The crux of the gameplay lies in combat that is extremely tedious. There are other features within which to loose yourself, from item customization, to even a Pokemon style creature rearing and combat mini-game that is deep enough to almost be a game on its own. But these facets are made to accentuate the core game, not make up for its shortcomings, which as it turns out are considerable.

The focus is clearly comedy, and though the game is easier and shorter than the average graphic adventure, the quality of the script, voice-acting, and even the end-credit song is worth the price of admission. Let’s hope they keep it up.

A class act. It may not be a cake walk the first time through, but for those who can deal with the occasional head scratching bouts of frustration, this game is another winning addition to the Nintendo DS library.

It’s definitely not a terrible game, but it’s never going to rise to the level of some of EA’s other sports titles unless it’s put under the microscope and seriously reexamined.

Burning Crusade's most grievous crime is that it totally invalidates the years of work you've put into pimping out your toons, but if you can handle looking like you can't dress yourself in the morning, the new equipment you'll be earning will be a salve on the wound.

From stick figures to rough polygonal approximations of popular franchise titles, Wario Ware dares to impress via sharp and insanely creative (or is that just insane?) art direction rather than traditional horsepower or amped up visuals.

In spite of missteps, if you can find yourself enjoying what Lost Planet does well (which is a lot), you’re bound to experience one hell of a ride that at times gets close to perfection, but just happens to miss its mark.

It’s very well-made; it just fits too well into its mold: the middle-of-the-road move conversion.

Fans of the show and the associated card game will surely enjoy Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Spirit Caller, but everybody else is bound to confused by the game’s steep learning curve and lackluster presentation.

While some of the complaints I had with Culture Shock – puzzle difficulty, for instance – have been addressed, the novelty has worn off ever-so-slightly.

The nunchuck-only method, which has players tilting the device left and right to move, seems odd, takes some time to get used to, and really just comes off as clunky and inaccurate. The nunchuck/remote combo works well mostly, but aiming with the analog stick can prove bothersome when the action gets heavy.

Elebits is fun because it tries something new. Tossing things around in the air and demolishing bedrooms and kitchens is more fun than it ought to be, and the controls in the game are usually spot-on.

Vengeance continues Ubisoft’s trend of releasing rushed port after rushed port to the Wii in hopes that gamers are indiscriminating enough to buy a game they’ve already played with added motion control. Given another month or two in development, it might easily have been worth it. In its current state, however, Far Cry Vengeance is harsh, glaring proof that this strategy isn’t working.

Swinging the remote with such precision will give her a better idea of what the Wii is capable of than anything else on the market right now.

The Meltdown is fun, and it makes good use of the Wii’s motion-sensitive controller. If you’re an Ice Age fan or a platformer fan that doesn’t mind a short game versus an engrossing epic, then it’s hard to go wrong.

If the handheld Castlevania games are part of a long-running machine, it's well-oiled and in no danger of breaking down just yet.

Though it falls short on some of the series' more lofty standards, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops combines addictive gameplay, impressive sound and graphics, and an astoundingly fleshed-out multiplayer component into a package that is easily recommendable to both fans and newcomers alike.

Adults won’t like it, children don’t like it and absolutely no one should pay money for it—not even as a rental. Heck, we got our copy for free, and we still feel cheated. Stay far, far away from this trash.

It's a well made game from a presentation standpoint, but the bulk of the game is simply far too simple to keep any but the most hardened Kirby fan glued to his or her dual screens.

There are more than a handful of genuinely entertaining titles found here that will return your investment ten fold in fun.

The real question is whether the game can rise above the hardware constraints, and the answer is yes. As a result, Fireteam Bravo 2 may be the premier shooter in the PSP’s library.

It's not nearly as bad as the notoriously awful "Superman 64," but it's yet another chunk of kryptonite plaguing his video game career.

Oddly enough, the music sounds quite good, with orchestrated ditties that are downright inspiring. Too bad the rest of the game inspires nothing but an urge to power off your console.

There are still some minor control issues, and the game is still incredibly inconsistent in terms of visual acuity, but in spite of this Red Steel is still an unquestionably fun game to play.

From its characters and epic, if somewhat predictable story, to the gameplay itself, Twilight Princess is a terrific extension to one of the most timeless and important franchises in video game history.

