Had the missions were more expansive, and the multiplayer broader, this would have been a must-buy—especially on the PS3. As it is, Armored Core 4 is the best in the series, and a decent action game.

The game is that well constructed, and when it's firing on all cylinders there' nothing out there that can beat it for sheer satisfaction.

The highs of the added features are sacked by the lows in basic gameplay.

Various goodies you can unlock and a multiplayer option save the game from being a total washout, but this title is otherwise an uninspired take on a sport that ought to be played at the extreme.

A game with this much customization and apparent depth is sure to have its fans, and the extent to which you'll enjoy Custom Robo largely depends on your willingness to overlook the simplicity of the story mode and sink your teeth into the somewhat repetitive battles.

Fans of the anime will love the look, but the game just retreads the plot. Aside from the fantastic dismemberment, Afro Samurai doesn't manage to be anything loftier than essentially the same beat 'em up that we've been playing since Double Dragon. On the other hand, it is fun in short doses, looks great, and can be hilarious.

Need for Speed: Undercover is a game that both satisfies and disappoints on a regular basis. While the chases provide top-notch thrills and spills, you can’t help but feel like you’ve just done it too many times to really care anymore.

Simply an awful game and isn't deserving of your time or money.

There's something inherently insipid about a game that simulates something already simulating something else. You can't help but wonder if fans wouldn't simply rather race RC cars instead of playing this game.

The game is both visually interesting and colorful, running at a consistent 60 frames per second, and the quality of animation looks like something you'd see on a Saturday morning cartoon.

Not a terribly friendly game. It has a wicked learning curve that will cause casual gamers to contemplate walking the plank. But if you're tough and self-reliant enough -- RPG-nerd points count here -- there be treasure here.

As a single-player game, Legion Arena is entertaining in small doses, but lacks that compelling "just one more turn" quality that the best strategy games have.

New players are likely to feel totally lost in a sea of hostile troops and jittery unresponsive allies who can walk through walls but not fire through hedges. Not a game for the uninitiated.

Unexpectedly, the best mode is Wayne on Wayne, in which most of the game's rules go out the window in favor of arcade matchups.

But you know what? Big deal. We already know the Wii can do this. This console has been out long enough to warrant something that takes better advantage of its strengths. Frankly, these “Wii-makes” are really starting to wear thin.

I feel bad for Bond game developers the same way I feel bad for Quantum of Solace. Not just because it’s a mediocre shooter that offers some quick thrills and a decent multiplayer experience, but because it has to compete with so many far superior, must-own titles that have either already been released or are going to be released soon.

The gameplay is surprisingly tight.

For most players, however, sifting through Dark Motives is much like real forensic work -- arduous and repetitive.

A mostly brainless fighter that manages to capture the magic and appeal of the source material.

A reasonably engaging, yet perfectly average experience--much like most summer blockbusters.

Despite all the things Jango can do, control is streamlined and intuitive... A rock-solid action title that should keep Fett fans very happy.

During gameplay, be prepared to suffer through countless glitches, blurry textures, and clunky animation.

But character-based fighting games using characters no one cares about is never a good idea, and Blade Warriors is nowhere near as fun or deep as its inspiration.

Where the first game was shorter than trainer Mickey Goldmill, Rocky Legends towers higher than Ivan Drago in terms of replay value. It’s unfortunate that the gameplay isn’t quite as polished.

Although gamers who never got into other dance games won’t find much incentive to get jiggy with Flow, there’s enough variation here to make it worth a look for fans looking for new dancing frontiers.

The updated graphics and sound effects are an improvement, but the game is still inferior to modern PC games in this regard. Not to mention, there's something to be said for the massive community that may remain loyal to the original.

Almost engaging. Despite dripping with cliché, the world is a fun one to visit. It would be much easier to stomach the numerous design flaws had they delivered on their promise in the storyline.

Wireless warriors should snap this one up – despite some flaws, there are lots of new options for showing off your skills against other human opponents. Everyone else may as well pick up one of the earlier (and likely much cheaper) games instead.

The game gets by purely on the appeal of its characters, and ends up being a reasonably entertaining game for kids.

You may weary of war before you've won the relatively short campaign. And if you do slog on, you'll be "rewarded" with an even tougher difficulty setting.

Overall Kane & Lynch is an interesting -- if overly violent -- take on the “buddy” game. The tag-team setup adds something to what would already be a solid action game and makes it that much better.

We can't stress how much fun we had with Super Off Road. It truly is one of the more timeless arcade racing games.

The new modes and wireless multiplayer are as sexy as Chun-Li's squatty, super-deformed legs, but deciding whether to drop $30 for an old-ass puzzle game and a few rejects may be a losing fight.

It'll nonetheless scare the living crap out of would-be heroes and haters alike. Diverging from tradition, this is the game that finally puts the gun survivor series on the map.

Dark Arena's graphics are average at best. Much of the architecture is plain-looking and the average enemy sports only a half-dozen character animations.

