Juiced 2 does some things right. It requires balanced skills in both racing and drifting, and the Spook Meter is a kick. Ultimately, though, it doesn't do enough to stand out in an already crowded field of PSP racers.

Level design is bland, weapons are bland, control is a novelty at best and irritating at worst. As a free Wii launch pack-in meant to familiarize people with Remote/nunchuk controls, this game might have gotten a pass. Right now the only thing it gets is a big thumbs-down.

Crash might be getting on in years for a videogame mascot, and his latest outing falls well short of classic status, but a few disarming new tricks prove he's not over the hill just yet.

MLB Power Pros is a lot of fun, and quite accessible. That the game has just enough depth to satisfy a baseball fan's need for stats and realism is just icing on the cake.

An excellent alternative to the other baseball games on the market, especially friendly to those who aren't very keen on sports but who may enjoy the strategic options that the game offers up.

A great multiplayer game with a ton of depth: you could spend months learning all the ins and outs of all the maps, the classes on both sides, and all the weapons and vehicles.

Despite a few nice features and a cool graphical style (pixel art is pretty awesome), the lame microgames outweigh the good ones by a hefty margin.

A smorgasbord of rock 'em, sock 'em vehicular insanity that, while not without its quirks, will at least temporarily addict anyone with a pulse.

If you can master Logan's Shadow's complexities, you're in for the most rewarding stealth combat experience available on the PSP. But it's a game that demands a lot from its players, and the PSP is just not a good fit for a game with such an elaborate control scheme.

Substantial changes are what the series needs to really glow again, and they just aren't here. Bizarre Creations "phoning it in" is still better than a lot of developers' best, but if Bizarre Creations has something truly innovative up its sleeve, it seems it's saving it for its next title for its new publisher, Activision.

The easy difficulty setting and lighthearted tone might cause older gamers to scoff, but there's no denying that Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a quality game that the whole family can enjoy.

The easy difficulty setting and lighthearted tone might cause older gamers to scoff, but there's no denying that Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a quality game that the whole family can enjoy.

This game seems to be yet another victim of "let's concentrate on making the console versions good and just crank out a portable version in order to generate a few extra bucks."

NBA 2K8 is hands-down the best basketball game available, though it is facing very strong competition for the first time in a long while.

Shortcomings aside, we harken back to our Vince Carter analogy. Carter's star is fading, and the "next-gen" is already here in D-Wade, 'Bron and Melo. The PS2 version of 2K8 faces a similar challenge.

Easy and approachable enough for the DS' vast install base of casual users but rewarding and challenging enough to satisfy the hardest of the hardcore Zelda fans. Somehow, magically, it succeeds on both counts. Phantom Hourglass isn't perfect, but it's one of the best experiences, casual or hardcore, available in gaming today.

It's the best-looking entry in the series by far, and the gameplay is finally coming close to what gamers are looking for from their at-home NBA experience. But as good as NBA Live is this year, it's still not taking home the championship.

It's the best-looking entry in the series by far, and the gameplay is finally coming close to what gamers are looking for from their at-home NBA experience. But as good as NBA Live is this year, it's still not taking home the championship.

NBA Live 08 isn't a whole lot different from last year's offering, but the subtle changes that were implemented -- the addition of Hot Spots and the bouncing of Freestyle Superstar and X-Factor -- make things on the court a lot more fun.

If you like things in quick spurts and dig the idea of a zillion mini-games, grab Sony's game, but if you want a bit more realism and the ability to log some serious time in a multi-season career mode, head EA's way. You really can't lose either way.

This year, if you want to play NBA '08, you'd better make sure that's a Sixaxis or a PSP in your hands. You're not going to have a whole lot of fun with your DualShock 2.

The Forge is a gargantuan achievement that puts game design in the hands of players, daring you to be creative and invent a Halo 3 multiplayer experience all your own. Of course, the multiplayer is every bit as astonishing as it has been in past iterations and even eclipses its predecessors in many respects.

