No matter the reasoning, "Stolen Memory" is something every Mass Effect junkie should own, if not just to justify popping the disk in again.

Silent Hill: Homecoming may not be a great game, but it’s certainly enjoyable. For fans of the series, or just survival horror in general, this game certainly warrants a playthrough… after the crowded holiday season is over.

Outside of the lack of songs, I had one major issue with Guitar Hero On Tour: portability. I tend to buy handheld games to play on train rides, or while flying. The combination of the cumbersome Guitar Grip, the non-ergonomic angle at which you hold the DS, and gameplay interface make this a game I was actually embarrassed to play in public. And if a handheld game can only be played at home, what’s the point?

Seriously, it’s a good game! The graphics are all right, the gameplay is addicting, and story is good, stupid fun.

It’s a fun game, and a good option if you’re in dire need of an all-ages music title, but longtime fans of the series probably won’t find this as satisfying as any of the other Rock Band games.

No matter the reasoning, "Stolen Memory" is something every Mass Effect junkie should own, if not just to justify popping the disk in again.

There may be plenty of better options for anyone looking for an online shooter, but for the price Combat Arms is among the best around. It's fast, fun, brutal and addicting - what more could you ask for from a free FPS.

Like Connect Four, I likely wouldn’t have given Sorry! a second look if not for having to review it, but now that I have, I can’t stop playing it.

The microphones themselves are worth commending for their sensitivity and overall appeal, and even if karaoke isn’t your cup of tea it might be worth splitting the game with a friend in hopes that Rock Band and Guitar Hero might have a compatibility patch with the microphones down the road. It might not be the best game in the genre, but as far as a casual singing experience on the system you’d be hard pressed to find one better than Lips.

Forty dollars is a little steep for a cookie-cutter game with bad camera control and repetitive levels.

For the price, it can't be beat, and is likely one of the best games available for DSiWare.

Just as is the case with prequels, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed provides insight into the dark areas of the Star Wars Universe while being flawed in many ways.

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.

The only saving grace is the cooperative multiplayer, which allows up to four players to join together to complete the game's campaign. It's much more fun with friends, and obviously built around the co-op experience, but the missions are so uninteresting and repetitive that even playing with friends can't help it too much.

It could be incredibly easy to write Batman: The Brave and the Bold off as unimportant because it's been made for a younger audience. If you did that, you'd be missing out on a pretty solid title that's worthy of your time and attention.

If nothing else, Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble is a quirky, unique experience that is certainly entertaining in small doses. I wish there had been more direction, and despite the new game plus, I’m not sure if a second playthrough is a compelling enough reason to buy it.

Even though NASCAR Kart Racing may not be the most innovative racer on the market, that shouldn’t turn you away. The game is an unabashed "Mario Kart" clone that, while not looking nearly as good, plays almost exactly the same.

Lackluster.

Instead of maximizing their use of the source material, High Moon made a game stuck in the middle of an interactive movie and a mediocre game.

Sadly, it ends up being a bit of a disappointment, with iffy controls and less than impressive graphics.

The best thing Beat Hazard has going for it is the price. At $9.99 it's easy to recommend the title to anyone with the means to play it, as it provides a new way to experience music.

The way Telltale tied together the story is somewhat brilliant, even if it's not entirely fulfilling.

It’s too short, too lacking in features, and doesn’t give players anything extraordinary to make up for its mishaps.

Tenchu: Shadow Assassins isn’t a bad game by any stretch of the imagination. It gives gamers a unique experience that while not always successful, certainly gives its all.

It's an average package, and there's little to draw in old or new fans who aren't willing to spend a good deal of time learning how to ride a bike again.

Luckily, this year, that’s not such a bad thing, as EA’s game has taken a huge leap forward from last year. 2K has some catching up to do once it decides to re-enter the college b-ball arena again.

WET had a chance to set a new bar for third-person action games, but it never has all its components working together at once to make a perfect package. Perhaps the best thing I can say about this game, other than the fact that I enjoyed it in spite of its shortcomings, is that I’m really looking forward to a sequel.

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

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.

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 quite a bit to enjoy with WET if you’re able to look past the flaws in the gameplay. WET had a chance to set a new bar for third-person action games, but it never has all its components working together at once to make a perfect package.

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.

I spent time with both hockey games this season, hoping that 2K could at least be considered a decent hockey simulation for those who still haven’t gone over to the EA side. Sadly, 2K can’t even hold its own against older versions of its own franchise, let alone a game as technically sound as NHL 09.

If you’re looking for something to play one weekend, and you’re in a racing kind of mood, definitely give this a look. I wouldn’t commit more than a weekend to it though. Why should you?

It’s strange to think that a game with lackluster core game mechanics can make up for it with its variety of gameplay modes, most of which rely on those same core mechanics, but that’s exactly the case here.

Tom Clancy’s EndWar could’ve established itself as a must-own game had it done anything better or more stylishly than predecessors like Advance Wars. Instead, DS owners are given another RTS that brings nothing interesting to the table, and can get easily lost among the dozens of other games it shares so many similarities with.

