Saints Row 2 retains everything that made the original a great addition to the sandbox-city crime genre, and tweaks it even further.

Saints Row 2 retains everything that made the original a great addition to the sandbox-city crime genre, and tweaks it even further.

If you’re a fan of science fiction or horror, you owe it to yourself to have Dead Space in your collection.

If you’re a fan of science fiction or horror, you owe it to yourself to have Dead Space in your collection.

FIFA Soccer 09 looks the best it ever has, the controls make it user friendly, and the improvements to player movement and animations make it the most realistic soccer game on the market.

FIFA Soccer 09 looks the best it ever has, the controls make it user friendly, and the improvements to player movement and animations make it the most realistic soccer game on the market.

Fracture makes all the mistakes of the generic shooter and hangs onto the hope that its one gimmick is enough to bail it out. It isn’t. In fact, it’s not even close.

Fracture makes all the mistakes of the generic shooter and hangs onto the hope that its one gimmick is enough to bail it out. It isn’t. In fact, it’s not even close.

NBA 2K is still the standard for basketball gameplay, and if you're wondering which title to go with this year, NBA 2K9 is your choice.

NBA 2K is still the standard for basketball gameplay, and if you're wondering which title to go with this year, NBA 2K9 is your choice.

NBA Live 09 is not a bad game. In fact, it's a relatively good game, if a bit incomplete.

NBA Live 09 is not a bad game. In fact, it's a relatively good game, if a bit incomplete.

But the puzzles work well enough, and it has just enough going for it to bring back fond memories of LucasArts adventures, and so it’s a reasonable enough purchase, especially at its $20 suggested retail price.

I can't imagine any casual gamers getting much out of Mega Man 9. It requires and tests a skill set that you only tend to have these days if you've been playing games for the last twenty years.

It never hits its stride, never find that sweet spot that makes for that great edge-of-your-seat survival horror experience.

It never hits its stride, never find that sweet spot that makes for that great edge-of-your-seat survival horror experience.

I can't imagine any casual gamers getting much out of Mega Man 9. It requires and tests a skill set that you only tend to have these days if you've been playing games for the last twenty years.

You could do a lot worse with your Microsoft Points than to pick it up.

With an emphasis on squad-based tactics, it’s equally a strategy game. It’s a little rough around the edges and multiplayer is generally forgettable, but with a poignant story, believable characters, and intense and varied battle scenes, it’s a single player experience well worth enlisting in, even if you think you’ve had enough of World War II.

With an emphasis on squad-based tactics, it’s equally a strategy game. It’s a little rough around the edges and multiplayer is generally forgettable, but with a poignant story, believable characters, and intense and varied battle scenes, it’s a single player experience well worth enlisting in, even if you think you’ve had enough of World War II.

I wouldn’t recommend Nikopol to novice adventure game players, but veterans might find it worthwhile, and it’s certainly better than White Birds Productions’ other current offering, Sinking Island.

What you wind up with when all is said and done is a neat little chunk of Star Wars fiction wrapped up in a mediocre action game package.

What you wind up with when all is said and done is a neat little chunk of Star Wars fiction wrapped up in a mediocre action game package.

Pure is essentially NFS for the ATV crowd, which I think is a pretty good thing.

I almost want to hang myself for thinking this, but in effect, Warhead delivers because it's exactly what its developers promise: more Crysis.

As sequels/prequels go, S:CS is a good one. It introduces a new engaging storyline, adding some features but by and large leaving the good things about the first game alone.

I hope that Midway really delivers a top-shelf game next time around, because their first effort is mediocre.

I hope that Midway really delivers a top-shelf game next time around, because their first effort is mediocre.

All considered though, Mercenaries 2 isn’t a complicated game to assess. It’s a stupid action game in a long and storied tradition of stupid action games.

All considered though, Mercenaries 2 isn’t a complicated game to assess. It’s a stupid action game in a long and storied tradition of stupid action games.

If you like your puzzles tough and confusing, then Outcry might be a good choice for you, but otherwise I wouldn’t recommend it.

As I said, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 is a more polished and better-organized version of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08.

As I said, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 is a more polished and better-organized version of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08.

And so, obviously, Murder in the Abbey (or just The Abbey, as it is known in Europe) is an adventure game to skip.

Basically, Sinking Island has nothing going for it. The mystery is boring, the puzzles don’t require any thought, the dialogue is astoundingly bad, and too many parts of the game seem like they were made on the cheap (for example, when you talk to people their lips don’t move).

