If you've never played any of those earlier games, and if you like city building, then by all means try out Tropico 4. But if you've played the earlier games, then you might be better off firing up Tropico 3 again rather than plunking down $40-50 for what amounts to a glorified expansion pack.

There are a million offices to search, but 99% of them are locked and, super spy that I am, simple office locks are beyond me. Fortunately everything I’m looking for has been left in unlocked offices, or offices to which I find conveniently discarded keys, or, worst comes to worst, offices with a window that I can break and climb through.

A fairly lukewarm expansion pack.

I really liked the look, the atmosphere, and the story behind Murdered: Soul Suspect, but I really hated the interface and the game elements.

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z isn’t the best NG game on the market, but I honestly enjoyed it a lot even with its flaws.

A good platforming experience that is only somewhat overshadowed by its limited gamespan. However, it’s a solid return to next gen consoles for Pitfall Harry, and the inclusion of the original Pitfall and Pitfall II games makes this a must have for action fans.

During that transition from one medium to another, a clunky targeting system, unbelievable AI and pathetic camera were attached to this edgy property, significantly dulling it.

What this all boils down to is a solid and intuitively controlled skating game that is optimized for younger players but also quite fun for fans of the Tony Hawk series.

It’s creepy and it’s involving, but it has some annoying technical problems (the game must have locked up on me over a dozen times while I was playing it), the engine isn’t very sophisticated, and the puzzles are hit and miss.

It’s just one of those games where there isn’t anything really wrong or right about it, and it sits somewhere in the middle.

Looks nice, it is acted well, and it was entertaining enough for the ten hours it took me to play through it. Plus, the gameplay mechanics are simple enough that fans of the show who aren’t necessarily computer game players might be able to enjoy it.

What this all boils down to is a solid and intuitively controlled skating game that is optimized for younger players but also quite fun for fans of the Tony Hawk series.

For the most part, Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded works pretty well. Some of the new humor falls flat, like a sequence in the casino buffet where 90% of the comments aren’t funny, but otherwise Reloaded is a fine remake of a fine game.

No matter what speed they're at or what font is used, the thrill of destroying cities remains intact, and that's something this series does better than any other.

If you like Mario Kart, chances are you’re going to like NASCAR Kart Racing.

The game still is not much to look at, however, and still does not even come close to the other next-gen versions in terms of options, creating players and teams, etc. If you're new to the series and looking for some fun, go pick this one up, but if you're a hardcore Maddenite, I'd recommend going with one of the other two next-gen versions.

They filled it with a lot of nice additions, but the dinosaurs are basically just really big animals, and their inclusion doesn’t change by much how you play the game.

A cursory glance at Dragon Throne often urges people to write it off as an "Age of Empires" clone. However, it is a sophisticated RTS title and handles its many layers much better than comparable RTS titles.

For people new to the series, download the demo and see if the gameplay clicks with you. If it does, then you’ll probably get your money’s worth out of a purchase.

Taken as a whole, Stranglehold is a well-made, but short and shallow gaming experience that ends up being best suited for a rental and not worth its asking price for anyone expecting a game with a lot of depth to it.

What this all boils down to is a solid and intuitively controlled skating game that is optimized for younger players but also quite fun for fans of the Tony Hawk series.

The main mode of the game that allows you to relive the past five Rocky films is disappointingly short, especially when you factor in the cheap-shot facet of the gameplay mechanics.

Personally I preferred Total Annihilation for its big guns and tanks and the larger range of strategic options, but this is an excellent effort by Cavedog to create a medieval version of Total Annihilation. A good solid strategy game which should provide weeks of multiplayer enjoyment, although I am disappointed in Cavedog for botching up their whole Direct 3D Mode.

It's not the most ground-breaking FPS to come along, but gamers looking for a retro-like FPS experience are in for a treat with The Nightmare Child.

So if you’re a fan of adventure games and you don’t mind some adult content (including profanity and grisly murders), then the 20th Anniversary Edition is certainly a game you should consider purchasing.