Unfortunately, the creators of Rise of an Empire have managed to make a Settlers game so narrow in scope and so lacking in player control that it's only slightly more interactive than dropping fish flakes in with the Neon Tetras.

Dragon Blade is forgettable fun in its tepid way, but with its lackluster environments, flawed controls and limp storytelling, it's hard to recommend to anyone that isn't a hardcore fan of winged lizards, a devoted reader of Knaak's books or desperate for mindless hacking and slashing.

Finding all one hundred of Dewy's friends, known as the Eaus, on every level is a real challenge, so the replay value is there.

Chibi Robo: Park Patrol retains the fun and charm of its console predecessor even if the gameplay is noticeably different.

With its organic controls, beautiful visuals and amazing presentation, it quickly becomes an addicting experience that's tough to stop playing, even during some of the most frustrating parts of the game.

Veterans players with plenty of Company of Heroes combat under their belt will eagerly dig into the new expansion pack as the new armies on offer are a lot of fun and will throw plenty of new twists into multiplayer games.

A great package.

If you're looking for a quick action fix, and don't mind a shallow story or weak multiplayer, there's several hours of outstanding entertainment here.

Coded Arms: Contagion might stave off boredom for a while with its relatively attractive engine, recycled hacking mechanics and obsessive upgrading, but its virtually pointless encounters and drab, forgettable air conspire to make it little more than fodder for buyer's remorse.

Blazing Angels 2 is superior to the original game in every respect, but it's still not as amazing as the Xbox classic "Crimson Skies."

Something completely new in The Sims series and on the Wii. This is not a game for players looking for complex social interactions; it seems more of a tribute to Lego fans who want to exercise their creativity.

MySims is probably more of a game to be enjoyed alone: it doesn't offer a great depth, but its cheerful spirit and light-hearted action are well worth checking out.

As a classics collection (a Namco Museum, if you will), it fails pretty hard. It's lacking some much-needed games, and its meager selection of seven classic titles pales to the 21 in the PSP Museum. Pac-Man Vs., however, is excellent.

A triumph for Massive Entertainment. The developers have managed to take a quirky "action game" take on the real-time strategy genre and wrap it in an instantly appealing, accessible and highly polished package.

A title that every rock lover should have in their collection.

There are some problems with the driving controls and the genetics-based leveling-up system, but the online game is strong. All told, not a bad game to get behind the wheel of.

With its organic controls, beautiful visuals and amazing presentation, it quickly becomes an addicting experience that's tough to stop playing, even during some of the most frustrating parts of the game. Though its online modes slightly tarnish on the experience, the rest of the game more than makes up for it.

Our initial criticisms on the sameness of combat that led to an overall feeling of tediousness have not been completely eradicated, however, as there is still very little variation in the enemies you face, but the improvements to the framerate certainly make the combos and counters a lot easier to perform.

Despite the poor online modes, the rest of the game is nothing short of stellar. With all of the new tweaks and gameplay options, NHL 08 is worth the time of any hockey fan. Not only has EA managed to prove that this is indeed the coolest game on Earth, it's also one of the best sports titles of the year.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of DiRT is the poorly implemented multiplayer portion of the game. Instead of allowing you to try some of the head-to-head events that are included in the single-player game, like the Rally Raids or CORR events, you're limited to single-car hill climbs and rally events against times being uploaded by other players in your session.

In case you haven't been paying attention for the past 1,000 or so words, you have to really like samurai to want to play this. And I mean really, really like samurai.

Despite the poor online modes, the rest of the game is nothing short of stellar. With all of the new tweaks and gameplay options, NHL 08 is worth the time of any hockey fan. Not only has EA managed to prove that this is indeed the coolest game on Earth, it's also one of the best sports titles of the year.

The lackluster multiplayer mode and lame character designs don't take anything away from the main game, though. The swinging play mechanic helps keep things fresh and allows for a lot of technique that you don't normally see in a platformer.