Almost nothing about the game is fun or enjoyable -- the puzzles are a chore, the storyline is presented badly, and even the ending is annoying -- and so I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody, unless, for some reason, you like being lost and confused.

Diablo got to be the icon and the benchmark that it is by giving players great tools for building countless different character types and then throwing them mercilessly into a constantly changing proving ground of monster slaying mayhem. Too Human may be working off that same blueprint for success, but, like so many other imitators before it, it never quite gets there.

All in all, I'd say that its combination of stellar, addictive gameplay and well-crafted graphical and audio work make this a must-have.

All in all, I'd say that its combination of stellar, addictive gameplay and well-crafted graphical and audio work make this a must-have.

So at least in theory MindHabits can help you out. But here’s the problem I had -- none of the games are any fun to play.

If you liked the humor and structure of the Sam & Max episodes, then you’ll probably enjoy the Strong Bad episodes as well. The Strong Bad episode is also a much better “animated feature” than what just came out in theaters last week, and for about the same price.

Soulcalibur IV is exactly what the fans expected it to be, and a bit more.

Soulcalibur IV is exactly what the fans expected it to be, and a bit more.

Difficulties on defense and an overpowering “icing” technique aside, NCAA Football 09 has put itself in contention for a championship season. With the addition of the online dynasty and the always-outstanding college football atmosphere, all the talent is here to make this a memorable year.

Difficulties on defense and an overpowering “icing” technique aside, NCAA Football 09 has put itself in contention for a championship season. With the addition of the online dynasty and the always-outstanding college football atmosphere, all the talent is here to make this a memorable year.

More options would have been huge in adding a bit of spice to the repetition that sets in after a few games, but what comes in the box is good enough to recommend to anyone with a taste for a little strategy and a penchant for world domination.

More options would have been huge in adding a bit of spice to the repetition that sets in after a few games, but what comes in the box is good enough to recommend to anyone with a taste for a little strategy and a penchant for world domination.

Obviously your enjoyment of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith will depend largely on your appreciation for the band's music, but there are other factors, namely its price point, that make a purchase hard to justify.

Obviously your enjoyment of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith will depend largely on your appreciation for the band’s music, but there are other factors, namely its price point, that make a purchase hard to justify.

By employing a bizarre range limitation to artificially enhance its difficulty, though, it means the game, if you'll forgive the alarmingly twee turn of phrase, shoots itself in the foot.

If you're looking for a shooter to carry you through the hot summer months, I highly recommend you enlist in Battlefield: Bad Company.

If you're looking for a shooter to carry you through the hot summer months, I highly recommend you enlist in Battlefield: Bad Company.

It doesn't offer nearly the same social experience as the console version, and you will have to learn to find a comfortable, still position to play the game in, but if you can work past those initial issues, you're in for a rockin' good time.

If you're able to deal with the PSP's control limitations, then I can give Secret Agent Clank a completely unqualified recommendation.

By employing a bizarre range limitation to artificially enhance its difficulty, though, it means the game, if you'll forgive the alarmingly twee turn of phrase, shoots itself in the foot.

The point here is despite all its flaws, Ninja Gaiden 2 was still able to deliver some excitement and thrills and every now and then it exhibits some of the pure kung-fu insanity that placed its predecessor on the mantle of genre-defining action titles.

Series vets with fond memories of the Pro Race Driver/TOCA games on previous systems should pick this up immediately, and if you're unsure about it, there's a demo available for download that’ll give you a good idea as to how easily most of the cars can be controlled, but won't give you a very accurate view of just how many kinds of racing styles are represented in the full game.

Series vets with fond memories of the Pro Race Driver/TOCA games on previous systems should pick this up immediately, and if you're unsure about it, there's a demo available for download that’ll give you a good idea as to how easily most of the cars can be controlled, but won't give you a very accurate view of just how many kinds of racing styles are represented in the full game.

Despite the lack of online play and the humdrum combat system, LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures is a lot fun to play.

Despite the lack of online play and the humdrum combat system, LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures is a lot fun to play.

I think if you really took the time to delve into and test out the game’s options, then you could make it effective at simulating a modern Major League season, and if you're interested in other leagues (like the Japanese or Mexican leagues) or in historical leagues, then OTPB9 is just about the only option out there.

The story is original, compelling, and told in a way that builds suspense. It's the other stuff, 10% of the game tops, that Mass Effect could have done without.

For Origin, since it's a little easier than the norm, and since it has modest system requirements, it might be best for players who are new to adventure games or who have aging computers.

Fun for what it is, but definitely a niche game if ever there was one.

HAZE will go down in history as a missed opportunity.

