Despite the balance problems, less gripping story, somnolent voice acting, and dichotomous soundtrack, Xenosaga II is still a playable RPG if you don’t expect it to set your world on fire.

For anyone familiar with Mario Superstar Baseball, there are very few surprises awaiting you here. Fans of Superstar might find comfort in this, but for everyone else it just means you're getting a slightly updated, somewhat enjoyable, uber-Nintendo-y baseball game whose biggest addition is the option to swing and throw with the Wiimote.

A fairly standard action/puzzle game. The environments are very detailed -- albeit with the minor visual hiccups endemic to the isometric perspective. The sunlight adds an unusual strategic challenge, but players must resign themselves to sometimes having to wait for the break of dawn to resume gameplay.

Crippled by a lack of online play and a horrible camera system. Yet despite the problems, the core game is so good that it's still worth playing, as long as you have human opponents to compete against.

But it's a very linear tale, which typically seems to require D-Tritus to explore gigantic areas in search of a single person to talk to. Each area is often extremely large.

It may not be a revolutionary new type of horror or even the beginning of a great new series, but for what it is Haunting Ground is generally worth trying.

The most distinguishing feature of Duelists of the Roses is that the game is really freaking hard.

The course selection is world-class.

Fans of the "1080" franchise will find that other games have left the franchise behind on the bunny slope. Rent it, ride the avalanche, and return it.

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

The huge array of options, jacked-up challenge level, and variations on otherwise familiar, tried-and-true gameplay help make this a worthy addition to the music game genre. Novice dancers, however, are still better served sticking with Konami’s offerings.

Combat is occasionally brilliant, but the stealth scenes are a real chore. Developing your characters’ skills adds a lot to the game, but listening to them talk will give you a headache.

Brooktown High reinforces all the worst ideas about popularity and teenage love. The game's broad digs at school cliques don't say anything new.

There just isn't much gameplay in this gaming gumbo to set it apart from the countless other platformers out there.

It's a capably constructed RPG, to be sure, but it's hard to explicitly recommend Mega Man X: Command Mission to anyone who isn't already a fan of Mega Man or RPGs. If you're a little bit of both, chances are you'll dig it immensely.

The game still has some rewardingly thrilling and violent moments and a superb sense of speed. The drawback is that less hardcore players are doomed to keep coming back to some frustrating cycles of trick-induced wipeouts.

There is some fun to be had with EA Playground, but it doesn’t do much to rise above the glut of mediocrity that has made a cozy little home on the Wii.

The huge leap in quality and playability from last year's version qualifies it for one of the most improved sports games available.

The increased emphasis on exploring different lots on campus serves to exacerbate the tedium involved in getting your sims from point A to point B, and the time traveling logic it entails.

The “strategy” is not much different than the electronic game Simon, emphasizing timing and pattern recognition instead of true skill or tactics.

If you're a sucker for Japanese gangster cinema, you'll likely be able to forgive Yakuza's many flaws long enough to get caught up in the riveting story line and cast of complex characters. But long before the end, you'll be sick of the repetitive combat that takes up far too much of Yakuza's gameplay time.

Evidently Square Enix didn't have the time or the inclination to do serious work under Valkyrie's hood. Instead, we get this sloppy emulated version, with all the warts of the original and more.

Tries hard to please RPG and strategy fans, but it spreads itself so thin in the process that it won't do much for either. It isn't terrible, but everything in it has been done to death.

True followers of the ATP will love the in-depth simulation of the pro tennis world, and any gamer who appreciates a well-designed, good-looking sports title will not be disappointed, either.

The same formula that was once termed as ground-breaking now become tired and old.

There are some great bits of level design to be found here, but it's a shame that the stealth elements are used almost entirely as linear puzzles.

$40 is a lot to pay for these games--even if they originally cost $300 each on the original Neo-Geo system.

New content is nice, but this piecemeal addition at $20 a pop of what should be sequel content is starting to feel more like gouging than a company generously giving its loyal customers what they want.