The real issue is whether the frustrations of the game are balanced out by the rewards. Do you love assassin movies? Blood Money is one of the few games with the same theme, and although this might not mean much, it is substantially better than the rest. Are you a veteran gamer, alternately? Then for you, the challenge here should be tolerable. If I’d answered no to either of the above questions however, I would seriously consider another game.

This isn’t quite as polished as something from Capcom or SNK Playmore, but it’s still a really fun fighter that fans of the genre will enjoy.

Though the FPS levels are solid in design, the game’s mediocre flying levels constantly get in the way of what is good about the game.

Right now Sheltered is the most fun when you’re just starting out, and it gets less fun as you go along, but its developers are still working on the game and accepting feedback, so maybe they’ll adjust the difficulty and add some end-game content in their upcoming patches. Regardless, Sheltered is fun enough right now to be worth its budget price.

I probably enjoyed Railway Empire more than I should have. I liked laying down tracks and adding switches and figuring out how to move a multitude of trains around without them causing traffic jams and blockages. But the game is a little on the casual side to suit me completely, it only includes early trains in the United States, and it has enough interface and gameplay problems right now that I’m only giving it a minor recommendation. Railway Empire is best suited to people who like trains and simulations, or who played Railroad Tycoon back in the day and have been wishing for it to make a comeback.

A good platforming experience that is only somewhat overshadowed by its limited gamespan. However, it’s a solid return to next gen consoles for Pitfall Harry, and the inclusion of the original Pitfall and Pitfall II games makes this a must have for action fans.

Overall, wish they'd focused more on world design (making it larger) than the jokes.

Longtime fans will probably enjoy this enough to buy it, but casual fans should probably stick with a rental.

No matter what speed they’re at or what font is used, the thrill of destroying cities remains intact, and that’s something this series does better than any other.

Taken as a whole, Stranglehold is a well-made, but short and shallow gaming experience that ends up being best suited for a rental and not worth its asking price for anyone expecting a game with a lot of depth to it.

Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth isn't the best installment of the series, but it's also far from the worst. Longtime series fans craving a new 2D adventure like myself will be pleased by it, but newcomers probably won't get much out of it. While the graphics are impressive, the clunky jumping controls and slow gameplay will certainly turn them away. I love the idea behind the Rebirth series, and hope that Konami continues with them for other series, but this entry left something to be desired.

A nice enough adventure. It has some depth, and you won’t breeze through it in under ten hours, but it’s also a little sloppy, and the voice acting is awful.

Though it falls well short of greatness it does manage to be pretty good, and the multitude of upgrades make for a huge improvement over the original.

NASCAR 14 improves on past iterations mostly by creating an on-track racing experience that feels much more authentic and engaging that any NASCAR game to date.

If you're looking for a Silent Hill game or a deep RPG on your PS Vita, Book of Memories will only serve to whet your appetite for a title that will deliver.

The putting mechanics aren't up to par and the game isn't going to blow anyone away in terms of presentation, but if you're a golf fan that would rather swing a club, even a mini one at that, as opposed to pushing a few buttons or moving an analog stick around, you very well might want to consider taking a hack at Real World Golf.

This game is good. It had a lot of potential and succeeded on a few fronts.

Rearmed 2 seemed like a dream game in theory because of how well-crafted Rearmed was, but it doesn't live up to that in execution.

Rearmed 2 seemed like a dream game in theory because of how well-crafted Rearmed was, but it doesn't live up to that in execution.

A perfectly fun dungeon crawler-style game, and probably about as close as you'll get to "X-Men Legends" on the DS.

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 would've been nice to see more cars, deeper customization, or tighter controls, but FlatOut gets the job done.

It looks good, plays great, has an above average story, but never manages to be better than the game(s) that inspired it.

It looks good, plays great, has an above average story, but never manages to be better than the game(s) that inspired it.

It looks good, plays great, has an above average story, but never manages to be better than the game(s) that inspired it.

Evolve isn’t perfect, but it is fun. I haven’t decided if it has enough content to justify its full retail price tag, so it’ll be interesting to see how long the community sticks with it.

It's not bad, exactly, and a lot of people are going to have fun with it just by virtue of the fact that they get to play as an awesome Transformer. It's just not as good as it could be.

