But overall, if you are a fan of Superman and love the whole multi-directional scrolling shooter genre, this game won't disappoint, especially if you played Chillingo's earlier game, Hero HD; very similar only this time you are the Man of Steel. Accept no subsitutes.

Alphatetrix never rises above the combined concepts of the games that inspired it.

Sure, the mobile version is a third of the PC price at only $3, but with variable performance issues and clunky controls, you probably won't play more than a third of the game before moving on.

Risen 2 isn't a game that you can just casually jump into and expect to power through. It's an experience that asks for dedication, but your effort pays off. While you can never totally forgot about all of the game's issues, there's enough good in the game that makes it worth pushing through. It isn't an experience for everyone, but if you consider yourself capable of taking on the challenge and don't mind overlooking its technical flaws and some perplexing user interface decisions, Risen 2 is a rewarding experience with plenty of piratey fun.

Ultimately, Ninja Gaiden fans will be the ones who will come away feeling the most betrayed. Team Ninja really butchered this installment in their attempts to make it more assessable to casual action gamers and newcomers to the series.

I was really looking forward to Wheels of Destruction: World Tour, but with no real story or campaign mode for offline play, and not enough competition to fuel the laggy and limited online modes, this game is in dire need of a complete overhaul. In a world where Twisted Metal exists; this game doesn't stand a chance.

Fans of the Resident Evil franchise may enjoy this next-gen look at an earlier classic, but as a serious shooter and tactical gamer, a spooky atmosphere doesn't make up for shallow and repetitive combat mechanics and glitched controls. Not to mention most of your fun relies on the participation of two or three other people. Give it a rental or wait for the inevitable price drop.

Defenders of Ardania is a fairly enjoyable tower defense title that has its ups and downs. The core tower defense mechanics are awesome, easy to pick up on, despite game delaying tutorials from the Connery clone, and solid amongst the chaos. The addition of RTS offensive features however don't seem to fit into the grand scheme of things nearly as well as it could have. Neither the less Defenders of Ardania is fun and worth a try.

Despite its short length and overall lack of interactivity, Asura's Wrath is quite a spectacle; one that all anime lovers need to experience at least once, but for now you can get that done with a one-day rental. Everyone else can wait for a huge price slash or just go watch some of the great anime they are adding to Netflix each new week.

Ultimately, this game is an attempt by an indie company to make a good-looking, story-driven action arcade game. Bottom line, if you're looking for a really dynamic, fast-paced combat game, you'll want to consider looking somewhere else. If you're interested in seeing what an indie developer can do with a genre that hasn't really been tapped yet, then feel free to check it out. This game is different from your usual shooter, attempting to add depth (wow...bad pun?) to a possibly worn-out style of game. Did they succeed? Not really. I feel bad, because I wanted to like this game, but it's really just a beat up car with a nice paint job.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games isn't a horrible game, but there is enough questionable content that I cannot recommend a full-price purchase unless you really like a weird take on popular Olympic events.

At a cost of $10, Ryder White hardly breaks the bank, but there are some really great titles to be found for that same cash. This one is necessary only for serious fans of Dead Island.

If you love strategy RPGs and a good horror story and don't mind dealing with a few bugs then you should check out the universal app, Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land for iPhone and iPad.

Asphalt Injection is admittedly a fun and competent racer that delivers a surprising amount of licensed vehicles, interesting locations, and arcade-style racing perfect for the casual crowd but one that struggles to challenge veteran racers. Sadly, the Vita doesn't bring anything new to the franchise or the genre; at least nothing worth spending $30 more than the same game on the iPad. Still, if you need a racing fix for your new PS Vita, and those cutesy karts and characters in ModNation Racers aren't for you, Asphalt Injection isn't a bad diversion and will certainly fill that gap until Ridge Racer finally arrives.

I love a good action-RPG but sadly, Dungeon Hunter: Alliance is my least favorite launch games for the Vita, and has only held my attention for as long as it has because I never played the PS3 version. And if you really must play this game then by all means get the PS3 version. You'll save more than $25 plus you might actually get to read the text on the larger screen. There are a lot better games you can be playing on your Vita, even if they aren't action-RPG.

While Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked is definitely a functional game, it is really difficult to recommend among the constant flow of top-shelf (and often bargain priced) dancing titles coming out for the Kinect.

If you're a fan of the Scarygirl TPB or of Jurevicius in general (see I can refer to him without making his name possessive) then this game is right up your alley. Highly recommended for any awkward teenage gamers with just the right sense of style, or if you're looking for a cheap, creepy diversion and the local side show has rolled up its bearded lady for the season.

