Considering that this is a smaller piece of Skyrim DLC than Dawnguard, though, that nitpick doesn’t deter me from saying that Hearthfire is worth the price of admission. Customizing a home and populating it with kids fits perfectly into the premise of making the Skyrim world your own, and it’s certainly provided some fun add-on entertainment.

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

This should've been more than just slightly better than the original. Rent it before buying at full price.

Ubisoft captured the visual spirit of the show, but the actual gameplay in the first LOST game is not worth the three-season wait.

While still not a system seller, the fact that a game like this can and has been made for Kinect is a great step, and helps move things forward for the system. The level of immersion is a step in the right direction, and beats the rumble of a controller. You try not to squeal at least a little bit the first time something jumps on your character and you have to push it off of you. I dare you.

From the over-reliance on cutscenes and combat that doesn't quite fit, The Da Vinci Code is one of those properties that lives up to the reputation for bad movie-licensed games. Add some cardboard graphics and emotionless audio, and you've got a lemon.

If there had been Xbox Live support it would have at least given you some live players to compete against, but still would be a boring card-dueling game with too many confusing rules and a bland presentation.

Tetris is Tetris. Nothing new, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. If updated graphics and a unique aquarium screensaver are enough to make you spend ten bucks, then by all means, go for it.

Lair looks phenomenal and is an ambitious and novel concept, but its horrible controls and linear environments kill the fun faster than a dragon can cook up a burger.

I would have to say that I was pretty disappointed with my Wii Spider-Man experience.

Destroy All Humans! was a good game, as was the sequel, but this third one completely misses the panache, personality and polish that made the previous outings so fun.

One huge disappointment in Blade and Sword is the total absence of a multiplayer mode! Just a few good multiplayer options could have made this game a little more interesting or at least extended the replay value.

As a budget title, it might be easier to overlook the flaws, but there's not nearly enough polish to justify the full price.

More compelling than "Ninety-Nine Nights," but that's not saying much. The graphics are disappointing and the audio should've been left in its original Japanese. Truly, with CG sequences this good, the use of cheap SoCal voice talent removes any sense of immersion.

Straight outta' crap-ton.

If you like a beat ‘em up style title, Seven Samurai 20xx is a good rental. I wouldn’t recommend buying it because it’s just too darned easy.

I may not have been the biggest fan of the previous two Resident Evil outings, but I could respect the elements they introduced to the series and understood the reasoning behind them. Not so much with this one. I recommend you pass on Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City altogether and wait for the next "real" entry in the Resident Evil franchise.

A poorly executed game that suffers from just about every malady known to gaming, from bad plot to sketchy gameplay. Best to avoid this one entirely.

It's not nearly as bad as others would have you believe, but it's also not quite out of the "average" realm.

What World Series of Poker is supposed to do, it does very well. Just don't go into it expecting any bells or whistles.

Poor presentation and a steep learning curve hinder what would have otherwise been a fun bowling sim.

For a first-year outing, NBA Live 08 on the Wii doesn't even get honorable mention All-Rookie team. At least we know EA will make an 09 version, so there's always room for improvement.

Straight outta' crap-ton.

Generally not a terrible game, but it grows tedious all too quickly.

WALL-E is a fun character and film, but while the game explores more of the movie's universe, the gameplay doesn't explore anything by familiar ground.

Think of Superman Returns as an insanely boring exercise in flying from one end of Metropolis to the other -- non-stop and for 10 hours -- while waiting for the next "battle 10 robots" or "battle eight dragons" or "battle six radioactive gargoyles" button-mashing sequence to ensue.

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

Beowulf lives up to its "M" rating, and there's plenty of hacking and slashing to be done here. But if you're looking for more than just bloody waterfalls and severed arms, you'll have to look elsewhere.