Where the wheat gets separated from the chaff, however, is the A.I.; and Sega’s game is all whole-grain goodness.

This may just be the best comic book–based game ever.

No More Heroes easily ranks among the Wii's finest titles, busting a bunch of myths along the way. You say sword-based combat peaked with Twilight Princess? Wait until you slice a suit-wearing crony in half. The Wii can't do mature games? This game does it without the dark dreariness of just about every other violence-laden M-rated title. It could use a bit less filler, but No More Heroes is still a fine fight from the first blow to the last strike.

One of SH's coolest features is its excellent Dual Shock support: The controller beats like a heart, thumping harder when you're close to death, and its responsiveness keeps you in command.

Incredible cooperative and competitive multiplayer is brilliantly designed around the new maps, modes and enemies.

Shatter adds a lot of flavor to a traditional block breaker game. With definite influence from Geometry Wars and other HD remakes, Shatter is a must buy for almost anyone.

Deserves attention because of its captivating feel and deep features.

Excellent graphics, superb story, addictive gameplay, and a simple interface combine to blast 3D real-time strategy into the vastness of space.

The game is a blast and gave me a nasty blister on my left thumb, which to me is always a good, albeit painful sign, of a solid and addictive gaming experience.

Thanks to fresh physics challenges, ample combo lines, and trick-filled locales, Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX is the game to get.

It's perfect for quick sessions and there's enough content to keep you satisfied for a long while. If you take your DS with you everywhere you go, you definitely should put this on your shopping list.

What's really been most surprising to me is that the gaming experience as a whole is so fully developed for a startup MMO.

Most people will be reluctant to fork over that much coin for an XBLA title but considering the game's box feel and content both Penny Arcade and non-Penny Arcade fans will enjoy, you should get over that concern and play this game.

The control feels natural and responsive, but the Xbox 360 version features somewhat larger players on the feild than the PS2 - something gamers without big screens may wish to consider.

Renegade has its assorted other problems, like Gump-level enemy A.I. and somewhat silly mechanics (destroying a building’s master terminal disables the entire building), but the sheer fun of blasting your way through Nod's defenses and just being a badass makes up for a lot.

In between some breakneck driving and intense gunplay, you get plenty of tough guy angst, wicked doublecrosses, and excruciatingly brutal thuggery.

By delightfully melding combat and puzzle solving with solid pinball physics, Mario Pinball is not only the first pinball action/adventure game, but it's also a damn good one at that. [Nov 2004, p.130]

A great little game that instantly sucks you into a deep fantasy world of conflict and combat. The learning curve is average for an RPG game, but the rewards are well worth the study time.

As a quality tennis title and an impressive showcase of Nintendo's new tech, EA's ambitious first effort easily takes the cup.

While business minutia often drags down world-building sims, Operation Genesis offers enough variety and a bit of real action to not only set it apart but also keep players very satisfied.

A skillfully crafted work of art that delivers a high level of entertainment from start to finish, especially in high-definition and Dolby Digital audio (highlighted by great western music). But Gun won't jump out at you as a next-gen technological masterpiece--it's just too early for that.

While I still hold "Super Mario World" as the best 2D Mario game, with "Super Mario Bros. 3" as the runner up, New Super Mario hits a close third. But it does have much more replay value than the other two, as you could easily play this one a few times though without the risk of it getting stale.

The mud, the jumps, the skids, and fun track designs make Colin McRae Rally 2.0 one very enjoyable racing title.

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

There's an incredible amount of fun that comes from filing the shoes of some of the most inspiring musicians ever to walk the earth, and Harmonix captures this experience with same sense of magic that the Beatles were known for. It's well worth the price of admission, even if you forgo the replica instruments and stick to your stock Rock Band gear. [Nov 2009, p.74]

Virtually everything you come into contact with during your time spent with this game is laden with a truly warped sense of humor.

Presentation wise, the wide range of characters and vast courts look great and feature a high level of detail. Animation can be a bit stiff looking, but this is still one of the best-looking volleyball games ever.

If the offensive and defensive balance were just a bit more fine-tuned..., NBA Live 2004 would have the legs for multiple plays through the Dynasty mode and a clear shot as the top hoops game.