One of the most enjoyable, unique, and visually appealing titles the veteran PS2 has ever seen. With a brawler foundation and borrowing from several other gameplay styles, Odin Sphere should appeal old-school gamers, RPG fans, and even button-mashers alike.

There were a few moments where I felt like Pirates could actually spark my interest, but I left bored in the long run. There’s a decent amount of fun that can be had with this game, but you’ve got to be in the right mindset. Much like the movies, At World’s End is at best a popcorn game.

There were a few moments where I felt like Pirates could actually spark my interest, but I left bored in the long run.

Yet one more DS game that rises above minimal expectations. It’s not a must-have by any means, it doesn’t reinvent the genre and really doesn’t add anything new, but it doesn’t come across as a half-assed attempt to capitalize on a license.

If some varied gameplay and better graphics had been utilized, Touch the Dead could have been something cool, as the DS is perfectly suited for a game of this type. Unfortunately, it looks like this received minimal effort and even less of a budget.

Players who never experienced the RPGs of the 80s are bound to scratch their head and wonder where all the graphics went.

If you’re a fan of the Shrek movies, there is some fun to be had here. Granted, it’s forgettable and uninspired fun that fades pretty quickly, but it’s still fun for that short while.

The real problem for Shrek lies in those controls and the remote and nunchuck sensitivity. It seems the slightest movement of either one will initiate one of your attacks.

If you’re a fan of the Shrek movies, there is some fun to be had here. Granted, it’s forgettable and uninspired fun that fades pretty quickly, but it’s still fun for that short while.

Graphically, Shrek the Third is top-notch, offering superb 3D environments that are displayed on each DS screen. There’s an attention to detail in all of the varied environments that bring the world of Shrek to life.

One thing you expect from a game of this type is some semblance of physics, but you won’t find anything of that nature here. For no reason whatsoever, the ball will just go bouncing off your paddle in random directions, making any notion of precision a lost cause.

Any gamer casually interested in RTS games should pick this one up, as it provides a unique look back at the genre's roots in an entertaining and polished manner.

Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam gets an A for effort, but a D for execution.

There’s more of a focus on web-based combat that shows through nicely, but it just didn’t quite do it for us. Although you’ll unlock a good deal of moves eventually, the initial experience may not be compelling enough to make you want to play through enough to get there.

The camera seems really buggy at times. While, for the most part, it does an acceptable job of keeping the action onscreen, there’s no way to easily re-center your view and so things get confusing at times.

Sure, it’s a rail-fighter at heart, but the game offers enough variety and action to keep you suitably occupied. This is a well-rounded product.

I'm helplessly addicted...Catan is a god send of a game, filling a void in Xbox Live's offerings that will hopefully lead to more strategic board games in the near future.

I was most impressed with the look of Eets. You may have seen the older PC game, and if so then you know what to expect here. The only way I know how to describe the characters is as cutesy with a serious edge. The characters, especially Eets himself, looks like you could pet him but at any moment he might just bite your head off.

If this title was offered up at a lower price or with more tables, it might be one of our favorite arcade games. As it stands, Pinball FX shook us a little bit, but not enough to TILT.

Though the online mode fails to reach its potential, the game itself is polished to perfection.

Though the online mode fails to reach its potential, the game itself is polished to perfection.

It doesn't really raise the bar or set a new standard, doesn't offer anything I haven't seen before, and is unlikely to make any converts. Considering who made it, I guess we can all just be happy that it actually works.

If you go into Valhalla Knights expecting a mindless, empty and soulless dungeon romp, then your expectations will be fulfilled. If that's what you want out of a game, Valhalla Knights delivers. However, if you foolishly come to this game anticipating a riveting story that propels the action with great characters and plot twists, expect to fall into a bottomless pit of frustration.

One of those rhythm games like "Guitar Hero" and "Dance Dance Revolution," minus the depth, size, playability, replayability, scope, addictiveness or polish of either of those two games. Granted, it's an arcade title, but at 800 points you expect to get a little more boom boom for your buck.

The sound is also unfortunately not quite up to snuff compared to the rest of the game. It’s done well enough, and it sounds crisp, but the music is just not memorable.

Guitar Hero II is one of the greatest games ever created. It's innovative, addicting, polished and just plain awesome.

Appallingly cute and definitely skews young in terms of style, but if you're man enough to look past the bright colors and cute characters, or at least confident in your masculinity (or femininity, as the case may be,) you'll find yet one more great game from Square Enix, a nice addition to the Endless Fan----Final Fantasy universe, and most importantly, a game that uses the unique capabilities of the DS.

Remember kids - dinking alcohol is not big, nor is it clever, but in conjunction with SingStar Pop it will probably be a great deal of fun.

The difficulty level here fluctuates more than the NYSE, with some enemies being as effective as 2 year olds while others could put an eye out from a half mile away.

It's just missing that compulsive factor that separates a great puzzle game from all the rest. It doesn't have that “just one more time” sensation that keeps propelling you forward. And frankly, it gets so brutally tough that you'll be hard-pressed to keep at it, ultimately moving on to some other game.

