The classic property-stealing nature of this board game may appeal to some, but when it all comes down to it, there's not quite enough here that gives reason to put away Monopoly on family game night.

The music is catchy.

The Need for Speed franchise has taken a hit to the jaw with The Run. It is not the most perfect game in a technical sense, and although the plot does give it a bit of a twist, it's certainly not enough to hold the attention of regular fans of the franchise.

This is a great action role playing game which will appeal to fans of Japanese RPG gamers and Western RPG Gamers and for a title like this from a traditional Japanese RPG company that is a rare thing. So buy this game if you like action RPG’s, RPG’s or action games.

Armored Core V is not for brand new gamers. The single player is shameless because no one else can see your inexperience, but newbies will get eaten alive if they try to join a team of seasoned AC vets.

Overall, Flock will draw players in with its cutesy and whimsical world. It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you liked the idea of building your own levels in LittleBigPlanet and the adorable world of The Maw, you’ll enjoy the marriage of the two here. But at $14.99, it might seem a little pricey for a downloadable title.

The best Role Playing Game this year gets its first dose of downloadable content to extend the game to the radioactive stratosphere. If you own Fallout 3 this is a must buy.

Not only does it faithfully bring back the experience, but it's as complete of a package as one could ask for.

Running, flipping, and collecting is where Fancy Pants Adventures was its best and most fun. Fortunately, those moments are plentiful enough to overlook the combat and co-op shortcomings.

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.

If you had high hopes for this trilogy, do yourself a favor and save your money for the next Splinter Cell release.

The premise, presentation and characters are endearing and done very well. But a lack of variety and depth in gameplay will leave most gamers wanting more.

Penumbra: Requiem is a genuinely spooky game and this is mostly due to the excellent sound effects and so if you enjoy being scared this is a great game for that, and with the budget price the game is worthy buying for most adventure game fans.

SOCOM 4 doesn't make the once-amazing franchise shine. Instead, it stands as just another shooter among others, whether they're tactical or not.

If someone were to ask me why they should buy Space Ark I would ask them if they really love to play games to compete on leaderboards and then I would ask them if they have superhuman patience and Arkanoid skills. That's the type of gamer that will likely enjoy this experience, the same ones that enjoyed the heyday of the Arcade. Old busted cabinets and all.

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.

You don’t have to be a Spidey fan to enjoy this one. Good fighting, fluid web swinging and exciting boss battles make this game enjoyable. I won’t say it’s a must buy, but it’s definitely a must try.

While not perfect, for its price, indie roots and throw back to the movie “Tron”, this is a must buy for action gamers.

While I can’t recommend DFD to adults who’ve experienced more advanced RTS’s out there, if you’ve got a young gamer in your life and you’re looking to introduce them to the world outside of platformers and kart racers, Defendin’ De Penguin is a good way to go.

For something that at first seemed quite generic, I was very impressed with what QuantZ manages to offer. The game looks and plays well with a lot of variety given. Yes, it does take a while before the challenge ramps up, but as with most Casual Puzzle games, the gradual challenge will be welcoming to those who don’t play games that often. If you have been looking for something on your computer to play, even for a few minutes, then QuantZ is the choice for you.

Codemasters tries to bring its Operation Flashpoint series into different territory by giving Red River a cinematic feel and accelerated gameplay mechanics that its predecessors didn't have. It doesn't fail completely as this new entry is serviceable enough for those who never got around to playing a single entry in the franchise. As for the hardcore fans, well, they are experienced enough to get accustomed to things, but that doesn't mean they'll be happy about it.

The game is a high octane blast from beginning to the end. It's a game that isn't afraid to be hard.

Even with all of its faults, which there are more than a few, it's hard not to recommend DC Universe Online to just about any comic book fan or those looking to experience something so rarely seen on a console. If SOE goes above and beyond to fix the current complaints and entice gamers to return once they've completed the initial plot, they could definitely see some long term success.

Fans of the MySims experience won’t be let down by this entertaining kart-racer. Everything that has made the series fun is here, and the kart-racing is solid. Even if you’ve never played a MySims game before, Racing is certainly recommendable, as it offers just enough to be a welcome change from other games in the genre.

While fans of the genre will find the game fun those purists who need a lot of beef on their gaming bone will find this game lacking immensely and head to other games with more features and better gameplay. This is only a buy if you have played other Empire games to death and need something new to play.

The Godfather 2 is a great game in a lousy shell. If EA turned around and made the third entry in this series into a competent sandbox shooter and improved on the Don’s View mode, making it more useful and adding more depth to it, dropping the Godfather movie tie-ins, it would be a lot easier to recommend. As it stands now, you can find games that do what this game tries to do a lot better.

