American Wasteland on the 360 runs in a high-enough resolution to show off every single ugly little flaw that isn't as apparent in other versions of this otherwise-decent skateboarding game.

Its overly plain presentation will probably turn off the casual set, but MVP 06 NCAA Baseball's top-notch gameplay is exactly what baseball purists are looking for.

This gory and gruesome shooter improves upon its predecessor in almost every way.

The really ingenious thing about it, though, is the majority of the characters, vehicles, and scenery contained therein have been drawn to resemble the Lego play sets that have been released to coincide with the films.

Though by no means difficult or historically accurate, Blitzkrieg 2 is still a fun, fast-paced World War II strategy game that lets you steamroll opponents into the ground.

More than 10 years after its original release, Persona 2: Innocent Sin no longer has the magic it once did.

In a world of enormous RPGs with seemingly endless side quests and huge maps, The Expanse: A Telltale Series is a refreshing change of pace, and proves that sometimes, less is more. A great RPG doesn't necessarily need to be a 60-hour adventure; it just needs to convincingly drop you into another person's magboots. The Expanse does that and then some, forcing you to make difficult decisions that will haunt you long after you've finished playing.

There is a lot to enjoy on the sandy beaches of Tropico 5. Whether you're playing alone or with up to three others online, the game strikes a good balance between style and substance that is easy to digest for all types of strategy fans.

Blacklight: Retribution doesn't stand out from the crowd, but this free-to-play shooter offers a decent amount of bang for your non-buck.

Smooth controls and a bunch of awesome tracks make this an exciting kart racer.

The global war of Battlefield 2 arrives on American shores, and this new booster pack delivers some great new battlefields. With that said, the big question is going to be how many servers will adopt this new content.

Might, magic, and machine guns make Hero Academy a real treat.

Dante's epic quest loses momentum long before you reach the end.

Appropriately dreamlike with its narrative that shifts from one strange moment to the next, Silence bounds from powerful emotion to powerful emotion in its last couple of hours, and there's a sense here that these are the feelings that developer Daedalic wanted to stir the first time around.

The goal of making it to Puerto Lobos feels increasingly immaterial given the escalation of Daniel's powers and the hurdles in their way. As they say, the journey matters far more than the destination, and Sean and Daniel's journey is one that continues to intrigue.

There's a ton of space butt to kick with your pimped-out fleet of starships, but be prepared to take a beating.

Extraction Point offers up about five more hours of the intense F.E.A.R. gameplay, but that's pretty much it.

Despite these issues, Battle Chasers is sustained through the strength of its story, a rollicking tale that takes our heroes literally to hell and back. It's bolstered by some sharp dialogue, gorgeous artwork, and an ensemble that plays extremely well off of each other. It's also a long game, but considering its relatively few major beats, it feels unnecessarily drawn out. It's too bad, because Battle Chasers is otherwise one of the rare comic-based games to have this many pieces in the right place.

Evil Genius is hampered by some frustratingly haphazard pacing as well as issues with the artificial intelligence of your minions.

Though it may be tempting to look at its flaws and dismiss Medal of Honor as inferior to its competitors, there is a lot to enjoy here. The campaign has its shortcomings, but its unique sense of scope and well-orchestrated pacing make it an enjoyably cohesive adventure.

Noby Noby Boy lacks structure or challenge, but this whimsical little game is still a captivating delight.

The prince's high-flying adventure is marred by camera issues and weak combat, but the excellent platforming is still loads of fun.

Some of Shardlight’s ideas, like the eccentric and sinister Aristocrats, offer something original and enjoyable within a familiar context. With its refreshing take on an oligarchy and subtle religious commentary involving ravens, Shardlight has potential to be something a lot more profound and thrilling. Instead, it's a typical adventure game with an overly familiar premise.

Rebel coups and corruption aren't the only things you need to worry about in this somewhat problematic, yet still addictive, port of Tropico 3.

Its lack of innovation may be acceptable, since Air Attack 2 for the PlayStation was a thoroughly enjoyable game, but unfortunately a few key graphical flaws make it a significantly less enjoyable game.

A damn good game, and no "Gran Turismo" can change that.

A simple, repetitive experience that's over fairly quickly for an RPG, and its story doesn't go anywhere at all. Nevertheless, it's pretty fun while it lasts, and anime fans probably won't be able to resist it.

A fun beat-'em-up that captures the innocent charm of the show's martial artist namesake.

There's enough meat on Burnout's bones to provide an engaging, albeit unoriginal, take on arcade racing.

If you're fiending for Sonic the Hedgehog and either don't have or are unwilling to drag out a dusty Genesis from the closet, don't hesitate to give it a shot.

