It’s too buggy, choppy, and unrealistic to be considered even a solid title.

With its various bugs, issues with physics and AI, and lackluster visuals, it would be hard to recommend the game as a bargain title, much less a full priced game.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is a lot like Marvel Ultimate Alliance; it just looks, plays, and sounds a lot better.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 may play pretty much the same as Marvel Ultimate Alliance, but it represents huge steps forward in presentation and technical fidelity.

Scribblenauts is a masterpiece. A flawed, frustrating, brilliant, masterpiece.

There is no doubt that it is on the short side, and even though plenty of downloadable content is on the way, I really think there should have been more songs on the disc. Also, despite the additions and changes, this isn’t quite the “built from the ground up” gaming experience that was originally described. The Beatles: Rock Band is exactly what the title says: Rock Band infused by the music of The Beatles. In the end, it is a terrific game that Beatles fans, regardless of gaming experience, will want to play ceaselessly.

The Beatles: Rock Band is definitely a fantastic journey through the career of what is possibly the world’s most beloved music group of all time.

There’s no two ways about it, Muramasa: The Demon Blade is the most rewarding game to hit the Wii this year.

If you're a fan of tactical RPGs, there's no reason not to pick this game up, as it's one of the best on the system. If you're not, than you're missing out, and it might be worth eyeing up the first game to get ready for the sequel.

It's half the price of the PC version and comes with a few extra maps after the original campaign is over, adding even more value where, in all honesty, none was needed.

Even so, Timegate’s shooter is a well-put together experience that should make Tribes fans giddy, and remind the rest of us a time, for better or worse, when shooters were a little bit bigger.

There’s no questioning Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny’s technical acumen; it’s a brilliant fighting engine that looks amazing, sounds great, and plays just about perfectly. It’s just a shame that there’s really no good way to play it.

It has been a while since I have really enjoyed a new Guitar Hero game, and after the lackluster release of Smash Hits a few months ago, I didn’t exactly have the highest hopes for Guitar Hero 5. However, I was happy to be proven wrong, and found GH5 to be a significant improvement and Neversoft’s best full band game yet.

A significant improvement and Neversoft’s best full band game yet.

So far, the story is great, the puzzles are wonderful, and the script represents some of the best writing in the industry.

The problems that can't really be forgiven, however, come from the slow pacing. True, slow pacing on its own doesn't necessarily mean bad pacing, but Cursed Mountain's molasses speed doesn't work in the game's favor.

A phenomenal achievement, and I can’t wait to see what Rocksteady has in store next—personally, I’m hoping for a sequel set in Gotham City. Arkham Asylum is the kind of game you can’t stop playing, yet don’t ever want to end; it was almost a shame to have to review it, because I really wanted to take my time and enjoy every inch of Arkham Island.

Dissidia Final Fantasy offers an enormous amount of content for Final Fantasy fans, but fails to deliver an engaging or satisfying fighting experience.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is certainly more of the same, but I don't think anyone is going to complain.

Just as was the case with the episode before it, Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 2: The Siege of Spinner Cay's puzzles represent excellence on Telltale's part. Not only are they consistently intuitive and well developed, but are generally accompanied with hilarious dialogue that should make any fan of Monkey Island chuckle from beginning to end.

Even when compared to other titles in the Summer of Arcade line-up, it’s more than worth the money, proving, once again, how much is possible within the limitations of digital distribution. It’s a must-buy for fans of the genre, and still worth investing time in for anyone else.

Wolfenstein comes so close to being a really good game, but just falls short. The fact that it came near its former greatness is almost more disappointing than if it had been terrible; with a few original ideas, this could have been the must-have shooter of the summer.

The fact that it came near its former greatness is almost more disappointing than if it had been terrible; with a few original ideas, this could have been the must-have shooter of the summer. Instead, Wolfenstein offers a weekend or so of entertainment, but will quickly be forgotten in the onslaught of triple-A titles coming later this year.

Luckily, the plethora of new additions makes the nagging issues less offensive. It just misses being the football messiah many Maddenites are claiming it to be, but Tiburon has found a way to take their successful formula to the next level, creating a football experience that’s not only incredibly satisfying now, but has me looking forward to where they go from here.

It just misses being the football messiah many Maddenites are claiming it to be, but Tiburon has found a way to take their successful formula to the next level, creating a football experience that’s not only incredibly satisfying now, but has me looking forward to where they go from here.

