With its extremely smart approach to difficulty, its great guitar controller, and its killer song selection, Guitar Hero might just be the best rhythm game ever made.

Donkey Kong Country 3 isn't a huge leap over "DKC2," but it's still a first-rate platformer with plenty to see and do.

Path of Neo is a chaotic but pretty good brawler worth the time for those who still think fondly of the Matrix series.

It's not dramatically different from Mario Party 6 or, frankly, any of the other Mario Party games, but as a cheery collection of simple pick-up-and-play minigames that's well suited for younger and more-casual players, it still works.

World Championship Poker 2's offline play is the best you'll find amid this year's competition, and the online play is still pretty engaging.

A brief and generic action game that does nothing to distinguish itself from the glut of similar--and cheaper--games on the market.

A brief and generic action game that does nothing to distinguish itself from the glut of similar--and cheaper--games on the market.

Despite a solid combat system and a good presentation, this latest Castlevania is cursed with extremely monotonous levels that prevent it from being an engaging action-adventure game.

This hackneyed terrorist shooter is without story, without characters, without originality, and most importantly, without fun.

It lacks any measure of challenge, playing out more like a shooting gallery in spots than a proper action game. And above all else, it simply lacks that spark--that thrilling feeling that wasn't just one key part of "Everything or Nothing," but rather, was the entire essence of what made that game so enjoyable.

New space combat maps and playable Jedi represent some incremental improvements, but for the most part, Battlefront II treads familiar ground, which is great for Star Wars fanatics and fans of team-based online shooters.

Unfortunately, holes in the core gameplay mechanics and the lack of a standard dynasty mode leave NBA 06 as more of a curiosity than a must-have for basketball fans.

Capcom has taken what was already a decent role-playing game on the GBA and made it better on the DS by taking advantage of the system's unique hardware features.

Mutant Nightmare is a good beat-'em-up at heart, but it's totally bogged down by platforming elements, puzzles, and touch screen features that don't work, not to mention stuffy controls.

To its credit, Mutant Nightmare is a touch better than the last game, "Battle Nexus," in that it doesn't force-feed you a gaggle of terribly clunky platforming sequences to try to keep things interesting. But beyond that meager distinction, this still isn't a very enjoyable game.

While it offers an interesting and varied campaign, Big Red One doesn't quite nail down the intense feel of World War II infantry combat.

A fun experience that's unfortunately spoiled by a terrible frame rate that all but breaks the game. It can be entertaining to experiment with different traps, but after a few hours the game starts to feel repetitive, and it doesn't offer enough of a challenge to keep you coming back for more.

An easy game to pick up and play, but unless you're a big fan of the license there isn't much to keep you playing.

What makes Ty 3 unique and ultimately satisfying are the many instances within the game in which players get to step out of Ty's shoes and instead take the reins of a giant robot, helicopter, or fighter plane.

This hackneyed terrorist shooter is without story, without characters, without originality, and most importantly, without fun.

It lacks any measure of challenge, playing out more like a shooting gallery in spots than a proper action game. And above all else, it simply lacks that spark--that thrilling feeling that wasn't just one key part of "Everything or Nothing," but rather, was the entire essence of what made that game so enjoyable.

New space combat maps and playable Jedi represent some incremental improvements, but for the most part, Battlefront II treads familiar ground, which is great for Star Wars fanatics and fans of team-based online shooters.

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.

To its credit, Mutant Nightmare is a touch better than the last game, "Battle Nexus," in that it doesn't force-feed you a gaggle of terribly clunky platforming sequences to try to keep things interesting. But beyond that meager distinction, this still isn't a very enjoyable game.

Despite a solid combat system and a decent presentation, this latest Castlevania is cursed with extremely monotonous levels that prevent it from being an engaging action adventure game.

While it offers an interesting and varied campaign, Big Red One doesn't quite nail down the intense feel of World War II infantry combat.

To its credit, Mutant Nightmare is a touch better than the last game, "Battle Nexus," in that it doesn't force-feed you a gaggle of terribly clunky platforming sequences to try to keep things interesting. But beyond that meager distinction, this still isn't a very enjoyable game.

When played as a companion game to the original, City of Villains closes an obvious open loop in NCSoft's MMO world of heroic do-gooders and dastardly deeds, and remains a very fun game in the process.