A nice homage to the days when you had to line quarters on the rim of a cabinet just to secure your spot in line.

A short, bland, and ultimately forgettable experience.

Though Tiberium Wars fails to push the envelope like recent competitors "Supreme Commander" and "Company of Heroes," it's nonetheless a solid title and brilliant homage to its series' heyday.

Kudos to Bethesda for going the extra mile and delivering an expansion pack worthy of their history...as well as taking a risk on such a bizarre setting.

Stalker attempts to be many things, which is a lofty and worthy goal, but its inability to deliver is a huge disappointment. It wants to be an RPG, offering you an inventory and items with modifiers, and yet has no implementation of experience, skills or adjusting your attributes. It also wants to be a free-roam, huge world, Oblivion/GTA hybrid, but comes across as having bitten off more than it could chew.

Silent Hunter features countless bugs you'll find on every machine, and this is unforgivable. It's a betrayal to a loyal fanbase and a detriment to gaining new fans. Unfortunately, it's also an exact replay of what happened two years ago when Silent Hunter III shipped. Deja'vu all over again, as Yogi Berra once said.

Easily the best puzzle game yet released on the DS.

If you’re the type who can get behind some solid-yet-repetitive gameplay with plenty of fast paced action, EDF 2017 might be the game for you.

The area where the PS3 version of this game really impresses the most is in the amount of brand new content that’s been added here. There are nearly 30 new missions, 6 new vehicles, 7 new weapons and an impressive 25 new execution styles.

Out of all the platforms you can now play Godfather on, the Wii comes out on top for its great implementation of controls, new features and refinements. Best of all, The Godfather finally brings some mature content to the Wii, catering to gamers like myself who cringe at the idea of playing one more mini-game of "Super Monkey Ball."

Now, this game does have a saving grace – the achievements. They come early, they come often, and they come easy. If you need to boost your ego a little, play this game for a day or two and you’ll have an easy 1000 gamerscore stacked onto your overall total.

When it comes to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, fans expect one thing: fighting. That's what the Turtles do. So why come out with a game on an extremely popular platform that treats fighting as third-rate while boring and linear jumping is its central theme? The mind boggles.

Lost in Blue 2 is so impossibly aggravating and unrelenting in how it punishes you that it could easily substitute for the death penalty, if it weren't for that pesky "cruel and unusual" clause.

It is very well designed, challenging and fun as long as it sticks to combat. I look forward to a proper sequel that keeps the focus on what it does well, hopefully abandoning the weak spots and catering to a wider age-demographic.

Accompanying all of the great gameplay and astounding visuals is an amazing score. The music behind God of War II is as epic as any other component, and it serves to make the game a much more intense and immersive experience.

Frankly, Tecmo's "Super Swing Golf" has Tiger beaten, something I'm sure irritates the hell out of EA...and myself. I want a realistic golf game, and the Wii is the gateway to that goal. Well, I guess there's always next year.

The fluid and intuitive controls provide a refreshing change of pace, and a great level of challenge. The graphics are well above par for the PSP, and the addition of course creation modes and online play should definitely keep you coming back for more.

From the prospecting to fighting, to the huge game world begging for exploration, tons of secrets and hidden features, Spectrobes offers an incredible amount of gameplay.

For fans of the gameplay found in the earlier games in the series or some one looking for a good place to jump on board one of the best racing franchises on any platform, Burnout: Dominator is a good place to start.

For fans of the gameplay found in the earlier games in the series or someone looking for a good place to jump on board, one of the best racing franchises on any platform, Burnout: Dominator is a good place to start.

Everything about the world appears more detailed, and the fantastic lighting effects from the first game appear even better here.

[A] less than stellar adventure.

We were huge fans of VCS when we were able to carry it around in our pocket, but the PS2 version is definitely lacking some necessary optimization.

The gameplay is as smooth as ever, but the graphical improvements really make it jump off the screen. With the extra content, online play, and not to mention the chance to win a real trophy, it’s pretty much a must-have game.

The online play is fairly impressive, with a field of up to 11 human competitors that’s rounded out by another 11 AI opponents. The only real problem with this game is that it’s just not fun.

It’s important to stress that this game is not going to replace Wii Play on your kegger nights. SSX Blur requires a good deal of time to become competent at, and will reward you well for doing so. If you need a game that’s easy to pick up and play, you won’t find it here. What you will find is a solid evolution of an established franchise that was in need of a change.

In the end, you can't help but feel that Jade Empire lost its focus in the design phase. No one element really works, no one element really stands out.

But with a patch here and there, MLB 2K7 is easily on the path to being the greatest baseball game ever made. There. Someone had to say it.

No baseball game will ever be perfect. But with a patch here and there, MLB 2K7 is easily on the path to being the greatest baseball game ever made. There. Someone had to say it.

Playing sideways is definitely a great improvement and the ability to swap blocks sideways is an interesting touch, but I'm not sure that's enough to merit a purchase for veteran players.

