Unfinished, underdeveloped racing efforts like Need for Speed: Undercover leave the acrid taste of stale engine oil and greasy do-rags in my mouth. Luckily, it’s nothing that a little time spent with Grid or PGR4 can’t wash away. Undercover attempts to return the series to its former glory, but it’s obviously lost that loving feeling.

Unfinished, underdeveloped racing efforts like Need for Speed: Undercover leave the acrid taste of stale engine oil and greasy do-rags in my mouth. Luckily, it’s nothing that a little time spent with Grid or PGR4 can’t wash away. Undercover attempts to return the series to its former glory, but it’s obviously lost that loving feeling.

The biggest problem for Mortal Kombat vs. the DC Universe is that it’s just meh (Yes, it's now a word, so I get to use it). You will neither love it nor hate it. Instead you will find yourself in a fighting game limbo where you feel kompelled to keep playing because you love one of the respective franchises, or you’ll just play for a while until a sense of disappointment and betrayal sets in.

The biggest problem for Mortal Kombat vs. the DC Universe is that it’s just meh (Yes, it's now a word, so I get to use it). You will neither love it nor hate it. Instead you will find yourself in a fighting game limbo where you feel kompelled to keep playing because you love one of the respective franchises, or you’ll just play for a while until a sense of disappointment and betrayal sets in.

Shaun White Snowboarding should have used other aspects of the Assassin's Creed engine and gone beyond the boundaries of the real. It just feels like a miss. It's not exciting or fun enough for me, reading more like an instruction manual than anything else.

Maybe it's because I'm a girl and this kind of thing could get messy and cold, but I don't remember ever having had so much fun just by taking a Wii in the snow.

Although it offers a plethora of ways to interact, it is ultimately limited by the friend codes feature. Luckily, you can have fun all by yourself with this one.

It just feels great to finally unleash all that power you built up through level 70 endgame in a whole new romping ground once again.

It needs to be said that Sacred 2 is still rife with minor bugs, but patches are slowly mending the game-crashing bugs and graphical mishaps. This is just one of many clues that point towards an overambitious design document that didn’t have enough time or manpower to execute fully.

Mirror's Edge is the kind of game that you can see in the curriculum of some design school for its outside-of-the-box approach and polished style. But playing it is a different story. If you do feel the need to punish yourself, spend your money on a dominatrix instead of Mirror’s Edge.

Mirror's Edge is the kind of game that you can see in the curriculum of some design school for its outside-of-the-box approach and polished style. But playing it is a different story. If you do feel the need to punish yourself, spend your money on a dominatrix instead of Mirror’s Edge.

Despite a few rough spots, Nuts and Bolts is a great adventure game that manages to mix the best elements of the Banjo and Kazooie mythos with a fresh take on the series. It's not a game that you can just pick up and play, but for those willing to make the time investment, Nuts and Bolts provides a very rewarding single-player experience. Not to mention, it's also a good value for the money.

Even though Treyarch took Dad’s precious wheels out for a less reckless spin this time around, World at War is still senselessly eating away at Call of Duty’s mileage.

Even though Treyarch took Dad’s precious wheels out for a less reckless spin this time around, World at War is still senselessly eating away at Call of Duty’s mileage.

Populous DS can be addicting once you get past the quirks that are unique to this series. This god-sim is an incredible challenge, and it's a refreshing shift from more modern, conventional RTS games.

The fighting mechanics have been enhanced and edited to the point that any room for improvement is nearly all in the extras (and if TNA iMPACT! has anything to say, in the animations and the clipping). WWE Smackdown! vs. RAW 2009 is the strongest next-gen title in the franchise, no questions asked.

The fighting mechanics have been enhanced and edited to the point that any room for improvement is nearly all in the extras (and if TNA iMPACT! has anything to say, in the animations and the clipping). WWE Smackdown! vs. RAW 2009 is the strongest next-gen title in the franchise, no questions asked.

If you’re into the anime series and have coped with some of the more lackluster titles in the franchise, you may want to consider giving this one a shot, and like me, even if you don’t like Naruto, you may want to check it out.

Gears of War 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does bring a good bit of polish to the concepts that made the first such a success.

While Exit DS is amusing for a few minutes (and for puzzle fans, it's worth the purchase... from the discount aisle... maybe), it's a puzzle action title that's already been done and it really isn't exciting enough to get worked up about.

However, as with the single-player game, there’s little personal investment in the persistent world.

However, as with the single-player game, there’s little personal investment in the persistent world.

Legendary is in the same league as Battlefield: Earth and Turok of how not to do something. How bad is this game you ask? It's Superman 64 bad. Well, maybe not quite that bad, but Legendary sucks more that a Hoover on overdrive. It's bad like ET for the 2600 bad. You might even say it's Legendarily bad.

