For anyone who appreciates games that rise above the simple act of pushing a few buttons and pulling a few triggers, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a stimulating ride that you won't soon forget.

Blast Works lets you design the shooter of your dreams. The gameplay may be simple, but the editor more than makes up for it.

Complicated and unresponsive controls combined with uninteresting gameplay and a disjointed story keeps Prizefighter down for the count.

Soul Bubbles is charming, beautiful, and soothing, but it won't keep you coming back.

You won't like it when this simplistic, repetitive, and occasionally broken game makes you angry.

NASCAR 09 isn't a tremendous step forward for the series, but it's a solid effort.

NASCAR 09 isn't a tremendous step forward for the series, but it's a solid effort.

This 3D fighting game can be enjoyed by newcomers to the DBZ universe and Super Saiyan wannabes alike.

This 3D fighting game can be enjoyed by newcomers to the DBZ universe and Super Saiyan wannabes alike.

Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor is light on challenge and heavy on cartoon mayhem.

You won't like it when this simplistic, repetitive, and occasionally broken game makes you angry.

You won't like it when this simplistic, repetitive, and occasionally broken game makes you angry.

The embarrassing graphics and painful controls in The Incredible Hulk make citywide destruction feel boring.

You won't like it when this simplistic, repetitive, and occasionally broken game makes you angry.

The small-screen version of The Incredible Hulk won't make you feel like the world's angriest superhero, but clever level design and tight controls make this the best Hulk game this year.

Commando 3 is an all-too-brief shooter that delivers high-caliber fun in solo and cooperative bursts.

Aces of the Galaxy is an exciting, beautiful game that captures the spirit of classic arcade space shooters.

Roogoo's visuals are cute and the concept is simple, but this fast-paced game of quick reflexes is surprisingly fun and challenging.

Translating the lightning-quick close-quarters combat of the Bourne films into viscerally satisfying gameplay is no mean feat, but High Moon Studios has done it and done it well. The adventure is a bit short, and the solid gunplay becomes tedious the second time around. Still, the combat system alone makes this game worth playing, and the dramatic moments it creates are the real treat.

Translating the lightning-quick close-quarters combat of the Bourne films into viscerally satisfying gameplay is no mean feat, but High Moon Studios has done it and done it well. The adventure is a bit short, and the solid gunplay becomes tedious the second time around. Still, the combat system alone makes this game worth playing, and the dramatic moments it creates are the real treat.

This action-packed sequel isn't quite up to the standards of its precursors, but it's still a brutal blast.

Grid is a classy arcade racing game, providing enough depth and variety to satisfy any fan of the genre.

Grid is a classy arcade racing game, providing enough depth and variety to satisfy any fan of the genre.

This shallow and repetitive beat-'em-up is fun for a while, but doesn't last much longer than the movie that it's based on.

This movie-inspired action game is fun while it lasts, but sadly that isn't very long.

Twin Age offers a cozy and pleasantly familiar dungeon-crawling experience.

The third time is the charm for Traveller's Tales--logical puzzles and great offline co-op play make this the best Lego game yet.

The third time is the charm for Traveller's Tales--logical puzzles and great offline co-op play make this the best Lego game yet.

The third time is the charm for Traveller's Tales--logical puzzles and great offline co-op play make this the best Lego game yet.

The third time is the charm for Traveller's Tales--logical puzzles and great offline co-op play make this the best Lego game yet.

The third time is the charm for Traveller's Tales--logical puzzles and great offline co-op play make this the best Lego game yet.

This charming adventure has its pitfalls, but it's still a lot of fun.

Sloppy controls and a lack of cooperative play hurt Indiana Jones' first Lego adventure, but the humor and puzzles still make this worth playing.

It's more of the same for the latest entry in the Hot Shots Golf series.

Old and almost impossible, Stronghold Crusader Extreme is hard to recommend even to diehard fans of this RTS series.

Toki Tori is a fun and challenging WiiWare puzzle game. Its cute graphics, simple control scheme, good difficulty curve, and challenging gameplay will keep kids and adults alike amused for hours.

Out of the Park Baseball 9 doesn't add a lot to an already fantastic formula, but a host of small refinements make it the best game in the history of the franchise.

Whether you're a seasoned Spectre looking to suit up again, or a newcomer who has never set foot on the Normandy, the refined PC version is your best choice for experiencing this excellent game.

Slick graphics cannot cover up a poor port of a classic game.

This is the ideal expansion pack for an already outstanding strategy epic.

In terms of value alone, it's difficult to recommend Quake Wars. You'll love the giant sandbox filled with such distinct classes, high-tech weaponry, and attack vehicles. But when limited to only 16 players on just 12 maps, the gameplay is one-dimensional.

In terms of value alone, it's difficult to recommend Quake Wars. You'll love the giant sandbox filled with such distinct classes, high-tech weaponry, and attack vehicles. But when limited to only 16 players on just 12 maps, the gameplay is one-dimensional.

Emergency Heroes is a lazy and repetitive open-world driving game that will bore even the younger audience that it's aimed at.

New multiplayer additions make this the best Lost Planet experience so far, but there's not enough here to warrant another purchase for veterans.

Improvements over the PSP game make the Wii version of Root of Evil a competent, stylish platformer.

Spooky atmosphere and a great story save Dracula: Origin from being a formulaic pixel hunt.

Penny Arcade Adventures is slick with rain, hobo stew, and all sorts of awesome, but it's for fans of the comic's brand of humor only.

