Possibly the best game currently available for Xbox Live. Conversely, the single-player game offers very little gameplay and thus the title will likely not be too attractive to offline gamers. But what the game sets out to achieve, it achieves quite well.

The best WWII shooter currently available on a console. It's rich with historical details, colorful characters, and interesting locales, and you'll find yourself immersed in the intense combat sequences.

Starting with "Lament of Innocence," it seems like Konami is inching ever closer to creating the 3D Castlevania game that we've been waiting years to play. Curse of Darkness is an incremental step in the right direction.

It's nice to see that Hypnotix didn't miss a beat when it came to staying true to the attitude of the original.

While Universe doesn't do anything to reinvent the wheel (or the dance pad, as the case may be), the game does a great job of bringing the total experience to the next generation of consoles.

Nicely presented, features a variety of tasks and puzzles, and brings enough unique flair to keep you interested beyond the first switch/tile/door thingamabob. Its multiplayer co-op hook is also a nice hook for getting brothers and sisters or moms and dads involved as a sidekick for a little family game action.

If you're a Medal of Honor multiplayer junkie looking for a new fix, you'll get considerably more mileage out of it, especially the Tug Of War mode.

It would be truly great to be able to control and command a series of formations as a group -- something that is done in actual wars. But we can't have everything and actually what we have is pretty good.

Land Warrior is the best distance squad combat game on the market.

Great gameplay and incredible movie nostalgia.

A decent, but unremarkable game. The story, graphics, music, and voice acting will greatly appeal to fans of the show, but I don't see these aspects bringing new fans into the fold.

The game may not have the flashy graphics of the other hardball titles, but the ability to download current rosters and to save games in mid-progress are both wonderful additions to the series and will have you overlooking any minor cosmetic glitches.

Its single-player mode can be frustrating, the player models are lumpy and odd looking, and the on-the-field gameplay achieves the impressive feat of feeling both too slow and too fast at the same time.

The game is probably the most faithful interpretation of the series for current consoles. And while the lack of online play is glaring in its absence, the addition of game sharing should help ease the fans' pain.

American McGee has always had talent for crafting some truly original stories, and thankfully, Scrapland is no exception.

It's unapologetically cheesy in presentation, from the one-dimensional characters to the terrible dialogue to the awkwardly awful stereotypes, but it's oddly endearing.

Hardcore retro fans will love how great the games look, and the casual player will enjoy playing "Ms. Pac-Man" for a few minutes on the bus.

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.

If you're not really focusing on what's going on during battle, you may find your forces quickly dispatched. Conversely, if you play to your strengths, you may find yourself giggling with glee as you lay waste to your adversaries.

Naruto fans will most definitely not be disappointed by this sequel, and even fighting game fans who can't tell a Hokage from a Dragon Ball could do worse than to check it out.

FlatOut 2 drives a fine line, but manages to come out on the good side more often than not. It might be a good idea to tether that controller to your wrist, though, because it's possible you'll send it flying just as much as your driver.

Though support for the Wii's new Zapper can't quite make up for the fact that the on-screen reticule is never quite where you want it to be, and the dollars-per-hour ratio would give any gamer pause, Medal of Honor Heroes 2 boasts enough polish and design acumen to be worth an expensive few days on the front lines.

Unfortunately getting to a multiplayer game is more trouble than it's worth.

While I clearly had fun with the game, there's simply not much to it. The volleyball is definitely faster than "Beach Spikers," but the moves aren't as varied and once you've figured out how to win, victory becomes automatic.

While the presentation doesn't feel like an afterthought, it probably won't quite completely fulfill your live-action, comic-book fantasies.

Take away the armored masks and you'd have a hard time telling Army of Two: The 40th Day from a glut of other third-person shooters. It's not bad enough to be especially memorable, and it's not good enough that people will talk about it for very long.

So much of Red Dead feels like it's caught between two camps -- arcade and more modern third-person action -- that it all feels compromised.

One of the most original games of the year. Despite certain shortcomings and some frustration, Sanity provided me with a tremendously entertaining, 28-hour long experience that is seldom seen elsewhere.

Most Bond fans will still prefer dusting off the old N64 for a few rounds of "GoldenEye," which remains the undisputed king of 007 games.

It might be some time until the Xbox sees another adventure that's this enjoyable again.

It's smart, funny, and worth a look. Just don't expect a ton of replay value from Vince -- unless you really want to go through and collect 100 percent of the collectables.

It may look nice and deliver speed, but it's bested by "SSX" 3 in just about every way.

It might not be as deep as its PC counterpart, but it's perfect for console gamers, who are generally looking for a more casual experience. By the end, my buddy was living the high life, and I was actually proud that my Urb was finally one of the popular kids.

