It still has some elements that make it slightly enjoyable, but with the wealth of other experiences on XBLA, it's really hard to justify investing your hard earned Microsoft Points in a second hand toy.

Problems with the plot, damage balancing, and the awkward grappling hook are faults that I can’t ignore though. However, Lost Planet 2’s does campaign offer some unforgettable moments and great teamwork opportunities, provided good group of gamers to play with.

This is the definitive version for anyone who found the last two games too daunting. It never outright holds your hand, but the new tiered progression system and online co-op make it easier for anyone to enjoy the game, while not leaving the hardcore Skate fans out of the fold.

This is the definitive version for anyone who found the last two games too daunting. It never outright holds your hand, but the new tiered progression system and online co-op make it easier for anyone to enjoy the game, while not leaving the hardcore Skate fans out of the fold.

Thanks to this game, I have a renewed interest for the Nine-Tailed Fox kid and his little world of Ninjas. I can still see some room for improvement, especially considering that the same developer created a more worthy current gen console release with an amazing visual impact and likeness to the source material.

Problems with the plot, damage balancing, and the awkward grappling hook are faults that I can’t ignore though. However, Lost Planet 2’s does campaign offer some unforgettable moments and great teamwork opportunities, provided good group of gamers to play with.

Though Zeno Clash ends like an episode of Lost, with questions outweighing answers, one of the last lines in the game is "there are...things bigger even, than Zenozoik." In a capsule, this is the allure of the game.

Dementium II does a beautiful job improving on it's predecessor. It maintains the creepy atmosphere, the level of maturity, and the originality of the first game. However, the title is still plagued by a vague plot and annoying enemies.

While I know there are plenty of other games out there worse than this, I at least wanted a compelling reason to play it. Unfortunately, there isn’t one. And, to top it off, the $60 price tag was just an insulting kick in the gut.

While I know there are plenty of other games out there worse than this, I at least wanted a compelling reason to play it. Unfortunately, there isn't one. And, to top it off, the $60 price tag was just an insulting kick in the gut.

Limitations really prevent Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake from being the breakout title it should be. Had there been a better method of communication and smarter AI, this would be a significantly better experience.

Lead & Gold: Gangs of the Wild West is far from being equal-to or superior-than Valve's popular squad-based shooter. It will manage to get you by, especially for $15.

If you’re looking for precision tackles, realistic visuals, or strategy that ranks beyond the rock-paper-scissors format, then you will want to save your 800 MP. But, if you’re a casual or entry-level pigskin fan, or are just looking to get your game on in Nostalgia Stadium, then you may find that Tecmo Bowl Throwback is the perfect draft pick.

With a forgettable story, bland characters and a huge sense of déjà-vu, Namco’s re-envisioning of its precious Dead to Rights franchise manages to keep you afloat, but never elevates your level of excitement beyond just treading water.

With a forgettable story, bland characters and a huge sense of déjà-vu, Namco’s re-envisioning of its precious Dead to Rights franchise manages to keep you afloat, but never elevates your level of excitement beyond just treading water.

The team at Cavia have without question nailed the entertainment portion of the game. But, the gameplay still needs a few tweaks to remain just as engaging. For a first run, Nier is exactly what it should be; a flawed game with a ton of potential.

The team at Cavia have without question nailed the entertainment portion of the game. But, the gameplay still needs a few tweaks to remain just as engaging. For a first run, Nier is exactly what it should be; a flawed game with a ton of potential.

SSF4 is a beast of a game and is an absolute steal for under fifty dollars. All of the new additions blend seamlessly with the existing game and really amplifies the magnitude of the game.

SSF4 is a beast of a game and is an absolute steal for under fifty dollars. All of the new additions blend seamlessly with the existing game and really amplifies the magnitude of the game.

For some, 2010 FIFA World Cup might be viewed as nothing more than a stop-gap between the yearly series. In truth, there is a lot of enhanced content available here and at no-point will you feel like your being cheated out of your hard-earned cash.

