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.

Innocent Life is a watered-down Harvest Moon game without the series' trademark depth and charm.

Resident Evil 4's strong gameplay somehow manages to survive, despite a lazy porting job that will leave some PC owners wondering what all the fuss was about.

While there are certainly worse movie-license games out there, Shrek the Third still feels slapdash and thoughtless, plus its function to entertain is overwhelmed by its function to make money.

While there are certainly worse movie-license games out there, Shrek the Third still feels slapdash and thoughtless, plus its function to entertain is overwhelmed by its function to make money.

While there are certainly worse movie-license games out there, Shrek the Third still feels slapdash and thoughtless, plus its function to entertain is overwhelmed by its function to make money.

Shrek the Third is a lazy game that coasts by on the strength of the brand.

Juggling the different characters' abilities is interesting, though some may not like the repetition or the game's gradual pace.

Younger fans of the show will likely enjoy watching the story gradually unfold as they constantly use the characters' superpowers to fight monsters in Lyoko's virtual world. However, the game's sluggish pace, repetitive combat, and straightforward puzzles guarantee that older or experienced players will lose interest long before the story reaches its conclusion.

Shrek the Third for the Game Boy Advance is a team-oriented adventure game that's hurt by its crummy presentation and overly simplistic puzzles.

Calling All Cars! is a frantic good time that's cut short by a serious lack of content.

It was an interesting mix of action back in its day, and it's still interesting today. Unfortunately, even the three-player online play can't make up for the PlayStation 3 version's terrible, touchy control.

Double Dragon for the Xbox Live Arcade will provide some quick entertainment for nostalgia fiends, but the game doesn't hold up as well as you might hope.

The only thing devilish about this overblown "Breakout" clone is its crummy collision detection.

Infernal embraces style over substance, resulting in a dull and repetitive shooting experience.

No love of choo-choos is required for this flawed but addictive puzzle game about life as a train dispatcher.

By using an intuitive control scheme similar to Electronic Arts' own "Battle for Middle-earth 2," Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars proves that strategy has a big role to play on consoles. If you have an Xbox 360 and even the remotest interest in earth-shattering explosions or campy science fiction, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy.

Driver '76 is a GTA clone that's technically uneven and short on originality, personality, and content.

If you haven't played the previous games, you won't know or care what's going on in the latest one, but if you have played the previous games, you'll feel like you're paying almost full price to play the same game over again.

It's not a very deep game; it's kind of ugly, and the story is flat out stupid. But Heatseeker can be fun in small doses--especially if you don't mind taking down wave after wave of enemies, level after level.

A passable but unexciting racing game that substitutes the finesse of the other Tony Hawk games for simple and scattered action.

The best that can be said about the game is that its sci-fi atmosphere and smart artificial intelligence make it a somewhat acceptable way for the desperate to whittle away a couple of dozen hours waiting for someone to finally do a proper remake of "X-COM."

ArmA is a challenging and immersive game of modern warfare, but one packed with plenty of frustrating moments and flaws, as well.

It may be an upgrade on its predecessors, but UFO: Afterlight still comes with some significant problems.

The good news for PC owners is that the PC version happens to be a port of the 360/PS3 version. The bad news is that this port doesn't quite cut it. The control scheme is totally unplayable unless you have a good dual-analog gamepad, and a number of performance problems frequently get in the way of the action.

Sure, it throws in a few new wrinkles to the combat system and adds some crazy God of War-esque contextual actions into the mix, but the core game is functionally the same as previous Spider-Man games, and the changes are a mixture of positive and problematic.

The PlayStation 2 version of Spider-Man 3 is a depressing combination of ugly to look at and dull to play.

Sure, it throws in a few new wrinkles to the combat system and adds some crazy God of War-esque contextual actions into the mix, but the core game is functionally the same as previous Spider-Man games, and the changes are a mixture of positive and problematic.

Sure, the Wii version throws in some new motion-sensing controls, and you still get to swing around inside a giant, open-ended version of New York City. But everything else about these iterations of Spider-Man 3 is ugly, clumsy, or utterly boring.

Spider-Man 3 is a slick beat-'em-up that uses the touch screen in ways that actually enhance the experience of playing the game.

Spider-Man 3 isn't anything special, but it's a solid 2D action game that lets you cut loose with Spidey's abilities.

A faithful port of the arcade original, but the single-player mode isn't much fun and the presentation is bare bones.

