Final Fantasy – Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates is a great game if you plan on purchasing it with the intent on playing it primarily with other people.

Here's a fair litmus test. If you're on the fence about this game, and you have a Wii, spend $5 on the Virtual Console version of The Legend of Zelda. Spend an hour or two with it. Did you enjoy that? Now imagine it with gorgeous graphics and a lot of self-referential humor. That's 3D Dot Game Heroes, and while it's not for everyone, it's one of the most unique, charming and fun PS3 exclusives released so far this year.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 is close. It's so very close to being a truly great golf sim and the Kinect support is far and away better than I could have possibly imagined.

You've seen these gimmicks in other games, so it's ultimately a familiar grammar involving water, gravity, light beams, and so forth. The charm comes from the execution and the funky artwork.

Crash Course certainly isn't a bad piece of content, it's just not a slam dunk if you have to pay for it.

Over all PES 2008 for the 360 is a mixed bag – it plays better, it looks better and you can edit everything; however it still doesn’t have the variety shown on the Wii or PS2, and the online play is only bearable if you can find an opponent to play head to head on the same console.

What this game lacks in originality it more than makes up for in execution and puzzle fun.

Even with the game's various problems I kept finding myself excited to play and looking forward to the next chapter to see which characters would be along for the ride.

A very nice looking game that sports huge waves, great water effects and the surf girls that bring you back to the wave.

Holy first-party sports title, Batman! This game is actually good!

In the end Singularity is a decidedly average shooter with a pretty novel storyline.

The new “player weapons” feature is just a gimmick.

If you're a diehard Lara fan, you're going to dig this intense game. But if you haven't experienced Tomb Raider before, be warned that its mind-bending puzzles and tense action will challenge even the most seasoned gamers.

The game has a remarkably easy to use control setup, and the addition of a training mode right at the outset is a blessing for those new to the series.

The most extraordinary thing you'll find in this new game is a mode called Revenge. Revenge is the game's answer to story mode, and it is a story indeed.

This is a game of beautiful sights and sounds, of collecting and learning, and the sheer joy of exploring. If you’re looking for hardcore mechanics or twitch action, you’re in the wrong place, but anyone looking for a relaxing change of pace will be right at home.

Sadly, an impressive graphical presentation and some surprisingly fun offline gameplay (I would've preferred a more storyline-oriented campaign, but the skirmish-styled gameplay is still quite entertaining) just aren't enough to make Star Wars: Battlefront anything more than an above-average title.

For players with the dedication to succeed and the incomprehensible desire for perfection, Droplitz is one of the most refined puzzle games available.

Shadows of the Damned is one of the more compromised and conventional games on either Suda's or Mikami's resume despite the expected mild surrealism and occasional nods to old school video game grammar. And that makes it a resounding disappointment.

While there is not much new to offer to the genre, it is something to pick up if you enjoy the rest of the series.

As one of the cheapest games you can find on Steam right now Plain Sight delivers some powerhouse gameplay in a deceptively small package.

I really wanted to enjoy this game, but the online play was very frustrating and the offline play is very difficult even on the lowest levels making it a big challenge for novices to pick up and play.

If you are looking for a solid entry point into the rhythm game craze or have some youngsters running around that you don’t exactly want to expose to some of the more mature music in other rhythm games Band Hero is a solid choice.

With Green Day: Rock Band, just as with The Beatles: Rock Band, Harmonix has proven themselves adept at creating a musical experience that distills down the unique strengths of a band and plays to those strengths to near perfection.

Despite offering an assortment of weapons and a nifty “iron sights” aiming system to boot, Call of Cthulhu is clearly not a combat-oriented game.

If you play MMORPGs for the journey and the storyline, then Aion: the Tower of Eternity is not for you. There aren’t enough quests to engage you in the story, and spending days grinding mobs just to level is not something many people relish doing.

This is the first time in a long time that 2K has a viable baseball game in its stable, and while there remain many issues that need to be addressed either via a patch or for 2K11, at least now the developers have something real to build on rather than being forced to start all over again.

The lack of innovation isn't what causes the game to suffer; instead, it's a bunch of minor nagging flaws that prevent it from being perfect. Still, in the end the thrilling ship combat and deep economic model thrusts the game into the upper tier of current MMOs.

In the end Tales Of Phantasia does provide some entertaining classic RPG action, and takes some of the best features from other Tales titles to create a well rounded RPG experience.

Ultimately the Gradius Collection is a must have for anyone that wiled away countless hours with these wonderful shooters in the 80's and 90's.

Codemasters has proven that you can take a game like the original Operation Flashpoint, put it on the consoles, and make it playable - but that alone is not good enough.

I defy any gamer with even a modicum of affection for Star Wars or LEGO to play this game and not have a good time with a big grin on his face.