For some, 2010 FIFA World Cup might be viewed as nothing more than a stop-gap between the yearly series. In truth, there is a lot of enhanced content available here and at no-point will you feel like your being cheated out of your hard-earned cash.

This is a fantastic title that not only all Wii owners, but every fan of the sport will find something to enjoy. This might be a strictly arcade affair, but once you accept that and just focus on trying to score as many goals as possible, you will find it difficult to put down.

The additions to 2010 FIFA World Cup might not be as drastic as I would have hoped. But, the lack of improvements in the graphics department is not enough to detract from the fact that this is still a decent soccer game.

It's clear that amidst all of the glaring and unforgivable problems of Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper, Frogwares does have a grasp on mystery fiction, however tenuous it may be.

The arcade on-rails flight combat action of the “good old days” is certainly present and accounted for. But unless that’s what you’re after, you would be better off leaving After Burner Climax grounded.

Puzzle Chronicles is by no means on the same level as Puzzle Quest. If you walk into it expecting that, you’ll surely be let down.

If you have enjoyed online games like Phantasy Star Online and are craving something a little more in-depth, Monster Hunter Tri should be right up your alley. Be careful, though. Get in too deep and you may never come out.

Final Fight: Double Impact is well worth the $10 investment. You’re getting two decent games who’s gameplay holds up well to the test of time. If you’re a fan of either game, love button-mashers, or just want to relive the feel of playing games in arcades, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Final Fight: Double Impact is well worth the $10 investment. You’re getting two decent games who’s gameplay holds up well to the test of time. If you’re a fan of either game, love button-mashers, or just want to relive the feel of playing games in arcades, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Splinter Cell Conviction isn’t the most astonishing game you’ll play but when you put the final product in perspective, there’s no doubt in my mind that Ubisoft Montreal managed to create the second best game in the Splinter Cell franchise.

For a game that's merely $10 on Steam, you're getting more than your money's worth. Plain Sight is perfect in either long sessions or short bursts.

On paper, "Again" could have been something so much more but in the end, it ends up being nothing more than a boring game that doesn't do enough to hold your interest.

Despite the stiff stealth/fighting mechanics, the mission’s linearity and the trial/error experience, Prison Break: The Conspiracy somehow ended up being enjoyable. I’m sure Zootfly could have done something much better, but in the end, the final product was purposely done with the intention of giving the fans something incredibly easy to play.

This new version of the classic franchise is far from being an interesting experience, appealing to watch, or to a certain extent; fun to play. I could see the die-hard fan having a good time, but for anyone who is looking to get something different (or better) than the most recent fighting game releases such as Tekken 6 and Super Street Fighter IV, I’m not sure it would be a good idea to shed money for this piece of boredom and sourness.

Despite the stiff stealth/fighting mechanics, the mission's linearity and the trial/error experience, Prison Break: The Conspiracy somehow ended up being enjoyable. I'm sure Zootfly could have done something much better, but in the end, the final product was purposely done with the intention of giving the fans something incredibly easy to play.

We often complain that the PSP doesn't get enough games but I would rather have fewer quality titles than something as bad as Dead or Alive Paradise.

Just like Peggle, Save The Turtles scores big thanks to its friendly presentation, cute visuals and addictive gameplay. In my books, this hidden gem is a no-brainer if you’re looking for a great game to invest your Nintendo Points in.

With some obvious adjustments and a price cut, it might be better suited for the iPhone. It’s a decent title to play for 10 minutes while waiting in line or on the bus but it’s not something you’re going to turn on your PS3 to play.

The initial impressions of Section 8 will not be positive for many due to the slightly odd setup system, fairly complex character customization system, muddy controls and bland single player campaign. However, once you become accustomed to the game it really does offer an awful lot of value, especially with a $30 price tag.

Ultimately, Red Steel 2 failed to capitalize on its potential by delivering something that is little more than a beat-em-up. It misses the opportunity to take what excites people about the Red Steel franchise and turn it into something exceptional.

