Most of its success relies on the existing design of the pinball machines instead of any design elements it adds, but it doesn’t really need to do more than let the machines speak for themselves.

Truly, there’s nothing redeeming; you're just going to waste your time playing it. If you have the self-control, please don’t let morbid curiosity get the best of you.

Wet is definitely enjoyable for those of us who like our action games with plenty of hack and extra slash, but like most of these titles, it’s not going to break the mold.

Wet is definitely enjoyable for those of us who like our action games with plenty of hack and extra slash, but like most of these titles, it’s not going to break the mold.

The unlockables are neat, but they aren’t neat enough to really redeem it. At all.

Despite its disappointingly lopsided online play, Shift is easily among the best multiplatform racing games available, and its cockpit view sets a new gold standard for the genre.

Shift has successfully risen from the midden heap of its forebears, offering vehicular free love to any and all comers. The only problem is that it’s the kind of “love” that’s best enjoyed without others.

If Transmission Games had put a little bit more effort into the title and taken it out of WWII and into a world of their own design, they could have been more creative with the story, style, weapons, and gameplay.

If Transmission Games had put a little bit more effort into the title and taken it out of WWII and into a world of their own design, they could have been more creative with the story, style, weapons, and gameplay.

Same great fun with some good tweaks.

Same great fun with some good tweaks.

It's so unique, revolutionary, and positively delightful that it more than makes up for all its shortcomings. And with a built-in level editor and the ability to share levels with others, the challenges are nearly endless.

I played this game by myself and didn't like it. I played it with friends and they didn't like it. I played it with kids, and even they didn't like it (and kids will play anything).

Clunky shooting and passing.

More experienced players will wish there were fewer diversions and a harder difficulty setting in addition to the challenge mode, but Nintendo’s hallmark for ingenuity, imagination, and polish shines through.

A game with a great premise such as time-traveling problem solvers with futuristic guns could, no, should have been done better. So pass this one up, unless you want to feel shame, despair, and regret the morning after.

The gameplay and presentation are perfect and approachable for those who haven’t been introduced to music video games, especially families with wide generational gaps who have at least a remote interest in the Beatles. Though it is short and isolated from the other Rock Band titles, The Beatles: Rock Band is much better than your average day tripper.

The gameplay and presentation are perfect and approachable for those who haven’t been introduced to music video games, especially families with wide generational gaps who have at least a remote interest in the Beatles. Though it is short and isolated from the other Rock Band titles, The Beatles: Rock Band is much better than your average day tripper.

But perhaps its best unrecognized feature is that it actually got a hardcore “gamer” like me to stop playing my Xbox 360 and pick up the Wii for the first time in months, possibly years, not just because it was my assignment, but because I wanted to. And I’m not sure I can give better praise than that.

IO Interactive deserves credit for going in such a different direction from their usual shooter fare. Alas, the result is a beautiful game without a soul. Like a piece of gum, everything great about Mini Ninjas can be experienced in the first few minutes. After that, its sweetness is just a quickly fading memory.

IO Interactive deserves credit for going in such a different direction from their usual shooter fare. Alas, the result is a beautiful game without a soul. Like a piece of gum, everything great about Mini Ninjas can be experienced in the first few minutes. After that, its sweetness is just a quickly fading memory.

Dirt 2 looks great and plays every bit as well as Grid, but loyalists to the Colin McRae series may not appreciate the greatly diminished rally content and simplified tuning controls.

Dirt 2 looks great and plays every bit as well as Grid, but loyalists to the Colin McRae series may not appreciate the greatly diminished rally content and simplified tuning controls.

Item World is even more addicting.

A competent Contra game, but if you look at the 'ReBirth' in the title expecting to find updated visuals and new features as the name suggests, you are better off looking elsewhere.

Despite the disappointing Gauntlet mode and its insulting lack of story and patronizing tutorials, Broken Destiny is a great addition to the series because the core gameplay is as solid as ever, which is especially impressive on the small screen.

If I were Bob Dylan, I might ask, “How many versions of this game must we suffer, before we get something really new? “.

If I were Bob Dylan, I might ask, “How many versions of this game must we suffer, before we get something really new? “.