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.

Far Cry 2’s gameplay is solid, and it works as both an open world game and a shooter. Its plot is light, but dense, and will make you rethink the way you look at real world conflicts like the ones represented in the game. As with most sandbox titles, there is a huge amount of content, and there is at least twenty hours of gameplay in the single player alone.

Far Cry 2’s gameplay is solid, and it works as both an open world game and a shooter. Its plot is light, but deep, and will make you rethink the way you look at real world conflicts like the ones represented in the game.

Star Ocean: First Departure is a solid game that has made me want to check out the other installments in the series, but the battle system kept me from really falling in love with it.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles just might be the best racing game to come out this year.

While the world could’ve been bigger, the pop-ups less frequent, and the graphics just a bit sharper, Midnight Club: LA Remix does just about everything else right.

Old and young should have no problem finding joy in the game, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

When you’re finally able to find an animal to shoot, the kills are rewarding thanks to realistic body physics, but those moments are so few and far between that it’s hard to justify the effort spent searching for them.

The point-and-click genre isn’t for everyone, and a port of an episodic PC sequel to a 1993 computer game may not be as exciting for most gamers as it was for me. However, if you’ve ever been a fan of Sam & Max, or point-and-click games in general, then you should play this game.

While it is nice to finally see a graphically upgraded, SIXAXIS enabled version of Sony’s tactical shooter, you feel a little cheated by the fact that there is no single player campaign. Oh, and there are server issues, many, many server issues. Users have had difficuly connecting to games while some haven't been able to connect to a single one.

Saints Row 2 feels like Volition stole the code from a GTA game, dumbed it down by 10%, then let a bunch of 12 year olds decide what kind of stuff you can do in it. I mean this in a good way, and honestly, I wish more games would take this approach.

Dead Space is genuinely frightening, and should keep most gamers on the edge of their seat for at least eight to ten hours of gameplay time. After completing the game, a New Game + option is unlocked, allowing players to restart the game with all of their upgrades and equipment. This feature could be extremely fun, but the option to change the difficulty setting is absent, which makes it a little too easy, and misses the point of New Game +.

Dead Space is genuinely frightening, and should keep most gamers on the edge of their seat for at least eight to ten hours of gameplay time.

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.

The gameplay is tighter, the franchise is deeper, and the online and Be a Pro modes more than match anything Pro Evo puts on the table.

This game is nearly perfect.

A decent attempt at a sports title.

Fracture is a mediocre title released at a time of year when that simply is not good enough. It is repetitive, derivative, and often times boring.

It’s a shame that Mind Over Mutant turned out to be just another so-so Crash Bandicoot game, because it actually did seem promising for a little while.

NBA Live 09 is a massive step forward for the franchise, and, in some ways, for sports games in general. It looks better than 2K’s excellent hoops game, and plays just as well, too. The massive gap in quality between the Live and 2K series has finally shrunken to the point where either option will give you a solid basketball experience.

NBA Live 09 is a massive step forward for the franchise, and, in some ways, for sports games in general. It looks better than 2K’s excellent hoops game, and plays just as well, too.

It’s not completely broken, but compared to the other far superior options available, it might as well be. I can’t even recommend this game to give as a gift to a child.

Hardcore enthusiasts who are looking for a serious challenge will not be disappointed in the least.

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.

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is a decent first attempt at giving the speedy hedgehog a new genre to explore, but the game lacks the addictive and challenging elements that make RPG fans want to keep exploring and progressing.

The game itself might also turn people off with it’s realistic combat, so I definitely recommend everyone rent it before a purchase, but that doesn’t detract from the game’s achievements.

Brothers in Arms continues the tradition of bringing realistic warfare combat to gaming, honoring the war without sugar coating the truth.

Pure offers a massive amount of content for the money, and the online multiplayer, which features up to sixteen players, is as intense as any other racing game’s this generation. I cannot recommend Pure highly enough.