Overall, Medieval 2: Total War is an excellent real-time/turn-based strategy experience and definitely warrants a look, if not a sure-fire purchase, by fans.

My main gripe with this game, besides it's overwhelmingly average feeling, is its load times. Simply stated, they are HORRIBLE -- and there are lots of them.

Viva Piñata is a game that can be enjoyed by children, teenagers or adults. The universal appeal of this game lies with the fact that people generally like animals and nice gardens. What VP does is to combine these elements into an enjoyable experience.

It's difficult to really describe what exonerates the game from being considered a lifeless, average game. Maybe it's the stunning visuals, or the satisfaction from chainsawing your opponents into chunks of flesh or the unparalleled sense of realism. It has its problems just like any game, but the experience of playing Gears of War is undeniably incredible.

It provides plenty of glorious visuals, the audio is top-notch and the missions are pretty damn fun.

t's a marvel to behold, a lot of fun, and the very pinnacle of WWII simulators.

Good game, but it's basically more of the same.

In the end, Guitar Hero II is basically the same game as Guitar Hero, but with a much higher difficulty and a completely revamped multiplayer mode.

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is a fighter that will draw fighting fans to its crisp, fast, fighting action and will entertain fans of the Dragon Ball franchise.

As the last Final Fantasy of the current-gen, it delivers as the best of the bunch. An epic story, incredible characters, slightly-innovated battle system and some of the best graphics seen on the PS2 add up for an incredible journey any RPG fan shouldn't miss out on.

For RPG lovers, picking up NWN2 is a no-brainer. The game has the story, the characters, the action and the lore behind it to make it an enjoyable piece of work.

When you couple the sheer entertainment value of the Power Stone games with the fact that this title offers two games for the price of one, that should be reason enough to warrant a purchase from any gamers looking for a great PSP fighter.

But the blatant flaws like inconsistent difficulty spotted with flat unfunny humor attempts, as well as huge gaps between storyline progression seem hell-bent on making you not really care as much as you should.

Whether looked at as a standalone game or an update to previous Guild Wars titles, Nightfall is a winner. While it isn't particularly innovative and won't win any awards for major technical upgrades, it is a very nice addition to the series, and most importantly, it's simply fun to play.

Dark Messiah is a prime choice for action lovers, but keep in mind the little letdowns and possible performance issues before you put down the cash to buy it.

The action and plot are both intense and well-woven, as well. The cutscenes are lengthy and numerous, but don't really wow you. And the weird distortion of reality heralds back to a much-missed adventure hey-day where the plot mattered more than simply looking pretty.

While the story itself is quite compelling and the premise is very interesting, the numerous technical problems keep this title from ever achieving its true potential.

In the end, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a nice refresher from the X-Men Legends series, and a game no comic fan should miss. If you enjoy the arcade-style titles of this nature (such as Gauntlet or the previous Legends titles), you'd also do well to pick the game up.

In the end, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a nice refresher from the X-Men Legends series, and a game no comic fan should miss. If you enjoy the arcade-style titles of this nature (such as Gauntlet or the previous Legends titles), you'd also do well to pick the game up.

Despite a few clipping issues and the cramped control style, I found Downhill Jam to be surprisingly good all-around.

Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption brings a new dimension to the EaW series, and provides a novel perspective of playing as the underground criminal element in the game.

Despite the presence of a few flaws, there really is no reason for an old school gamer to overlook a rare gem like Capcom Collections Reloaded. The bite sized portions and sheer variety of games make this entry a must have for any casual player, frequent long distance traveler, or aspiring king of the playground.

All and all, the game will run between four and six hours, depending on how long you decide to look and click on everything. A lot of the dialogue and comments are nifty, and intriguing to listen to. The puzzle solving is relatively easy, and the humor is the major draw to the game.

Coming off of a long session of playing Bully, you could easily feel like that time was spent with a GTA title. But whereas the countless knockoffs have simply tried to recreate that experience, Bully has taken the genre and used it in a completely different mold; it's this extremely fresh take on things that makes it so much fun.