I can really only recommend Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm to the die-hard. And even then, I'd recommend older titles in the series, if you can find them.

The vast-majority rest of the time, Valkyria Chronicles offers a unique take on RPG-strategy, a truly involving story, endearing characters, and a chance to reflect upon—or wonderfully, hopelessly anachronize— whatever sense of real-world history you may still have in your head.

For those of us wanting to relive the Goldeneye 007 experience, Quantum of Solace provides some brief, cheap thrills. Yes, Treyarch does manage to resuscitate the old Nintendo 64 Bond title, but this release proves that sometimes it’s best just to let the dead rest in peace.

For those of us wanting to relive the Goldeneye 007 experience, Quantum of Solace provides some brief, cheap thrills. Yes, Treyarch does manage to resuscitate the old Nintendo 64 Bond title, but this release proves that sometimes it’s best just to let the dead rest in peace.

Resistance 2 tries to be both an intimate date and an enormous, chaotic festival. That it succeeds at the wild party and fails at the more sober date is no great loss. Those of you who are only interested in multiplayer will find much love to be had in this grand orgy of a game.

I can't see anyone playing through this game multiple times (especially people who know the story front-to-back already), but for the newly initiated or the curious gamer, it's just nice to see a popular franchise turned into a perfectly playable video game.

While other cartridges have come and gone like Electroplankton and Guitar Jam they were more bursts of experimental petri dishes of music in comparison. With this ingenious little chip you’ll actually have the capability of making something you could be proud of.

Coming in at 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode Two is a safe buy for fans of the crazy comic strip and the past game.

Red Alert 3 is a great deal of fun. If you like RTS games, and are not scared off by a little campy ridiculousness, you should give it a try.

That’s the beauty of survival, and this world of fallout: It feeds on adventure and breathes in freedom, yet it dreams of order and the safety of the Vault. I can describe it, explain it, tell it in finely chosen words, but I can never make you fully understand for as long as you sit and listen. But even if I die, I do not worry. There will come a time when you will seize that lever and open that metal door, and it is then I will return. And the Wasteland will greet you, the birth of a legend.

That's the beauty of survival, and this world of fallout: It feeds on adventure and breathes in freedom, yet it dreams of order and the safety of the Vault. I can describe it, explain it, tell it in finely chosen words, but I can never make you fully understand for as long as you sit and listen. But even if I die, I do not worry. There will come a time when you will seize that lever and open that metal door, and it is then I will return.

That’s the beauty of survival, and this world of fallout: It feeds on adventure and breathes in freedom, yet it dreams of order and the safety of the Vault. I can describe it, explain it, tell it in finely chosen words, but I can never make you fully understand for as long as you sit and listen. But even if I die, I do not worry. There will come a time when you will seize that lever and open that metal door, and it is then I will return.

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift might be the game its progenitor wanted to be, but it isn’t quite the game it could be when compared to its peers. Pacific Rift is a competent, robust, and fun racer, but not a particularly deep or innovative one.

Despite some bafflingly arbitrary concessions to the casual crowd, MotoGP 08 still caters overwhelmingly to diehard racing sim fans.

Despite some bafflingly arbitrary concessions to the casual crowd, MotoGP 08 still caters overwhelmingly to diehard racing sim fans.

While it isn't quite a perfect game, Box Office Smash is better than its predecessor and it plays exceptionally well as a party game.

Little Big Planet is just what Doctor Sony ordered: universally appealing gameplay with an appealing everyman hero that is connected to streaming delivery of new content. Sony should be lauded for such a gamble, and Media Molecule should be praised. This is a rare toy that has the capacity to inspire the inventor, the explorer, and the gamer.

In its effort to contend with the Rock Band franchise, Guitar Hero World Tour takes several leaps forward, though it falls in some holes already made by the first installment of Rock Band.

In its effort to contend with the Rock Band franchise, Guitar Hero World Tour takes several leaps forward, though it falls in some holes already made by the first installment of Rock Band.

Fable II might be a shallow RPG that's a bit too easy (I have never died), and if you're looking for a challenge, it's not here. But that's because it's not really an RPG. Difficulty, stat-obsession, and death is as pointless in Fable II as it is in "The Sims."

Over time, I found myself enjoying the intensity of combat, the familiar mixture of platforming puzzles, and the “gotta catch ‘em all” mentality of Glyph-hunting. While the difficulty level is tuned to obnoxiously high levels, Order of Ecclesia is still a decent outing for the most sadistically skillful fans. Just don’t expect the refined inspiration that made Dawn of Sorrow or the GBA entries such memorable classics.

