As a Mario game, it is bursting with charm and laughs from all your favorites, and as a tennis game it is both solid and fun to play - Mario Power Tennis comes Heartily recommended.

The lack of "Game Over" is a delightful incentive for continued play, and despite no fear of defeat, Darwinia still contains a considerable array of challenges to overcome.

Yes it’s short. Yes it sticks to the series’ formula. And yes it is essentially a one-trick pony. But like a good popcorn action flick, Hitman Contracts hits you in all the right ways and proves to be truly captivating while it lasts.

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.

The new units are awesome...At a retail of $30 USD, Thrones and Patriots is a sweet deal for anybody that even remotely enjoyed the original game.

Although it is one of the silliest game concepts in years, these 5-second games are somehow able to hold your attention for hours on end.

A refreshing breath of fresh air in a series that had begun to feel very redundant.

It's not going to satisfy if you're in the market for another "Golden Sun" game or a new "Tactics Ogre" game. Despite the screen shots, it is not a tactical RPG, and it breaks a number of genre conventions associated with traditional RPGs. It could be argued, however, that this is the best reason to buy Riviera, as it certainly allows for a very interesting and unique experience with an emphasis on strategy and a wonderful story.

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.

The controls in Soul Calibur II are nearly flawlessly executed.

I found little not to love about this game. It reminds me of why I got into gaming in the first place. It is short, to the point, and every ounce of it drips fun.

It features whimsical, memorable characters, terrific presentation and, most importantly, simply fantastic gameplay.

The retail version of UT2k4 works on both Windows and Linux, with a Mac version of the game also available. This is something that I personally wish more companies would do with their games.

Sure, Jade Empire isn't "KOTOR" (despite so many similarities), but that's a rough peak to meet. It's still an easy contender for the title of second-best RPG on the Xbox.

From a technical perspective Tales does the genre proud, and from an aesthetic viewpoint there are few who could stand side by side and not be dwarfed by its majesty.

The game emphasizes role-playing over subscribing to the underlying story, and that is what makes Romancing SaGa such a terrific experience to be had.

It has a few minor flaws, but the overwhelming amount of fun this game offers more than makes up for it.

It's a very alluring piece of work, and the little virtual puppies can be very enjoyable playmates. They're lifelike and responsive, and they can learn a wide variety of tricks. It's also not too much effort to care for them.

The control of the characters in the game could not be tighter.

Soccer nuts will have hundreds of hours of gameplay at their fingertips when they jump into Master League, which easily matches any other sports game on the market in depth, sheer fun, and balls to the wall realism.

I didn't find myself level grinding at all, because the amount of random battles is more than enough to raise your characters to the point where the bosses are only moderate challenges.

An experience that you can truly get lost within. In truth, numerous pages could be written on the intricacies of what make this such a wonderful title, but that still would not get the sense of wonder across, or do the game its true justice.

There are only two things that keep Battlefield 2 from online perfection. The first and most formidable of the two is the terrible browser used to navigate the game’s servers. It’s slow, inaccurate, and downright frustrating at times.

Its difficulty and sometimes confusing nature continues to keep the game from being appropriate for newcomers to the genre itself, but memorable characters and dialog, deceptively deep mechanics, and a promise of future sequels make this series, the flagship of Nippon Ichi and NIS America, one of the crowning achievements of this console generation.

I recommend it if you aren’t squeamish about knocking the crap out of very realistic and very familiar looking people.

If you want to spend hours twiddling with option screens and menus, there's Gran Turismo. But if you want some of the best get-up-and-go vehicular carnage since "Twisted Metal" and "Burnout," Jak X: Combat Racing is the most adrenaline-pumping racer you can find on the PS2.

Fable delivers an experience that isn't what some die-hard RPG fans might deem authentic. Instead, I believe that Fable provides a game for the rest of us that has the entire flavor of an RPG, but in a much more streamlined and accessible package.

I defy there to be a better football game this year.