Sid Meier's Pirates! is able to be played for just a few mintues or hours at a time. Your PSP will thank you.

Despite some features that need upgrading, College Hoops 2K7 is still the king of all hoops games, pro or college, on any platform.

The first truly "next-gen" Tony Hawk game looks and plays great.

There's no revolution going on here, but NBA 2K8 is as solid as ever.

The addition of new content makes the game a worthwhile purchase for any serious racing fan, though the lack of online multiplayer means you'll be racing alone.

It simply is missing key upgrades to the original game. No online component holds the game back. New skins and a couple of novel modes are welcome, but don’t overshadow the feeling that Lumines II is a slightly updated version of the original.

One of the better offerings in the genre and worth picking up.

Enhanced visuals, two new fighting styles, and minor combat changes simply aren’t enough to prompt a second purchase. For a first buy, however, it’s worth every penny.

This is worth playing all the way through, the developers reward you for wading through their world.

Nintendo finally gets around to making up for Yoshi’s Touch and Go with this amazing follow up to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. Easily one of the best in the genre, Yoshi’s Island DS is a fun, colorful, and energetic platform game that every Nintendo DS owner should play.

A wealth of new multiplayer options, as well as the introduction of new elements to the single player campaign makes it a worthy buy.

Minor flaws, such as issues with putting and a reduction in unlockable items are boggling, but overall the game is solid. Tee up—Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 is easily a winner on PlayStation 3.

The character models are close to the same level of detail as the PS2 version, but unfortunately, the PSP version suffers from a shakier framerate than PS2’s version.

If you hated XenoSaga before – the long story segments, the sparse gameplay in the first 10 hours or so – then XenoSaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra, won't necessarily convert you, but for most who at least liked it, or loved it, Episode III is a great payoff for sticking with the series for all three installments!

The failings of Marvel Ultimate Alliance, which rob it of achieving videogame immortality, are far outweighed by the novelty of playing a game with so many comic book characters all in one game. It’s addictive fun!

It’s not perfect, but overall this is possibly the most delightful surprise on XBLA since Geometry Wars came out of nowhere to be the platform’s killer app.

If you like aprehending criminals with some humor and nonsequitous bad taste then this is for you.

This is a great game for DS Wi-Fi, and for once it is one that isn't made by Nintendo themselves. There is may not be much more to this game, but for fans that should be more than enough.

The failings of Marvel Ultimate Alliance, which rob it of achieving videogame immortality, are far outweighed by the novelty of playing a game with so many comic book characters all in one game. It’s addictive fun!

Dawn of Dreams is a superior title from a graphic standpoint, but lacks its own identity, and recycles more bosses from earlier games than most fans might like.

This is a fantastic, must-have first-person shooter.

The new control scheme makes SvR 2007 much less of a button-masher as much of the grappling is now mapped to the right analog stick, although sometimes a combo button is needed for certain grapple follow-ups.

Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs lives up to its role as an expansion pack: rather than shaking up the core game, it manages to offer up enough enhancements to make it interesting.

There are so few games that get air combat right, but Ace Combat hits the nail on the head. From the huge scale air support missions to the vicious online dogfights, everything about this game is perfect. Its limited appeal is offset by the fact it serves that audience so well.

The only way this game could be any better is if it were WiFi compatible.

Playing Madden NFL 07 on Xbox 360 is like playing "Madden NFL 2002" with next-gen graphics. The drive falls well short of a touchdown, even now!

If you want to play the newest Splinter Cell game, please, find another platform to play it on. Your mileage may vary, but this game just doesn't seem to work all that well. Only buy this if the multiplayer is your main reason, or possibly only reason for playing.

Oh my fudge, this game is well worth the price if you or anyone you know is big on A: History (WWII Era), B: Control Freak or C: Gets a kick out of screwing with said history. If you like Risk you will enjoy this. Seriously.

This one has a better story that makes playing through it worth the time investment.

Test Drive: Unlimited wasn’t specifically intended for handheld play and it shows. The wealth of content is staggering and the presentation pristine; however, a sense that this game has been unnecessarily squeezed down to size causes it to miss its potential.

Finding your groove in this game, if you are new to this sort of thing that is, takes a good amount of time.

Yes, it's fun, but nothing really new enough to warrant a recommendation. Die-hard Battlefield fans will see plenty of value, all others should stick with what they already have.

Itching for a fun platformer that doesn’t cost much? Cloning Clyde fits the bill.

Overcomes what could have been crippling flaws with the same addictive gameplay, and the controls are what sells this title.

Call of Duty 3 packs in more impressive features than any previous installment: gorgeous graphics and audio, an intense single player campaign, and a wealth of multiplayer options. Even if it isn’t the most original game, Call of Duty 3 is certainly one of the finest.

