The important thing is that after many years of frustrating missions, driving back home to save repeatedly, struggling with wonky physics, and dealing with farcical storylines, GTA IV has delivered a polished and almost fully renovated experience with a darker and more mature treatment of the subject matter.

Mario Galaxy is one of those charming, perfect achievements that remind you why Nintendo saved our pastime in 1985 and has reinvigorated it in 2007 with the Wii and the best game made yet for the system. Hell, this is better than "Super Mario 64," not as revolutionary, but a better game. Do yourself a favor, play it and smile.

A rare and beautiful thing, a nearly perfect game.

Although some may find the controls to be unfamiliar, once mastered, they work flawlessly.

An amazing experience, resulting in a classic crime drama on par with "Heat," "Goodfellas," or "Casino."

An excellent, sophisticated, and mature game that will appeal to sci-fi and action fans, and currently represents the best of what Xbox has to offer.

Half-Life 2 hits the ground running and never stops, and playing it for long periods of time can actually be exhausting. Just when you think you've seen the coolest thing it has to throw at you, the next sequence tops it.

The art direction is outstanding; mixing art deco architecture, classic 1950’s graphic design and tons of great old music from the early jazz era that adds a musty creepiness to the overall atmosphere of the game. It’s definitely not your typical Space Marine fare, and that’s a very good thing.

With a bevy of unlockables and a single-player freak-out well worth playing twice, there is much bang in this macabre buck.

It’s hard to think of a game on the shelves that provides more bang for the buck than The Orange Box. For $60, you get one of the best games ever made along with its episodic sequels, a top-tier multiplayer game, and a brilliant little puzzler with some of the best writing in the medium. There’s really no reason not to own it.

So while only the most die-hard fans should re-open their wounded wallet a second time, anyone who missed it owes it to themselves to play one of the best games of this generation.

Epic in scale, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker oozes quality craftsmanship from start to finish. Most importantly, it's incredibly addictive and almost impossible to put down until the end credits roll.

The art direction is outstanding; mixing art deco architecture, classic 1950’s graphic design and tons of great old music from the early jazz era that adds a musty creepiness to the overall atmosphere of the game. It’s definitely not your typical Space Marine fare, and that’s a very good thing.

MGS2 suffers in its story. I can't spoil it for you, but I can at least warn you to be prepared for a plot that frequently reaches levels of sheer absurdity.

Despite minor flaws, this is by far the most enjoyable game in the GTA series, and will eat well over 100 hours of your time.

As a game, the technical problems affect gameplay to such a high degree that GTA: VC simply cannot be awarded a 5 out of 5 rating. Progress through the game can become a chore, something that never occurred in "GTA3."

It’s so satisfying to finally have a game that not only lives up to the hype but exceeds it so many ways it’s almost unfair.

The best console multiplayer component ever. This game is going to douse Xbox Live in gasoline and toss it a match...With 16 players busting each other's chops at a time and all the clan support you can handle, this game will still be played five years from now.

GT3's soundtrack is a mixed bag. Some of it is boring-yet-harmless original music that is surprisingly jazzy. The list of licensed songs is the real disappointment.

A long, challenging quest that holds up well to repeated play. Younger players who never had a SNES will find this game an excellent warm-up for the soon-to-be-released "Legend of Zelda: The Wind Walker" for the GameCube.

In many ways, Twilight Princess is a love letter to "Ocarina of Time." There are tons of subtle nods that a watchful gamer will spot. It’s the glorious world the N64 wanted to show us, but couldn’t.

For hardcore football fans, Madden NFL 2003 is a must-own. From the assortment of modes to in-depth features like the playbook editor, this game was made for those who appreciate the intricacies of football.

Where sound does suffer is in the audio levels. There are times where dialog gets so drowned out by both the music and the sound effects you can't understand a single word a character's saying.

Even though the competition has weakened in recent years, the "Madden" series is at the top of its game, and this is close to perfection.

A classic in every sense of the word.

Best of all, the numerous bugs and glitches that brought the PS2 version down a notch have been cleaned up and eliminated, for the most part. Enemies no longer shoot you through solid walls, you no longer randomly lose health while running, and cars remain in your garage until you take them out.

Knocks the chin strap up around the nose of the competition. It's simply the most realistic simulation of football available, and once again, the industry standard.

It's all about the gameplay, and Gears of War delivers in that department so completely that it wouldn't matter if you were playing the game in 16 bit graphics. But you're not. And Gears of War's glorious presentation - everything from the sound effects to the art direction to the awesomely dark storyline - only enhances what lies at the heart of Gears' destroyed beauty: the gameplay.