Catan isn't going to be immediately accessible to everyone, but it's a very good interpretation of the classic strategy board game, and the gameplay can be immensely satisfying.

More refined controls would have made Super Rub a Dub less frustrating, but that wouldn't be enough to make it worthwhile.

Centipede and Millipede were arcade classics, but bad control and lame "evolved" modes make this package a stinker.

It's not a very deep game; it's kind of ugly, and the voice acting is atrocious. But Heatseeker can be fun in small doses--especially if you don't mind taking down wave after wave of enemies, level after level.

It's not a very deep game; it's kind of ugly, and the voice acting is atrocious. But Heatseeker can be fun in small doses--especially if you don't mind taking down wave after wave of enemies, level after level.

Whether you're a fan of the cartoon or a fan of fighting games, Legend of the Dragon is a total disappointment.

Whether you're a fan of the cartoon or a fan of fighting games, Legend of the Dragon is a total disappointment.

Cube's decent premise is diluted by its dull visuals and uninspired puzzles.

If you've been playing along over the past five episodes, you're obviously going to want to know how it ends, and, overall, it ends pretty well.

It's an easy game to pick up, but the cartoonishly warped art style belies a hearty challenge as you get further into the game. The levels certainly get more complicated as you advance through the seven different worlds of Eets: Chowdown, but the action remains consistent throughout the game.

All the pieces are in place, but unfortunately, this Xbox Live Arcade game's most prominent components are its shoddy ball movement and lackluster table design.

That The Lord of the Rings Online is such an accessible experience is bound to draw comparisons to the genre's leading title, but that it's so enjoyable to play is a testament to its great design. Its inventive aspects are peripheral, but they are there, and combined with slick and engaging questing, the package makes for plenty of appealing exploration.

Aside from the name, this street racer has little to distinguish itself from an already crowded field.

Rayman Raving Rabbids is a fairly simple collection of minigames that manages to win you over largely on the merit of its personality.

While F.E.A.R. is still a good action game, it doesn't live up to its potential, thanks to stuttering frame rates and washed-out graphics.

SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters DS is an often entertaining game, which makes its shoddy production and localization especially disappointing.

Don't expect any grand, over-the-top treatment of Spartan history, as Sparta: Ancient Wars is a very generic real-time strategy game.

The game also featured mind-numbingly simplistic and repetitive gameplay, as well as a dearth of worthwhile added content. Luckily, the Wii version has come along to deliver the coup de grace, effectively retaining all of the games vices while delivering a control scheme that would be obnoxious even if the camera controls weren't completely busted.

The sequel to Generation of Chaos provides more of the same strategic gameplay without doing anything to correct the problems with the original.

Despite spending years on the shelf, The Red Star ably delivers a unique and challenging blend of beat-'em-up and top-down shooter action.

Aside from being poorly conceived, Th3 Plan is made all the worse by its unintelligent artificial intelligence, unlikely scenarios, and rote, mundane gameplay.

After a few hours with Made Man, you'll be begging for someone to put two in the back of your head.

By evening out the presentation and focusing the story, New Vision transforms the Eureka Seven series from painful to playable.

A competent clone of a competent "Bejeweled" clone that does little to set itself apart.

The additions and alterations aren't game changing, and Diamond and Pearl do what the Pokémon franchise has always done best--deliver an accessible and highly addictive role-playing game experience.

The additions and alterations aren't game changing, and Diamond and Pearl do what the Pokémon franchise has always done best--deliver an accessible and highly addictive role-playing game experience.

Its tactical focus and total absence of resource gathering or base building make the learning curve a little twisty for tank-rush types. However, the authenticity and atmosphere bring the Second World War to life in impressive fashion.

Not only does Pocket Pool miserably fail to deliver an enjoyable game of billiards, but its attempts at titillation are more depressing than anything else.

3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures is a bit of fun when played with friends, but the single-player experience is lackluster thanks to slow pacing and erratic physics.

Gyruss isn't exactly the most famous shooter in the world, but if you remember it--and remember liking it--you'll get enough out of it to justify the $5 purchase price.

Enjoyable as it can be in spurts, Raiden III doesn't do anything unique to stand out from other modern shoot-'em-ups, and that it isn't priced at a flat-out budget rate is a bit disquieting.

Controls that fluctuate between touchy and unresponsive, a short list of gameplay modes, and a poorly realized multiplayer all conspire to bring down the already well-tread puzzle action in Bust-A-Move Bash!.