The storyline ends up feeling quite fresh in the overused area. It is a refreshing storyline that will have you commit to playing it from beginning to the end, trying to unlock all aspects of the game.

It’s quite short and the plot is almost nonexistent, but in terms of pure action, Desperate Escape often outshines its own parent.

With all that is found through out Scarface: The World is Yours, there is a huge amount of things to do and more action than you can shake a stick at.

This game doesn’t really bring anything new to the series, but it’s still a really fun racer, especially with a lot of friends. The tracks are nice, the music is rockin’, and the graphics show what the PS2 can do when it’s being utilized at peak performance.

Basically Hell’s Highway is a great example of a World War II shooter that isn’t just about running around and blasting Nazis. The squad command system makes for plenty of tactical thinking as you outmaneuver your enemy, and though the cover system has its flaws it still comes through in the end.

It's apparent that EA didn't set aside a large budget for the development of this game. College baseball is merely a niche sport in the world of video games, and I have to wonder about EA’s commitment to the series in the long term, especially since it was released for the PS2 only.

As bare-boned as Deathsmiles is, playing through the game a couple times is entertaining.

The main control issue for the game is landing. Unlike the skateboarding games, which allow a little bit of error, there's no room for it in Dave Mirra.

Beautiful graphics, huge lakes, multiple lures, multiple characters, weather effects, what else could you want in a fishing game?

Even if you’re not familiar with the comic, as long as you don’t mind a little vulgarity, and one or two urine soaked weapons, the game offers a fun, light-hearted romp filled with breezy combat controls, dozens of filthy hobos to beat up on and one positively useless cat.

When Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat! releases next year, we'll see how good the DK Bongos really are ... or not.

In the end Singularity is a decidedly average shooter with a pretty novel storyline.

Rush for Berlin has some of the best sound effects in any wargame to date.

While the game is a fast and furious stylized shooter, one of the biggest faults the title has is with how muddy the controls feel.

While the game doesn’t deviate too much from the tried and true formula that has made the series such a hit in Japan, it still delivers a game experience worth playing.

More than just a classic with a new coat of paint. No, it's a classic with over ten new games, new CG movies, a bit of touch screen bonuses, and a splash of paint that will leave you smiling (and possibly a little hungry) afterwards.

Outside of a few gripes, Massive Action Game is a fantastic experience that gets the blood pumping.

Talk about your pick-up-and-play games, Metal Slug 3 is the best. The left stick to move, one button to shoot, one button to jump/leap in and out of vehicles, and a button to chuck explosives.

When you get down to it, SingStar Vol. 2 just doesn’t make sense as a purchase if you own the original SingStar PS3 and have a broadband connection.

As a gamer that has been burnt out by excessively cruel and repetitive dungeon crawlers in the past, the game never left me feeling overly drained and worn out. Chocobo’s Dungeon deserves at least a few hours of any adventurous Wii gamer’s time.

As it is, nothing really separates it and makes it unique. Despite the cool setting, this is by the numbers game design that you’ve played a million times before.

The combat can be a bit repetitive after a sustained amount of play time, but the decent story, characters and card collecting aspects more than make up for it.

R.U.S.E. might be the best RTS released this year, and it is certainly the most original.

With an increase in the level cap and a lot of new high-end content, Kingdom of Sky is a necessity for any hardcore EQII gamer who is encroaching upon level 60.

It’s unquestionably good for a city-building romp that will probably last you several days, but beyond this the game lacks the “punch” it needs to keep going.

Overall, Section 8: Prejudice is quite the surprise. This is a lot of game for 1200 MS Points. TimeGate is promising that it plans to release further DLC on an "aggressive" schedule, but in the meantime get some friends together, hop online, and start blasting.

I loved Alan Wake, but American Nightmare makes me more optimistic for its future and I'd really like to see Remedy pursue future installments on a smaller, episodic scale like this.

A game that won't make the Classics list any time soon, but if you're looking for easy-to-play yet hard-to-beat game play, you'll be all over it.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions takes a truly interesting concept, with great characters, good action, a wide variety of attacks, combos, upgrades, unlockable costumes and wraps it all together in the most tedious way possible.

Yuke's has done a decent job of improving the GameCube franchise, but it is still playing catch-up with the "SmackDown" series.

A very beautiful, very enticing Arcade title, but one that can quickly lose its luster after some time.

If you are looking for a solid entry point into the rhythm game craze or have some youngsters running around that you don’t exactly want to expose to some of the more mature music in other rhythm games Band Hero is a solid choice.

It's not that the PC edition of Resident Evil 4 is a bad game. It’s just dated and sloppily ported.

The humor is adult focused, fun and plays out through the entire game. The other gameplay elements aren't perfect but ultimately the game is a lot of fun.

NHL Slapshot does not, of course, offer the kind of depth or hockey authenticity you'll get from NHL 11 on the 360 or PS3. It's not meant to. This game is purely about flying up and down the ice, scoring goals, and putting the lumber on people. If that's what you're looking for, you're going to be satisfied.