Excite Truck is a very fun, fast, and – dare I say it – exciting return to grass roots arcade style racing. There no tuning to worry about, no license tests, and no underground street cred here. All of those things can be found elsewhere. Excite Truck is just about racing, and it excels in this regard.

This is a simple game about simple fun, and everyone owes it to themselves to try it out to get a taste for what the Wii may in fact have in store for us all very soon.

Happy Feet is sure to please kids, at least for a while, and in that sense the game is a success. Still, the game is fairly insubstantial and could have benefited from some platforming in between its minigames, a la "Rayman: Raving Rabbids."

Project 8 doesn’t push very far beyond its previous boundaries. Most of the gameplay is very similar, and players familiar with the series will not find many surprises. However, the new coat of paint and the “Nail the Trick” mode help make the game seem at home on the next-gen consoles.

While the PSP version does sport a lush graphical pallet and nearly infinite replayability derived from unlockable skins, the version for the Nintendo DS trumps this with more variety, modes, and a more colorful presentation. However, it is the touch screen and the ability to drag pieces vertically rather than use buttons (though one opponent’s special attack temporarily disables stylus use) that is key in making this version more enjoyable.

The problem lies in that it is so handedly outshined by its Nintendo DS counterpart. The PSP version nets you better music, unlockable skins, and a degree of puzzling fun, but it still feels a bit vacant.

There's fun to be had, and those looking for yet another racing game have an option in what EA has put together here, just don't expect to be floored by what is essentially just a rehashing of ideas we've all seen before.

There’s a lot of fun to be had in Bionicle Heroes, and the price is definitely right, but ultimately this is a game you should be picking up for your kid brother for Christmas, and not for yourself. It’s a game that’s great at what it does, but put against the Gears of Wars of the world, doesn’t pass muster.

Although not all aspects of the game are as well developed as others, Banana Blitz's lively atmosphere, combined with its tight controls, challenging gameplay, and tons of replay value make it an easily recommendable title for any Wii owner looking for an original experience on their new console.

Once players start to acquire more and more interesting jobs, allowing a varied number of party customizations, the game begins to come into its own as yet another enjoyable, well-polished Final Fantasy title that any Nintendo DS RPG fan would be proud to own.

The real appeal of the game is in its visuals and production values, and these elements take a real hit on the Wii console. If you have the option to invest in one of the other versions, that’s the best route to take. The "novel" controls on the Wii are more gimmicky than fun in this particular title.

In many ways, it treads the same ground as previous titles in the series, but the new control method is like a little mini-revolution for sports games.

Call of Duty 3 on the Wii is one of the best examples of the system’s ability to make up for substandard visuals with really engaging control. The Wiimote is a fluid and, mostly, precise method of directing all of the carnage, and there’s no denying the fact that pointing and shooting is infinitely more fun than weaving around with two analog sticks.

Players fond of the control methods found in games like Excite Truck should take notice, especially if interested in something a little more quirky and demanding.

Probably the finest first-person shooter to ever grace a console, Resistance: Fall of Man is easily worth your $50, and may be considered by some to even be enough to justify the $650 investment alone.

Anyone who puts a few minutes with Rayman will have a hard time walking away without having smiled or laughed, and given that the bulk of the gameplay is so incredibly infectious simply adds up to one of the best launch offerings for the Wii.

If you’re buying a game other than Zelda with your Wii, make it Trauma Center. The gameplay not only translates perfectly, it evolves, and everything that made Under the Knife great is still on full display.

My excitement faded, however, as I repeatedly discovered the marquee games to be inferior versions of their PC progenitors.

As always, Team Ninja has produced a visual feast, a truly attractive game, and for that they should be commended. Sadly, there isn’t much more here than the pretty graphics and pretty girls.

The ultimate sandbox game. It gives players plenty of opportunities to experiment and explore, but it also has enough meat to really attract gamers interested in strategic play.

Ace in Action fails to be fun, a tragedy considering how attractive it looks. The game is nothing more than a trite shooter attempting to cash in on the Chicken Little franchise, with a control scheme is just too bothersome for this to be a recommended purchase to anyone.

It is a shooter of unparalleled grandeur and scale, featuring graphics that put the PlayStation 3 launch lineup to shame.

