The two single-player campaigns are relatively short and not particularly challenging, even on the highest difficulty setting, and the AI can be frustrating at times.

The best game in the series yet. But that isn’t saying a whole lot when you consider that the sequels have always felt more like continuations than they did actual sequels.

Both Top Spin 4 and Virtua Tennis 4 are good games that have a lot to offer tennis fans. Part of me wishes there could be an amalgamation of the two, but as it stands I'll end with this: Top Spin 4 is a better game overall, but Virtua Tennis 4 would definitely be more fun to play for the casual fan. It's almost as if it's striving not to be taken seriously, what with the over-the-top mini-games and fancy dress events. Is that necessarily a bad thing? Absolutely not. Depending on what sort of experience you want, the choice is really up to you.

If the less than stellar updates to the Dynasty Warriors series has left you cold, take a look at Empires: You may just rekindle that conquest flame.

It's fun, but a shallow fun, based on shallow characters ' maybe the perfect game for the kids from "Clueless" or "The OC."

From a presentation standpoint, graphically and in the sound effects department, ToV doesn’t seem to have changed much from the previous incarnations.

For me, the biggest problem with Liberation is the story; it felt underdeveloped and stands as a missed opportunity. Despite that shortcoming, and a few technical issues aside, I really enjoyed being able to take what is essentially a full-fledged Assassin's Creed game on the road with me. While not essential to the canon, this game is worth playing for anyone who is a fan of the series.

While TimeShift is perfectly adequate for killing a few hours, as a rental perhaps, it never elevates itself from merely okay, and if you only buy one shooter for the holidays you can do much better than this.

It may be the single cutest way possible to empty an Uzi into your friends' heads. If there's ever going to be another 3D installment, though, it'd be nice if you could set the map on a flat plain, rather than on an endless procession of islands.

A game that looks good and plays reasonably well, but is likely to test your patience more than your military skills.

As a companion to the movie, it certainly serves its purpose. But as a game that sparks new magic in the genre? That might need to wait for the next film.

Sega Rally Online Arcade offers up a streamlined version of what made Sega Rally Revo great, while also providing the same addictive gameplay that's made the series so revered for a decade and a half.

Although there could be more features such as a career mode, World Tour Soccer is an adequate first step onto the handheld soccer field.

Overall, Papo & Yo is an interesting game — especially visually — and it’s also a memorable game, but I don’t know that I’d call it a good game. The puzzles are largely easy, the story elements are largely missing, and the playing time isn’t large at all. Still, Papo & Yo is only priced at $15, so it might be worthwhile to pick up just to try something different.

Despite some technical issues and odd design decisions (namely the overly repetitious parts that elongated the game), if you have friends to play with all the better, as that's definitely the way to go.

With multiplayer in tow, Space Marine represents a pretty solid foray into third-person action, particularly for a developer which founded its reputation on real-time strategy.

Untamed ends up being plagued by far too many seemingly small problems that, on their own, wouldn’t be game-killers, but here, because there are so many and they’re so frequent, end up sucking the fun out of the game.

Due to the size of the screen, the already slim margin for error is made even slimmer, and the lack of aura bombs means you’ll have to fight through even the stickiest of situations.

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.

The PC version is sometimes difficult to control (the mouse is severely underused, and you’re not given any options for redefining hotkeys), but the game itself is bright and happy and optimistic, it’s well made, and it includes enough content to be well worth its $30 suggested retail price.

As it stands now, it’s really a game for the most serious driving enthusiast.

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

In the end, Brink is another of those games that we see every so often; the games that have incredible potential and truly unique ideas but fail in their implementation. This could have been a great game, it could've been a hit and it could've given shooter fans a reason to return to a genre that has lost much of its originality over the last handful of years. Unfortunately for us and for its developer, the keyword here is "could've", because there's little here that makes Brink the genre redefining game some of us hoped it would be.

This title would have been better if the design was more polished and the controls were more sophisticated.

