Dead Space is the most pleasantly surprising iOS release in a long time, and it's a game-changer as far as 3D action games go on iOS platforms.

Call of Duty: United Offensive's white-knuckle WWII scenarios will blow away even jaded FPS veterans. And that's no small achievement, especially for a mere expansion pack. [Dec 2004, p.126]

Despite some flaws WipEout HD is an enjoyable, eye-popping title. But its $20 price point for content that's 1-3 years old takes some of the fun out of it.

Few expansion packs come loaded with as many new features as Relic has seen fit to put in - two entirely new sides, an equal number of expansive campaigns, and enough potential multiplayer action to keep any player occupied for months.

There are so many courses, cars and race types in DiRT 2 that it's almost overwhelming to look at your world map. At one point I had almost 30 unlocked, un-played events just waiting to be tackled. It's a dense game with a lot to do, and you'll want to do it all.

Nevertheless, Sin and Punishment: Star Successor is a worthy successor to the N64 classic, and probably the best shoot 'em up on the Wii period.

What's so super about SMB? The added multiplayer games that turn this enhanced arcade port into one of the the best party games ever.

Bigger, badder and better than the first, Resistance 2 improves upon the formula set by its predecessor in almost every way. Unfortunately, a handful of minor issues, such as less than stellar graphics, keep this game from reaching the high bar set by competing titles like "Call of Duty 4" and "Gears of War 2."

A unique, beautiful title that tells a story without uttering a word - Flower is a quality game that deserves your time and attention.

It delivers more great city building action with enough twists on the genre to keep fans playing for hours on end.

Its cool story line, kick-ass muscle cars, and high-speed action make it a ride you won't want to miss.

The sequel doesn’t stray far from the original, but SSX Tricky has far more personality and the ultimate tricks wired—rewarding gameplay and a high replay value.

The most striking change is in the innovative control scheme--where you use the right analog stick to throw jabs, hooks, and uppercuts--which has now been slightly altered to enable you to fight more like a professional pug in the ring.

Anyone with even a passing interest in puzzle or role-playing games should take a long hard look at this endlessly addictive gem. Chances are that within an hour of downloading the trial version you'll be looking to purchase it.

But even as a solo-only experience, LittleBigPlanet is a brilliant fit for Sony's portable, maintaining nearly every bit of the charm and wide-eyed wonder of the console game while introducing PSP owners to this wonderfully unique series.

New races and units aside, the unexpectedly impressive campaign mode is perhaps the best surprise put forward by Relic. Distancing themselves from the linear structure of the previous campaigns, Relic has instead outdone itself once again, putting together a turn-based strategic level campaign that brings to mind the dynamic feel of Rise of Legends.

Most importantly—and this will make Dark Cloud fans very happy—Level-5 has fixed nearly everything wrong with the first game.

Despite its rather basic approach, GRID does deliver an intense model of racing that is as enjoyable as it is plain. The lack of vehicle tuning and the dearth of available cars leaves one corner of this square missing, but that doesn't keep it from rolling along.

The best and most substantial addition, however, is the new Jungle mission in which Fisher must maneuver through a beautifully rendered Indonesian forest of death.

By any measure, Kingdom Hearts II is an outstanding adventure made all the more spectacular by its uncanny ability to weave disparate strands of fiction into a single, engaging conglomeration of iconic characters and settings.

The most distinguishing difference between Half-Life and its PC counterpart is the sharper visual presentation.

GGX2’s stunning anime-inspired graphics more than compensate for the lack of a Z-axis.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time has just enough new content to justify its existence as a standalone title, and the fact that it looks, sounds, and plays like a dream only helps its case.

If you're a gamer who isn't' into twitch action, but you want something a little more intense than an RPG, step into Tenchu's dojo.

Be warned, some parts will frustrate you to the point of anger, but there's no shame in infinite continues.

A simple, tried-and-true blast from the past, faithfully recapturing the ’hog’s legacy and reigning in just enough characters and elements from the “new” to satiate anyone craving more from their marsupials than just movin’ to the right at really high speeds.

A basketball technician’s dream. Games against the CPU realistically mimic a real game, while scrimmages against friends received a boost of energy thanks to sped-up gameplay and better shot blocking. ESPN NBA Basketball 2K4 retains the top slot by just a hair.

At the end of the day, Persona 3 is an engaging title that truly pushes genre conventions in an exciting way. [Sep 2007, p.82]