The only problem I noticed was a very rare slowdown caused by too many sprites on the screen. While it can be annoying when it happens, the occurrence is so sporadic that it's barely noticeable.

Halo is still a superlative multiplayer game, and with a group of friends, there's nothing quite like a well-tuned game mode or a white-knuckle finish to a Firefight. It's a shame that Halo: Reach couldn't add $60 worth of improvements to it.

Battlefield 2 is a game that can offer tremendous amounts of online fun, but the effort required to actually get there is almost a turn-off in itself at times.

So many months, so many thousands of man hours of work, so many millions of dollars, such an extravagant marketing campaign, and this is what Epic has produced? The shooter equivalent of a roster update in a sports game?

[It] blow chunks. It's bland, it's repetitive, it's looked the same since it went to PS2 the first time around.

There's nothing that really gets you going. There's nothing addictive about it, save for a few rare moments when you hit that double loop or speed ramp. Otherwise, Sonic just gets blurred with every other platform/adventure game out there.

The game's netcode is incredibly finicky, and on more than one occasion I ran into situations where I shot a guy several times in the face with no obvious effect, or died from incoming fire that seemingly came from nowhere.

A quality title pitched to something of a niche audience, and a very successful sequel.

Dirt 3 is a fine game and worth playing. But if you take your sequels or your driving games seriously, you're going to be disappointed to discover that it's no Dirt 2.

Has some great features on paper, but when played out, it underperforms and seems to be more gimmick than fun. The game excels as a multiplayer football game online or with a friend. As a simulation or for a stat gamer, the game fails miserably.

Taking the game online is just like taking any EA Sports game online. You get tourneys and ladders and all that but it lacks full league support.

Ultimately, if you like Metallica (a lot), and if you like the standard Guitar Hero gameplay formula, then this game is well worth the price of admission. If you don’t meet both those criteria, however, you really should move on.

A competent, if not particularly impressive, sequel. It makes some minor technological improvements, but packages them with major new flaws in the storytelling and gameplay.

If EA Sports wants Fight Night to capture the attention of boxing fans, it needs to dramatically improve the single player game. Online play only goes so far.

As for the solo game, Conviction is likely to appeal to more people than any Splinter Cell game to date, which is a shame because UbiSoft has replaced the heady silent stealth play with a middling third person shooter.

What you are left with is a great 2-player game, a lot of features that the well established fan base most likely won’t care about (even though Backtrack and Rewind are both pretty good ideas), a half-baked online league system, and gameplay that is at times highly polished and entertaining yet also plagued by AI issues.

Guitar Hero: World Tour is Activision’s answer to Rock Band, and while adding drums, bass, and vocals was necessary to keep up with the Joneses, a whole host of new problems are introduced with their inclusion.

While the main game in Super Mario 64 DS does seem a bit dated to be a launch title for the Nintendo DS, it is still a fun action/adventure that will satisfy the handful of people that have always wished they could have Super Mario 64 on a handheld.

A really good RPG, but only if you’re part of the lucky minority that can run the game with none of the huge technical problems everyone else is suffering from.

Ultimately, if you like Metallica (a lot), and if you like the standard Guitar Hero gameplay formula, then this game is well worth the price of admission. If you don’t meet both those criteria, however, you really should move on.

A game that while still fun, is nowhere near the level that it should be. A game this popular and that is this much of a money making machine should not have some of the problems that crop up every single year.

For everything Infamous does well there’s a counter-balance of agitating design decisions.

I don't mean to say that Crysis 2 isn't competent. It is. It's a perfectly bog-standard, uninspired, derivative, middle-of-the-road, ultimately incomprehensible, attractive enough, buy-it-used-if-you-must shooter that no one will remember by summer.

Guitar Hero: World Tour is Activision’s answer to Rock Band, and while adding drums, bass, and vocals was necessary to keep up with the Joneses, a whole host of new problems are introduced with their inclusion.

One thing is for sure though: If you’re a fan of Mercenaries, and can tolerate archaic matchmaking, Versus is worth every cent.