All in all, EyePet & Friends is an impressive piece of technology that is a definite improvement over the previous releases. It still needs quite a bit of work when it comes to presentation, as the blurry backgrounds and visual lag do not help in delivering a believable experience.

Scarygirl has a great visual design that blends the creepiness of Coraline with the charm of Tim Schafer's Pyschonauts and quite often achieves that living storybook charm. I loved the use of the narrator for the opening movie and to preface each chapter, and the music and sound effects fit the game flawlessly. Sadly, the game flops in the gameplay department with buggy combat and glitchy platform jumping sections where one misstep will send you back to a poorly placed checkpoint to do it all over and over again. Repetition to the point of frustration is not fun and not good gameplay. It might have been back in the early 90's, and if you are comfortable with that old-school nostalgia then Scarygirl might be for you.

NFL Blitz is great at being what it was originally supposed to be: an arcade football game. It has fun gameplay, good graphics and funny announcers. If you just stick to that, NFL Blitz is worth the $15 cost. If you expect classic NFL Blitz late hits or accurate gameplay you will be disappointed.

Zen Pinball 3D is a tough game to recommend. For $7 you're going to get four tables that most franchise fans already own and have played to death. It would have been nice to have at least one 3DS-exclusive table to sweeten the pot, and I'm guessing that with dozens of other existing console tables ready to be ported there is no incentive to make anything original for the handheld at this time.

For $20, though, this game offers a lot of fun. Compared to a typical $50 to $60 title, it's an incredible bargain for what it offers, and since it's so easy to pick up and put down, there's a spot for Earth Defense Force in practically every gamer's library.

I realize that I am painting a fairly bad picture of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and I admit that it is hard to be objective when I have already had the pleasure to play the title on both the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Comparing across the platforms is hardly fair when the Wii's processing power is so limited that it forces developers to make significant modifications to the gameplay. But even considering that, Modern Warfare 3 is merely an average shooter compared to the other FPS titles on the Wii.

Rabbids: Alive & Kicking is definitely a unique approach to playing around with those mischievous critters. Much of the insanity and charm is back along with some new physical gameplay that might prove a bit too much for those, like myself, who come unprepared.

If you're a diehard fan of Lord of the Rings and just have to have everything then War in the North will tide you over nicely till The Hobbit finally hits theatres. For anyone else, it's a competent rendition of an action RPG and worth the look if you're done with Skyrim, but I wouldn't go out of my way to play this.

Overall, Mahjong Cub3d is a solid title if you enjoy puzzles and have a fondness for Mahjong Solitaire. At $30, it's a budget title for the 3DS, but it's still a considerable amount of cash. Still, the title packs a solid amount of play time, and it's a refreshing take on a classic game. If you're a puzzle fan looking for a title on the 3DS, Mahjong Cub3d is a good choice.

Personally, I'd give this game a recommendation if it goes on a half-price sale, but 800ms points ($10) is just a bit too much for this budget-quality blast from the past that is way too short and way too repetitive to be taken seriously.

Xotic offers up a fairly mediocre FPS offering for the 800ms points you'll be dropping on it.

I won't lie; I had a lot of fun with this game for the few days I played it, but with its limitation on players and its limited content it's hard to see this as a retail product.

Everybody Dance is no Dance Central, nor is it a Just Dance, but it is a heck of a lot of fun.

It's hard to rate Jurassic Park: The Game as an actual game. While it's a terrific movie, when it's sold for PC at $30 for an experience only slightly more interactive than watching the original movie on DVD, it's a pretty terrible game. It'd be worth chipping in together with friends and gathering around to play it together, since it's a genuinely wonderful experience, but alone, it's incredibly hard to justify.

If you really feel like inflicting some permanent damage on an unsuspecting 5 year old then by all means pick this title up. Otherwise, just put in LittleBigPlanet and be considered the cool adult in the room.

With some good there of course has to be some bad. The standard music that plays isn't the best that I think they could have gotten, which made the custom playlist feature so nice for me. With a game of this pricing and quality I couldn't understand why they had to create a DLC for a later date instead of just giving me all the levels in the initial purchase. Mercury Hg is not really something I see spending money on twice.

Skylanders a charming game with a fascinating toy tie-in, but there isn't much here to offer to older gamers.

I enjoyed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Defiance on the DS though there are a few things that bring it down. The graphics are still rough and they totally missed an opportunity to use the now affordable 3DS's power.

Retailing for $49.95, The Sims 3 Pets is a solid game that provides hours of creative and exploratory sandbox gameplay.

