If you were hoping that Episode One would shed more light on Half-Life 2's cryptic storyline, keep on dreaming. Taking a cue from "Lost," Episode One dances around key plot mysteries while giving very little in the way of new information.

Honestly, Radiant Mythology does absolutely nothing new, especially if you've played Tales games before, but I found myself have a lot of fun hacking and slashing away through beautiful dungeons.

Just like the board game its easy to learn, fast paced, and fun to play. But unlike the other Hasbro Family Game Night offerings, its two new modes are pretty feeble.

Even with the lack of a Crash mode and no online play, Burnout Dominator is a wise investment, even for the Burnout first-timer, especially with a $40 price tag.

Boom Blox offers a great gaming experience with a ton replayability; you'll have to excuse the pun but this is one title that truly does qualify as a "summer blockbuster."

Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit managed to really impress me. It's not perfect but it's a fast, over-the-top fighter that's an absolute blast. The single-player Z Chronicles mode is perfect for hardcore fans and the multiplayer options are good enough that you'll want to call your friends over for a few matches.

Still, there's no denying that the Tony Hawk franchise has some life left in it and Proving Ground is yet another deep and satisfying entry in the dominant skateboarding franchise. [Dec 2007, p.120]

Mevo & The Grooveriders offers incredibly addictive achievements, enough to keep your appetite full with a never-ending plate.

It offers a strong finish to some great episodic gaming. Not Trogdor strong, but pretty close.

Everything in the game looks damn good. Whenever I would boot Infernal up, I had co-workers stopping by my cube to exclaim, "What game is that? It looks awesome."

LCS is probably as long as most other GTA games, and even without the multiplayer mode that was present on the PSP, this one is well worth the single Andrew Jackson.

When compared to past Tales games, Abyss has only really changed a handful of aspects. However, those changes are obvious upgrades and have made a huge difference in the overall gameplay experience.

It offers a strong finish to some great episodic gaming. Not Trogdor strong, but pretty close.

While Iron lore deserve kudos for the much-needed tweaks, it's a shame they didn't take more ambitious chances and really push the formula to new heights. On the plus side, if you liked "Diablo II" or "Dungeon Siege II," you're sure to love Titan Quest. It is, after all, almost precisely the same game.

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.

Finally, finally, we have a game we can experience the same way baseball games are meant to be experienced: every night for several hours.

Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit managed to really impress me. It's not perfect but it's a fast, over-the-top fighter that's an absolute blast. The single-player Z Chronicles mode is perfect for hardcore fans and the multiplayer options are good enough that you'll want to call your friends over for a few matches.

There's no sense in mincing words: Tekken 5 doesn't come close to capturing the full graphical potential of the PlayStation 3. In fact, as far as next-gen brawlers go, it's a bit on the homely side.

Tank battles can get quite challenging.

The fast-paced Star Fox action, easy controls, and the fun multiplayer portions definitely outweigh the bad.

A decade after the original's release, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is a faithful improvement on what is still one of the best tactical RPGs around. [Nov 2007, p.97]

It's cute, fun, and for some extra whimsy it gives you a daily fortune reading as well. At twenty dollars, this game should be selling like crazy.

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.

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.

Street Fighter Alpha Anthology is a canonical addition to any fighting game fan's game library. For the listed price of $29.99, Street Fighter fanatics couldn't ask for more. With the addition of Gem Fighter, friends and family members will be holding Street Fighter Alpha tournaments and trash-talking each other in no time.

The only problem lies in the hefty system requirements that are required to produce all this eye candy; if you don't have the rig necessary to run it at a high enough setting, you miss out on the true beauty of the game.

Treyarch and Activision have done an great job with COD3 and created an experience that is at once much the same, but also better, than its predecessor.

If you're looking for a laid back alternative to the typical XBLA fare, A Kingdom for Keflings is for you. It's a humorous, low-pressure/high reward strategy game that gives your brand new Xbox avatar something fun to do.

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.

If you've got to choose between one version or the other, it's hard to go wrong, though the PS3's Get in the Ring mode is a tempting bonus. Otherwise, it's pretty much a draw.

Order Up! offers up just enough addictive fun to make it worth your while. It's not going to unseat Cooking Mama from her culinary throne, but it is an entertaining experience that's perfect for a few rounds of bite-sized fun.

The A.I. has also gotten smarter to the point that if you are caught out in the open, you're as hosed as Brittney's post K-Fed career. Sure, you can try to forgo the use of cover and concealment but bloody wounds and humiliation will be your only reward.

Its only real drawback might be its rather short length, as experienced gamers will probably smash through the single player levels in no time, even at the highest difficulty level but for small, bite-sized chunks of action, Empire definitely satisfies.

The sheer capacity of things to do in San Esperito is enormous and usually overwhelming.

