Next time, hopefully Fuse will go easier on the mini-games. We'd rather have a character-based game that's great at pinball rather than a fence-riding jack of all trades that is master of none.

Blowing stuff up in Demolition is definitely fun in all its Star Wars glory, but the more you play, the more you'll notice the imbalance in gameplay.

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.

Equally goofy and strange, but in an unassuming way, it's also good, unpretentious fun.

ROR offers decent strategy elementis and is easy to understand, but the gameplay crawls and may be a turn-off for even the most hardcore strategy buff.

I have played many city-building games over the years, but this one almost suffers because of its pirate theme, showing you by glaring contrast all the raucous fun that you're missing.

Ignore the RPG part and you might trade in the game after two hours; ignore the third-person shooter part and you might replay the game three times over. In short, it needs a sequel to get everything right. Look beyond its obvious faults and Alpha Protocol isn't frustratingly bad, but frustratingly good; that is, if you care to look that hard.

NBA Live 06 is fine, decent, entirely competent, but who wants that again? We want bite, and even though this game has Marv Albert, it barely manages to break last year's skin.

How about letting multiple people play on the same team, or even letting us play three-on-three matches? The series is probably headed in that direction, but like an obese ex-coach on a bus, it’s getting there slowly.

If you live with your mother, smoke pot, watch wrestling, can’t vote, and love The Cramps or have a big brother who does, you will likely have a blast with this game. Not only can you get your violence fix by yourself on a Wednesday night, but you and your friends can have fun wrecking each other in the 4-player split-screen.

What wasn’t disappointing, though I expected it to be, were the John Woo-style quick-time events.

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.

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.

As amazing as the free-running portions are (that is, really f...ing amazing), the lackluster combat, the bland story, and the embarrassing length just out-weighs them all.

The climax of the story, however, is quite interesting, albeit a tad rushed. Still, it sets up the apparent season finale for episode four, The Bogey Man, nicely.

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.

Its conquest content is thin and its RTS content is rudimentary, but the interplay between all these elements makes for an extremely immersive and convincing experience.

Whereas University added a new age group, new careers and the ability to influence others, Nightlife simply enhances the social interactions that were already there by fleshing out the Attraction system and making it more user-controlled.

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.

Retro Game Challenge may not be as genuine as an actual 8-in-1 retro game collection by Namco or Atari, but what it lacks in authenticity, it makes up for by successfully bringing everything that’s awesome yet simple about the classics.

Just back-to-basics, old school pocket monster capturing and training. The bad news, however, is this: these two new games are exactly what you would expect in a new Pokemon RPG. So no, you’re not having a drug-induced flashback to the crazy times you had playing "Pokemon Ruby and Emerald." It’s, well, pretty much the same game.

We expect more for thirty dollars. We want loads of maps, more meaningful lighting, more classes, more new vehicles and maybe a play mode other than Conquest. It's probably worth another tour of duty, but we wouldn't rush to enlist.

The PS3 version is identical to the 360 in terms of options and A.I., unfortunately the similarity ends as soon as you look at the screen. It only runs at half the framerate (which is less noticeable than you'd think) and is distinctly blurry and choppy, with longer load times (which will drive you crazy). Just like Madden 07 on the 360, it's probably suffering from first-timer's disease.

Sure, it's fun, but partway through, I had Disgaea 2 back in my PSP to remind myself that I've played this before.

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.

The steps it has taken in the gameplay department since Age of Empires II are negligible, but at least the new card-based bonus system adds an element of customization and depth to the genre. This result is as detailed as a history book, and about as much fun.

It isn’t for people who own "SOCOM 3," either, because they already own all the best SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Combined Assault has to offer. It is for everyone else, though, being the best comprehensive shooter package available for the PS2, thanks to the beefed up missions (and in spite of the moronic A.I.).

One of those great arcade games that doesn't make the journey home very well. Although the Dreamcast version does have most of the features of the big arcade machine, it's missing the essential multiplayer fun. I think I'll save my quarters and pay a visit to the local bowling alley instead.