An excellent, well-put-together action adventure game that most fans of the genre should be able to enjoy and any Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan will love.

A big game, to be sure, with enough levels to keep you busy over a three-day rental period. The puzzles within them aren't very original or entertaining, but seeing that this is the only Tomb Raider-style game to come to the Nintendo 64, it deserves at least a little leeway.

Quirky humor and an abundance of outrageous antics keep things buoyant through much of the short but flawed journey. Jazzpunk is an enthusiastic attempt to answer the question of just how much weirdness you can possibly cram into a few hours of gaming. In that endeavor, at least, it's a great achievement.

Ultimately, where you fall on GT Sport will mirror how you feel about racing games in general. If you’re looking for a highly focused console racing sim, GT Sport is excellent, but don’t come looking for a robust "Gran Turismo" experience. You won’t find it. Casual fans will feel the pinch of the scaled-down offering and the intimidating push towards racing online. But for sim-racers with a competitive spirit, it’s easy to look past the smaller car and track roster and appreciate the incredibly detailed and responsive driving model, which is better than anything the series has offered before.

Constant tension and difficult emotional decisions make I Am Alive a powerful adventure.

Even if you don't fall in love with Path to Thalamus, I suspect you won't be fully immune to its gravity.

Etrian Odyssey is a turn-based role-playing game like any other, but it sports one heck of a mean streak to elevate it above the crowd.

It over-confidently asserts twists and conundrums, without doing enough to earn your investment in the outcome of your decisions. If a moving story is what you're after, steer your ship back to the shores of the Commonwealth.

The formula still works just fine, and with support for eight players using only one copy of the game, this is a fine choice for anyone interested in a strong multiplayer game.

W.M.D. is easily the best game in the Worms series in several years. It stays true to the 2D, animated roots of the ’90s games while adding enough new features to keep it feeling fresh and relevant. The relatively simple gameplay is overflowing with finesse and strategy, the presentation is fantastic, and offline or on, Worms is just incredibly fun.

Unsurprisingly, Bugsnax' best qualities are its cleverness and charm. The surprise and delight you feel when you see a Bugsnak wiggling around or watch someone eat one and change their arm into food never goes away. That alone would make Bugsnax worth your time, but creative puzzles and thoughtful story give it the body and depth to make a Snak feel more like a meal.

It has the look and polish of a great shooter, but the gameplay of a merely good one. It's also a fairly short game with no multiplayer support to speak of.

The experience absolutely holds up: the skillshot system remains wildly fun and inventive, the weapons are still a gruesome joy, and the writing...well, it's as distinctive as ever. If you missed Bulletstorm when it originally released--and based on sales numbers, you probably did--now's the time to treat yourself to a clever if cringe-worthy blockbuster.

WWE All Stars pumps up the action and the stars of professional wrestling, delivering an entertaining experience in spite of its limitations.

Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 offers fast, fun games of Magic: the Gathering, but is hampered by a less-than-ideal control scheme and limited deck building.

Inconsistencies of time reversal aside, Life is Strange is an involving slice of life that works because its situations eloquently capture a peculiar early-college state of mind.

Battlefront doesn't go much deeper than its ambitious surface appeal. It front loads its best content, only to fade in quality as the hours roll by. Star Wars Battlefront's skin is beautiful, but its legs are shaking, and threaten to buckle with time.

Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 3 incorporates a bunch of new modes and switches up the songlist, but for many less-than-expert players will seem a little too similar to previous games.

This role-playing sequel's big world and seemingly countless quests make it easy to overlook its wrinkles.

Tiger Woods 13 still presents a reasonably good golf game, but there isn't much new here save subtly improved PS Move and gamepad controls.

Unique combat and cheery visuals make this kid-friendly role-playing game fun, despite some flaws.

There's a lot of potential in the ideas seeded in New Dawn, but there isn't enough room for many of them to breathe and feel fully realized.

No matter how prone to cynicism you may be, you shouldn’t let this surprising gem go unnoticed.

Being a slightly less-than-perfect approximation of building with Lego bricks still means it is almost perfect, though, and that's remarkably impressive. While some of the build challenges feel repetitive and the controls can be fiddly, this is a great concept executed well, and pays respectful homage to the classic toy. Lego Bricktales sets a new template for what a Lego game can be, and I'd love to see developer Clockstone build on it even more.

Dirt Showdown is a satisfying mix of driving tricks and destruction wrapped up in the slickest of presentations.

The core gameplay loop of Wild Hearts doesn't deviate too far from the formula established by Monster Hunter, yet the surprising decision to center it all around a fast-paced building mechanic is a stroke of ingenuity. The Karakuri system elevates each individual part of Wild Hearts. Combat, traversal, and co-op are all improved by its presence and the way Karakuri is weaved into each component. There are some notable shortcomings that hold it back, especially when it comes to technical performance, but Wild Hearts is a welcome entry in a genre that's otherwise dominated by a single series.

