For fans of the series, Samurai Warriors 2 is a sure bet, the best of the regular series since Dynasty Warriors 3. For newcomers, don’t be afraid to try this one out, it has a lot of new features and great replay value.

A surprisingly deep RTS experience in a portable format, with easy to learn controls and lovely visuals. I can’t help wishing it had been turned-based, though.

Fact is, Elven Legacy doesn’t push any envelopes or try to add some fancy new twist to the genre. It’s generic in almost every conceivable way.

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.

A quality console RTS game. There are still times that I’d prefer playing this type of game on a PC, but overall I found the controls easy to work with and although I was frustrated at my lack of ability I didn’t think it was the fault of the controls at all.

The multiplayer is as solid the series has seen yet and is capable of carrying the game, but it is disappointing to see the single player campaign waste so much potential.

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.

If you can look past the repetitiveness of the arena battles and the sometimes clunky controls of the acrobatics, WET is definitely worth giving a go even if just for its visual and gameplay uniqueness, not to mention its kick ass soundtrack.

The first five levels of the six that make up the single player campaign are some of the best that the genre has seen thus far with gameplay that not only fully embraces the open map and vertical gameplay mechanics but also stay at an aggressive yet not overbearing difficulty level.

A perfect example of a game whose strengths far outweigh its minuses. The great visual style, graphics and voice acting, along with the head switching mechanic certainly makes up for the less than stellar platforming and slightly repetitive combat.

Silent Hill: Downpour is not for gamers who've gotten used to having the path pointed out to them over the last generation of survival horror games. Its moments of brilliance tend to shine through the fog of frustration. Having played through the game a single time, I feel like there were many, many things that I missed. Diehard Silent Hill fans shouldn't miss this one, and anyone else hurting for a new horror game could certainly do worse.

What we have with NHL 2k9 is a top shelf hockey game that still needs some tweaking to perfect the on-ice experience. That said, the impact on the authenticity of the game of having such unparalleled realism in the realm of puck physics cannot be overstated.

Overall, Ransom of the Seven Ships is a solid adventure, clever and entertaining.

It may be one of the few games that can be played by a child and parent together without insulting the intelligence of the adult or frying the brain of the youngster.

Just like the big budget, small brained sci-fi action movies it emulates, it won't leave you with any lasting memories, but it will entertain you nonetheless.

In every game, I reach a point where I start to wonder why I am still playing. I literally have more money than I know what to do with. With a successfully, healthy business, it certainly feels like the main goal has been achieved. But ultimately, Patrician is less about money than it is about the convergence of wealth, power, and influence.

In the end the game has some content, but it is too easy. If they were trying to re-revolutionize this type of game, they fell dramatically short of that goal.

But it's going to take a lot more than gimmicky motion controllers and Sega's negligence and to undermine the basic greatness of Virtua Tennis. And with the new adrenaline meter, new party games, and especially the new single-player tennis RPG, Virtua Tennis 4 is plenty new enough to obsolete the older Virtua Tennis titles.

Still, even with the short playing time, it's hard not to recommend Deadly Creatures. The level design is top notch, the animations of the various bugs are downright creepy and the combat is oddly satisfying. The game also hosts some interesting boss battles which take into account the fact that the bosses are usually much, much bigger than you, meaning that the best way to win is to simply survive.

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.

Ninja Blade does have its faults, like only being able to wall run up a wall where it is explicitly specified and not two feet to the left or right of the certain spot, and glitchy animations during some up close battles, but all in all, the game is an effective over the top action title that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Even with its short length, lack of proper bosses, and unimpressive leaderboards, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 is the type of intense, man-tested Schwarzenegger-approved, dose of destruction that XBLA needs more of - it won’t replace AAA shooters like "Gears of War" or "Call of Duty 4," but it doesn’t have to. Sometimes a quick, callous display of military mayhem is all you need to feel like a hero.

Be careful though, rolling the marble is so addictive that 30 minutes will go by before you know it!

The game remains true to the series in catering more toward the hardcore element despite good attempts at making the game accessible; Armored Core 4 easily offers up the hottest mech-on-mech action yet in this next generation.

Disgaea DS throws the title onto a new platform, but it loses none of what made it so excellent in the first place. The gameplay is still deep and addicting, the story and subsequent writing are still fantastic, and the characters are some of the most memorable in recent RPGs.

The controls are the big draw here, but they are also the biggest hindrance. Given a good amount of time with the game you will get the controls down, but it is hard to guess how long it will take to master. This is not a casual gamer’s game.

It’s still an enjoyable experience, but multiplayer is the absolute reason to pick up RE5. It’s the feature that we’ve been wishing for since day one (Outbreak didn’t count), and Capcom delivers a fine show.

Audio is superb – from the excellent EA Trax to the sounds of metal crashing into medal, you want to make sure you hook up the headphones for this game.