Despite its almost-famous face, Time Pilot is, and always has been, a great shooter. And Digital Eclipse's Xbox 360 version of the game showcases the original well, while also delivering one of the best graphical updates to hit Xbox Live Arcade so far.

The shallowness of combat and the repetition of everything eventually become wearying. This is a decent game, but it doesn't measure up to the great games from years gone by that clearly inspired it.

It has some lingering problems, but bigger battles and a more impressive scope make this latest Sudden Strike the best yet.

Offers a fine collection of classic pinball machines. It looks good, controls well, sells at a budget price, and should be a no-brainer as an addition to your library if you're a fan of simulated pinball.

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

Though Dead Man's Chest is largely competent, the sword fighting is too repetitive and the minigames are too few and too bland to get anyone particularly excited.

Track & Field holds up fairly well and makes for some good, albeit short-term, fun.

This vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up tries to follow in the footsteps of genre classics like Ikaruga and Raiden, putting its own interesting-but-flawed spin on some aspects of the you-against-the-universe formula.

It's not terrible, but it's also a hard one to recommend, and I get the feeling it's one that we may revisit in the future and update the score for, when it's all patched and tightened up.

This sci-fi Diablo knockoff mimics the hack-and-slash formula common to all action RPGs, but its budget price and sheer length don't make up for its plodding pace and bland combat.

Fans will love the inclusion of the king of pop's biggest hits and dance routines, but the barebones package and input lag stop Michael Jackson: The Experience from being a thriller.

If you do enjoy straightforward, no-nonsense action, Rise of Sin Tzu delivers it in an appealing package and is one of the best 3D beat-'em-up action games you'll find.

The core action that dominates the gameplay is highly repetitive and not particularly interesting, but Drakengard is still worth a look from those intrigued by the game's strange theme.

It can make for a decent though relatively brief diversion for GameCube owners really hurting for an RPG, and its lighthearted style makes it suitable for Pokémon fans.

A well-meaning title that seems to have all the necessary ingredients, but its key features simply feel too underdeveloped to be any good.

With Juju, the developers at Flying Wild Hog have cobbled together a charming adventure that never surpasses its inspiration but still manages to provide a generally inoffensive romp through gorgeous fantasy worlds. Unfortunate difficulty spikes may keep some youngsters at bay, and the repetition is discouraging regardless of your age, but there's still some innate appeal to this cute and competent platformer, which gets the job done with minimal fuss.

Its puzzling, challenging, and deeply weird characteristics make for a unique and engaging experience that brings new life to the staidest of sports.

Islands of Wakfu presents an enticing fantasy world, but dull combat and an unengaging story squelch its potential.

ModNation Racers: Road Trip gets off to an exciting start but sputters and lurches across the finish line.

The highlights of Etherborn are undoubtedly its inventive puzzles and its constellation of small, compelling worlds. But with just five chapters, its brief runtime feels lacking, and it left me wanting for more puzzles to solve. Etherborn attempts to compensate for this by unlocking a new game plus mode after you've completed the game, which lets you dive into the same worlds once more. This mode is largely similar to the original one, the only difference being the crystalline orbs, which are located in harder-to-reach places.

This short flight of fancy has its charms, but it gets stale fast.

Combat Mission says good-bye to WWII, but hello to an inept interface, broken AI, and hideous visuals.

Heroes Over Europe offers some enjoyable arcade dogfighting, but it lacks the depth and excitement needed to keep you coming back for more.

Like the previous games in the series, Global Terror offers some redeeming value as a shooter, but poor execution on certain aspects, such as the AI, keeps the game from distinguishing itself.

Considering Warface is a sharp-looking game that you can play for free in your Web browser, you might be inclined to overlook some of its minor faults. The collaborative dynamic of co-op missions is the real draw, but the generic presentation and uninspired competitive combat don't take enough risks to push beyond what you've see done before.

It's fun to jump in for a few games and rack up points through extravagant slam dunks with your favorite players from the past and present. However, the novelty of arcade-style basketball wears thin quickly in NBA 2K Playgrounds 2.

Broken World brings a couple of welcome new features to an already good game, but the short campaign and lack of compelling content will leave you feeling disappointed.

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

There is a good deal of potential here, but Top Gear Dare Devil's deeply flawed physics engine, lack of gameplay variations, and frame rate issues keep it in the shadow of "Crazy Taxi" and make it a game that you should avoid.

It would have been nice to have seen some more variety in the environments, and the instances of backtracking through areas you've already visited are disappointing. But the game's exciting, free-form combat makes up for those deficiencies.

Ultimately lacks the focus of the original game.

It's functional backgammon on your 360, and not much else. But if you're into the game, that's probably good enough.

