A solid beat 'em up from the team that brought us Champions of Norrath and other great brawlers. Definitely worth a purchase if you want a superhero game that's actually enjoyable.

If you're a fan of Silent Hill, you need to buy this. And if you're a publisher releasing titles on UMD, you need to get this so you can see how it should be done.

The board game is still essentially a dice powered foot race. The boss fights were a step in the right direction, but the rules of the game itself need to be refreshed. However for what it is it's great.

SOCOM: Tactical Strike isn’t the action-based affair most series fans are accustomed to, but the real-time strategy title is good at what it does. Graphically impressive on PSP, SOCOM: Tactical Strike is worth a look.

Carol Vorderman’s Sudoku offers over one million puzzles to solve and a variety of modes, but fails to feature Vorderman to any significant degree.

Even the target audience has games in the same genre that are more well defined. While these may entertain, after one or two levels you realize that there is nothing new coming.

We hope that next year's offering will provide a much clearer vision of what the game is supposed to be.

Don't expect this game to turn you into any kind of music expert if you're not one already, but if you already have some skill, Jam Sessions is a surprisingly good tool for any musician who wants to dabble in song creation.

This is a solid game, and beyond multiplayer, not meant to be played casually. If you want to see how precise the Wii controls can be you need to check this out.

The lack of any online functionality certainly hurts the game, but you’ll still find it enjoyable nonetheless.

This is not a game, but it's also not the audiovisual tool Nintendo would like you to think it is. It's a toy, and it won't hold your attention for too long.

Jerry Seinfeld plus Xbox 360 platformer equals lots of gaming goodness.

Doesn't provide much more in the way of improving upon the original formula, and manages to totally demolish the fantastic enemy AI on the trip over to Sony's console.

A good solid game worth the price of admission.

Take a look up yonder and read over the tracklist to see if it suits you, because it was seriously lacking for both me and Lisa.

PAIN would be a great game if it were actually a game. Instead, it’s like a brief demo that you’re being charged $10 to play.

If you like biting your controller and being frustrated at a game that freezes after you've failed to save it for 8 missions, it's for you.

Fans of card and parlor games will find some good stuff here, even though they’ll have to shuffle through the various games included here to find it. Just keep in mind that you can play games just like these for free on your PC.

It's possibly the first decent Pixar game. Young gamers who liked the movie will get a kick out of it, but older gamers will be better off with the dozens of other racing games out there.

While some PS2 owners will be glad their old platform is getting some port-down love, the game just isn't getting any better from a graphical standpoint.

Your kids will love it, and even older gamers can find something to enjoy in the lighthearted stealth gameplay.

There's something strangely narcissistic about games starring musicians as themselves.

It’s a thinking man’s war game worth a shot if you’re in the mood for something different.

Absolutely not a title I would recommend to any kid already playing other platformers like Mario, Ratchet and Clank, or Sly Cooper.

I'd recommend keeping your copy of NHL 2K7 and pretending this year's version never actually came out. Like an NHL videogamers lockout or something.

One of the best sci-fi military shooters that the PS2 has seen. It's short, but with high replay value and a lot of extra content.

With the most familiar controls of any version released this year, the Xbox 360 version edges out the PS3 version this season, by a hair.

It may not be my first pick for a puzzle game to play on the DS, but Super Collapse! 3 gives players a healthy variety of game modes and options to the point where the wealth of variety makes up for an otherwise mediocre core game.

A good step forward and an idea of how 2K Games will utilize their exclusive license.

While Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia may not be host to cutting-edge graphics, its script and game play make up for it, delivering solid turn-based entertainment for at least 50 hours of enjoyment. A solid choice for NIS America fans.

Its pretty, but like Chrome its mostly flash and little substance. At least you can show it off to your friends.

Without the infrastructure and game sharing, the game fails to capitalize on a lucrative multiplayer experience and instead settles for mediocrity.

Eragon is an experience better read than played!

Scurge: Hive had potential to be a great game. Metroid + isometric perspective sounds like a winning formula. Unfortunately, Metroid Fusion + isometric perspective + frustration doesn't fare quite as well.

Secret Stash strikes again with a reinterpretation of a classic game. This is for classic arcade freaks, and new initiates. While it works within the classic game design, some of the new game modes are truly original.

The game is rated “M” and one of the descriptors is “Language.” This is because the nondescript soldiers shout out obscenities when under fire, randomly and without much purpose. It’s a weird little quirk, and one wonders if the designers did just to ensure an “M” rating.

Save the money and get the original Xbox version.

