There’s a solid idea at the core of the game, one that’s endearing and compelling despite some major changes to the formula. But nothing backs up that idea. It’s just that—an idea, and not much else, though the familiar Pac-Man gameplay still holds up.

Give this a try. You may fall in love.

Small tweaks like the Floor General and Freestyle Air make it a smoother all-around product than March Madness 2004, but the margin is so slight that owners of last year’s game shouldn’t feel compelled to buy this one, too. The bubble is starting to break.

Doesn't match the frantic pace of a good first-person shooter or the complexity of a turn-based strategy game. Instead, it’s a clever reinvention of something old into a multiplayer experience.

Pales in comparison to its cousins and is not worth the money to buy. With repetitive gameplay and almost no depth, you're better off letting Dracula ravage the countryside. Might help lower global population numbers.

Just like the second map pack, Annihilation succeeds overall in delivering DLC that keeps players happy.

It can’t rival the best in the genre, but players can make a pretty awesome aquarium within its constraints, so it ultimately delivers what was promised even if it doesn’t exceed those promises.

"Ancient" is a good way to describe this fun ripoff. For those special few who cannot get enough of the hack-and-click action RPG thing, Titan Quest will effectively scratch that itch. However, its lack of substantial innovation, problems with loot and technical hiccups keep it from conquering Olympus.

This game’s single-player campaign is a decent diversion and serves up a relatively well-produced version of the PC series. Unfortunately, what it lacks in replay value and online play leads to a solider a bit too thin for his britches. Will this war never end?

The first shock is that this is definitely not the genre you were expecting. The next one comes from playing it and realizing just how well it's done. This is a strategy RPG that rivals the big names in the genre. Unfortunately, there's no prinnies, chocobos, or vibrant spiky hair to seal the deal.

For cheap thrills, ExciteBots gets the job done. The transforming creepy crawly machines are so much fun to watch in action that it seems unfair to judge this game too harshly. Unfortunately, it’s also hard not to feel that with a bit more time and care, the core idea could have been expanded into a brilliant kart-style racer.

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.

Just like they did with "Def Jam: Fight for NY," EA Big ignored NFL Street's fundamental issues and instead added more flash and one or two new moves. While undeniably fun, EA Big has no right to call NFL Street 2 a sequel.

Nintendo Land is available as a pack-in with the Wii U Deluxe Set, but it's a good enough game on its own to warrant a purchase for anyone buying the Wii U Basic Set. Plus, it's an effective tool for users as they learn the ins and outs of the Wii U GamePad. There's plenty of value in that alone and having an entire theme park of fun games based on Nintendo's best franchises makes the deal that much sweeter. Sweet enough to call Nintendo Land a must-own for new Wii U owners.

If you are interested in trying Kingdom Hearts before the third game releases or want to revisit the first two games in the series, this is a fantastic buy. And hey, it's pretty much a certainty that if this game does any kind of numbers, we should expect a "Kingdom Hearts 2.5 Remix" before too long.

Starhawk is a solid multiplayer experience, though the vehicles and design are derivative, and fans of Warhawk will no doubt appreciate the build-your-own defense gameplay innovations. However, its workman-like tutorial "campaign" was short and bland and the multiplayer didn't "hook" me.

The game makes good use of many DS features. It has fun sound effects. It has competent, though not infallible, handwriting recognition. You have to speak to it, and most of the time it understands you - and it asks you before you begin your Brain Age Check if you are in a place where you can speak freely.

If you're a huge fan, you probably didn't wait for this review; just know you're getting nothing more than a facelift in this package.

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.

Flaws and linear nature taken into account, Mafia II is a beautiful, gripping, engaging game-and where it doesn't allow you to go is more than made up for by where it does.

If you want to be your favorite fighter and have a fight night at home with some buddies, you're probably better off looking to UFC. If you want a game that controls better, presents the sport in a more favorable light, and really handles the intricacies and spirit of MMA, EA Sports has you covered.

Really, if you like a deep experience with plenty of replay value in portable dungeon-crawling, this is about as good as it gets.

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

A cool game that's been suspended from greatness due to its less-than-stellar track design, lame weapons and stunts that are often not as cool as they should be.

But while EA has been able to make some improvements to their franchise, they just haven’t done enough to keep up with the ice maniacs over at ESPN.

Pitting 2K's college game against EA's is a close call, but ultimately I suppose that this game's better price and A.I. give it the edge. Someone needs to fire the coach before it's guaranteed a tourney berth, though.

For those that have never tried this fourth Ace Attorney game, there is no reason not to pick up Apollo Justice. The riveting story is much more serious and emotional, the cases will shock and surprise you, and the soundtrack and cast of characters new and old are absolutely unforgettable.

Call of Cthulhu shows that the first-person perspective doesn't always have to pack an uzi, and can even be the perfect view for players interested in a more cerebral challenge. Its dated look and absurd difficulty will probably consign it to mere cult status, but perhaps that's really where a game based on Lovecraft belongs.