If Earth Defense Force 2017 were a movie, Ed Wood would have directed it. It would star Bruce Campbell. The folly artists would be hard at work with the pots and pans of your average kitchen. The special effects would come courtesy of the cheap toys and props of your garden-variety dollar store. This is a “B” movie from start to finish, it’s about as cheesy, hokey and ridiculous as they come and it’s totally awesome!

But as far as sound investments go, buying up Final Fantasy XII, Suikoden V, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne and Dragon Quest VIII will get you a lot more bang for considerably less money -- you might even have enough left over to go grab one of the oft-overlooked Shadow Hearts games.

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.

Not only is it the best handheld adaptation of a major console title, it adds extensive PSP-exclusive features making this a must-own game, even if you already have the game for another system.

A significant step in the right direction and almost enough to make me forget about the wasted hours I spend on "Driver 3."

With icy smooth graphics, solid controls and addictive gameplay Arctic Adventures: Polar's Puzzles is a welcome addition to the PSP's library.

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.

I expect there are a lot of former 2K Hockey fans running to their local used game store to turn NHL 2K9 in for EA's NHL 09... well, in Canada anyway. 2K had such a great product. How could they have possibly made such a huge mess of such a great series?

The gameplay is bland and mercilessly repetitive, the cars and their AI drivers are all the same except for the paint, country music saturates every free moment, and Jeff Gordon has flames on his sleeves.

It’s ironic that a game staring Shrek – one of the most popular computer animated characters ever created – is a complete clunker on the home computer. Pretend this title is one of Shrek’s fart attacks and give it a wide berth.

The locations are unique, the tracks long and complex, and the fun factor and energy level is unparalleled with any other Wii title at this time.

There's no denying that similar games like Super Smash Bros. are far superior to it, but if you absolutely love this cartoon, then check it out.

Activision and DreamWorks have another solid movie-licensed game ready for fans of the upcoming film.

The game’s four different gameplay modes should keep children from losing interest, while the simple controls will provide a great beginning for future gamers.

Sometimes you have to be reminded of your roots to realize that there is more to games than just flashy explosions and blood soaked chainsaws. I highly recommend getting this title the next time you have the chance. I seriously doubt you’ll be disappointed.

Unless you really like KOF series or plan on playing exclusively on Xbox Live you will probably want to steer clear of this game.

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’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.

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.

Operation Flashpoint: Red River isn't the most accessible military FPS game out there, but it certainly is one of the most realistic you'll find on the console if you're up for the challenge. Obviously, sim purists will want to play on the PC where sharper graphics and finer mouse controls will prevail, but mission for mission, and for overall gameplay, both solo and co-op, Red River is a great ride for those with the tactical precision and patience to play.

However, the magic of the original RPG Maker has been lost, somewhat, by the newest member of the family. There is too much that cannot be done, and no way to change it anymore.

Blue Dragon Plus is a great title for the DS. I enjoyed the challenge of controlling 16 different characters and managing all of them.

And even though the game is a bit light in its scope, the treatment of the subject is handled with as much attention to detail as you can possibly imagine, and with a stellar cast of voice actors and a music selection to set the mood, Contents Under Pressure is just waiting to explode on your PC.

While I ultimately had fun with Golf: Tee It Up! it just seemed that it required too much effort to enjoy.

There are just enough things wrong with this title that it feels like it needed another few months in development before being sprung on the public.

Personally, I found the gameplay highly repetitious. As fun as it is to smash and destroy everything in sight it gets boring after about two or three levels. Hulk is a game best experienced in short doses, or at least have a friend on hand to pass the controller to.

Giving the characters stories within the game not only lends them more life than most racing game characters, it gives players a good reason to keep going until you've seen them all.

NHL 2K10 is another case of “two steps forward, one step back.” Big changes for the better in graphics and customization are offset by arcade style gameplay and the removal of all the classic teams from last year.