Lightsaber Duels may not be exactly what fans were clamoring for when Nintendo unveiled the Wii's lightsaber-esque controllers, but it's still quite enjoyable. The single-player experience won't last you long, though, so you might not want to invest in the game unless you plan on playing with a buddy.

The elements were in place for a solid platforming title with a little hand-to-hand combat thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, a painfully annoying camera and some downright boring combat kept that from coming to fruition.

Need for Speed: The Run is an odd duck. It's an arcade racer that does some things really well, but is insistent on having you interact at times with a Michael Bay-esque experience (I guess that's why he was asked to direct that trailer). Like his films, The Run is much more about style than substance. It's a decent arcade racer, and for those looking for a mindless racing experience, chances are you'll find something to like here.

It's interesting that in this batch of baseball games, the owners of current-gen systems, specifically Xbox and PS2 owners, end up getting the more stable, and ultimately more enjoyable version of this game.

Overall though, FIFA 08 feels like a game that tries to please several people, and instead, pleases a very small minority.

It's fair to say that Sims 2 for the PSP would've been among the best of the console ports, but a couple of glaring issues drag it down. In particular, the load times are a nightmare.

We can't deny the appeal, even amongst the flaws, but when you're left imagining how much better a version of "Sands of Time" or "Two Thrones" would have been, it doesn't matter how faithful the port is.

While it's likely worth it for fans to get closure from Underworld, expect to trudge through a large amount of frustrating gameplay to get it. Suffering from a distinct lack of polish, Tomb Raider Underworld seems like it could have benefited greatly from a little more attention. If it didn't have so many technical issues, Underworld could have been a brilliant conclusion to Lara's latest trilogy.

The perspective is wrong, making combat a chore, and playing against other people is a nightmare. Even if you can ignore these faults, it succumbs to another deadly sacrament that affects even the best fighting game: it's repetitive to the point of exhaustion.

Sega Superstars Tennis isn't a bad game, it's just that it offers little to differentiate it from Virtua Tennis 3 outside of the inclusion of classic Sega characters.

War of the Roses is a game I desperately want to like more than I do. It's the end product of so many high-quality pieces, but unfortunately it fails to really pull everything together.

If nothing else, the game certainly captures the dumb, single-minded spirit of the films. I'm not a fan of the series, but I did have fun with Redemption, despite its total lack of depth. For a while, that is.

There aren't a lot of nice things to say about the single-player experience, which fails to deliver on multiple fronts. Still, if you want to check out one of the best multiplayer experiences the Xbox 360 has to offer, look no further.

It's got its love/hate bits like every other entry in the franchise, but the bite-sized level maps, bulk of content, and portability of this version make it a decent purchase choice.

Keep in mind that this isn't an everyman's game -- its linear levels, the absence of bundles of loot, and even the quirks of its combat whittle down its potential audience -- but there's a lot to love about how this RPG sings the glories of the underdogs.

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.

Crappy story and occasional boring moments aside, Bionic Commando is a good game, akin to a summer popcorn flick. It won't stick with you, but it'll certainly entertain you. When the action amps up it feels awesome; it's just too bad that those moments couldn't have comprised the game's entirety.

If you can find the '01 Rugby on a "used" rack, I'd pick it up before this one; it doesn't accurately emulate as many aspects of the sport, but it's a better video game.

A surprising number of serious bugs damage what is otherwise a highly addictive game.

The game is serviceable if not stellar and comes packed with plenty of extras designed to make fans of the franchise drop dead from sheer joy.

While longtime Tony Hawk fans may be initially turned off by the simplified controls, they'll still likely appreciate the nostalgic feel of the game.

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.

It features some excellent graphics and audio production, as well as some of the best voiceover work to date. However, this can't make up for the frustrating gameplay, which tries to focus on stealth, combat, and platforming, yet doesn't manage to do any of these particularly well.

If the concept of a samurai in cowboy country is that appealing to you, scrounge up a copy of "Rising Zan: Samurai Gunman" for PSone. Its gameplay, graphics, and camera are by no means better, but at least it embraces the setting for all its worth, and even gives the main character a kick-ass theme song!

You'd have more fun watching both movies than playing this game.

Big Brain scores points for its friendly and colorful art style and variety of activities, and there a lot of reasons prospective students will want to enroll. The problem is there's not much to keep you from dropping out after a few days.

Won't hold up to extended play anyway because of the too-small question set. It's a shame; it's a well put-together game otherwise.

And if you've ever owned a dog, you're sure to get at least a laugh or two from the game's interpretation of how our four-legged friends view the world we live in.

With limited customization available for riders (only eight!) a lack of any real explanation on how to actually play the game, a non-existent soundtrack (exactly how many hours of "vroom, vroom, vroom, screeeech, crash" can a person be expected to take?), and a limited sense of fun that other racing games like SSX and BurnOut (or even Forza 2) excel at, MotoGP 07 is a serious, hardcore game that demands a high skill level and a certain amount of earnestness from its players.

