It refuses to take any meaningful gambles. Fans may enjoy having more of their favorite game, but they might also find it drab and boring after so much of the same.

As a survival horror game, Condemned 2 is too short on horror. As an FPS game, it’s too short on strategy and level design. At best, it’s a brawler with some horror and FPS elements.

If Square Enix had only managed a better spell-stacking mechanic or upgraded the game’s multiplayer capabilities, this could have been a great game.

There’s no unifying factor to the game, no universal joy to be had, no... I need a beer.

Although it’s fairly short and none too pretty, Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters crams in a lot of content to tide over the fans without PS3s.

So, yes—the online functionality is a little on the shallow, blunted side compared to that of its next-gen console peers, and there are some offputting load times…but these are minor complaints. There’s so much here in the way of cool details, nifty items and ubiquitous, understated fan service that it’s a little difficult to grade Brawl’s raw gameplay without factoring in the Nintendo-culture saturation factor.

Sometimes frightfully serious, othertimes absurdly ludicrous, it suffers from mood-swings and a general lack of coherent personality.

Sometimes frightfully serious, othertimes absurdly ludicrous, it suffers from mood-swings and a general lack of coherent personality. But it’s also a two-man good time.

Ready at Dawn has brought this titan down to UMD-size and triumphed. Chains of Olympus is as faithful a version and as clean an action game as you might want on the PSP. The structure is there, the polish is there, and the simple pleasure of slinging chain-swords around is an absolute joy.

Fans of the previous expansions will find it worthwhile for the new maps tha thave breathed new life into the multiplayer. Single-player fans will have plenty of content to distract themselves. It’s a standalone game, too, so folks that haven’t bought into the series to date will have plenty to enjoy.

What makes the ending for Ninja Reflex the worst of all time is that it's intentional. It would have been better if the Wii had glitched, or if the memory card had burned, or if I was sucked into an inter-dimensional space where memories die.

Whether you enjoy playing actual games, managing a franchise, or playing an individual shooting for stardom, it's here.

Mysterious Dungeon is the anti-Zelda doppleganger, cute and unthreatening in its top-down stylings, but as potentially punishing and old-school as lurking demons come. Once again, the question is begged: Do you feel lucky?

What's good about the game isn't a great improvement on last year's version and, in fact, the game seems to have taken a step back graphically. Meanwhile, at its core, the game isn't true to the nature of baseball, because the bottom line - the numbers - just don't jibe.

They're trying by adding new features, but to my mind this energy is misplaced. While you get some changes and add-ons, that's a lot like pruning a tree when its core is rotten, or putting a dress on a pig, or ... well, you get the point.

The ugly unpolished moments and Looney Tunes character animations are so silly, especially when the dead civilians everywhere are much more depressing than whimsical.

A treat that is as deliciously unique as Rez or Okami comes around once every few years. That one has appeared for the handheld and lasts well over thirty hours is a feat in itself, especially for a $20 budget title.

While the battle modes do offer you a chance to play as some of the other characters in the series, butt-ugly rendering and all, most of them are locked in the beginning however. Now, I know there’s a way to unlock them, because over the course of reviewing the game I unlocked a couple, but I’ll be damned if I know how I did it.

Unless you’re rich enough to buy up a bunch of old machines, completely refurbish them, and open up your own private rec-center, Pinball: Hall of Fame is probably the closest you’re going to get to a true pinball arcade experience.

The coolest part of Frontlines, the RC copters and mini-tanks, are legitimately neat and worth a look if a friend buys the game. But the extremely loose shooting, weak communication apparatus, and lone, quidditch-dumb, multiplayer game mode are points that recommend waiting.

I’m not sure if AWE Games understands the point of adventure games. Players want to go somewhere, live through danger, and feel a sense of accomplishment for overcoming the obstacles. Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None has none of that. Most of the time, you’re just waiting for someone else to die.

While there are some fun effects and animations with the weaponry (I admit I still laugh every time an anal probe victim runs away from me clutching their rears), the graphics are surprisingly blocky and crude, even for a Wii game.

