All this action is powered by a load of good-looking, intricate, new animations and improved character models to produce a great little NBA show. NBA 2K6 has great appeal for that gym rat inside all of us.

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.

Raven's crafted a more than competent FPS, combining some great, if underutilized, ideas with a narrative that's a cut above most in the story-starved genre.

Surprisingly solid and fun.

The control scheme is sublimely genius, letting you perform midair attacks and dash around foes with poetic ease. The manual camera is still a bit too loose, though, and leaping and running against walls isn’t as reliable as you’d like it to be.

You can never get enough of a classic. Super Mario 64 is essentially here with enough DS goodies to make a compelling dual-screen package.

The mini-game stages can be disappointing (the hamster-ball sections have completely unrealistic physics), but overall Crash is not a bad little platformer at all. Unoriginal but not bad.

Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars 3DS is a lot of fun. It doesn't make great use of the 3D, but it doesn't mess it up, either.

Sure! Collision Effect's core puzzle mode isn't really worth putting time into, but it's one of the more interesting action-puzzlers on the App Store, and is easily worth the price tag.

Where the original sold itself at least partially on the "wow" factor of its then-impressive pre-rendered visuals, Donkey Kong Country Returns is all about what matters most in a high-quality platformer: Inspired, challenging, and inventive level design, backed up by a delightful, cartoon-like atmosphere.

Blacksite is a decent enough FPS title that's the gaming equivalent of a summer action blockbuster: it sure as hell won't win any Oscars but it delivers just enough thrills to make you feel like you got your money's worth.

The way of the samurai is a lengthy road that rewards those who show patience and persistence. [Aug 2004, p.66]

Last Raven is the seventh and last Armmored Core title for the PS2, and it's definitely the best of the bunch. [July 2006, p.78]

Endless variations on battles and the ability to customize characters make this game a good value for serious fans. People looking for less involvement and hack-and-slash may want to rent or avoid this title altogether.

The formula still needs a bit of work, to be sure, but Age of Pirates is definitely a potent breath mint fit for the mangiest of pirates, if only for the seaworthy ambience and ability to play in full pirate regalia without feeling silly.

The Xbox version of MS3 is a brilliant translation of its arcade parent that, in some ways, surpasses the source material. [Aug 2004, p.66]

This is Final Fantasy like you've never played it before.

The soundtrack is soothing. The gameplay is simple enough for casual jaunts, while offering enough complexity to leave you tearing your hair out in the best sort of frustration. And it's only $10 - go buy this.

The big feature missing, which also made Underground innovative, is the ability to draft other cars. Without it, Rivals is just another racing game. Additionally, the Drift mode, which was addictively fun on the consoles, is now water downed to a flat, frustrating way of trying to skid your car in an unfashionable manner.

Fans of Double Fine's most unique game yet will enjoy their time in Camelfoot, but those who never saw Stacking to completion probably won't be satisfied with this new tale.

If you remember the days of Game and Watch with fondness, or are intrigued to see what gamers played back in the day, this is definitely a fabulous gaming curiosity!

If exploration’s your thing, this Raider is for you. Have no fear about entering this Tomb.

Features stupendously well-animated characters and a boopy-yet-catchy soundtrack. The control's spot-on, too.

A wacky, wonderful meditation on the Mario phenomenon. As for the game itself: The combat system is clever, nicely varied, and wickedly fun, but a little more depth to the adventure would have sealed the deal.

There's plenty of fun to be had but the title falls just a little short of the hurdle that it's trying to leap. [Oct 2007, p.83]

A complicated beast. Is it the best Soulcalibur game ever? You bet...but not by as huge a margin as you might have hoped.

Cross Fingers is a challenging tangram puzzler that combines problem-solving, creativity, and reflexes. From the beginning levels to the brutally difficult later missions, this digit-twisting game is great for puzzle fans of all abilities.

Despite showing its age, MDK2 is a great port. Ahead of its time when it was originally released, this updated model of an off-the-wall third-person shooter is well worth a look.