On the PS4, it remains a frustrating, fascinating, and beautifully grim experience that controls nicely and packs the same absorbing punch as the original.

NFL Blitz contains the same shallow fun and aggravating flaws that have existed in the franchise for more than 14 years.

While it's a definite improvement on Activision's last Call of Duty game for consoles, Big Red One still doesn't do quite enough to distinguish itself from numerous other World War II first-person shooters.

It's a fantastic package if you've missed this infectiously charming series up until now, though some of its luster has faded with time.

Mega Man ZX Advent walks a thin line between challenging and infuriatingly difficult, while bringing along a number of new tricks and improvements for the journey.

While the various non-drum-controller control schemes aren't always optimal, the Switch version offers many nice options to pick from--and if you just want to play a couple of standard-difficulty songs with pals before competing in four-player noodle-slurping, motion controls prove to be plenty enjoyable. But if you've been longing for a quirky, enjoyable multiplayer music game, either version should scratch the itch quite nicely.

Despite taking more time than it should to really hit its stride, El Paso, Elsewhere is unrelenting once it does. Its straightforward action is enhanced by its consistently evolving enemies and delicate balancing of power, while its captivating love story presents a novel take on established mythologies with some impressive performances to back them up. It wears its inspirations on its sleeve but has its own ideas to add to the mix, making El Paso, Elsewhere much more than the sum of its apparent parts. It's a game with its own interesting approach to narrative that's backed by exciting gunplay, and one you shouldn't judge entirely by what it reminds you of.

If you enjoy gripping dramas, and don't mind sitting still for a bit, The Pillars of the Earth will reward your patience with the beginning of what appears to be a fascinating tale.

Skullgirls is a risque fighter that wraps sex appeal and smooth jazz skintight around a smartly crafted fighting system.

While some great strides have been made since last year, as far as the actual gameplay is concerned, the dynasty mode is still broken, which makes the game feel like an incomplete product.

A run-of-the-mill arcade driving game that features spectacular crashes.

Pit People's irreverent appeal isn't enough to make it stand alongside the greats, but it's entertaining and mildly engrossing.

Even though it has its share of drawbacks (enemy AI weaknesses, occasional pop-up, and a lackluster ending), its positive aspects (variety of gameplay, numerous side quests, and nice graphics) outweigh the negatives.

Ultimately, Madden NFL 06 is a highly playable game of football, but in comparison with the leaps forward the franchise has made in previous years, 06 feels like a false start.

A good game, but toward the end of it, you'll likely be far more interested in seeing how the story ends--and the jokes it tells along the way--than in its gameplay.

At the heart of this game is an interesting and well-thought-out combat system, and there are so many viable combinations of characters and skills to experiment with that this game could easily keep you busy for much longer than most games do these days.

A great game overall. Its voice acting, with the exception of the Borg, is superb--the game even features Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard, who provides voice-over for the game's tutorials.

Players who lost touch with baseball games when they went 3D on the PlayStation may find that Slugfest is exactly what they've been missing.

While it's not the prettiest Xbox game out there, let alone the best-looking Star Wars game, it does offer good control and entertaining gameplay.

When you race through the new courses and then through the original courses, it almost feels like you're playing two different games--one that truly captures water racing and another that gives small little tastes of what it can be like.

The game capably competes against any other college football product on the market.

Not all of the changes that have been implemented since last year's game have been for the better, but there are more than enough improvements here to make FIFA 07 worth a look.

Apart from actually putting together a completely decent gameplay engine, Shaolin Monks is so ridiculously chock-full of hidden goodies and subtle wink-and-nod-style in-jokes that anybody who professes to have a degree in MK will be hard-pressed not to come away entertained.

06 just doesn't do anything significant for the franchise, as it just adds some ancillary features that are neat to have but don't ultimately change the face of the game, leaving some of the most important (and, in some cases, most flawed) aspects of it practically in stasis.

This is some of the best online shooter action around, and with the daunting challenges of Spec Ops and the exciting, globe-trotting campaign, Modern Warfare 3 stands tall as another great descendant of the game that changed a generation.

With retooled swing mechanics, including an inventive three-click system, PGA Tour 2K23's on-the-course golfing is the best yet, not just in the series, but in the history of the simulation golf genre. Mostly smart improvements to MyCareer mode make you feel more in control of your created golfer's trajectory–even if the new consumables have the slight potential to become pay-to-win. Finally being able to play as real pros again is a joy, but the minimal real-life course additions put a slight damper on the fun. Nevertheless, it's not lacking in content in the slightest thanks to the engaging Online Societies mode and the endless possibilities provided by user-created courses, many of which could be mistaken for layouts designed by well-known course architects. PGA Tour 2K23 continues the series tradition of being welcoming to new players while offering an authentic, challenging golfing experience for those who desire it.

RIGS controls are top-notch, and aside from the grating, repetitive announcers, the arenas are colorful places that I love competing in. But the smaller details that RIGS stumbles over make it hard to justify continuing after completing an initial season. RIGS is a great showcase for how to make a VR shooter, but it's also a game that could learn from the "less is more" mantra.

A pedestrian and unimaginative multiplayer mode is the only notable flaw in a game that otherwise plays, looks, and sounds fantastic.