Violent, brutal and fast-paced action, enjoyable platforming, fun bosses and a fresh ambiance that kept my controller glued to my hand from start to finish.

It’s obviously not a game that will sell millions but it’s one of these games that need to be tried out at least once in your life. And since EA (apparently) won’t be releasing this game every year, it’s good to see how it has evolved since Head Coach 06.

Two Worlds II is so big, you almost need 'two worlds' to hold all its contents. And for RPG fans, that is what matters most.

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.

Roogoo: Twisted Towers will surprise most people as it is not strictly a puzzle-only game. The story will be entertaining for younger gamers while the puzzle action will satisfy everyone. It is disappointing that the multiplayer options were not more enjoyable, but for those looking for something to distract them on the Wii, even for a short play, this should do the job.

If you have friends who own this game then run out and buy it as honestly there really is no more enjoyable multiplayer experience on the PSN at this. The single player side of things is fun, but it only has so much enjoyment as the game was obviously built to be a multiplayer fun fest of rocket powered proportions.

TMNT: Smash Up isn’t a bad game really. It has competent, if not sluggish, combat, a great license and some fantastic looking unlockables. My problems with the game stem from all the chances that weren’t taken and the missed possibility a game like this has.

This action shooter is done well but lacks any long term gameplay value so I have trouble recommending this game as a buy at its current price. If it dropped down to 400 MS points (5 dollars) this would be one of hell of a game to own and something zombie fans could play with their friends.

While the balance board controls are actually well implemented this time, there’s no doubt in my mind that the game could have been so much better for those who like more complex, complete and challenging sports games on the Wii. On the other hand, Namco Bandai clearly wants to go after the younger crowd and the rest of the non-gaming masses and make them play without caring about other stuff than having fun. We Ski & Snowboarding has very little incentives to make hardcore gamers spend hours playing the game but newcomers will sure appreciate it.

If you enjoy role playing games, especially Japanese role playing games, the Last Remnant is a must buy. One of my favorite Square Enix role playing titles in years with much potential and hopefully a patch will fix the few noticeable graphic issues.

While it is lacking in certain respects, the overall package is a good time for the whole family. Kinect Sports is still the best of sports/party gaming bunch.

While it won’t win huge awards, The Wheelman remains a fun game to experience. The saddest part of all is that Midway’s economic problems have clearly hampered the development of the game. It feels unfinished, unpolished and compressed into its simplest form. When you go to the store to buy it or rent it, just don’t expect to be blown away and it won’t hurt your feelings.

Without a doubt, this is one of the most disappointing Final Fantasy games in a long time. A competent story is completely ruined by persistent camera issues, weak combat and poor objectives. You can clearly see the potential it had to be a great game, it just would have been better served by a bit more time in development.

While Scene It? & Buzz! have delivered the first taste of serious trivia games on consoles, Trivial Pursuit pushes the whole concept further by offering the most complete and challenging videogame based of a board game on the market as of now. Yes, even if the game doesn’t support online play, it remains a great game.

With this game, Beenox is once again solidifying their reputation as a movie-licensed game developer and will surely continue to surprise us in the future. After giving one of my favourite games based off an animated movie (Bee Movie), Monsters vs. Aliens does it again and delivers a fun and satisfying experience that every member of the family will enjoy.

There is so much to do in the single player campaign you can spend much time playing and replaying it, the skirmish maps add a ton of variety and with each setting you can adjust, the single player offers a wide variety of replay value, more then any other RTS on the Xbox 360 to date.

Fuel might not appeal to everyone because it fails to live up to the hype about the land mass size and open world racing, but if you are a patient gamer who is willing to just race and play the game for what it is you will find plenty of racing game to enjoy.

For those PC gamers who are willing to try out a new style of Japanese Role Playing Game this is a great game to play with its strong mechanics and story. But there will be some gamers who will think the game is too simple because it is a port of a console game and not actually sit down and see how deep and complex the game actually is. If you are unsure about the game just download the demo and give it a solid try and for the rest of the PC Role Playing Gamers out there just go out and buy this great title.

If you're looking to get your race on without asphalt, then you need to get nail'd.

For a niche title, it's a nice entry and it builds upon the franchise, so if you're really interested check it out. Otherwise, don't expect to be overly thrilled with the gameplay, even if you like the sounds of seagulls.

While the game was delayed for a few months after the movie was delayed it appears the developers did little to improve on the game and if they did it was not in good shape before the delay. A few issues bring down what could have been a great title and makes this a rent nothing more.

It's not great, in fact there are many elements I wouldn't even classify as good, but there aren't any massive, game destroying, deficiencies either.

