Still, fans of the series will buy it (as well they should, it's still pretty friggin' awesome), and it's worth the cash to plunk down… unless you're still playing an earlier version, then consider borrowing it from a friend. Or continue playing your current copies.

Above all, Heat feels like subscription filler, another driving game to add value to EA’s Access bundles.

You'd have to be the hardest of the hardcore to play Resonance of Fate through to the end (or an intern at Game Revolution). It is violently unruly and complex in its battle systems and structure. I'm sure there are plenty of masochists out there in the RPG community, but Resonance of Fate exudes punishment in spades.

The hyper-realism is impressive at first, but Championship Edition lacks the flash and fanfare of most racing games. The mild weather conditions and tiring voiceover do little to shake up the core game.

As far as old-style RPGs go, I Am Setsuna was worth looking forward to after the showing at E3 this year, and just as worth playing.

A solid if unspectacular start for EA Sports' next-gen hoops. Fans of the series will be genuinely pleased. But compared to what Visual Concepts is doing with the "NBA 2K" games, Live has a long way to go before it makes it to the Finals.

"Everquest Lite." It's not a bad game and I give it credit for being the first true console MMORPG, but it gets boring to play since you can only go forward.

The painting is cool and the characters are likeable, but this is more about your own imagination than your own fun.

However, these added touches and wonderful, momentary glimpses of what Hotline Miami 2 could have been only stand to make the game more disappointing.

We admire the effort and love the style, but we expect our video games to be first and foremost good games, not good art. That's a bonus, not a foundation. Despite our appreciation for those that push the boundaries of game design, Killer 7's lofty ideas come crashing down in a flurry of bad gameplay decisions, proving that sometimes weird isn't quite enough.

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

While there’s some good stuff here, its sense of humor and playful vision doesn’t extend to its repetitive gameplay.

With its truncated clock system, The Escapists balances two opposing forces against the player’s own patience with notable mechanical leverage no matter where you’re coming from. On one hand, I ended up feeling gratified and at peace doing menial mini-game-like tasks, including exercising and laundry duties. On the other, it seems like Team 17 and Mouldy Toof Studios don’t want you playing the role of a prisoner at all.

Dungeons Runners is a solid MMORPG that doesn't try to be more than it is and that anyone with a sense of humor can enjoy.

You'll be finished with the main game by the time breakfast is over, although it’s a helluva ride. The lack of satisfactory length or significant replay value hurts what is otherwise an impressive, stylish action romp through ancient Japan, leading to a game not quite worth its weight in yen.

Same great fun with some good tweaks.

Despite its collegiate overtone, Big Brain Academy sticks to its grade-school roots by keeping the activities light and colorful, the multiplayer engaging and the price tag low ($20.) But no matter how you dissect it, this is still little more than a series of fairly innocuous tests released just in time for summer vacation. It doesn’t take a heavy brain to know how stupid that is.

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.

A fun ride. It doesn't bring very much new to the table, but it also works just fine and doesn't make you take your shoes off at the security checkpoint.

With plenty of new content mixed in with plenty of old staples of the series, Ninja Storm Generations is sure to please fans of Naruto. For average users and those just a little curious, this might not be the fighting game for them. Artistically it is very enjoyable, based on another animé series with a lot of plot and storyline that could have anyone watching or playing for years. But its gameplay is rather hit or miss.

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.

An extremely ambitious game, but it misses the mark due to unoriginality and subpar presentation.

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.

In the end, Kingdoms doesn't do much that we haven't already seen in the original TA. The strategy, the engine, and everything else is pretty much the same as it was a couple of years ago. While it's not bad on a really fast machine, it's still a standard real-time strategy game that just didn't make me want to spend $1000 upgrading my computer to make it run smoothly.

Still, The Sims 3 Supernatural works its magic enough that all Sims 3 fans should be left spellbound.

Disney Infinity is an amazing game with faults which lie most often in the playsets themselves and some of the poor vehicle controls and inconsistent player training, which feel a bit like the growing pains that we saw in early sandbox games. That said, Avalanche Software has created a game that doesn't just let you play in the Disney sandbox, but gives you the bucket and trowel to build your own castle in it.

In essence, Capsized brings to the table a well-balanced run-and-shoot style game that can still be enjoyed even after being around for a couple of years. The arcade genre is constantly filled with class and yet are so cheap—this one definitely is no different. And for 10 bucks, what do you have to lose trying it out?

In the end, this race is barely a race at all. The 360 is the winner by a mile, and for the price of those wheels, no doubt it should be. The Xbox comes in a distant second with fewer cars and none of the cool online modes. And trailing way behind that is the PS2, a run-down jalopy that probably shouldn’t even be on the road.