In the end, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record isn't a bad game by any means. It's just a game that pretty much everyone who's interested in Dead Rising's already played. While it'd be a good entrance point for new players, and it might be worth playing through with a friend, only the most fanatical zombie killers need to consider it.

At the end of the day, Payday is a game that doesn't live up to the sum of its parts.

In the end, Off-Road Drive could have been a really enjoyable title for me. I'm always up for a challenge but unfortunately neither a keyboard nor gamepad could help me through the frustrating gameplay.

Spider-Man: Edge of Time is a game with a lot of promise, but the execution frequently falls short of expectations.

Believe me, with two young Spider-Man fanatics in the house, nothing would please me more than to announce that Spider-Man: Edge of Time is the Arkham Asylum (now Arkham City) that all Spidey fans have been waiting for. That it is not – but it does show signs of life in terms of the scripting and storyline presentation.

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is a linear action-brawler, and at some basic levels of design no more ambitious than your standard God of War game.

Bodycount is fun enough but seems to come off more as a late summer diversion; something to keep you busy until a "real FPS" game arrives. It has its moments, along with an awkward control scheme and a glitched grenade system, but Bodycount sadly ends up being just another disposable FPS, released at the wrong time, and destined for the budget bin.

I literally had to force myself to play this game, grumbling throughout the first 2-3 stages, but eventually the Castlevania-style gameplay and unique stylized graphics overcame my shattered expectations and I started to appreciate the game for what it is – a kick-ass, old-school platformer that will deliver hours of challenging fun regardless of its title.

As I said before, it may not be perfect, but it's a step in the right direction for the genre. It'll be interesting to see what improvements come to the game as the minor bugs are ironed out. And even more interesting will be where we go next, now that Nuclear Dawn has shown us what a game is capable of doing.

For the low price of $10 though I can look past the issues with Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and play it even as is just for the pure bloody fun it was. If you want to relive your childhood then this is one of the arcade packs I suggest you buy before any other because let's face, everyone wanted to be Liu kang or Sub-Zero at one point or another, and this is as close as you're going to get. Not counting the brand new versions with HD graphics and killer X-Ray moves.

I stopped having "true fun" about halfway through X-Men: Destiny and sadly finished out of obligation and a curiosity to see how the story would unfold. Hopefully, if you're a bigger fan of the X-Men franchise than I am you'll have a better time. Casual gamers should probably skip – this is one for true X-Men aficionados.

I stopped having "true fun" about halfway through X-Men: Destiny and sadly finished out of obligation and a curiosity to see how the story would unfold. Hopefully, if you're a bigger fan of the X-Men franchise than I am you'll have a better time. Casual gamers should probably skip – this is one for true X-Men aficionados.

Street Fighter III: Third Strike - Online Edition is not a game for everyone. This is for the die-hard Street Fighter gamers that are looking to relive their childhood and to improve their skills by fighting real opponents and move up in the online leaderboards.

Still, if you aren't normally a fan of a style of play that involves pushing yourself to your limits and beating your old scores, you may want to consider Two Tribes' other offerings over this, especially Toki Tori.

As long as you know this game has nothing to do with the Wild West and don't mind playing just another mindless FPS game with a vulgar script it's probably worth a rental, or possibly a budget purchase if you have some really low standards.

For the price, it's not a bad addition, but as a fan of the game's narrative and someone who followed the 'press A until you're done' method of combat, there wasn't much for me. Fans of dungeons and battles will, of course, vary, so whether Legacy is worth your dollar depends very much on what parts of the game you enjoyed.

If you are looking for something to keep you going until Diablo III or Skyrim arrives then Dungeon Siege III might be the RPG filler you are looking for this summer. Personally, I found it an insult to the Dungeon Siege name, lacking any semblance to the previous games in the franchise. Perhaps if they had changed the name they could have avoided comparisons and disappointment, but alas, this is what we got and if you're like me, you probably won't like it.

It's cool to see how the character models and graphics have changed through the years, and makes the entire series feel less like a movie game cash-in, and more like a separate journey for Harry that went alongside the films and books. It was touching in an odd way and a nice farewell to the game franchise. After all is said and done though, I'm still glad to see it end. It's still a way to sell a video game with Daniel Radcliffe on the cover, and unfortunately no touching montage is going to change that.

The biggest thing lacking though is structure. There are no tournaments or event series for you to compete in. Every race is a single race and it just gets so boring to the casual race fan. All of these annoying gameplay issues plus the horrible so-called HD graphics really makes it hard for me to recommend this game to any but the most faithful fans of the franchise. There are brief moments of fun, but with all the other racing games out there you might want to look at one of those before buying or even renting this one.

