A huge yawn, even for the kids it is supposedly aimed at.

Critical Hour is unenjoyable by even the most hardcore fans of the franchise, and should be ignored completely.

Some dumb AI and lack of specific unit control hold it back, but it's still amazingly fun.

A decent first outing, but make sure you don't tire of repetitive racing games, because that's what you're getting here.

A clear improvement over the current-gen version, and the definitive Burnout Revenge experience. Still not quite up to Takedown's greatness, though.

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

A tired port that received no real updates before being brought to the PSP. Pass.

Ugly and complex, it's a game you'd best play only if you absolutely adore tactical RPGs.

Street Supremacy would've done fairly well on consoles six years ago, but for a modern racer, it's barely passable. The lack of any style, substance or polish makes this one you should skip, no matter how much you loved Tokyo Xtreme Racer.

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

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

MX vs. ATV Unleashed does a respectable job of bringing action sports to the PSP, but it fails to deliver on excitement, which is a requirement for any extreme sports game.

A mostly realistic boxing simulator that's just a few sparring matches short of the title.

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.

With different organization and a free-roam mode, this would've been amazing offline. With luck, the sequel will make some online adjustments, too.

It shows its age, and some titles are better then others, but all the cinemas are intact and some games never get boring.

An amazingly fun game that breaks the mold yet remains accessible and easy to pick up and play.

An incredibly deep sim that hits all the right notes for hardcore racing fans.

If it would resolve its identity crisis it would do much better, but it's just plain "meh" as-is.

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

Dragon Booster is one of those games that feels like it was jammed out the door to meet the holiday deadline. While it may carry the cool cachet of an anime license, it's control issues and generic production values will have gamers avoiding it like the plague.

If you're looking for a fun game to pick up and play for a few minutes at a time, or if you've heard about the fun of "Metroid Prime Pinball" but own a PSP instead of a Nintendo DS, you can't go wrong with Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection.

Inexplicably fun, pure and simple.

Playable, but lacking any "fun factor".

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

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

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

If you're new to the franchise, but have played other, more modern FPS's, you might want to skip (or just rent) the game, as it'll feel overly simplistic when compared to Halo 2's AI and vehicle combat, Red Faction's destructibility, Unreal's weaponry and FEAR's atmosphere.

Even faulted, the gameplay grows on you, but you probably won’t have the patience or desire to let it get to that point.

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.

I'm generally the first guy around to make fun of "another WWII-themed game," but Call of Duty 2 not only wiped that smirk off my face but turned it into a teeth-grinding, pulse-quickening, Nazi-shooting grimace. When you have to put down the controller after one mission just to gather your wits about you, you know you’ve found a great game.

It avoids completely trashing the action-platformer genre, so if you have a touch of Pac-Man fever and can't find an arcade with the coin-op machine, you might just want to check this one out.

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!

An excellent mix of single and multiplayer options, and online gameplay that will force DS developers to try real hard to beat it.

It's still a lot of fun, but it doesn't quite have the same magic as its immediate predecessor.

Sure there are a few new features, but none of them are so outstanding that they make the game significantly better. NHL 2K6 is a slightly beefier game than its current-gen brethren, but it just doesn't justify a $60 price tag, shiny helmets or no.

A pleasant surprise and incredibly fun, but far too brief and in need of some more polish. Count me first in line for the sequel.

Anyone who's played Tiger in the past, or even "Links 2004" for that matter, will find this an unnecessary addition to their library. It's not a bad game, it's just not a fantastic show-stopper of one either.

Looks good and plays decent, but lacks the next-generation punch one would expect it to have.

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

Could've just as easily been a current-gen title. Average graphics, annoying story and too-easy gameplay make for a ho-hum game.

The riotous cop chases and white-knuckle racing make for an enjoyable romp, even with the cheap catch-up system.

The graphics are great, the new gameplay mechanics are nice, and the playcalling interface is a fantastic change.

A much better turnout for this iteration. New York is the perfect setting for a game like this.

Wrestling fans now have a near-perfect simulation of their sport.

If you take the package as a whole, especially taking into account the amazing cutscenes and environments, it's a game well worth playing.