The mechanics are solid, and while not as deep as Lumines - Mizuguchi’s previous PSP outing – the game is easy to learn, difficult to master, and best playable for short periods of time.

Visually, Call of Duty 3 absolutely trumps the previous game. While profound launch titles like "Call of Duty 2" always strike a special cord, it is exhilarating to see the console mature and develop so far after only a year.

Project 8 doesn’t push very far beyond its previous boundaries. Most of the gameplay is very similar, and players familiar with the series will not find many surprises. However, the new coat of paint and the “Nail the Trick” mode help make the game seem at home on the next-gen consoles.

As it stands, it feels like the exact same multiplayer game that was offered a year ago. While a great deal of fun, this does little inspire existing players to jump from the equally entertaining SOCOM 3 to this latest game in the franchise.

Despite the small gripes, overall this is a great collection of classic Genesis titles. While the Wii's Virtual Console promises to have at least some of these titles available for download in the near to immediate future, Sega Genesis Collection offers a nice, compact alternative.

Guitar Hero II is what being a sequel is all about. Taking the core gameplay from a solid game and making improvements and sharpening until it can cut through steel like a hot knife through butter.

If you already own the first one and you’re not enticed by a little more MTV in your PSP; if you’re only in it for the falling blocks – just hold the glitz and enjoy the game you’ve got.

Ridiculous. Infectious. Simplistic. Just plain fun. Saddling Elite Beat Agents for the Nintendo DS with any one description is difficult, as the game marries absurd comedy, entertaining music, and classic rhythm mechanics in a way that is both new and altogether different from anything else available for the platform.

Not the best RPG of the year, nor is it even the most rewarding role-playing title on the Game Boy Advance. However, the game is without question one of the most polished portable RPGs to come to retail in recent months.

Scurge: Hive isn’t a bad investment if a player is seeking fast paced pick up and play action, but players who appreciate more depth in their titles should probably shy away.

As a role-playing game, Children of Mana comes up aces, with an intriguing story and characters that you'll recall long after the game is shelved. Sadly however, this game counts itself among the popular action segment of the role-playing genre, and it is in that addendum that it falls short.

This is absolutely my favorite Final Fantasy title, a claim I probably would have laughed at two years ago when rumors about the game’s battle system began to circulate.

It offers a rare, deep developer experience, a very good single player RPG campaign, the ability to play these online, and the ability to use Neverwinter Nights 2 within a dungeon master framework, creating one's own persistent campaign piece-by-piece.

Far from being revolutionary, and just shy of even being considered an evolution of the series, Carbon exists in that dubious realm of being simply a largely unnecessary annual update.

It’s simple without being easy, and it’s fun without being frustrating.

Blurry characters and environments, rigid animation, and overdone physics all add up to a package that comes off as rushed and uncared for.

Just when it seemed the industry had figured out how to turn some movies into fun gameplay experiences, with Reservoir Dogs, its as if they haven’t learned a thing since "E.T."

Die-hard Marvel fans can adjust the score on Ultimate Alliance about ten points higher. The character dialogue alone will cause numerous geek-outs, chock full of obscure references as it can be. All other comers will find a capable, high quality action RPG that offers a huge amount of customization and a lot of unique characters that are far more than sprite swaps of each other.

Unlike most handheld ports, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance offers more than most console versions of the game do, with more bonus characters and play modes than even the next-gen offerings.

It’s too focused on tricks to be a good racer, yet not not enough to be a competent skating game either. As such, fans of either genre are advised to give this one a pass.

Minor issues aside, if you don’t mind a short play time and you enjoyed the first, the expansion should subdue your craving until a true sequel is released.

It's also fun, with a story is further shows the potential of the Nintendo DS as the new home for adventure gaming. That's the good part. The bad part is that the game only features four cases and a handful of forgettable side stories, with very little replay value.

Feels more like doing chores than saving a world. Combat is both clunky and unengaging, and hearing the story just isn't worth trudging through the slow gameplay.

Blurry characters and environments, rigid animation, and overdone physics all add up to a package that comes off as rushed and uncared for.

Magical Starsign is the role-playing equivalent to bubblegum. It's a fun diversion, but far from substantial, instead resigning itself to being an interesting holdover until something more worthwhile comes along.