The Umbrella Chronicles does a lot of things right. It combines the atmospheric charm of the ResEvil series with awesome light-gun gameplay, then throws in a wealth of bonus material to unlock and discover. It's the perfect way to prepare yourself for the upcoming "Resident Evil 5."

The best thing about playing Spider-Man 3? Without a doubt, the web slinging. Thanks to a tight control scheme and great level design, slinging around the virtual city is one of the game's great thrills.

With a bright and bubbly gameplay, it's hard not to enjoy the work Telltale put into it, with fun sounds to go right along with it. With about six hours of gameplay, you'll be hooked and wanting more, just in time for the release of the next episode.

What seems like the perfect game for kids is actually a challenging game for adults. Who knew? Still, Zack & Wiki is a terrific game that will stick with you for a long time.

An immense treat that offers fresh and innovative gameplay experiences. If I had to level one complaint against the title, it's the fact that it's missing the little bit of extra polish that gamers have come to expect.

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

Despite playing similarly, LOTRO is not "WoW," and that's perfectly fine. If you are into LOTR, you'll probably find this a more engaging experience than other fantasy MMOs because of the meatiness of Tolkien's Middle Earth.

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.

Overall, Zen Pinball does it right and puts itself into a class of its own. Pinball machines are a very unique invention and to replicate the feel of one by using a gaming controller isn't easy. But with gorgeous graphics, fun sound effects and addictive featury gameplay, you'll gain faith in a game like this.

Faster than any shooter out right now.

Another great aspect of the game was its length: while there are only seven islands in total, there is a surprising amount of content that is unlocked. The graphics are also excellent as are the designs and layouts of the various levels.

Meets or exceeds its predecessor in almost every way. The dialogue is better, the story is more interesting, and the puzzles feel like they serve more of a purpose.

UFO: Extraterrestrials has largely managed to capture the elements that made X-COM such a classic and iconic game. Almost nothing about the game can labeled as innovative or revolutionary, but it is such a well packaged refinement of a proven formula that it is hard to complain.

The various tests should give your brain quite a workout, while the neat visuals and multiplayer mode should keep you busy for quite some time.

Abe Lincoln Must Die pulls Sam & Max right back up from the slight stumble that was episode three and prepares them for what will hopefully be two more great installments before the end of Season One.

As a sequel, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: March of the Minis surpasses the original by leaps and bounds backed by the capabilities of the Nintendo DS, however the new control scheme does take some getting used to.

The best thing about playing Spider-Man 3? Without a doubt, the web slinging. Thanks to a tight control scheme and great level design, slinging around the virtual city is one of the game's great thrills.

Those able to play Shadowrun with an open mind and invest the time to learn the game will find one of the deeper online FPS games to date.

Hardly a turn passes in the game where you aren't faced with a potentially crucial decision, making for addictive, "just one more turn" strategy gaming at its best. And the best Heroes game since "HOMM III."

The game also has a tightly implemented control scheme, including an awesome strafe system that all but eliminates lock-on issues.

While it's true some of the quirkiness of the humor is better conveyed in the Japanese counterpart, Elite Beat Agents is no slouch, and is an overall very fun game.

With an involved battle system and so many different characters and stories, you're guaranteed to enjoy every second that you'll inevitably invest in Odin Sphere.

Smackdown 07 is easily the best wrestling game to date. There's enough juicy content here to keep you busy for years to come, which is enough time for Hulk Hogan to retire and unretire twelve times.

If [you] live and breathe online gaming, GRAW 2 is undoubtedly a must-buy.

By virtue of being around longer, the Xbox 360 has more compatibility and a larger, more cohesive community to play with. While you're still guaranteed a good time on the PS3, it's tough to truly rock out when you know there's a bigger venue to play in and a better band on the way.

Despite the multiplayer lack, it's fun enough taking turns on puzzles that you can play it with friends anyways.

There's no denying that the Tony Hawk franchise has some life left in it and Proving Ground is yet another satisfying entry in the dominant skateboarding franchise. But here's hoping they start to innovate again next year, because if they don't, their competition might just leave them in the dust.

Cerebral gamers and those with world-conquering ambitions should definitely give this one a try. [Aug 2008, p.76]

While the game isn't littered with NPCs, there's a lot of interaction with fellow bounty hunters and objectives given from outside sources. It seems like this and the multi-planet settings were both added to make the game feel more like an action-adventure than an adventure-action title, which is a shame since it flies in the face of what made Metroid one of the best franchises in gaming.

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

An undervalued and overlooked title, TNT Racers has a lot to offer. If you're a kart-racing fan you won't regret your purchase -- just don't expect much action with other players online.

The spiritual sequel to Konami's solar sensor enabled "Boktai: the Sun is in Your Hand," Lunar Knights is a deep action-RPG that could have been a DS classic if it weren't for a couple of major blemishes that detract from the game's greatness...Chief among these is the lackluster character development.

