Avalanche knocked this out of the park. Renegade Ops is a brilliant game and easily one of the best of 2011, downloadable or otherwise, and it's not to be missed.

Volition benefits enormously from not having to develop for a stinky ol' Playstation 2. Since it went 3D, "Grand Theft Auto" has been lodged firmly and uncomfortably against the limits of Sony's console system. But with Saint's Row, the Grand Theft Auto model busts free.

Its entire purpose is to extend the base game with the same fundamental gameplay.

At a time when so few GBA games are getting released, it does shine above its contemporaries, but it is after all just another really solid platformer for a handheld that has several competent entries in that genre.

This is, without a doubt, one of the best Star Wars games ever made, regardless of the age group.

Overall, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is an entertaining game, and definitely well worth the price tag – around $30 for 500+ hours of gameplay.

Ultimately, ZHP is a great little game for the PSP that doesn't take itself too seriously. In other words – it's what people have come to expect from a NIS America.

The game's engaging story line, great voice acting and mix of humor and mayhem kept me coming back whether it was to spend some more time stealing ho's, or participating in Fight Club or simply chipping away at the gangs that took over my fair city while I was away. Add on an engaging multiplayer mode and seamless co-op and you have sandbox game that can proudly stand shoulder to shoulder with the GTA's of the world.

Team intelligence quirks, server issues in multiplayer, and a general sense that the game does little to improve upon the original leave it as a scant improvement.

The players look amazingly real with fluid human like movement. The close up celebration scenes are terrific and mimic actual celebrations in the real game.

Playing in a multi-player Dynasty is A Grade fun despite the flaws, Campus Legend is certainly worth investigating and online play remains a bright spot. So even though the game is peppered with major and minor annoyances, there is definitely fun to be had. It just all depends on your perspective.

A sure bet for old school gamers and for the youngsters who never had a chance to experience these game in the arcades - and the price is unbeatable. Highly recommended.

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.

It’s a nice tall bottle of liquid awesome. So grab a glass from the bar and give it a shot.

This latest trip to the Homestar Universe surpassed even my (previously) favorite episode, Strong Badia the Free.

The best parts of this game are its controls and all of the added crap they threw in there.

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.

It is fun while you are playing the game, even though the game can be extremely unforgiving with your moves, as it should be if you were actually operating on someone.

Made very well, however it requires 3 players or more to be some serious fun.

In the end, Age of Empires III truly feels like a continuation of the 1999 classic. If that's good enough for you, then you'll definitely want to check it out.

Strong Badia the Free is a great follow-up to Homestar Ruiner. The storyline is easier to follow, the jokes are tighter, and the puzzles are more challenging and intriguing.

I'm a history nerd splitting hairs about a game featuring toys blowing each other up at this point. Regardless, the two games together represent the best that the tower defense genre has to offer. I'm very interested to see where Signal takes this franchise next…as long as it's not World War II.

It would be a finer experience without those nuisances, but they do little to diminish the sense of awe you feel when watching the sun rise over Jerusalem from atop the Dome of the Rock, drinking in the sight of the ancient city, and looking for your next victim.

Providing your system is capable, you'll be treated to a gorgeous experience absolutely unattainable on console platforms which will make the game all the more immersive and fun to play.

Once you have beaten the game, there is no need to replay it, as there is no extra content unlocked by doing so. It would be like reading a book over and over again, which could get boring.

Overall given the price point, there is enormous replay value and Uno is another Xbox Live arcade game worth purchasing.

While it is not absolutely perfect, it comes awfully close.

While PlanetSide isn't a perfect experience, and will be in development for the life cycle of the product (as most decent online games tend to be), it is nonetheless and addictive, frantic and rewarding experience for gamers that enjoy action peppered with some "RPG lite" elements.

Packed with so much stuff to see and kill, Borderlands offers plenty of things to aim your spiffy new weapons at, all the while providing one of the best co-op experiences of the year.

For any oomph it delivers, Rage relies on the same familiar gunshot sound effects and the same ridiculous ragdoll fatalities and the same silly enemies rolling left and right. Rage is a reminder how thin the line is between old school and old hat.

Napoleon: Total War is difficult to pin down. It asks me to overlook several significant problems that materially diminish the game, and I cannot recommend Napoleon without attaching a boatload of conditions and caveats.

The fast and frenetic gameplay is a moment to pick up and many hours to master. Those with no gaming buds or a Live account are going to be disappointed, but just about everyone else is going to have a good time.

