The amount of content is a bit disappointing. Three levels just aren’t enough nowadays, despite a handful of variations on each. The fact that they play out exactly the same way every time doesn’t help, either. Playing through solo or with a buddy is definitely worth an afternoon, though, regardless of the game’s relatively short legs.

Soulcalibur Legends is a trap, luring in gullible gamers with the promise of two-player co-op and a cast of characters from the series. Once you take the bait, the whole rusty contraption snaps shut – and you will carry the scars of playing it for the rest of your life.

Even though Revenant Wings isn’t an outstanding title, it still manages to do something remarkable: It’s a playable and fun handheld RTS – and probably the first of its kind.

Like "Tetris," Galaxies’ gameplay is so unbelievably fun that you can’t put it down.

Even ignoring the ludicrous plot, what really matters here should be the shooting mechanic, which just isn’t much fun. The strangely designed cover system has you popping up and down like a hyperactive rabbit, so you never really get a full view of the action. And get this: in the cooperative multiplayer, you play in split screen – in letterbox format! What were they thinking? I don’t know what else I can tell you to discourage you away from this complete disaster.

The title’s gameplay is fun and the coordination between the Wii remote and nunchuk enables you to act quickly when it comes to using surgical tools.

Leave this one stranded on Ceti Alpha V – it’s of no use to you or the cause of the Federation. [Feb 2008, p.96]

Leave this one stranded on Ceti Alpha V – it’s of no use to you or the cause of the Federation.

The game excels at everything from simple deathmatching to complex objective-driven campaigns. [Dec 2007, p.154]

This may be the only game that college fans need to care about, but College Hoops 2K needs to step up its game next year to avoid leaving the court with a towel over its head instead of a basketball net.

This may be the only game that college fans need to care about, but College Hoops 2K needs to step up its game next year to avoid leaving the court with a towel over its head instead of a basketball net.

Mario Party DS does a better job at retreading the core concept, however tired it may be, than last summer’s Mario Party 8. Barring a complete shakeup of the series, this seems to be the most we can hope for at this point.

What you are really buying when you pick up this bundle is a fun minigame that comes with a packed-in controller novelty. [Feb 2008, p.99]

It’s a fun, fast, and memorable thrill ride, and perhaps the closest video games have come yet to approximating the experience of an interactive summer blockbuster.

It's a very addicting puzler that rewards you for strategy as well as your vocabulary. [Dec 2007, p.157]

Several dozen unlockable outfits can be mixed and matched at your leisure to create the silliest looking avatar imaginable, and the longer arcade shooters from the first game return as brief alternatives to the more frantic minigames.

The one undoubtedly cool thing that ProStreet brings to the table is its online play (except on Wii), where you can create your own race days and invite friends to compete them. The race day will keep a persistent leaderboard of everyone’s progress, so you can always go back and knock off your buddy.

The sandbox gameplay is among the best in the genre, and its lengthy single-player campaign largely makes up for some questionable multiplayer.

Its stunning visual style, high concept story, and wildly open level design are like nothing else, even if too much repetition begins to frustrate in the later hours. It’s a game people will still be talking about five years from now.

There’s certainly a lot here to love, and a lot more that you want to love, but most of your time in Kane & Lynch is spent shaking or scratching your head. The problems are just too visible for it to be taken seriously as a gritty thriller.

Its stunning visual style, high concept story, and wildly open level design are like nothing else, even if too much repetition begins to frustrate in the later hours. It’s a game people will still be talking about five years from now.

The eight new fighting styles for each wrestler in the game are a nice addition that provide some great diversity in the characters, but they destroy the game’s balance.

The eight new fighting styles for each wrestler in the game are a nice addition that provide some great diversity in the characters, but they destroy the game’s balance.

This is a surprisingly big and challenging release, and not one to be overlooked as just another simplistic rail shooter. It may not be the next big release in the franchise, but Umbrella Chronicles deserves its place right beside the other games in this venerable series.

There’s certainly a lot here to love, and a lot more that you want to love, but most of your time in Kane & Lynch is spent shaking or scratching your head. The problems are just too visible for it to be taken seriously as a gritty thriller.

The one undoubtedly cool thing that ProStreet brings to the table is its online play (except on Wii), where you can create your own race days and invite friends to compete them. The race day will keep a persistent leaderboard of everyone’s progress, so you can always go back and knock off your buddy.

Apart from looking like an ugly baby conceived in the back of a broken-down El Camino by a couple of illeterates, tilting the Wii remote translates to your car surprisingly well. [Dec 2007, p.137]

SimCity Societies is ultimately a step down from its predecessors, but it doesn’t fall so far to be considered a blunder. You may not sink as much time into this installment, but the reinvention of the gameplay mechanics results in an inventive array of new problems to solve.