How To Train Your Dragon on consoles seems to suffer from a bit of an identity crisis. It wants to dabble in everything, while managing to avoid executing anything particularly well.

How To Train Your Dragon on consoles seems to suffer from a bit of an identity crisis. It wants to dabble in everything, while managing to avoid executing anything particularly well.

If you’re looking for the best version of the game to buy for the little Dragon fan in your life, the DS should be your first choice. The light RPG elements will challenge younger gamers, but never oversteps into frustrating territory.

Featuring a myriad of gameplay modes, improved HD visuals and the same high-paced action feel, Perfect Dark is a great overall package. I’d highly recommend adding this XBLA re-make of a Nintendo 64 classic to your XBLA game collection.

If exploring galaxies and deep space combat sounds appealing to you, the hours of gameplay in Infinite Space make it a safe buy.

From random crashes to the dramatic, yet at times frustrating gameplay shift from previous titles, to the storyline that never quite reached the nexus it appeared to be heading toward, Tiberian Twilight is a disappointing finale for one of my favorite video game characters. Kane deserved better than this.

If you are looking for a game with a great story, Metro 2033 delivers. On the other hand, if you are hoping for a great experience from top to bottom, then it fails to deliver on all of its potential.

Both an amazing technological achievement and an exuberant gaming experience, God of War III deserves a place in your game collection. If you've been asking yourself what the Playstation 3 is really capable of and thought Uncharted 2 was as good as it gets, wait until you pop this bad boy in your PS3.

In the end, for those like myself who absolutely adored what Dragon Age: Origins had to offer, you have no reason not to pick up Awakenings and continue your Grey Warden’s epic adventure.

In the end, for those like myself who absolutely adored what Dragon Age: Origins had to offer, you have no reason not to pick up Awakenings and continue your Grey Warden’s epic adventure.

The absolute sad part about Resonance of Fate is that there is a fairly interesting story in the game that slowly reveals itself. However, most people will probably give up early, well before they get to see how it turns out.

Kudos to the development team at Ghostfire Games. Rage of the Gladiator was a pleasant surprise.

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver do the series justice, and proves to the gaming community that the franchise will never die out in popularity, no matter how many variations are released.

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver do the series justice, and proves to the gaming community that the franchise will never die out in popularity, no matter how many variations are released.

Owners of Dawn of War II should not hesitate to pick up Chaos Rising. You will be treated to over a dozen great missions, additional Heroes to use in multiplayer and the ability to play as the Chaos Space Marines, on top of some nice, new Multiplayer maps.

I walked away from Scrap Metal more than a little underwhelmed. For 1200 MSP, I was expecting a little more variety, well balanced gameplay and a finely tuned engine.

North American gamers are getting a more streamlined game, however, as key features in the Japanese version have been cut for fear that Western audiences wouldn't understand them. Still, the core of the game is here, and even with some of the extras missing, there's more than enough content for would-be Japanese mobsters to sink their teeth into.

If you love JRPGs, Final Fantasy XIII is a must have, and even if you don’t, it’s still worth checking out as it’s one of the best RPGs to come out of Japan in a very long time.

Fans of platformers looking for a new twist will love this game. The 15 levels will keep you busy for roughly 3-4 hours, which isn't bad for a downloadable title, even at 1000 Wii Points, although I would have preferred it to be a bit longer.

In my mind, it seemed as though the tower defense genre rose, peaked and declined, all within a couple of short years. Then, along came Toy Soldiers.

Not only has the technology behind the Frostbite engine been improved but the multiplayer shows major signs of improvement and a willingness by DICE to push the boundaries further. The single player campaign, despite feeling like an added component to a 100% multiplayer focused experience, is much more streamlined and interesting this time around. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a great game but it also does what many games with a ’2’ next to their name fail to do; improve.

Not only has the technology behind the Frostbite engine been improved but the multiplayer shows major signs of improvement and a willingness by DICE to push the boundaries further. The single player campaign, despite feeling like an added component to a 100% multiplayer focused experience, is much more streamlined and interesting this time around. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a great game but it also does what many games with a ’2’ next to their name fail to do; improve.

