I would love to see this title moved to a console, where the controls could be streamlined and hopefully the load times reduced. As it stands, The Witcher is an extremely fun game with the nasty habit of succumbing to narcolepsy at the most inappropriate moments.

Weirdly enough, although the console version of Dark Void was supposed to be the main focus for Capcom, this little side project turned out to be an arguably better game.

It's really pretty incredible how dense this game is.

If you've already paid your full subscription, get to downloading Dangeresque 3 right now and enjoy the best episode yet. If, for some strange reason, you are on the fence about committing to this series, this is the episode that will hook you.

It's very demanding and frequently frustrating, but it's a lot of fun (more fun than the original, for sure) for those who have what it takes. The game also rewards the elite more than any other game of its type.

The game was number three in a field of three last year, but this season it looks great and has dramatic gameplay improvements for all skill levels. [Apr 2005, p.97]

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 combines beautiful graphics with excellent controls to bring all the excitement and frustration of golf to your iDevice.

If you're not so keen on the more sim-like nature of Forza or GT, it's a great buy. And if you like either or both those games, but want to experience raw and exciting racing, Shift 2 certainly delivers enough frenetic action to make it a great additional purchase. In that respect, it's a winning formula.

Granted, it’s a very short game that certainly won’t mesmerize you for weeks, but the value of its multiplayer side as a killer party game makes it a very worthy addition to your PS2 library.

The story is laughably bad, and McKane has to be one of the most unlikable protagonists ever. Even worse, the racing gameplay just isn’t that exciting, largely due to lackluster handling and A.I. competition.

The first-rate gunnin’ action takes precedence over everything else in the game. This is one crisis that all pistol enthusiasts should make time for.

Everything from the story line to the sword-slashing gameplay is both fun and captivating, launching Musashi into the realm of outstanding PlayStation RPGs with "Final Fantasy VII" and "Breath of Fire III."

Controls are as sharp as ever, and the opponent A.I. is tight.

Offers true harmony between arcade and simulation football games, but with more attitude than both of them put together. Oh, and it’s fun, too.

Even if needles make you squeamish or you feel faint at the sight of blood, Trauma Center is a cure for what has been a spell of mediocrity on the DS. [Nov 2005, p.131]

The audio and visuals are pristine (gotta love that water), the core gameplay's solid as ever, and as a party game, there are few equals. If you wanted a revolution, you probably wouldn't be buying this anyway.

The open, expansive world of Hitman is certainly what makes this game an enjoyable experience. There's a good mix of stealth and action, and your enemies are smart enough to give you a challenge to the very end.

Ultimately, AOE III has clearly won the battle for graphical supremacy, but for all its improvements elsewhere, it has yet to win the war for RTS dominance.

With solid gameplay and humor to spare, Rise of the Pirate God provides a fitting ending to a fun story. That leaves newcomers the task of doing what series vets have been up for since July -- getting on board.

Episode 2 is so well written, funny and enjoyable you'll gladly submit to the domineering, steel toed boot of your new red masked overlord.

If you buy just one tower defense game this year, well, knock yourself out. But if you want a really good action game with some tower defense, some great scoring challenges, some wonderful multiplayer support, some great graphics, and a wonderful sense of humor, you can't go wrong with Toy Soldiers: Cold War.

It's hard to put the sheer size and brilliance of Assassin's Creed into words. It is an epic game that you have to experience for yourself. I will caution that the game is not for the impatient or the faint of heart. While you can plow through the main storyline in under 20 hours, to truly get every single last shred of gaming goodness, you will probably have to put in twice that number.

Overall, these issues are minor annoyances. ilomilo is an endearing, thought-provoking, and addictive puzzler. And with a selection of bonus mini-games and a well-balanced co-op mode, gamers are sure to get their money's worth.

Engrossingly fun to play. [Nov 2005, p.132]

Once you get a game going with friends or online fodder, though, On Fire Edition shows its best side, and could easily turn "one more match" into hours spent cracking jokes and laughing at every comment the announcer makes. And for a b-ball know-nothing like me, that's more than enough justification to find yourself playing a sports game. Just don't take it too seriously.

