If, like me, you’ve cooled on the music genre in recent months, I don’t think Green Day is the band to reignite your love affair with Rock Band. In the future, maybe Harmonix could attempt a single band title based around a more complex – and more fun to play – band like Muse or Rush.

If, like me, you've cooled on the music genre in recent months, I don't think Green Day is the band to reignite your love affair with Rock Band. In the future, maybe Harmonix could attempt a single band title based around a more complex – and more fun to play – band like Muse or Rush.

I think a lot of players won't notice too many of this year's more subtle new additions, but will instead help themselves to the 24-player online (where you can construct your own Ryder Cup-like competitions), GamerNet challenges, online tournaments, and five new courses. That's fine, but the smaller improvements made to this year's game offer players more freedom and customizability.

I think a lot of players won't notice too many of this year's more subtle new additions, but will instead help themselves to the 24-player online (where you can construct your own Ryder Cup-like competitions), GamerNet challenges, online tournaments, and five new courses. That's fine, but the smaller improvements made to this year's game offer players more freedom and customizability.

Combining the progress made with the WiiMotion Plus peripheral with an expanded online footprint, five new courses, four courses of actual mini-golf, and more, Tiger 11 is a full-fledged game with a motion-based swing and not just a slight curiosity.

It's an ambitious and exciting new franchise, but more importantly it shows off a small developer that deserves some big attention.

Mega Man fans that missed out on the Zero series should pick up the Mega Man Zero collection, as it makes the drought of new Mega Man titles a bit more bearable.

Snoopy Flying Ace is a fun and accessible aerial arcade shooter with a whole lot of polish and personality. It may not offer a whole lot of depth, but for only 800 MS Points you still get quite a bit of game for your buck with more in the form of DLC on the way.

Natural Motion’s Euphoria technology is a great building block for a football game, but Backbreaker suffers from too many rookie mistakes. Only the most hardcore gridiron fans dying for an alternative to the EA Sports offerings should bother bringing this one in for a look.

Natural Motion's Euphoria technology is a great building block for a football game, but Backbreaker suffers from too many rookie mistakes. Only the most hardcore gridiron fans dying for an alternative to the EA Sports offerings should bother bringing this one in for a look.

With a history including games like Knights of the Old Republic II and Neverwinter Nights 2, the team at Obsidian Entertainment knows role-playing. Alpha Protocol isn't necessarily a counter-point to that expertise; the RPG systems under the hood are solid. I just wish that I could experience them in the context of a compelling espionage adventure, not a last-gen third-person shooter.

With a history including games like Knights of the Old Republic II and Neverwinter Nights 2, the team at Obsidian Entertainment knows role-playing. Alpha Protocol isn't necessarily a counter-point to that expertise; the RPG systems under the hood are solid. I just wish that I could experience them in the context of a compelling espionage adventure, not a last-gen third-person shooter.

I'm not sure there is enough content here to appease all but the most diehard Sims fans. After what I thought was a pretty good add-on in World Adventures, this second Sims 3 expansion just feels uninspired and lacking.

Blur is the thinking person’s death race – if there is such a thing – where your mind is racing just as fast as your motor.

Blur is the thinking person’s death race – if there is such a thing – where your mind is racing just as fast as your motor.

The best imitation of The Behemoth's Castle Crashers that you're going to find on the Wii. [Issue#206, p.96]

This doesn't feel vastly different from last year's model, which is my biggest complaint. If you're a UFC fan and you didn't pick up Undisputed 2009, this is definitely a superior product. But if you still have your copy of '09 you probably won't find enough fresh meat on these bones to satisfy you.

This doesn’t feel vastly different from last year’s model, which is my biggest complaint. If you’re a UFC fan and you didn’t pick up Undisputed 2009, this is definitely a superior product. But if you still have your copy of ‘09 you probably won’t find enough fresh meat on these bones to satisfy you.

We've seen elements of player-created content and online community building in games before, but not yet in a kart racing game like this. Finally, it feels like the genre is evolving.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 throws something new at you nearly every single level - and with over 240 stars to collect, that's no small feat. [Issue#206, p.94]

If you don’t mind periodically revisiting game design from 1999, Alan Wake is an engaging horror mystery that brings the heart of Stephen King’s style of storytelling to the interactive medium.

The game perfectly captures the expansiveness of frontier life and the gritty gunplay of spaghetti westerns, rightfully earning its place alongside the great Western films and the best Rockstar games. [Issue#206, p.86]

The game perfectly captures the expansiveness of frontier life and the gritty gunplay of spaghetti westerns, rightfully earning its place alongside the great Western films and the best Rockstar games. [Issue#206, p.86]

Six careers blend in plenty of interesting variety, though pacing gets unexpectedly slow in the adventure-style diagnostic and forensic modes.

This game has plenty of edge-of-your-seat racing and thrilling moments. Some of the repetition, however, slows it down. [Issue#206, p.89]

This game has plenty of edge-of-your-seat racing and thrilling moments. Some of the repetition, however, slows it down. [Issue#206, p.89]

The Forgotten Sands is a conceptual step back for the franchise, but for once that's not a terrible thing. The Sands of Time trilogy was hugely entertaining, and this return to that formula puts a great face on the franchise to new series converts while pleasing old fans with a return to form.

The Forgotten Sands is a conceptual step back for the franchise, but for once that's not a terrible thing. The Sands of Time trilogy was hugely entertaining, and this return to that formula puts a great face on the franchise to new series converts while pleasing old fans with a return to form.