While there’s no doubt that Inferno is, indeed, the definitive version of the game, it’s still not good enough. It’s short of its own potential, it’s frustrating to play, and while the fixes make it a better game, it doesn’t enhance the flawed experience.

Even though Blue Dragon Plus is a lot of fun, it doesn’t really do anything particularly innovative.

Flaws in the presentation keep it from being eye candy, and there are issues with the gameplay and controls that prevent the game from being anything special. Instead, it's an average package, and there's little to draw in old or new fans who aren't willing to spend a good deal of time learning how to ride a bike again.

The Dark Spire is a challenging, unique, and well-made game that stands out in more ways than one. However, its old-school look and brutal difficulty make this a title that will only appeal to a small group of gamers. If you’re looking for something different on your DS, this is definitely worth a try.

While online multiplayer is fun and the presentation is spot on, much of the enjoyment and skill in MtG is in deck-building , an omission that truly hurts the overall experience.

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

Need for Speed: Nitro does a good job of washing the taste of the last few entries of the franchise out of your mouth, but it doesn’t really do anything to establish a new status quo. The racing is fun, and the customization is cool, but outside of that, there’s not a whole lot going on here.

There are several moments when you are told that stealth is an important part of Turok's hunting ethos, but when it comes time to be stealthy, the AI are able to see you even if you're hidden. It basically amounts to a useless stealth system.

In addition to the questionable controls, the main problem with this game is that there really aren’t any significant improvements over its predecessor, and definitely not any to make this game worth fifty bucks.

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

Stoked wasn’t exactly the brilliant snowboarding game I’ve been waiting for, but it was definitely entertaining. I may have gotten frustrated a few times, but I kept going back for more, and I loved the sense of satisfaction I got when I pulled off a particularly difficult challenge.

There are a few different modes available, as there are in all of the Family Game Night titles, but none are really all that inventive or interesting past the ability to play more traditional modes.

You might have seen that I’ve been using words like adequate and fine often in this review, and that’s really because it’s the best way to describe the game: good. Not great, not bad, but there are plenty of worse ways to spend $20. With over fifty missions and 26 ship types there’s enough to keep an eager pirate playing, but without an online audience the game’s potential is hindered.

It may not offer quite as big an initial thrill as Spider-Man 2 did, but Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is probably the best web-swinging adventure so far. With a swing mechanic that rivals the one found in SM2, a combat system that easily trumps any in the series, and solid presentation throughout, fans of the series and the character won’t be disappointed.

Sadly, the lack of replay value, and plethora of better games makes this nothing more than a rental for a weekend when your local football franchise is on a bye week. There’s potential to capitalize on, but I’m not so sure even with improved gameplay if this game could ever be a day one purchase.

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.

Viking doesn’t have the world’s smoothest framerate, but it holds up for the most part even with hundreds of enemies on screen and when it does drop down it is only a temporary annoyance.

The minigames, although plentiful, are archaic and reminiscent of early games on the Wii, and the lack of online multiplayer drops the replay value a bit.

Overall, Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ is a very enjoyable game, with quirky characters, interesting level settings, and a great sense of humor. However, it doesn’t take long for the gameplay to get a little stale, especially when the game slows down when a large amount of creatures are onscreen at once.

Serious fans of motorcycle racing will no doubt appreciate the realism found in MotoGP 08’s Simulation mode. That said, most gamers, who wouldn’t know Hiroshi Aoyama from Thomas Lüthi, will find everything but Arcade mode too difficult to bother with.

It might be a little on the short end when compared to Square’s other JRPGs, but there is more than enough content to extend the game significantly. That said, anyone who isn’t already a fan of the genre will likely grow tired of the cliché locales and repetitive gameplay, as well as not being as forgiving of the game’s many other missteps either.

The biggest problem with We Ski is that it’s just not exciting or challenging enough to make most gamers want to keep playing.

Operation: Anchorage plays like a giant action movie taking place in the Fallout 3 universe, and those of you who enjoyed the main game but haven’t tried this out yet are really missing out.

There's about as little to legitimately rave about as there is to complain about. Metal Slug XX is a formulaic romp that should remind people who have ever played any other game in the series of every other Metal Slug game they've ever played. No risks were taken, no innovative ideas were uttered, and no minds were blown,. That said, it's still a fun time.

Fret Nice isn’t a bad game by any means, and it’s actually pretty entertaining in small doses. The unique presentation and pleasant soundtrack enhance the experience, even though the gameplay itself doesn’t do much to distinguish itself.

It may not offer quite as big an initial thrill as Spider-Man 2 did, but Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is probably the best web-swinging adventure so far. With a swing mechanic that rivals the one found in SM2, a combat system that easily trumps any in the series, and solid presentation throughout, fans of the series and the character won’t be disappointed.

No matter how much variety is in each level, or how shiny the graphics are, the simplicity of the gameplay can become a bit redundant after about half an hour or so.

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.

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.

At its core, My World, My Way is a very basic, repetitive RPG with a gimmicky twist that loses its novelty pretty quickly.

This lack of differentiation between the games and the various technical issues keep the collection from being a “must have,” but it’s still a nice look into the history of 2D fighters, and for skilled fighters, there’s plenty of fun to be had.