Such games are rare, and I consider Contact to be a triumph of development. But, putting aside my assessment of its artistic merit, Contact is really just a fun, engaging RPG that Nintendo DS owners have been waiting for ever since the system was released.

To sum up: Sam’s ability to quip is unparalleled and wanton destruction may, indeed, be Max’s forte. But humor is clearly Steve Purcell’s.

Bully takes the previous GTA structure, puts it to use in a school setting, and in the process Rockstar has created one of the most original and fun titles on the PlayStation 2.

In every sense imaginable, Splinter Cell: Double Agent was meant to exploit the platform on which it was designed, and it excels to an extraordinary degree.

With only 10 maps, a lackluster new game mode, and the only interesting modification being the infantry system, it’s hard to justify the $50 dollar price tag. But if players enjoy futuristic large scale battles and they’re already a fan of the series, then 2142 is obviously their best option.

The expansion only changes the game on a strictly superficial level, although it does this extremely well.

The expansion only changes the game on a strictly superficial level, although it does this extremely well.

Its attention to detail and realism inevitably means that it will appeal to a smaller niche, but that simply means that it only sets out do one thing, and it does its job well.

The expansion only changes the game on a strictly superficial level, although it does this extremely well.

While Evidence caters to a specific crowd and has some extremely difficult puzzles, the story, presentation, and feeling of actually partaking in some serial killer’s twisted game all add up to make this title - along with its prequel - still some of the most unique and highly entertaining adventuring to come along in years.

One hell of a fighting game. So to answer the question, Mortal Kombat has definitely gone out with a bang – for now.

Although controls are clumsy and some technical sacrifices had to be made, the added single player and multiplayer content makes Showdown a much longer-lasting game than its rent-worthy predecessor.

Though press-turn fans may be a little dismayed at the comparatively-simple battle system, there is a surprising amount of depth once players go deeper into the game, acquiring more and more varied demons.

What really pushes God Hand over the top, though, is the presentation and how fun it is. In other brawlers, you’re restricted to punching guys in the face or kicking them in the stomach. God Hand finally lets you kick that stupid demon that’s been giving you trouble right between the legs.

Even though it is still the same formula EA has gone with for years, Tiger Woods PGA Tour continues to be play home to a winning formula that has gone largely unchanged for a good reason.

Stripped of its license, Avatar would be easily dismissed as yet another run of the mill hack-and-slash action RPG, but given the game's at least competent portrayal of the series, this is certainly a game that fans of the television show could enjoy, gripes notwithstanding.

Stripped of its license, Avatar would be easily dismissed as yet another run of the mill hack-and-slash action RPG, but given the game's at least competent portrayal of the series, this is certainly a game that fans of the television show could enjoy, gripes notwithstanding.

Even though it is still the same formula EA has gone with for years, Tiger Woods PGA Tour continues to be play home to a winning formula that has gone largely unchanged for a good reason.

One hell of a fighting game. So to answer the question, Mortal Kombat has definitely gone out with a bang – for now.

Each individual game controls elegantly with the DS stylus. It is entirely possible to play each of the 42 games in the collection without ever using the directional pad of the face buttons. This is vital in appealing to non-gamer markets.

It's a great value for its $20 debut price tag, and it’s easily my favorite game of any generation based on the Star Trek license.

This isn’t anywhere near as good as some of the Nintendo DS's other classic remakes, such as Namco's Dig Dug: Digging Strike, which was both fun, innovative, and actually worked properly out of box.

They took the issues that were problematic from the first title and did away with them. More importantly, Mercury Meltdown breathes new life into a handheld machine that is beginning to look more and more like an asthmatic reaching for his Albuterol.

Dominions 3 pretty much stands alone at what it does, and its central gameplay is well balanced and extremely fun. However, it undoubtedly is burdened by a huge learning curve and archaic graphics.

The stunts, however, steal the show, and really elevate the game beyond its limitations. From skydiving and parachuting onto the top of moving vehicles to jumping out of helicopters or launching tow cables at passing cars, Rico can do some things that games haven’t allowed players to do before, and there’s a lot to be said for enabling new frontiers.

It may not be the deepest kid in the class, but it sure does know how to have fun at recess.