Fable III lands on the PC with graphical enhancements and tougher combat, but simplified gameplay and a lack of moral choices still distract from the fun.

No one has ever really captured the feel of this sweet science as precisely as Victorious Boxers has.

Unfortunately, this new presentation isn't fully realized, leading to awkward camera angles and needlessly confusing gameplay.

If you're undaunted by the game's singular insistence on coordinated teamwork, and intrigued by its combination of shooter and real-time strategy elements, then Savage is worth checking out.

If you play and enjoy "The Sims," you'll play and enjoy Vacation--and you'll just enjoy it more if you happen to have "Hot Date" and "House Party."

While this hybrid concept mostly works well, the game suffers from a lack of polish and from stripped-down combat balance.

The good news is that the game plays an enjoyable match of soccer, makes decent use of the handheld's second screen, and boasts the same high level of presentation that we've come to expect from EA Sports in recent years.

The addition of touch screen support could have ruined Bust-A-Move DS, but its solid execution, along with a great number of puzzles and economical multiplayer support, keeps things fun.

There's more to do than ever in NBA 08, but outside of a few good minigames and the fun conquest mode, little of it is worthwhile.

This entertaining strategy sequel is a big improvement over the console original, and bridges the gap between complexity and accessibility.

The [PS2] game is easily one of the best games in the series, whereas the sloppy controls, floaty cars, and average graphics of the [Xbox] game make it simply OK.

This otherwise ordinary-to-a-fault action game is given a shot in the arm by its relatively cool gameplay techniques, which--at least--make the game's short ride interesting.

Returning fans may find themselves wishing that the developer had instead stuck to the things it clearly knows best, but on the whole, Rebel Strike is a very good game that's worthy of the Rogue Squadron name.

World Driver Championship is an average racing game with exceptional graphics. The game's incredible visuals give you a sense of realism for a little while, but the second your car starts to do an excessive slide around a turn, it kind of falls apart.

The shooting is so tight and the stages so well designed that it reminds you that sometimes you don't need a revolution in game design to have a great time.

You need to understand and revel in a bonus level that involves nothing more than destroying a car in order to fully grasp why this DLC is special.

With the fixes and gameplay mechanics, what remains is Blood of the Werewolf in its finest form: enjoyable, challenging, and, at long last, satisfying to the very end. Dreadful traps and Hollywood's most famous monsters stand in your way. How long will you last against the forces of darkness?

If everything goes according to plan and you aren't backed into an inescapable corner, you're looking at a roughly six-hour playthrough. That may seems short, but chances are the vagaries of Distrust's randomization will leaving you taking much longer to reach its end, and even after six hours you'll feel as though you've survived a trial by fire. Victory is a warm feeling in this world of cold.

Considering you need 12 players to fill a full room, it would be a shame if Onrush doesn't find the kind of audience that will give it the lifespan it deserves. Part of this will depend on how Codemasters iterates on the game from here on out, but they've shown a proficiency in knowing how arcade racing games click, and Onrush is such a bold, refreshing twist on the genre that there should be little hesitation in putting your faith in them to succeed.

Death Come True is an enjoyable but all-too-brief trip into a disturbing live-action mystery world that is a blast while it lasts. Unfortunately, when everything ends and the credits roll, you're left longing to spend more time with the characters and world you just experienced. Death Come True's throwback gameplay definitely scratches an itch, but it ultimately leaves you wanting for more.

Evil Genius 2 is an intricate game of spinning plates and building, building, building to make the numbers go up smoothly, which manages to capture the spirit of its Bond villain simulator conceit. Though its management gameplay creates momentary frustrations, the tight rapport among all the different elements of the Genius' organization make for a challenging, long-term management puzzle that requires you to both move quickly and take your time. Plus, you can use a giant magnet to drag your enemies into a flamethrower, which is pretty damn whimsical. You know, in an evil way.

It's disappointing that Aliens: Dark Descent gets so much right about its setting, only to falter in each of the more critical areas that are meant to hold your attention. Its detail-oriented focus in presenting a richly authentics and atmospheric setting will be welcomed by anyone familiar with the franchise. Smaller mechanics that put emphasis on the terror that Xenomorphs exude add a suitable layer of tension to both exploration and combat, making each more distinct than their initial make-up would suggest. But it's a squad that rarely feels like a personable unit of people that you desperately want to keep alive, fighting for a cause in a narrative that is so easy to tune out well before the halfway point. There's a lot of good in this attempt to make Aliens something fresh and interesting again, and that might be enough to encourage you to see it through. But there's also just enough to potentially derail you entirely.