The game offers solid gameplay, and although the playbook could use a few more plays, the game has a great deal of depth that'll keep you playing for a long time to come.

In spite of a few noteworthy twists and the ability to play online, the game's execution leaves a lot to be desired.

While there have certainly been worse Disney games in the past, this adaptation of Finding Nemo is just an average game with a few kinks that mar an otherwise decent experience.

The actual execution, unfortunately, doesn't live up to the standards of Chamber of Secrets and ends up being a lackluster game that never quite comes together.

Spyro's newly expanded roster doesn't manage to save A Hero's Tail from monotony, and even the title's targeted younger demographic will probably soon tire of the game's reliance on boring collectible gathering.

Trauma is an overpriced collection of panoramic photos with grossly shallow gameplay, wedged into a pretentious shell of a story.

Provided you're up to the challenge, Capcom's motorcycle racer is a decent debut on the PS2.

Battle B-Daman fails to capture the fun, dynamic nature of the tabletop game it's based on.

This movie-inspired shooter is fun for a while, but the action becomes repetitive long before you reach the end of the six-hour story.

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.

Lackluster gameplay makes this a disappointing conclusion to the Legend of Spyro series.

The latest Armored Core makes up for the series' lack of progress by simply being fun to play.

This rote puzzle role-playing game delivers a few exciting moments but falls far short of measuring up to the game that clearly inspired it.

Though Mafia III's campaign contains quite a few memorable moments like that bayou shootout, they're buried under a pile of repetitive filler missions and underserved by dated gameplay, which adds little to the standard sandbox shooter formula we've seen in dozens of other games. And worse still, the game suffers technical blemishes from start to finish.

The game tries to deliver an authentic street racing experience, but the racing itself tends to be rather unexciting.

The sheer number of cars and tracks in Micro Machines V4 doesn't make up for the underlying frustration of the racing.

Even with these flaws, this is a diverting, innovative puzzler with more than enough charm to make staging loony-tunes murders look like an appealing pastime.

Personality can only take a broken and repetitive game so far. The attitude behind Agents of Mayhem has potential, at least if it's executed properly. But there's little to Agents of Mayhem beyond its foul-mouthed and bombastic attitude, which push the game into grating and obnoxious territory. Throw in the poor mission design and bugs, and you've got a game with loads of mayhem, but not much else.

Inferior to its Xbox counterpart in just about every way imaginable, and is undoubtedly one of the most disappointing games available for Microsoft's new console at launch.

The game has its share of ups and downs, but if you're willing to overlook the occasionally frustrating fixed camera, it actually gets better the more you play it, just like the characters with whom you'll be fighting.

In almost every respect, Super Bomberman R plays it safe with its tried-and-true formula. The story mode is short (less than two hours at most), but fun with some creative boss battles and plenty of nostalgic throwbacks. The heart of the game--the battle mode--is a welcome retro rush, and decades since the franchise debuted, it’s still one of the best party games around.

An ambitious but seriously flawed shooter. Though much of its gameplay is otherwise decent, Devastation is ultimately plagued by too many incomplete concepts and annoying issues to recommend it.

The game has a weak fighting system, and the lack of a compelling storyline makes Kengo just a series of boring, repetitive battles. The game abandons both the characters and the gameplay formula of the "Bushido Blade" series and ends up being a disappointment on all fronts.

It's just too bad that overly linear missions and noninteractive 3D action get in the way of the deep political strategizing of Republic's later levels.

The game's story isn't strong enough to stand on its own, and the gameplay simply doesn't save it, making the game worth a look for hard-core fans of The Matrix films, but a buggy disappointment for just about anyone else.

The game often shows its age, especially graphically, but never feels antique; what it lacks in visual style it makes up with charm.

While not absolutely groundbreaking, the gameplay is really quite fresh.

Legends of Wrestling II's different modes, which feature a relatively unique approach are undermined by the substandard gameplay.

A simple but lengthy and often exciting single-player experience that's a real credit to the world of budget-priced games.

While only a handful of cars that roll off of Ford's factory floor are likely to quicken the pulse of most motorsport enthusiasts, Ford Racing 2 presents itself as a pretty exhilarating game regardless.

The interface and poor control are bigger enemies than the game's Iraqi soldiers ever are, and in the end, this is a game you can surely live without.

Diehard fans of the series will probably be pleased simply because they can take Dynasty Warriors with them everywhere, though if you haven't been impressed by the series lately, this simplified handheld installment won't do anything to reel you in.

The on-foot gameplay plays a large role in Destruction AllStars' true problem: It feels like there's a lot of downtime. Even though there's always a new car to find or an enemy to chase, there's only one thing that's really worth doing--crashing--which takes a lot of setup for a short-lived reward. Even with great looks and solid controls, you spend too much time spinning your wheels.