The environments are large, and while this is good for gameplay, it puts a strain on the graphics engine. Frequent fits of slowdown occur in the multiplayer mode if the screen is covered with too much activity.

More like an expansion team than a Stanley Cup contender. With a sharper focus on either realism or arcade play combined with more standout graphics, next year's version could be bumped up to the first line.

A huge step backwards for the series.

Players who were burned by last year's NASCAR game should feel quite a bit better with 09. Although I personally miss the "Total Team Control" feature from a couple of years back, the new Rep and Career mode is compelling enough to keep you coming back for more. Solid graphics, solid racing, solid features.

This game is about jumping puzzles, timing puzzles, and exploration -- all very simple and not at all challenging.

Some games are easy to pick up, but hard to master; this game is hard to pick up, which in turn makes it hard to master. And it is a very short game, because all you do is fight bosses.

It must be noted that load times can be unduly harsh. Worse, should you perish in battle, the automatic save system will force you to repeat arduous trials and reclaim items you have rightfully won. Such injustice doth greatly anger the gods!

Fans of the anime will love the look, but the game just retreads the plot. Aside from the fantastic dismemberment, Afro Samurai doesn't manage to be anything loftier than essentially the same beat 'em up that we've been playing since Double Dragon. On the other hand, it is fun in short doses, looks great, and can be hilarious.

Though it has some faults, Brothers in Arms: D-Day retains the heart of what made the console versions stand out, and it's an excellent choice for tactical war game fans looking to exercise their brains as much as their trigger fingers.

The biggest sticking point is that Untold Legends has been “told” before, several different times in several different guises. While improved from its predecessor, Warrior’s Code is not quite up to the level of a Diablo, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, or similar hack-and-slash titles.

A budget title, and it plays like one. Every feature this game has to offer has been better implemented elsewhere.

If you've played "Warship Gunner," you'll probably have seen it all before from a more interesting on-deck perspective.

Izuna 2 is fun to play and occasionally just plain funny as well, which is why it shouldn't get lost in the middle of its suddenly crowded little niche.

What all of this boils down to is a whole lot of base building and management, and unfortunately, much of it is pointless as the economy in the game is fairly unbalanced.

A fun, if brief game that manages to capture much of the appeal of the original, yet overcomplicates the core gameplay without enhancing it much. The game is entertaining while it lasts, but you won’t be digging it very long.

But the interface provides the real horror show, with cryptic icons, buttons that have mysterious functions, and information displayed in a way that's difficult to understand.

Even without the attraction of variable online play, The Omega Strain would be a winner thanks to its tough, smart missions, and huge rewards system.

It's not deep or particularly innovative. However, the detailed graphics, familiar gameplay, and wide variety of characters and game modes make this brawler worth a look.

Long on promise and short on delivery. Had the developers opted for a real-time combat engine, strategic 3D battlefields, or some other interesting twists, MS Saga could have been worth a look.

This is not a game that will wow players with its graphics or its crash effects, which are more half-cocked than "insane," but aggressive drivers who want to blow off steam will find Crash 'N' Burn to be a smashing success.

By no means a bad game, but the sad truth is that it's about the best the DS will have in the way of semi-realistic racers. The hardware just isn't conducive to them.

Arena Football may be an engaging sport to watch in real life, with the excitement of packed arenas and the promise of frenzied action on the shortened field, but the developers did a poor job in conveying that sense of atmosphere in the game.

By the time you’ve whipped your way through a dozen or so levels, you’ll probably be getting a little bit tired of mashing the square button and twirling your analog stick. You’ll also notice that other aspects of the game are a bit sloppy.

Even with its extras -- [it's] still a bit on the ditzy, simplistic side. It's appropriate really, since almost nobody wants an overly simulated volleyball title. As a raw game, it certainly plays better than the admittedly better-looking "DOA Extreme Beach Volleyball."

The game can be completed in less than two hours, cut scenes included. Yes, there's much beauty in a simple control scheme, but not when it reaches the point of redundancy.

Although technically sufficient, the deliberate pacing and occasional trial-and-error nature may turn some players off.

Diner Dash is addictive enough that you’ll still want to bash through those crazy tough levels. When you’re willing to stick with a game through its flaws, that’s usually a pretty good sign.

And what's with all the text? One thing that continually aggravated our group of casual gamer test subjects (relatives we roped into playing) was the inordinate amount of text you need to wade through while you're playing.

MOO3 collapses under the weight of its own ambitious design. We doubt this can be fixed in a patch. Gamers need not apply. Masochists, you're on your own.

When you play it in bite-size sessions, you'll appreciate wading into a sea of overgrown beetles or phosphorescent foes, spiked baseball bat swinging. Despite a few design shortfalls, the gameplay succeeds admirably, as does its presentation.

This is not going to be everybody’s perfect Worms, but the odd controls and odder mini-games definitely set it apart from the rest of the series. As the subtitle suggests, Space Oddity is unique.

The other issue introduced into the game thanks to the PSP hardware is a downright horrible camera.

