Mark of Chaos captures the fantasy combat of the popular Warhammer franchise in a beautiful way, but it's marred by some technical issues and a basic strategic campaign.

Not even the allure of shiny robots with guns for arms can liven up this mind-numbingly simplistic and repetitive over-the-shoulder shooter.

Not even the allure of shiny robots with guns for arms can liven up this mind-numbingly simplistic and repetitive over-the-shoulder shooter.

Although it lacks online play, Bionicle Heroes is a surprisingly adept and enjoyable first-person shooter.

It's a straightforward remake of Koei's cult-favorite rhythm game, but Gitaroo Man still knows how to rock.

It's another great entry in the SmackDown! lineage that suffers only because what it fixes and improves isn't necessarily what is wrong with this aging game engine. Fans will undoubtedly enjoy it for what it is, but they'll also certainly be wondering if a true overhaul of the series is on the horizon.

What SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 improves isn't necessarily what the series actually needed to improve, but on its own merits, it's still a great wrestling game.

Variety and slick presentation go a long way toward making you forget about the lack of originality and the quest's brief length.

An improved aiming system, awesome create-a-character options, and top-notch gameplay help the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series get off to a great start on the PlayStation 3.

You don't need a surgeon's patience or precision to appreciate this quirky, inventive, very likable remake of a remarkable Nintendo DS game.

It's a decent brawler, but repetitive combat and missions keep it from rising above the level of Naruto fan service.

It doesn't take long to get over the novelty of the included steering wheel, and beyond that this is a very unremarkable racing game that isn't much fun.

NFL Street 3 doesn't manage to be consistently entertaining, and the new wrinkles in its gameplay don't do enough to differentiate it from previous games in the series. Unlike Ocho Cinco, Street 3 is probably a bit too safe for its own good.

Unfortunately, NFL Street 3 isn't consistently entertaining, and the new wrinkles in its gameplay don't do enough to differentiate it from previous games in the series. Unlike Ocho Cinco, Street 3 is probably a bit too safe for its own good.

Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2 has an appealing look and minigames that are fun at first, but the gameplay quickly wears thin because there's nothing to keep you playing.

Asphalt: Urban GT 2 is a fun and visually impressive arcade-style racer, even if it is just an evolutionary upgrade of the original game.

Fans of sluggish frame rates and clichéd combat racers pay attention: Pocket Racers is the game for you.

EA Replay contains a few genuine classics, but most of these 16-bit games haven't aged well, which makes them hard to come back to.

Eragon relies entirely on tedious, unenthusiastic gameplay that's way too shallow to sustain interest for more than a few minutes.

Eragon relies entirely on tedious, unenthusiastic gameplay that's way too shallow to sustain interest for more than a few minutes.

Eragon has some exciting moments, but they are overshadowed by frustrating controls and tedious level designs.

Eragon relies entirely on tedious, unenthusiastic gameplay that's way too shallow to sustain interest for more than a few minutes.

Eragon is short and the touch-screen controls don't work very well, but it's still a fairly decent action adventure game.

If you can get past its technical issues, Gothic 3 offers a substantial, open-ended role-playing experience.

As a licensed product, it's mediocre, with enough charming moments to rescue it from the immediate bargain-basement abyss. But as a game, it's an absolute insult and more likely to put kids to sleep than it is to entertain them.

Even kids who loved the animated film won't find Happy Feet to be worth their time.

Happy Feet on the DS is oriented around sledding and tap-dancing. Neither aspect is any good.

NBA 07 on the PlayStation 3 doesn't have the entertaining story mode that the PlayStation 2 version has, but it does have most of that version's flaws, and some new ones, too.

History Channel: Civil War is good for a few mindless hours of shooting action, but not much else. History buffs need not apply.

History Channel: Civil War is good for a few mindless hours of shooting action, but not much else. History buffs need not apply.

Battle of Atluma gets the WarCry card-game mechanics down cold. Unfortunately, the chill permeates every aspect of the presentation.

Shoehorning in the most basic of Wii motion-sensing controls isn't enough to make a clunky, repetitive game like Rampage fun--if anything, it just makes it more annoying.

Like the original game on launch day, this expansion pack balances good points with bad almost every step of the way, resulting in yet another turn-based fantasy adventure that isn't all that it could be.

Best suited for anyone fortunate to have played the previous game, Original Generation 2 is a great little space opera in its own right.