As Obi-Wan Kenobi once told me, "Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view." Good advice when thinking your way through Echochrome's frequently mind stumping, addictive I-think-my-IQ-just-went-up-10-points, levels.

There truly is a deep, rewarding, and splendiferous RPG behind Arcanum’s dated, clunky machina…but only the most intrepid RPG fanatics will have the patience to dig it out.

Delivering such an exhaustive package of quality games and extras earns Capcom a high score on this one.

It’s really no more than yet another extension of a five-year-old gameplay device. Concept, meet the breaking point.

Online FPS fans who like the heat of tactical team action will really dig the constant squad-level action of PlanetSide.

Occasionally the platform-leaping gets tedious and some of the levels needed more work, but nevertheless Outcast dominates.

Minus points for adding a golf Gamebreaker, and Xbox custom soundtrack support for in-game play would have been nice.

If you never got the chance to play the original Crysis -- either because you didn't have a decent enough rig to power it, or you just never got around to it -- it is still a fantastic shooter that's worth downloading. And considering that it's part of a planned trilogy, now's a good time to get caught up on the story and experience the game that started it all.

If you never got the chance to play the original Crysis -- either because you didn't have a decent enough rig to power it, or you just never got around to it -- it is still a fantastic shooter that's worth downloading. And considering that it's part of a planned trilogy, now's a good time to get caught up on the story and experience the game that started it all.

While it's insane stunts and action-packed firefights ooze their own brand of explosive charm, Just Cause 2 falls victim to an unwieldy mission structure and unfortunate lack of variety.

Most surprising are the vehicle-based sections of the game. In a word, they're fantastic.

The best thing about the gameplay is that it's all about reflex and intuition --accessible to all, but hard to master online competitive play.

Knights seamlessly melds a good 6 to 10 hours of highly entertaining gameplay and maintains the level of quality Oblivion is known for.

Because of its genuine old-school vibe and high difficulty level, gamers new to the Bit.Trip series may be immune to Flux's charms. But if you're up to the challenge and are looking for a downloadable title with a true retro feel with some stellar, rave-inspiring music, you will have a blast with Bit.Trip Flux.

It’s really no more than yet another extension of a five-year-old gameplay device. Concept, meet the breaking point.

For every good aspect of the game there seems to be a bad one, and when you balance that out across the board (or ski), it just adds up to a game that tries to evolve a winning formula but falls prey to its own ambition.

Wetrix works. It might not click with every puzzle fan at first; but after a few hours, the addiction’s pretty potent, and Wetrix starts to show itself as more than a mere digital water demo.

You don't need to be a fan of modern art to appreciate Proun, but don't be surprised if it turns you into one.

So while Star Fox 64 3D isn't quite worth a 3DS purchase on its own, it still has a place alongside Ocarina of Time 3D as one of the few 3DS games worth buying immediately. If you decided to spring for a 3DS at the newly-reduced price point, now is the time to make good on your purchase.

Fun and light-hearted play. A tongue of praise to Yoshi's Island 2 for not only remaining true to the classical style but also adding new elements to keep things fresh.

The sometimes simplistic graphics could still use another boost, and enemy taunts and anguished cries can grate on the ears in their repetition, but Fireteam Bravo 2 is too much fun for such irritations to scrub the mission. SOCOM may be stumbling on its console home, but it's standing tall at its portable post.

Strong voice acting and sound effects (listen for the subtle heavy breathing when running), and a patriotic score set a believable mood, while the dark, detailed, war-torn streets of New York City are almost too tangible.

If you've already paid your full subscription, get to downloading Dangeresque 3 right now and enjoy the best episode yet. If, for some strange reason, you are on the fence about committing to this series, this is the episode that will hook you.

