The basic menu system starts out simple enough, but if you really want to dig down deep into the guts of groove, you've got to work around a menu system that is definitely daunting. Sure it's pretty to look at and has a very professional feel to it, but it can be a total bear for newcomers to the mixing game.

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."

Very stylistic, intense and creative, Mirror's Edge is missing the replayability to justify its $60 price tag, and it has a difficult learning curve that never quite levels out.

The marriage of pinball and Metroid is a match made in heaven. This is a perfect game to play for 20 minutes at a time.

Project Origin is really like every other first-person shooter out there -- but without multiplayer.

Taken as a whole, BLACK is just your average first-person shooter.

I'd easily recommend that you go out and pick up this little gem of a licensed game and add it to your pile.

Spirit walking and weird gravity are fun and fresh, but not having consequences for death takes away some overall suspense.

A fantastic sequel, but the age of the franchise definitely shows.

A nice way to take your Zen Pinball on the go. Local Hotseat lets you take the arcade with you, and integrated leaderboards are a nice touch to keep tabs on all your friends.

With production values rivaling the best Hollywood films and diverse but short gameplay, this could very well be the PlayStation 3's killer app.

Do yourself a favor, and pick up this table. As mentioned, it's top notch in quality and only surpassed by the amazing Captain America table. Zen Studios just keeps getting better and better at making tables, and with more in the pipeline I can only dream of the quality they will be. If you're done with Ms Splosion Man already, get ready to Splode again.

Despite the unpolished graphics and the less than perfect Live interface, MTX Mototrax is still a great experience, on or offline.

If you're jonesing for some Hockey action, EA's NHL 06 is well worth checking into. If you prefer a style of play more akin to the stuff we saw back in the SEGA Genesis days, this is your game. Less complexity - more fun.

The baseball portions are fun, but the game ironically doesn't focus much on hardball at all, and the other modes are tedious and confounding.

Very stylistic, intense and creative, Mirror's Edge is missing the replayability to justify its $60 price tag, and it has a difficult learning curve that never quite levels out.

More of a solid foundation than a groundbreaking game, Blue Dragon still offers plenty to do. Here's hoping for a bit more punch to the sequel.

There are also too many Mega Strikes and tackles, but the game still provides a lot of fun.

This prequel has a great narrative, great voice acting and improves upon most of the gameplay shortcomings from the original.

A little shaky at the start, but if you enjoyed Doom 3 and you stick it out, you’ll find a lot of entertainment to be had.

Its lack of online multiplayer, and the fact that you can’t control an entire party at once hamper the overall game a bit, but as a whole, it’s an enjoyable fantasy romp.

One of the most original concepts to hit the industry in the past two or three years, Skylanders is also just fun to play.

A must-have RPG for all those who complain that the Xbox 360 doesn't have any, and proof that Mistwalker can deliver great games.

It starts out well enough, with great graphic stylings and some cool gameplay features, but turns into a gimmicky stylus-tapping festival of boredom within an hour.

It's really nothing more than a run-of-the-mill shooter with some serious balance issues. The story lacks any emotional impact, so you'll be constantly skipping the cut scenes, and rarely listening to any of the dialog, and that's just sad considering this game is set in the world of "Deus Ex."

Too little, too late. What's Rare been doing for three years? At least we can now look forward to their other games.

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

The choice on this one is simple: buy it if you liked the original, but don't bother if you were only lukewarm to it.

From a compilation or "archival" standpoint, this set is great at showing how much the series has evolved and grown. From a pure enjoyment standpoint, the first two games drag down the overall experience, not through any fault of the developer, but by simply not having benefited from the additional years of gameplay updates that current titles enjoy.

After years of seeing Konami pump out game after game in the MGS universe, it's a pleasant surprise to see them use the franchise in a wholly unique way.

A fun and refreshing change from the more hardcore football titles out there. While missing NFL branding may mean you won't see your favorite players on the field, you really won't miss them. It's just good old-fashioned skull-bashing fun.

There's a lot going on, but once you get a handle on things it's an impressive game to play.

Worth picking up for those who choose not to enter the next generation just yet but still want their WWII fix.

If you wished the Xbox had a "God of War" to call its own, then Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks should be your cup of tea.

A worthwhile extension to modern classic that deserves play.

