Bottom line, if you can look past the technical gripes, Act of War: Direct Action is a very solid RTS game with a fantastic story.

Boasting two discs worth of content, this is the longest offering yet from the Onimusha team, and there’s a lot to like about it. The only caveat would be that gamers tired of the series won’t find much to rekindle their interest here. It’s bigger and a bit more complex than before, but it’s still Onimusha.

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.

For what it is, Sprung dishes out a worthwhile and memorable experience that is both entertaining as well as quite funny. I only wish I had known some of these lines when I was dating.

In all, Hearts of Iron II may attract a few new players – the price is right, and it does allow for a longer campaign which alleviates some of the abruptness inherent in the original. However, for those who just couldn’t handle the original, this expansion isn’t going to cut them any slack either.

While far from perfect, this game exudes the same charm that made Wild Arms such a cult phenomenon, and those who can look past its occasional shortcomings will find Alter Code F to be a classic to be treasured for years to come.

Even without the ESPN presentation, the core gameplay continues to shine boldly through – and with the retail price of $20, the game is a steal for just about anybody.

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.

Revenge really fumbles the ball with the addition of traffic checking, and its overt attempts at aggression are ultimately ironic counterpoints to a system that has lost many of its teeth. On its own, it's still one of the best racers available, but it is also a spectacular step backward for the series.

One the best examples of a series which makes you feel like you are a part of the war rather than the most important member of the war, which is perhaps the game’s biggest draw, and rightly so.

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.

For the most part, Maniax holds true to the KoF design, but it's also missing some of the style and heart that made previous iterations so successful.

Even without the ESPN presentation, the core gameplay continues to shine boldly through – and with the retail price of $20, the game is a steal for just about anybody. Every hockey fan should have it. Period.

If you can handle the teeth-grinding, sweaty-palmed and cramped fingers difficulty, you'll be richly rewarded by a game that is as strategic as it is fast.

It is a very fun title, offering gamers a well-planned story with excellent graphics and enough simulator aspects to keep it fun but also make it a serious contender as flight sims go.

Heroes of Might and Magic V is certainly a good game, but it's flawed. That said, fans of the series, as well as those who simply enjoy turn-based strategy, will definitely enjoy it.

While the core gameplay here is considerable, and is head and shoulders above most other imitative offerings from other developers, it is still exceedingly bare-bones.

Urban Reign succeeds because it does what it set out to do: it is a fun, engaging brawler. The fighting system is deep and intriguing, the voice-acting is thankfully on-spot, and the game has a lot to offer, particularly for anyone looking for a quick, aggressive free-for-all.

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.

A fun game that does a really good job of making you feel as if you are taking part in a classic-era Bond film. Unfortunately, the overall linearity and lack of a significant multiplayer mode ensures that this is a game that will be played through once, and then left on the shelf.

If you can stomach or even master the unforgiving battle conditions, it's a good game with an okay story and good combat.

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.

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.

With the camera and control issues of "THUG2" corrected, a fresh, compelling story mode, and the highlights of the series up to this point in tow, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland stands as the best game to bear his name thus far.

Meatbags should be pleased with the continued storyline, but might find the amount of bugs, loading and framerate issues overshadowing the limited improvements offered.

Therein lies the major problem with Brothers in Arms gameplay mechanics; it uses the whole tactical element as a crutch, but there's nothing really "tactical" about the way the game ends up playing out.

Space Hack brings the hack-and-slash genre back to its roots. There is never a dull moment as the character hacks, slashes, and shoots his way through alien hordes while trying to save the colonists living on the ship.

A fun game that does a really good job of making you feel as if you are taking part in a classic-era Bond film. Unfortunately, the overall linearity and lack of a significant multiplayer mode ensures that this is a game that will be played through once, and then left on the shelf.