Eragon doesn't do much to embellish its simplistic design, but it's a surprisingly satisfying role-playing game despite its shorcomings.

Tomb Raider: Legend on the GBA delivers a solid platforming experience that actually manages to mix in a healthy dose of the gunplay and puzzles that the console versions contained.

Cute penguins and dance segments similar to those found in Konami's Dance Dance Revolution are the high points of this game that's based on an animated movie.

Bionicle Heroes for the GBA is a slick run-and-gun shoot-'em-up.

Jumpy graphics transform this classic side-scroller into a crushing disappointment.

Cruddy hit detection and poor hazard placement ruin this otherwise decent action romp.

Rayman Raving Rabbids on the GBA returns the titular hero to his platforming roots, but the game itself is so rote and uninteresting that it's hard to care all that much.

Eragon relies entirely on tedious, unenthusiastic gameplay that's way too shallow to sustain interest for more than a few minutes.

Ultramix 4 has all of the modes you'd expect from a DDR game, but whether or not any of that is worthwhile depends on how you feel about the song list.

Tomb Raider: Legend is a very good action adventure game on the GameCube, which makes it all the more disappointing that it ends so quickly.

Not even the allure of shiny robots with guns for arms can liven up this mind-numbingly simplistic and repetitive over-the-shoulder shooter.

As a licensed product, it's mediocre, with enough charming moments to rescue it from the immediate bargain-basement abyss. But as a game, it's an absolute insult and more likely to put kids to sleep than it is to entertain them.

"Epic" doesn't quite begin to describe the scope and scale of the latest Total War game--there's a lot of strategic depth, with plenty of amazing combat to enjoy.

Based on 2004's Mortal Kombat: Deception, this version gains some extra characters but little else to make it worthwhile for fans of Midway's gory fighting-game series.

The role-playing elements are lightweight, and while the combat can be flashy, it's also pretty uncomplicated. It can be fun for a while, but monotony eventually sets in, and you find yourself wondering why this technically modest game is on the PlayStation 3 in the first place.

Yoshi's Island DS is a terrific platformer that's every bit as fun and charming as its predecessor.

Ridge Racer 7 introduces some great new additions that make this the most significant update Namco's arcade-style racing series has seen in years.

A couple of amusing Sixaxis control functions are the only real bonus to the package this time around, though they're certainly not anything special enough to make you consider the game again if you've already bought it this year.

Signature shots, oodles of gameplay modes, feature-rich online play, and great on-court action are just some of the many areas in which NBA 2K7 excels.

The graphics are poor, the frame rate is ridiculously slow, the gameplay is primitive, there's no online play, and simply no reason to play this game.

Avatar: The Last Airbender had the potential to be an enjoyable game for both children and adults but most of that potential went untapped, and the extremely repetitive and tedious gameplay isn't likely to appeal to either audience.

Blitz on the Xbox 360 is the same addictive, violent game of football that it was last year. But after a year's time, you'd hope for a bit more than a barely touched Xbox port.

Your enjoyment of Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 will be directly proportional to your interest in lusting over ridiculously idealized polygonal female models.

Echoes of Faydwer is EverQuest II's most appealing expansion yet, thanks to a new continent, a new race, and a wealth of new content to round them out.

This is an enhanced version of 2004's Starshatter that adds improved AI and production values, but that's about it.

The follow-up to a tile-flipping puzzle game for the Nintendo DS features a simple, challenging design that makes up for a bare-bones presentation.

Teen Titans the game makes good use of the license to spice up what is otherwise a very average beat-'em-up.

Yes, Viva Piñata is primarily aimed at the same audience that might enjoy the animated TV show of the same name. However, like hitting things with sticks or eating candy, you're not too old for its appeal just because you can get into PG-13 movies, drive a car, or claim a pension.

When Origin of the Species isn't breaking your mind with its completely insane storyline and bizarrely terrible gameplay mechanics, it's probably breaking itself with one of its many, many bugs.

The games run accurately and the package has some nice extras, but the graphics are a little on the blurry side.

This is an accurate emulation of the arcade version of Contra. Unfortunately, you're probably not looking for the arcade version of Contra.

A wicked game of hide-and-seek with high-powered future guns, which delivers one of the most heart-pounding and graphically thrilling experiences of the year. If its exciting campaign doesn't rope you in, chances are the team-based multiplayer will--either way, Gears of War is downright amazing.