Not quite ready for the World Series, MLB 2K10 at least makes the playoffs this year. Visual Concepts are turning the series around slowly but there’s still a lot of work left to do.

Not quite ready for the World Series, MLB 2K10 at least makes the playoffs this year. Visual Concepts are turning the series around slowly but there’s still a lot of work left to do.

The fundamentals are solid but the game also shows its age with repetitive battles linear character progression. But despite these shortcomings, Silver Star Harmony is a quintessential RPG experience.

MLB 10: The Show is still the top baseball sim in the business. There’s still some room for improvement when it comes to controls, but it’s about as close to perfect as you can get.

If you are a die-hard Sonic Classic fan that owns a DS and you have managed to avoid every single re-re-release of Sonic The Hedgehog known to man, yes, this DS collection might be worth checking out. Just be prepared to see your heart break into little pieces of disappointment.

While it has its flaws, the latest game in Chris Taylor’s RTS franchise is well worth a spot on your hard drive. Whether you flex your strategy muscles on a regular basis or you’re new to the RTS gym, this one will make a nice addition to your library.

I felt much more comfortable playing Dante’s Inferno on the PSP than I did it’s HD brethren. The distasteful enemies and depraved ambiance is much less notable here. Because of the technical limitations, it somehow tempers the experience. It may not be the most interesting game in terms of storyline but it fills a hole in the PSP game line-up. Just don’t buy it for your kids.

Don’t let your love for 2K Sports blind you. What they did on consoles is light years ahead of this. Do you want a nice and fun baseball game for your PSP? Do yourself a big favor and go with The Show.

As an avid player of the franchise since it first arrived on the Playstation 3, having the possibility to bring the home experience with me anywhere was certainly interesting but I wasn’t expecting it to be this great.

If the game was 200 Nintendo Points like the Arcade Basketball or the Extreme Hangman games (which are both fun and well priced by the way), I would probably recommend it because of its plethora of gameplay modes and how fun it is as a time waster game. But at five dollars, with other, more interesting games, to spend your Nintendo Points on, I just can’t.

Fret Nice is a quirky game with a lot of style. Unfortunately, quirky is not enough.

For a game that has ’lazy’ in its title, this game is precisely the opposite. If you’ve been looking for a game that is enjoyable in either quick bursts or long sessions, Lazy Raiders is the game for you.

Proof positive that Greed can be a good thing, W!Games has developed an incredibly simple, yet decidedly deep, game that's worthy of a place in your collection. For 800 MS Points ($10), you are getting more bang for your buck here than with most titles on the market.

If you enjoyed echochrome, picking up echoshift is a no brainer. At the same time, if you've been craving a puzzle game that can be enjoyed in short bursts, works your brain muscles and still offers plenty of value, once again, you cannot go wrong here.

Heavy Rain is, without a doubt, one of the most ambitious titles to come out in a long time and delivers on all its promises. This is clearly still a game but could easily pass as a film. We are always given choices in the games we play and Heavy Rain is one you want to choose.

Napoleon: Total War is an RTS that sets itself apart from other games in the genre with a highly intelligent AI and a much greater focus on tactics and strategy.

The game is almost universally unforgiving and doesn't seem to want to let the player ease into its world and actually learn. Rather, Metal Slug XX prefers to pummel you with a difficulty that's more unfair than it is legitimately challenging.

All Stars isn’t an overly ambitious racing game and won’t turn the kart racing genre on its head. It has some minor framerate issues and the varied character selection is at odds with the less varied bevy of tracks. You won’t see this game fly off the shelves as fast as anything with the ’Mario Kart’ name on it, but if you are a fan of kart racing to any degree, you’ll find something immediately appealing in what’s offered here.

