environments, fun combat and commendable graphics all make for a great experience, and the fact that it comes in a superhero game is just icing on an already-great cake.

Condemned 2 is a decent game that suffers from a gameplay identity crisis and strays too far from the original's successful but under-rated formula.

All around good stuff, worth putting on those worn out virtual combat boots for again.

50+ hours to complete, need I say more?

The original The Darkness was a great experience; The Darkness II improves on the formula in every way.

The additions are conceptually great, but only True Aiming offers much innovation. Still the best version out there, though, if you don't mind a reduced number of courses.

Let's say this again: Tedious gameplay kills the coolness of the "wow" moments and brings it all down to an average level.

The game is chess, and at chess Fritz is good. It’s most everything else that I wasn’t happy about.

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue is off to a good start, but it's unfinished. Also, there's no way we can recommend spending $40 for a demo. This score reflects the game content itself, not the overall value.

The roller-skate movement and shooting are poor, but the adventures and melee fighting are lots of fun.

Unfortunately, the lack of any real depth to the gameplay, random game crashes and the poorly implemented Xbox Live features make it too hard to suggest as a purchase.

The game hits its stride late, but when it does, it hits it big. There’s a lot of fun here for the patient gamer.

COD3 packs more impressive features than any previous installment: gorgeous graphics and audio, an intense single-player campaign and a wealth of multiplayer options. Even if it isn't the most original WWII game, it's certainly one of the finest.

The need to calibrate is annoying, but the scaled-down aspects are moot with Wii owners, and the multiplayer aspects are perfectly suited for the Wii in general.

The back-and-forth structure is tedious, and the narrative needed to be much more fleshed-out. Too bad great loading-screen treatments can't make up for overall shortcomings.

A few questionable issues with AI and replay aside, it’s a good purchase for stealth-action fans who want to see some action in with their stealth.

Enjoyable arcade-style baseball that is just deep enough to keep you interested and not overwhelmed in the minutia of management.

A fast-paced adrenaline filled game. The HotSwap feature adds flexibility and variety to the missions, while the challenges and online play extend the replay value.

Wii owners may want to play the once only-on-Xbox-360 franchise, but a combination of horrible controls and hard-to-follow multiplayer options manages to kill any fun that might otherwise be had.

If sales are the determining factor to a game's success, then Wii Fit and the Balance Board will be one of the most successful "videogames" released this year -- much to the chagrin of true "gamers."

The PlayStation 3 finally gets its LEGO Star Wars fix, and in spite of its Sixaxis control snafus and camera issues, it still turns out to be the best such outing yet.

A wonderfully fun romp appropriate for all ages. If only it had a few more levels to experiment with all the elemental warriors.

The thing of it is, though, all but the most hardcore RTS junkies will play only one-fourth of the game (only the Empire half, and within that half, only the space battles). That doesn't mean the other three-fourths of the game is wasted content, but if LucasArts had balanced things out a bit more, there's little that could've stopped this game from being a must-buy.

The BIGS is a triumphant return to arcade baseball on next-gen consoles, with multiple addictive modes. The gameplay still needs tuning, something we hope to see in next year's version.

The controls are revolutionary and the game looks great, but there's still room for improvement on the puck physics and pacing. A few more features would be nice, too.

The single-player game is short, plodding and has a poor story, but the online options keep you coming back for more.

Still a very good football game, but a step down from what we'd normally expect.

Good for fans, but action-RPG gamers probably already have a better game in hand.

Its difficulty and niche sensibilities prevent me from recommending it to casual gamers, but those hardcore tacticians with at least 30 hours on their hands will not be able to get enough of it.

Still, Hollywood likes things that go boom and look good doing so, much like Michael Bay's Transformers movies. The game industry operates much the same way, but the best games within it also introduce a fresh experience, something Transformers: Fall of Cybertron fails to do. Yes, Grimlock and the Combaticons are new, but for all practical purposes they're just multimedia window dressing on an otherwise evolutionary, not revolutionary, title.