Why are so many missions so dull? Why is the combat-radio voice work so insipid? And which unemployed sports commentator and soccer mom did the tutorial and combat voices, respectively?

The game is addictive, fun, and quite lengthy, but these half-fledged console outings are wearing thin, if only because the franchise has the potential to be something great.

An engaging story and creepy locales simply aren't enough to overcome terribly clunky combat and technical flaws in the latest entry in Konami's venerable survival horror series. Silent Hill: Downpour's developers may have taken the series in a new direction, but that doesn't mean they should have.

If you ever run into one of the erstwhile developers of Stainless Stell Studios, you should probably buy him or her a beer and let them cry on your shoulder; it’s gotta hurt to see a game you made that obviously started out with a lot of potential get released in such an unfinished state.

The greatest crime depicted in the game isn't Syndrome's machinations, but the speed with which the lame design renders dull action out of such cool characters.

We can't stress how outstanding Sonic CD is. It was one of the finest games around in its day and it still offers a fantastic time years later. This game alone makes Sonic Gems Collection a consideration at $30. The other featured titles don't add enough to the offering.

Maximum Impact isn't a failure, per se, but it was an ill-advised move that SNK will hopefully learn a lesson from. It's better to be king of a flat empire than become a polygonal pauper.

So it ain't pretty, and it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. But Operation Flashpoint: Elite is still a fairly compelling military sim.

Unfortunately, the biggest flaw in the game is easily the loading time.

For what it is – a colorful, action-packed dungeon hack – it’s as much of a credit to the Shining Force name as any 15-year-old strategy game.

There's a peculiar lack of in-game music that, when paired with the spartan sound effects, makes the game feel lifeless.

Accepting Enchant Arms' genetic flaws as part of the JRPG package is like saying that all comic books are about superheros or that all manga is about ninja schoolgirls.

Overall Kane & Lynch is an interesting -- if overly violent -- take on the “buddy” game. The tag-team setup adds something to what would already be a solid action game and makes it that much better.

Game Arts still knows how to draw neat-looking spaceships. When it comes to making them interact in a real 3D space, though, that’s where they still have a whole lot to learn.

Basketball fans looking for the best rendition of the sport should let NBA Live 06 dribble through their fingers and score a copy of NBA 2K6 instead. Next year’s battle will hopefully be more competitive.

The objectives and set pieces will keep you playing despite the dumb AI. But after you complete the game, you'll have no incentive to ever again play any part of this game.

Co-op also makes the bad camera even worse. It's better included than not, but if you want great multiplayer, play the deeper and more fulfilling X-Men Legends or one of the Baldur's Gate games.

Alias is not a great game, but it's a solid stealth action title for fans of the TV show who have never played "Metal Gear Solid" or "Splinter Cell" and don't know any better.

With a competent two-player mode, there’s certainly a degree of fun to be had. But Flipnic’s promise of Ultimate Pinball is marred by table design straight out of the '40s.

There’s something decidedly satisfying seeing your hard work and meticulous planning pay off with a trip to the Super Bowl. But that trip is fraught with so many pitfalls – the most annoying being the rigid scheduling issues – that you’ll need superhuman patience to see it through to the end.

If Mad Doc can fix the multiplayer somehow, there’s every reason to believe trekkers and even fussier trekkies could find something to desire here.

If you’re just a casual viewer or not a fan at all, then there’s nothing in the game to warrant your cash. On the other hand, if you are a Simpsons devotee, then the pitch-perfect humor, writing, and look of this game will more than make it worth putting up with the standard gameplay mechanics.

If you're up for the puzzle-like gameplay and the repetition, Prisoner of War greatly expands what a stealth game can accomplish.

Unfortunately, the difficulty level and the enemy AI have been dumbed down, making the game feel even shorter on the Xbox than it did on the PC. With six hours of play for single players and iffy Xbox Live play, go buy "Rainbow Six 3" or wait for "Halo 2" to drop at the end of the year.

Hot Brain's biggest disappointment is the way it squanders an opportunity to treat with IQ-themed mini-game genre with Wario Ware-style irreverence.

Tactics isn't unplayable--especially in multiplayer mode--and it has some decent play mechanics. But it's all overshadowed by the poor production value. It feels like a waste of the source material.

Feels like nothing more than another mediocre game out of Square-Enix meant to tide fans over until "Final Fantasy XII" finally hits.

Between all the ship battles, alien spiders in dark caverns, and action-movie challenges, Mace Griffin delivers a good-looking and constantly engaging experience that is equal parts cinema, all-out combat, and skulk-and-kill infiltration.

The stop-and-go gameplay here seems catered to those with Ritalin prescriptions than those yearning for Mario Kart-style action.

Need for Speed: Undercover is a game that both satisfies and disappoints on a regular basis. While the chases provide top-notch thrills and spills, you can’t help but feel like you’ve just done it too many times to really care anymore.

A reasonably engaging, yet perfectly average experience--much like most summer blockbusters.