If I’m going to spend a long period of time with my hand wrapped around an oblong object, moving my arm rapidly up and down, it sure won’t be with this game.

If the gameplay had more to recommend it, this would be a must-play on the DS. As it is, it’s an amusing if uninspired romp that should give more than its share of belly laughs to the beat ‘em up ­faithful.

Gardening Mama could use more of a Harvest Moon crop economy instead of rewarding players with lawn decorations and new slacks. But if you like Cooking Mama, this is certainly on par.

While I knew I’d love playing the songs off the first four albums, the rest of the soundtrack definitely matches the intensity of the vintage stuff.

Perhaps inspired by the band they so love, Neversoft has dramatically improved the visual presentation. Extensive motion capture sessions with the band have yielded a host of realistic animations and dramatic, 360-degree camera work. Stage sets based on the band’s real-life tours and extensive pyrotechnics displays also help deliver a better sense of authenticity than Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. Also, the improved character models are leagues better than any in the series’ history.

While I knew I’d love playing the songs off the first four albums, the rest of the soundtrack definitely matches the intensity of the vintage stuff. [May 2009, p.83]

Wheelman has enough explosive thrills that you’ll be yelling and laughing the whole time.

Wheelman has enough explosive thrills that you’ll be yelling and laughing the whole time.

Stormrise doesn’t suffer simply because it’s on a console. In trying to introduce a new, supposedly user-friendly unit selection system, developer The Creative Assembly instead destroys almost all of the game’s playability.

In trying to introduce a new, supposedly user-friendly unit selection system, developer The Creative Assembly instead destroys almost all of the game’s playability.

This is a no-brainer for anyone who still has a yellow Hulkamania shirt tucked away in their closet.

This is a no-brainer for anyone who still has a yellow Hulkamania shirt tucked away in their closet.

A solid story and cool puzzles only go so far when the production values scream “low budget” every step of the way.

The good news is that the game, as dull as it gets, doesn't last for more than five hours. It's quick and dirty. [Apr 2009, p.77]

The good news is that the game, as dull as it gets, doesn't last for more than five hours. It's quick and dirty. [Apr 2009, p.77]

The Wii version looks just like the DS version, which is to its detriment since the DS visuals don't look very good blown up on a big screen. [Apr 2009, p.82]

It may be far from perfect, but Echoes of Time's amusing gameplay and ground-breaking multiplayer make this the most noteworthy Crystal Chronicle title to date. [Apr 2009, p.82]

BattleForge is a combination of strange mechanics and bad design. Units are diverse – and yet none of them are terribly interesting. Missions have a ton of variety on the surface, but in practice they’re variations on the same few objectives.

If you haven't played Diamond/Pearl and are looking for a good RPG, Platinum is absolutely the way to go. [Apr 2009, p.90]

In this day and age, you just can't get away with not sharing user-created content online. [Mar 2009, p.95]

Resistance: Retribution is a worthy addition to Insomniac’s series. It adds an amazing story to the existing lore, and is a great standalone experience for those of you who haven’t played a Resistance game before.

Even when it fails, though, Rune Factory: Frontier is packed with so many other activities that there's always more than enough to do. [Apr 2009, p.85]

While this game plays better on the pitch because AI teammates are smarter at taking runs, distributing the ball, and springing others with through balls, it lags behind FIFA in its feedback to the player and the fact that it has a better sim feature while you are on the bench.

Hardcore platformer fans will find this a trying test of skills. Henry Hatsworth could have been one of the most unique and interesting games on the DS, but some baffling design choices hold it back from greatness.

Don’t let the diminutive size or nostalgic look fool you, this is just as complete of a Grand Theft Auto experience as any of the console iterations.

The intelligently designed stages offer a well-balanced challenge even without bumping the difficulty to hard. [Mar 2009, p.86]

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d encounter a game so thoroughly terrible. Where do I even start? The racial stereotypes? The positively broken controls? The revolting art design? Ready 2 Rumble sucks in every conceivable way.

In its attempts to fuse grid-based combat with the series’ RPG roots, Covenant of the Plume doesn’t capture the essence of either, descending into a jumble of mismatched design decisions.