FlatOut 2 drives a fine line, but manages to come out on the good side more often than not. It might be a good idea to tether that controller to your wrist, though, because it's possible you'll send it flying just as much as your driver.

Offers too little, too late to make an impact on Xbox 360. The stunt aspects may be worth a rental to check out, but "Saints Row" bullies this game around on all fronts -- giving it a wedgie in graphics, a wet willie in physics, and the ol' lead pipe to the kneecaps in terms of side missions.

A beautiful example of how Maxis' long-running series can renew itself and even become appealing to console owners. There's plenty to do, a lot to discover and even when everything is done players can decide to stick around the islands and keep tinkering.

Despite its exclusions, though, Collection's large selection of titles for $19.99 is a tough thing not to recommend to anyone who calls himself a gamer. Even if a few of the games undeniably suck.

But while the combat and destruction portions of playing as the Saboteur are fun, the story and effect you have on the world are disappointingly underdeveloped.

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

This game feels like a mini-game that was hastily turned into a full product.

An admirable port -- a perfect example of how to properly transfer a game to Sony's handheld. With a few control tweaks to take advantage of the hardware, the sport will really shine.

The team clearly hasn't kept up with the competition in terms of graphics and presentation, as this year's game doesn't look that much better than the last outing.

Combines great gameplay with entertaining characters and extremely pretty visuals for a surprisingly fun gaming experience.

With a strong storyline, fantastic graphics, interesting presentation, wonderful voice acting, and engrossing gameplay, Blair Witch is another in a long line of excellent TRI releases.

Compounding the problem is the AI's penchant for playing "bumper cars" if the player manages to pull away from the pack. The computer racers just love to crash into you as a means of slowing you down.

A very stable and fun MMOG.

Despite the at times questionable competition of Sled Storm 2, the actual racing is always fun and borders on addictive.

If you spent much time in the 80's pumping quarters into Gauntlet, you're going to enjoy this console version with almost as much zeal. If you've never played Gauntlet (blasphemy!), you owe it to yourself to pick this title up and give it a whirl.

Pride FC has one-upped UFC's efforts and is clearly the champion of MMA games. Though they are very similar on paper, Pride FC has more depth than its UFC counterpart.

There's no multiplayer, no online play, and only a couple of difficulty modes. But it does its work extremely well, and it's safe to say you won't play a similar game this year.

Immersive elements are everywhere: You don't just press a button to activate a lever that opens a gate -- you use the analog stick to shift Harry in the direction you want to tug that lever.

Merely good - hopefully Nintendo will take heed and give us the game we've REALLY been wanting next time around.

SBCGfAP is packed with little extras and mini-games, although none provide more than a few minutes of diversion. The real fun is discovering all of the inside jokes from the series plastered throughout.

The game remains as excellent as ever, and at $19.99 the price is definitely right. While it's not for seasoned vets, Lumines Plus should be a great buy for folks who are wondering what the excitement's all about.

Feels more like an ill-fated fan disc than the $50 follow-up to one of the PS2's best fighters. It has some great ideas -- four-player action, build-your-own-character -- but the execution just falls flat.

Despite a lot of roaming and only moderately paced action, GUN Showdown's adventure proves unique enough to be entertaining, and the lightning-quick pace of the plot will keep you running from place to place before you have much of a chance to get bored.

I wish the multiplayer offered more, as it would no doubt extend the title's replay value. The single-player experience is enjoyable, if not revolutionary.

It just comes a bit short as turn-based game, with underwhelming historical battles and lacks the rich RTS experience of the original.

A really solid "beer & pretzels" strategy game.

You're not really getting anything new, but you are getting a solid action game using a tried-and-true formula that's really difficult not to like.

Some will take Urban Chaos at face value and feel good inside with the game's many nods at the every day heroes of Americatown, USA. Others will take in the game's blatant sensationalism and wonder if it's not-so-subtle satire. Regardless, Urban Chaos: Riot Response is lots of fun, and merits a look from anyone who enjoys shooters.

It's way too easy to dash off a cliff into an instant death, which seems totally out of place these days.

The PSP's 16:9 aspect ratio inherently allows for a broad perspective, which serves the dual purpose of providing more impressive visuals and enabling players to follow more of the action than a 4:3 screen would allow.

There's still something addictive about this game once you get past the initially slow start. There are dozens and dozens of things to unlock, and charting your progress through the title really sucks you in.

For the past decade or so, the Need for Speed series has been all about illegal street racing, but Need for Speed: ProStreet completely sells out this most tantalizing aspect for some cheap (or, rather, extremely expensive) product placement.