The new control scheme makes SvR 2007 much less of a button-masher as much of the grappling is now mapped to the right analog stick, although sometimes a combo button is needed for certain grapple follow-ups.

As shooters go, Ghost Recon is one of the best. Bettered possibly only by "Half-Life 2," this is one for the collection.

While not quite up there with the likes of GBA's "Final Fantasy Tactics Advance," Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is by far the best RPG ever to grace the PSP platform!

This game is a new twist on baseball. Neat in theory, but I'm not sure that cosmetic or game play changes will do much for a genre that is so well established.

A classic game with a great presentation and tons of options and gameplay modes, but nothing really new. Anyone who’s played the game in the last decade or so knows what they’re in for here.

Kind of a Burnout Lite and slightly more fun than frustrating. Minigames hit that exact right "just one more" sweetspot that'll keep gamers playing long after they meant to stop.

Outside of the Solid Eye feature, the game’s story is much better this time out, the combat system improved, the graphics far better looking, and the game filled to the brim with imposing bosses and intense combat.

Kameo is absolutely beautiful, and it's a decent game, too.

Not quite living up to it's expectations with a story that kind of falls apart at the mid-way point. But presenting fun and action filled gameplay, that makes this one of the better shooters on the 360 right now. Visually amazing, and has great sound.

NCAA Football 2007 is the Anna Kournikova of next-gen football games; beautiful to look at and spend time with, but seriously lacking in depth and achievement.

It's a fun trip down memory lane, but it makes you seriously wonder how much longer Capcom is going to repackage decade-old fighters instead of giving us "Street Fighter 4."

This is the best tennis game on the PSP, but it’s not much improved over last year’s title. Only serious tennis fans and those who don’t already own "Virtua Tennis: World Tour" should bother with this one.

A great introduction to crosswords on a handheld system. The engine is a great asset to a handheld that has provided new ways to play many pen and paper puzzles. For crossword junkies, this is a must-have.

Ultimately, it's ony worthwhile for those that don't have a decent gaming PC.

Adventure gamers should have bought into the season package, but those looking to test the waters might do well to go ahead and start here.

Are YOU the kind of Xbox 360 user that craves chaos and destruction? Do YOU enjoy games with a unique 2D presentation? Did YOU miss out on Alien Hominid when it was released last generation? If so, then YOU will probably enjoy this game.

Prey falls short of revolutionary by becoming a victim not only of time, but its own success. By not following through on the promise of a couple of very new and interesting gameplay mechanisms, the developers have delivered only part of the game that was possible.

A solid action game, but not a "must have" title.

Carcassonne is a solid board game, but I personally feel it’s just not quite as strong as Catan, its only direct competition on XBLA. In addition, problems with the camera and presentation only add to the frustration.

Major League Baseball 2K7 may be the only third-party MLB baseball game in town, but other than some minor quirks, it earns that distinction.

The DS version of Spider-Man 3 is a lot like the DS version of Spider-Man 2, but with a new, slick touchscreen interface that, while nice, does nothing to address the problems the last game had.

While Blue Dragon is clearly old school in its cartoonish art and turn-based gameplay mechanics, very distinctly different from a completely next-gen RPG-style title like Mass Effect, Blue Dragon definitely delivers something to the 360 that the original Xbox system never had enough of: an RPG so original, exciting and appealing, it will make PlayStation fans feel like they’re missing out on something important in the RPG landscape.

Another Tony Hawk game. Don’t expect much more than that.

This surprising action role-playing game deserves a go with its spot-on blend of action, platform, and role-playing elements. While there’s certainly some room for improvement, Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure overwhelmingly succeeds in providing an enjoyable gaming experience.

Impressive visual effects make it most desirable on PlayStation 3, but the engaging superhero customization and lengthy campaign are worth playing in general.

Stunts and Effects is more than a minor expansion pack; it adds enough new wrinkles to renew your interest in the year-old, but still fun, original game, The Movies.

Even fans of the series may be hard-pressed to find this a worthwhile purchase – they already know the story.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a wonderful birthday gift for 10-year-old Lara; just wait till she hits puberty!

The quality we’ve come to expect from the Karaoke Revolution series meets with a great presentation that makes full use of the American Idol license (Paula Abdul notwithstanding), making for a solid karaoke game bound to make you happy (provided you like the tracklist).

For delivering sheer visual and game play thrills and a solid reworking of its core franchise for the next-gen 360 platform, there's little doubt that NHL 2K7 is a solid, fun, playable title that leads the way into glimpsing the potential of what next-gen sports gaming should look to deliver; not just eye-candy, but better physics, better AI and a better overall experience than current-gen sports games.