It provides plenty of glorious visuals, the audio is top-notch and the missions are pretty damn fun.

As a new title, Battlefield 2142 holds its own. For a team-based shooter, you can,t do much better with what,s available today, and if you,re looking for a game to move your clan to, this may be what you,re looking for.

The lack of character selection throughout most of the game, the limit of two-players, and a few frustrating moments when special attacks decide not to work take away from what could have been a stellar superhero title.

Once again, we've been treated to - at its core - an updated version of last year's game with a few minor tweaks to try and spruce things up. ESPN integration is sparse, the game itself plays much like last year (even with True Aiming once your golfer is good), and the complicated menu system and buggy online game yield more frustration than fun.

Microsoft's Flight Simulator franchise has been in the running for over 25 years, and the latest game, Flight Simulator X, improves on several concepts, and also unveils the most glorious visuals in a flight simulator ever, earning the title "The Biggest Game I Ever Had to Install."

If you're a fan of 4X games or want to engage in one of the most in-depth strategy games released lately, then Space Empires V is your ticket.

When all is said and done, Tales of the Abyss will most likely find a home on the shelves of Tales fans, but it doesn't seem like this will be the game that makes Tales a mainstream RPG brand in the US.

God Hand's high level of difficulty and disappointing lack of technical innovation places it in the love it or hate it category. One thing's for sure though: it definitely should not be overlooked.

The main gameplay is solid and the lengthy PGA Tour mode and Team Play mode will keep you quite busy for many hours. On the downside, production values are rather loose and inconsistent and the game has more than enough of its share of graphic, sound, physics and ball placement issues.

With better gameplay, the largest number of characters yet, a very deep Kreate-A-Fighter mode and the ability to create your own fatalities on the fly, fans of Mortal Kombat will be hard pressed to not pick this one up.

Hands down, Dark Crusade is a hell of an expansion. It adds even more longevity to the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War franchise, and really opens up the creativity behind all 7 factions.

In the end, Pacific Storm is not the best of three genres put together, but it's certainly not the worst. The game provides solid tactical gameplay and air/ship simulation, but the gameplay can be tough - especially for new gamers.

GTR 2 is the best installment thus far in the series, which, for many gamers, will make this the best racing game ever seen on the PC-if not of all time.

From a technical standpoint, DEFCON may be an outdated game, especially compared to some of the current powerhouse offerings. But from an artistic point of view, the game,s brilliantly designed and really evokes a certain set of emotions.

Just Cause was filled with a lot of great ideas. It had the potential to be an awesome game, but what comes across as unsurety on the part of the development team really hampers it.

This is just another example of how a game with apparently decent production values fails based off the lack of proper planning and design.

Fans of the franchise or new fans will be pleased with Caesar IV; it's a solid historic city building game with plenty to do.

Ford Bold Moves Street Racing, in spite of its faults, will offer some good hours of racing fun.

There's not a whole lot more to tell in this turgid tale of DDR madness. The new modes may draw in a few extra players that previously haven't tried out these titles, but fans of the series know what they'll be getting in the end.

To summarize, this is not a game for everyone; it has its load times and a learning curve that can throw the average user at first.

Ford Bold Moves Street Racing, in spite of its faults, will offer some good hours of racing fun.

In the end, NBA Live 07 falls far short of expectations. It will take a lot for NBA Live to right itself and be a quality title again next year.

What NBA 2K7 boils down to is entirely based upon the player's desire for realism. For those dying to see the authentic animations in a basketball title on the Xbox 360, 2K7 will suffice.

Despite The Godfather: Mob Wars' impressive visuals, voice acting and decent attempt to offer a dynamically different experience from other console versions, awkwardly mapped controls, an uninspired mini-game, recurring bugs and an overall lack of depth keep it from being a truly unique handheld experience.

In the end, Okami is a truly great game, and one people have rightfully anticipated for a long time.

It's definitely a quality game that Xbox 360 owners shouldn't be quick to pass over, but if you were annoyed by the game's repetitiveness or didn't enjoy The Godfather in your first go around, then there isn't enough here to warrant a purchase.