The odds were stacked against GoldenEye 007 from the outset -- and it's unlikely to ever bear the same level of importance as the original -- but Eurocom and Activision have emerged with a Bond shooter that is not only a great Wii game, but one that does both the franchise and genre as a whole justice.

The saccharine score is standard Nintendo fare; it will creep into your psyche and have you humming at random intervals throughout the day.

There's no doubt that Patapon 2 is as graphically stylish and addictive as the first game. It retains the core gameplay that you love while adding a ton of new features and concepts.

Dark, brutal and hilarious in just the right way, MadWorld is a title that has rocketed to the top of every staff member's must buy list. Don't let the fact that it's on a "kiddie console" fool you-this is one title every "hardcore" gamer needs to play, provided you're over eighteen years old, of course.

The good news is that piecing 'coasters and parks together is easier than ever; between the flexible camera controls and the effortless new terrain-building tools, RCT 3 squeezes tremendous functionality out of its elegant drag-and-drop interface.

It's hard not to draw the comparison between Fragger and Angry Birds, but the similarities are obvious. Fragger has arguably better level design than Angry Birds, but Angry Birds has a bit more variety because of its different types of birds, so the two coexist well and are certainly not clones.

Graphically, it's difficult to find any real differences between the two versions- in other words, they both look pretty good- but overall, I'd have to give the win to the Xbox 360, which comes out slightly on top with visuals that were a wee bit crisper.

Even though it's yet another take on Tetris, Pokemon Puzzle League has enough game modes to give it extra depth, and learning the art of advanced chains and combos will take a long time.

A fine expansion with fun locations and seductive opportunities, but it needs a bit more gameplay balance before graduating to the "real" world.

It's hard to put the sheer size and brilliance of Assassin's Creed into words. It is an epic game that you have to experience for yourself. I will caution that the game is not for the impatient or the faint of heart.

But EA Sports Active has a great core--it will motivate you to work out and have you doing it the right way.

It's a ton of fun, especially if a friend gets involved. The motion controls really adds to the competitive experience of the game and should lead to some intense living room battles. But the game itself has a distinctive retro feel, with its lackluster graphics.

What makes Dawn of Discovery unique is its art style, which makes gameplay look like a moving painting.

Those who paid the $10 fee when it was an iPad exclusive are essentially getting the iPhone game for free, and those who haven't purchased the game yet should jump at the 50%-off price, because it might not last long.

Developers have been consistently improving upon touch-based platformer controls on the iPhone and Pizza Boy offers a wonderful continuation of that trend with a large, yet unobtrusive control panel forming the bottom of the screen.

It's a quick and challenging puzzler that delivers gameplay we haven't seen before on the App Store, and I'd call it one of the best original puzzlers I've played on my iPod Touch.

This is the breakout, must-buy hit that WiiWare needed to justify its existence. LostWinds is a beautiful and unique exploration-based platformer that takes full and natural advantage of the Wii's control setup.

While the PSP port plays almost exactly the same as the console version, it also suffers from minor graphical sloppiness, bipolar A.I., and extended load times, which are on par with many of the graphically heavy PSP titles.

It's an interesting addition to the Final Fantasy franchise and proof that Square Enix can deliver a good title that doesn't fall back on RPG conventions. [Dec 2007, p.132]

But expert scribblers will no doubt find Super Scribblenauts' enhanced approach a major net positive over simply receiving a larger batch of levels, while the rest of us finally have a user-friendly way to experience this immensely creative idea.

But for all the genre-requisite spike avoiding, platform hopping, and ghost dodging, the stars here are the levels themselves. They are, in essence, entire puzzles to be solved by leading Mario mites into toy chests, finding keys, and backflipping onto triggers that make some walls or walkways materialize from the ether, and others magically disappear. Me likes.

Deception's drop-dead gorgeous graphics are loaded with clever details (Mileena's thinly veiled mouth or razor-sharp teeth, for instance) and vibrant colors. The Xbox version has the edge over its PS2 brother with sharper graphics.

Doesn't quite surpass the gameplay standard set by the recent "Perfect Dark," but it does have better audio and the graphics are a notch above its predecessor, "GoldenEye."