Older gamers will likely find it too cutesy, but younger gamers -- especially budding videogame artists -- will find a lot to like here.

For most gamers, there are just too many other RPGs out for the PS2 to justify picking up something as routine, and routinely mediocre, as the final edition of .hack.

Despite all that's good with the game, NHL 2K8's innovations are a few years behind the times, making it feel like a cheap rehash of what's already available.

Despite all that's good with the game, NHL 2K8's innovations are a few years behind the times, making it feel like a cheap rehash of what's already available.

The game is short, explosive and downright slick and it's everything we hoped it was going to be.

Airborne has a few tricks up its sleeve, but that doesn't necessarily take it to the next level.

Lousy AI balancing and assorted cheap tricks constantly remind you that it's never quite a fair fight; the designers are always lurking behind the scenes, ready to pull the rug out from under you at any time.

A tedious, repetitive brawler with atrocious production.

THQ and Team 17 have not only turned out one of the best Worms game of all time, but a maddeningly addictive title that stands on its own as a truly excellent piece of PSP software.

THQ, Team 17 and Two Tribes have not only turned out the best Worms game of all time, but a title that stands on its own as a truly excellent piece of DS software.

It certainly sounds like an awesome game, but the execution is so terminally flawed in almost every way that a game can be flawed that it isn't worth anyone's time.

One of the most entertaining games to hit the PSP this year.

Warhawk is an extremely well-designed online multiplayer game. We're sure that once the initial rush at retail has settled down a bit, regular fans of the game can look forward to a solid online experience with the great potential for future downloadable maps, skins and so on.

Without question, it's one of the longest games available on the 360, clocking in at roughly 60 hours depending on how quickly you blaze through it. For huge anime/JRPG geeks like us, Blue Dragon is a fantastic game as long as you can make it through the first few plodding hours and don't mind the hyper-cute character design.

Despite its kooky issues and demoralizing difficulty, Monster Hunter Freedom 2 has totally succeeded in becoming our go-to game for the PSP. Its huge world and endless supply of items and doodads are more than enough to occupy a player for months.

Just about everything that hampered the original is back to do the hampering again. There are some strong spots, but the constant repetition will drive you kookoo.

Strong in concept and weak in execution. It's a trip to be able to work your way up the ranks, but it's far too repetitious and difficult and it could have been a lot more enjoyable.

For a somewhat mind-numbing, predictable but still entertaining (if only because of the absurd dialogue and engagingly convoluted storyline) RPG, Wild Arms 5 doesn't add a whole lot to the franchise, but it's worth the fairly minimal price if you're looking for a solid way to spend a weekend.

Many of the elements that would be considered shortcomings in another games' PvE content are exactly what Guild Wars's veteran player base enjoys. In this sense, Eye of the North is a success.

The Creative Assembly team knows what Total War fans want, and the huge amount of new content found in Kingdoms is it.

Given the lack of single-player modes and the simple fighting engine, it's hard to recommend Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes to anyone who isn't currently wearing a Naruto headband.

This game is good for a quick robot violence fix or if you happen to be a huge Gundam fan, but that's about it.

This game is good for a quick robot violence fix or if you happen to be a huge Gundam fan, but that's about it.

Addictive fun in solo mode and true social comedy with a few people in the room. Spend the forty bones and enjoy.

Just like in real life, Tiger continues to impress.

Just like in real life, Tiger continues to impress.

Wii owners finally have the Tiger Woods game they should have had six months ago.

Of all the versions of Tiger Woods 08 this year, the PS2 offering is the weakest, as development is clearly focusing on the next-gen consoles.

The franchise has always been a strong one on the PSP, but it looks like development might have done a little coasting this year.

Turn It Around is a one-trick pony that's still looking to perfect its one trick. The game lacks the diversity of play that has helped make other titles in the mini-game genre meet with at least a moderate amount of success.

Even with its great new controls, decent story and amazing visuals, there are some annoyances that have bled through from the other games...The biggest offender is the way the game streams new levels.