You get tiny little cinematic snippets here and there, but it never coheres into anything like an actual story.

If the main Dragon Quest series is the main course, then Dragon Quests Swords is a frothy aperitif - not enough to fill you up completely, but appetizing enough to get you interested in the next meal.

Phoenix Wright: You still have a lot to learn, kid. If you’re going to make it in this world, you have to pave your own path.

Ultimately, though, the biggest blow against the game is its brevity. You shouldn't have trouble clearing its single-player mode in two or three hours.

Even with the enhancements and tweaks, Dynasty Warriors 6 is still the same old fried rice - re-heated, re-seasoned, and re-served once more.

There’s some charm to the cheesy interviews and the upgrades like the fold-down barbecue grill, but Pimp My Ride is such a flimsy game - so plain, so bare. It's catchy enough to play once or twice, but it can’t hold a candle to Burnout.

This series would benefit greatly from a re-imagining. Send the developers to the streets of Paris or Mexico City or Johannesburg; then have them come back and make a real FIFA Street game.

This series would benefit greatly from a re-imagining.

Wipeout Pulse is nothing short of being an addictive, sleek, hypersonic racer that should be in everyone's pocket.

I could inundate you with tales of vital objects disappearing, level-ending enemies failing to appear, and an A.I. that fluctuates between omniscience and fetal stupidity.

Though Lost Odyssey won't change your mind about turn-based JRPGs, it fills the void of the genre with a well-paced and pleasing aesthetic, and a healthy dose of nostalgia.

Professor Layton players can download new puzzles via their Nintendo Wi-Fi connection on a weekly basis. It’s a nice touch, though it doesn’t quite counterbalance the lack in ‘replay’ value.

It ain’t a keeper. The online game is more disappointing than comet-induced extinction, and there is no reason to play the single campaign twice.

Culdcept Saga has a great deal of gameplay potential, but it runs into a few notable flaws that keep it from feeling like a top-tier game.

Devil May Cry 4 is riddled with too many flaws to really enjoy completely. It’s disheartening – there’s a kernel of a good game beneath all the terrible writing and poor design decisions.

Devil May Cry 4 is riddled with too many flaws to really enjoy completely. It’s disheartening – there’s a kernel of a good game beneath all the terrible writing and poor design decisions.

I was surprised at how simple and fun the fairy collection was, but the combat mechanics are a dull affair. Traipsing around in the walls isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and the game’s reliance on the field guide is a lazy design trick.

I was surprised at how simple and fun the fairy collection was, but the combat mechanics are a dull affair. Traipsing around in the walls isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and the game’s reliance on the field guide is a lazy design trick.

I was surprised at how simple and fun the fairy collection was, but the combat mechanics are a dull affair. Traipsing around in the walls isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and the game’s reliance on the field guide is a lazy design trick.

I was surprised at how simple and fun the fairy collection was, but the combat mechanics are a dull affair. Traipsing around in the walls isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and the game’s reliance on the field guide is a lazy design trick.

What's left is a rather generic husk of an empty insane asylum and Sweet Tooth, a fat, hairy, and semi-nude protagonist who can run around in it. And what is a mental patient in an abandoned asylum to do? Collect concept art, of course!

Truly an excellent game. Minor flaws and caveats aside, it has been a long time since I’ve played any game so addicting and moment-to-moment enjoyable that it’s actually made me worry about starting it up.

Underneath the bubbly aesthetics of frolicking animals, pan flute music, and dolphin-mask souvenirs lies an intricate strategy game of careful planning and decisive action.

Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice is grounded by its single acrobatic gimmick. The game itself is a well-presented - but ultimately shallow - series of car chases, shooting sequences, and escort missions.

Bomberman Land Touch! 2 proves that deception truly is a sly creature.

These minor hitches notwithstanding, Burnout Paradise is an excellent, solid ride for both solo and online gamers, with superb control, high production values, complete freedom, and so much obsessive, secret-hunting, gotta-catch-‘em-all lasting gameplay incentive that it’s almost ridiculous.