As an arcade space shooter, Xyanide doesn't break any new ground, but it is a solid entry that is fun. The flaws aren't enough to diminish an otherwise fun time with the original Xbox.

For the die-hard hoops fans this is of interest, mostly for the story aspect. The gameplay can be a bit... awkward at times, but veteran players of basketball games shouldn't have much of a problem.

It’s the best game in the series so far, but it’s not really that greatly improved over the original, and it still seems like a missed opportunity to make something that really, well, cooks. It’ll be enjoyable for young food enthusiasts, but everyone else will probably want to wait until mama gets a bit more serious about cooking.

Dungeon Maker: Hunting Grounds is the equivalent of light summer reading; fun and frothy, but not overly involving, slow or ponderous.

MLB 2K6 is solid, but graphic ugliness ruins the whole stew.

Get this game if you’ve got a 360 and friends to play against, you’ll have a blast.

Tries to do a lot of things and wind up not doing very many of them well. It's a good effort but you can find a lot of better titles out there.

This is a solid mini-game collection, and although it is aimed at kids, it does a good job of keeping the simple controls, but making the games different. This game is definitely for kids, but it is something that won't drive you nuts to play with your kids.

This is a decent game for kids, and adults who refuse to grow up. You may not want to go see the movie again, but the game can at least keep your kids entertained in their need for more Shrek and Co.

There are better driving games, certainly, but if you absolutely must have a driving game based on this movie, this is pretty much your only choice.

Cars is a good adaptation of the Pixar film, providing a fun kart racer appealing to the younger crowd, with racing AI good enough to captivate older racing game fans.

If you have fond memories of this game, and don’t mind the 360’s crappy D-pad, go for it, I guess. Everyone else, you’re better off getting Street Fighter II or, better yet, the latest Mortal Kombat game when it comes out.

If you’re really dying for a great tennis game on your PC, import the European release of "Virtua Tennis 3." The PC version of Top Spin 2 is a long-overdue and shoddy port of an already imperfect game.

It looks nice, and the plot is well developed, but they seem to forget games have to be fun to play.

Inspired from the somewhat average Mortal Kombat: Deception on PlayStation 2, this reduced version features too many omissions to be as enjoyable.

Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror was made for the PSP, and it is there that it succeeds. In trying to take the game and slap it onto the PS2, they've thrown away or lost everything that made it special to begin with, and are actually trying to charge $20 more for it. Where I come from, that's what we call a "rip-off."

While the Secrets of Da Vinci is hardly a masterpiece, it still has glimmers of genius and intrigue. The game has obviously been well thought-out, and is a nice way to pass the weekend; but sadly there is nothing to make you want to play through a second time.

One thing that will never be said about the Wild ARMs series of RPGs is that they’re all cookie-cutter games.

If you're a fan of hack-n-slash button-mashing in your RPGs, Shining Force Neo offers a load of challenge and a long campaign.

It's a pretty good game, especially for a movie license. Young gamers will love it.

This is a hard sell, but if you like puzzles check it out. The game is rewarding, but bring your own music to the party.

Worth a purchase for fans of the original or great car chases.

If you can have only one racing game on the DS, get Mario Kart DS. However, after that, you’d do well to check out Pixar’s Cars: Mater-National Championship.

PQ: Practical Intelligence Quotient isn’t a great tool for any real standardized measurement of how brainy a person is, but it is a very well done variant on the puzzle genre.

A worthy expansion to the game and admit it, you want to cast Lava in your town. I know you do.

It's not "Oblivion," and it's not trying to be. Enchanted Arms is to Tactics-style RPGs what Oblivion was to action-RPGs. A solid next-gen effort from an underdog developer.

You'll play through the songs once and then go back to playing Guitar Hero II while waiting for Guitar Hero III to come out.

Regardless of all of these problems, Earth Defense Force 2017 is still wonderful, stupid fun that manages to surpass its lowly production values and shoddy appearance to become a surprisingly superb game.

If you're a fan of the first four games, .Hack//G.U. Vol. 1: Rebirth should make for an interesting twist on the formula you know and love. If you're not a series fan, then this game won't change your mind.

The control just really brings it down. Offering some level of sensitivity control would have been nice. Offering support for using the nunchuk/classic controller/GC controller for more classic style of TH control would have been awesome.

For the die-hard hoops fans this is of interest, mostly for the story aspect. The gameplay can be a bit… awkward at times, but veteran players of basketball games shouldn’t have much of a problem.

Blitz the League repackages a year old game for the next generation, but it's a GOOD game. Worth picking up if you don't have the original version.