All Stars isn’t an overly ambitious racing game and won’t turn the kart racing genre on its head. It has some minor framerate issues and the varied character selection is at odds with the less varied bevy of tracks. You won’t see this game fly off the shelves as fast as anything with the ’Mario Kart’ name on it, but if you are a fan of kart racing to any degree, you’ll find something immediately appealing in what’s offered here.

Very few games are excused by players who are willing to look past the flaws in exchange for a throwback story-exploration experience. If you have an unconditional love for the Gothic series but, for some reason, stopped playing games on your PC, you might end up being able to appreciate this rough port.

Although it hasn’t perfectly realized my dream of turning my Wii remote into a sword, it comes close. Despite a few small flaws GhostSlayer is the best way to start slashing with your MotionPlus.

In spite of some broken gameplay, the characterizations, campy writing, and a driving need to find out what happens next make Deadly Premonition a title that transcends the definition of what a budget game should be. It's a sure-fire cult hit.

There may not be any major advances to the series in Fireteam Bravo 3, but for those looking for a fun multiplayer game on the PSP, FB3 is a genuine SOCOM experience.

Given the garbage most fans have had to go through in recent years, including one luke-warm Aliens vs Predator movie, and the lack of any kind of game attention since Concrete Jungle, AvP is a welcome addition to the series. However, if you have the choice between console or PC, we recommend the PC version. It looks better.

Given the garbage most fans have had to go through in recent years, including one luke-warm Aliens vs Predator movie, and the lack of any kind of game attention since Concrete Jungle, AvP is a welcome addition to the series. Yes, its not an A-List game by any stretch of the imagination, but it is still extremely fun for what it is.

Crime Scene DS does a great job immersing you in the world of forensics. Though the replay value is dubious, it doesn't really matter. The game is long enough and fun enough it could be worth it, even if you only play it once.

If classic RPG gameplay appeals to you, Ragnarok DS has you covered. Though there is some repetition and frustrating boss battles, the mix of a retro feel and the smart, snappy writing make Ragnarok DS something special.

The series’ debut of online multiplayer adds replay value to Strikeforce, which is hard to ignore. However, if you’re interested in hack and slash action, there are more polished, next generation games available at fairer prices.

The series’ debut of online multiplayer adds replay value to Strikeforce, which is hard to ignore. However, if you’re interested in hack and slash action, there are more polished, next generation games available at fairer prices.

By relying, and cashing in on, what made the Bioshock so great, 2K has made a worthy sequel. However, they did so without surpassing the original. Bioshock 2 isn’t exactly what its predecessor was in terms of novelty but remains a great game that every gamer should check out, whether you’ve played the first outing or not.

By relying, and cashing in on, what made the Bioshock so great, 2K has made a worthy sequel. However, they did so without surpassing the original. Bioshock 2 isn't exactly what its predecessor was in terms of novelty but remains a great game that every gamer should check out, whether you've played the first outing or not.

Dante’s Inferno is a game of contradictions. It’s based on a literary epic but appeals to the most common denominator. It’s rammed full of sex, violence and depravity but sets a record as being the one of the first video game I’ve played where this feels completely tacked on. It’s just masking third-rate gameplay and a soulless experience.

While the first Wii offering (Banana Blitz) was a solid entry with some interesting features (jumping and boss battles), Step & Roll strips away all of that and leaves you with a straightforward Monkey Ball offering. However, it also leaves you wanting quite a bit more.

If you didn't get a chance to pick up Star Ocean: The Last Hope last year or don't own a 360, yet love Japanese style RPGs, then you owe it to yourself to give The Last Hope International a spin.

White Knight Chronicles is a game that could have been so much more. Unfortunately, it seems Level 5 focused too much on the combat system and not enough on providing a challenge. That said, I would recommend renting before you buy, as the other elements just aren’t tight enough to make this an easy recommendation.

Global Agenda isn't a perfect game but there is a awful lot of potential in this well put together debut from Hi-Rez. They should also be applauded for utilizing a system that allowed optional subscription service and I hope to see this adopted by more developers and publishers in the future.