Agent Sam Fisher's latest assignment turns out to be a fairly routine stealth action operation, but changes to Splinter Cell's innovative multiplayer mode help make up for this.

The sights and sounds of Every Extend Extra are quite attractive and varied, and half the fun is seeing how drastically the game's look changes from level to level. The actual gameplay is novel for a while, but it lacks the depth to keep you playing.

Call of Duty 3 isn't just another first-person shooter that takes place during World War II. It's a fantastic game with great online play and top-notch sound.

Call of Duty 3 plays every bit as good as its predecessor, and it has improved multiplayer and visuals, too.

Project 8 makes some odd control changes that will stick out to longtime fans of this skateboarding series, but the core game is still fairly good.

The gameplay is as freeform and as technical as it's ever been, with some smart changes on that front that are enough to keep fans of the series interested, while a new tutorial is aimed at getting new players up to speed. Unfortunately, some technical glitches and unstable frame rates plague both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 version of the game.

It focuses on creating a lengthy and engaging campaign that works great as a single-player experience but can also be played cooperatively online. The result is a new SOCOM game that offers great value for returning SEALs and new recruits alike.

Road to Respect shoehorns the Sopranos license into a clumsy, poorly designed action game that isn't the least bit enjoyable to play.

Featuring many fun, faithfully adapted games from the '80s and '90s, the Sega Genesis Collection offers a fantastic value and a big slice of gaming history.

The highlight of Bomberman Land Touch! is the excellent battle mode that supports as many as four players online and as many as eight offline.

Digimon World DS is a solid, if unremarkable monster battle game, which pretty much means it's the best Digimon game ever made.

The game is a whole lot harder than its predecessor, with a greater emphasis on speedier songs and thicker, more ludicrous solos. This does ultimately make Guitar Hero II less immediately accessible to newcomers, but odds are that even a steeper level of challenge won't stop novices or veterans from getting their rock on.

RoboBlitz may be short, but it's also one great-looking, catchy grab bag of classic 3D platform challenges.

Burdened by clumsy controls and predictable artificial intelligence, Tenkaichi 2 is a game that can be loved only by forgiving DBZ fans.

History Channel: Civil War is good for a few mindless hours of shooting action, but not much else. History buffs need not apply.

Nobody has enough faith to endure a game with such a hokey story, terrible mission design, serious problems with the interface and graphics, and loads of crippling bugs.

Downhill Jam shifts away from the trick-heavy gameplay of old and turns Tony Hawk into a racer--and a fairly decent one at that.

Call of Duty 3 isn't just another first-person shooter that takes place during World War II. It's a fantastic game with great online play and top-notch sound.

Project 8 makes some odd control changes that will stick out to longtime fans of this skateboarding series, but the core game is still fairly good.

BattleZone is fun for the couple of hours it takes to finish, but it's over too quickly.

Lumines II is a game that feels fresh for the first few hours, but once the newness of the music wears off, it's pretty much the same as Lumines. It's still one of the best puzzle games of the year, but it's hard not to wish that the game played at least somewhat differently.

You won't find a stranger and more addictive rhythm game on a handheld system than Elite Beat Agents.

Great design and atmosphere make this game about Caribbean colonization one of the better city builders to come down the pike in some time.

Take this deal and you'll be out $20 and minutes of your life you'll never get back.

Many English-speaking Final Fantasy fans may now experience what they've missed out on for years in this relatively obscure but thoroughly excellent installment of the classic role-playing series.

Don't let the license fool you. Snoopy's game is loaded with intense air combat that players of any age can appreciate.

The biggest challenge found in this uninspiring BMX game is actually enjoying it.

Scurge: Hive is a solid action adventure with a slick presentation that should appeal to anyone who enjoys the Metroid style of play.

The shallow, repetitive gameplay of Children of Mana negates any nostalgic charm that the game might have attempted to capture.

There's still a disconnect between what happens during gameplay and what happens during cutscenes, but by integrating the combat and exploration, Final Fantasy has come one step closer to being more immersive than before.

Neverwinter Nights 2 isn't without some technical issues, but the engaging, dynamic story and proven Dungeons & Dragons framework make it a role-playing game that shouldn't be missed.

Killzone is reborn in this consistently intense, periodically infuriating, yet undeniably enjoyable handheld tactical shooter.