The camera problems and bad play balance hold it back from the hellish glory it strives for.

If you’re a big fan - and I know there are more than a few of you out there - you'll be pleased with the expanded multiplayer and few but notable additions. Just don't expect nearly as big of a trip this time around.

The bland single player holds it back, but things get much better when you play with friends.

While the "Mega Man Anniversary Collection" contained more meat, there's simply a ton of robots to blast, dozens of armor capsules to grab, and really no good reason not to let ol' Blue back in your life once again.

While not nearly as atmospheric as Lost in Nightmares, Desperate Escape is a very tense but short trip that's worthy of a playthrough for Resident Evil 5 veterans and those looking for an extra challenge that does not stray from the original campaign.

There's a lot to appreciate hidden behind Maelstrom's ugly exterior. With any luck, KDV Games will be greenlit for a sequel and will have the opportunity to polish up the aesthetics to match the good gameplay.

While it is to some degree better than "Nascar 2001," in many ways it is almost the same game (aside from the new foil cover). It features the same oval tracks, same types of cars and the same types of options.

Worth a look. Even if you are not a fan of the period or prefer more traditional RTS games, you will probably find that the challenges offered by the diverse campaigns will suck in more of your time than you expected.

Although Mission: Impossible puts strong emphasis on espionage tactics, some of the puzzles you are required to solve are rather obtuse, resembling mindless busy work, while others are downright (forgive the pun) puzzling.

Although surprisingly well made graphically, aurally, and, uh, olfactorily (err, that's just my gym sock), it loses shield strength in the gameplay department.

Though some of the round choices are odd and the commentary could use a bit more humor, the core trivia game here is a great choice for the casual game player looking for a trivia party game.

Ignore the RPG part and you might trade in the game after two hours; ignore the third-person shooter part and you might replay the game three times over. In short, it needs a sequel to get everything right. Look beyond its obvious faults and Alpha Protocol isn’t frustratingly bad, but frustratingly good; that is, if you care to look that hard.

Mobilized is an impressive package from a technical standpoint, even though it won’t keep you entertained for that long. But it’s definitely a fun experience while it lasts, assuming you’re a fan of DS first-person shooters. I’d steer clear otherwise — unless, you know, you like drunkenly shooting at pigeons.

After three games packed with at least twenty hours of consistently engaging platforming, action and driving, it's difficult to see Jak X as anything but an odd diversion. Even taken within the context of combat racers (as the title requests) there's little to make it stand out.

As with all fighting games, Tekken 6 - just like a certain something else - is fun to mess around with by yourself, but certainly more enjoyable if you can play with someone who knows what they’re doing.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game makes for one of the better movie-based games out there. It carries its homage to old beat 'em up games a little too far, forgoing online play and a consistent checkpoint system, especially for a game that's not meant to be played by yourself.

There's so much in this game to like, I almost feel like a jerk having to complain about its myriad bug issues, but a final release with this many problems just isn't acceptable. If it were any other type of product, from a television to a pork chop, I'd return it to the store.

While 1942: Joint Strike brings nothing new to its series, it’s just good nostalgic fun when you’ve got a wingman with you.

The characters are as amusing as ever, the story is easy to follow and broken up enough to keep it interesting, and there's always a fight to be had (complete with Goku getting hit, which I think could be considered child abuse in some areas). It's just a shame that the actual fighting is just as boring as it's ever been.

Liberty City Stories is unequivocally the lamest GTA to appear on the PS2, the first real blemish on its hitherto clean record, but that doesn’t make it a bad game.

By making the game more accessible to general consumers, they also took out some of the much needed depth. What it does, it does fine, but it doesn't do too much.