Rockstar has delivered everything they needed to here—bigger, better, and most importantly more, more, more GTA. Simply put, it rocks.

Rockstar has delivered everything they needed to here—bigger, better, and most importantly more, more, more GTA. Simply put, it rocks.

It's a pleasant enough adventure, and it'll take you somewhere around 20 hours to complete it, which makes it a nice value, but the writing is a little lazy, and the game isn't as funny as you might expect, and so it's nowhere near being in the ballpark of the Monkey Island games, which is where it wants to be.

So if you're a patient player who doesn't mind kicking around puzzles for long stretches of time, you might have some fun partnering up with Sherlock Holmes during this adventure.

I recommend it to those who grew up in arcades, those who enjoy a challenge, and casual gamers looking for something they can pick up and play.

The AI can be forgiven because it has its occasional brilliant moments; the mission design is in worse straits, being entirely predictable, but if nothing else it gives an excuse to tour the Holy Lands, ambush a few more enemies, and clamber up a few more minarets.

In some ways, Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb feels like a family-friendly, casual version of an adventure game. It's engaging, it's simple, and it's short, and it has a premise that's easy to identify with.

You might get three days of amusement out of it instead of only two. Wouldn’t that be something? Not too shabby for game built around a prop from a twenty five year old movie that nobody’s ever heard of. Not bad at all.

You might get three days of amusement out of it instead of only two. Wouldn’t that be something? Not too shabby for game built around a prop from a twenty five year old movie that nobody’s ever heard of. Not bad at all.

So, as to whether or not Petroglyph Games and Sega redefined console RTS games: not exactly.

For a game that promised so much, Viking really doesn't do much in the way of delivering.

For a game that promised so much, Viking really doesn't do much in the way of delivering.

If you’re the kind of person who does not tend to play online, I can’t in good faith recommend this game – there’s just not enough meat here. However, the online crowd is going to appreciate all the new stuff, and if that’s you, then go for it.

As sequels go, Bloodshot is sort of a mixed bag. Chances are if you liked the first Condemned you’ll like the second, even if it doesn’t pull it all off with the same panache.

Rent before you buy, but if you are fan of the series at all you will find a lot here to warm your heart. The title may not be a hole-in-one, but it certainly is on par.

That being said, the story mode is just as long as the original and brings a satisfying conclusion to the plot, some of the new features like the sprint button and bullet penetration add a new dimension to gameplay, and the multiplayer suite is as robust as ever.

That being said, the story mode is just as long as the original and brings a satisfying conclusion to the plot, some of the new features like the sprint button and bullet penetration add a new dimension to gameplay, and the multiplayer suite is as robust as ever.

As sequels go, Bloodshot is sort of a mixed bag. Chances are if you liked the first Condemned you’ll like the second, even if it doesn’t pull it all off with the same panache.

It’s a little boring and it’s a little easy and it’s a little basic, but if you’ve never tried the city-building genre before, then you might find it to be of some value. However, if you’re familiar with the genre at all, then you might as well skip Imperium Romanum, because you’ve already played better versions of it.

There’s no denying that Army of Two is a game concept whose day has arrived, and it’s a shame that it didn’t quite hit the mark.

The controls are perfect, the visuals are stunning and the action is just as thrilling as its PS2 brethren.

If you absolutely have no other way of playing the game, then give this a rental, and if you like it, buy it once the price has dropped and its major glitches have been patched up by Rockstar.

I love the game, I really do, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's still playing Dawn of War. If you're not you may want to wait for the full sequel to the game, which is already in the early stages of development.

MLB 2K8 is one of those games that hurts to play because you just know it could have been so much better.

MLB 2K8 is one of those games that hurts to play because you just know it could have been so much better.

I think the game would have been much better off concentrating on two or three well developed ghost stories rather than the dozen or so passably interesting ones that are in the game now.

It’s fun, vibrant, challenging, charming and rewarding. And the best part, it only costs $20.

If you enjoy (and have time for) hour-long tug-of-war matches with a huge array of vehicles and weapons, then it’s hard to go wrong with Frontlines: Fuel of War.

The Club is a classic example of an excellent rental game. Its brutal, rapid pace will wear you out in a hurry, and just when you think you can’t take much more POOF! It’s over.

The Club is a classic example of an excellent rental game. Its brutal, rapid pace will wear you out in a hurry, and just when you think you can’t take much more POOF! It’s over.

The Club is an interesting concept that’s too short and too simple.

FIFA Street 3 single player lacks the depth that is needed to have players coming back for more.

FIFA Street 3 single player lacks the depth that is needed to have players coming back for more.