Although a lack of an infrastructure network mode is disappointing, there’s no doubt that the fun factor and replay value of the game are very high.

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

There’s a fantastic amount of gameplay in Tiger Woods ’08 for the DS, and the most satisfying set of golf mechanics on the console to date.

Wetrix is one of those rare gems that has no big license, no familiar characters, and no big budget advertising, but if you search for it and find it, will provide you with a very enjoyable, and very original gaming experience. There's nothing watered down about this game.

This latest trip to the Homestar Universe surpassed even my (previously) favorite episode, Strong Badia the Free.

The developers have taken everything awesome about Goldeneye (the plot and characters), the N64 classic (great mission-based gameplay and phenomenal multiplayer) and current FPS titles (the mechanics, a modern multiplayer leveling system), trimmed all the fat, added a few layers of polish, and printed it on a disc.

The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile is a big surprise and not just because there's a music game reference out of nowhere or an unexpected nod to ancient text-based adventure games. This is a very nicely put-together package of quality content with plenty to differentiate itself from other XBLA offerings.

For a game that is so entertaining, because of, or in spite of the copious amounts of gore, having a reason to pause and think at the end is the cherry on top of a brutally exciting, blood soaked sundae.

In releasing this DLC, Gearbox and 2K have done what seems to be so difficult for other studios: drop a well designed, value laden expansion pack in a timely manner.

This is the best videogame workout on the planet – and it makes you look a little flabby in comparison.

Plants vs Zombies is no exception with all of the charming and addictive tower defense strategy excellence ported over to the DS with great results. Sure the frame rate may chug a little, but if it happens, it's because your overstocked lawn is on its way towards raining chlrophyll tinged death on slavering, undead hordes.

Gameplay is definitely the most fun and/or frustrating I’ve had with Madden in sometime. When everything works, it is an awesome experience. On the other hand, when you are trying to think what motion you have to do with the Wii mote to hurdle, and you do the wrong move, it can be frustrating.

Truly creative, polished, and incredibly satisfying, this is a title that every DS owner needs to try – even if it's just to see whether an army of vampires or zombies would win in a fight.

Sure it has its problems, but it is a drop-dead gorgeous game and sometimes you're not looking for a rocket scientist; you're just looking for a good time.

Midnight Club Los Angeles is an excellent game brought down by its maddening difficulty level. It’s unfortunate to see Rockstar San Diego fall back into that ditch with this game seeing as how the rest of the package is loaded with arcade racing goodness.

Throw in some nice bells and whistles such as calling up die roll results charts and reference screens and Catan really gives you everything you need to play.

If you were waiting for a golf video game that completely changes the notion of what a golf video game can be, well, you're still waiting. If you want a well controlled game of golf that's both accessible to newcomers and challenging to veterans with tight, well implemented controls and more content then you can shake a 5-iron at then Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 09 All-Play fits the bill.

You'll be grinding your teeth every few minutes as you realize the difficulty that Acclaim has sunk into this thing.

Characters are animated smoothly with uncanny lifelike emotion. Not to mention that extra attention has been given to ghosts in terms of clothing facial expressions and overall creepiness.

The close up celebration scenes are good but the players look a bit more blocky, that may be why the camera angle is so far out in the actual game.

You'll get a pretty solid singleplayer experience for your money, as well as the chance to experience that crazy "parkour" fad with the normal bone-breaking falls you would endure - but don't expect much beyond that.

If you're hoping for a core multiplayer experience, however, you'll likely find Nintendo's Wi-Fi network too frustrating to deal with.

It seems that Capcom does listen to its followers, because CVS2 is light year ahead of its predecessor, in game play, options, and presentation.

With so many long-desired improvements and completely new features, SvR 2010 may be the best game of the series.

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.

Visually and from an audio point of view, the game is spectacular. Nice textures throughout. Great wrap- around sound.

LucasArts has once again pulled off an amazing title that could only hold up to the name "Star Wars". The graphics, interaction, story, authentic sound effects, and the overall concept of going from a pee-on student to a full-blown Jedi Knight have been fully realized by Jedi Academy.

The real problem with the camera lies in how it behaves during obliteration techniques. When you're finishing off a foe, you have absolutely no control over the camera as it zooms in and out of the scene. More often than not, the camera positions itself awkwardly behind some object, obscuring view and putting you at risk of damage upon finishing the kill. This isn't just annoying, it's utterly unacceptable.