Trials HD manages to seamlessly combine elements from racing, puzzle, and platform games to make one of the most surprising gaming experiences of the summer. It’s everything you would want in a downloadable title: fun, challenge, replayability, and though it’s at the high end of the XBLA pricing spectrum at $15, it still feels like a great deal.

It’s not broken, but every aspect is terribly designed.

Turtles in Time Re-Shelled was fun while it lasted, but that time was far too short.

Even for a movie tie-in, GI Joe feels like a rush job. It’s not a terrible game by any means; the game mechanics mostly work, there’s plenty of variety to the characters, scores of things to unlock, and even playable Cobra characters like Storm Shadow and Firefly. It’s just that everything it does has been done much better by many different games.

The sum of all the parts is much greater than the individual pieces, and I hope that strong word of mouth gets this title into more homes.

While it lacks the strong story of “Point Lookout” and “Broken Steel,” it’s much more enjoyable than “Operation: Anchorage” or “The Pitt.

Sadly, due to Sony's refusal to ship the PlayStation 3 with headsets, just about every game has problems with communication.

While it's not a bad episode by any means it definitely doesn't feel like the ending Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures needed to end a success. A grand adventure this was not.

For fans of the original game, this is easily the best version of Marvel vs. Capcom 2. The improved visuals help make it feel like a 2-year-old game instead of a 9-year-old game, the online play is phenomenal, and the price ($15) an excellent value for a game that costs at least $90 for a used Dreamcast copy.

Already it’s better than both the Wallace & Gromit and Strongbad series, and makes a move on some episodes of Sam & Max.

For fans of Wii Sports, there’s no reason not to pick up Wii Sports Resort. It comes bundled with the Wii MotionPlus, contains several addictive offerings, and should provide some variety at your parents next Wii Sports party.

With only 22 characters, no unlockables, and a broken multiplayer component, King of Fighters isn’t just a feature-poor package, it’s an unfinished product.

Challenging, intelligent, whimsical - Little King's Story is a wonderful game, and one that should be mentioned in the same breath as nearly any other game of quality on the Wii.

Difficulty issues aside, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord provides Wii owners with one of the best strategy games on the system.

It isn't for everyone - it's in a genre of its own, halfway in-between an RPG, a simulation, and a tower defense. In the end, the main faults lie in the unpredictable AI, and not being able to control or accurately guide the dungeon dwellers' movements.

A dream come true for many gamers of the 1990s, this is a remake done right, with the care and attention this property deserves. In fact, if other adventure games get the same treatment, I would likely re-buy all of them just to experience the new graphics and sounds.

It's a meaty package, providing a lengthy singleplayer portion and a multiplayer that, if tweaked a bit, should provide a wealth of replayability.

A solid football title that won’t shock or amaze anyone. It’s a by-the-numbers EA football experience with some new online features and a thin, college-flavored candy shell. It’s in no way a bad game, or even a mediocre one; it’s just that it fails to innovate in terms of gameplay.

It’s a miniature version, a smaller, quicker Battlefield, and one that is better suited for a downloadable title. Even with its faults, 1943 is absolutely worthy of a purchase. You’d be hard pressed to find a better downloadable game thus far in 2009.

It’s a miniature version, a smaller, quicker Battlefield, and one that is better suited for a downloadable title. Even with its faults, 1943 is absolutely worthy of a purchase. You’d be hard pressed to find a better downloadable game thus far in 2009.

Already it’s better than both the Wallace & Gromit and Strongbad series, and makes a move on some episodes of Sam & Max.

Bit.Trip.Core is a prime example of a downloadable game done right. It’s addictive, provides a challenge, and most importantly, it’s cheap.

Zen Studios delivered a game that even hardcore fans of the comic book vigilante would have to be extremely bored to even attempt trying, let alone devote extended periods of time to playing.

Mindless, shallow, and temporary entertainment, deserving of a rental and not much more. The way the story is presented as an afterthought is inexcusable, and the repetitive fetch quests and contrived missions can only keep one occupied for so long. It’s not a failure, and it is far from being the worst movie tie-in of the year, but Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince once again falls short of being a worthwhile game to add to your collection.

The Half-Blood Prince isn’t worth buying at full price for any system; five hours is far too short, especially for a game this repetitive.

