2006 FIFA World Cup does a good job of re-creating the carnival atmosphere that surrounds the competition, and it plays a good, fast-paced game of football to boot.

It nails some of the key points of the drift-racing genre, but Tokyo Xtreme Racer DRIFT lacks practically every other component needed to make an exciting racing game.

Sadly, its multiplayer support is almost nonexistent, and a few gameplay quirks conspire to make the driving less fun than it could have been. Still, WRC is a good, solid first try at bringing the sport of rally racing to the PSP system, even if it doesn't quite nail every component.

While this online role-playing game may have been a hit for the PC and PlayStation 2, it feels very awkward and entirely out of place on the Xbox 360.

There's nothing fun or exciting about flying helicopters in Blades of Thunder II. And considering that's all you do in the game, that's really sad.

Anchored by a wonderful cast of characters, the very well-crafted sci-fi story in Dreamfall will leave you anxiously wanting more.

This budget-priced Xbox Live-enabled fighter still packs some good stuff for hardcore fans, but the touched-up paint job doesn't make this feel like a whole new game. In fact, in some ways it feels like a step backward from "The King of Fighters 2002."

Anchored by a wonderful cast of characters, the very well-crafted sci-fi story in Dreamfall will leave you anxiously wanting more.

World Poker Tour for the PSP retains many of the console versions' strengths and weaknesses, though it tosses in a few more weaknesses of its own.

Does Brain Age actually make you smarter? We have no idea, but it's still an interesting puzzle game available at a budget price.

The Sentinel Crisis would merely be a slightly below-average console first-person shooter if it weren't so short on content and terribly boring.

The racing is boring and way too easy, the physics are bouncy and unrealistic, the rubber-band artificial intelligence is ridiculous, and you can easily beat every race in the game in a couple hours.

This poorly designed shooter, with awkward controls and particularly shoddy sound, comes off as an embarrassing attempt to cash in on a franchise name that wore out its welcome years ago.

Auto Assault certainly has a lot of potential. But in its current form, that potential is squandered with repetitive quests, technical glitches, and a complete lack of challenge from most of the environment.

A solid baseball sim that hasn't had to sacrifice too much in the transition from console to handheld. Diehard simmers will probably be able to forgive the game's stoic atmosphere, since the gameplay and features are deliciously deep.

It's true that the series wasn't gaining a lot of momentum before, but in its new form, Monster Rancher EVO dilutes the basic activities that made Monster Rancher endearing in the first place, and it's not particularly great as an RPG, either.

The racing is boring and way too easy, the physics are bouncy and unrealistic, the rubber-band artificial intelligence is ridiculous, and you can easily beat every race in the game in a couple hours.

It doesn't do anything new or different, but it has a great blend of action and adventure that will always keep you moving and interested. The problem is that it moves a bit too fast, and it's all over way too soon.

A good return to the roots of the series. It doesn't do anything new or different, but it has a great blend of action and adventure that will always keep you moving and interested.

A good return to the roots of the series. It doesn't do anything new or different, but it has a great blend of action and adventure that will always keep you moving and interested. The problem is that it moves a bit too fast, and it's all over way too soon.

The gameplay can get rather tiresome after a while, but Samurai Champloo's goofy sense of humor and stylish touches make it more than just your average button-masher.

While Modern Combat does offer some amount of charm with its highly produced interludes and its slick unit-switching mechanism, ultimately this multiplayer-focused military shooter falls short of its promise with design flaws in its campaign and clunky vehicle handling. The obvious graphical enhancements for the Xbox 360 do add something to the overall package, though.

This first-person action game hits you like a sledgehammer with its astounding, stunningly creepy presentation, but it sacrifices opportunities for more shocks and surprises by settling for repetition.

Once you get past the novelty, there's nothing to keep you playing Real World Golf.

A good return to the roots of the series. It doesn't do anything new or different, but it has a great blend of action and adventure that will always keep you moving and interested. The problem is that it moves a bit too fast, and it's all over way too soon.

Once you get past the novelty, there's nothing to keep you playing Real World Golf.

The apathetic presentation and a slew of gameplay bugs make it hard to enjoy Major League Baseball 2K6, which is otherwise a deep and feature-rich baseball simulation.

It's definitely unique as far as strategy games go, but Odama's novel mechanics and oddly authentic samurai feel are kneecapped by punishing difficulty and oft frustrating controls.

It feels a bit too much like its big brother, but all of the speculative history, nuclear tension, and Cold War spice make it a great addition to Paradox's stable of strategy games. It's also a great bargain when you consider the sheer amount of game you get here for less than $20 and the extra hours you'll get out of what modders will undoubtedly create with the scenario editor.

The interesting premise of Emergency 3 is negated by often clumsy controls, frustrating mission design, and terrible artificial intelligence.