These minor hitches notwithstanding, Burnout Paradise is an excellent, solid ride for both solo and online gamers, with superb control, high production values, complete freedom, and so much obsessive, secret-hunting, gotta-catch-‘em-all lasting gameplay incentive that it’s almost ridiculous.

If you’re a One Piece fan through and through, and if you don’t mind the slow grind of finding items as long as the action is fast and furious, then this is booty in your video game treasure trove. But as much as there is enough swashbuckling to make you a badass pirate, there is just as much to make you a grubby landlubber.

Simple, stupid, silly, and easily the most fun I’ve had on the console.

It’s a bottom-line, top-notch, kick-ass portable strategy experience that finally breaks the online-competition barrier, and brings some new and long-awaited ‘dark cred’ to the traditionally cutesy series without losing its essential streamlined, battle-hardened goodness.

A unique hybrid of plundered gameplay elements. It doesn't manage to actually improve upon its MMORPG parents, but if you've become tired of space lasers or elf wizards, Burning Sea is easily the most interesting new game in town. In the long run, it will be the complex economy and the faction warfare that will determine the success of this ocean venture.

All the games are too short, or just plain not fun, leaving players with no compelling reason to picnic in this park.

A fun and promising new direction for the series, enough to make me anticipate a more polished, more multiplayer-friendly follow-up.

Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom follows a straight-forward formula, but somehow, it can’t even get that right. Most of the time, it just makes the gameplay too easy, too basic, or too difficult by design.

This just feels like one of those movies where you push a button to decide what scene should come next (and we all know how great those movies are). That’s just not enough to justify what is essentially five slow moving episodes of Harvey Birdman.

This just feels like one of those movies where you push a button to decide what scene should come next (and we all know how great those movies are). That’s just not enough to justify what is essentially five slow moving episodes of Harvey Birdman.

This just feels like one of those movies where you push a button to decide what scene should come next (and we all know how great those movies are). That’s just not enough to justify what is essentially five slow moving episodes of Harvey Birdman.

It’s sad, really. Now that Sega’s console days have gone the way of the Colecovision, Sonic just doesn’t get the respect that he used to.

On the one hand, there are more than sixty games available in portable form. Some of them have even been genuinely enhanced, if you're interested. Unfortunately, many players probably won't have the patience to unlock the full library of classics and will be stuck with the eleven that are available from the start.

To both its credit and its detriment, the gameplay remains almost wholly unchanged from the original. Luckily, Journey of Dreams also shares with its predecessor some beautiful art design and a stunning musical score that save it from mediocrity.

NeoGeo Battle Coliseum looks old and sounds old and plays in 2D - all things that will deter most modern-day gamers, but old-school fans of NeoGeo fighters and newbies interested in discovering where 3D fighters originated will not be disappointed.

MX vs. ATV Untamed is fun if you dig on arcade-style off-road racers, but there's still room for improvement in some departments, especially the graphics.

In general, playing the game is a sinusoidal process of momentary elation as you uncover a new element, quickly followed by deep disappointment as you discover it’s a piece of crap.

Probably the closest thing to compare it to would be the Dynasty Warriors series. Its games are not known for being the most in-depth, but they at least strike the good balance between hack-and-slash and RPG that Warriors lacks.

Aside from the constant elevator music, Super Swing Golf Season 2 is a solid golf game with a lot of replay value.

Unlike most other mini-game collections, multiplayer seems like an afterthought instead of a primary focus.

Universe at War shows a lot of promise. As a first entry to a brand new series, there’s a lot to like on display.

In general, playing the game is a sinusoidal process of momentary elation as you uncover a new element, quickly followed by deep disappointment as you discover it’s a piece of crap.

In general, playing the game is a sinusoidal process of momentary elation as you uncover a new element, quickly followed by deep disappointment as you discover it’s a piece of crap.

In general, playing the game is a sinusoidal process of momentary elation as you uncover a new element, quickly followed by deep disappointment as you discover it’s a piece of crap.

