Entertaining and charming, but a little on the "incredibly short" side.

Playable, but lacking any "fun factor".

The bells, whistles and added off-court content are nice additions, but the game suffers from some nagging on-court issues that should have been addressed before the extra stuff.

Custom Events can be fun, and a few of the game's minor features are nice, but in the off-road racing landscape, MX vs. ATV Untamed just doesn't rev our engines.

Transformers: Autobots is a console-sized game for the DS, but the limits of the hardware hinders the gameplay experience.

Ubisoft upped the ante with Sixaxis support, new planes and new missions, but dropped the ball with inconsistent framerates and an online network desperately seeking gamers.

EA introduces some new gameplay elements and injects some variety, but it's not enough to keep the game from getting repetitive, and the overall polish isn't as high as it was in the original.

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.

Don't let the reputation of the previous game, nor the niggling bugs that permeate the title scare you away. Once those are scratched away a pleasant open action RPG awaits.

Full Auto 2: Battlelines might be battling for your gaming dollars, but it's in your best interest to draw a line in the sand. Say no to a wealth of issues with the presentation and controls, as well as a distinct lack of basic multiplayer features.

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

Like its Autobots kin, Transformers: Decepticons is limited by the capabilities of the DS hardware, which hinders the console-like gameplay experience the developers were hoping to create.

While we're on the topic of spraying fire, Namco's made this even easier by letting you double up on your lead blasting abilities. In Crisis Zone, you can hook up a second Guncon (light gun) and go John Woo on the bad guys.

But for kid-focused entertainment and the knowledge that a movie-based game is actually well executed, it's hard to top these meatballs.

If going through the motions is your thing, F.E.A.R. Files is for you. But gamers looking for a more robust, rewarding and sexy experience can definitely do better than this game.

Entertaining at times and overly basic at others, this sophomore outing is 'average' on the whole. Whether that speaks to the game itself or the expanding library of Kinect options is still up in the air, but the result is the same.

There's just not quite enough variety to hold my (or my son's) interest, and the occasional collision/gesture detection snafu doesn't help matters either.

Far from fresh or innovative, it's still a fun title to keep the kids happy or blow a rainy day playing.

The result is a game that should entertain fans of the movie, and even a few who haven't seen it, though there may be some disappointment in graphics that aren't as polished as THQ's WALL*E -- which released last year.

Kudos to the developer for squeezing this much game into a DS cart.

A fun game that tackles WWII from a different standpoint which is a breath of fresh air; marred by some sound issues and slight graphical missteps.

If you really like guns and explosions, this game is for you. Otherwise, pocket your points and save your ammo.

EA Playground is probably the best multiplayer Wii experience since Wii Sports. Even with its eventual AI challenge, there's nothing complex about this game--and there shouldn't be.

Unlike a lot of hastily thrown together minigame collections, Carnival Island seems well thought out – it even has a story mode. The 35+ game modes will surely have at least one that will appeal to almost any gamer, and the cute collectable pets will keep the collectors happy.

It plays like an out-of-tune French horn: nobody wants near it, and it would be difficult to tune. The vivid visuals are pleasing, but they aren't enough to overlook this one-note-wonder's shortcomings.

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.

With all that said, it's with heavy heart that we point anyone looking for a fun hockey game to NHL 09. We loathe to do this in light of NHL 2K9's impressive online features (tournaments and six-on-six with 11 other players), but the rest of the package just doesn't live up to expectations.

Often the cut-scenes are more compelling than the gameplay, but the game does ultimately salvage itself from being the eternal butt of Xbox 360 jokes from this point forward.

A lot of good ideas do not a great game make. It lacks that "spark" that makes some games rule, and others fade into obvlivion.

Mystery Case Files is a fun, albeit slightly repetitive, experience.

No matter which side you choose, though, Quantum of Solace is mostly fun, but it suffers from some annoying AI and "by the numbers" gameplay, and it's far too short to recommend as anything but a rental.

The age-appropriate trivia is good, but the game itself gets old fast, and the motion-sensitive functions get in the way of the core gameplay: answering questions.