Thanks to its depth and ease of use, it can be greatly enjoyed even by folks who aren’t usually into tennis games, as it’s got an easy learn curve and even includes a training mode that concisely explains things for players who might feel overwhelmed by the intricacies of the game.

At $10, Dustforce offers up a lot of value for platforming fans. If you love a hearty challenge, or simply enjoy a gaming experience that forces you to get better, then you’ll get your money’s worth.

Full Auto is a blast to play...at first, but it doesn’t have a lot of staying power. Before long you’ll have raced around every track, fired off every weapon and seen most of the car classes.

So ultimately I think I was happier with the idea of what the designers of Dead Money were trying to accomplish than what they actually created. They put a far above average plot and built a framework of gameplay that somehow managed to break away from the Fallout formula. In the end, however, it's just too much. Too much sneaking around, too many traps, too many reloads. And there are seven more of these things yet to come? God help us all.

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

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.

It's fun, but a shallow fun, based on shallow characters – maybe the perfect game for the kids from "Clueless" or "The OC."

One of those opportunities that sadly didn't pay off. So much work was put into this title that it's a shame to see it killed by unresponsive controls.

Run from this game like you've never run before. It will taunt you with happy memories of the past and then it will break your heart. It certainly broke mine.

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

Unfortunately, if you don’t often host gaming sessions with your buddies, you won’t get the same satisfaction competing against AI bots, especially with the lack of a reward system.

There’s a lot of fun to be had with this and even if you didn’t grow up with the show’s theme song stuck in your head, I think it’s safe to say you’ll get its $15 asking price out of it easily if you love platformers.

Overall, though, the biggest problem with Lollipop Chainsaw is its length. There's no way to justify picking it up at a full sixty dollars unless you're going to get absolutely one hundred percent of everything in it, from achievements to high scores, and that might take you a week.

This disregard for some details feels somewhat connected to the lack of full story development as well.

The bottom line here is with Diablo 2 ten years behind us and Diablo 3 still off in the distance somewhere, being a mediocre version of the great one is almost a compliment. Almost. And Sacred 2 almost succeeds in its imitation.

I liked the concept of the game, and it was sort of fun to play a lawyer for a while, but the pacing and interface really got on my nerves.

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.

If you can look past its denounceable play control then you will find a smart, stylish, Batman experience that is, at its foundation, true to its namesake.

It’s a solid game but the Xbox version is so much better that it makes the PlayStation 2 version feel pretty dated. Why are the levels shorter and less interactive? Why can’t you play co-operative game types online? Why is the game far less attractive visually? The answer to all these questions is simple: the PlayStation 2 has certain technical limitations.

Remember Me isn’t a bad long weekend’s entertainment if you’re willing to give its world a chance to draw you in, but it really just isn’t enough of a game for me to give it an unqualified recommendation.

Beyond: Two Souls is one of the PS3′s finest games and is neck-and-neck with The Last of Us for telling the best story and having the best graphics of the console generation.

In the end, Legends of WrestleMania fails to completely live up to its potential, but does provide a fun experience for a short time.

Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel is just the kind of well-crafted 2D fighter that the PS4 needs more of.

And that, in a nutshell, can be used to sum up Alice: The Madness Returns. There are moments of brilliance; of clever design, fiendish platforming, loads of secrets, and intense combat. At others, though, Alice's adventure can be an unpolished, frustrating exercise in repetition. To say Alice is trippy would be more than a slight understatement. I have to say I enjoyed my journey into madness as I plunged further and further down the proverbial rabbit hole more than I thought I would initially. Still, I can't help but feel like it could, and probably should, have been better.

As with Telltale’s other recent titles, Guardians of the Galaxy is basically an interactive movie where your choices make a minimal difference. There is only one “sort of” puzzle in the game, where you have to figure out how to open a door. Everything else happens linearly, and you only have one way to do it. Luckily, the writing is good, and the opening episode raises enough questions that I’m interested in seeing what happens next — which is certainly an improvement over Telltale’s recent Batman and Minecraft games. So everything looks good for Guardians of the Galaxy so far. Hopefully, Telltale can maintain the momentum.