Ultimately, though, the biggest blow against the game is its brevity. You shouldn't have trouble clearing its single-player mode in two or three hours.

Ultimately, though, the biggest blow against the game is its brevity. You shouldn't have trouble clearing its single-player mode in two or three hours.

Ultimately, though, the biggest blow against the game is its brevity. You shouldn't have trouble clearing its single-player mode in two or three hours.

A fun and interesting use of the DS, and with enough practice and patience, can “astound and delight friends and family”, at least until the next Harry Potter movie comes out.

Truly massive, with enough material for at least three all-nighters. . . the first time through.

Getting people to work as one towards a common goal is rare, but Rock Band makes it common. There really is no room anymore for the cliché that a gamer is just some unkempt teenage sweating in some lonely basement filled with loose cables and empty water bottles.

If the world of gaming has an “all-for-one, one-for-all” philosophy, the multiplayer landscape definitely has the “one-for-all” attitude down pat. Getting people to work as one towards a common goal is rare, but Rock Band makes it common. There really is no room anymore for the cliché that a gamer is just some unkempt teenage sweating in some lonely basement filled with loose cables and empty water bottles.

While they’ve done a good job of giving you many reasons to replay those levels for higher scores and more unlockables, replaying these levels many times over will barely bring the game’s total length to more than a few hours. This bumbling groundhog should have seen its shadow much sooner and ushered in a much longer springtime full of rail-shooting joy.

Legends imply greatness; but Soul Calibur Legends is only the greatest loser -- a throwaway hack-and-slash action game. Unattractive, lacking depth, and generally not fun, this dull blade can't parry its long list of flaws with anything worthwhile.

While the difficulty of Revenant Wings could be dialed up a notch or two for experienced gamers, it’s a fun, great-looking game that will keep you occupied for fifteen to twenty hours.

If you play a lot at home go with the Wii since the graphics are better than the DS, and you’ll have the option of taking a basic version on the go. If most of your gameplay is done in the streets, grab a DS copy. Either way there’s hours of old-school arcade fun to be had.

It’s just a bland shooter with a flimsy toy gun and a big spoonful of “we-know-better” arrogance.

Alas, you can expect more of the same, except for a substantially increased difficulty. New Blood is still a load of fun, but it also comes with a load of aggravation.

At best, Swashbucklers might garner your attention on a beer-and-pretzels level. Its presentation leaves a lot to be desired, but even with the current swell of pirate media, there still aren’t so many games catering to the pirate-jonesing.

Star Trek Conquest punches gatling-phaser holes in purist Trekdom all over the place, but it still works on its own humble, low-budget, strategy board-game level. Space-warts and all.

It’s hard to really judge a game that hands its users a comprehensive modding kit. Because in six months, many of my complaints may be completely nullified by the modding community. Out of the box, however, Unreal Tournament 3 is a mediocre presentation, and brings little new to the table.

Without all of the environmental additions, Sega Rally Revo is an average racer at best.

Releasing Mario Party to the smaller screen has turned many of its ho-hum qualities on the console into considerable assets.

In the end, the Wii Zapper is just a hunk of plastic and the game is too short and kind of boring. Link's Crossbow Training will make a nice chunky gift to fill in blank spots under the tree, but all wrapped up like that, you can never be sure exactly what you're getting.

This game is as much an adventure for your eyes as it is for your reflexes.

There’s a lot of content on offer, and if you can get past its saccharine veneer, ProStreet could keep you busy for a long time.

While Shadowgrounds: Survivor arguably does nothing we have not seen before, its clean, solid presentation and hectic, engrossing gameplay make it worthy of praise. You get a lot of game for pocket change, and that it’s a great shooter makes it worth every penny.

If you want a game with fast action, huge scale, stunning graphics, and intelligent gameplay, then Crysis is for you.

This beautiful, sprawling sandbox title turns the Crusades of the twelfth century into your personal playground of murder.

This beautiful, sprawling sandbox title turns the Crusades of the twelfth century into your personal playground of murder.

Passable and tolerable.