The dated graphics, simplistic level design and basic gameplay probably won't justify the price tag. It's most likely worth a purchase only if found in your local bargain bin.

EA introduces some new gameplay elements and injects some variety, but it's not enough to keep the game from getting repetitive, and the overall polish isn't as high as it was in the original.

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.

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

Having two games featuring trophy and 3D support plus a feature length animated 3D movie all on one disc is a good deal for Tekken fans. Dated gameplay in Tekken Tag Tournament is highly evident when played back to back with the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue, but that doesn't take away from the genre changing the title encouraged during it's initial release.

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

No matter which side you choose, though, Quantum of Solace is mostly fun, but it suffers from some annoying AI and "by the numbers" gameplay, and it's far too short to recommend as anything but a rental.

Manages to make itself worth the $20 price tag by offering up an average level of everything -- from gameplay to graphics. It doesn't do anything exceptionally well, but it's a pleasant diversion for the price.

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.

Unless you are a big fan of the show, in fact, a good portion of the story will be lost on you.

Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War isn't a bad game; rather, it is a noble effort that simply falls short of its goals.

Maximum Impact isn’t a game I would recommend to anyone other than you hardcore KOF fans. There are much better fighting games out there with a lot more to offer for you others.

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

The core gameplay has become excruciatingly boring, and great graphics just have the same effect as polishing a turd: it's a pointless exercise, considering the content. Just leave this one alone; you've basically been playing it for a decade.

Unless you are a big fan of the show, in fact, a good portion of the story will be lost on you.

Spotty AI results in way too much micromanagement, which is a true shame for any game, but especially for a strategic one bearing the Star Trek license.

Even though four sports are included on this disc, none of them stand out as something that needs to be played.

The police chases are fantastic, but the plot's bad and the gameplay is confined to an area that's much smaller than it seems like it should be.

The game is solid, looks good and plays well, but it just has a "feel" that's not for everyone.

Those 15 deaths, the difficulty imbalance, the weapon irrelevance and manual camera notwithstanding, the game was fine. But you know, those are all really big issues that drag down a game's score. Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault also is dreadfully boring, so I can't rate it anything higher than "average."

Far from fresh or innovative, it's still a fun title to keep the kids happy or blow a rainy day playing.

The only problem is that LucasArts didn’t take the ultimate risk and create strictly a strategy game, because the fighting aspects sink this game faster than an ogre mage in quicksand.

An absolute joy of a game, especially considering it only costs $4 with the purchase of a Value Meal (and plays on both the Xbox 360 and Xbox). The controls can feel a bit slippery at times, especially compared to the overly precise AI, but for a mini-budget game it's easy to forgive.

Last year's strong foundation has apparently crumbled, as the gameplay and audio just have too many miscues to make this year's outing all that enjoyable.

Entertainment is entertainment, but since this isn't really an RPG, it would've been nice to see a deeper dynasty mode.

While it sounds like a cool premise, the game pretty much falls flat due to generic gameplay and so-so presentation values.

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is a breath of fresh air in many respects, but needs a good breeze in others.

New York looks great, but the camera inconsistencies and helter-skelter gameplay flow takes away all the good will that Spider-Man 2: The Game had built.

If patches can address the odd hiccups here and there, as we presume they will, and some new maps become available, SOCOM: Confrontation could very well have some staying power.

The result is a game that should entertain fans of the movie, and even a few who haven't seen it, though there may be some disappointment in graphics that aren't as polished as THQ's WALL*E -- which released last year.

The steep difficulty of managing characters can become overwhelming, and the combat at times seems a bit too fast-paced for the game’s own good. The result is a good concept that finds itself in a messy situation, the video-game equivalent of cement shoes.

Sony proves with Games of the Week that a last-minute port can offer more than slightly improved graphics. This refreshing new mode is a step in the right direction in the evolution of basketball video games.

Fracture is a fun but repetitive game that does well with its new ground manipulation technology.

With its focus on fun over competition-like accuracy, this is the first dancing game to grab and hold my attention beyond just a couple of songs. Plus, the soundtrack is just plain hard to top.

The game is solid, looks good and plays well, but it just has a "feel" that's not for everyone.