Phenom has also added a two-on-two mode and a free-roaming story mode to its repertoire, but underneath those additions is a game design that hasn't changed much and a graphics engine that is beginning to show its age.

Though based on a great series of innovative tactical action/puzzle games, Commandos Strike Force comes off as just another middling World War II shooter, despite some good ideas.

Though based on a great series of innovative tactical action/puzzle games, Commandos Strike Force comes off as just another middling World War II shooter, despite some good ideas.

The game maintains the compulsive drive for authenticity that the Gran Turismo series is known for, but with a much narrower focus. So while it may just be Gran Turismo with motorcycles, it's still a great racing game in its own right.

Though based on a great series of innovative tactical action/puzzle games, Commandos Strike Force comes off as just another middling World War II shooter, despite some good ideas.

If America's participation in World War II was as frustratingly terrible as this game, all of Europe would be speaking German today.

Dyed-in-the-wool simmers will appreciate the game's stats-focused gameplay, as well as its comprehensive online mode, but anyone who's accustomed to the wealth of play animations and broadcast-style nuances found in other games will find this one a snoozer by comparison.

Practically every criticism you could lobby against the original game is still an issue here, along with a host of new issues that make this version decidedly less fun to play.

Dyed-in-the-wool simmers will appreciate the game's stats-focused gameplay, as well as its comprehensive online mode, but anyone who's accustomed to the wealth of play animations and broadcast-style nuances found in other games will find this one a snoozer by comparison.

It's got some occasionally interesting puzzles, but the lame story and irritating characters kill whatever appeal Keepsake might have had.

Massive system requirements, a by-the-numbers campaign, and no multiplayer make for a first-person shooter that doesn't have much in the way of redeeming qualities.

Despite its attempts to add a unique spin to the genre, Daemonica is generally a tedious and unappealing adventure game.

Kao's latest adventure isn't very innovative or challenging, but it is varied enough to hold a player's attention for an entire weekend.

The gameplay has been sharpened to create an experience that expertly balances technicality and quick, accessible fun. Add to that a first-rate presentation and some solid solo and multiplayer offerings, and you've got a package that any tennis fan would be foolish to pass up.

Kao's latest adventure isn't very innovative or challenging, but it is varied enough to hold a player's attention for an entire weekend.

Top Spin 2 for the DS offers a good player roster and a deep shot system, but the choppy graphics render the game unplayable.

Top Spin 2 offers an authentic and deep portrayal of tennis, along with a decent selection of player modes and real-life players.

Phenom has also added a two-on-two mode and a free-roaming story mode to its repertoire, but underneath those additions is a game design that hasn't changed much and a graphics engine that is beginning to show its age.

Kao's latest adventure isn't very innovative or challenging, but it is varied enough to hold a player's attention for an entire weekend.

Kingdom Hearts II is a long, cameo-infused joyride that improves upon the original and manages to be quite entertaining despite some minor problems with the gameplay mechanics.

Ten Hammers maintains a good presentation and adds some minor control tweaks, but overall you're left with a strategy experience that feels very familiar if you played the first game.

Ten Hammers maintains a great presentation and adds some minor control tweaks, but overall you're left with a strategy experience that feels very familiar if you played the first game.

This version of the game takes what should have been a wide-open, tactical experience in a massive metropolis and turns it into just another run-and-gun shooter that ramrods you through narrow corridors.

Beatmania's long-overdue release outside of Japan shows off its many weaknesses, with the most egregious of which being its unimpressive song list.

By packaging last year's excellent "Far Cry Instincts" with a new campaign and a bigger multiplayer suite, Far Cry Instincts Predator delivers a ton of content to Xbox 360 owners.

It's a better hack-and-slash experience than Brotherhood of the Blade, but The Warrior's Code is still only suitable for dedicated fans of hack-and-slash dungeon crawlers.

Rumble Roses XX introduces a few positives into the original game's formula, but too much of the content feels recycled, and the game's sense of sexuality is still rather unseemly.

Once again, the Empires expansion of Koei's long-running hack-and-slash action series turns out to be the bright spot amid the doldrums of endless button-mashing, thanks to some legitimately interesting strategy.

This role-playing fishing game is marred by too-simple gameplay, a budget presentation, and an overall lack of depth.

Once again, the Empires expansion of Koei's long-running hack-and-slash action series turns out to be the bright spot amid the doldrums of endless button-mashing, thanks to some legitimately interesting strategy.

Blazing Angels has a decent campaign and a fair amount of online options, but its standard gameplay and a lack of online competition prevent it from being very exciting.

Apart from the stylus-based reel controls, there's nothing particularly good or interesting about Super Black Bass Fishing.

Ten Hammers maintains a great presentation and adds some minor control tweaks, but overall you're left with a strategy experience that feels very familiar if you played the first game.