While the 3D facelift is nice and the stages are extremely cute, the lack of level variety and short gameplay may have you forgetting about it in the long run.

3 on 3 NHL Arcade is a game that should not be a 10 dollar purchase, rather a bonus mode available in the regular NHL release. If EA plans on releasing a similar game in the future, it would be better suited to either bring back the under-appreciated NHL Rock the Rink from the original PlayStation or putting in some sort of ladder option or tournament mode similar to arcade sports titles from the 90s.

The fact that Hydravision took the time to improve on a few things before porting it to the PSP is good. If you have a friend to play with, your gameplay experience will be even better...and funnier. Just don’t expect an AAA quality game...but it does the job.

Three playable characters and plenty of secrets to find make this short game worthy of replaying, especially for multiplayer Co-Op games.

You’ll need to forget everything you know about accelerating/moving with the left stick and blasting away with the right – Shred Nebula is more technical than Geometry Wars, but nowhere near as addictive.

Slam Bolt Scrappers is an interesting concept hampered by trying to do too many things without focusing on delivering a solid, overall experience.

While it's not the top mini-golf game out there, it's still an enjoyable $15 investment.

If you played the classic versions like I did, chances are you will be disappointed with all the things that Robomodo left out. There was so much potential but not enough was delivered to live up to it. All in all, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD is still fun, but not worth its $15 price tag.

While the game lacks a bit of variety in terms of game modes, Inferno Pool is definitely worth checking out not only because of its price tag but also because of its unique and unconventional presentation. If you are in Europe and looking for an original and fun pool game to play, this game will do the trick. North American players will have a blast when this game releases “soon” on PSN and XBLA.

While Scene It? & Buzz! have delivered the first taste of serious trivia games on consoles, Trivial Pursuit pushes the whole concept further by offering the most complete and challenging videogame based of a board game on the market as of now. Yes, even if the game doesn’t support online play, it remains a great game.

If you are a fan, and can tolerate the inaccurate body sensing, then you'll find a lot to enjoy here. Just don't come in expecting the best dance game Kinect has to offer.

At the end of the day, Monopoly Streets won't replace the real Monopoly in your weekly family board game meet-up, but EA Salt Lake still manages to bring a faithful and interesting representation of the classic - yet simultaneously frustrating and mesmerizing - board game to your console.

If you're a Kingdom hearts fan, then I recommend it as a filler to give you a fresh KH injection. The story work was at times great, other times sloppy with the dialogue, and overall they could have brought it a but further than they did.

While it's got some decently slick looks and offers passable gameplay, Superstar V8 Racing just fails in every other respect to provide a unique enough experience to cover up the flaws.

For anyone who already owns the Gamecube version of Mario Power Tennis, there isn’t anything new here to justify another purchase unless you’re really looking for an alternate control scheme. That said, newcomers to the series are getting a great game for a fantastic price. Game, set, and match: Nintendo.

Of course, NHL 2K9 isn’t a perfect game and isn’t the best looking game but it does capture what we want to see, a playable and fun sport game on a console that definitely needs more than mini-games and Mario games.

Amazingly Too Human has some amazing graphics power behind it, with some wide open complex levels, dozens of monsters and the player or players destroying everything in sight, the game never slows down or lags at all. When we are used to games with 4 to 10 characters on the screen at once, seeing so many is a pure visual feast.

I believe Military Madness: Nectaris is an excellent example of a niche genre game that will really appeal to diehard fans of turn-based hex-board strategy fans. The rest of us will probably find the basics of the game, its repetitiveness and substandard graphics and audio to be too big of a turn off to give it any real consideration.

While Afro Samurai won’t be the worst game you will play in 2009, the only thing I can say is that it could be so much better. The incredible presentation level, the nice graphics/animations and the compelling storyline are overshadowed by the poor camera angles, the repetitive and tiresome gameplay and the impossibility to change the X-axis controls.

It has its flaws, but if you have a hankering for some classic evil dungeon master gameplay with a nifty new twist, Dungoens will satiate your hunger.

As stated before, portable Dynasty Warriors fans who have wanted to be able to play with their friends will be extremely satisfied with what Strikeforce offers and will be able to overlook the obvious deficiencies. While it might work for fans, new people looking and hoping that this would be the perfect title to jump into the series will be utterly disappointed.

If you love the James Bond franchise this is a great game to play single player wise. But it is a rental in the end as the only real replay value is if you want to get the achievements.

The Godfather 2 is a great game in a lousy shell. If EA turned around and made the third entry in this series into a competent sandbox shooter and improved on the Don’s View mode, making it more useful and adding more depth to it, dropping the Godfather movie tie-ins, it would be a lot easier to recommend. As it stands now, you can find games that do what this game tries to do a lot better.