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.

NBA Live 10 can easily stand toe to toe with NBA 2K10, a franchise that now no longer holds complete sway over the genre. The flow of the games, the resourcefulness of the AI, and the immersion factor provided from the fantastically dynamic crowd, all serve to make this an absolutely worthwhile pickup.

As an end cap, the game does its job beautifully, wrapping up the Phoenix Wright series, yet at the same time allowing for characters to, hopefully, make an appearance in Capcom’s upcoming Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney game.

Damn these Pokémon! I was doing fine just thinking they were silly kid stuff. I now know I was wrong. Pokémon Leaf Green is a fun and addictive game that I'll want to take with me everywhere just to sneak in a few quick battles and further train my Pokémon.

Dungeon Defenders has a vibrant, cartoony look and feel while providing an addictive and solid tower defense gaming experience. Reinventing tower defense is a tough chore but Dungeon Defenders manages to pull it off.

If you haven’t taken to the Age of Empires series, Asian Dynasties won’t be different enough to change your mind. But it’s nice Eastern breeze for veterans and dabblers alike.

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.

In spite of the clunky control, it's still very easy to use, and the action is slow enough to allow you plenty of time to scheme.

If you are looking for a challenging platformer that will test your gamepad skill to its fullest – Prince of Persia isn’t that game. Still, despite its lack of overt difficulty, this game remains special, and while it didn’t take terribly long to finish, and replay value isn’t too high unless you get obsessed with seed collecting, it was definitely nine to ten hours well spent and is an adventure you should not miss.

By far the most fun game I have played on the PS2.

There's no denying that DJV is an awesome game with a lot of flash, charisma, style and action.

Civilization: Revolution for the DS does a remarkably good job in retaining the best features of its PC predecessors.

Sadly it just misses true greatness because its benefit to cost ratio just does not balance. At half its price I'd give it the big five sharks without hesitation.

But if you're doing just fine with non-Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and you can live without Ghost Rider, Nemesis, and Vergil, then I wouldn't recommend this for purchase at all. Hardcore fans and competitive players will likely feel that they need to own it and that's understandable, but they're on the short end of the stick as well.

With great pacing, clever character development, and phenomenal presentation, this relatively forgiving RPG is likely to convert fence-sitters into fully-fledged RPG fanatics. Even though it might be considered “by-the-book” by today’s standards, Dragon Quest IV should be considered required playing for any role-playing fan out there.

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.

Ultimately, the game provides beautiful graphics and (with the controller) an intensely immersive experience, but just keeps tripping over itself in its attempt to excel or provide new and interesting features.

If you already experienced the PlayStation 2 version the added content is enough to make another romp in the schoolyard worth your time and money.

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.

If you've never played the original game, it's well worth your time to pick it up and while Dark Athena doesn't compare, it's still fun—up to a point.

Overall the game has a more arcade style to it than past PGA Tour titles. And, though the graphics are borderline atrocious, this is a giant step in the right direction for golf videogames.

Then again, strategy games don't require a good narrative to be enjoyable, and for $10 Anomaly is definitely worth your time. Whether you're a tower defense fan looking for something new or someone intimidated by the world of real time strategy, this game has a lot to offer.

For the most part, those who've played either Assassin's Creed II or Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood will know what they're getting. Revelations does very little to change Ubisoft's golden goose and in this case that's mostly a good thing.

Everything flows from turn to turn, and the objectives are nicely outlined. The characters are quite unique which allows you to have free rein over the level of strategy you wish to use to conquer your opponents.

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.

With so many long-desired improvements and completely new features, SvR 2010 may be the best game of the series.

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.

It shines and moves like few other games have so far, and provides a solid 20-30 hours for any RPG-starved PS3 owner who hasn't given the game a go on the Xbox 360.

Along with the fantastic storyline which gets more intricate and complex as the game progresses, and the hack and slash style gameplay that many action RPG gamers will recognize and feel comfortable with, Dungeon Siege 2 is definitely worth checking out for some hectic sword swinging action.

With the vast choice of characters to choose from and the huge number of gameplay modes, it is easily the best fighter for the PSP.

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

Like its previous installment, has both ups and downs.

Controls are a cinch to learn and master, so the game becomes enjoyable in record time.

Fortunately taking on the smaller bad guys is pretty fun too. It does feel as though you’ve done it all before after a while though.

The combat engine has been dramatically improved, making every fight a unique experience.