Tom Clancy’s EndWar on the Nintendo DS is a pretty good game if you enjoy turn based strategy, and it does have plenty of levels to keep you busy.

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.

Despite the addition of a Monopoly-based game that you might not play a whole lot of (except to unlock certain characters), it is a fun way of going through a rough history lesson of feudal Japan, although it may not be completely accurate.

This is Hollywood’s version of the mob taken even further over the top, but it does make for interesting and amusing game material. The game is hampered in many ways though, and it drags down the entire experience. Perhaps Mediamobster will whip the game into shape with a few patches.

The Incredibles is just not that "incredible". It's an okay game, fraught with minor issues on a technical front and saved by high production values and attention to detail in less substantial areas.

As a game, 24 is not that strong of an entry into the PS2 library, but as a videogame treatment of a TV show, it does a remarkable job of nailing the presentation and style of the original content.

Although Vigilante 8 Arcade for XBLA maintains the spirit of chaos and destruction of it's 1998 namesake, it lacks the polish one would expect from a game released for a 7th generation platform. However, if you and your friends have an insatiable urge to blow each other up in glorious vehicular combat but you don't want to throw down $60 each for GTA IV, this is certainly a viable alternative that could easily fill a few hours.

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames certainly lives up to its name. It's as if Pandemic made a game just to show of “hey look at the cool explosions we can do!” It's too bad the AI and graphical glitches bring such a promising game to a frustrating halt.

The best part about this title is that once you get in, it plays just like the original in all its addictive glory.

Casual shooters would be better off waiting for the next attempt at this genre or even better, check out "Coded Arms," another take on the FPS genre that offers a better, but somewhat repetitive solo game, and a much more engaging multiplayer component.

Some of the best multiplayer carnage available on the Xbox.

A fun little superhero romp targeted toward pre-teens. There are a few balancing issues and the game really needs to be played with two people at all times even if you do end up arguing over who gets to play Mr. Incredible.

I had fun playing the game, which is all that really matters. Some missions were frustrating, but the generous continue system helped repress some of the anger.

Perhaps the game was rushed to make the DS’s launch window, but whatever the reason it feels as if less effort went into this game than is typical of Madden games.

A great concept marred by a few design flaws and an overall lack of depth and content.

GoldenEye: Rogue Agent nails the 3D engine and proves that FPS gaming does have a place on handheld systems. There are still a few kinks in the FPS control scheme that need to be ironed out, hopefully before Metroid arrives, but if you put in the effort you will find it actually does work surprisingly well.

While an acceptable game for all that it is, doesn’t match the greatness present in the SNES Batman adventure.

Die hard fans of the Diner Dash series or simply anyone welcome to the idea of casual games will be nothing short of satisfied, but players wanting more than just a 15 minute game break may just want to ask for the check.

If you are looking for a mindless adrenaline rush, a test of reflexes, or simply a fun afternoon of monster bashing then look no further than Van Helsing. He is more than up for the task, but his adventure is best served as a weekend rental rather than a purchase.

All said, Call of Duty Classic won’t win any awards 7 years later – but at $15, it’s not like the game is promising all that much. Still, given the fact that there are plenty of sub-$20 current games for sale, Classic is really only for those who truly want to relive 2003-era gameplay.

These guys deserve credit for developing two solid basketball games despite the snickers and giggles amongst the gaming world. And they deserve credit for the contributions they made to the genre four years ago. It’s just a case of too little too late.

All-in-all Reservoir Dogs does have its moments, I just am not sure I feel comfortable recommending full-price (even at the budget level) purchase to experienced gamers.

If you've already got this game for the PC or even have had your fill of the earlier games in this series, The Sims 2 might not offer enough new to really get you excited about it.

While the games action and explosive atmosphere are fun to behold the repetitive nature of the missions and mainly the glitches keep happening so repeatedly that enjoyment is fleeting.

This stylus-only control scheme can also make the game more difficult and even a little frustrating.

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.

If you enjoy the Sega classics, you will get some enjoyment out of seeing some old characters revolutionized in new HD graphics, but if you are unfamiliar then you may not be interested.

This isn’t a game for those who don’t like to work hard, and I’d recommend this to college students/graduates looking for a fun, extremely deep and complex turn-based strategy game with infinite replay-ability.

There is plenty of fun to be had as long as you can tolerate some average graphics and a few levels of frustrating gameplay. The story alone is nearly worth the price of admission.

An extremely cool game that is full of some really amazing innovations, but ultimately ends up a victim of its own creativity.

Overall Shadowrun is worth the expense as a first person multiplayer game but some extra content would be nice.

It’s The Big Game Charlie Brown is another great child’s game from Viva Media that is a great way for kids to learn about baseball and friendships.