With astounding graphics (especially for the all-important and terrifyingly frequent explosions), a sweeping symphonic soundtrack, a surprisingly deep story and a smooth multiplayer experience, GRAW 2 proves that the PS3 can perform just as well as the 360 any day of the week.

It's rare that a game releases that is so shockingly incompetent. Online options don't make it any better; they're simply a chance to play a terrible game with other people, in a few innovative modes like "Team Deathmatch." When something this just plain malign comes out, it's cause for a sort of celebration, because every other game will seem better by comparison.

[A] few PC quibbles aside, BioShock is a triumph, an absolute masterpiece that needs to be played by anyone with the slightest interest in gaming. It's a high-water mark not just for the FPS genre, but for the hobby in general.

An unparalleled achievement. No other game comes even remotely close to it in terms of raw emotional connection.

Jeanne manages to capture perfectly what we want from a tactical RPG: to make us care about the characters through a well-done but not distracting story; to give us enough choices in customization to make preparing for battle and spending our resources meaningful; and in providing us with battles that feel like certain doom from the first turn, even after we've won dozens of them.

In many ways, Brain Age has become the ideal videogame gateway drug. The games are accessible to anyone, don't require any special physical dexterity or experience, and feature a regular reward system in their daily measurement of your brain age.

Manages to capture the clunky inapproachability of the d20 rules while keeping none of their underlying elegance, making it tough to recommend it to anyone.

We can't recommend Persona 3 highly enough, although a lack of even an option for controlling your whole party directly is a real shame.

If you just want a simple and enjoyable portable strategy/RPG to whittle away some time with, Luminous Arc will fill that role very nicely. But if you were hoping for a deep, compelling SRPG you could play competitively against others, you'll find that this light doesn't shine anywhere near as brightly as it should.

As is common with games from Square Enix, the story of Heroes of Mana (while maybe not terribly original) is surprisingly deep and emotionally engaging. While that doesn't completely make up for the tragic pacing of the game or the substandard AI, it at least provides something to motivate the long-suffering Mana fan.

Rune Factory is a good experiment which introduces new concepts and refreshed gameplay , but it doesn't do a good job of using the DS' many capabilities.

While it has been difficult to wholeheartedly recommend a Madden football game for a few years, Madden NFL 08 is a significant improvement over the series' past, and has refined the formula in such a way that it actually brings something new to the game.

The PlayStation 3 version is feature complete by comparison, but it doesn't run at the silky smooth frame rate of the 360 version. It's a no-brainer decision if you own both systems, but early adopters of the PlayStation 3 should still have a good time with this one.

Considering the strong debut we saw last year, we're not quite as impressed by what's been added to the experience.

While it's a solid enough game, once the feelings of nostalgia wane, you may feel a bit restricted by the game's linearity and the sometimes difficult camera.

Once you get used to the controls and master the trick moves, you'll rediscover your addiction to this arcade classic.

We have to admit to being a bit disappointed at how similar Star Force is to the Battle Network games. We were hoping that Capcom would take this opportunity to reboot the series into something fresh. Instead, we have more of a sidestep than a step forward.

We have to admit to being a bit disappointed at how similar Star Force is to the Battle Network games. We were hoping that Capcom would take this opportunity to reboot the series into something fresh. Instead, we have more of a sidestep than a step forward.

We have to admit to being a bit disappointed at how similar Star Force is to the Battle Network games. We were hoping that Capcom would take this opportunity to reboot the series into something fresh. Instead, we have more of a sidestep than a step forward.

The biggest problem is the lack of difficulty and subsequent lack of replayability, but while it lasts Boogie offers a pleasant distraction from the usual crop of rhythm and action games on the market.

If you can approach GD2 on its own terms and conquer it, the utterly unique gameplay experience is simply, well, glorious.

It literally takes a good two or three hours before things really get rolling. If you can make it that far, though, you'll get to bang away at a very solid game.