A deep character-creation system and sharp graphics are wasted on this dull, repetitive dungeon crawler.

Tedious gameplay, poor vehicle handling, and an unfriendly interface are just a few reasons why you should leave this game in the bargain bin.

The novelty of the Vietnam War setting is just about all that Whirlwind Over Vietnam has going for it.

If you want to play Mortal Kombat II over the Internet, then this is what you've been waiting to play.

The simplistic nature of Boom Boom Rocket makes it easy to pick up and enjoy in brief chunks, but it's also roughly like playing "Dance Dance Revolution" with the controller instead of a dance mat, which, unsurprisingly, isn't too much fun.

Brave finds some decent variety with its standard action adventure format, but it's neither a particularly challenging nor ambitious game.

Super Paper Mario's humorous story, accessible gameplay, inventive design, cool visual style, and impressive amount of content give it an undeniable charm. Anyone with a Wii should check it out.

A new Blitzkrieg game in everything but its title, Frontline: Fields of Thunder is yet another cookie-cutter WWII RTS.

Unless your idea of fun is to stress yourself out by performing menial tasks, you'll want to pass on Cake Mania.

The Egyptian palette swap and minuscule formula changes aren't enough to prevent Luxor 2 from feeling like the inferior Zuma rip-off that it is.

Rival Swords, then, is a great translation of "Two Thrones," and no doubt through some time-altering voodoo, Ubisoft has padded out the PSP package with some worthwhile additions, making this the most content-laden version of them all.

The Guitar Hero series makes a fantastic debut on the Xbox 360 in Guitar Hero II, adding a bunch of new content and even tweaking a few small things that weren't so great about the PS2 version.

Rival Swords is much the same game as "Two Thrones," which means it's still good, but it's nearly a year and a half late to the show.

Enchanted Arms is a capable and often enjoyable role-playing game, but it's also one that you'll likely forget as soon as you finish it.

It might be squarely aimed at the younger crowd, but Chocobo Tales is highly charming and a great choice for players of all ages.

Pimp My Ride was shoddy enough as a console game, but the PSP version goes that extra mile and makes it completely unplayable.

Dawnspire is an action RPG in the vein of "Diablo," spiced up with capture-the-flag action but lacking most of the addictive fun of that great hackfest.

From its buggy, intensely frustrating gameplay to its near-absent production values, Made Man is a flat-out mess across every category.

With a simple concept and some stylish design, Honeycomb Beat is a nice game to look at that ultimately doesn't go anywhere.

Penumbra is loaded with creepy psychological horror that really gets under your skin.

You won't enjoy every single one of the 15 games included, but Konami Classics has just enough good stuff to make it worthwhile.

Splinter Cell makes a solid debut on the PlayStation 3 by delivering more of its signature stealth action gameplay along with its unique multiplayer modes.

While you'd probably be lost if you came in this late to the series, the fifth episode of Sam & Max is sharp and funny, more so than the previous installments.

The breakneck action of SNK's playfully over-the-top arcade shooter series still shines on the PS2, and it makes for a value-packed compilation.

Disney's Meet the Robinsons is a fairly satisfying movie tie-in that borrows heavily from a number of classic adventure and action games.

Disney's Meet the Robinsons is a fairly satisfying movie tie-in that borrows heavily from a number of classic adventure and action games.

It doesn't bear much resemblance to the movie, and it's short. Nevertheless, the DS rendition of Meet the Robinsons is a fun run-and-gun-style shooter.

Disney's Meet the Robinsons is a fairly satisfying movie tie-in that borrows heavily from a number of classic adventure and action games.

Disney's Meet the Robinsons is a fairly satisfying movie tie-in that borrows heavily from a number of classic adventure and action games.

On the Game Boy Advance, Disney's Meet the Robinsons is a straightforward action game that's clearly aimed at younger players.

Disney's Meet the Robinsons is a fairly satisfying movie tie-in that borrows heavily from a number of classic adventure and action games.

There's no great gameplay to be found in Medal of Honor: Vanguard, so there's nothing to hide those feelings of déjà vu that you'll get when you play it. Nearly everything in the game has been done before, and it has all been done better.

Tiberium Wars is Command & Conquer at its best, and an absolute blast for series fans and newcomers alike...It's simply a superb game that's fun and exciting to play both online and off.

There's no great gameplay to be found in Medal of Honor: Vanguard, so there's nothing to hide those feelings of déjà vu that you'll get when you play it. Nearly everything in the game has been done before, and it has all been done better.