A perfectly logical expansion, if not a perfectly intuitive and enjoyable one at times. In other words, it's like real life.

Where Kinect Sesame Street TV faltered in large part because the inspiring programs already faked interaction, Kinect Nat Geo TV is built upon shows that don't normally inspire interaction, making the experience feel fresh and unique. And, because it's designed for older kids who understand or can more-easily comprehend gesture controls, Kinect Nat Geo TV is bound to be more intuitive for its intended consumer. I wholeheartedly recommend Kinect Nat Geo TV if you have pre-teens - or frankly anyone in your house - who's interested in learning about nature through one of the most innovative pieces of edutainment I've ever come across.

It's not quite as open ended as we'd hoped it would be, but the taste of freedom has whet our appetite for more, and the weapons upgrades keep gunplay fresh throughout the campaign.

While not a perfect game, the only real nitpick I have is the platforming sometimes became a little difficult due to the art style and camera angles, it's definitely an experience that shouldn't be missed.

I'd easily recommend that you go out and pick up this little gem of a licensed game and add it to your pile.

The combination of humor, accessible gameplay and Lego-fied Star Wars is tough to beat. Sure it’s a short and simple game, but it’s nice to see a developer/publisher team take a chance on something a little different, and end up making an enjoyable product.

Fun, but frustratingly difficult at times.

If rhythm and trippy visuals are your thing then you'll find this bazaar shooter worthwhile.

NASCAR junkies no longer have to live vicariously through the TV, because NASCAR 06: Total Team Control darn near puts them in the driver’s seat themselves.

The changes to Top Spin 3 are only good for hardcore tennis fans. For most gamers, the new animation-dependent learning curve will replace the fun gameplay elements with literal gameplay mechanics.

It's a bit more exotic than the previous game, with a bit more gameplay variety and groups, but it's definitely not Shenmue.

GeoDeformed ruts are cool, but when each like-classed car handles the same and there's no threat of driving off the road, the only "rut" that matters is the one you feel you're in when going from one race to the next.

One of those games that has a solid mix of gameplay elements and takes its source material seriously, ensuring plenty of scary moments and schoolgirl-shrieks from players.

If you own the prior games, don't bother. If you're new to the franchise, give it a rent.

This prequel has a great narrative, great voice acting and improves upon most of the gameplay shortcomings from the original.

Sure it's a knockoff of "Advance Wars DS" in almost any way, but it's still incredibly enjoyable.

A good, though somewhat flawed game. With the upcoming patch, I can only hope they fix the AI, pathing, framerate and difficulty issues.

It doesn't break the mold, but then again, no game in this genre really has to if it wants to be enjoyable.

However, even with all those aspects and the insane environments, I found it too hard to overcome the crashing. I've played games in other genres that "yank" players out of the experience, but it's not happened often in the racing arena. With MotorStorm: Apocalypse, it does, and specifically because of the crashes

Proves that simplicity of gameplay doesn't mean boring gameplay. In the case of Massive Assault, the simplicity is its strength.

In spite of its delay, the game simply can't steal the thunder from the one-month-old GRAW, especially with AI discrepancies that take away from a core gameplay mechanic like HotSwapping.

One of those games that's good, but it suffers from being too niche to ensure it broad acceptance from gamers. Couple that with the fact that the Taiko Drum is yet another specialized controller that'll probably never see use again.

A solid title that delivers your money's worth, but I can mostly imagine younger ones having fun with it.

Though the game relies heavily on cheap scares, it's a refreshing take on horror-themed games. It's also a bit longer than you'd expect from a straightforward action game, though the increased length is offset by an overall lack of variety.

A fun and stylistic outing by any measure, but the game-lengthening tactics are all-too apparent.

Taken as a whole, BLACK is just your average first-person shooter.

For a guy like me who had to borrow a friends guitar to actually try the game – the fact that I'm now contemplating visiting a pawn shop to cash in on someone else's inability to make ends meet and buy my very own guitar should speak volumes to the titles power as a fun learning tool. Beginners, give this a shot – especially if you've already got a guitar collecting dust in the closet.

A funny and challenging game that will put your space station tycoon skills to the test.

May not be the most original game, but in the end, it’s a fun one. If you want to spend a weekend hacking and slashing alone or with online buddies, you can’t go wrong with this game.

