If you can tolerate its quirks and incredibly strict gameplay parameters, The Nightmare of Druaga is actually quite enjoyable and satisfying. Just don't ever, ever die.

From here on out, next-gen games are going to be separated into two categories: those that have evolved, and those that have not. Even though N3: Ninety-Nine Nights gives us literally 1,000 onscreen opponents, I'm afraid it sits firmly in the latter section.

Perhaps the worst aspect of this mode is that the difficulty level seems unexpectedly bipolar. Each challenge is either trivial or unreasonably hard.

The crashes, lockups, and bizarro-world English really put a damper on things and lead to a lot of nerve bending frustration, and in the end it's just not worth the effort to fight through all the mess.

What starts off so promising at first glance ends up being a pretty shallow experience. It seems everyone's heart was in the right place -- if only the game could have followed them there.

There's a decent plot, and the game's fantastic graphics really make you feel like you're in Faerûn. And for a brawler, it's a very playable game. However, compared to other games, it's more like an interactive movie.

The cinematic cutscenes are completely uninvolving, with bored-sounding voice acting, the flimsiest of plots, and the most uninspired script imaginable. This would all be alright if the gameplay were strong.

SOCOM 4, like any new game in a series that has a near-and-dear fan base, is going to rub some people the wrong way. But it's really not a bad shooter; its biggest issue is going to be whether there's a there there, to quote Gertrude Stein.

It's incredible how nasty and trashy this gameplay looks, when something very similar looked so great. There are a lot of really nice touches here, but they're wasted on a game that feels like a high school talent show version of a great movie.

Maybe in Dark Void 2, in which a brash, headstrong pilot gets a hold of a jetpack created by an aging engineer and uses it to fight zombies, we'll see the full-fledged realization of this game's genuinely interesting designs. Until then, however, jetpack fans will have to settle for half-baked.

If you liked the original, or are intrigued at the notion of dominating the one-on-one world, there's ample reason to pick this one up.

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.

While The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe does have some issues with the A.I. not being smart enough to help you out when you most need it, it's not bad enough to make this a totally horrible game.

I think we all kept focusing on the negatives because so much in D&D Online works so well, that it could have been absolutely great.

The lack of decent multiplayer and total lack of online play hurt the longevity, but if you absolutely need a racer to play at launch, you can't really do any better than this one.

An excellent example of a "slacker" game: it gets as little done as it can while making sure it fills its quota so it can be out the door for the day. There isn't a thing new here and it makes no attempt to improve the genre.

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.

NFL Street 3 seems at home on the small screen. This game is best taken in quick bursts of fun, and the PSP is built for just that. Still, even Ocho Cinco might have trouble keeping up the trash-talking intensity after prolonged exposure to the same old Street feel.

If you can get it to run, there's a lot to like in Frontlines: Fuel of War, and it could provide for many late nights of multiplayer excitement. But for now, your best bet is to wait until the dust clears and hope for something, soon, that resembles a finished product.

The control scheme and bugs are by far the worst parts of the port, though they're not the only rough spot. Graphically, the game holds ground better.

On paper, it sounds brilliantly inventive. Nail-biting edge-of-your-seat conversation? That's practically unheard of in games. Unfortunately, L.A. Noire drops the ball.

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.

It's a decent snowboard game in almost every sense... Maybe if EA licensed it, nurtured it, and turned it into a portable version of "SSX" we'd be onto something.

NFL Head Coach is a decent value when considered as part of the 20th anniversary Madden NFL 09 package, but doesn't quite do enough to merit a purchase for the standalone version.

This is a hard game. Despite the intended juvenile audience, keeping your demons alive through even a single battle can sometimes be a real struggle.

Usually a sequel improves on the original, but the graphics in OverDose are a little more bland and pixilated than they were in the first game.

Although the game isn't on the same level as its console counterparts, the DS version holds its own.

Although this game is influenced by two outstanding titles, the end result isn't so hot.

A good idea waiting to be fully realized and simply needs more depth to compete with the competition.

No game has this sort of RPG/RTS mix, and I got just as much a kick out of getting a new spell or a new suit of armor as I did in guiding my hordes into battle.

Too few arenas, repetitive action, difficult AI and bad weapon balance add up to a bad game.

A very strong, engaging story set in an interesting world. It's what will keep you playing despite the problems.

Anyone looking for a lengthy, varied platformer with hidden secrets up the wazoo and tongue-in-cheek humor should find themselves enjoying Night of the Quinkan more than they would have expected.

Skip it in favor of more traditional means of control. Mastering it is just too big of a hassle, and every other platform's offering has better multiplayer options anyway (a little thing called online).