Finally, adding some longevity to the game, Under Siege includes a fairly powerful level editor that's at least on par with most PC games. While the game's light on actual strategy and heavy on micromanagement and instant to instant tactics, it's still not a bad choice for people looking for quick, RTS-style skirmishes on the PS3.

The PC version is definitely preferred over the console versions with better graphics, shorter load times, and a $10 savings off the retail price. Play with a controller and you'll be playing the 360 version that all Xbox owners wish they could be playing.

The PC version is definitely preferred over the console versions with better graphics, shorter load times, and a $10 savings off the retail price. Play with a controller and you'll be playing the 360 version that all Xbox owners wish they could be playing.

Despite the disappointing graphics and the frustrating gameplay I have to admit I still had some fun with Hunted: The Demon's Forge, both playing alone and cooperatively. The splitscreen sucks but I guess those without Internet still deserve their chance to play with a friend, and at least you only need one copy of the game. Considering we don't have any Army of Two or Kane and Lynch titles coming out this year, Hunted may be your only alternative for true two-player co-op gameplay. If you can get past the design issues there is a good time to be had, but I'd still probably rent or at least wait for the price to drop.

I am a diehard Transformers fan ever since the original G1 series and I can't believe such a staple of the series is missing. With the lack of features, average graphics, acceptable sound, and a completion time of less than 7 hours, I'd say Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Stealth Force Edition is a budget title at best but nothing an avid gamer or hardcore fan would take seriously, especially with the 50$ price tag.

All in all Emily the Strange: Strangerous was interesting to play and it sparked an interest in my sister about her series of books but not something I see myself doing any second playthroughs.

Sadly, there are a lot better FPS and tactical-RPG games out there for the Xbox; far too many to recommend Brink to anyone unless they have already played all the rest. If you're curious give it a rental but avoid a purchase until it drops to $29. Maybe, by then, they'll have patched the remaining bugs.

Brink could have been a great game, both solo and online if a little more work had gone into it.

Ultimately, Red Faction Armageddon isn't a bad game so much as it's a disappointment. While it achieves what it set out to do, providing a linear, set piece-based shooter reminiscent of early Red Faction games, it's a shame to see this kind of step back after the last game dared to take the series in an interesting new direction.

Yar's revenge was made for the avid rail shooter but at the price of 10$ It doesn't justify the length of the game at only six levels and the fact that it was a direct port in with no changes to the menu from the Xbox version. I do recommend before you buy this game you keep in mind this game has nothing to do with the 1980s version other than the name so even for nostalgia's sake I would think twice.

There are 30 songs available in the game yet less than half are really suited for dancing or at least the intense dancing that DDR and Dance Central has made us come to expect. The sound quality is awesome, but sadly, all the best dance songs are also the hardest and most difficult to play, let alone master.

Body and Brain Connection might just test your self-esteem more than your brain. Playing alone was okay but playing in a party environment was just so much more fun when everybody could laugh and make fun of the person who was getting "roasted" by the professor. It's probably more stressful than educational, and with only 20 games and three difficulty levels you probably won't play long enough to make any real self-improvement. I'll stick with my DS brain exercises for the time being.

Granted, Battleground is intended to be played online, but more often than not the online lobbies are empty. This lack of popularity all-but signs the death warrant for an online-heavy game like Battlegrounds - as a significant portion of the game's longevity is thrown out the window when there is nobody to play it with. In closing, while Red Faction: Battlegrounds is certainly a serviceable spiritual successor to the classic Atari game Combat, it really has little to offer for veteran gamers looking for more than an arena-based blast fest.

I loved PlayStation Move Heroes for what it is – not what everyone was hoping or expecting it to be. This is a fun and challenging collection of party games enjoyable for one or two players that puts Sony's unique motion control system to great use. And the fact that Sony decided to put six of their most famous characters into the game doesn't sell those franchises short. It merely reignites and fuels an interest in those characters and their stories so we can start looking forward to their next-gen sequels. Heroes is a great party game for young and old, family and friends.

In summary, Darkspore, while unexpectedly dissimilar to Spore and not without its flaws, is an enjoyable hack-and-slash action RPG.

NASCAR 2011 isn't bad for Eutechnyx's first effort. It's not horrible, it's not great, it's merely okay. But NASCAR should be a great video game. Past games on console and PC certainly provide enough guidance as to what does and doesn't work. Maybe my expectations were too high. The one revelation I found in NASCAR 2011 is I will never be able to race at Bristol. It's too much like driving in Chicago traffic.

