Rock Band does a superb job of bringing out the wannabe rock star in all of us, and creates one of the best party-game experiences of all time.

Rock Band does a superb job of bringing out the wannabe rock star in all of us, and creates one of the best party-game experiences of all time.

A deliberate '90s-arcade-game charm and some ridiculous non sequiturs give this incredibly brief light gun shooter an odd appeal.

A revered series takes a nosedive in this embarrassing, tedious excuse for an action game.

Just as Final Fantasy Tactics did nearly 10 years ago, Revenant Wings successfully takes the series into uncharted waters in an unforgettable way.

Galaxies adds a great deal of depth to an already intense shooter.

A bland first-person shooter mode does little to freshen up the stale taste of this aging light-gun series.

This operation has its share of complications, but most of them are good ones.

An inferior copy of a classic, Swashbucklers isn't worth your time.

Unleashed is the worst thing to happen to Godzilla since getting killed by Mothra's babies.

Tedious pace and annoying pixel hunts sabotage this surreal adventure.

Unreal Tournament 3 doesn't make huge changes to the formula, but still ends up feeling fresh, fast, and very fun.

The single-player campaign doesn't get cooking until the last two levels, but those two levels combined with solid multiplayer make it worth enlisting in the Airborne.

An interesting time-shifting mechanic and fun-to-shoot weapons can't make up for the rest of TimeShift's run-of-the-mill first-person shooter gameplay.

Many of the improvements are subtle, but the changes and additions to College Hoops 2K8 make it the best game in the series.

Many of the improvements are subtle, but the changes and additions to College Hoops 2K8 make it the best game in the series.

This shooter is a painful exercise in pattern memorization plus frustrating trial-and-error gameplay.

Best of all, the developers have made it so that you need only a single cartridge to get a party going with as many as four people.

Though it's extremely short, Link's Crossbow Training is a fun shooting game that's good enough to overshadow the faults of the main part of the package, the Wii Zapper.

Incredible production values and plenty of thrilling moments help make Uncharted an action-packed adventure, in spite of some slightly uneven gameplay.

Mahjong plus Scrabble equals fun for vocabulary buffs.

Spy Games' abysmal gameplay is matched only by its flair for the generic.

This follow-up collection of minigames isn't nearly as captivating or humorous as its predecessor, but it still has its moments.

ProStreet is a solid racing game, but it's missing most of what made the previous games in the series interesting.

Another pop-culture museum piece gets the time-warp treatment, this time the apparently ageless Impossible Mission.

The game that began as a free PC download has made its way to retail shelves with this Xbox 360 iteration, but it looks as if most of the fun was lost in transit.

This shooter is a painful exercise in pattern memorization plus frustrating trial-and-error gameplay.

Crysis is visually stunning, packed with intelligent, thrilling gameplay, and easily one of the greatest shooters ever made.

In Assassin's Creed, the greatest joy comes from the smallest details, and for every nerve-racking battle, there's a quiet moment that cuts to the game's heart and soul.

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men has a lot of promise, but nothing in this game works out nearly as well as you'd hope.

In Assassin's Creed, the greatest joy comes from the smallest details, and for every nerve-racking battle, there's a quiet moment that cuts to the game's heart and soul.

With little notable improvement to the formula and steps backward in several key areas, SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008 is a big disappointment.

With little notable improvement to the formula and steps backward in several key areas, SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008 is a big disappointment.

With little notable improvement to the formula and steps backward in several key areas, SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008 is a big disappointment.

In setting out to make a wrestling game for people who don't like wrestling games, THQ has turned in a game that nobody will like.

This portable wrasslin' game is basically fun, even if there aren't a whole lot of play modes.

Good atmosphere and some unique mechanics make this a solid on-rails shooter.

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men has a lot of promise, but nothing in this game works out nearly as well as you'd hope.

Lara Croft's transition to the Wii is not an entirely smooth one.

Brutally insane bunnies can be fun, but there aren't enough minigames to keep those in Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 interesting for long.

ProStreet is a solid racing game, but it's missing most of what made the previous games in the series interesting.

ProStreet is a solid racing game, but it's missing most of what made the previous games in the series interesting.

ProStreet is a solid racing game, but it's missing most of what made the previous games in the series interesting.

ProStreet is a solid racing game, but it has some performance issues and is missing most of what made the previous games in the series interesting.

The addictive gameplay of the SimCity series is completely missing in this lackluster spinoff.

Sonic and his rivals' latest adventure is rarely fun, often frustrating, and entirely forgettable.

It's mean, it's intense, it's difficult, and it's a raucous good time. In a nutshell, it's Contra.

Despite the dated presentation, The King of Fighters XI is one of the best fighting games in the entire series.