It's refreshing to see an original portable game, but Scurge: Hive has some serious problems; mainly, the obnoxious time limit and frustrating enemy fights.

Anyone looking for a lengthy, varied platformer with hidden secrets up the wazoo and tongue-in-cheek humor should find themselves enjoying Night of the Quinkan more than they would have expected.

The first game that made me want to spike my PSP in frustration. In that sense, it manages to truly recapture the home console experience of being angry enough with a game to destroy equipment. Past that, it's a title mired with long load times and not-so-great controls.

If it sounds like I have a love/hate relationship with Risen 2, then guilty as charged. This is one of those games that's brimming with quirks, ranging from the minor (killed turkeys give you chicken meat) to momentously glitchy (complete a couple missions in the "wrong" order late in the game and an overarching quest breaks). And for all the artifact-gathering and hand-wringing over Risen 2's "big bad," the final fight is anti-climactic and relatively easy. But... for all its problems, I still recommend this game to RPG fans who are forgiving angels in real life, but unforgiving scurvy dogs in-game.

Fans of the series will no doubt like the ability to test the relative strengths and weaknesses of, say, the GAT-X103 versus the GAT-X207, but gamers unfamiliar with mobile suit mythology won't get that same buzz.

While there are some nice, new touches -- most notably, the improved controls -- the game's lack of depth and less-than-cutting-edge presentation make things seem incomplete.

It's hard to really bash NHL 2K9 other than to say it's a little bit of hockey-lite. "NHL 09" offers more realism and gets our nod for overall long-term value.

Sword of the Stars is full of solid ideas and offers interesting strategic challenges and fun multiplayer action to those willing to weather its quirks, frustrations and obscurities.

Wisely priced at 20 bucks, and its historical info alone makes it a must for anyone with an interest in video-game lore, but not one of the included games is anything more than a mild curiosity.

If a little more focus had been placed on adding depth to the game, 187 could have been a solid title for Ubisoft. Instead, comical use of lingo and the otherwise average presentation make 187 Ride or Die feel more like a poser than a player.

Red flags like the frustrating controls, uneven flow, and the lack of voice-recognition capability present in its other games make it appear that this one was rushed out the door in time for the season.

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.

It has a simplistic hand-to-hand fighting system, a jerky, broken camera, crappy, jarring level designs, and horrifically frustrating platforming elements. It pretty much just fails at emulating the combat-heavy action games that have inspired it, and you'll constantly remind yourself of this as you play.

Unless you're predisposed to buying anything that is related to the show, just ogle a few gameplay videos, fancy a screenshot or two, and call it a day without wasting fifty bucks.

May have the most interesting lineup of bonus features of all the video b-ball releases, but its sub-par gameplay keeps it from hanging on the same court as EA Sports' or Sega's game.

Due to the game's poorly crafted A.I., this isn't really a game to play alone. Much like actual paintball, Splat Magazine Renegade Paintball just isn't any fun without some friends.

The voice acting is more painful than ever, and continues to sabotage the series' attempts at dramatic storytelling.

It's still a decent game in the grand scheme of things, if you can get past a few fits of boredom and the desire to be Chewie.

Honestly, we still prefer Most Wanted to ProStreet even though ProStreet offers significantly improved tire smoke that actually wraps around the wheel wells of your car, because Most Wanted had cops that chased us and provided a really compelling reason to drive as fast as humanly possible.

I just can't find enough new content here to recommend that you pick up this year's model. This old horse needs to learn some new tricks, or at the very least not forget the ones it's already learned.

Tales of Phantasia ends up looking like a fossil -- and not one of the cool ones with spikes and sharp teeth. More like a fern or insect, existing mostly to study the past and gauge evolution. RPGs have evolved far beyond this port.

Whether you see it as a fantasy-slanted Gears homage or a punched-up and streamlined dungeon-crawler, the end result is roughly the same: Hunted is an adequate diversion for co-op aficionados, but little more.

Awkward controls and handling largely dilute the fun of "kicking ass with the Force," especially during a few big moments toward the end. The Force Unleashed spins an entertaining yarn, but its gameplay prevents it from becoming a rich contributor to "Star Wars'" interactive tapestry.

Midnight Nowhere has a very creepy atmosphere, excellent puzzles, and great voice acting. If it weren't for the terrible translations, it might be one of the best adventure games of the year.

You'll have the most fun playing TNA iMPACT! against friends, since they're most likely to work a match that'll flow creatively while providing a decent challenge. The AI makes a poor tag-team partner, and it's always more fun to pull off a finisher when there are friends around to witness the act.