If PAA had been able to construct a great adventure game around the fantastic humor, this would be a must-buy for everyone. But in its current form, it will satisfy only the specific niche of people who find PA funny and no one else.

Technical issues notwithstanding, the violently rewarding Age of Conan is one of the finest online RPGs available.

A seven-hour campaign and uneventful multiplayer modes just don't cut it in light of the far better modern shooters available on the market.

The presentation is top-notch, and the community features are neat, despite the hit-and-miss quality of the submissions. The amount of premium downloadable content available thus far is impressive as well.

Wii Fit will help you work up a sweat, but it's not as smooth and fun a workout as you'd probably like.

UEFA Euro 2008 plays a better game of football than anything else on the market, but only just.

UEFA Euro 2008 plays a better game of football than anything else on the market, but only just.

This is a satisfying hardcore title to help launch the WiiWare service.

At 1,000 Wii points ($10), Critter Round-Up is a good choice for light puzzle action and wacky multiplayer fun.

Prince Caspian combines simplistic gameplay with a confusing narrative for an action adventure that unfortunately isn't as good as the movie on which it's based.

Prince Caspian combines simplistic gameplay with a confusing narrative for an action adventure that unfortunately isn't as good as the movie on which it's based.

Prince Caspian combines simplistic gameplay with a confusing narrative for an action adventure that unfortunately isn't as good as the movie it's based on.

Though Prince Caspian is not without its charms, the game never lives up to its potential and ends up being too boring and repetitive to live up to the exciting tale it's based on.

It might not be creative, but Fate: Undiscovered Realms is a solid extension of the original hack-and-slash role-playing game.

Whatever merit Myst had left has been blown away by a sloppy touch interface, poorly implemented new features, and overly compressed visuals.

As tempting as a game with both badminton and curling may be, there's no reason to recommend Deca Sports.

We Ski isn't a game that will satiate your need for high-speed thrills, over-the-top stunts, and fierce competition. Rather, it's a relatively sedate game in which you can have fun exploring, taking part in friendly contests, running errands for other skiers, and posing for photos.

This light "strategy" game is charming enough, but its gameplay is wildly unbalanced.

LostWinds is brimming with potential, but the result leaves a lot to be desired.

This is instantly one of the better party games on the system and, because there are so many questions, it's likely that you'll be coming back again and again.

There's not much to Defend Your Castle, but it does have some entertainment value.

Though Pop can be fun in short bursts, it isn't worth 700 Wii points ($7).

The new levels are fun and addictive, and the gameplay is as hypnotic as ever. Just be ready to be challenged, because while it looks innocuous enough, Encore puts up a good fight.

The XBLA version of Wits & Wagers is cheaper than the board game but not nearly as easy to recommend.

Though it doesn't look space-aged, R-Type Command offers you a mildly entertaining future in which you'll spend hours and hours blasting aliens with rockets.

It stumbles with certain game modes and its effort to appeal to kids with a poorly integrated story is ham-fisted at best, but Boom Blox is still a good game. Most of the hundreds of puzzles are fun to play alone, and it's also entertaining to taunt friends during their turn as they try to keep a tower from collapsing.

Everything Brain Voyage does has been done better by other logic and puzzle minigame collections.

Unless you're interested in overly fussy, old-fashioned RTS gaming, give Great War Nations: The Spartans a pass.

Iron Man's high-flying new adventure is hindered by erratic difficulty and repetitive level design.

Iron Man's high-flying new adventure is hindered by erratic difficulty and repetitive level design.

Enough effort was put into the gameplay and graphical design to keep it from crashing and burning, but not enough to inject it with any sort of life or appeal.

Enough effort was put into the gameplay and graphical design to keep it from crashing and burning, but not enough to inject it with any sort of life or appeal.

Enough effort was put into the gameplay and graphical design to keep it from crashing and burning, but not enough to inject it with any sort of life or appeal.

Echochrome is a unique experience that's easy to recommend.

The PS3 game is superior by virtue of its additional online features and sharper visuals, but no matter which version you choose, you won't be disappointed.

Adding this much new life to what should be a very familiar game is an amazing achievement.

The single-player game, which you can still play long after you complete the story, is the series' best by far, and the multiplayer features are good enough that you'll likely have no problem finding people to play with for many months to come.

A game that you simply have to play. The single-player game, which you can still play long after you complete the story, is the series' best by far, and the multiplayer features are good enough that you'll likely have no problem finding people to play with for many months to come.

Mario Kart Wii offers varied multiplayer and thoroughly integrated online modes that will keep you coming back for more.

Card games don't get any more addictive than Lost Cities.

Dinosaurs rescue an otherwise underwhelming shooter.

The World Ends With You is a compelling and immaculately presented RPG from start to finish, and is a great way for Square Enix to kick off a new franchise.

This is the definitive version of 2007's best role-playing game.

You'll have more fun laughing at this light-gun shooter than playing it.

There's no reason to pick this one up, regardless of how bad you need a basketball fix--there are plenty of cheaper, better options available.

There's no reason to pick this one up, regardless of how bad you need a basketball fix--there are plenty of cheaper, better options available.

Battle of the Band's bizarre mashups are fun to listen to but not as much fun to play.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness/Time recycles the aging Mystery Dungeon formula, but it's still worthwhile for fans of dungeon hacks.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness/Time recycles the aging Mystery Dungeon formula, but it's still worthwhile for fans of dungeon hacks.

What do you get when you mix a 50-year-old animated franchise with 21st-century downloadable games? A poor microgame collection.

Battlezone is a relic that should have stayed in the past.