Bioshock is that rare game where the plot, environment, and combat are all steps above the normal video game experience. Games at their very best, like this one, can create amazing alternative worlds for us to inhabit, doing those things we can't do in real life. This is one product the free market should be very happy to have.

The moment-to-moment activity of open-world Spider-Man is finally clean, smooth, and fun.

The moment-to-moment activity of open-world Spider-Man is finally clean, smooth, and fun.

You know that complicated "some assembly required" toy the grown-ups have to set up, and twenty minutes later the kids are having more fun with the box than their actual gift? This is that toy... just a smaller box.

Between the open environments and multi-branching plot of its story mode and designable maps for multiplayer, there is a ton to do and be seen in Ubisoft’s latest endeavor. So pack your bags and get ready for your trip to the motherland.

There is a tremendous amount of fine detail everywhere you look. Character models are varied to the point where it seems no two people look the same.

But when there are so many better, more interesting RPGs on the PSP, why bother with one that simply drains your system's battery life?

All in all, I cannot figure out why anyone would buy this game instead of purchasing one of Jamie's cookbooks. It's just as useful, has a larger "screen", probably has more recipes, and won't short out if when you spill wine on it.

But really, there’s no point to my taking Wii Music seriously as a game since Nintendo obviously doesn’t. If the game sells well, it probably has more to due with Nintendo’s tremendously effective marketing skills rather than anything inherent to Wii Music as a game. Even five-year-olds need some stimulation and sense of achievement. Wii Music provides neither.

Because of the clever story and interesting characters, it's worth struggling to the end through the more tedious puzzles (or cheating with an online walkthrough). But if you were hoping for a more player-friendly adventure, you might want to skip straight to Sam and Max Season 2.

The Golden Axe name is liable to do Beast Rider more harm than good.

Ditch the “Golden Axe” moniker and just call this baby “Beast Rider”. Like those old ‘80s barbarian fantasy flicks that also had their share of serious faults, Beast Rider is blunt, exploitative, and plenty of fun when no one else is watching.

It feels a bit like kicking a puppy because many of the pop-in, lag, and graphical issues may be fixed with a promised update, but until then, I can only review what I have right now, not the game that might be. The only reason you should buy this game is for the headset pack-in. It’s everything SOCOM: Confrontation is not: pretty, functional, and fun.

Saints Row 2 isn't going to be the next Godfather, but it's not trying to be. If you want class and moral dilemmas with your gang warfare, then look elsewhere. But if you want explosions, revenge, sex, money, drugs and rock and roll, then a trip to Stilwater is just what the doctor ordered.

Saints Row 2 isn't going to be the next Godfather, but it's not trying to be. If you want class and moral dilemmas with your gang warfare, then look elsewhere. But if you want explosions, revenge, sex, money, drugs and rock and roll, then a trip to Stilwater is just what the doctor ordered.

Dead Space bursts into the holiday season with the pulpy cracking sound of someone being torn limb from limb. Its visual presentation, unique gameplay features, and emphasis on exploration show that this title’s coming into the ring swinging hard and will be a tough contender to beat.

Dead Space bursts into the holiday season with the pulpy cracking sound of someone being torn limb from limb. Its visual presentation, unique gameplay features, and emphasis on exploration show that this title’s coming into the ring swinging hard and will be a tough contender to beat.

A terrible football game with some good ideas surrounding it, and a marked tendency to make me wish I wasn’t playing it. If you enjoy football games, stick to Madden; Blitz is not a serious competitor, unless you enjoy getting a bit squeamish.

A terrible football game with some good ideas surrounding it, and a marked tendency to make me wish I wasn’t playing it. If you enjoy football games, stick to Madden; Blitz is not a serious competitor, unless you enjoy getting a bit squeamish.

World of Goo pushes the downloadable game cliché out of the window, providing hours of dynamic and unique fun that a lot of fully priced releases fail to do. Get on sliming!

If you’re the type who typically sits around playing video games as a solo endeavor, expect about eight or ten hours of arguably novel gameplay… and not a lot more. If you’re willing and able to drag friends into the online hostilities that are Fracture, you’ll get considerably more reward out of running up that hill.

If you’re the type who typically sits around playing video games as a solo endeavor, expect about eight or ten hours of arguably novel gameplay… and not a lot more. If you’re willing and able to drag friends into the online hostilities that are Fracture, you’ll get considerably more reward out of running up that hill.

It may not be the end of an era for Crash, but it is certainly a disappointment. Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant could have been an entertaining game, but it has been rendered the video game equivalent of a nosebleed.

Really, though, there’s nothing wrong with the game itself, and it will appeal greatly to the legions of longtime fans. The franchise has always been difficult, and dying a lot has always been a part of getting through the games. Yet ultimately, Mega Man 9 is so difficult that it gives newcomers very little reason to pick it up.