The gameplay is widely addictive and chaotic in Company of Heroes, and that's something you don't see very often in RTS titles these days. Relic continues to redefine themselves as a top RTS developer, and with two solid franchises under their belt, they're up there with Blizzard as the masters of the genre.

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy is a winner, and deserves a second Alliance Medal of Honor. May the Force be with you -- always.

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy is a winner, and deserves a second Alliance Medal of Honor. May the Force be with you -- always.

With over 150 levels and boss stages, there's enough variety to keep things interesting, and old-school players will feel right at home with the familiar and mostly untouched format of the past.

Perhaps with better level design, Rengoku II could have been a contender, but as it stands right now the game fails to deliver the goods.

Mega Man ZX may suffer from a few cosmetic flaws, and it may be widely regarded as one of the most difficult in the franchise, but it would be a huge mistake for anyone to discount this game based on such small factors given how incredibly solid the gameplay is.

One Piece: Pirates Carnival is nothing short of a poorly done Mario Party remake.

American McGee, you blew us all away with Alice, but somewhere after that you turned down the wrong road. Please find your way again.

The massively open online racing idea works, but critical portions of the racing and the game itself prevent this from being the next big thing.

Gamers may become frustrated at the time it takes to travel throughout the city, framerates are jittery at times, and save areas are sometimes too far and too few. In spite of these shortcomings, the tremendous work on the plot of the game is where this title shines.

Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins takes an old school approach to making a side scrolling platform game, but improves upon the concept by making gameplay extremely challenging.

Bomberman Act: Zero is a perfect example of what happens when game developers have good intentions, but bad ideas.

If you aren't a fan of One Piece, you may want to rent Grand Adventure before you buy it, to see if the simplicity of the combat really puts you off or not. If you're a fan of One Piece, though, this game is easily a must buy-you'd do yourself a disservice if you didn't pick it up.

At its core, this game is very similar to the first adventure, but there are enough improvements to at least make THIS title your new addiction and give you a reason to (finally) set Disgaea on the shelf for a little while.

Despite its shortcomings, Saints Row is a fantastic addition to the Xbox 360. It contains a long singleplayer experience, and has the potential to be an extremely rewarding online one as well.

In the end, Madden NFL 07 is an improvement on the series. With some new running features and an Xbox 360 version worth the price of admission, it seems EA is trying to prove that they still care about improving their game, even without competition.

In the end, Madden NFL 07 is an improvement on the series. With some new running features and an Xbox 360 version worth the price of admission, it seems EA is trying to prove that they still care about improving their game, even without competition.

In the end, Madden NFL 07 is an improvement on the series. With some new running features and an Xbox 360 version worth the price of admission, it seems EA is trying to prove that they still care about improving their game, even without competition.

As a free download this game is definitely a can't-miss for FPS lovers, and definitely worth a look even for those who might not otherwise take the plunge and pick up a copy of F.E.A.R.

It is DarkStar One's repetitiveness that decimates its chances with anyone other than space-sim buffs. While it's addicting, the gameplay just isn't varied enough to fulfill the game's potential greatness, nor keep you engaged for the game's lengthy storyline.

In the end, despite a few minor flaws and annoyances, Dead Rising is easily one of the best games of the year, and I haven't had as much fun playing a video game in a long, long time.

As there have been many films adaptations thus far in video gaming-and most of them have never failed to disappoint to some degree-I shouldn't be surprised by this particular title's shortcomings. However, with a cast including Bruce Campbell and a solid movie to draw from, I hoped for more.

As there have been many films adaptations thus far in video gaming-and most of them have never failed to disappoint to some degree-I shouldn't be surprised by this particular title's shortcomings. However, with a cast including Bruce Campbell and a solid movie to draw from, I hoped for more.

WarPath tries so hard to be other games that there's no room left for innovation or more than five hours worth of enjoyment.

