And while the gameplay and puzzles are streamlined, the unlockable content massive, and the flying modes excellent, the best part about the game is its snarky humor and feel-good satire.

Mega Man ZX isn’t bad, with smooth graphics and fun, intuitive play mechanics, but its shallow Biometals and terrible map will leave you lost and under-stimulated.

Rule of Rose has almost nothing going for it other than sheer creepiness, and as you are probably aware, creepiness doesn’t count for much.

I was very close to loving NHL 07 but I think I’ll save my money for a year when I can hold onto the puck.

NHL 2K7 plays a solid game of hockey thanks to a frozen lake’s worth of content, but rough controls, unforgiving AI and redundant tutorial content are the equivalent of thin ice for beginners.

And while the gameplay and puzzles are streamlined, the unlockable content massive, and the flying modes excellent, the best part about the game is its snarky humor and feel-good satire.

A decent, little game that's a bit too decent and way too little. It's good for a laugh or two, but it fails to capture the fast-paced fun factor of previous Mario sports titles.

You can turn down the volume, but you’re better off turning down this game. That’s harsh, but so are the graphics, the A.I. routines, the missions, the gameplay, and the characters.

Unless you already happen to live in a beautiful tropical paradise with your mansion and fancy cars, take my advice: put on a bathing suit, crank up the heat, pour yourself a frosty rum drink with a little umbrella, queue up some Dick Dale and meet me on the road.

Load times slow things down, and long digressive missions and lame mini-games seem to prolong what should be a short, violent romp.

Oozing bizarre style out of every pore, this is proof that creative design doesn’t require fancy DVD players or burly graphics cards.

A decent, if forgettable, RPG romp through familiar lands, with familiar faces, for familiar goals. Its surprisingly thoughtful and intelligent battle system mostly makes up for its weak character customization, lackluster graphics and overly linear world.

When it isn’t busy knocking you off cliffs or duping you into a second play-through, it’s a fun, hectic shooter, but without a more gradual difficulty ramp or at least some cheat codes, this is one problem best left unsolved.

The bridge between familiarity and innovation is thin and slippery, and Xenosaga Episode III sits precariously in the middle, demanding a fee.

It’s good, messy fun, even if everything but the multiplayer is “borrowed.”

Even if the campaign is too easy, too frustrating, and too obtuse, the turn-based strategy element, Arwing-focused combat, ranked multiplayer and single cartridge Ad-Hoc matches are all awesome features, making this a fox worth mounting on your wall.

While the series is definitely far from its prime, it manages to prove once again that EA and Madden know a good game of football, just not a very new one.

While the series is definitely far from its prime, it manages to prove once again that EA and Madden know a good game of football, just not a very new one.

While the series is definitely far from its prime, it manages to prove once again that EA and Madden know a good game of football, just not a very new one.

While the series is definitely far from its prime, it manages to prove once again that EA and Madden know a good game of football, just not a very new one.

Square-Enix makes quality RPGs and pretty FMV, and I hope they’re content to bow gracefully out of genres they obviously have little reason to meddle in. Leave the emo-shooters to Dante and just peep Advent Children again if you need a fix.

It is never made clear what the title “Ninety-Nine Nights” means. My guess is that it’s the suggested waiting period before purchasing this dangerous, infuriating, broken game.

The whole thing is simply great fun, a sort of malleable tour through the Dawn of the Dead films that clearly inspired the game. There’s a party in my Xbox 360, and all you zombies out there are invited.

Unfortunately, this expansion fails to add any worthwhile new gameplay mechanics or modes (multiplayer, anyone?), proving that some worlds are harder to repair than others.

Its arsenal isn’t as robust as it could be, but it makes up for it with a flurry of awesome modes and some deadly fast gameplay.

But to the hordes who have already stayed up countless nights playing just one more turn, the cost of expansion is a pittance, and the sleepless nights merely part of the price of victory.

Although CivCity: Rome is just as good a game as it was fifteen years ago, it’s still an almost direct port of Caesar II with 3D graphics and the sly marketing gimmick of sharing a name with one of the all-time greats. We recommend sacking another town.

If you're intrigued by a puzzle platformer involving duplication and genetic mayhem, Cloning Clyde will provide a few hours of enjoyable entertainment, but not much more than that.