Lackluster, lackluster, lackluster - that's the word for this game.

While Acclaim has managed to make a game that is better than any of the other attempts at a home edition NBA Jam still doesn't live up to the arcade original and falls short of other arcade hoops like "NBA Street" and "NBA Showtime."

I'm not a hater, but I'm certainly not a Green Day groupie, so much of what little charm this game has to offer is completely lost on me. If you followed the band around while they were touring and still wear their T-shirts then by all means, add two points to my score and go grab this game and rock out.

More fun to listen to than to play.

If you liked the movie and have a high tolerance for missed potential and repetitive, button-mashing gameplay, give Transformers: The Game a shot.

There is definitely a lot to do between the different modes of play, and the cartoony element of the whole game is always entertaining.

Just brighten up the levels and give me some camera scripting and this game would have scored a full [twenty] points higher.

If you own a PS2 or Xbox then that would be the format of choice, but if you need to take your racing on the road or want to explore the PSP-exclusive features then you might just want to take NASCAR for a spin around the track.

It’s a shame the experience is over just about the time you are warmed up, and the fixed-position camera might work for movies but doesn’t translate well into gameplay, especially in a 3D world.

Quantum of Solace isn’t a terrible game but it is certainly not the game I expected it to be. Treyarch spent too much time trying to convert a WWII engine into something viable for a secret agent game, and we end up with a gun-toting thug in a tux rather than the sophisticated secret agent we all love from the books and the movies.

There is virtually no story, so you have no compelling reason to play, and once you resolve yourself to wading through the levels for the sake of completing them, you are met with repetitious design, disappointing textures, over-saturated colors that border on cartoonish, and smart, but generic enemies.

Unlike previous Tomb Raider games that presented you with a handful of secrets items, areas, or unlockable bonus content, there is nothing here beyond the core game (no pun intended). There are no branching paths, multiple endings or any reason to replay the game anytime soon after your first pass.

Frankly, the light gun and cooperative play turn an otherwise mediocre game into a pretty darn good one.

Rise of the Imperfects is a fun experience and a beauty of a game, but is probably best as a rental. Only those without the skill or desire to master complex fighting moves will enjoy this game long enough to warrant a purchase.

If you can’t get $10 worth of enjoyment from Patriotic Pinball then you must hate pinball or really suck at it – either way, you probably shouldn’t buy it. Everyone else is going to have a real good time.

Kuju should be commended for packing as much authentic content as they did on this UMD.

There's just a guilty pleasure that is inherent in the karaoke experience that helps this game despite its flaws.

A valiant attempt to try something new, and while it succeeds on a few levels, it fails on just as many.

It’s a shame the light gun support just plain sucks and certainly steals away much of the potential charm of this title, but at least the gamepad control is more than adequate to play and enjoy an otherwise simple yet challenging shooter.

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.

Eidos has given me an enjoyable game but its over before it ever gets started. Give me longer missions and more of them. Just because its based on a two-hour movie doesn't mean it has to be a two-hour game.

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

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath & Beyond is 1200 points ($15) on XBLA, which is admittedly a bit salty for what is ultimately a rather repetitive shooter.

In my opinion, the only reason to buy this game is if you have played all the way through Fight Night and you’re just itching for a new boxing title.

The name, Shadowrun, comes with its own legacy, but this game really trashes that history and leaves us with a slightly broken and totally incomplete multiplayer element, and when multiplayer is all your game can offer, you had better get that part right. Unfortunately, FASA didn’t.

Heatseeker is certainly not a game for everyone, and even the flight sim enthusiast may be a little turned off by it’s over simplification of aerial combat. But, for short bouts of intense and mindless arcade action, this game definitely fits the bill. Because unrealistic as it may be, Heatseeker is not a game that tries to be.

A valiant attempt at bringing a quality pool game to the PSP, but between the load times and the clunky shot procedures most of the fun is quickly sapped out of this title.

It looked real and played even more real, but after a few days the sad realization sunk in that this game was just too slow to be played on the PSP.

Because Ski Resort Extreme couldn’t even prove to be “extreme”, it’s hard to recommend it unless you’re either an ambitious business administrator who wants to sharpen their skills, a ski/snowboarding buff, or both.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine doesn't come close to recreating the same level of excitement or the experience of actually being Wolverine that the console versions manage to do.

Yet another EA Sports title that needlessly sacrifices most of its core gameplay for some shiny new graphics that really aren’t as good as they would have you think. The animation is better than ever but a lot is lost in the finer details and washed out colors.

Your typical adventure game that strives to pay tribute to the classics of the early 90’s. While I found a non-FPS adventure refreshing I felt this one could have been a bit better.

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.

You won’t find a bigger Lara Croft fan than me, so it pains me greatly to say that Legend on the PSP is quite simply – “not fun to play”.

