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.