All in all, this game may not be a pillar of innovation or creativity, but it is fun. The combat is straightforward and the single player campaign is short, but fans will definitely have a good time here.

Technically, it’s fairly solid – the controls work and it looks and sounds OK, but there’s zero fun here.

It borrows so heavily from the format of "Marvel Ultimate Alliance" that you’ll likely be hard pressed to find anyone who won’t tell you to simply play that game instead. Considering all the bad movie games we’ve seen in the past year, saying that this is one of the worst should really mean something.

Now, this iteration of the classic game shows that with some love and polishing, these old favorite games of ours really do stand the test of time, and even outperform some new games.

Taking into account the shortcomings of the platform when dealing with this type of gameplay, RS:V pulls it off fairly well. It’s still not great, but you can have fun with it for a while if you’re not frustrated easily. Don’t, however, expect anything near the caliber of the experience that you may have already had with the far superior 360 version of the game.

Monster Madness could’ve been fun. It looks good enough to hold its own, and the general concept is pretty cool, but the execution just falls flat of the standards we should all hold for “next-gen” games.

Assuming you actually take the time to understand the cryptic controls, you’ll find yourself never having to use your ninja abilities because you can simply hack and slash your way to the objective.

The first problem is the relatively small area you find yourself flying in throughout the missions.

Pac-Man Championship edition is a welcome change for the Pac-universe. There’s enough variety, newness, and challenge to keep old fans and new players entertained for a long time. This is definitely a great example of the way that retro games should come to the Live Arcade.

One of the best games of its type on the DS. Though I personally prefer the direction that Puzzle Quest offers, Planet Puzzle League holds its own by offering so many ways to play and all presented in a style that would make Q Entertainment proud.

A more accurate name would have been Tank Crap.

Though Microsoft's Games for Windows Live is an interesting system, they shouldn't have used a poor port of Halo 2 to demonstrate it, and instead focused on creating a great new title for the PC.

It’s loaded with extras and great touches that push it over the edge of greatness, so much so that the bland graphics are quickly forgotten.

This is a great game. If you’re willing to abandon your preconceived notions as to what a Shadowrun game should be and simply accept it for what it is, you’ll find a deep and complex first-person shooter that is tons of fun and packed with variety.

Besides the tired gameplay, Mario Party 8 has some serious presentation issues that will make you wonder if you’re still playing a Gamecube game.

Ultimately, Crush stands tall as a successful experiment in game design, offering up a shiny new puzzle concept that could very well set a new standard for future clones.

The biggest problem with all of this combat is that while it may sound cool and complicated, it’s boring, unchallenging, and requires absolutely no tactical consideration.

A great game that should appeal to those zealots and casual players that eat this stuff up. The features and game modes offer a lot of options, the presentation is excellent and the text-recognition actually works and works fast.

While Death, Jr. may have some great artistic elements, it has nothing else to offer that you haven’t seen a billion times before, most of it better.

Naruto may be a simple and confusing game, but one thing it’s sure to do is make fans of the license happy.

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.