An outstanding achievement in gaming. There’s no question that this is going to be one of my top games of the year, and any fan of JRPGs should be playing it when it’s released next week.

The later of the 20 unique levels can grow frustratingly difficult, but the amount of replayability due to different challenges and scoreboards are more than enough to justify picking it up, or at least buying it when it eventually makes its way to Xbox Live.

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.

While it may not be the game of the year, it arrives just in time to at least contend for it. Who would’ve thought a fresh start on a new console was what this series needed?

While it may seem like the game is being too lenient at the outset, you’ll be thankful for this method of play after a few hours. Nothing kills momentum like having to reload a save, and this feature prevents exactly that.

it's a shock that Puzzlegeddon isn't already on the Xbox Live Marketplace or PlayStation Network. It's a far better game than most of the competitive puzzlers on the systems, and most of the PC version's faults would likely be resolved when moved to the active online communities of the console market.

Here's the only issue – if this game could be so masterfully re-created, so well crafted from a blend of original gameplay and much needed updates, all wrapped in a beautifully hand-drawn package that shines in high-definition wide-screen format – why can't every classic game be remade in such a way?

While Cradle of Rome does have some unique additions to the formula, it’s not quite enough to make it really stand out.

Chrono Trigger DS is a remake done right, and both longtime fans and new players should pick it up.

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

Once again, EA has managed to innovate in a genre that had grown stale and tedious. With its numerous graphical glitches, control issues, and overall lack of polish, it’s obvious that Skate It is a first effort. Still, pulling off big tricks (and even small ones) can be very satisfying, and there’s a real feeling that this is a series that will benefit greatly from further iteration.

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.

Multiplayer over WiiConnect 24 works surprisingly well, but a functioning online system isn’t enough to get over the broken, unresponsive, and unentertaining fighting mechanics of the game.

The most upsetting thing is the fact that it feels like there really is a good game in Underworld—it’s just masked by all of the game’s technical difficulties.

While there may not exactly be a shortage of RPGs available on the DS, Luminous Arc 2 does just enough right to warrant a playthrough.

With an overwhelming number of party games already on the Wii, including the two previous Raving Rabbids titles, it’s hard to justify spending fifty bucks on 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.

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.

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

In the end, NPPL Championship Paintball 2009 is exactly what it advertises itself as – a paintball game made for paintball fans.

When playing with friends, Left4Dead gives the best cooperative experience in gaming, hands down. Nothing compares. The game is lacking a bit in terms of content, and more weapons and locations would definitely add to the experience, but nothing can take away from the sheer enjoyment value. Valve’s newest might be one of their most masterfully crafted, and the attention to detail is impeccable.

When playing with friends, Left4Dead gives the best cooperative experience in gaming, hands down. Nothing compares. The game is lacking a bit in terms of content, and more weapons and locations would definitely add to the experience, but nothing can take away from the sheer enjoyment value.

Overall, while there’s nothing to draw in new players, fans of Lord of the Rings Online should find that the Mines of Moria are definitely worth exploring.

The main problem with Need for Speed Undercover is that even though it is a lot of fun, it’s just not compelling or interesting enough to keep you coming back for more. While playing, I kept thinking, “Man, this would be a perfect weekend rental or budget title”, but I never thought about dropping $60 to get it new.

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.

Is it too soon to ask for Dangeresque 4? This most recent episode has restored much of my faith in the license, one that I felt was strangely being wasted by misdirected game design. Whatever issues Telltale faced early on seem to have been addressed, and the polish of this episode shines through the past few missteps.

Fans of modern fighting games may find the action (aktion?) a bit shallow, but for MK aficionados, this is the game we’ve been waiting for since the mid 1990’s.

It may be a bit light on the gore and ultraviolence, but from a gameplay standpoint, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is easily the best game in the series since "MK3".