Ultimately, if you like Metallica (a lot), and if you like the standard Guitar Hero gameplay formula, then this game is well worth the price of admission. If you don’t meet both those criteria, however, you really should move on.

The game is just plain unapproachable to the average gamer... Is it possible that whoever play-balanced Devil May Cry 3 is a bitter person who loathes humanity and is working actively for the death of joy in the world?

All in all, with a price of $29.99, Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike has a few flaws and annoyances that can be over looked for the punch it packs.

Sadly, the bugs I encountered during the game (especially with the way the graphics engine started chugging so severely in the later levels) really hurt my experience, and the action just eventually ended up being reduced to using the same strategy over and over again.

One thing is for sure though: If you’re a fan of Mercenaries, and can tolerate archaic matchmaking, Versus is worth every cent.

In the end what you have is gameplay that is as good as it has ever been – not perfect and still with some frustrations but clearly NCAA 10 is the most respectable version of this series to date.

What you are left with is a great 2-player game, a lot of features that the well established fan base most likely won’t care about (even though Backtrack and Rewind are both pretty good ideas), a half-baked online league system, and gameplay that is at times highly polished and entertaining yet also plagued by AI issues.

If you're a fan of mindless violence and are willing to be satisfied just pulling a trigger on some very neat technology, Resistance 3 could tickle your fancy. With stunning visuals that once again push the Playstation 3 to its edge, there's plenty to be satisfied if you're looking for a Bruckheimer-esque production. Walk in looking for anything else though and you'll find a six to seven hour campaign that fails to spark anything more than basal satisfaction throughout.

The main elements that work against it are the length, the somewhat generic and stale pacing towards the middle-point of the campaign, and the fact that the portal system really wasn’t pushed as far as possible.

As a campaign inFamous 2 is a sub-par experience, but it makes up for that disappointment plenty with a rich and enjoyable sandbox. It's still recommended that you play through the story for context, but this is a game enjoyed most when you color outside the lines. The flaws in this game would kill any other, but the sense of freedom and strength that come with playing Cole MacGrath outweigh any complaints making this a more than competent experience for anyone looking for a power trip.

It’s a shame that Dragon Sword is such an uneven game.

Patient newcomers will likely have a good time, warts and all, but if you already have the Xbox 360 version Sigma 2 doesn’t really add enough to the experience to warrant a second purchase.

While the dark spooky woods environment can get a little tedious - as can the combat, the story telling is compelling enough to keep you moving forward and just when you finally think you know what is going on, the game will turn it upside down, flip you the bird, and have you rethinking everything all over again - right up until the credits roll.

A very good simulator for naval combat that includes realistic ships, aircraft, mission types and mission areas. This is a great naval experience whether you have legs born of years at sea or if you are just looking to get your feet wet (that pun was intended).

The Association mode is a very deep simulation experience that should satisfy most simulation fans. There's a wealth of information available and the ability to customize the league and determine how much control the owner has over the team.

About the only things that keep the game from scoring higher is the lack of any meaningful innovation in the gameplay and the fact that the game only has seven stages to play.

The clan managing system for contact between you and your friends is a new and very innovative feature that I can see a lot of online team based games incorporating in the future.

The game seemed to take a lot of aspects of the previous versions of the game and just build off them, but seemed to lose focus of what the game was meant to be. And a lot of the improvements that came in this release just complicated the game, making confusing and hard to play at times.

It's still an important and hugely influential game and it should probably be played by anyone interested in first-person shooters. But unless you're part of the generation of gamers that are now in their 20s and you're looking to recapture your Halo heydays, this is definitely most gamers can skip even at its budget $40 retail price.

It has the same lack of subtlety and rapid pace - plus it looks better. But it comes off as an average and unnecessary entry in the series.

The campaign weaves a weak story that’s as incomprehensible as it is uninteresting, but it delivers on satisfying shooting and alien genocide enough to make it an entertaining venture that’s better off being experienced online with some buddies and a headset.

