Problems aside, Thief 3 is overwhelming salvaged by three of the cornerstones of the franchise, an engaging, well crafted plotline, solid premise and impressive sound values.

Underlying all this, though, is an excellent first person shooter game. Its primacy in tactics, detail and realism should convince at least some people to sign on--even if they're not in America proper.

I’d rather spend my nights playing Psychonauts than a "Myst" or "Resident Evil" title, barring perhaps "Resident Evil 4." It’s livelier, funnier, and more original, in an age when sequels are the only safe bets for publishers.

The game's edges have been softened for the mass market. Many of the original's complexities have been watered down for easier consumption. Because it takes place so much further into the future, it also loses some of the familiarity.

My rants aside, PlanetSide offers up a fun, 24/7 battle royal over giant continents with lots of toys that will delight FPS players of all skill levels, and with a free downloadable trial version of the game, you can give it a test drive for yourself.

As a 360 game, Symphony is weird. The Achievements are insanely easy and seem to have been chosen at random. None of them require any real thought to accomplish, either. Symphony is the easiest two hundred Achievement points you will ever earn.

A very nice expansion pack for a very mediocre game. The additions are numerous and well designed, and they give you a lot of new options while playing the game, but they don’t really change how the game is played.

But overall, BOUT is a pleasant and enjoyable adventure game. It's funny and well written, it's colorful both in tone and appearance, and its voice acting is about as good as you're going to hear in a game. On the downside, the puzzles aren't especially complicated, and there are perhaps too many of them, but these aren't serious detractions, and I don't have any reservations recommending the game, especially at its $20 price point.

Fable's a lot of fun, but at times, you can see the beginnings of something much cooler that was sadly abandoned.

It lacks the depth to engross and absorb but the action will prove to be satisfying to most fans of the genre. The piece de resistance of the whole package has to go to the comprehensive multiplayer component.

Despite some shortcomings, Contra Rebirth is a fantastic download for Wii owners and at just $10, it provides a lot of fun at little cost.

At $30, it’s a great value and a fine example of a high-quality game being released late in a system’s lifespan.

Shin Mega Tensei: Persona 2 Innocent Sin is an enjoyable title for series' fans that patiently waited all these years to complete their Persona 2 experience. The game doesn't stray far from its predecessor and the gameplay feels a bit stale compared to similar titles today, but it's still a worthwhile addition to any PSP owner's library of RPG games.

Fans of the first game will find a lot to like here. But newcomers and those with unrealistic expectations will inevitably discover either that the multitude of references to the previous game will cause confusion, or that the few technical improvements do little to offset the fact that this is merely a logical upgrade.

A flawed fighting, racing, and adventure game that never ceases to provide enjoyment in spite of its flaws.

Speaking of the missions, they’re both well designed and interesting.

Honestly, as far as FPS games go, it really doesn't get too much better than this.

Syndicate may not be for everyone. Purists who enjoyed the original back in the day might well be disappointed by the direction Starbreeze took it. But if you're into sci-fi shooters this is definitely worth a look.

Where there was mostly frustration before, there is now more room for fun and creativity.

A solid script, good gameplay and a huge dose of humor makes this game stand out as a nice platformer. Unfortunately, technical issues prevent this game from truly standing out as exceptional.

The three storylines, united by the common theme of treachery, are wonderfully scripted, making Empires a vast improvement over its predecessor.

Battlefield 1943 is a great game if you’ve got a half hour or an hour in between something else and you want to play something but not get too deep into it. It, unfortunately, doesn’t go deeper than that, which is a shame because there are plenty of things here that could be done to open the game up even further.

It has lots of style and substance.

Supreme Commander is still mountains of fun; it's just that the gratification is delayed, instead of instant. I think this should be commended.

If you do enjoy the challenge of playing other humans and you have an interest in Ping Pong, you should definitely give Rockstar’s Table Tennis a try. You’ll be amazed just how well the game captures the essence of the sport.

Stronghold is a very interesting game; a game which has no equals, not because it’s that outstanding, but because there’s been so few games that can fight for the title of castle sim champion.

Need For Speed Payback isn’t perfect – but it’s a nice step up from prior entries. Outside of Rivals, the series has really struggled over the past five or so years to really find its own way. The FMV-filled reboot wasn’t the right answer, and going for an action movie-styled variant is great for an ad campaign – but doesn’t make for a great campaign itself. Fortunately, the racing action and cop chases that litter the campaign make it worth playing. It looks great in motion, even if the action doesn’t hold up very well. The cop chases are exciting and the point-to-point races bring a level of arcade-style thrill that the series definitely benefits from.

Sadly, for everything Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 does right, the experience is ultimately marred by EA's use of coins to determine so much of the experience. It feels wrong... and I wouldn't have such a problem with it if it didn't cost so much to unlock the extra courses, and that so many of the extra courses are unavailable to you at the beginning. To access it all either involves a major time commitment or shelling out more of my hard-earned money for what I honestly feel like I've already paid for. It's difficult not to feel extorted.