As with other 989 games like "NHL FaceOff," be prepared for a blinding, almost overcaffeinated pace as pitches rip by at a murderously fast clip.

Although it's leaning in a good direction, Music Jam could've used some more rehearsal.

For a fraction of the cost of Mario Kart (HCR sells for 800 Nintendo Points/$8) gamers can have almost as much family racing fun, almost.

When you consider that the game is at its best when the 3DS' depth slider is at its lowest setting and the game is already available for other platforms at a price far lower than $40, Rayman 3D makes little sense on Nintendo's newest handheld. While it's nice to have a 3D platformer for this 3D platform, a more polished effort would have been better.

A perfectly competent beat-'em-RPG, even if it doesn't do much to carve out its own niche in the Lord of the Rings universe. Its strength and weakness is that it's completely inoffensive -- the perfect middle-of-the-road game. Unfortunately, it's hard to see what helps differentiate War of the North from the pack, and the pack is where it's apt to stay.

While a fairly competent game, it just doesn't manage to add enough new content to make it worth a serious look.

As an overall experience, Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest was a lot of fun, but the rigid precision of its motion controls forced me to take more breaks than I would have liked, and the on-rails style gameplay left me feeling bombarded way too often.

It just turns out to be an object example of how even the prettiest eye candy can't mask flawed mechanics for long, and how gameplay that aims for greatness can stumble and wind up slumming it in Mediocre Town.

While the new game-engine changes are a definite added welcome, glitches and all, the omissions of the Story and Create-A-Wrestler modes leave this title rather pale and without substance compared to teh GameCube edition. [Aug 2004, p.68]

A fun, but pretty conventional ride.

While replaying completed levels to raise scores and collect more lums will unlock secret areas, the core simplicity of the gameplay may not tempt many players to romp again where they have romped before.

Samurai Girl is a Korean 2-D RPG that offers a bizarre spectrum of creatures to defeat, admittedly fun combat, and some truly beautiful art. Too bad the level grinding and uninspired maps make it a chore to play through.

Tabletop fans will probably enjoy playing it when a flat surface and friends aren't available for the pen-and-paper version. For everyone else, it's best to go into Blood Bowl understanding that it's best played with others, and largely a brow-furrowing affair when played solo.

The game sadly plays as a barely mediocre firefight.

This frantic fighter/shoot-'em-up hybrid is chock full of explosive content, but its distinctly Japanese tone and uneven production values may put off some gamers.

The gameplay, however, isn’t anything that hasn’t been done already, and the paint-by-numbers seek-and-destroy missions can get pretty dull after a couple of hours.

Despite some very obvious issues, Sengoku Basara is a gleefully self-aware package of big, stupid fun.

There are much better action games out on the PSP than this one, so pass it by unless you're obsessed with Star Wars.

TMNT provides some fairly fun ninja-style leaping around, but it's hampered by boring combat and annoying jumping puzzles that further suffer from control issues.

It may not be the deepest or most original action experience out there, but it's hard to deny the cheap thrills, over-the-top attitude, and mind-numbingly brutal mayhem present in Volatile's latest.

Wireless head-to-head play with a pal is a kick. It might not win over fans looking for a hardcore sim, but in the handheld rink, Gretzky NHL at least holds home ice.

Sometimes enemies take time to notice you, but once they do, the A.I. is fairly impressive.

Illbleed scores major points for twisted originality, even if unfocused and clunky execution keeps it from turning horror on its gory, severed ear.

This visually stunning space shooter lets you battle among the stars, but pilots may be bored by the monotonous shooting and the lack of an alluring story.

Sadly, the horrible control scheme puts a damper on this dapper British agent.

All in all, Wanted: Weapons of Fate isn't so much a game for fans of the shooter genre, but it's a game for fans of Wanted.

If you've been aching for a hardcore RPG experience on the PSP, go to class. [Apr 2009, p.83]

The fact that it's practically Sims 2 with Desperate Housewives textures, voice acting, and character likeness, hardly makes it appealing. The super-simple controls, drama-filled thematic scenes, and $19.99 price point may appeal to the casual gamer, but hardcore gamers should stray far away.