NFL Head Coach is a decent value when considered as part of the 20th anniversary Madden NFL 09 package, but doesn't quite do enough to merit a purchase for the standalone version.

The look of BR4 is seriously behind the curve. The single-player game is lackluster and the multiplayer, while the most exciting way to mix it up, is still just a button-mashing endurance contest. The game's "guys turning into animals" gimmick is the only thing going for it.

Despite the game's sub-par graphics and repetitive gameplay, it still manages to be entertaining enough to be worth a look.

Simply put, this isn't anywhere near as entertaining as any of the "Resident Evils" or "Silent Hills," but it's no "Blue Stinger," either.

It doesn't quite make do on its promise of being a hybrid platform/puzzle/action racer, but it does enough things right to make it worth checking out.

If at all possible, give the multiplayer a shot; it's the game's best feature. There's no doubt that some gamers are going to take to this title like a dragon to the air, but for others, the fun may not even get off the ground.

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.

It has most of the gameplay options and technical competence you'd expect from an A-list publisher, but it never once engages you on an emotional level.

Diehard RTS gamers, however, will find War Times doesn't keep pace with the depth and appeal of stalwarts like "Age of Mythology" or "Rise of Nations."

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

I can say, though, that Darksiders 2 plays really, really well on a decent PC, so what it lacks in fidelity it at least partially makes up for in smooth framerates.

The fighting in the game is basic, a little humdrum, and hardly inspired. Graphically, it's nothing special.

A bland third-person stealth adventure with sub-par combat and annoyingly stylized death sequences.

If the development team had poured half the creativity and personality into the setting, character, content or story as they did into the fighting and looting, the game might have become a modern-day classic. Instead, what comes out of this Hellgate often feels a little underwhelming.

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.

Offers a good variety of race options and an involved career mode, but that flawed mode puts too much focus on money, respect, and schedules, and not enough on actual racing.

The fundamental gameplay is good, but thematically the game is not aesthetically pleasing.

What we get is an amalgam that is best labeled "Battlefield Warfare" -- an admittedly entertaining concoction, but one that tastes awfully familiar.

The first time you see AquaNox in action, you'll probably be impressed with the bright lights and flashy explosions, but you'll probably tire of those in about five minutes.

Too linear to be challenging for expert gamers, and with a learning curve that dips into boredom exponentially the longer you play it, this is a perfect rental for your ADD-riddled nephew -- and him only.

Could have been an interesting game, but the simplistic game mode means only the most casual of strategy gamer could possibly find anything to like for more than a mission or two.

There are some memorable moments here, but it's a shame that Mothership Zeta couldn't do more with such an interesting premise.

Not only fails to re-create the Playboy lifestyle, it achieves the incredible feat of making it seem like living in a mansion filled with scantily-clad 20-something Playmates is about the most boring way you could spend your days.

What we get is an amalgam that is best labeled "Battlefield Warfare" -- an admittedly entertaining concoction, but one that tastes awfully familiar.

The game is moving the Conflict series in the right direction with better level design and graphics. But at the same time, some of those levels can be a nightmare of retries and micromanagement because of the outrageous odds, limited saves, and weak teammate A.I.

Sometimes a budget title is just a budget title, and in this case you really do get what you pay for.

Its pace is often slow, almost to the point of being sluggish, but the game's story which is revealed both through in-game conversations and cinematic, between-level cutscenes (it is a Blizzard game, after all) definitely helped to pull me into the game despite the frustration I felt with its controls.

Geist isn't a great title, but it is pretty good. If you're looking for something a little different than the standard FPS fare, Geist is definitely worth taking a look at.

To really enjoy Technic Beat, you'll have to enjoy both the music and puzzle aspects of the game, which seem to be at odds with each other. Music game enthusiasts may be turned off by the puzzle elements, and vice versa.

When you're not being underwhelmed by Sorcerer's Stone, you'll be infuriated by it.

This flawed action-adventure title kicks the long, spindly legs right out from under the Nightmare franchise and threatens to disappoint young and old gamers alike.

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 single-player game is entertaining, but ultimately, really can't sustain itself in comparison to, say, Meteos.

A collection of good ideas with muddled execution.

It's neither funny nor exciting, and the two genres it tries to meld are both shortchanged by the attempt.

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.

A pretty good port is a far cry from a strong original game, but fans looking for a quick fix of shooting action should find that this game meets the standard.

There's really nothing here that gamers haven't seen elsewhere, and frankly, if they've never played a Medal of Honor game, they'd be better off picking up the compilation pack that contains much better installments of the series.

But Breed is worse than awful; it's absolutely unremarkable and utterly forgettable, the epitome of the generic computer game, lacking a shred of anything clever or offensive or ambitious.