Smarty Pants is a fun, no-frills trivia game for all ages.

Orcs & Elves' simplicity doesn't do much to hide its roots as a mobile phone game, but it's also what makes this dungeon crawler accessible, fast, and fun.

Medal of Honor Heroes 2 for the Wii combines solid online play, sharp controls, and fast-placed gameplay into one of the best first-person shooters for the Wii.

The solid single-player campaign is over in the blink of an eye, but a strong online component makes Medal of Honor Heroes 2 worth a look for anyone who enjoyed the previous game.

Even a merry band of adventurous thanes can't save this quest from ruin.

Even a merry band of adventurous thanes can't save this quest from ruin.

Even a merry band of adventurous thanes can't save this quest from ruin.

It's not the best version of Puzzle Quest to date, but it still offers much of the same great fun.

This battle between invading extraterrestrials is hardly a fair fight. It's also not a very interesting one.

Dinner With Friends tastes like reheated leftovers.

Guitar Hero III delivers the rock to PC owners, but it does it with the performance capability of a second-rate bar band.

This shooter is a painful exercise in pattern memorization plus frustrating trial-and-error gameplay.

Fire Pro Wrestling Returns is archaic, arduous, and arcane, but is it fun? Absolutely.

The stellar presentation and fantastic level designs combine to make Super Mario Galaxy the Wii's game to beat and one of Mario's greatest adventures yet.

BlackSite: Area 51 is an ordinary first-person shooter that's held back by a collection of bugs and other issues.

BlackSite: Area 51 is an ordinary first-person shooter that's held back by a collection of bugs and other issues.

Interface issues and the limitations of the PSP take a toll on the otherwise impressive Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command.

Ultimate MK is a sharp fighting game that's still a lot of fun, but only against live opponents.

Boogie's transition from the Wii to the PlayStation 2 makes an already mediocre game even worse.

Hmm, a punch to the groin or one more round of this DS boxing game? Hang on, we're still thinking.

It may be old-school, but Fantasy Wars isn't behind the times when it comes to providing satisfying, albeit spectacularly tough, turn-based strategy gameplay.

An inferior copy of a classic, Swashbucklers isn't worth your time.

Avencast balances the action-oriented and traditional RPG genres better than you might expect.

This clever physics-based puzzler is both challenging and addictive.

Despite the descriptive accuracy of its title, Word Puzzle is too shallow to satisfy fans of word puzzles.

This old fog needs to learn some new tricks.

Fresh ideas can't save Bladestorm from mediocrity.

Fresh ideas can't save Bladestorm from mediocrity.

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker feeds that compulsive need to customize as many monsters as you can and is great if you don't mind a little level grinding.

While it may be a lot smoother and simpler than its predecessors, Empire Earth III has been dumbed down to the point of irrelevance.

Mario and Sonics' debut as a duo fails to earn them a spot on the medal stand.

Blazing Angels 2 is a clear improvement over the previous game, though history buffs will probably hate the game's fictional missions.

A mostly successful operation with a couple of unsightly scars.

Even if the new bells and whistles aren't enough to bring back established fans, this is still Lego Star Wars at its finest.

Even if the new bells and whistles aren't enough to bring back established fans, this is still Lego Star Wars at its finest.

Even if the new bells and whistles aren't enough to bring back established fans, this is still Lego Star Wars at its finest.

What's impressive is the amount of stuff that developer Gas Powered Games has managed to squeeze into the standalone expansion in relatively little time.

Ontamarama comes across as a throwaway piece of entertainment, but there's a surprising amount of enjoyment to be had with it.

Touch-screen controls will help you achieve Zen with this large collection of tangram-style puzzles.

It's a new twist to the series, but if you like stealth or strategy games, you'll probably like Tactical Strike.

The PC version of Gears of War is everything the 360 version was and more.

Championship Manager 2008 ultimately fails because it doesn't seem to know who it's aiming at.

Bad design choices transform this cheaply produced puzzle game into a mere exercise to see who can scribble the fastest.

Scene It?'s brand of movie trivia is one that will be enjoyed by both casual and hardcore movie fans.

F.E.A.R. Files serves up two stand-alone expansions for F.E.A.R., though one is definitely stronger than the other.

This stand-alone F.E.A.R. expansion feels completely dated and unnecessary.

The PC version of Viva Piñata is every bit as enjoyable as the Xbox 360 original, assuming your system is one that it chooses to run on.

Expect more yawns than shrieks in this overly fussy Lovecraft-inspired horror adventure.

Just because a game seemingly aims to be bad on purpose doesn't make it any less of a bad game.

With a terrible plot and an unforgiving difficulty level, Radiant Dawn is best left alone by anyone but the most hardcore of strategists.