Overall, Legacy of Ys: Books I & II is a great value and will offer many hours of gameplay, but its appeal is limited.

Overall, Sega Superstars Tennis is not a great tennis game, but it's certainly not a bad one, either. It looks pretty, plays well (if simply) and runs great.

Unlike Symphony of the Night and the DS games, which I would recommend to anyone, it's hard to imagine that non-Castlevania fans will get any enjoyment out of Harmony of Despair.

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.

A decent attempt at a sports title.

It simply isn't as fun as Super Smash Bros., and it's too similar to pull in anyone who isn't already a fan of Nintendo's fighting game. All in all, it should be reserved for only those who still sleep in Michelangelo pajamas and play with their the Ninja Turtle Pizza Shooter.

Rubik’s World is a title that had potential, but unfortunately it was lost among the dull and pointless exercises included in this game.

Simply put, Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff is too antiquated, glitchy, bland and feature-poor to compete in the modern sports game market. Even for fans of the series, there’s not a whole lot here that improves on the formula perfected by Tecmo Super Bowl, and there are even a few steps backward to be found.

Experienced gamers will have no problem playing through the game without even the fear of death, but kids will have fun playing alone or with a family member, and parents or older siblings can jump in without being bored to tears. Upping the challenge factor and fixing some of the technical issues would have expanded the audience for this game even further, but it’s a nice step taken as far as video game tie-ins go.

Gamers deserve better than another mediocre effort.

The Wheelman promises high-octane action and it usually delivers; but the thrills are somewhat cheap and hollow.

The combat is great... in theory, it just struggles due to a poor camera and uninteresting battles.

The Recording Studio is a terrific time waster, but doesn’t offer anything remarkably different from the first that would warrant an upgrade. Songbook is an aggravating mess that would have been made more tolerable if there were actual recordings instead of covers, but I’m not sure even that would have made that mode worth completing.

The excellent control scheme and shiny units aren’t enough to save UAW from its own flawed code.

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.

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.

I’d rather be playing this than sitting through another boring half-time show on a Sunday, or while waiting for a few friends to come online to play Left 4 Dead 2, and I’m looking forward to hitting the gridiron again.

The price point is simply too high for what feels like a substandard product, and there are too games out there that are simply more feature-complete to justify spending more than the price of the board game on this version.

Like I have mentioned before, the title isn’t without its many flaws and problems, but the good aspects of the title heavily outweigh the bad, and the amount of hate for the game seems disingenuous. That said; it feels like the game could have benefited from another year of development time, which might sound crazy given the game’s delays.

It’s close to being amazing, and there are times when it is, but there are too many times where it just simply isn’t up to par with the current generation’s standards. The camera is too jumpy, the bosses are too frustrating, and the platforming just isn’t any fun.

While there is a lot to like in Aliens vs. Predators, it's far from a great game. There's usually something to complain about at every turn, and every great element is flawed in some small way. Despite these faults, mistakes, and missteps, it's still an utterly enjoyable and unique experience, making the game more than the sum of its parts.

It’s too bad that once again, Bond fans are left with a game that’s more interested in cashing in on a movie license than presenting a complete gameplay experience. Quantum of Solace ends up feeling more like a mod of "Call of Duty 4" than it does its own game, and that’s a shame.

A good amount of fun for a short amount of time. It’s too complex for casual gamers, but too shallow for anyone looking to really dive into a dodgeball game. The core mechanics are tight, but sadly, there just isn’t that much to do with them.

Spore Creatures isn’t the shovelware I originally expected, but it isn’t much more than a cash-in on the PC version’s anticipated success. It isn't a bad game, it isn't a good game, it's just sort of there.

While the concept holds strong, the game can become repetitive fast and doesn't always end with a logical finale. Hopefully with some modification to the formula they can make a sequel that solves some of these problems, but as of now this is likely a niche game at best.

Those of you turned off by MLB Front Office Manager should try this game out to see what a proper management sim is like. I still find a game like Out of the Park provides a bit more depth than this game, but for the price ($20), you sure do get every penny out of Baseball Mogul.

Almost a solid game. There are some interesting concepts put forth this time around, but most of them are overshadowed by the lack of attention paid to the gameplay. I really wanted to enjoy playing this, but the longer I played, the more it felt like a chore instead of fun.

It may not be for everyone, but for fans of old-school RPGs, especially those who are sick of spiky-haired, angstful teenaged protagonists, it's well worth the $50 price tag.

It is a fun party game, on par with games like Scene It or Rock Band, but not as addictive. And at 1000 Wii Points ($10.00), I can't say that it is for everyone. But for me, a trivia junkie, it was totally worth it.

The craziness and inanity of the game definitely makes it a great party title, but the lack of descriptions on how some of the abilities you gain throughout the game work are counterintuitive towards the playability and arcade feel.

It’s close to being amazing, and there are times when it is, but there are too many times where it just simply isn’t up to par with the current generation’s standards. The camera is too jumpy, the bosses are too frustrating, and the platforming just isn’t any fun.