Roogoo: Twisted Towers isn’t a terrible puzzle game; in small doses, it can be entertaining, especially if you have friends nearby to play with. However, it never feels especially challenging, nor did I feel any desire to go back and improve my scores.

Gamers looking for a fun Western-themed shooter should look no further than Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood. There’s nothing incredible about it, but it’s a strong title with a solid enough story to keep most people interested.

Don't buy Infernal unless you're teaching a "What Not to Do in Game Design" seminar.

Droplitz may not be perfect, but the promise of an addictive puzzle game experience has definitely been fulfilled.

It’s faster, more dynamic, and more fun than the previous offering, and it does a better job of emulating its sport than just about any other game out there.

The Conduit isn't the Wii's Halo no matter how much Nintendo fans want it to be. It's more in line with Killzone 2 for the PlayStation 3, but not in the way of quality. Just as was the case with Killzone 2, The Conduit shows exactly what is possible on the system. The difference is, in the case with the Wii, the answer isn't that much.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen did one thing right: it improved on the previous game in the blockbuster tie-in series. Unfortunately, the last game was a glitchy, broken mess, so that’s really not saying too much. In small doses, Revenge can be somewhat entertaining, but after spending more than half an hour with this game, I was ready for a break.

It's fun to be evil in Overlord II. Collecting wenches, decorating the dark tower, buying weapons, and upgrading magics all work towards making the main character seem as powerful as possible. In the end, it's a better game than the original, but not by as much as would be hoped.

The best in the series so far. The new area is a new world unto itself, and I would love to see Bethesda move further south in future installments if only to add more variation to the locales we’re allowed to visit.

While the “Broken Steel” expansion may have reopened the game world, and had its fair share of huge action set pieces, “Point Lookout” really stands out as the best in the series so far.

I was very surprised by how much fun I had with Rocket Riot. I generally don’t love two-stick shooters, but I was quickly won over by the art style, destructible environments, and humorous gameplay.

Sam & Max Save the World will give you about 10-12 hours of enjoyment the first time through, and the addition of achievements is good motivation to hunt for some extra tidbits you may not have known were in the game otherwise.

Ghostbusters was almost the game we’ve spent twenty years waiting for, but it isn’t. The gameplay is just about there, the presentation is spot on, and the script has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, but the lack of cooperative play seems downright wrong.

An above-average handheld movie tie-in. Half of the game plays well, and keeps you coming back for more with missions that don’t take too long, and offer a nice level of challenge. The other half, however, is a tremendous chore that seriously hurts the experience as a whole.

While Guitar Hero: Smash Hits is a solid option for fans of music games, the short and inconsistent tracklist alone makes it not worth the price.

A grand adventure, indeed. The humor is spot on, the new characters and locations are entertaining, and it's obvious that Telltale has really found the niche into which Wallace and Gromit's story fits.

It's cute, but it's just not the best kart racer on the console. Hell, it might not even be the second best one. For die-hard fans of the MySims series, if any exist, the game is likely worth checking out, but for everyone else it doesn't have enough replayability to justify a purchase.

Prototype is the very definition of an action game. Getting through the arduous campaign requires quick reflexes, laser-like concentration, constant movement, nimble fingers, and a little memorization, but the game makes sure to make the player always feel like the baddest man on the block.

If there had been a stronger plot, more character customization options, a reasonable difficulty curve, or more unique fighting elements, this would have been one of the best dungeon-crawlers in recent memory. Class of Heroes isn’t a bad game, but doesn’t do enough to make you want to stay with it for the many, many hours it will take to complete it.

Virtua Tennis 2009 is a prime example of a game treading water that desperately needs an overhaul.

The world could really use an awesome Indiana Jones game. Sadly, Staff of Kings is not it.

A good rhythm game that definitely exceeded my expectations. It’s fun and addictive, with plenty of venues, and though I would have liked to see less repetition in the tracklist, I still found myself saying “Just one more song” repeatedly.

EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis is a great offering, and a fantastic first outing for the series. It isn't without fault, however, and isn't the casual experience some hoped it would be.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 isn’t the first perfect golf game, but it’s the closest anyone’s come yet. Despite some of the graphical hang-ups, and thanks to the immersive gameplay, EA has set a new bar for everyone to follow. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m late for my tee time.

