Sometimes linear action is definitely made up for with great humor and excellent voice acting.

It's a testament to the Metal Slug series that the movement to the Game Boy Advance, a medium known for marginalizing and, ultimately, diminishing the play experience of ported games, has not lost any substantial quality in translation. The run-and-gun, cartoonish action is as abundant and entertaining as ever.

DA2 is certainly a well-acted and better-looking game by dropping its ported qualities, but without the thoughtful structure and fully realized world like that of Origins, it's one that exists in the hyphenated space of "action-RPG" where the first 5 hours are almost identical to last 30. The demo was a good taste of what Dragon Age 2 could have been, it's just a shame it never goes anywhere beyond that.

Diehards of the genre will comment that puzzles in this version have been "dumbed down" and are no longer as taxing as previous games, relying instead on simple mechanical or jumping solutions to get the job done. I’ll have to agree with this point, but...

The save system could have been better designed and the multiplayer is nothing special as well, but it is still amusing when playing with the right people.

If you like Simulation games like "Animal Crossing," you will most likely get a lot of enjoyment out of Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life.

I find some of the new features should have been part of the original to have made it a more complete game.

Like its forebear, Resurrection of Evil has graphics superior to any other game around.

This diamond in the rough makes me want to brush the dust off of my PSP and give it a whirl. Gurumin is an action adventure game with a classic cutesy Japanese look and a well suited plot line.

A lack of enthusiasm in the sounds, repetitive and sometimes dull environments, and the terrible character animations keep this game out of the elite category.

The single-player mode isn't perfect but, considering the limitations of the Xbox, the graphics almost are-and the audio is pretty good, too.

Whether you are a follower of the Japanese anime culture, or a dedicated RPG fan, or merely an enthusiastic player looking for something of value, anyone desiring an in-depth gaming experience will love Digital Devil Saga.

Beyond the unusually attractive RTS gameplay variety of melee and strategy, and the advanced interaction levels granted to the game's main cast of characters, Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes doesn't quite achieve its own ambitions.

The lack of emotive content is conspicuous by its absence, as is the inability to wander from the game's restrictively linear path, as well as the option to accomplish mission objectives from multiple perspectives.

Sometimes linear action and low quality cutscenes are made up for with great humor and excellent voice acting.

For the price and the quality of the game, Hearts Of Iron Platinum is the best WWII strategy simulation on the market currently.

Though the multiplayer aspect of the game is beyond pathetic, the single player campaign is a mildly entertaining diversion from the drudgery of office paperwork. If that sounds like a limp endorsement for an action game, then that's because this is a pretty limp excuse for an action game.

Whether you’re a seasoned adventure gamer, an MMO player looking for a truly different experience, or you simply have an appreciation for a fully immersive gaming experience, Uru Live is worth your exploration.

I love this game. Frantic, old school gameplay plus a great visual style, multiplied by a terrific sense of humor equals a lot of fun.

Its mindless fun will keep gamers intrigued for a good while and even help them sweat off a couple of extra pounds.

Big Red One comes across as a nicely presented game with some impressive visuals and memorable moments, but it doesn’t have enough to make it stand out from the rest.

At around ten dollars, Risk: Factions provides a lot of gameplay and another motivation for ditching the tabletop for the console.

With detailed attention paid to its more lacking qualities, there's no reason why this couldn't burst into a full-fledged contender in the FPS genre. However, such was also the argument made for its predecessor.

A perfect sister specimen of the German Nazis; though it has high ambitions and generally operates as a differentiated tactical game and employs a wealth of detail, beauty, and intricate depth, it’s ultimately defeated by its own shortcomings and underdeveloped foundations.

It really is a joy to play a game that hasn't been done what can seem like hundreds of times.

While Massive Assault has the potential to be a massive assault on your free time, it falls a bit short due to the repetitive feel and limited depth of the gameplay.

Fans of the series will be satisfied by the amount of secrets and unlockable features in the game, but for the non-fans, this might be worth a rental instead of a purchase.

The idea of your alter ego, if you can call it that, could've been expanded further, and the selection of monsters could've been richer.