Ties That Bind makes few changes to the formula, stretches a thin story to somewhere near the breaking point, and delivers a bloody, curse-filled action game that might still please fans of the first game, though it's more likely that you'll feel like you played the same game last year.

While NBA Live 06 does its best to put a new face on its game with the new superstar abilities and tweaks to its franchise mode, the series as a whole still feels stuck in neutral.

While the tweaks to isomotion and shooting are the most obvious improvements made to an already solid basketball simulation, it's the leaps forward in artificial intelligence that ultimately define NBA 2K6's quality.

This compilation of arcade driving games proves that you can take the game out of the arcade--it's just not much fun.

The Live series in its current state is more akin to an aged veteran who's hung on too long (for instance, Patrick Ewing with the Supersonics in 2000), as opposed to a longtime superstar who's at the height of his game.

A better game than Treyarch's previous efforts, but it still relies too heavily on the novelty of swinging around the city and beating up the same bad guys over and over again--a novelty made less so by the simplification of both mechanics.

Serious webheads will get something positive out of Ultimate Spider-Man, but they should do so with one of the console versions, as the PC version of the game isn't the ideal one.

Regardless of the validity of the license, D.I.C.E. the game is a dull, repetitive, and often frustrating experience that should be avoided.

A better game than Treyarch's previous efforts, but it still relies too heavily on the novelty of swinging around the city and beating up the same bad guys over and over again--a novelty made less so by the simplification of both mechanics.

A better game than Treyarch's previous efforts, but it still relies too heavily on the novelty of swinging around the city and beating up the same bad guys over and over again--a novelty made less so by the simplification of both mechanics.

S.L.A.I.'s fast-paced combat and accessible controls, combined with a lengthy story mode, make it one of the more enjoyable robot-combat games in recent memory.

And while it may have a couple of technical issues and lacks the scope and detail of a Zelda game, Kay's heart is in the right place, and it pulls off a great action adventure game for people of all ages.

Winter Assault adds a new playable faction, new units to existing factions, a new single-player game, and some of tweaks and additions that should make most Dawn of War fans very happy, and might win a few converts, too.

Developer Quantic Dream's Indigo Prophecy is a game that actually gives cinematic gameplay some context, as well as some real heartfelt meaning.

Indigo Prophecy is a game that actually gives the term "cinematic gameplay" some context, as well as some real heartfelt meaning.

A decidedly great game, all in all. Its most interesting, riskiest features may lie at the fringes rather than at the core--but they're there.

Marvel Nemesis has been engineered in such a way that you must slog through the game's weakest parts to gain access to its best features--and you'll have to wrestle with some serious balance and gameplay issues along the way.

It offers a beefier package of the same basic concepts that fans fell in love with the first time around. While it may not deliver on the same level of originality that made Katamari Damacy stand out so clearly, We Love Katamari still has that unmistakable charm.

If you're a fan of flashy cut-'em-up action and Japanese mythology, you'll be glad to know that Genji doesn't stray from that path. Unfortunately, that path is a short one, and it ends just as soon as things really start to get interesting.

If you're the patient type and can stand sitting through a fair amount of menu loading, you'll find Madden 06 on the PSP to be the best game of handheld football available on the market.

Hockey fans will be able to play Gretzky '06 without much frustration or duress, but that's really about all you can say for it.

This Nintendo DS game card is aimed squarely at fans of the original game and doesn't go overboard to modernize the classic formula.

In most respects, the game doesn’t differ much from the first title in the series; but the novelty of teaming up the good guys and bad guys to go after the really bad guys is enough to make this game enjoyable in its own right.

In most respects, the game doesn’t differ much from the first title in the series; but the novelty of teaming up the good guys and bad guys to go after the really bad guys is enough to make this game enjoyable in its own right.

You will find success early and often in Tiger 06, and though that may not sound like such a bad thing, it isn't necessarily true to the spirit of the sport, where triumphs--however minor--need to be earned, not simply offered to you for the taking.

With plenty of control options, new courses, and compelling play both off- and online, Tiger 06 challenges you to build your golf game up from the ground floor.

Marvel Nemesis has been engineered in such a way that you must slog through the game's weakest parts to gain access to its best features--and you'll have to wrestle with some serious balance and gameplay issues along the way.

Heroes doesn't take any chances with the Kingdom Under Fire formula, but it adds just enough to move the series forward--if only incrementally.