While the gameplay is adequate and the concept behind the title is a solid one, the brevity of the single player campaign and the drab multiplayer, along with some quirky features makes Big Red One a game to check out first before you buy it.

Overall, there isn’t anything to get excited about here. If you’ve played one zoo tycoon game, then you’ve played them all, and there isn’t any reason to buy Wildlife Zoo unless you really like the genre or unless you haven’t played anything in the genre yet.

A large number of technical issues and some combat flaws, along with a number of less than stellar puzzle mechanics make this a game for hardcore Matrix fans or some martial arts action buffs instead of for everyone.

The idea of including duets in Karaoke Revolution seems like a natural one given the scope of the title itself. Hell, some of the most emotionally engaging or memorable songs are duets. However, the poor execution of the feature, along with the lack of innovation for the title, makes Volume 3 much less appealing than the previous games in the series.

Majin and the Forbidden Kingdom has its fair share of strengths and weakness, but its strong points easily overpower many of its flaws. If you're on the prowl for a budget title that appeals to kids and really anyone else, look no further.

If not for the abundant technical glitches, repetitive level design and spotty camera system, recommending The Emperor’s Tomb would have been a no-brainer.

Batman: Arkham City is what you get when a studio isn't trying and is content to rest on its laurels. Other than the half-hearted attempt at an open world setting, nothing stands out as being an improvement on the previous game and many things that Arkham Asylum did well were completely fumbled here.

Majin and the Forbidden Kingdom has its fair share of strengths and weakness, but its strong points easily overpower many of its flaws. If you're on the prowl for a budget title that appeals to kids and really anyone else, look no further.

Commandos: Strike Force just feels like a game of half measures. The tree textures are straight out of 1999, the one-liners are repeated way too often, and the fighting just feels almost fun, rather than fun.

This DS title is not bad by any means, but it is certainly the weakest installment of the Kingdom Hearts series so far. However, to its credit, the game is still a charming and fun title to play for Kingdom Hearts enthusiasts and fans alike.

The concept and the creatures, not to mention the turn-based gameplay could’ve infused the strategy genre with a shot of adrenaline that it sorely needed.

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

An excellent game for about 20 hours, with open-ended gameplay, a good balance between combat and quests, and an opportunity for real role-playing. But then the next 20 hours feature a long linear march of boring, repetitive and slow combat, culminating in one of the worst endings I've ever seen.

Somebody at EA needs to stick a post-it note on the producer's door that reads "Dynasty Mode." It's a mess. I recommend the developer focus most of their attention in the coming year to that aspect of the game because I can't recommend this franchise to hardcore hockey fans until they do.

The concept and the creatures, not to mention the turn-based gameplay could’ve infused the strategy genre with a shot of adrenaline that it sorely needed.

Bethesda says Operation Anchorage takes 3-4 hours to complete. I’d put that number at more like 2-3, but for only $10 it represents moderate gaming bang for your buck. I’m hoping future DLC will be much better.

It seems crazy to say this, but Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands is a little too big for its own good. It’s hard not to admire the time and effort that went into crafting this truly massive and beautiful open world, but there’s simply too much copy and paste going on when it comes to the content within; the side missions especially, but also the story scenarios. While the initial hours of Wildlands are thrilling, repetition ultimately seeps in and as such you’re enjoyment of the game may depend on whether you have a friend or three to play through the campaign with. Ubisoft has done a tremendous job supporting a pair of other recent Tom Clancy titles post-launch – Rainbow Six: Siege and The Division – so even if you’re not sold on Wildlands as it stands, I highly recommend keeping your sights trained on the game as the developers tweak the experience and eventually add the competitive multiplayer suite.

Tyranny is no Pillars of Eternity – let me say that straight out – but the story has some compelling moments.

Despite the prosaic setup and run of the mill RPG methodology, Lunar makes up for it in charm.

Spyro has definitely not lost its audio-visual lustre since its first inception, but it has some ways to go to dislodge Mario on the handheld platform.

Merely a basic port of a PS2 game without any significant tweaks or fixes to its problems, which is uncalled for given the Xbox’s improved capabilities.

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.