The uninspired combat and backtracking may put you off, but the game's unique story and premise make Contact well worth experiencing.

If there's one thing that should have been fixed with the expansion and wasn't, it's the map and quest marking system. The mini-map in the corner is still fine, but the map screen is so useless, it actually takes away from the fun of the game.

If you can't get enough Portable Ops online, Ops + is just about worth it for the extra character limit. For everyone else, save those pennies and dimes for MGS4.

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.

Star Wars: Lethal Alliance does little to differentiate itself from the herd of third-person action games on PlayStation Portable. The Star Wars inclusion is too subtle to be considered a benefit and the action is ho-hum.

Although it takes a little bit of time to adjust to the sluggish controls, the game still delivers a solidly entertaining experience.

A disappointment. It completely breaks with the first game in everything but gameplay, and even that is sabotaged by annoying, repetitive level design.

If you're going for sheer quality, the PSP version of Cars is the best of the handheld games based on the movie.

If you're a hardcore Sims 2 fan and you've greedily gobbled up all the expansions to date, Pets is a great way to give your neighborhood some variety. For players who are just coming into the game fresh, though, the other expansions provide a lot more substance.

Chronicles has some of the most unresponsive controls I've experienced in a long time.

Gothic II's biggest problem: it's simply slow going.

The last game was arguably worse, but it got a few things incredibly, addictively right. Suikoden IV gets a few things above average and most things dead-on mediocre.

A decent sequel to the first game that is ultimately mired by an intolerably imbalanced career mode.

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.

A worthwhile romp for RPG lovers that don't mind the hackneyed story and characters. The backtracking and endless travel are a chore, but once you get all four characters on board, the combat and crafting systems make it almost worth it.

It's not a triple-A title by any stretch -- with its gameplay quirks and audio that sounds recorded in a bus-station bathroom -- but it captures the sense of simple fun that Nintendo was shooting for with this new-fangled console.

It's a heck of a lot better than the recent batch of Mega Man X games. If you're looking for a hardcore RPG experience, pass on this, but Mega Man fans should appreciate the change of pace.

There are definitely enough elements to have some fun with it, and it breaks up the monotony of the usual "win tournament to gain points" model.

You could, of course, look at UFO: Aftermath in a vacuum, as if "X-Com" never existed. Even then, however, you're just left with a series of weak real-time tactical battles loosely connected by a shallow strategic shell.

When the far superior "Mario Kart Super Circuit" and the mildly obscure but also awesome "Konami Krazy Racers" already exist on GBA, there's no reason to get this.

As ridiculous as it sounds, with a little more money and thought put into how the player might react to not actually playing the game, this could've been something worthwhile.

A cookie-cutter, linear romp through the sweatier, jungle-infested portions of the Pacific conflict that's sure to almost satisfy fans of the series (especially those craving a split-screen co-op mode -- it's in there!), but leave pretty much everyone else shortchanged; especially in the graphics and gameplay department.

Standalone, The Path of the Shell misses most of what made the original Uru an interesting game to play.

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 ground it treads is hardly innovative, and the grind is intolerable. Clan play helps to skirt these issues, but in general, World of Tanks is a dull slog to be enjoyed solely between rounds of other, more interesting games. Vision slit.

I just can't get over how cheap a lot of the game feels. Whether it's the dated looks, its frustratingly difficult latter portion, or its awkward storytelling, Prototype often feels like a budget title that unfortunately doesn't have a budget price.

Disappointingly, the game sorely lacks a career or league mode, but tries to make up for it with an innovative challenge mode that tests your ability to play flawless football (you know, real football) during a match.

Volition did a great job with Saints Row 2, so it's a shame that the PC gaming segment won't be able to experience the game at it was meant to be played.

Fans of the American Conquest and history buffs can look forward to more grand battles on a truly epic scale. For everyone else, there are plenty of better RTS games to play.

Sadly, with ultra-generic gameplay and a muddled story, there's very little in Emergence to hook gamers into future installments.

That makes the battle tricks on hand in Suikoden Tactics nice twists on the staid tactical RPG. But there's not enough battle, and too much chaff to sort through in order to find it.

A nice addition to the Rainbow Six series as a supplement -- especially if you're a history buff and want to learn more about the real-life men and women combating terrorism around the globe.

EXA doesn't differentiate itself from the herd; in fact, its blatant lifting of so much from Neo is a definite detriment. Shining Force EXA isn't extraordinary. Quite the opposite: it's extra ordinary.

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.

But for those who were hoping for an evolution of the franchise, or those who have had no exposure to it in the first place, this is not the game for you.

The multiplayer aspect is particularly entertaining, with a variety of missions available ... and more to come thanks to the downloadable content option.

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 action games on the market. It's a strange title but one that's not without merit.

