For all its shortcomings, Rogue Trooper is still worth a playthrough for fans of the heavy-firepower, run-and-gun action genre. The spit and polish in the presentation makes it an entertaining ride from start to finish, even if you're not a fan of the comic series. But the lack of lasting depth and challenge keeps it from being more than a quick fix.

Good looks and tactical high jinks aside, it's tough to recommend HoMM5 with a mere ten skirmish maps, no map editor (for shame!), and a barrel of bugs, e.g. random desktop crashes, missions that "break" if you perform certain tasks out of order, heroes that attack through castle walls, incorrect initiative bar tallies in battle, etc.

Freedom's slower pace, lack of story, and frustrating camera do little to warm the cockles of an action fan's heart, but those brave enough to slog through its rough spots will find the game improves with time.

The tactical gameplay is refined and intelligent, yet easy to grasp, and the mix of a fun single player modes, and exceptionally in-depth multiplayer makes Field Commander not simply the best strategy game on the PSP, but one of the best on any system.

Whether it's the charming, funny dialogue (which, apart from the clumsy song lyrics, is translated well), the pretty landscapes, the fact that even if you lose most of the Trotmobile fights the game keeps going... there's always a reason to pick it back up and push on.

Either way, Jaws Unleashed is best thrown to the sharks. Having your actual torso bitten off by an actual great white might actually be preferable to this.

Thanks to next-gen graphical flair, elegant controls, and a sparkling sheen of packaging polish, Rockstar Presents Table Tennis manages a near miracle.

The whole thing feels exactly like what it is: tacked-on product placement.

A middling action/adventure, The DaVinci Code has some interesting elements and puzzles, but tries too hard to be a jack of all trades. The presentation is mediocre, the combat extraneous and out of place, and the levels uninspired. The puzzles and teamwork elements are the high point, but overall, this is yet another forgettable attempt to cash in on a popular franchise.

More characters and multiplayer modes would have improved it a great deal, but as it is, there’s plenty of levels and engaging mutant action.

New Super Mario Bros. definitely doesn’t live up to the standards set by the games it apes, but there’s still no better sidescroller to be found on the DS.

Rise of Legends is a very different sort of RTS game that genre fans will be able to pick up and play but yet will find themselves drawn into thanks to its very different look and feel.

Gamers are now faced with the prospect of realistically committing a generous chunk of change to a series over a period of time if they have any hope of experiencing the “complete story.” In our minds, the quality of SiN: Emergence in no way warrants a 20-dollar price tag.

The game isn’t particularly original, creative, or inspired, but for fans of the movie and parents looking for an entertaining, if harmless division for their kids, this is a good choice.

The game isn't particularly original, creative, or inspired, but for fans of the movie and parents looking for an entertaining, if harmless division for their kids, this is a good choice.

The game isn't particularly original, creative, or inspired, but for fans of the movie and parents looking for an entertaining, if harmless division for their kids, this is a good choice.

While others have hinted at RPG and RTS crossover, or have tried and not quite succeeded, SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars delivers.

Without a sound tactical game, Desperados 2 is only fun so long as you enjoy trying to guess what the hell the developers were thinking.

Beautiful, for the most part, but it’s lacking substance. The plot’s slow burn and the incredibly limiting interface will have you struggling to continue playing after only a little while.

Like many complex sim games, Gallop Racer can be as frustrating as it is rewarding.

Owners of both Prophecies and Factions will eat up the Asian-themed landscapes and ability to travel between both games. For new kids, if MMOs freaked you out because of their overwhelming commitment, Factions will reward for your hard hours quickly.

Despite being a good pool game, the fact that you have to live with the horribly conceived setting and sloppy controls makes The Hustle: Detroit Streets a play out like a missed opportunity.

As impressive as a racer like "PGR3" can be, the learning curve and time investment aren't for everyone. OutRun 2 is just as entertaining, and almost as challenging, no matter what sort of digital driver you happen to be.

Metal Saga won’t go down in history as one of the greatest RPGs ever made, but it’s a decent time-waster while you wait for something like, say, Final Fantasy XII.

Lost Magic for the Nintendo DS combines all the fun of drawing letters, trying to remember arcane symbols, dying repeatedly, cursing like a sailor at having died repeatedly, and getting carpal tunnel syndrome repeatedly tapping a stylus against a touch screen in order to fast-forward through a series of conversations that manage to be simultaneously inane and overlong.

Sadly, Strikers’ almost schizophrenic nature prevents it from greatness. Had the developers chosen to keep the game in the style of previous Gear titles, they would have done just fine.

Mana and magic system aside, the game’s primary selling point is the same as so many other RPGs: a couple dozen hours of content. And if merely killing time is the goal, then it could fill the bill.

The Belkin War lives up to the entertainment legacy of the Ace Combat series by subtracting much of what didn't work and adding valuable new elements.