Even with its visual shortcomings and ambition that keeps the game from being as tight as it could have been, Dead to Rights is a riot, packed full of non-stop action that will have you and the buddies playing hours through the night.

While obviously inspired by other games, Warrior Kings is an amazing experience all its own.

It's the weakest of all three versions of the game, but it still manages to provide Blitz fans with what they crave.

Unfortunately for its publishers, there are a few great platform games out for the GBA. "Castlevania: Circle of the Moon," "Rayman Advance," and "Klonoa: Empire of Dreams" are superior games that offer a more complete package.

The look of the game is also solid. Creepy catacomb textures and eerie lighting effects crank up the spooky mood of the game. Character models are also solid, with Buffy and crew actually looking a lot like their TV counterparts.

Rest assured that the whole feeling like a cybernetic bad-ass is fully intact in this five hour adventure.

If you're willing to put a lot of time and effort into learning the various intricacies of the game's multiple controls, you're likely to get more than a little enjoyment out of the title. For the standard gamer though, the game's steep learning curve and hit or miss multiplayer experience may deep six most of the fun.

The nicely crafted dialogue, which often leads players through each level, is a good extra, as it keeps the story moving at just the right level of consciousness.

An interesting, enjoyable game. Missing third race and lack of game options hurt score.

Though it's a fairly robust expansion, most of its content isn't immediately accessible, nor is it even readily apparent, especially for beginning players.

Second Sight isn't a perfect game, but is a solid game with an extremely strong story. If you don't mind dealing with wonky controls and not being able to save whenever you want, it's more than worth a look.

Granted, the concept of staring at a screen full of black and white squares for minutes on end looking for the correct line to draw may not sound like the most exciting game out there, but for those who appreciate a good mental challenge, it's a treat.

A decent entry-level real-time strategy game, but will probably prove too easy for anyone who's ever played "Warcraft" or "Command & Conquer."

The longevity factor makes it a rental for even vaguely experienced payers. On the other hand, as a young player's introduction to gaming, I-Ninja is nearly the perfect tool.

Magnificent controls, thrill-a-minute gameplay, and an incredible sense of pacing elevate the title above the average senseless shooter.

Though it does have its pleasing points, ultimately Conflict Desert Storm II is caught between appealing more toward hardcore military simmers or action fans.

The plot jumps around too much to be coherent, most boss battles aren't captivating, and some stages drag on far too long. Origins sags with plenty of problems, but it's still a cut above most Hollywood-licensed pap.

A collection of good ideas with muddled execution.

The biggest problem is that it isn't quite there yet in terms of expansiveness. If you're mainly interested in the single-player campaign, then you may be a little disappointed.

The simple gameplay and relatively low difficulty serve as a great introduction to the genre.

Less than half as long as the original, making it something of a disappointing RPG snack for fans hoping to sink their teeth into a hearty meal -- something one would obviously expect after the seemingly endless twists and turns of the original.

Dreamfall is an amazing journey that propels players into a world where science and magic and art and music combine to make a whole much greater than the sum of its parts.

If you're looking for a good Vietnam War game that goes out of its way to offer more than just a run 'n' gun adventure, look no further than Men of Valor. You'll find yourself cheering for Dean to make it through OK, even as you're cursing your teammates for walking right past an enemy.

Ultimately, Animal Crossing: City Folk doesn't take any meaningful risks, sticking to essentially the same formula we've seen in the previous GameCube and Nintendo DS games. While those games were quite entertaining, and this newest version doesn't debut anything meaningful, we'd have liked to see something new from Nintendo this third time around.

This Worms game is aptly named: it's a blast!

Almost a full-fledged sequel in its own right. Not only do you get the full original game, but you also get a new campaign with a more than respectable amount of game time, new spells, treasures, monsters, and improved interface options.

The gameplay and locales aren't particularly exciting, yet the pacing is taut, and the story and acting are above par for a game.

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.

Mr. Pants the character deserves to star in more than just a puzzle game. He's a goofy, charming product of British humor, so we fully expect a Mr. Pants platform game or (even better) RPG in the near future. Please?

Surprising in its quality, and fans should find this portable adventure to be the perfection companion to their Game Boy Advances as they sit in line waiting for the first showing's of the saga's epic conclusion.

Despite some nice features, the overly repetitive gameplay will probably wear thin after a bit.

Immersive elements are everywhere: You don't just press a button to activate a lever that opens a gate -- you use the analog stick to shift Harry in the direction you want to tug that lever.

The aliens are as challenging as anything the game has to offer, and the rewards have kept the game fresh for many. It goes without saying, though, that if you're a solo gamer who prefers to hunt alone, there isn't much here to make the investment worthwhile.