Still, if you can stick with it through the boring movie and dialogue sequences, there’s an excellent adventure waiting for you in this grand world.

Gives a strong performance on a lot of levels, but finds itself stuck in the hangar when it comes to the actual feel of flying. It's a fun, challenging game, but far more attention should have been given to the physics and plane mechanics.

Heavy Weapon is a fun, if repetitive, game for one, but it is truly comical multiplayer diversion.

It doesn't take new hardware to crank out good-looking graphics, and you definitely don't need to buy a PSP or DS to find memorable handheld gameplay.

Online quibbles aside, NFL Street 2 easily bests its predecessor in terms of depth, visuals, and overall fun.

Heavy on the text, and some of it is dry and repetitive. There's great depth and nearly endless variety, but only a certain type of gamer will make a match with Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII.

While it is disappointing to see yet another rally game ignore most elements that makes rally racing great, the shallow, but exciting, racing is sure to deliver enough thrills for any driver.

A captivating strategy game with oodles of character.

This one has the looks, raunch, and laughs, but it also packs a solid volleyball engine. It's what "Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball" should have been.

Like the annual appearances of Madden NFL and Tony Hawk games, we might have to complain about Nippon Ichi's strategy/RPG predictability if we weren't so busy immersed in the latest version.

ZombiU should also be recognized as one of those rare launch titles that doesn't have the classic earmarks of a launch title that's been rushed out the door.

Has much potential, but fails to deliver in the variety department. A straight-up sequel to "X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter," complete with online multiplayer, may have been a more successful venture.

Judgment itself may not be anything special, but it's a good enough freebie to go with a legitimately great game.

In short, if you like FEAR, you will love FEAR 2. It may be too scary for some and the wobble of your character walking might induce a slight bit of motion sickness, but it’s a well constructed horror/action title.

It's hard to describe just how much better LEGO Star Wars is than it should be. All the pieces just fit together perfectly. It's cute yet cunning, easy but addictive, and simultaneously light-hearted and intense.

With a fresh take on combat that forgoes a targeting system in favor of a simple crosshair, the game shines in both the visual and gameplay department.

The big problem when playing Doom II, however, is just trying to see it.

A solid, good-looking, and fairly robust little stealth action game that sticks to the mission plan of its bigger console co-operative.

Like a toaster wrapped in gold leaf under the Christmas tree. The contents simply defy the billing. But if you're looking for some disposable, forgettable fun, this is one Xbox game that'll cure your itchy trigger finger.

LEGO Indiana Jones may not be quite as engaging as LEGO Star Wars, but it’s still a lot of fun to play through. That’s doubly true with a friend. The quest isn’t particularly long, but there’s plenty of incentive for a second run-through (or a third …), and Indy fans will definitely have a blast re-living the original films -- LEGO-style.

It's painfully obvious that Sony just took its PS2 game and jacked up a few stats here and there.

Even gamers who don't know Gohan from any other spiky-haired anime kid will smell what Budokai 3 is cooking.

Although Brain Training asks you to figure out increasingly intricate problems in a short amount of time, there's something quite relaxing about the whole thing. Not worth full price, since there are only nine different games to play here, but definitely a fun time-waster. [JPN Import]

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.

Just as Diablo recreated the sheer joy of finding fifty bucks on the sidewalk, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates rinds and nails a perfect loot-rinse-repeat rhythm.

Perhaps the best thing about MLB Slugfest 20-03 is how well all the different elements come together to create a game that is both recognizably baseball and something you've never played before. The "extreme" additions work exceedingly well in the baseball setting.

an up-and-down affair. On the plus side, it's gorgeous, and still as complete a golf game as there is on the market. On the downside, it can be frustrating to play, and the online currency system that restricts a good deal of content is a slap in the face to longtime players. Also, Kinect at your own peril.

Characters look more realistic than ever, but they still act like they did in the last generation. Collision detection is still a joke, penalties come few and far between (seriously, watch am NFL game and count the false start penalties; now play 5 straight games of Madden and see if the AI commits even one.) and overall it just doesn’t feel like real football.