Chrome SpecForce manages to avoid going terribly awry, but it also avoids any sort of fun or excitement.

Attention to battlefield detail and smart AI make XIII Century a serious real-time tactical challenge.

World War II has been done before and done better, but it's never been done like this.

Silent Hunter 5 has promise, but this buggy and unstable game needs to be sent back to the drydock for some serious refitting.

Monster House for the DS copies the Smash TV formula with mostly positive results.

It combines the general concepts behind tabletop pinball with the characters and worlds from the Mario franchise to create a strange sort of adventure game that's fairly fun but a little on the short side.

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.

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

Despite distinctive visuals and intuitive controls, PowerUp Forever still grows old before its time.

It's not a bad game, but Silverfall's enormous potential and pretty graphics are overshadowed by its weak story, poor interface, and frustrating design elements.

It would be a shame if Duel of Champions' lack of innovation caused it to slip through the cracks, because though it's stuck in the familiar, its commitment to making card games feel more epic is both fun and commendable.

Despite its glimmers of inventiveness and artistry, Giga Wrecker Alt is its own worst enemy. The puzzles are too frustrating and the platforming too fiddly to recommend it. Game Freak set out to make something very different than the series it's most known for, and the studio's trademark creativity shines through in brief moments. The execution on the whole, though, is sadly lacking.

This gritty cover-based shooter is better than its predecessor, but as a package, it's light on content.

Madden 24 is a paradox. I would not want to revert to a previous year's game simply because the on-field gameplay is clearly better, while virtually everything surrounding its best attribute feels incomplete or undesirable. It feels as though Madden is now like a team with a star quarterback surrounded by a bad offensive line, unreliable wideouts, and a porous defense. There is greatness to appreciate here, but in the prime of its career, Madden 24 is being held back by a roster not able to compete at a high level.

The character models are excellent while the animation is fluid and lively, but the physics of fighting definitely lack polish and can create some frustrating situations. Yet despite these technical shortcomings, it's still great fun to clothesline, drop kick, and power bomb your friends in and out of the ring.

As a game, it's nothing special--just a mediocre platformer stuffed with all of the usual platforming elements. In terms of storytelling and presentation, however, Unmasked grabs the imagination and delights the senses easily as much as a feature-length version of the cartoon show would.

Dangerous Driving nails the basic feeling of driving a car in Burnout, but the lack of small details quickly begin to add up and peel away at everything that doesn't feel quite right. The most damning criticism I can level at it is that it's often dull and lifeless.

It certainly doesn't maintain the same level of quality as the main games in the Rayman series, but it can prove to be a decent diversion for a short period of time.

The gameplay is simple enough for beginners to enjoy, which should please those turned off by "Fire Pro Wrestling," but there's also enough advanced strategy to keep you occupied long after landing all five championships.

Unfortunately, none of the events are done particularly well.

The game's methodical pacing and occasional assumption that you already know everything about fishing can make it rather inaccessible to the common player.

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 story here acts as little more than the cellophane frames old-schoolers had to paste over their TVs to create a new background for the tiny lights that darted across the screen. Both do their jobs sufficiently, but we no longer have to simply dream of more.

Compared to the many missteps in Sonic’s history, it’s a decent example of what the series could be in a modern context. But when measured solely on its merits as a platformer, Fire and Ice is a repetitive yet competent game that's slightly above average.

The injection of Pokémon characters and aspects hasn't done anything to improve ChunSoft's oft-copied dungeon hack.

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

There are some good minigames in Mario Party 8, but the overly familiar, chance-heavy board game wrapper gets in their way.

Contrary to its title, this disappointing puzzle game possesses little in the way of creativity.

Chantelise is a flawed but fun action role-playing game that's charming and challenging in equal doses.

Though it's an endearing attempt at evoking 16-bit nostalgia, Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 feels a little too dated.

Despite being in early access, Ooblets has a well-established identity. It's a charming-looking game with characters and items with names that are all cheeky puns, and its relaxing gameplay loops leave you feeling good because you're bettering the living conditions of both yourself and the townsfolk. It's a very positive game, and I'll no doubt lose a lot more time to it once it leaves early access. In its current form, it's got some annoying bugs, and since it's not finished, there's not much reason to stick around once you've accomplished the initial set of tasks that the mayor sets out for you. But what's there is already a pretty substantial game. The card-based dance battles are adorable, it's fun to build new decks and try out different strategies, and there's such a deep satisfaction in transforming your modest beginnings into a beautiful farm. I want there to be more, but what's already here is pretty good. [Early Access score = 70]

The spiritual predecessor to Halo is an interesting glimpse to the dawn of the shooter age, but the gameplay feels dated at this point.

Morbid investigations of murders compete with bland adventure-game staples in this uneven adventure game.