The animated sequences are less than stellar, the plot is trite, and the game feels like it was pared down at the last minute. Despite all those flaws, the running-based gameplay makes you want to forgive everything else. No other game is quite as exhilarating and uniquely exciting, and it’s this part of the game you’ll remember most.

World Tour's most distinguishing feature is its challenge. Its expert setting is sure to bring some wicked grins to those who felt Rock Band 2 unworthy of their plastic peripheral proficiency.

Star Ocean: First Departure doesn’t get everything right, but it gets enough right to make it an addictive adventure, and one of the better RPGs on the PSP this fall.

Gamers who crave challenge, plot and the chance to really get their hands dirty with the Wii motion control will respond well to Trauma Center: Second Opinion.

Yet despite its faithfulness to the series, its rousing music, the throwback visual style, and inclusion of familiar characters such as Epona and the owl, the game's narrow scope nonetheless elicits a twinge of disappointment.

Other than the addition of co-op campaigning everything feels more or less like it did 12 years ago, though prettier of course. Even so, with the new faction and new units those old game mechanics still make for a good time.

If you can live without the slightest bit of action and can forget anything you know about the law (suspension of legal belief is definitely required) then there's a lot for you here to enjoy.

A wonderful year-end treat that offers ingenious level design and a ton of gameplay.

The Euro-flavored plot and grounded situations help set it apart, and though the gameplay hasn't been watered-down in order to appeal to the casual gamer, it's still accessible enough to make it a worthwhile entry point for those less familiar with the genre.

The action is fast, fun, and occasionally almost intense, but not graphic.

The game's plot doesn't come together in any grand way, nor does it need to. The plot's just a latticework for the excellent, challenging missions.

When the speed stops, the fun stops. Otherwise, Sonic Advance 3 moves fast, looks and sounds good (Sonic fans will certainly groove to a remixed tune or two), and has a few multiplayer options to boot.

The quality of the motion capture, stadium details, and playbook bring you closer to a true ballpark experience than does any other game.

Not the most technically advanced game, and if you're looking for all the hardball minutiae you're going to be disappointed. What it does have is gameplay that's easy to pick up, and a great deal of depth for those who dig.

Despite the knocks against rivals mode and the fact that the new controls are mostly borrowed from what many consider to be a more simple golf franchise, Tiger Woods 06 is still a solid game. Where rivals fails, the more realistic PGA Tour mode is still fun, as is skills 18, a set of target-based minigames.

The new features aren't exactly earth shattering for this year's installment, but the game is fun to play and a noticeable improvement over "NBA Live 08."

One thing that is nailed down tight is the visual style. Every area in Arx Fatalis is extremely atmospheric, and in a nod to the backstory, just feels right.

Undeniably fun, and funny.

Now if there were only an online multiplayer component to RoboBlitz, it would be almost perfect. Instead we’ll just play it over and over to get all the achievements.

Simply experiencing the old-school "Sonic" gameplay again after so many years of 3D titles makes the title a must-have for longtime "Sonic" fans.

For newcomers to the series, this is a great introduction, not only to real-time strategy games, but to console RTS's in general.

There’s a definite hands-off approach to fitness when it comes to the games but we would have liked to have more structure and information about my fitness progression.

It’s never going to be the next Madden in terms of sales or simulation, but what Tecmo Bowl Kickoff does offer is fast, fun football action on the go and you owe it to yourself to pick it up, especially if you grew up with the series and want to bring a little nostalgia back into your life.

Between the race and freestyle career modes, there's simply a ton of gameplay.

This is a difficult game, then, but it’s not an unfair or unusually frustrating one, and it’s a game good enough that the rewards for pushing forward are worth it.

The short length and repetitive sequences make it more of a rental for non-believers, but overall, excellent gameplay, a great presentation, and familiar characters make this the best superhero-based game since, well, "Spider-Man 2."

Master of Disguise is a textbook on using the touch-screen to revamp traditional genres -- fans of off-beat action games are going to love it.

Children of the Nile isn’t an excellent game merely because it’s innovative. It’s an excellent game because those innovations make for a more compelling, and generally less frustrating experience for the player.