The way Thirsty Suitors meshes turn-based combat, cooking minigames, and a skateboarding simulator is a huge success. On paper, so many disjointed ideas don't sound like they will work, but Thirsty Suitors brings it all together in impressive fashion. And it does so while also elevating and celebrating South Asian characters and their stories in a modern-day setting.

Plants Vs. Zombies is a beloved classic, and Replanted shows that it's for good reason. The classic gameplay is still just as engaging, and the new modes will keep seasoned gardeners on their toes. While a few aspects of this remaster feel a little low-effort, it's just nice to have the classic game back and playable in a modern context. Now that it's easy to do, I expect I'll keep tending to my garden.

WWE All Stars pumps up the action and the stars of professional wrestling, delivering an entertaining experience in spite of its limitations.

Last Day of June's brevity is its saving grace, buoying up a story that isn't done any favors by its gameplay loop. There is undoubtedly potential in a game that allows you to alter past events to reshape the present, and Last Day of June shows glimmers of promise; however, it also ruins the emotional impact of its most important event by forcing you to repeat it so many times.

While you won't see its name on a blimp, cool community features and a great songlist make Def Jam Rapstar a sure bet if you want to get your living room bumpin'.

While the game serves as only an adequate primer to this tough-guy sport, it's a fairly approachable and fun game, and it's one that does a decent job of conveying the finer aspects of the sport it portrays.

The aerial combat is still thrilling, but some inexcusable issues make Zone of the Enders HD Collection a disappointing repackaging of two cult classics.

As long as you can find some felons to fight alongside, Payday 2 is an addictive and challenging criminal pursuit.

Though there's a lot of recycled content in Ridge Racer 3D, its drift-based driving is as addictive and fun as ever.

So enough with the puzzle bosses! And fix the loading times! And get rid of the idiotic jumping puzzles! Make more levels like the orphanage! Please.

It certainly looks great, and it can be fun.

The sequel is less open-ended and more structured. Indeed, this time there's a more coherent story, which makes it feel like a different game. However, this comes at the cost of some of the free-form gameplay that you may have loved from the original.

Pursuit Force's high-risk stunts and brilliant production values are complemented nicely by a gameplay style and structure that feels well-suited for the PSP system.

The lack of light-gun support drags down Operation Wolf, but with games like Elevator Action and Bubble Bobble on board, Taito Legends offers good classic arcade action at a budget price.

Those moments in WarioWare: Move It show how the game is capable of hitting its stride, and it's hard not to get a goofy grin when you're asked to cock your head to one side to gaze into a lover's eyes, or stamp a series of papers with your butt. But those moments are not as frictionless as they should be for a game that seems aimed at a relaxed, party atmosphere. The original WarioWare had an elegant simplicity to it, and the motion controls add a layer of abstraction that can be difficult to penetrate. If your friend circle is willing to put in the time to learn all the poses--and deal with some potential technical hiccups--then you may have a good time. But I suspect that, for most, WarioWare: Move It will be a short-lived Story mode experience before the game moves its way to the shelf.

Eventually The Medium's narrative threads begin to weave together, even connecting to the original goal of discovering Marianne's origins. The promise that everything somehow connects in some unforeseen and fascinating way is a thrilling reason to see the game all the way through. The connections to real-world events of Polish history make many of the revelations even more poignant--even if the supernatural aspects are fictional, it's deeply unsettling to think about how some of the evil present in this game did actually occur. And to that end, The Medium's conclusion sticks with you; it's one last horrifying reminder that trauma may not define a person, but it can have consequences we can't even begin to foresee if it's not adequately dealt with and simply left to fester over time. I can't say I enjoyed the ending to The Medium, but I am deeply satisfied with how it sets up the inescapable nature of its horrifying conclusion.

The second Elebits makes its way to a new platform with a new focus, but it still makes for a very fun adventure.

But the Friendships, new stages, and new finishers are freely available for owners of Mortal Kombat 11, and the only content exclusive to Aftermath are the additional story chapters and three new characters. Though that's a very welcome decision--free is good--it makes Aftermath less compelling when considered specifically on its own terms. Mortal Kombat 11 remains one of the best fighting games of this console generation, and the recent free update makes it better. Aftermath introduces a couple of great characters, and the expanded story definitely has its highs, but it's not essential to your enjoyment of an already superb game.

On one hand, sure, it's a derivative real-time strategy game. But on the other hand, it's a tidy little bundle of escapism that's perfect for a generation of gamers raised on Star Wars.

Fans of the series will be able to dive right into the game and won't be disappointed. New players may even be compelled to get "Earth 2150" after their experience with The Moon Project.