Buzz: Hollywood Quiz deftly straddles the line between budget and quality, and if you're hurting for a movie-based trivia game, you can hardly go wrong here.

EndWar is fun, fast-paced and will likely swoon even a few jaded shooter fans to the RTS fold.

Though the game relies heavily on cheap scares, it's a refreshing take on horror-themed games. It's also a bit longer than you'd expect from a straightforward action game, though the increased length is offset by an overall lack of variety.

Whether you're a seasoned veteran or wet-behind-the-ears newbie, Chains of Promathia adds even more to see and do in the already robust world of Vana'diel.

The across-the-board improvements on Xbox 360 pick up where the current-gen gameplay left off, but they probably don't justify the added cost for people who have already played a current-gen version.

In spite of an abundance of cheap shots, the game's personality and originality elevate The Gunstringer into the upper echelon of Kinect titles. In fact, it's my favorite Xbox Kinect title to date.

With the co-op you'd have a higher score, but without it, this is just an entertaining experience that will soon be forgotten.

Frustrating at times but on the whole a great game for individual or multiple players. It's definitely worth the low price of 800 Microsoft Points.

Coming in at 240 points, it's a tad more expensive than the rest of the Pinball FX 2 tables for some reason or another but don't let that $0.50 scare you off as if you're a fan of what Zen has done to revitalize video pinball then you'll be happy with the new table to help fill in your grid.

Project Origin is really like every other first-person shooter out there -- but without multiplayer.

Tilting the Wii Remote to control the table is intuitive and feels natural. Color matching can be frustrating at times, but adds to the overall challenge of the gameplay.

As a multiplayer game, this is sure to bring some friends together for some online poker who might not otherwise be able to play together, and at that point the pacing of the game isn't really that important. As a single player game, if you can put aside the duration of the tournaments and look at the AI that the game has in the form of the Pros, then this game really succeeds in my opinion.

Sniping can be cool, but this game finds a way to make it much more boring than it should be.

A decent outing with decent air combat, but it's nothing you've never seen before.

Short of the opening music, which is awesome and sounds like a demonic mariachi band, I can't think of many redeeming qualities in Shadows of the Damned. It's not in the same craptastic league as Thor, which suffered from horrible gameplay and production values; it's just a waste of time.

A few quirks and maybe a bit too fast at times, but overall, an enjoyable game.

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

A decent outing with decent air combat, but it’s nothing you’ve never seen before.

All in all, Gradius Collection is a set of "fan's games," in that only someone who really loves the hyperactive side-scrolling action of the original can love this package.

Flawed squad mechanics and a crutch-like suppression system undo the game's historical and voice-acting achievements.

Flawed squad mechanics and a crutch-like suppression system undo the game's historical and voice-acting achievements.

The game misses the mark in several ways, but with the right programming and more analysis into whether toddlers are really the most appropriate target for this sort of product, we could be witnessing the birth of a whole new educational medium. It's just not there yet.

If it existed in a vacuum it'd rank better, but this is a strong holiday for videogame shooters.

Let's put it this way: how many arcade stand-ups did you buy and take home with you? Metal Slug 3 is one of those games you'll think fondly of for years to come, but it's probably one of those titles, like the coin-op arcade classics, that you'd just as soon remember fondly than have at home collecting dust for years to come.

A whole lot of new content, but the gameplay feels the same as we've seen before.

Much more than a clone of "SimCity", City Life is a deep, realistic urban planning simulation that is both challenging and entertaining.

While the gameplay is easy, we found the level of difficulty to be perfectly balanced and the vehicle upgrades to be a welcome addition to the standard shooter.

Kung Fu Panda the game will entertain you or your kids, which is more than you can say for most games in general, let alone ones based on a summer film.

A decent outing with decent air combat, but it’s nothing you’ve never seen before.

Like a really good comedy film, probably best suited as a rental.

Finally we see a good use of the Sixaxis controller, and it's about time the Classic mode returns as a single challenge. However, what's up with no online play, and why didn't the occasional slowdown get addressed?

EndWar is fun, fast-paced and will likely swoon even a few jaded shooter fans to the RTS fold.

Fun, creative and surprisingly fresh, but not quite enough gameplay variety to carry the load.

Any time you let minions do my dirty work you'll win me over, so the great genre-combining gameplay is just icing on the cake.