The AI isn't awful enough to really bother me. The lack of save feature is annoying. The graphics and sound are pleasant, and the gameplay works.

Nothing more than your run-of-the-mill platformer. Though the level design and beautiful visuals are something to admire, the audio, plot and general lack of originality leaves something to be desired.

Although the game relies heavily on conventions and standards of an era long gone by, it’s still a load of fun. Experienced RPG gamers may view it as a short and easy way to pass the time until the next big thing comes along and takes up another eighty or so hours of their lives.

There are some people who can play this game and instantly flash back to their arcade-rat days, but even then, UMK3 was never very good, and has aged extraordinarily poorly.

It’s not too different from last year’s installment, a bit of a step down in my opinion, but still good.

It is difficult to say anything good about Homefront. It's a half-baked idea crammed into a half-baked game, and while I'll freely admit that a quasi-realistic military-style first-person shooter with a heavy focus on the multiplayer mode is not exactly my cup of tea, I've played enough of them at this point that I feel confident in saying when one has gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Fe is a well-crafted game from beginning to end. The adventure isn’t the longest in the world, but is rewarding and fun while it lasts. The platforming is mostly great, with a couple of nagging issues holding it back, while the larger-scale world-usage gives the adventure a greater sense of scope than most platformers. Its neon-soaked graphics and atmospheric soundtrack makes it a joy for both the eyes and the ears, and anyone with a thirst for a new platforming adventure should give it a shot.

Overall, I was mildly entertained by Sequence, with its good points making up for the repetition, and leaving a bit little left over. Sequence only costs $5 (from Steam or Xbox Live), and it might take you up to 15 hours to complete, so along with it being odd and unique, it's also a pretty good deal. So if you have dexterous fingers and a weekend that you don't know what to do with, then there are certainly worse ways that you could spend your time.

It's unique approach to combat and magic, the interesting storyline, and the usual RPG joy of gaining some newer, tougher weapon or level up, make this a very enjoyable title indeed.

A modest if unspectacular golfing experience.

It feels like the originality that the franchise once had has run a little stale.

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.

It’s a classic rainy day rental and in that capacity, as an unpretentious shoot-em-up, it works just fine.

It’s a little short and a little easy, but the puzzles are well laid out and they make sense, and the interface makes it easy to navigate your way through the game.

While TimeShift is perfectly adequate for killing a few hours, as a rental perhaps, it never elevates itself from merely okay, and if you only buy one shooter for the holidays you can do much better than this.

If you missed Two Thrones, or are the type of person who craves that motion sensing control, go pick this one up, because even with its flaws it is still Prince of Persia done right.

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.

It is difficult to say anything good about Homefront. It's a half-baked idea crammed into a half-baked game, and while I'll freely admit that a quasi-realistic military-style first-person shooter with a heavy focus on the multiplayer mode is not exactly my cup of tea, I've played enough of them at this point that I feel confident in saying when one has gone horribly, horribly wrong.

I wouldn’t really recommend it, unless slow-paced, frustrating adventures are your cup of tea. Or unless you really want to play a conspiracy adventure, and your only other choice is "Legacy: Dark Shadows."

It is difficult to say anything good about Homefront. It's a half-baked idea crammed into a half-baked game, and while I'll freely admit that a quasi-realistic military-style first-person shooter with a heavy focus on the multiplayer mode is not exactly my cup of tea, I've played enough of them at this point that I feel confident in saying when one has gone horribly, horribly wrong.

A patch is due out in early March to rectify many issues, and we'll take a look at the game after that to see just how many issues are fixed. However, in the state the game is presently in, I can't recommend a purchase. $60 is simply too much to pay for the game as it is now.

The upgradeable weapons and map editor are welcome features, but the convoluted plot, repetitive indoor levels, predictable AI and visual quirks hinder its best intentions.

Much like EA MMA before it, this feels like a solid foundation for a better game to be built upon down the line.

Is Two Worlds II better than the original? Sure, but there's still a lot of room for improvement.