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

A very disappointing game, even when you strip it down to pure wrestling. Fuzzy graphics, mindless fighting, and poor audio make for an expensive game of dress-up.

If you can overlook the incredibly steep learning curve for the controls, Aerial Strike is a pretty enjoyable way to blow 20 bucks, especially if you don’t have an Xbox with "Crimson Skies."

But for kid-focused entertainment and the knowledge that a movie-based game is actually well executed, it's hard to top these meatballs.

Because of the shallow gameplay, I can't imagine anyone playing through this game once, much less multiple times. It's a simplistic romp into gaming nostalgia that won't appeal to anyone but the most retro of the retro-gamers out there.

Fracture is a fun but repetitive game that does well with its new ground manipulation technology.

Easily the worst game we've played on Xbox 360, and worse even than most last-gen consoles' button mashers.

This is a bad game. A game so bland and annoying, it took twice as long as most other titles to play for a review because I could only bear it in 20-minute doses.

A decent game that's absolutely massacred by the lack of a second analog stick.

The sad thing about Spy Fiction is that it almost gets interesting. There are some plot twists and a few entertaining cutscenes that toy with the idea of actually drawing you into the game. But they come too little, too late. And they certainly aren’t enough to make up for an unfinished game.

A disappointingly repetitive and average ride at a time when above-average is a necessity.

Playing with multiple people is also a riot, presuming you do so via Xbox Live, and I've never had a more immersive Kinect experience than I have with this game. It's really too bad, then, that the game has lackluster response times to your gestures and can't seem to keep up with the on-screen action in the second half of the game.

I don't know one serious gamer who would be enticed by this sad mix of boring gameplay and soft-core porn. Playboy: The Mansion is as deep as a kiddie pool, which also matches its maturity level.

Given the price point for Wii Play Motion, $49.99 it's tough to recommend the title if you're not in the market for another Wii Remote. But if you don't have the Wii Motion+ adapter, just need another remote or are getting the hankering to try out some newer minigames to help flesh out your next Wii party, then this is a solid acquisition, as long as you know what you're getting.

It might not have a shiny package, but it's everything we loved about the arcade.

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

The combat's fun, the plot's well executed and the multimedia's solid. If you don't mind a heavy dose of platforming with your non-gun combat, you won't be disappointed by Captain America.

It’s also painful to say that I’ve heard far better music on the GBA. The Casio-style representation of the score is beyond belief, considering that music is 50 percent of the Star Wars franchise’s success.

A disappointingly repetitive and average ride at a time when above-average is a necessity.

If you're tired of the traditional pinball game then you might find Flipper Critters mildly amusing for its quirky style and large environments, but if you're looking for something more traditional with quick gameplay or point delivery system then you might want to look elsewhere.

Because of the shallow gameplay, I can't imagine anyone playing through this game once, much less multiple times. It's a simplistic romp into gaming nostalgia that won't appeal to anyone but the most retro of the retro-gamers out there.

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.

There's nothing new to be found in this button combo platformer, but solid controls, drop-in anytime co-op, plenty of unlockable characters and upgrades, and surprisingly entertaining dialogue save this game from being a forgettable addition to the Spider-Man franchise.

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

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

If the design errors can be overlooked, Time Crisis 4 is what you expect: a fast, intense light gun shooter with decent graphics and the ability to make one's arm sore for days after.

The police chases are fantastic, but the plot's bad and the gameplay is confined to an area that's much smaller than it seems like it should be.

Repetitive button-mashing gameplay and recycled graphics and music keep Arc the Lad: End of Darkness from being on the A-list, but the online multiplayer modes are enough fun to give this game a try.

Looks aside, The Godfather: Mob Wars is simply an enjoyable extension of the console version that appropriately adds new content to the mix. While it isn't a ground-breaking experience, it is fun while it lasts.

Aside from the more natural controls afforded by the Wii Remote, Nunchuk and one new gameplay mode, SEGA Bass Fishing's Wii debut doesn't tread any new water.

It's not terrible by any stretch, but it's not exciting enough for survival/horror fans, and it's a little too old-fashioned for the adventure fans out there.