It may not stray from the original, and it may not do anything to convert those not already enamored with gem matching, but when the original is so good, there's no reason to change anything.

Theatre of War ultimately ends up being a “nice try”. There is too little feedback and too little variety for its size to recommend it to hardcore wargamers and it’s too frustrating on too many levels to recommend to the neophyte.

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.

While all of Getting Up's diverse elements are to varying degrees lacking, the game ultimately comes together as a moderately entertaining experience.

The biggest weakness of DK: King of Swing is that the play mechanic of swinging between countless pegs can get a little repetitive.

Real Heroes: Fighterfighter is unquestionably the finest fire-fighting game I've ever played, but that isn't saying much given how this isn't exactly a budding genre.

Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None is a smart adventure game with solid puzzles and a top-notch mystery, but its dated visuals and slow pace will have limited appeal for players who are used to more modern fare.

Although there is a lot to do in Thrillville, it is really designed for the pre-teen crowd. It's pretty easy to successfully manage a park, the missions aren't challenging, the carnival games and arcade games are simplistic, and the options for building rides and coasters are limited. Roller Coaster Tycoon this is not.

While the game's story alone probably wouldn't make for a tremendously successful anime series, and the competent but repetitive gameplay might not suffice without the narrative absurdity, the two elements combine with terrific production values to produce an experience that's definitely worth a look. There aren't many games quite like Asura's Wrath and there aren't a lot of heroes quite like Asura. He may have anger management issues, but it's still worth getting to know him.

Blood Bowl is an A+ boardgame trapped inside a C level computer game design.

I could further bemoan the lack of character customization, the mash-a-licious combat system, and the (mostly) fluid yet barebones platforming, but sometimes we all need a little simplicity. Like a Jason Statham action flick, Afro Samurai won’t change your life in any meaningful way, but it’s perfect for those days when you want to sink into the couch, turn off your brain, and watch some bloody entertainment.

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.

If you like shooting terrorists who look like they walked off the set of “The A Team”, and really who doesn’t, then Ghost Squad will provide plenty of enjoyable, mindless fun.

The spiritual possession adventure/puzzle solving aspects of the game were very fun and refreshing. Unfortunately the game's engine just could not quite deliver on the other elements of the game that strung it all together.

The game is set up almost on a freemium monetization model, but it's a $15 download. And at that price, it does feel a little thin on content- particularly when you're practically asked for your credit card if you want to put a cape on your guy or to buy one of those notorious XP-doubling pills. Granted, most of what you can buy with real money is nothing that any sane adult would care anything about- video game clothes, in-game "mascots", and so forth- but the concept points the way to a future where we'll be paying for FPS games by the bullet.

Yes, the graphics are bland. Yes, the controls are limiting. Yes, the action is slow-paced. Yes, there’s a bit of price-gouging with the “bills” system, especially if you want to get to the higher levels in the game. However, for fans of pick-up basketball, there's no denying that Freestyle Street Basketball is a fun outlet--and that’s the whole point, right?

While all of Getting Up's diverse elements are to varying degrees lacking, the game ultimately comes together as a moderately entertaining experience.

Ultimately, East India Company is a wonderful idea with a lot of great gameplay, but there’s a lot of missteps; too many, really.

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.

Players that obsess over every club purchase or need to have complete control over their golfer's stats will be turned off by the low level of difficulty but for players new to the genre, or new to videogaming in general, the stylish and happy theme of the game, combined with the intuitive controls makes for a fun golfing experience.

In the end this is a by the numbers shooter with slick graphics, and ample opportunity to shoot supercharged Nazis. It's not going to win any awards but it's worth checking out if you’re looking for a weekend to pass the time shooting everyone's favorite bad guys.

The AI is relatively smart, Daniel's in-game help is most usually helpful (it's not always right on the money but there's some solid advice most times) and the ability to sync your PSP game with your PS2 game is a god-send for anyone that wants to continue to play their game on the go and vice-versa.

It's unfortunate when such a beautiful well designed game falls victim to stale gameplay. This game is definitely worth playing, It just lacks replayability.

What we are left with is a really good shooter that is somewhat hindered by bad AI, a bad storyline and tedious objectives toward the end. The sum total of the whole game still comes out being a pretty good one even with those problems.

Puzzle Chronicles certainly has its share of problems, mostly graphical in nature, but the new puzzle combat mechanic is interesting enough to rise above the issues and provide a puzzle combat experience of a decent length.

Flat Out 2 brings the same gameplay to the table the second time around, although it just doesn’t seem to have the same vibe as the original did.

Grand Phantasm delivers exactly what Atelier Iris series fans are looking for. For the rest looking for something that deviates from the series' trademark formula, it might best to look elsewhere.

Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce definitely has the same appeal (or lack thereof depending on your point of view) of its predecessors, but its long list of characters, upgradable attacks, varied weapons and bonus missions gives the series the kick in the ass it has so desperately needed for the last few years.