Excellent physics and suspension, aggressive opponents, and humongous and well-planned out environments give a bit of shine to a game that is otherwise strictly last generation.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game makes for one of the better movie-based games out there. It carries its homage to old beat 'em up games a little too far, forgoing online play and a consistent checkpoint system, especially for a game that's not meant to be played by yourself.

It takes risks, which we love, and builds off the risks of yesteryear, which is even better. However, little in this game is streamlined or intuitive, the fielding is awful, and some of the lapses are unforgivably sloppy.

There's not a great deal here that you haven't played before - like, last year - and we can't help but feel that this particular dungeon-crawl epic needs more updating and fewer characters. A little more, shall we say, mutation?

Wet is definitely enjoyable for those of us who like our action games with plenty of hack and extra slash, but like most of these titles, it’s not going to break the mold.

The biggest problem with this collection is the interface. How did we play these games back in the day? Dials, trackballs, joysticks, and those arcade micro-switch buttons with that distinctive 'click'. Sure, the game is playable with a mouse and keyboard, but to the people who want this game the most, it isn't the same.

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.

Going past its flaws, Bit.Trip Beat is a solid buy for 600 Wii Points. It's a fitting revival of one of the oldest, yet most memorable, games ever - this time for the 2000s.

All the while, the voice-acting is of adequately Thespian caliber, terribly British and snooty in all the right ways—hopefully something that won’t be changed as the game makes its way to the American market.

While it may just seem like glorified Karaoke, there is more going on here than meets the eye and a sequel could be even more fun if they polish up the interface.

Spore is the most fantastic game you’ll ever avoid playing. I can easily guarantee you will find something upsetting about the end product; the game is riddled with flaws small and large, and though there is a lot of impressive tech backing the whole product, it does not have the kind of polish we so arrogantly expect from our entertainment.

Although Auto Modellista does an outstanding job in its visuals and customization, the racing aspect certainly did not get enough attention.

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.

It's slow. It's low scoring. And it's difficult to pick up. In that, it's likely a soccer fan's dream.

Despite its somewhat unfinished feel and limited gameplay, Wreckless still manages to kick some vehicular ass. The driving is excellent and the graphics engine is nothing short of an Xbox showpiece.

Fielding is awful, but not nearly as bad as it has been in previous Triple Play games.

A fairly well realized evolution of the Tony Hawk series. The streaming content is impressive, but no matter where you go, the rickety framerate comes with you.

Offers great production softened by gameplay more derivative than a cloned ear, and will have lasting appeal really only to most hardcore racers.

It is solidly the best card-based game on any platform, but compared to the refined mechanics of its collectible brethren and the fully-fleshed features of its digital brothers, it doesn’t fully grasp the inner nerd - neither the card nor video game player - within us all.

Without a completely robust online mode and a decent but not remarkable improvement in graphics, Tekken 6 doesn’t take full advantage of being on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Both the Scenario Campaign and the final boss encourage players to dumb down their game with cheap moves in what should be a technical fighter. But otherwise, Tekken 6 still retains the same high-quality fighting engine, with an incredible and distinct character roster, that fans expect from the series, and collecting items in Scenario Campaign can be addicting.

It’s hard enough to time your swings offline, but nearly impossible in online matches with their shifting latencies.

The main issue with the Wii is that in order to play Madden 08, you basically have to learn an entirely different control scheme, and the payoff for that depends on whether you think using the motion control system is worth it, because rather than the step up in graphics the 360 and PS3 versions provide, you get – at best – a sideways graphical experience.

Though it isn’t the freshest rhythm game in the world, Beatmania hits the stage rocking thanks to a pretty large list of tunes, a groovy controller and tons of modes and options.

Deathmatch and Capture the Flag are online stalwarts, but the unpopular Soulhunter game - which has you collecting soul marbles around the map - is the only new addition. It all feels a bit bland.

But if I were a fan, I'd enjoy it a bit more because it does feel like an authentic, quality (relatively speaking) Dragon Ball experience.

It's a shame that FireBlade is burdened by such stringent objectives when it could have been so much more entertaining. It's recommended for helicopter sim fans only.