Super DragonBall Z makes the most out of a sometimes overworked genre and will provide some hours of good old-fashioned fighting action.

he game offers furious water gun shooting action with great graphics and sound, but has problems with various camera angles and in-game bugs.

From a perspective outside the nitpicking, it's a really fun game; it's scary, fast, brutal, and very well executed. Despite its shortcomings, it's still definitely worth playing. It's not perfect, but it's damn close at times.

From a perspective outside the nitpicking, it's a really fun game; it's scary, fast, brutal, and very well executed. Despite its shortcomings, it's still definitely worth playing. It's not perfect, but it's damn close at times.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja is a surprisingly refreshing approach to the world of fighting games with lightning quick action, lots of power-ups, good anime cut scenes, a respectable fighting system and a gameplay that will appeal to die hard fighting fans as well as to the general gamer.

In the end, Rush for Berlin is still quite enjoyable despite its flaws and should be credited with making a good effort, especially since it could have easily been mislabeled as just another generic World War II title.

Although it introduces nothing new to the series, LCS stands well as a sequel to a game that started a video game revolution. Those interested in finding out where the continuation of the story takes Tony will find themselves caught up in another mess to clean up, and more people to run over.

So, while The Movies: Stunts & Effects Expansion Pack offers plenty for the hardcore moviemakers who compose the original release's main fanbase, more casual players will gain little from the expansion pack.

Valve really has done a great job showing people that episodic content doesn't have to be such a bad thing and can give the developers a chance to implement changes to the code as hardware becomes more and more powerful with time. The game is absolutely worth playing through and should not be overlooked in any case.

Stacked offers some of the most realistic poker gameplay out there. The game isn't a fast game, and this will bring down the enjoyment level for the majority of gamers.

In the end, Hitman: Blood Money does come out on top as the best title in the series. Blood Money makes up for most of its faults and shortcomings by offering a load of new features and entirely new ways of completing mission objectives.

In the end, Hitman: Blood Money does come out on top as the best title in the series. Blood Money makes up for most of its faults and shortcomings by offering a load of new features and entirely new ways of completing mission objectives.

Stacked offers some of the most realistic poker gameplay out there. The game isn't a fast game, and this will bring down the enjoyment level for the majority of gamers.

In the end, Hitman: Blood Money does come out on top as the best title in the series. Blood Money makes up for most of its faults and shortcomings by offering a load of new features and entirely new ways of completing mission objectives.

It's difficult to review a game like JAWS Unleashed without feeling a bit frustrated, because the idea shows so much promise, yet the execution is just plain terrible.

The Da Vinci Code will have the greatest appeal, ironically, to those who have not read the book or seen the movie, as a strong familiarization with Dan Brown's work may actually detract from the gaming experience.

The Da Vinci Code will have the greatest appeal, ironically, to those who have not read the book or seen the movie, as a strong familiarization with Dan Brown's work may actually detract from the gaming experience.

The first installment to SiN Episodes is really a tossup between wanting to know what happens next or completely quitting right away, because the gameplay is getting too old.

Overall, SpellForce 2 offers a change from the typical RTS fare. To say that the game is a true RPG is stretching the genre to its breaking point; the game is essentially a fantasy RTS with RPG elements added to the gameplay.

Despite the penalties for dying, and the occasional boring quest or tedious running. Guild Wars is an excellently planned and executed MMORPG. It has the mass appeal of NOT costing you money every month.

To wrap everything together for you, Metal Saga is definitely not your average RPG. The game features a cliché storyline, a nameless youngling as a main character, horrible graphics, an overused soundtrack and a nasty stream of currency.

To view this package as a whole, it's not the most amazing thing in the world. A weak plot, been-there done-that cutscenes, semi-generic weapons, and a view perspective that has been rarely seen since 1990 make it sound worse than it really is.

If you like the idea of driving while firing machine guns and rocket launchers from your mobile death machine in a post-apocalyptic wasteland in a fully-destructible environment, this is the place to do it.

When all is said and done, this is the Tomb Raider experience that fans have been craving since the series faltered: platforming action mixed with intense firefights and grand puzzles.