American developer Double Helix has managed to stick its landing—right in the uneasy, dark parts of the mind that define the Silent Hill experience.

American developer Double Helix has managed to stick its landing—right in the uneasy, dark parts of the mind that define the Silent Hill experience.

Even with all the minor gripes, aside from the unfortunate plot spoiling, the JRPG elements are traditionally solid and keep the title from falling into the art of the rip-off.

It’s cheap, it’s fun, it’s challenging, and it’s a much less embarrassing way to relive the ‘90s than reuniting your old band.

Really, though, there’s nothing wrong with the game itself, and it will appeal greatly to the legions of longtime fans. The franchise has always been difficult, and dying a lot has always been a part of getting through the games. Yet ultimately, Mega Man 9 is so difficult that it gives newcomers very little reason to pick it up.

Online multiplayer in Hell’s Highway depends too much on your teammates adhering to their assigned roles.

Online multiplayer in Hell’s Highway depends too much on your teammates adhering to their assigned roles.

Pure is the new kid on the block, and if given a sequel or two to improve, it could grow into a brilliant beast of a man.

The game’s hidden strength, though, is in its visual presentation.

It's a whole lot of “blah” in a tiny piece of plastic.

With a unique plot, great characters, and gameplay that’s fun for both kids and adults, Lego Batman continues the sheer fun of the series and is a great game on all available platforms.

With a unique plot, great characters, and gameplay that’s fun for both kids and adults, Lego Batman continues the sheer fun of the series and is a great game on all available platforms.

With a unique plot, great characters, and gameplay that’s fun for both kids and adults, Lego Batman continues the sheer fun of the series and is a great game on all available platforms.

With a unique plot, great characters, and gameplay that’s fun for both kids and adults, Lego Batman continues the sheer fun of the series and is a great game on all available platforms.

What's here is just as wild and wacky as the original and it's a benchmark game for the Wii. If you own a Wii, this is one game you don't want to overlook.

Save yourself the tedium and dust off your old copy of SimCity2000 if you still have a machine that can run it.

One of the best experiences I’ve had with a Wii game since "Super Mario Galaxy."

Kirby Super Star Ultra is a solid title that could have been just a little fresher while still keeping Kirby rad. If only the little cream puff could run up onto some baddies that were a little more hardcore, his abilities might finally outshine his amazing super-cuteness.

Really, though, there’s nothing wrong with the game itself, and it will appeal greatly to the legions of longtime fans. The franchise has always been difficult, and dying a lot has always been a part of getting through the games. Yet ultimately, Mega Man 9 is so difficult that it gives newcomers very little reason to pick it up.

All the same, bravo, Mythic. Bravo! Do you know what you’ve done? Do you have any possible reckoning for what you’ve unleashed here? In one act, you have brought more ruin upon the geek community than a fall line-up thick with wonder! Already there were thousands, perhaps tens of thousands who would forgo the normal daily needs to get that extra edge over their peers. My god, sirs, you have opened Pandora’s Box.

Unfortunately, though beating the crap out of Rancor is cool, it's quite flawed, thanks to the wonky camera and targeting system.

Unfortunately, though beating the crap out of Rancor is cool, it's quite flawed, thanks to the wonky camera and targeting system.

Unfortunately, though beating the crap out of Rancor is cool, it's quite flawed, thanks to the wonky camera and targeting system.

Unfortunately, though beating the crap out of Rancor is cool, it's quite flawed, thanks to the wonky camera and targeting system.

The game’s hidden strength, though, is in its visual presentation.

Instead of a timing-based rhythm game, which has worked well in the past for DS music games like Elite Beat Agents, Red Bull BC One went down the most shallow route possible. The result is an utter time-waster, with decent music that wont make you forget that you're playing a less-amusing version of kindergarten busywork.

If you were mainly hungering for more Crysis-esque gameplay, Warhead will do you just fine. But if you were expecting to get a more significant story, some resolution to the previous game, or a major innovation in gameplay or graphics, you will be sorely disappointed.

Final word, Replayability: Beneath this friendly, deceptively simple-looking game lies a smug, mocking worst-enemy waiting to happen—just when you think you’re starting to get ‘good’ at Peggle Nights, you’ll come to a new Zen level of understanding at which you realize, in the best meditative sense, that you know zilch, nada, zip, zero, jack-shit, nothing.

Rock Band 2 is THE definitive version of its revolutionary progenitor– better instruments, better online modes, and a wickedly better song list – taking its place as one of the greatest multiplayer games of our generation. Where Rock Band 2 doesn’t innovate, it polishes and tweaks until it KILLS.

An average rehash of everything that has been done (and at this point, possibly everything that ever will be done) in the series.