Taken too seriously the game can become frustrating and repetitive. But if you're just in it for the fun, fun is what you're going to have.

Although the game's overall look is best described as "functional," and in spite of the card dealing just looking weird, what really matters with a poker game is its fun factor, and that's where WCP2 puts forth a solid effort.

The ingredients are there for something good, but they need more time in the cauldron before this game can bubble to the top.

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

Solid entertainment for a weekend or Connery junkies, but people looking for the next great third-person shooter shouldn't stop their search.

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

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

Right up there with "Tekken V" in our pantheon of fighting game greatness.

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

Thanks to the weak combo system, and the sometimes confusing action onscreen, most adult gamers will simply be frustrated in playing this, unless it's used as a form of parent-child bonding, where it would work wonders.

On par with "GTA III" and "Vice City," and it includes multiplayer. Fans of the series should just go get it now.

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.

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.

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.

Still, The Sims 2 has made a much smoother transition to the console than the previous versions. The new control scheme helps in this, with the direct control offering a nice option in place of the keyboard and mouse.

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

A brilliant concept that's perfectly executed, resulting in a must-play game.

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

A huge yawn-fest, even kids won't enjoy it for long.

A mildly fun title that mixes gameplay from several Namco titles along with a cute crossover storyline with another Namco classic character, "Mr. Driller."

For me, it was easiest to trade-off turns: when the game was easy, I let the kids play, when it was too tough for them, I took over. But I can’t see either side enjoying the game on their own, it’s truly a family game to say the least, because without both kids and adults playing, it’s not going to hold your interest.

For me, it was easiest to trade-off turns: when the game was easy, I let the kids play, when it was too tough for them, I took over. But I can't see either side enjoying the game on their own, it's truly a family game to say the least, because without both kids and adults playing, it's not going to hold your interest.

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

For me, it was easiest to trade-off turns: when the game was easy, I let the kids play, when it was too tough for them, I took over. But I can't see either side enjoying the game on their own, it's truly a family game to say the least, because without both kids and adults playing, it's not going to hold your interest.

Spectacular in its combat and technical areas but a complete letdown in its storytelling and paranormal aspects. Ultimately, it’s a highly polished but surprisingly standard first-person shooter, a game that feels like it's missing some parts. If you can ignore all that, it’s an absolute blast.

Considerably less enjoyable than the now two-year-old (and eminently enjoyable) "Massive Assault," which had better AI, a stronger political system and even better production values. Save yourself some money and pick up a copy of "Massive Assault."

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.

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

Fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas (the movie) will adore this game, mostly due to it staying true to the milieu and characters from the movie. Non fans will still get a kick out of the game, as it’s an enjoyable mix of platforming and music.

Fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas (the movie) will adore this game, mostly due to it staying true to the milieu and characters from the movie. Non fans will still get a kick out of the game, as it's an enjoyable mix of platforming and music.

If you're one of those people who can tolerate slowdowns, stalls and stutters when you're doing your best to flank an enemy, then maybe you will love this game. Otherwise, it's just an exercise in frustration.

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

Not a huge leap in RTS gaming, but a good progression in the WWII RTS genre.

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

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

Bitchin' fun, dude! Takes you right back to the roaring road-rage days of the arcade.

Cheap AI, lame graphics, dull gameplay. It's all there for the suffering.

Cheap AI, lame graphics, dull gameplay. It's all there for the suffering.

If you really need a DS RPG, you could check this out. Just be warned that the combat system is very frustrating.

The single player game is great for those who want a somewhat stealthy FPS, and the multiplayer has enough variety to keep action hounds howling for more.

Cheap AI, lame graphics, dull gameplay. It's all there for the suffering.

Bitchin' fun, dude! Takes you right back to the roaring road-rage days of the arcade.

Why play a cheap imitation when the real stealth games are so much better?

A solid outing, but not quite the excellent experience one would expect from a Sly Cooper game.

Bitchin' fun, dude! Takes you right back to the roaring road-rage days of the arcade.

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

This is Fable on the PC, but the lost chapters remain lost. I was only able to find bits and pieces of new pages strung about. Still, the game was good on Xbox and they’ve made it good on PC too.

Amazingly, Namco strikes gold again with the katamari.

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

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.