If you enjoyed the exploits found in "Splinter Cell," try out Rogue Ops. It’s not as intense or compelling, but the game still has enough action to satisfy even the most hardcore stealth hero.

Simply a good idea that awaits complete realization. [Jan 2010, p.77]

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.

The game is also a trying experience online. Apparent lag, even though you're playing on broadband, is everywhere. Character animations are limited and it's difficult to target someone from long distance.

Captures all the basics of this fast-paced game. The fun for a non-rugby fan will be in learning about the sport, and Rugby 2005 just might win a few converts.

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.

Watching these heroes pirouette amidst the violence is surprisingly entertaining, and while Seven Sorrows doesn't deliver fully on the promise and longevity of its progenitor, it does provide a fleeting good time.

Unwieldy controls and average graphics stall this flyer. But the game is certainly not grounded.

Despite slow and repetitive gameplay and the lack of a compelling story, the premise is cool and the low-tech mech shootouts are tense. Ring of Red will be hypnotically fun to some and sleep-inducing to others; rent first.

If FIFA isn't quite realistic enough for your taste, WTS should scratch your soccer itch with its tight, sim-style gameplay and solid lineup of features, which includes custom teams, season play, the World Cup, and a variety of other cups.

If a Playstation is all you have and three Syphon Filters just isn't enought, then C-12 is worthy of your attention. [August 2002, p.86]

Despite its flaws, I found Payday to be more Ocean's Eleven than Small Time Crooks; it's got some clever moves, a fun sense of imagination, and it makes you appreciate (and rely upon) every member of your cast. Not since Left 4 Dead have I wanted to get my buddies together and spend late nights working together towards a common goal.

Saint's Row 2 deserves props for its phenomenal customization and inventive multiplayer modes-including drop in and out cooperative play-but it's derivative design lacks polish and panache. It's entertaining, but it's also outclassed by its competitors.

By today’s standards, these games probably won’t mean much to gamers who grew up on the combo flow-charts of Tekken and Soul Calibur, but these King games are nevertheless very playable thanks to responsive controls and intuitive easy-to-execute moves.

It's not quite Mirror's Edge or Dead Space, but if you like DMC, pick it up.

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

With more bump mapping and shading combined with beautiful particle and lighting effects, Nightcaster II's visuals are a few steps ahead of the prequel's, but overall the graphics look plain and at times muddy.

The number of play modes is impressive at first glance, but since most are only slight variations of "drive-fast-shoot-to-kill" scenarios, the typically entertaining action can grow repetitive quickly. The control is also reliable and spot-on, but the wonky, loose arcadey physics are entirely unpredictable and make some driving scenarios tough to predict.

Hulk provides thoroughly enjoyable action interrupted by moments of painfully simplistic stealth gameplay.

Thanks to the added dimension brought by the new powers and the slimmed down presentation, Sonic Colors is a fine example of a modern platforming title as well as the best 3D Sonic to come out in many years. It is the less-heralded of the two Sonic games to be released this year, but it is the one most deserving of a purchase.

The controls also suffer a bit thanks to the floaty physics and awkward use of the shoulder buttons for boosting and attacking simultaneously.

A deep and time-consuming game. It isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s fun in a unique sort of way.

This downloadable shoot-'em-up boasts plenty of explosive arcade-style combat, but frustrating boss battles and frantic on-screen action mean it might be better reserved for genre diehards.

For Romance followers, this addition to the series is the best yet. An unlimited number of accounting practices combined with more depth to the lives that you control can be an overwhelming if not humbling experience for wannabe rulers of the land. Just make sure you’re up for a long lesson in advanced bookkeeping.

All in all, I really feel like Puzzle Quest 2 on the DS is very limited by the hardware. While it's unrealistic for this port to look anywhere as good as the Xbox Live and PC versions, I at least would've liked some form of online multiplayer to give the port a little more replay value.

Taken with a healthy dose of tolerance, D-2 really shouldn't be a bad game to add to your collection..

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.

The easy tricks provide immediate gratification with a shallow learning curve, but there’s little depth.