To fans of the genre, it's stellar. It's got just over one hundred songs, each with their own backgroud videos, modes that test both your stamina and your composure, and more of what people have come to expect from dancing games.

I’ve played worse Star Wars games, way worse, but I’ve also played better ones. This one falls solidly in the middle of the pack.

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.

Solid online gameplay along with its constantly updated stats and rosters are a major advantage for Gameday, turning the game into every fantasy football players best dream come true.

Were the tracking of physical movement a bit sharper, the length of the game a bit longer or the number of tricks a bit deeper, this would be a phenomenal title.

The tone, the foreboding mood, and the massive amounts of action that you’ll undergo can make up for its shortcomings. Science fiction fans will probably eat this one up.

The engine is a lot of fun, but the campaign is a disaster, and it appears that Altar Games hasn’t learned anything since releasing UFO: Aftershock two years ago.

The novelty of playing the game is sure to wear off after a while, especially considering the limited number of episodes. It’s possible to go through every single episode in a weekend, which doesn’t speak volumes about returning to this game time and time again. Second, while the single player game is adequate, this game is much better as a party title with plenty of alcohol.

Online multiplayer is dreadfully slow, both in co-op and deathmatch modes, which brings an unwanted element of luck into the picture. It's shocking really considering how smoothly this game ran back in 1993 yet with all this newfound processing power and high-speed Internet, the game has the problems it does here.

I can almost picture the early pitch sessions for Call of Duty: WWII in which they conceived of a game that has something for everyone. But if everyone gets something, no one gets everything. If I were in charge, I would have scrapped the no doubt very expensive but entirely lackluster single player campaign entirely and focused on the core multiplayer, making more maps and expanding on the War concept, which works quite well. The co-op works reasonably well, and pleasantly scratches that itch for people who prefer to work as a team against AI rather than people. So Call of Duty: WWII is a pleasantly rounded package which lands it solidly in the middle of the everything pack.

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.

The engine is unusual, but it doesn’t look especially good. The storyline is intriguing, but it’s a lot darker and more gruesome than you’d expect from a Sherlock Holmes tale.

This may be perfect for your little brother or sister as you try to indoctrinate them to the world of game playing, but for wily vets looking for a solid platform, you’ll probably wind up looking elsewhere.

It plays out like a popcorn movie: a fun ride while it lasts.

To fans of the genre, it's stellar. It's got just over one hundred songs, each with their own backgroud videos, modes that test both your stamina and your composure, and more of what people have come to expect from dancing games.

If you’ve played Telltale’s other games, then Game of Thrones is about what you should expect.

It’s hard to play through Monolith’s F.E.A.R. 2 and not get a feeling of déjà vu. Between F.E.A.R., Condemned, and their sequels, this is the fourth scary, first person game that they’ve given us in a row, and unfortunately the experiences aren’t getting any fresher.

For 360 owners, Case West is worth a couple of playthroughs, but it's just not as fun as the main game. The only real reason it has to exist is to please fans by bringing Frank back, and that by itself isn't enough to justify getting shot for two hours straight.

Gas Powered Games chose to play it safe with this release, simplifying the game from previous entries in the series and, perhaps in the process, robbing it of any personality that the series once had.

Rome 2 is a colossal let down and while I’m sure the game will be decent after the 20th patch, I’m just tired of being jerked around. Get your head in the game, Creative Assembly!

Overall, Deponia has some pluses and minuses. The story doesn't make any sense, and the ending is terrible (nothing gets resolved; it's all a set-up for the presumed next title in the franchise), but the world is colorful and the dialogue is well-acted, and the situations are more funny than not. Given its mild $20 price point, Deponia is a reasonable adventure to try out.

A large number of technical issues and some combat flaws, along with a number of less than stellar puzzle mechanics make this a game for hardcore Matrix fans or some martial arts action buffs instead of for everyone.

Enemies are pretty strong in the game, and so you have to use hit-and-run tactics in almost every fight, and even though there are a couple dozen different enemies, fights go about the same. Shoot a couple times, run away, and then shoot again.

If you’re looking for a technically gorgeous title that truly shows off the depth of its environments to the limits of the system hardware, X2O does a beautiful job of giving the player amazing water effects.