With all of its ingenuity and charm, this episode is a great first step in Telltale's Pilot Program.

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is a fair bit more interesting than EA's most recent film adaptation, but I would've rather seen the developers tackle the project with the same level of creativity as a precocious kid with a pile of LEGOs, rather than squeeze the Potter universe into an existing and well-worn template.

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.

To me, this game is well worth the dough -- Cave's superior development quality is more apparent to those who play these games a lot.

If you're looking for a mindless way to rack up Achievement Points, go ahead and rent Ninety-Nine Nights II, but be warned -- it's like watching the first 10 minutes of the Battle of Helm's Deep on repeat for 30 hours. After a while, you won't even care who's winning the fights, and only periodic bathroom breaks will break up the monotony.

Trinity Universe's pleasantly creative silliness doesn't extend through all areas of its design, and that's its biggest fault.

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.

On the whole, War for Cybertron is a solid, in-your-face shooter that goes out of its way to appeal to longtime fans of the franchise.

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.

There a lot to love about Peace Walker. Its visuals, non-critical quests and activities, the addictive-as-crack base management, controls, and even co-op options (if that's your thing), offer a level of polish and craft rarely seen in a portable title. Unfortunately, its boring, hard-as-hell boss encounters keep it a couple of notches below a perfect score.

The tendency toward newer tracks, and the neglect of excellent older ones, is a bit disappointing, but as a whole, Green Day: Rock Band plays like a big, wet kiss for its fans.

Just like the players of the sport it's based on, the series sees gradual improvement over time through iteration, though it's fair to say a figurative shot in the arm wouldn't be unwelcome from time to time.

While it makes the games a cakewalk for Mega Man veterans, it allows you to appreciate Zero 1-4 as pure action games. That the collection allows us to revisit the series free of its excesses makes it well worth your time.

The tendency toward newer tracks, and the neglect of excellent older ones, is a bit disappointing, but as a whole, Green Day: Rock Band plays like a big, wet kiss for its fans. [Aug 2010, p.88]

In its current state, Backbreaker neither matches Madden's polish nor overcomes its monopoly on the NFL license; in fact, its shortcomings highlight several reasons why Madden remains so appealing.

Despite its flaws, I was won over by its varied gameplay, conspiracy-heavy, character-driven story, and engaging mix of action, stealth, and role-playing elements. It doesn't match Mass Effect 2's Game of the Year-like quality, but it does make me want to assassinate, neck-snap, interrogate, hack, zip-line, and globe-trot my way to its other possible endings.

The game is wrapped up in a professional-grade package that makes it stand well above nearly every other shooter on the App Store.

Blur has the potential to be a game that will be spinning in many a gamer's consoles for a long, long time. There seems to be an unlimited number of goals to shoot for at any point, and the core racing gameplay that Blur offers has enough depth to it to remain satisfying after hundreds of races.

And that's what makes Undisputed 2010 such a success: it addresses the problems of the past while making subtle improvements that make the product better. The graphics are crisper, the animations are better, and several new tweaks make the actual fighting more enjoyable. Even the menu system and user interface is cleaner and easier to navigate.

At first, I found ModNation's uneven racing to be a letdown, but what I've realized is that the game is more interesting as an open-ended content creation game; it's more LittleBigPlanet than it is Mario Kart, and if you put some effort and time into the game, you'll be rewarded with a garage full of interesting creations that will invariably bring you back to the track.

Galaxy 2 is a constant deluge of fresh ideas that are successful -- not because of its place in a franchise -- but because it is wholly willing to reinvent itself on the fly.

It isn't perfect, but Alan Wake is a superb mystery that has plenty to offer. Gamers willing to put up with the minor inconsistencies will be rewarded with a rich narrative that's definitely worth experiencing.

Although this is said of almost every single new Rockstar product, Red Dead Redemption is arguably their best effort to date, if only because it distills all of the lessons they've learned from their previous titles into an engaging, expansive, and enthralling world. But the best part of Rockstar's open-world oater is its honest and open appreciation for the iconic Western genre.

It may get overlooked with bigger Wii titles like Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M on the horizon, but for fans of the earlier titles, it's definitely worth a purchase.

I just hope they tweaked and improve the formula to address the issues I raised earlier because even with those small bumps in the road, Split/Second is still a worthy heir to Burnout's throne. If they can smooth out the ride, it will definitely deserve to wear the crown.

The Forgotten Sands is more than just a return to form for a long-running franchise: it's also one of the most gratifying platforming epics to come along in ages.

Although this is said of almost every single new Rockstar product, Red Dead Redemption is arguably their best effort to date, if only because it distills all of the lessons they've learned from their previous titles into an engaging, expansive, and enthralling world. But the best part of Rockstar's open-world oater is its honest and open appreciation for the iconic Western genre. [Aug 2010, p.82]

The Forgotten Sands is more than just a return to form for a long-running franchise: it's also one of the most gratifying platforming epics to come along in ages. [Aug 2010, p.90]