The game concept holds enormous potential and brings a rare realism to the off-road genre, but it requires a few tweaks to the gameplay, and a more elaborate career mode.

This sequel is fun but gets quickly old when played by adults or experienced gamers. Of course, you will understand that these kind of games aren’t made with the purpose to compete with the CoD’s or Halos of the world but to give a cool, easy, fun and unexpensive alternative to game without hassles.

Explodemon tries its best to bring back fond memories of games that are nearly twenty-five years old, but it's geared towards such a niche audience that most gamers will be hard pressed at finding any long-term enjoyment.

NASCAR 09 is far better game than last year’s...but it still a long, long way from what we’ve seen in "NASCAR 06," which I still think was and still the best NASCAR game ever.

It might not be too much of a challenge for most gamers, but it still will give them an idea on why the anime has been so popular for all these years.

Essentially, Where the Wild Things Are is a standard platformer. Make no mistake, it’s still a solid effort, but the true selling point is really the chance to play through Sendak’s world, not the gameplay itself. If you enjoyed either the book or the movie, the Wild Things game will make a nice companion piece to either one.

While Afro Samurai won’t be the worst game you will play in 2009, the only thing I can say is that it could be so much better. The incredible presentation level, the nice graphics/animations and the compelling storyline are overshadowed by the poor camera angles, the repetitive and tiresome gameplay and the impossibility to change the X-axis controls.

There are a lot of kid-centric games out there that are well worth your money and this one isn't part of the lot.

And the issues with Bloodstone reach further than just a hard to grasp plot. Both the driving and the shooting suffer from a distinct lack of polish.

Harms Way is, if nothing else a fun multiplayer action racer and for the fantastic price of free, it shouldn't be missed by anyone.

Singstar Dance is a nice addition to any Singstar fan out there for the singing tracks, but if the purchase is heavily based on the dancing feature, the tacked-on offering by SCE London Studios doesn't deserve opening your wallet for.

The Mercenaries 3D is a fun game that will provide you with hours of fun. But, unless you're a huge fan, there really is no incentive to keep playing this game after you complete it once.

Overdose on the other hand is not worth playing unless you are a die hard fan of the original Painkiller and want to return to the series, it is playable but it felt more like a chore then a fun game.

Despite improving over some aspects of the first game, Conduit 2 feels strangely like a first effort. The rough AI, the bizarre and laughable story, and the lack of graphical polish give the impression that this was the first time High Voltage worked on the series.

While the game was delayed for a few months after the movie was delayed it appears the developers did little to improve on the game and if they did it was not in good shape before the delay. A few issues bring down what could have been a great title and makes this a rent nothing more.

Overall, weak production values hurt a game that had a lot of potential. Hardcore RPG fans will find something to enjoy but won’t get overly excited about it, while the average gamer will find this game to be interesting at first and then the tedium will set in. Clearly, if you like RPGs this is worth a try but otherwise I would pass on this one.

You won't pick this up before grabbing Dragon Age, but if you've already moved past the RPGs released over the last few years, Gothic 4 is an easy going and serviceable runner up.

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.

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.

If you enjoy story-based adventure games, you will really enjoy Time Hollow. There are plenty of twists and surprises along the way that you will want to see how it ends. The game is relatively easy but the hand-holding will disappoint the older crowd who will look for a challenge.

I enjoyed Silent Hill: Downpour, but with one nagging thought always tugging at my brain - it just didn't feel like a Silent Hill game.

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.

The competitive nature featured online creates an environment that successfully utilizes creative and strategic approaches against rivals.

Prince of Persia: The Fallen King is an ambitious but ultimately unimpressive platformer. Its interesting control scheme can be very fun and immersive when everything is running smoothly, but as soon as those moments end and frustration sets in the game ceases to be fun.

Overall the game is fun and is lacking in several areas, but in the end not enough to say this game is not worth buying for action gaming fans it is, but just do not expect too much and you should have plenty of fun.

3 on 3 NHL Arcade is a game that should not be a 10 dollar purchase, rather a bonus mode available in the regular NHL release. If EA plans on releasing a similar game in the future, it would be better suited to either bring back the under-appreciated NHL Rock the Rink from the original PlayStation or putting in some sort of ladder option or tournament mode similar to arcade sports titles from the 90s.

I have to say that I was hoping that Uprising would have been the third Real Time Strategy game which I could absolutely love this year but it has left a bitter taste in my mouth. This is an expansion only for those who are die hard Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 fans who are looking for more single player fun but do not expect the same level of quality as the original Red Alert 3 had.