While it is a worthy first survival horror game for the Xbox 360, Condemned: Criminal Origins is a bit of a one-trick pony. Once the campaign is over, the player can go back to unlock more extras, but the game is pretty much done, and it has probably gotten repetitive to the average player by then anyway.

It plays, looks and controls well. It is almost surely never going to have a big following in the USA and I don't think many players will consider it great, but at $20 it definitely delivers your money's worth.

This PSX game is a complete mess from excessively square graphics to the point of almost block-head-looking-players. Plus commentating that seems 10 to 15 seconds slow.

Overall, NBA Street Homecourt is leaps and bounds better than EA’s other basketball game, NBA Live, but still isn’t gaming perfection.

Onimusha definitely has what it takes to be a fun game, but I think the developers dropped the ball in a couple of areas - especially with the absence of any kind of multiplayer, and the lack of graphical enhancements.

It still labors under a fighting system that rewards memorization over improvisation far too much for my taste, but I'm sure the Mortal Kombat faithful are going to be thrilled.

The singleplayer experience is still woefully sub-par (honestly, what the hell was up with that final battle?), the interface feels a lot slower and clunkier than it needs to be, the multiplayer is laden with a number of bugs, and the game overall just doesn't feel very polished. On the other hand, the graphics are nothing short of amazing, the game is very easy to pick up and play.

A game on the verge. It's impossible to ignore all of its shortcomings, some of which are very significant, but if they can ever be addressed, Sony and 989 will have a top notch game on their hands.

If you loved Age of Empires 3, you’ll love the expansion. If you only mildly enjoyed the game, you may have mixed feelings here,and may be pretty let down.

I and many other fans of Tom Clancy games enjoyed the uniqueness of Ghost Recon and the way it was previously and if they could revert to the game style of having controllable teams and set up plans of attack, while still having the new additions in graphics and features, it would make for a lot of happy gamers.

There is a very specific audience for Tekken 6 that will eat it up. Everyone else will see it as more of the same, but with a garbage new game mode and long load times.

As far as this game rates versus my expectations of a football game on the 360, it is a major disappointment. I expected more – online leagues, prior generation features brought to the 360 as well as the eye candy. I only got the eye candy.

The gameplay is open-ended yet lacks a compelling plot and the combat is as solid as ever but veterans of the series will miss being able to fully flex the might of the job system.

For the golf aficionado, the play mechanics are going to feel a little dated and the experience is probably going to be less than satisfying. So, for PS2 owners that have had a case of "Mario Golf" envy, this is the game for you.

A game that is less than its originator, in almost every way.

Like its previous installment, has both ups and downs.

A terrific collection of games from a very influential (though now grossly over-exposed) franchise that none the less fails as a full-featured compilation.

Players who have been dazzled by such visually stunning games as "FFVIII," "Legend of Legaia," and "Parasite Eve" will want to look elsewhere for that kind of entertainment. [FFV review]

In the end what you have is gameplay that is as good as it has ever been – not perfect and still with some frustrations but clearly NCAA 10 is the most respectable version of this series to date.

As someone who wanted a true sequel to the original Ground Control that continued to break away from the generic mold things like the "Command & Conquer" series has become, I was ultimately disappointed.

All the heroics of harder games without any of the fuss, and set in a place you've made your own.

Dragonshard has so much going for it: great graphics, good sound, an entertaining and functional setting, innovative elements like the home base structuring and the familiarity of the D&D license.

There are some instances though when you just want to rip the game out and throw it across the room due to some crappy camera angles, which keeps it from getting a higher overall score. It's the best Spider-Man game since the original Genesis game, which is saying quite a lot.

An upgrade in terms of pure on the course play; it’s technically a better game than 07, but the overall design remains so dull and workmanlike that it feels like a job at times more than a game, and is only recommended for those who like playing the mini games and hopping online rather than for those who just want to jump in and start playing tournaments.

Had Amalur been stripped down to its bare essentials it would be a much easier game to recommend. This would make for an excellent 12-15 hour action game with its cool combat and fun player progression and a main story that's certainly no worse than most other videogame fare. However, as an especially long RPG masquerading as an open world design it simply overstays its welcome, it feels soulless, and tries to juggle too many balls at once.