Really there's not much to say about MLB11: The Show for the PS2, other than it's a serviceable MLB title with up-to-date rosters that has been released for an antiquated gaming system that a very small population of gamers is sure to appreciate, but ultimately will go unnoticed.

If you are a hardcore baseball fan, MLB 2K11 is your only option on the Xbox 360 – so I would suggest checking out a demo or renting the game before signing up for the awkward controls. PS3 owners have the option of Sony's MLB11: The Show, which seems to be receiving a lot of attention across the Internet – I would suggest checking that out first.

It's a great game to share with friends.

Tales from Space: About a Blob is a solid first effort from DrinkBox Studios, and I recommend not only buying this game, but keeping a close eye on their future titles.

Ys I & II Chronicles may not be the first release of this two part adventure it is without a doubt the best version.

Obviously, I cannot recommend Knights Contract unless you are looking for a game that will punish you non-stop with horrible companion AI and frustrating boss battles. While the game has some ambitious elements in story, gameplay, and visual design, it also suffers from inexplicable bad choices in those same areas and more.

I am a bit torn when it comes to Test Drive Unlimited 2. It is definitely not the worst racing game I have played, but it is marred with technical problems that really do affect the gameplay. I would be willing to overlook these issues if the storyline was either better or nonexistent, but as it stands the story is not even enjoyable in an ironic sort of corny way – it is just frustrating to not give a damn about the characters, especially your own.

If you're the type of gamer who only gets one or two games each year then Yakuza 4 will certainly keep you busier than anything else coming in 2011. I'm just not sure that the four-part story is strong enough and the gameplay diverse enough to drive all that content.

Ace Tennis 2010 HD has the potential to be a seriously good tennis game for the iPad if Eurocenter can only fix the issues with the controls and tweak their online code for smoother Wi-Fi gameplay.

In closing, I really wish Namco would simply come up with one comprehensive disc that contains all of the classic games and put these yearly Namco Museum releases to rest. Instead they keep dishing out these cookie cutter compilations with only a modicum of changes and expect fans to bite. I, for one, have had enough. But I still love Namco's games.

To go along with all those retro graphics is one awesome soundtrack ripped right from the days of Japanese-inspired coin-ops.

One suggestion, to make this feature better, is to use Push Notifications to tell you if someone beats your score or challenges you in real time.

The Last King of Africa definitely has the opportunity to bring adventure to a while new generation of mobile gamers.

Ironically, I wasn't all that impressed during my first 15-20 minutes of playing The Hero, but now it is one of my favorite iPad games.

Shaun should probably stick to the snow for future games.

Ultimately, however, Divine Wind doesn't add enough to be as much of a mandatory expansion as its predecessors were.

So given the choice, if you have an iPad and want to good old-fashioned Mario-style platforming adventure then check out Pixeline and the Jungle Treasure, but leave the iPhone version alone unless you or whoever is going to be playing has small fingers and infinite patience.

The game can be completed in an hour or two, and worse is that nothing really happens.

It's really not the fault of the game -- it's the fault of the platform. These kinds of games do not work well on the iPhone, and I'm sorry Mr. Bandicoot, but that does not mean you get a pass.

This is budget gaming at best, and even diehard TRON fans need to wait for this thing to drop to half-price or lower.

At $40 MSRP, I would have to recommend most hardcore gamers to pass on Michael Jackson: The Experience. It is a great novelty to bring out at parties, but otherwise it is a shallow game that does not do much to keep gamers wanting for more.

Interface is really the main problem with Create, whether it is the actual puzzle solving, level creation or even the navigation of the online component of the game. Nothing comes easy regardless of what controller you use.

It has all the features and polish of a big-budget simulation, at least until you leave the pit area, and find yourself in a slick arcade racer with a lot of features and some aggressive computer AI. The multiplayer could be fun but I never found anyone playing online so good luck with that.

Overall, Tangled on the Wii is one of the better movie-based games I've tried, and except for a few minor design issues, it's really a very playable spin-off of the film.

For any fan of strategy looking for something outside of the norm, R.U.S.E. breathes new life into an old war.

As I stated earlier, this entry into the Harry Potter video game franchise is not broken (except for the music). The game functions well, and even looks pretty good, but there is very little incentive to play. The combat can be frustrating, it's the worst translation of the story among all the different media that it is currently available on and the music is simply non-existent (for me anyway).

If you are the slightest bit motivated, you will probably find a DVD program like P90X will give you much better results. But if you must have a video game style workout program, EA Sports Active 2 is certainly worth consideration.