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.