Only the most diehard fans will find anything in this game to last them more than a weekend rental.

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.

Frogger is quick and fun, pick up and play arcade action at it’s best. Got 5 minutes to kill, this game can help you with that.

The game tries to be both a roleplaying and strategy game but really doesn't pull either off.

Unless you are really hard up for a combat game or a big fan of the original I’d skip this and save your cash for whatever the future holds for this “sleeping” genre.

While I respect the ambition that went into this project the final execution just reminded me of those non-Infocom parsers that never understood my typed-in commands anymore than Rio could understand my vocal commands.

Tries to bring the drama of the street home to you, but comes away with a vanilla game instead, replete with bugs, glitches and other issues.

To shallow for teens or adults, too overwhelming for kids, and too mind-numbingly repetitive for everyone, How to Train Your Dragon sets the bar pretty average for the rest of the movie license line-up coming this year.

Heavy on exploration and item quests and even makes a valiant attempt at some RPG-like combat, but most of all it’s a wonderful adventure that takes place in a fantasy setting that will delight the younger kids and their parents making this the perfect family game.

To shallow for teens or adults, too overwhelming for kids, and too mind-numbingly repetitive for everyone, How to Train Your Dragon sets the bar pretty average for the rest of the movie license line-up coming this year.

I had to race Revo in small doses. I could only play for a limited time every time I picked up the controller. I would get the sensation to throw my controller at my PS3 after about two hours of racing, so I would stop and pick it back up later.

Instead of just driving around the country, how about opening up the entire country. I don’t want real-time cross-country driving realism, but we need more than five cities and the highways that connect them.

In closing, I have to say I enjoyed my time with EA's 2010 release of NBA Jam, but I would have liked it a lot more if it were a free unlockable or even a $10 or $15 Xbox Arcade release – but as a standalone full-priced release it is hardly worth it.

Sure, the single player campaign can be whistled through in a matter of hours, but thankfully Xbox Live adds a little replay value and life to this otherwise generic game.

As long as one is willing to accept the fact that Sega Superstars Tennis is attuned to the younger crowd and does not expect an experience anywhere near as deep as the beloved Virtua Tennis - then Sega Superstars fits the bill.

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.

This game is good, relaxing fun. If you're a big fan of the movies and are looking to spend a little more time in that world, by all means go ahead and buy it.

If you’re a Wii fan of first person shooters, Call of Duty: World at War is a great game and one very worthy of owning with its great story and very well done online multiplayer gaming.

It may be a straight port from the Xbox 360 version but does play well and has a very good storyline with well-done voice acting from all the original Star Trek captains.

Escape 2 Africa is definitely a kids game but geared toward a variety of ages for some fun with Alex, Melman, Marty and Gloria while under the strict tutelage of King Julian.

But since all the girls look pretty much the same, the challenge is artificial and there's a limited amount of animations (I mean, don't real Playmates know more than 5 poses or three sex positions?), it gets old quicker than it should.

I plan to keep Space Empires V installed on my hard drive alongside upcoming A-list titles like Star Trek: Legacy. After all, every strategy fan needs a game that’s a little slower placed but offers so many complex choices.

Dancing with the Stars plays a bit like the lovechild of Dance Dance Revolution and Karaoke Revolution, and it has some design flaws, but it’s certainly not unplayable.

Overlord: Raising Hell is not the worst game of this ilk, but it surely does not match the work of Molyneux’s famed Fable for the Xbox, nor does it approach the work of the PS3 exclusive Heavenly Sword.

SimCity Creator carries over some trademark gameplay aspects from the original SimCity series, though SimCity veterans may find Creator a bit simplified for their tastes.

Having had no other experience with big rig trucking simulators, I can't say how Rig'n'Roll compares to its competitors, but it seems to run fairly smoothly and accomplish what it sets out to do as a truck-driving and trucking business simulator.

I only hope that if there is a Mace Griffin 2 that they tap into the unlimited potential of the game and consider adding a multiplayer element.

I would wholeheartedly suggest that any Spyro fan check out any of the console releases of A New Beginning before delving into this frustrating release.

If you’re into poker, whether it be Texas style or 7-card stud, the many varieties of poker will help you get your fix. It won’t satisfy your craze to actually gamble real money, though.

Scarface for the PSP surprised me a lot once I got past the boring tutorial. It’s an unexpectedly enjoyable, highly replay-able strategy game with terrible sound and marginal at best graphics.

Many games fail to deliver a coherent story, but shine in the gameplay department. Lionheart gets it in reverse. Reflexive delivers a concrete, polished story that serves as little more than a platform to bash, crack, wallop, belt, cripple and maim everything in sight.

A decent turn-based strategy game in a market deluged with RTS madness.