If there's a lesson to be learned from Pax Romana, it's this: give us all the finger-licking detail you can pack in, but don't ruin it with a poorly conceived interface. It sunk "Master of Orion III," and it sinks Pax Romana in the final analysis.

The game's lack of personality is underscored by its lack of difficulty. Playing through Samurai Jack is about as challenging as watching an episode of Samurai Jack.

With sluggish controls and passable graphics, the only thing that saves FIFA 2003 is its license and awesome sound.

The Bigs is more fun than its hardball counterpart in Wii Sports, but not by much.

It goes halfway towards inventing a new genre, but it can't decide whether to invent the action-RTS or the tactical-fighting game, so it ends up just awkwardly defying any sort of established gameplay conventions.

Various elements of the game are solid -- graphics, combat, mini-games -- but they're dragged down by the mediocre adventure elements, unsatisfactory controls, and borderline-obnoxious load times.

It features some excellent graphics and audio production, as well as some of the best voiceover work to date. However, this can't make up for the frustrating gameplay, which tries to focus on stealth, combat, and platforming, yet doesn't manage to do any of these particularly well.

The PS2 version of the game looks and sounds much better than its Xbox counterpart. And the game's multiplayer implementation is some of the best yet on the PS2.

Right out of the gate, Spider-Man 3 is going to smack you in the face with some of the worst next-gen graphics you have ever seen.

There are dozens of different match types to explore, functioning online multiplayer, and many different ways to customize your experience. The downside is that if you're looking for that next great leap off the turnbuckle and into your living room, you may instead have to settle for a pretty satisfying leg drop to hold you over until next year.

Unfortunately, what starts off as a fascinatingly fresh idea eventually breaks down. For all the compelling aspects of building your empire, the game's strategic model is actually pretty shallow.

The lack of multiplayer is a real bummer, and the last-gen visuals are hard to get excited over, too.

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.

One of the most impressive elements of the Xbox version of Earned in Blood was the AI (both your enemies' and that of your squadmates). Alas, the PS2 version of the game just can't keep up, and there are bugs and glitches all over the place.

The initial thrill of zipping around high above Wuhu Island's tropical terrain in full 3D fades well before you exhaust the meager amount of activities woven into the two main modes. What you're left with after that point is only a couple hours of flight time to breeze through -- assuming you feel like milking every last drop of fun hidden in these limited depths.

While there's some fun to be had with Mario Party Advance, and quite a few great game-playing aspects, it's a bit tedious and tired when you look at the slew of other excellent multiplayer games have been released for the GBA.

Even though I cursed and swore my way through the bulk of the game, the characters and the story moved me in a way that very few games do. But, epic disappointment or epic tale, it definitely earns its name.

For a tennis game, TS2 is surprisingly deep. On the other hand it can also be frustrating as you realize that your player is simply outclassed by the AI.

An overpriced PC conversion of a gimmicky console game. The gimmick is its offensive fire system, which allows the heavily armed protagonist in this third-person shooter to fire around corners and use cover as a tactical asset.

Despite the addition of the 6th Man Mater and some improved passing and shooting aids, this year's version of College Hoops seems tired.

It might as well have been published by AT&T, because this is the most phoned-in sequel this side of a football game.

When all is slashed and looted, Radiata Stories is an unremarkable RPG whose stabs at innovation end up feeling rather inconsequential. It's perfectly playable and is not a bad game, but it lacks any real hook or draw.

The Treble mode is an excellent touch that adds twists to the usual Manager mode. The visuals look solid for the system, but online play is a total mess and is probably not worth your time.

One of the first fun Sonic experiences in some time. The overall experience of navigating through Sonic and the Secret Rings doesn't manage to bring the series back to glory, but at least it gives it some life.

If you're willing to devote serious time and effort to a harsh and unforgiving series that jealously guards its goodies from the uninitiated, there's a chance you could pick up Lost Raven and eventually get into it.

A generic racer with worse-than-generic graphics.

In many ways, the controls are dead-on, but the awkward shooting controls hamstring the action.

If you don't mind the repetitive enemies with bad AI, the poor save-game options, and a lack of weapon variety, then the Warhammer flavor might be enough to warrant a look. For most people, however, Fire Warrior is simply a mediocre shooter at best.

All the ingredients were in place, and the resulting concoction isn't totally worthless, it's just that between the freaky game design decisions and poorly thought out content, this is a meal some gamers may not have the stomach for.

Night Watch's main element -- combat -- is fun and engaging, especially once the characters reach higher levels and have more options. But to call it an RPG is a bit disingenuous, because you truly have very few options to individualize the characters, and the story continues in a linear fashion.

It would be best to describe Operation Flashpoint: Elite as a simulation instead of as a game, since the essential elements of video games have been overlooked in this PC to console release.

In the end, City Life is a credible first try at a city-builder for Monte Cristo. The game's emphasis on social engineering and urban harmony is a nice addition to the genre, and if the player is willing to dig through the messy presentation, there's some fun to be had here.