But even without that crucial feature, Wii Sports Resort still feels like an accomplishment, not only because it offers a fun and accessible experience built around the MotionPlus attachment, but because it may very well renew optimism in those jaded by the lackluster motion controls seen over the last couple years.

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.

It’s not the dominant game that its NBA brother is, but it’s still very worthy of a look.

Though it misses a beat here and there, DAMM ultimately rocks hard in the gameplay department.

By far, the best element in the game is the hilarious commentary.

Because you rarely see the same thing twice, the game will be frustrating for some. Gamers are used to seeing patterns in puzzle titles and there aren't many here, but that's what makes Roogoo so addictive, and with 45 levels, a game with high replay value.

Catering to a portable game console and still keeping Resistance fans happy is a tall order, but at the end of the day Resistance: Retribution pulls off these difficult tasks with flying colors.

All the hours of trial and error eventually pay off since the freedom in creating move animations is immense.

That sense of cohesiveness isn't always present in New Super Mario Bros. and it makes for an uneven experience that's difficult to score.

The Munchables is one those games that you know is silly, and you'll feel guilty for playing it, yet you can't help but love it. With a $30 price tag, you can't go wrong picking this up.

Though sometimes slow and laborious, .hack//G.U. Vol.1 Rebirth is a well thought out update to the series, and is a welcome addition to the growing dot hack family.

The animation is startlingly fluid—game replays are absolutely uncanny—and you’ll spot nice details like tires getting dirty when you leave the track.

An engaging story, colorful graphics, a fine soundtrack (including solid voice-acting), and responsive controls means this sequel easily delivers the kind of solid adventure that fans of the genre crave.

If you're looking for a long-term relationship with your handheld action RPG, and can suffer through a couple of rough patches, you will find yourself in the loving embrace of all the addictive content Monster Hunter Freedom 2 has to offer.

Those without boiling Guardian Heroes nostalgia are probably going to wonder what makes it any better than Castle Crashers, another celebrated downloadable beat-'em-up that was greatly inspired by Treasure's classic brawler. They have their little similarities, but is there anything that makes one less worthy over the other? Not at all -- GH still has that extra complexity in the fighting and the RPG-like leveling system.

Smooth handling is complimented by solid physics, while the opponents boast A.I. that is much more balanced than Freekstyle’s rubber-band rivals.

It boasts a fun engine, endearingly weird characters, and funny voices and sound effects, but lacks a few key customization options that keep it from becoming the ultimate champ.

Hulk isn't quite the stellar action vehicle it could've been, but it's got more than enough solid fun to justify a purchase. If cathartic obliteration is up your alley, you'll find plenty to enjoy in Ultimate Destruction.

A solid and engrossing basketball game that may lack the high quality presentation and panache of EA's NCAA franchise, but holds its own with an engaging and fairly deep set of options and selectable play modes.

If you’ve lived in the city your whole life and don’t know a dang thing about cows, don’t fret none: the controls are easier than ’possum pie.

It's becoming increasingly rare for companies to release new and unproven titles that buck convention and focus on changing the current landscape but Clash of Heroes does so remarkably well, making for a unique and satisfying title that feels totally fresh. I recommend it to any RPG gamer looking for a unique take on the established genre; puzzle fans should take a look as well.

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.

Eustrath feels like a polished console release in a handheld package, but it's not without its issues -- namely, the story translation could've used a bit of work, and there are some noticeable balancing problems early on.

What’s really missing is the intense, edge-of-your-seat close-quarter combat that made the first game so arresting.

If anything, the whole game feels a little stiff—it’s visually arresting and robust but not as immersive as some other first-person games.

"NBA Street" has a better all-around arcade-style game, but if all you care about are big dunks and big points, NBA Jam will deliver you to highlight heaven.

With NHL 06, EA Sports is revisiting its roots to create a feature-stable game with both style and substance, and it all starts with the controls. Quite simply, they are the most responsive ever.

Every year the NASCAR series seems to emphasize a different aspect of the sport. But this year, the focus is back where it belongs: on the driving and on-track competition. [Nov. 2006, p.102]

The music really does most of the heavy lifting here and I'd gladly purchase the soundtrack if one was made available but the game's lack of polish left me a little flat.

Most of the good 'uns ("River Raid," "Pitfall") still hold up surprisingly well, though "Kaboom" is totally unplayable without the paddle controller. [Apr 2004, p.86]

Chocobo Tales is about quick and easy fun. The Crayola art style, pop-up book style graphics and fable stories may make it seem like a kiddie title and technically, it is. However, the game is fun enough that and packed with enough nods to diehard fans that Final Fantasy fans of all ages should give it a look.

Originally on WiiWare, there are some concessions to the touch screen with virtual buttons occasionally getting in the way of objects you need to move. This is a small price to pay for such a wondrous platformer at a fraction of the price.