DiRT 2 is an absolute triumph, and anyone who had a hand in its production should be very proud of themselves.

If Contra 4 was too frustrating for you, this could end up being your favorite Contra game of this decade. Fans of the series and the run-and-gun genre should pick this up without hesitation. Contra ReBirth is both a nice tribute for fans and the perfect place to start for those Contra virgins who've ever wondered what the series is all about.

A flawed, but ultimately good game. However, here we come to the major malfunction. Barely anybody is playing this thing. Even with 32-player matches available, it's really hard find a game populated by even half that number.

An improved experience this year, without a doubt the best of Activision's full-band games to date. There's enough here to satisfy fans of plastic instruments, and if you've got four drum sets, this is the only place you'll get to use them all at the same time. Despite its marked improvements, those who have have pledged their allegiance to other music titles likely won't be swayed, but that doesn't mean Guitar Hero 5 isn't worth your time.

The PSP release should be considered the superior one, running so much more smoothly than is console-based predecessor, packing more content, and feeling at home on a system more suited to its gameplay, despite the fact that playing for too long isn't recommended if you don't like pain in your fingers.

They've got their heads in the right place, and the start of something that could be really good, but they've still got a long way to go in the ways of storytelling, pacing and visuals before this gets up into the pantheon of must-play horror games.

I will admit to being angry and disappointed at the finale of Arkham Asylum and the Batman fanboy in me wants to tell you that Eidos ruined everything. Fact is, they have made a great, great game here. Even the boss battle at the end, the only thing I can honestly say I hate about this title, would probably be enjoyable provided one was willing and able to see past its relationship to the rest of the game. It is absolutely worth your time and money.

Hardcore Final Fantasy nerds will be dazzled by the fan service on offer and will likely let a lot of issues slip by unnoticed, just because Kefka is in it. However, Dissidia really isn't a great game. It's a solid, if annoying, hack n' slash title that had a shedload of potential, but just isn't tight enough to truly realize the greatness it could have achieved.

This is about as well crafted as videogames get.

As a standalone narrative, it's a flimsy thing with little to give to the player other than a few good giggles. But, at the same time, this is a competent adventure title with some intelligent puzzles and decently unique places to explore. If you're a fan, you'll dig this and walk away with that familiar MI afterglow. If you're not, perhaps a trial is in order.

Also of note is the game’s wicked cool take on stat and achievement tracking. Things like how many enemies you’ve performed a melee attack on or mini spider bots you’ve kicked are tracked, and you’re shown updates as they happen.

In terms of balance, it’s brilliant.

The controls may irritate you and the game's attempt at a Zen aesthetic may come off as a little dull, but it nonetheless remains a constantly surprising, wonderfully unclassifiable, and, ultimately, damned satisfying piece of gaming.

The improvements -- the tackling, the animations, the authenticity in general -- work together to make this one of the best football titles ever created. There’s no reason not to own this thing if you’re looking for a videogame that recreates the NFL experience in a fun, immersive, and competitive way.

The improvements that Madden 10 offers over Madden NFL 09 are vast. In fact, aside from a new console generation, Madden 10 might provide the most significant year-over-year upgrade in the 21-year history of the series. Even gamers who have been wishing for a sequel to ESPN NFL 2K5 will be impressed, and for a football fan, buying this year’s Madden is a no-brainer.

While you don’t necessarily need to enjoy racing games to fully "get it," I'm sure it'd certainly help. There aren’t many games like Trials HD in existence, especially not on Xbox LIVE Arcade, which should be reason enough to get you looking in the first place.

I finished the game in just under four hours. After that, it was another four hours to collect all the Easter eggs and unlock the bonus level. Eight hours of cosmetically solid, wholly original gameplay is worth the ten bucks in my opinion.

Unfortunately, nostalgia doesn’t operate in this game’s favor: it’s too faithful to the original. The broken levels, mundane combat, meager play options, and short play time are factors that dwarf the delicious presentation and whatever fond memories you may have.

Do yourself a favor and purchase any of the other four Fallout downloadable content packs before even contemplating getting this one.

Fat Princess' charm and sense of humor prevails throughout, and it's backed up by a completely honest, simple, and thoroughly fun war game that contains not one pretentious bone in its body.

A perfectly servicable, if unspectacular finale to Telltale's great Wallace and Gromit series. A new puzzle structure, improved writing, and more challenging brain-twisters make this episode feel entirely fresh. The series may not end with a bang, but The Bogey Man sure as heck isn't a whimper.

While Bookworm Adventures 2 doesn't appear to offer anything startlingly new or different, it does stick by the formula that PopCap seems to have down to a science. The game is high quality and a lot of fun to play, and the only negative thing I can really say about it is that if you don't care for word games, it probably won't appeal to you.

This is a must-own game for fans of Marvel, Capcom, or fighting games in general. I bought it on XBLA, and I plan to buy it again when it drops on PSN in a few weeks, and I'd buy the damn thing again if it ever came to the Wii. It's just that good.

Best of all, Space Bust-A-Move is easy to pick up and play, serving up its puzzle fun in bite-sized doses.

A glimpse into the promising future of what developers can do with the power of the MotionPlus. If you can, for just a moment, get past the fact that the console's motion controls were not 1:1 to begin with and not let that sour the experience, you will get a lot out of it.

The core game is spectacular, even if the presentation framing it is awful, and it's got the potential to be well worth the money. So should you buy it? That depends on what's most important to you, but I'm going to say you most certainly should.

Shatter is a great game, and well worth a play.

’Splosion Man is without doubt one of the most polished, original, and enjoyable games on Xbox LIVE, a great way for Microsoft to kick off its “Summer of Arcade.” If you enjoy stern, sometimes unforgiving platforming challenges, you simply shouldn't miss it.