In general, playing the game is a sinusoidal process of momentary elation as you uncover a new element, quickly followed by deep disappointment as you discover it’s a piece of crap.

In general, playing the game is a sinusoidal process of momentary elation as you uncover a new element, quickly followed by deep disappointment as you discover it’s a piece of crap.

Ultimately, though, the biggest blow against the game is its brevity. You shouldn't have trouble clearing its single-player mode in two or three hours.

Ultimately, though, the biggest blow against the game is its brevity. You shouldn't have trouble clearing its single-player mode in two or three hours.

Ultimately, though, the biggest blow against the game is its brevity. You shouldn't have trouble clearing its single-player mode in two or three hours.

A fun and interesting use of the DS, and with enough practice and patience, can “astound and delight friends and family”, at least until the next Harry Potter movie comes out.

Truly massive, with enough material for at least three all-nighters. . . the first time through.

Getting people to work as one towards a common goal is rare, but Rock Band makes it common. There really is no room anymore for the cliché that a gamer is just some unkempt teenage sweating in some lonely basement filled with loose cables and empty water bottles.

If the world of gaming has an “all-for-one, one-for-all” philosophy, the multiplayer landscape definitely has the “one-for-all” attitude down pat. Getting people to work as one towards a common goal is rare, but Rock Band makes it common. There really is no room anymore for the cliché that a gamer is just some unkempt teenage sweating in some lonely basement filled with loose cables and empty water bottles.

While they’ve done a good job of giving you many reasons to replay those levels for higher scores and more unlockables, replaying these levels many times over will barely bring the game’s total length to more than a few hours. This bumbling groundhog should have seen its shadow much sooner and ushered in a much longer springtime full of rail-shooting joy.

Legends imply greatness; but Soul Calibur Legends is only the greatest loser -- a throwaway hack-and-slash action game. Unattractive, lacking depth, and generally not fun, this dull blade can't parry its long list of flaws with anything worthwhile.

While the difficulty of Revenant Wings could be dialed up a notch or two for experienced gamers, it’s a fun, great-looking game that will keep you occupied for fifteen to twenty hours.

If you play a lot at home go with the Wii since the graphics are better than the DS, and you’ll have the option of taking a basic version on the go. If most of your gameplay is done in the streets, grab a DS copy. Either way there’s hours of old-school arcade fun to be had.

It’s just a bland shooter with a flimsy toy gun and a big spoonful of “we-know-better” arrogance.

Alas, you can expect more of the same, except for a substantially increased difficulty. New Blood is still a load of fun, but it also comes with a load of aggravation.

At best, Swashbucklers might garner your attention on a beer-and-pretzels level. Its presentation leaves a lot to be desired, but even with the current swell of pirate media, there still aren’t so many games catering to the pirate-jonesing.

Star Trek Conquest punches gatling-phaser holes in purist Trekdom all over the place, but it still works on its own humble, low-budget, strategy board-game level. Space-warts and all.

It’s hard to really judge a game that hands its users a comprehensive modding kit. Because in six months, many of my complaints may be completely nullified by the modding community. Out of the box, however, Unreal Tournament 3 is a mediocre presentation, and brings little new to the table.

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

Releasing Mario Party to the smaller screen has turned many of its ho-hum qualities on the console into considerable assets.

In the end, the Wii Zapper is just a hunk of plastic and the game is too short and kind of boring. Link's Crossbow Training will make a nice chunky gift to fill in blank spots under the tree, but all wrapped up like that, you can never be sure exactly what you're getting.

This game is as much an adventure for your eyes as it is for your reflexes.

There’s a lot of content on offer, and if you can get past its saccharine veneer, ProStreet could keep you busy for a long time.

While Shadowgrounds: Survivor arguably does nothing we have not seen before, its clean, solid presentation and hectic, engrossing gameplay make it worthy of praise. You get a lot of game for pocket change, and that it’s a great shooter makes it worth every penny.

If you want a game with fast action, huge scale, stunning graphics, and intelligent gameplay, then Crysis is for you.

This beautiful, sprawling sandbox title turns the Crusades of the twelfth century into your personal playground of murder.

This beautiful, sprawling sandbox title turns the Crusades of the twelfth century into your personal playground of murder.

Passable and tolerable.