It's not great, but it's solid. The insane Create A Superstar mode alone is worth the purchase, but WWF fans will find plenty of other features to enjoy.

The best parts of the graphics are all the taunts and celebrations the players do in between plays, and there are plenty.

If you haven't played Marvel versus Capcom to death on the Dreamcast, or need to get in touch with your inner 2D child, you can't go wrong with either Marvel versus Capcom 2 or "Guilty Gear XX."

Everything looks rather dated, characters have terribly jointed bodies, the graphics seem washed out, and the animation is pretty stiff in spots.

Still, even with these marks against it, Aliens: Infestation is worth playing and is an example of a game that really, truly cares about your lives-even if it cares about your deaths just a teensy bit more.

Though Battlestations: Pacific doesn’t have a slew of new features from its predecessor, it does have the same solid gameplay that put the series on the map.

Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy is a challenging, quality adventure game.

Burnout Dominator doesn’t add anything really new to the genre but is great for what it is: portable arcade racing and definitely worth your time if you’re a fan of the series.

Free form exploring obviously has it's advantages, but the real meat of the game revolves around these boss missions that net you new biometals, and these biometals not only give you a wide variety of new powers but also a fresh new look.

Its lack of any type of multiplayer support is a serious hindrance to its long-term enjoyment, but lonely strategy fans gaming on the Cube will find it a must-buy.

The minigames, which could have filled out the shortcomings of its multiplayer and single player components, were a major let down.

The combination of its weak story setup and the arduous grind to see it through completely killed the single player portion of this DLC add-on for me; thankfully, the multiplayer additions allow me to cautiously recommend it for those who enjoy playing AC:B online and have ten bucks to burn – everyone else, there's nothing much to see here.

It is easy to sink hour after hour into Din's Curse and never really get bored even if the whole thing looks familiar. It's a game with easy charms in spite of its obvious flaws.

While it all works well and survival/horror fans won’t be at all disappointed if they go out and get this game, Silent Hill feels an awful lot like previous Silent Hill games.

Phantom Brave still feels like a fairly original game. If you passed on it the first time, it's worth a look if you don’t expect anything too new.

With cartoony controls, fast cars, and great multiplayer modes, Midtown Madness 3 is an excellent buy for any Xbox Live player. However, the game is not a shining beacon of single player goodness and racing game enthusiasts without Live support would be better off looking at other titles.

Delivers what it promises - 15 arcade ports for around 30 bucks. These arcade classics work well on the DS and the bonus features certainly round out the collection's overall appeal.

It's certainly a game worth playing, but if you come into it without a love for the license, you are left with a competent, gory, exciting, but ultimately repetitive action game.

In the end does the Suikoden series proud, as it had seemed to be drowning, this puppy has been brought back to shore, and resuscitated.

It’s fast, easy to learn, and you never, ever come away with the feeling you were cheated – if you lose a game there is a specific reason why you lost.

Part action game and part puzzle game. While it isn’t the best at either genre, it is a rather entertaining but short and expensive game. If the multiplayer and other content is released at no cost, I reserve the right to revise my feelings accordingly.

The game isn't going to bowl you over with its presentation or provide a casual games revolution, but it will give you plenty of fun games to goof around with, and possibly an excuse to get take-out for dinner.

Sports Champions is a good opening effort for the PlayStation Move. It's not going to capture the attention of the world the way Wii Sports did, but it has put to rest any speculation that Sony's technology isn't up to snuff.

Ok, so there are some issues that keep this from being the pinnacle of Ghostbusters nirvana. It’s still the most fun you can have without strapping on a proton pack, hijacking an old ambulance, and harassing the undead ladies at your local library.

The only real problem that stood out, other than the horrible speeder bike level, is that the visuals were still the same old graphics and being a year and a half after JO was released, it shows how dated the graphics are.

The LucasArts console curse is officially over. Oh yeah. Jar Jar is nowhere to be found.

With a story that’s worth replaying, a cast of characters that are both fun and unique, and a skill/battle system that just begs to be used and abused, it’s easy to see why the original PS1 version is still heralded to this day.

Watching Victoria II is hypnotic and frequently awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, you only occasionally might want to play it.

What I like best about this entire game is the music. It is perfect for this game, as recent artists like Death Cab for Cutie, Cake, and the Flaming Lips, remix and redo old songs. Oranger redid the song called Mr. Sandman, and with the punk rock style, makes it seems like an instant classic all over again.

De Blob 2 is not a hard game, not by any stretch of the imagination, and people that were raised on Mario may find the game entirely too easy but the game offers the right level of challenge for kids and people new to platformers.

Reflex feels like everything Untamed was meant to be, albeit with a slight tinge of disappointment.