Evolution packages this new campaign along with an improved multiplayer suite. It's basically more like an expansion than a full campaign, as it's about half the length of the original campaign.

If you have the patience to get into it, Harvest Moon: Magical Melody offers a rewarding and fun experience.

It has its flaws, but Space Rangers 2 remains a crazy, inspired, over-the-top, and addictive blend of gameplay.

Even if you forgive the flimsy story, cliché characters, and derivative gameplay, it's impossible to look past the myriad frustrating technical problems that plague this game.

Blazing Angels has nice looks, but the action doesn't distinguish itself in any way.

This is about as standard as a mission-based flight game can get--you'll get to bomb targets, dogfight, and defend a lot of stuff in a variety of era-specific planes. While it's a competent package, it doesn't stand out in any way.

The racing is bland, the destruction is minimal, the excitement is nonexistent, the presentation is mediocre, and the content is lacking.

Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble retains the same great style and attitude on the PSP, but the game is too fast and frantic for its own good.

With a sharp game list and fantastic multiplayer support, Capcom Classics Collection Remixed is, all around, a very good compilation.

It's a colorful block-busting game with a good sense of style and classic gameplay in the same vein as Money Puzzle Exchanger or the Magical Drop series.

Clumsy controls, rocky presentation, and a dearth of gameplay options hinder Worms' return to 2D on the DS.

The game is a great fit on the PSP, and the widescreen perspective complements the large, horizontally oriented level designs nicely. By contrast, the DS version is awkward and ugly and generally fails to capture the feel of Worms.

The Godfather is a satisfying, lengthy adventure, and more importantly, it remains faithful to the classic film while managing to create a compelling story of its own.

The Godfather is a satisfying, lengthy adventure, and more importantly, it remains faithful to the classic film while managing to create a compelling story of its own.

Rooted in archaic gameplay sensibilities and devoid of engaging characters or plot, Crime Stories won't even appeal to the most vehement of adventure game fans.

Suikoden V revives the series' spirit with a great cast, narrative, and gameplay, minus a few snags here and there.

Though a few technical concessions have been made to fit the game onto a PSP, the charm of the series still shines brightly.

Unfortunately, due to some bad controls, oppressively dark levels, and a worthless multiplayer mode, the result is a game that is more frustrating than it is rewarding.

A competent package, but due to the pervasive nature of Sudoku these days, you probably don't need to spend any money to get puzzles like this.

If you can get past its dense and uninviting interface, Warship Gunner 2 offers unique naval combat and an incredible amount of ship customization.

Karaoke Revolution Country finally adds some focus to the Karaoke Revolution party games, but the focus is too strict, and there are not enough great country classics to appeal to a wide enough range of people.

Metal Gear Acid 2 manages to deliver the same unique, strategic gameplay with the trademark style and oddball humor that Metal Gear Solid is known for, making it another great addition to your PSP library.

Tao's Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal is a simplistic dungeon crawl that is hampered by a plodding pace and frustrating controls.

An arcade flight combat game that's quickly and mindlessly consumed and then forgotten immediately.

There's plenty to do early on while playing The Tower SP, but after three hours or so, you can literally watch it play itself.

The Godfather is a satisfying, lengthy adventure, and more importantly, it remains faithful to the classic film while managing to create a compelling story of its own.

Kao's latest adventure isn't very innovative or challenging, but it is varied enough to hold a player's attention for an entire weekend.

"Morrowind" earned recognition for being one of the best role-playing games in years, but the immersive and long-lasting experience it provided wasn't for everyone. Oblivion is hands-down better, so much so that even those who'd normally have no interest in a role-playing game should find it hard to resist getting swept up in this big, beautiful, meticulously crafted world.

"Morrowind" earned recognition for being one of the best role-playing games in years, but the immersive and long-lasting experience it provided wasn't for everyone. Oblivion is hands-down better, so much so that even those who'd normally have no interest in a role-playing game should find it hard to resist getting swept up in this big, beautiful, meticulously crafted world.

It's a much better version of Tetris than other recent incarnations, but it's still saddled with some unfortunate compromises.

Precise controls and a worthwhile multiplayer mode are the highlights of Hunters, a Metroid Prime game that feels more like a first-person shooter than the GameCube games.

The RPG elements and Alfa Romeo license aren't nearly enough to save this ugly, boring racing game.

Blatantly ripped straight from the PlayStation 2, this version of Onimusha 3 still packs some good, solid hack-and-slash combat and a likable story.

While Euro Force does indeed sate the voracious appetite out there for more Battlefield 2 content with some great levels and a new army, you can't help but wonder if EA is also installing a direct pipe to fans' wallets at the same time.

Its cute and fluffy appearance is deceiving, as The Wand of Wishing turns out to be less accessible than the action RPGs it is derived from.