Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the best in the series, the best in its genre, and the best game on the PS3.

All the money spent on royalties to have Don’s name attached to it could have been put to better use.

Like so many Hollywood Summer blockbusters: It starts with a cool idea (Hulk destroying stuff) but, from there, grinds to a halt in terms of delivering on its promise. I won't say it's a bad game, because you can get a couple hours of fun out of it running around smashing stuff, but none of it stands out as being exceptional, or even well-done.

Genuinely translating an action film is hardly done with as much effort as High Moon Studios has put into it. Although the combat suffers from a lack of refinement and complexity, it still keeps up with the vigorous pace and calculated intensity of Jason Bourne.

Genuinely translating an action film is hardly done with as much effort as High Moon Studios has put into it. Although the combat suffers from a lack of refinement and complexity, it still keeps up with the vigorous pace and calculated intensity of Jason Bourne.

No bones about it, this game is incredibly hard, and it will frustrate you to no end. The thing is, the game’s at its best when it’s pushing you to play it on expert. Ninja Gaiden 2 on easy is a bland experience by comparison, and sucks the life out of the title: It’s a chili dog without the chili; a martini without vermouth.

Grid hits all the basics just right and tops everything off with a shiny, grease-covered bow. With a little more fine-tuning and some added variety, the follow-up could easily be the leader of the arcade racing pack.

Despite some minor annoyances, Kung Fu Panda turns in a well-rounded performance with enough appeal for small and big kids alike. Diverse gameplay mechanics keep the action from dragging its tail, and bonus rewards and multiplayer wackiness lend some replay value to the adventure.

The addictive gameplay, well-rendered graphics (even on an aged system), easy control scheme, innovative cooperative features and tons of replay value make for a winner.

The addictive gameplay, well-rendered graphics (even on an aged system), easy control scheme, innovative cooperative features and tons of replay value make for a winner.

The addictive gameplay, well-rendered graphics (even on an aged system), easy control scheme, innovative cooperative features and tons of replay value make for a winner.

The addictive gameplay, well-rendered graphics (even on an aged system), easy control scheme, innovative cooperative features and tons of replay value make for a winner.

Open Tee 2 is a pint-sized yet full-sized update to the Hot Shots Golf series that challenges its PS3 brother and ultimately wins. It has all the features of Out of Bounds but replaces the horrible Mii-like online characters with a slew of customizable parts and allows you to permanently upgrade the vital stats of the entire character roster.

The game is bafflingly boring and ridiculous. The game has no structure at all, no sense of urgency, no compelling reason to exist or be endured whatsoever. The scenes play on and on and on, and the story wends down byways of no consequence whatsoever. Lost indeed.

In many respects, the game feels as though it was rushed out the door several iterations early, before they had a chance to clean up the place-holder artwork and streamline the gameplay.

Future episodes will likely have to introduce deeper gameplay, since it's easy to master Episode One. But on its own, Penny Arcade Adventures is a very solid game with a unique and refined take on role-playing gameplay that would stand on its own even without the Penny Arcade brand of humor.

The problem is that potential is not the same as value, and it's hard to recommend Age of Conan as it stands right now. In six months, however, it should be spectacular.

The sound and music constantly find the most irritating corners of your ear to hammer away. The slightly cheesy music hides behind six annoying voiceover samples, which play over and over every five seconds. Literally.

Singstar is still the best party karaoke game for the consoles, but it doesn’t quite step up to the next-generation with confidence. Instead, it steps up the Brit Pop, and that ain’t what we want. Not what we really, really want. Really.

Wii Fit is the Cliffs Notes version of exercise, and as anyone who’s ever tried a fad exercise program knows, there are no shortcuts to fitness. Nintendo obviously means well, but the balance board will soon enough end up in the same place where every other piece of home fitness equipment does: the garage sale.

But if you’re someone who’s been out of school for a while and wants to remember what it’s like to feel the sting and confusion of a mysterious grading system, or if you’re someone who desperately needs a summertime grading fix while school’s out, then by all means, check this out.

At about one-fifth of the price and length of a full-scale platformer, it's pretty, polished and fun. LostWinds is one of the most recommendable downloadable games from WiiWare.

It’s also a terrific drinking game. Just remember to use that Wii-mote strap, before you accidentally knuckle-ball your unrestrained and quite-real controller—rather than an imaginary, massless bowling-ball—straight ‘into’ the candy-colored Boom Blox world residing just beyond your thousand-dollar flat-screen TV. Trust me on this one.

It doesn’t matter if you're a fan of the movie, comics, or action games in general. Iron Man has little to offer but the pain of aneurysm-inducing frustration and disgust for the greedy underbelly of our lifestyle.

To borrow a Jedi phrase, "This isn't the revolution you're looking for." Ultimately, GTA IV ends up feeling more like an upgrade than a real sequel. Strange, considering that neither "Vice City" nor "San Andreas" received the new number designation. GTA IV has fewer substantial changes and is far less ambitious than either of its two predecessors.

To borrow a Jedi phrase, "This isn't the revolution you're looking for." Ultimately, GTA IV ends up feeling more like an upgrade than a real sequel. Strange, considering that neither "Vice City" nor "San Andreas" received the new number designation. GTA IV has fewer substantial changes and is far less ambitious than either of its two predecessors.

I like the concept of River King, the endearing characters, and even the tranquility of the landscapes, but the focus is way off-target.

The weapons can get a little overwhelming and frustrating at times, especially when you’re in the lead (and the frankly unfair brutality of the 150cc-class rubber-banding, curse-evoking A.I.), but most of what’s in place, both old and new, still makes for a romping good time, locally or globally.