The story never draws you in, battles take forever, diminishing the game’s allure as a portable experience, and the fact that you play as a ball of light introduces a layer of separation from the game’s characters that ensures your disinterest in their fates.

It's remarkable how well Red Faction: Guerrilla holds together. Even in the most hectic of battles, with buildings crumbling on all sides, dozens of characters engaged in combat, and massive explosions sending debris flying through the air, there's rarely a graphical hitch or frame-rate drop. It's an exemplary title, displaying the power of the current generation in ways no other game has yet.

Its story might be a little lacking, but that shouldn't be enough to deter anyone from picking up Red Faction: Guerrilla.

Additions fix some of the notorious flaws of the game, while others solved problems that most likely didn't even know it had. It's charming, simple, deep, and addictive, just like all of the games in the series before.

Everything else about the game is completely lackluster, and even driving around the open map, the high point of the game, gets tedious after a while.

I’m sad to say that not only did the game not live up to what it could have been, it actually lowered the bar for any other steampunk western that follows; though I can’t see too many developers jumping at the chance to outdo this game.

A solid first effort for a new franchise. The game’s overall package is a bit uneven, but it’s easy to strike that up to growing pains, particularly since this is Sucker Punch’s first next-generation effort.

Crimson Gem Saga probably won’t win any awards for innovation, but it’s an enjoyable game from start to finish, and one I had trouble putting down.

It's not a broken game, just a joyless one, and it's obvious that there were far too many hands in the pot.

Puchi Puchi Virus is addictive enough that it should make a long car or plane ride go by quickly, and for $20 there's no reason not to pick it up.

To put it plainly, UFC 2009 Undisputed is not only the game that fans have been waiting for, but it’s also the game that the sport deserves. UFC 2009 is intense, addictive, and acts as a great showcase of how MMA is much more than the brutal bloodsport many detractors claim it to be.

With 400 original levels, new game modes and tools, and a robust level creator, Boom Blox Bash Party is in no way a cheap cash-in. It packs more content than most releases, and is a shining example of what developers should strive for in terms of multiplayer on the Wii.

The repetitive missions and lack of any replayability can make the few short hours spent in 2016 barely tolerable, and don't justify any more than a rental from anyone. While it's far from the worst movie tie-in this generation, it does little to change the stigma, and is best left untouched on store shelves.

EA Sports Active has not jumped on any bandwagons; instead, it has set a new bar for what exercise games should be. After one week, I can already see and feel results, and I have every intention of finishing out my 30-day challenge, as well as sticking with it beyond the initial 30-day period.

Overall, there's some fun to be had swinging around the ruins of Ascension City, but don't be fooled - it's a flawed experience. The game's campaign is fairly entertaining, but lacks any real depth or originality, falling short of living up to the Bionic Commando name.

Overall, there's some fun to be had swinging around the ruins of Ascension City, but don't be fooled - it's a flawed experience. The game's campaign is fairly entertaining, but lacks any real depth or originality, falling short of living up to the Bionic Commando name.

Nintendo played it safe this time, and it’s hard to blame them, but it still is somewhat disappointing that they didn’t go the extra mile and expand the game’s content. Nevertheless, Nintendo seems to have given fans exactly what they wanted, no more, no less.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2 – Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abbadon may not bring very much new to the RPG fold, but it’s still an incredibly enjoyable and rewarding game.

Despite its many imperfections, Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is a surprisingly addictive action RPG.

It’s enjoyable, and brings back nostalgic memories of playing the original Space Invaders in arcades (because I was too young to know that the game was already fifteen years old). However, Space Invaders Extreme is easily overshadowed by two comparable XBLA games: Geometry Wars 2 and Pac-Man Championship Edition.

It's still very, very charming, and if you're not smiling while playing there's something wrong with you. Hopefully the upcoming episodes will continue to improve at a steady pace, because there's much more life to live in West Wallaby Street.

Whether you’ve played through the other two downloadable packs, or you’ve been waiting them out in favor of “Broken Steel,” this new addition is well worth the time and money. Hopefully there’s more to come, but even if there isn’t, at least Bethesda gave gamers a much more satisfying conclusion for their character.

A somewhat addictive action title that should please fans of the character and action gamers alike. The lack of replayability means you'll probably get your fill of the game in about a week, but it's definitely worth a playthrough.

The lack of replayability means you'll probably get your fill of the game in about a week, but it's definitely worth a playthrough.