Because of their speedy nature, Sonic games really necessitate fresh surroundings, and especially in an on-rails game, different locales help to give the feeling that you’re actually progressing. Unfortunately, because of that these forced challenge levels work against the game, and that’s a shame, because otherwise Sonic and the Secret Rings may have very well been that comeback game Sonic has desperately needed.

If you like biting your controller and being frustrated at a game that freezes after you've failed to save it for 8 missions, it's for you.

The new design segments game play dramatically, but the core excitement of horse racing is brought across more than ever in Gallop Racer 2006.

Chicken Little: Ace in Action is a decent action game that could have been great with a little more work. As it stands, it’s one of those that’ll be sure to please younger fans of the film, but that’s about it.

It's not that the game is very bad, it's that the game doesn't ever try to be very good.

Barely more than a clone of God of War, Conan manages to differentiate itself with an over-the-top style and mature themes. The action has its ticks, but a hardcore action aficionado will find a lot to like here.

Call of Duty 3 on Wii somehow slipped through the development cracks. Awkward controls, less impressive visuals, and a total lack of multiplayer make it less desirable than its counterparts on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 is just too little, too late, and released at the worst time imaginable. It is a game that was quite frankly doomed to be forgotten.

Barely more than a clone of God of War, Conan manages to differentiate itself with an over-the-top style and mature themes. The action has its ticks, but a hardcore action aficionado will find a lot to like here.

Really not a bad starting point for the series' North American debut. A bit more focus on the set list and this will be doing alright.

This is one of the few games released for the holiday buzz that seems to measure up to being a game, not an advertisement.

If you're looking for a shooter on the Xbox, there are countless others that are more involving than this one. The gameplay in Painkillers: Hell Wars has been out of style for a decade.

It's slow paced and you'll get tired of hearing the same jokes and trash-talk over and over again, but serious poker fanatics will enjoy the big-name players and casual players will enjoy the feel of playing a game with their buddies.

If you’ve never played The Sims 2 before, this is the latest console version and the one you should use. For anyone else, it’s simply not enough new content to merit a full-priced purchase.

It’s a Doom RPG from cell phones with a fantasy theme ported to the DS. Odd? Sure, but it’s a good, unique dungeon crawler that’s surprisingly addictive in spite of its somewhat simplistic nature. If you’re a fan of the genre (or simply curious), it’s certainly worth your while to try it out.

Keepsake is a very enjoyable game for the most part, although you may find yourself pulling your hair out at times. You should definitely give this game a try, if only for the beautiful graphics and design.

While it still very much feels like a sequel, everything is bigger, better, and more stylish. In the end, Def Jam: Icon manages to feel like a fresh experience instead of more of the same.

All in all, Dr. Sudoku is a fair to decent portable version of sudoku, albeit the game has some moderate faults in the presentation and some other annoyances here and there. If you're a fan of sudoku, you'll probably get your money's worth out of this game.

Strategy fans that are tired of war should purchase this outright. Everybody else should at least give this a try.

It’s better than you think, but it's only to be played in small doses.

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown ought to be called Scrat’s Adventure, since Manfred, Sid and Diego make only token appearances.

Like Arthur and Excalibur, Felt and the Azoth are part of destiny... one that includes becoming part of any tactical-RPG loving gamer's library.

This is an addiction, not a game. As hard as you may fall for it, there are rewards for sticking with it, but the later levels will make it harder to do so.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire delivers the expected “you’ve seen the movie, now play it” goods, though tedious collection quests and a dearth of fresh material that goes beyond the movie storyline will limit the game’s appeal to the teen-and-up audience.

Sure, you see the box and you think, “if this is anything like Wii Sports tennis, it’ll be awesome!”, but trust me when I say this is nothing like Wii Sports Tennis. This is everything like every other crappy port the system has received – graphically inferior, feature-poor and suffering from controls that were originally meant for an analog stick but are now shoehorned uncomfortably into nonsensical hand gestures.

If your little girl wants a pet-raising game, Nintendogs is still the best bet. If she likes horses and ponies better than dogs, I’d point her to Pony Friends. However, Horse Life is still an excellent addition to this genre, and well worth checking out if the resident pony lover is looking for something with a bit less pony interaction and a bit more actual game.

Don't know where to start when getting a game for a girl? This is a good place. Nancy Drew has been around for years for a reason, and this mystery adventure does a good job of fitting in with the franchise.

It's worth playing. It's not hard, but it's still satisfying for a short while.

A mighty fine take on the genre. A solid game that's worth owning.