I almost hate to say it but it's the perfect girlfriend game. You can worry about cross training later but she's got to learn how to shoot at some point. And you're going to need buttons sewn on stuff. You'll want her by your side when the end comes.

Like the two aging men at its center, Kane & Lynch is a game full of regrets and missed opportunities. But also like those two men, it’s still got plenty of bullets left in the clip.

I can respect Funimation’s attempt to change many staid fighting game conventions throughout their Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi series, but in the process, the controls have become almost impossible to learn.

An awful, bland "story."

Base runs and bosses aside, Contra 4 is the most punishing game on the DS, but also one of the most satisfying. There is no room for error, nor are there any cheap shots. If you die, you screwed up. If you survive, you are officially hard to the titanium core.

The third dimension's grip on the genre may be unshakable, but there are times when special games come along that can ease the transition. The King of Fighters XI is one such game.

If you've got the right family structure, it would make a decent addition to your Wii collection. Otherwise, you'll need a caring and patient older sibling who is willing to dumb themselves down during gameplay for the greater good. How likely is that?

An FPS aimed at the lowest common denominator of players. It’s as though this game was precisely calculated to meet the exact average of gameplay.

The real problem with the game is that it’s too light on everything. Too light on action. Too light on excitement. Too light on story. And too light on gameplay. There’s no need to be subtle in a great hack-n-slash game since you need something to make the game worth playing. But you won’t even find mindless action here, only a brain-dead game.

The real problem with the game is that it’s too light on everything. Too light on action. Too light on excitement. Too light on story. And too light on gameplay. There’s no need to be subtle in a great hack-n-slash game since you need something to make the game worth playing. But you won’t even find mindless action here, only a brain-dead game.

The hand-holding map, health boosts, and high-powered arsenal sap the fun out of what could have been a decent third-person shooter.

The essential problem with Soldier of Fortune: Payback is that it tries very hard to appear realistic while trotting out silly gameplay mechanisms. It’s hard to tell if it’s a serious shooter covering the military side of contemporary politics, or a parody.

It’s got megatons of style, inventiveness, playability and replayability…and all the while, it still manages to feel like sunshine, candy and the glory days of 3D console videogaming yore.

Five to six hours in and Blacksite curls up and expires, ending mercifully an experience that not even an alien would care to dissect.

Ultimate Mortal Kombat is the real deal, and it’s mind-blowing to think that I can not only play it at home, like I used to daydream about, but it fits snugly right in my pocket.

A solid single-player experience… and if you happen to have three History Channel-watching friends who have also purchased this particular odd-bird World War II strategy title, you’re set for what passes for a wild war gamer’s Samstag Nacht.

That all of this has been accomplished on the PSP by a little-known developer with a rejected project is a stupendous surprise.

It captures neither the balance needed to make squad-based strategy work, nor the thrill of decimating troops single-handedly. If you’re a fledgling warrior, firmly take your sword and four-hundred kill count somewhere else.

I was also a little disappointed that the game didn’t take more advantage of the DS capabilities. For one thing, it barely utilizes the stylus and touch-screen, forcing you to work through the game the old-fashioned way by pushing buttons.

Honestly, if the game didn't try to make you hate it, it would be perfectly tolerable, maybe even enjoyable.

Forged Alliance's AI is improved and now more aggressive. It also tends to attack with a stronger mix of units than previously, exposing fewer weaknesses.

Unfortunately, Tactical Strike's story isn't that immersive.

A good import of a mediocre board game, Lights, Camera, Action! is worth a look for fans of the original game or others who are looking for a new game night experience.

Like a near-death experience, bad games can provide us with a vision of the other side, a gamer’s hell filled with E.T. games and 3DOs. A bad game serves to reminds us why good games are so good, and they cleanse the palette and bring us back to the zero-point of solid game development. If you haven’t guessed already, Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Zombie Ninja Pro-Am is one of those terrible, terrible games.

In spite of its weaknesses, Radiant Dawn delivers where it counts: Engaging characters, an interesting storyline, and above all, terrific strategic gameplay.

The long and short of it is that COD4 is both short and long: short in its refreshing single-player campaign, long in its deep multiplayer value. That the shortcomings of each should be the strong points of the other averts disaster on both fronts.

The long and short of it is that COD4 is both short and long: short in its refreshing single-player campaign, long in its deep multiplayer value. That the shortcomings of each should be the strong points of the other averts disaster on both fronts.

It’s a kinder, gentler MMO - Nerfed PvP, language filters, and all.