More of the same? Absolutely, but whether this is a good or a bad thing depends on your enjoyment of the previous games in the series.

I like the concept of returning to the mansion (or its doppelganger) with a new emphasis on teamwork, and I like the two additions to Mercenaries, but there isn’t enough substance in action, storytelling, nor the puzzles to make Lost in Nightmares stand out.

The world is bright and so colorful it almost assaults the senses. The eccentric cast of characters is extremely well detailed and animated.

Unfortunately, while this third episode was overall entertaining and fun to play, it doesn’t improve from the previous one. In fact, it takes a step back, which is obviously a bit disappointing.

Scribblenauts succeeds in being an incredibly creative game. It just isn’t enjoyable after the effect of its initial charm wears off.

The shipped version of Silent Hunter IV feels like little more than a half-working teaser of things to come.

While the game is impressive in many ways, it ultimately comes up a little short.

If there is one thing the Mortal Kombat series is good at, its giving you the bloodiest way to beat somebody's ass.

There is a very specific audience for Tekken 6 that will eat it up. Everyone else will see it as more of the same, but with a garbage new game mode and long load times.

As it stands it’s a highly enjoyable game for the first few hours, but whether or not you’ll get much satisfaction from it after it starts getting repetitive depends entirely on how much you like the overall gameplay mechanics.

If you're willing to use the wonderful fast-forward button and focus your attention on the important parts of the game, then YS SEVEN is well worth the money and your time. On the other hand, if you are foolish enough to take in the entire story, please don't blame me – I tried to warn you.

GRID is absolutely your best bet if you’ve got a craving for racing on your DS (sans turtle shells and banana peels), and it’ll keep you busy for quite some time.

Unfortunately, while this third episode was overall entertaining and fun to play, it doesn’t improve from the previous one. In fact, it takes a step back, which is obviously a bit disappointing.

There's no question that Diplomacy makes the Sins of a Solar Empire series just 'that' much more fun, but if you couldn't find a good reason to get into the game prior to now, it's doubtful you'll find anything here to change your mind.

The game hardly lays out a convincing tale, which leaves gameplay to perform double duty.

A pretty cool first-person shooter, with a forgettable story and characters. The gameplay mechanics in Prey, while very interesting, weren't utilized as much as they could have been, and multiplayer is a little lighter (albeit fun) than we expected.

It's nice to see Escalation showed up to the party, but after its half-hearted song and dance it just kind of throws up on itself and passes out on the couch.

For all its flaws, Heavenly Sword is still somewhat satisfying. Perhaps its short length (just ten hours or so) keeps the button-mashing from becoming overwhelmingly repetitious. Perhaps Nariko’s sexily smoky voice and gorgeous hair is just distracting enough to take your mind off the annoying camera?

Lack of innovative new features or truly ‘next-gen’ visuals makes this a decidedly average game on the PS3.

While the kind of run-and-gun gameplay Snowblind strongly promotes may offer a fun experience for some, I personally feel that the game has little to offer beyond a depressingly average experience, marred further by a number of gameplay and interface problems, as well as multiplayer support that feels entirely half-assed.

If you've been a fan of the series, you'll be right at home in the upgrade, but for those who are just starting out, there may not [be] enough here to interest you.

Despite it being a killer remake, Perfect Dark itself is past its prime.

In the end, it’s easy to see that 2K Sports is getting ever so close to producing an elite level, top quality baseball game. But there’s still an ample amount of work to do – and not just in the department of adding new features to the marketing list.

A great tactical real-time strategy game that touches on a unique subject and does it with innovation and class.

If you’re not buying Shattered Memories for the fantastic story, it’s better left forgotten.

Though the game has it's fun points, it comes off as somewhat bland, and you may be a little disappointed.

Overall, Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground on the DS is a decent game. Once you get past the character models, some mediocre sound, and some difficult challenges early on, the remaining game is fairly enjoyable but it’s only recommended for the Tony Hawk completist.