My only qualm with the demon was that he never really veered us off the beaten path, for the most part we were always trying to get from point A to point B; I would've loved to take in the sights more.

One of the better games to come out on XBLA in the last few months.

But Jamestown doesn't get bogged down in its devotion to the classics of the genre, nor does it try to attract a certain crowd with its art style (yes, I'm talking about Deathsmiles and its ilk). It instead focuses on giving you as many ways to grit your teeth as possible, and doing so with a solid shooting base. It's easy to fuss about the missed potential of playing the game online (a genuine problem), but what you get here is plenty. It's also a decent excuse to get that group together, provided your friends are as crazy as you are.

A deep and engaging title that makes a worthy capstone to the epic series. Like Return of the Jedi, it brings the trilogy to a satisfying close; here's hoping that they don't mess it up by releasing a bunch of prequels.

With an equal amount of attention to detail across the board, Midnight Club: Los Angeles is a fun racer that won't bog you down with menu after menu of tuning specs and testing screens.

Given a few caveats, Great Little War Game fills the void once filled by Advance Wars, and that's honestly one of the biggest compliments I could pay it.

You can't help but wonder if the game could have been even better if they had decided to slightly re-design the gameplay for 2D.

An intensely addictive, if not particularly innovative, racer.

The game motocross wannabes have been craving for years—and it’s just what you’d expect from EA’s Big series.

Its hair-raising visual creep-outs and deft handling of foreboding folklore are undermined by a steadfast reliance on survival/horror-genre trappings and boring gameplay execution.

Takes off in a fresh new direction with riveting air combat that mixes thrilling missions with simple controls, solid multiplayer support, and an intriguing story line.

Parasite Eve will leave you thrilled, chilled, and a little hungry, but it’s well worth the price of admission.

Ultimately, if you're not a Pokéfan, this game won't change your mind…but if you don't mind the adorable monsters, there's lots of unusually satisfying gameplay here.

If "serious" is the last thing you associate with hockey games, you'll have a blast hammering out checks on Hitz’ rink - especially since Midway’s rolled back the price a notch.

Plays like Zelda with bombs instead of swords and shields.

Like "Mario Party," "Bomberman," and "Super Smash Bros." before it, the amusement level in this ridiculous frenzy increases exponentially with the number of people in the room.

At such an enticing price, having to subscribe to the episodic format is a small concession for such great content found in Sam & Max.

The bottom line is that Worms has always been a fantastic game so it all comes down to how complete a given installment is, and Worms Open Warfare 2 is easily the defining title in the series. [Oct 2007, p.87]

Most surprising are the vehicle-based sections of the game. In a word, they're fantastic.

Hardly a groundbreaking fighting game, but it delivers a massive lineup of classic characters coupled with a tried-and-true fighting engine. It’s rock-solid fighting, plain and simple.

It doesn't reinvent the wheel with new gameplay mechanics or revamped graphics, but WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 excels once again as the definitive pro wrestling game on the market. Fans of the series and pro wrestling alike should definitely put it in their queues.

Even with these few select caveats, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is a stellar addition to the series and a new beginning for Capcom's fourth largest franchise. One has to wonder with all the multiplayer RPG aspects, will there be an online Onimusha title on the horizon.

Deception's drop-dead gorgeous graphics are loaded with clever details (Mileena's thinly veiled mouth or razor-sharp teeth, for instance) and vibrant colors.

The gameplay area is huge.

Though a few weaker points keep it from reaching amazing new heights in the B-ball genre, NBA 2K6 remains a fine example of what a high quality multiplayer launch title can be.

Overall, Perfect Dark Zero is a solid first-person shooter (it's certainly more user-friendly than "Quake 4"), but the nagging flaws push it a few notches below the greatness of its predecessor--not to mention justifying the $50 price tag.

By no means a perfect game - however, it's quite addictive and has the best controls for any soccer game so far. [Nov 2004, p.145]