Kudos to Neversoft and Activision for creating an amazing game, the sole competitor in its self-created genre, and curses upon them for distilling it to the point of absurdity.

If you've got the online connection, there's fun to be had with AFO. Sure, the online server could have been better geared for game matching and keyboard support on top of the voice chat wouldn't have hurt, but the simple action and smooth gameplay make for a decent game.

I've played so many "Warcraft III" clones recently that it's really refreshing to cover a game that's actually doing something innovative. However, it's the online and VS games that really flesh out Battlegrounds, since the single-player experience is pretty flat.

This pint-sized port brings everything that makes Tony Hawk titles such an enjoyably irritating affair. As a do over to Downhill Jam, it’s as good as you can get with a new skateboard on old wheels.

Rebel Strike takes a rough shot to its power core with the terrible on-foot segments and short single-player campaign. The delivery and dogfighting is still top-notch, but they really should have just stuck with what worked instead of trying to add in unnecessary gameplay styles.

The game itself is mostly forgettable, but the fluttery feeling you’ll get when the two of you bump virtual chests isn’t.

With a great style taken directly from the pages of a deranged art student’s sketchbook and fun if occasionally frustrating action to boot, this little alien proves that you don’t need a big, fancy ship to invade a home console.

One disappointment here is the lame way that the tricks have been integrated...you never really need to do tricks. In fact, doing so often slows you down. You just don't get rewarded enough for pulling off the cool stuff.

It’s fine, decent, entirely competent, but who wants that again? We want bite, and even though this game has Marv Albert, it barely manages to break last year's skin.

Overall, Champions is actually pretty good – I don't think I'll be abandoning City of Heroes for it, but it has some qualities worth mentioning. It shines most when you're dealing with your nemesis or when you're in the exemplary character creator; but outside of those shining moments, the overall game is very much just another MMO.

In trying to be all things to all gamers, Guerrilla has lost sight of what they do best: letting you shoot interesting enemies with cool weapons in beautiful environments. By filling Killzone 3 to the brim with extras, they've let the core game suffer. And while the well-designed multiplayer has been left largely intact, the changes will certainly irk fans of its predecessor.

The lack of depth makes it a tough buy.

It's the same game as either Pokemon Diamond or Pearl, but now with a few carnival games, a nice big cooperative adventure area, a battle record option, and cooperative cooking.

Many strategy fans will appreciate the depth and Fallout groupies will love the continuity, but some things like control in CTB mode or the pace in the classic style may drop bombs in the wrong places.

Pretty or not, no JRPG on the 360 has the edge on Spectral Force 3 in terms of gameplay. In other words, it has a great personality.

Blowing stuff up in Demolition is definitely fun in all its Star Wars glory, but the more you play, the more you'll notice the imbalance in gameplay.

What wasn’t disappointing, though I expected it to be, were the John Woo-style quick-time events.

There's not a great deal here that you haven't played before - like, last year - and we can't help but feel that this particular dungeon-crawl epic needs more updating and fewer characters. A little more, shall we say, mutation?

Kinect Sports Season 2 is really only worth it if you're a brand new Kinect gamer and need something general to justify your purchase. Friends and family will get a kick out of it too, but you won't be compelled to play the game again on your own.

But if I were a fan, I'd enjoy it a bit more because it does feel like an authentic, quality (relatively speaking) Dragon Ball experience.

The new situations alongside the few additions to the survivor characters provide a lot of new and interesting challenges. In the end, whether you pick this up will be solely based on how many of the problems you are willing to ignore to enjoy it for what it is: an 800 Microsoft Points downloadable puzzle game.

Delivers a nice diversion for those who like to sit back and solve some quiet puzzles without having to deal with an engrossing story or hectic action.

A quality experience for the hardcore strategy gamer. The biggest drawback is that it’s so similar to the older Commandos; frankly, you may have already experienced this battle before.