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’s an incredibly thin expansion pack, even considering the el-cheapo price tag.

The core gameplay is fast-paced and it controls like a dream. There isn't a lot to it, but what's here is a blast.

The quintessential difference between this title and its competitors ("Earth and Beyond" and "Freelancer" come to mind) is the detail. There is so much detail and so much planned to expand on those details that you could literally be enthused on tangents for months at a time.

While it might not have a lot that players will find in replay value, the story and in-game action, particularly those of the interrogations, makes The Punisher a title that a number of gamers will enjoy.

Represents a ton of commitment and hard work, and I commend Battlegoat on that fact. But they do have some issues in AI, complexity and general gameplay that still leave room for improvement.

When compared to the PC and console games, I would say there is enough material in The Fall for one, or if you really push it, maybe two chapters of a typical Deus Ex corpus.

Certainly Bethesda can make great games (Fallout 76 aside), and Machinegames has been at it for years, and I like what I’ve seen from Arkane, but Wolfenstein: Youngblood just feels lazy, playing off my desire for yet more of that Wolfenstein Nazi killing action flavor. And when my editor offered Youngblood to me, I was excited to play it. Yet somewhere between that excitement and what it actually plays like leaves me feeling like I’ve done it all before (and I have) better (which it has been).

With the games that are currently on the gaming public’s plate, this cheaply made piece of software will and should pass under the radar of all gamers out there.

Since Telltale’s games don’t have much to rely on other than the story, a “filler” script like the one A New Frontier has just kills the game. There isn’t anything to get excited about, you can probably spot most of the twists and plot elements coming a mile away, and your control over what happens is minimal at best. Really, instead of buying the game, you could just watch posted videos of the episodes and get the same experience. So it’s safe to skip A New Frontier unless you’re a dedicated fan of the franchise, and even then you should wait for a sale (which seems to happen to Telltale’s games with regularity). Hopefully Telltale can get their act together in time for Season 4, which has already been announced.

It's innovative and interesting, though it can be very frustrating when you can't quite think your way around a dilemma and there's no obvious answer.

The story isn’t much, but the game itself is always fun to play - providing a strong, but fair challenge as you progress, while delivering the most thrilling car chases in gaming.

Ultimately, the scenarios are going to be a little too short to keep anyone interested for as long a time as "Rollercoaster Tycoon" or "The Sims" has been on the charts.

A solid game and a great introduction for those who are tired of the mindless carnage in RTS titles but aren't ready to cut their teeth yet in hardcore wargaming. Those who approach this game with a cannon fodder mentality will definitely be in for a rude awakening.

My only significant complaint about the game is its perspective. The pseudo isometric birds-eye view is going to get old sometime soon.

With loose but logical controls, humorous gameplay, and more ways to stroke than… I’ll stop the punch line right there, there are kids reading.

It’s great that the developers were able to secure the all-star poker talent they did, but for the most part they squander the opportunity.

The Serpent’s Curse might be a little bit like the recent Veromica Mars movie, where if you’re a fan of the series then you might be happy enough just seeing what George and Nico are up to. But for everybody else, there isn’t much to get excited about, and there are probably better options out there for your gaming time and money.

All in all this is a great game with solid gameplay, beautiful worlds, tons of customization, and an excellent multiplayer component.

Considering it contains less than two thirds of the number of songs offered in Guitar Hero II, it really should have been at least $10 cheaper.

Its light-hearted approach is suitable to that type of play and I imagine Motocross will find a good niche there because of its Saturday morning cartoon treatment of motorcycle racing.

While it has good graphics, awesome sound and decent play, the brevity of gameplay winds up selling this title short in the end.

The story isn't much, but the game itself is always fun to play - providing a strong, but fair challenge as you progress, while delivering the most thrilling car chases in gaming.

Maybe the only real progress that EA Canada has made this year is the college basketball atmosphere. However it doesn’t make up for the other overlooks.

It’s a classic rainy day rental and in that capacity, as an unpretentious shoot-em-up, it works just fine.