Tales of the Abyss won’t be going toe-to-toe with "Final Fantasy XII" any time soon, but is a fun and entertaining tale in its own right.

Get the PS2 version of this collection. Do not get this version.

Mercury Meltdown finally realizes the potential that the original game, Mercury, left unfulfilled.

Yes, all of these songs came out in the decade of neon. Not all of these will fit your taste, but that's the way it is. Do not buy this game alone, it should be seen as an expansion to another Singstar title.

The career mode finally last longer than a season, but GM mode still needs a major overhaul; lacking many of the enhancements found on PS2 and 360, Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 is an upgrade only in the eyes of diehard WWE fans who want to wrestle as The Great Khali or Umaga on the go.

Sure, it's too short, but it's also inexpensive, and it's so fun to play you'll be begging for more. Definitely worth a download!

Easily is the best installment yet for the main series, bringing its style of arcade racing to PlayStation 3. While the suck is lackluster and there aren’t many new vehicles or tracks, it does offer intuitive new motion-sensitive controls and great online gameplay. Ridge Racer 7 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it definitely gives it a good spin.

Stats-addicts and control freaks, rejoice! Baseball Mogul 2007 has most of what fans of sports management sims look for, and does it all without wasting your time, thanks to a fast sim engine!

Better than Finest Hour, but still not where it needs to be.

The possibilities are virtually endless.

It sure is neat to look at.

The bottom line, however, is how much enjoyment will be gained by picking up OutRun 2: Coast 2 Coast – and it's a lot. Those that find the Project Gotham or Gran Turismo franchises a bit intimidating have a game to pick up and play for a long time.

ATV Offroad Fury 4 is another great extension of the series that manages to keep things fresh with tight handling, improved physics, and an assortment of gameplay modes including tons of multiplayer options.

Despite the shortcomings, Killzone: Liberation is a good example of how to change things up for a different platform. A good title that lives up to the Killzone franchise.

Doesn't deliver the exact experience of that on the PC, but in watering the formula down just a tad, EA has managed to create an experience all its own.

Grab your net and get to it. There be monkeys to catch!

If you've never played the first Tomb Raider, this is a great way to go about it. If you have, this is a great way to get reacquainted with it.

Running the game smoothly without a good system is going to be hard, but at least you’ll be treated to some imaginative gameplay.

Lumines Live is expensive, and isn’t without its problems, but it’s still one of the best things you’ll play on Live Arcade.

Final Fantasy III benefits from a complete makeover in its first US appearance, transforming from the ugly duckling of the mainline Final Fantasy series into a must-have for DS owners!

I came to this series knowing not what lay ahead. Imagine my surprise when I found a beautifully crafted fantasy realm that reminded me both of the Disciples series and the more recent Warcraft III.

The game is short, but it almost seems like a good thing, as too much more of it would have been too much. Again, the game is great fun (even given some frustrating camera issues that make it difficult to pinpoint an enemy causing Tequila damage), but it’s best in small doses.

The design of the game will be familiar to all fans of the series, and I believe it’s safe to saw that Grandia III may be the best installment of the series so far. A must-have, especially for fans of the series.

Gun is intense and packed with violence and action, but it is extremely brief and tends to overdose on the M-rated excesses.

Mercury Meltdown Revolution may be a port of a game in a genre the Wii already has in plentiful supply, but it’s a solid port, a good game, and at an ideal price. That adds up to a great value that’s well worth checking out.

It's a solid game for baseball junkies, but it's paced like...well, a baseball game. You've got to be into it to get anything out of it.

For DS owners that haven’t played Brain Age yet, it may be hard to understand what the hype is about. Let me give you a word of advice – take your DS to one of those demo download kiosks Nintendo has in game stores, or find a friend with a copy of the game and download a demo from them. Only after trying it will you have an idea just how fun this title is.

The controls have become needlessly complicated and gameplay so slow that only advanced players will truly enjoy the depth to be found here.

I know a lot of people will feel there are better uses for their new game system than a minigame collection, but I also know that many of these same people will be having a blast with their family playing Wii Sports during the holidays.

It’s still fun after all these years and plays better than many fancy 3D fighters that could be named. It is well worth the small cost.

Easily the best TH on a portable Nintendo system. Well worth your time if you're a fan of the series. It may not be the best introduction to the series, but it's a great game nonetheless.

This is a game that caters for all players; from war enthusiasts to war-hating vegetarians.

This game is a love letter to gamers that grew up with the Vic Viper and ring-spitting Easter Island heads, but it’s just as easily enjoyed by those that never played the Gradius games and are looking for a good old-fashioned arcade-style thrill.