Nuts & Bolts has solid single player, but multiplayer has even more potential, making this Banjo-Kazooie game worth a buy.

If the developers can make playing defense as fun as the offense, tightening up the computer AI in the process, then future installments of the NHL series are sure to turn heads.

While Silent Hunter’s harder-nosed target demographic shouldn’t have to wait for more patching to fix this flawed diamond, chances are they will.

It’s definitely a flawed game. But the experience overall looks so good, and blowing stuff up feel so good, that we just can’t help but recommend it.

Though less challenging than "1503 AD", 1701 AD is a much more engrossing game.

While those who distained the first for being too weird and having annoying floaty physics won't like this one, fans will love it. It's a solid action title, with wall-to-wall destruction all wrapped up in an artistic and impressive, very Japanese package.

Is it too much to ask that JRPG’s grow up? That we stop letting “aww, pretty!” moments excuse cornball ones? There’s no reason an RPG like Eternal Sonata couldn’t be twice as well written and half as morally blunt.

Consider it an apology for EA’s underwhelming 360 sports lineup last year.

The game's soundtrack mix of classic football marches combined with hip-hop and drum loops...gets almost annoying by game two.

Despite the occasional dog in the roster, there is more than enough gold in Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection to justify the purchase at double the price. Older gamers looking for a shot of nostalgia will absolutely find it here, and younger gamers wondering what all the fuss was over that mysterious “16-bit era” they keep hearing about will find an excellent education in the digital classics.

The overhead camera feels constrained. We simply want an isometric view to get a better perspective.

LEGO fans will enjoy it, DC fans will love it, and fans of both…well, you probably already have it. With just the right balance of new ideas and familiar gaming comfort food, LEGO Batman 2 should please all but the most curmudgeonly of gamers.

Despite their simplicity, there's a lot depth here, and even those that don't remember their original incarnations will find a lot to like here.

A ton of different play modes await too, assuring you won’t tire of the disc anytime soon.

Characters, levels and even the game's menus are beautifully and tastefully designed. Grim Grimoire is a complete package, offering layered strategy play with an eye-popping art style and a cleverly told story.

The controls are intuitive, the operations are well-organized, and now that you can tweak the difficulty to your liking, you can challenge yourself as much as you'd like to. It may still bring back memories of playing Operation when you were a kid, but it's the best game of Operation anyone's ever made.

If you’re a stat-maxing, power-leveling, anime-watching RPG fan, this game was made for you. Expect a couple of hundred hours of entertainment.

The real strength of Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is how expertly High Moon leverages the characters and mythology to create a cinematic shooter that stands on the strength of its design and gameplay, rather than leaning on its license as a crutch.

For Mortal Kombat fans, this is easily the best installment since "Mortal Kombat II."

With stunning graphics, strong tracks, and a great soundtrack, Wipeout 2048 is a solid launch offering for the PlayStation Vita, even if the load times will make you want to make you throw yourself in front of your own hovercraft.

Gameplay modes can't compete with those of the big boys from Sega and EA -- especially the franchise mode. And the hockey school is a waste of space...Still comes highly recommended as a four-player party game.

As close to a full-blown sequel as we've seen to the original "Sims," and is sure to hold most gamers over until 2004. More immediately enjoyable than "The Sims: Online," it's the type of open-ended game you can intensely play over time or just spend a few hours with here and there.

Gem Fighter for giggles, Alpha for nostalgia, Alpha 2 to see how a few critical tweaks can re-unite divided fans, and finally Alpha 3 for the whole caboodle and sheer pleasure of 2D fighting perfection.

NBA Live 06's seemingly small additions have improved the on-court action immeasurably, making it one of the best entries in the series to date.

Has excellent mechanics and ideas, but they don't come together into the cohesive, enjoyable whole that we've come to expect from the series. Drive a stake through this one's heart and keep your garlic handy for the next one.

The visuals are in need of an upgrade. It could be that EA is just phoning the graphics in until the next-gen systems arrive, and that's a shame. EA Trax is just as annoying as ever. Please stop it.

An exceptional game housed in an exceedingly generic shell. The parts that work well do so brilliantly, while those that don't only serve to make the game feel incomplete. There are things that will annoy the hell out of you, no question, but there's also a ridiculous amount of fun to be had.

I loved The Unfinished Swan. It's the sort of experience that requires us to further refine the definition of the term "video game." While there are certainly elements of play here, I don't think that Swan qualifies as such. Instead, it slides in along the likes of Goodnight Moon and the Shel Silverstein library as the latest modern classic in the realm of children's fiction.