Though it is more approachable than previous versions, Virtua Fighter 5 still takes a lot of work before it becomes fun, and sixty dollars aside, it may be too big an investment for most casual gamers.

Though Sega once again stumbled with this outing, I have slightly renewed faith and am cautiously optimistic for Sonic’s next appearance.

The gameplay is where this title shines, and it shines bright. The game doesn’t last as long as a GTA title, and the variety of other sandbox games just isn’t here, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun. If you’re looking for some mindless explosions or an amazing co-op game, this will hit the spot.

But for the rest of us who don't want to make a career out of a game and preferred the new direction that "Company of Heroes" offered, Commander is bound to be a huge letdown.

Whether you’re a fan of the movie or a new initiate, this is definitely one of the strongest titles in the PSP’s recent library.

There is no reason to buy this game for at least 6 months, unless you are a glutton for punishment. Hopefully by six months the majority of the bugs will be taken care of and Vanguard will resemble a game instead of a proof-of-concept.

The many multiplayer possibilities should buy you a lot of time with the title, but the single-player campaign is just entirely too short (while the tutorial is mind-numbingly long).

The many multiplayer possibilities should buy you a lot of time with the title, but the single-player campaign is just entirely too short (while the tutorial is mind-numbingly long).

Enough challenge and a well executed story to keep hardcore gamers interested, but interesting, unique and intuitive enough to draw in the Brain Age crowd as well.

When it comes right down to it, Sid Meier's Pirates for the PSP is a good game but a bad port.

Phoenix Wright is pure coolness. If you can handle the slower pace and very different style of gameplay, then this is one of the best titles available on the DS.

If you like to feel you're playing a platformer with punishing boss battles, then you just may love it. If you've grown up playing American or European shooters, then you are bound to be disappointed by most of the design decisions.

Just like the empty vacuum that is outer space, Star Trek: Legacy pretty much just sucks. Set your phasers to “pass” on this one.

Even in a time swamped with deadlines and tons of new releases (see: Holiday season), we couldn’t get enough Elebits.

An unplayable and sorry excuse for a game. It should never have been released, and we can’t figure out how the hell something this bad would ever get e green light.

Overall, as aeronautic enthusiasts, we were pretty happy with this game. Currently it serves as the only way to use the Sixaxis as a flight controller, even if it’ kind of lame.

Full Auto 2: Battlelines may be the only driving combat game available for the PS3 at this point in time, but remember: backwards compatibility is there for a reason.

The collection aspects of the game in addition to the online modes make this a real gem in the PSP’s lineup.

Rapala Pro Fishing Trophy is a game that proves why fishing mini-games work so well in other games. It’s a little bit of fun for a short while, but really lacks the depth (no pun intended) that a great fishing game needs.

Note to self: When a good Superman game finally comes out, see if the Captain can do that “around the world to go back in time” thing from Superman II so he can bring me a copy NOW!

Ubisoft has corrected past mistakes, much too their credit, and have delivered one of the strongest Rainbow Six games yet.

Note to self: When a good Superman game finally comes out, see if the Captain can do that "around the world to go back in time" thing from Superman II so he can bring me a copy NOW!

Fans of the series will be delighted by the recurring themes, but may be soured by a strong sense of repetition.

All in all, the work and innovation that was put in to this game really shows.

This game is so solid that it will almost definitely convert a few more gamers into DBZ fans.

This is a fairly decent example of some of the things that can be done with the Wii’s controls, but a more focused all-around title would be easier to recommend.

All in all, I’m having a great time with Final Fantasy III and am enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. The only disappointment comes in the lack of true DS functionality, something that is counteracted by Square’s traditionally deep and rewarding gameplay.

The 360 version flat out stomps the PS3 this time.

Since the graphics aren’t anything special compared to the PS3 and 360 versions, the control scheme is obviously the star of this version of Call of Duty 3; and unfortunately things come out a little less supernova than we had hoped for.

Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam gets an A for effort, but a C- for execution.

The unfortunate truth about Resistance: Fall of Man is that it’s just not all it should have been. It’s probably one of the best launch titles from any console ever, but with the extra time they had before release it should feel like a solid year-one title. It doesn’t.

If every mini-game collection was as solid and cohesive as this one, it would be a beautiful time to be a mini-gamer.

I was worried how games would be able to translate the new control mechanics of the Wii into gameplay, but this is a very solid example of how it should feel when it’s done correctly.

This is supposed to be the big racing title at launch, the game that should convince guys like me to buy this system, and it just plain doesn’t.

The controls and gameplay just plain suck, the girls are freakish, and the music made us wish we had an ear infection. This game is demeaning to women, who are treated as nothing more than toys here, and underestimates gamers in general.

It’s simply the best kid’s game that isn’t a kid’s game that has been released in years.

In the end, Gears of War isn't perfect, but it does what it does so incredibly well that you just can't help but love it.

Ultimately, you can’t help but feel that there’s a fantastic game in Every Extend Extra just begging to be set free, but this current incarnation just wasn’t cooked enough to be worth eating.