Another fantastic LEGO game. LEGO Batman is simple enough for kids to mash their way through, but addicting and deep enough to hold the interest of their parents, and the rare game perfect for them to play together.

The game's RPG trappings are just the sugarcoating for an incredibly deep and enjoyable strategic experience.

You are almost always riding the finest line between screaming along somewhat stably and totally losing it, and in that sense, Baja succeeds tremendously. Those kinds of stakes may not appeal to everyone, however, and the majority of people who tend to like finishing races may not need all of the incredible realism that an intense sim like Baja has to offer.

You are almost always riding the finest line between screaming along somewhat stably and totally losing it, and in that sense, Baja succeeds tremendously. Those kinds of stakes may not appeal to everyone, however, and the majority of people who tend to like finishing races may not need all of the incredible realism that an intense sim like Baja has to offer.

It's a beautifully immersive game that really takes advantage of the Wii's hardware to create a vivid and memorable experience.

Building a thriving economy from scratch is immensely satisfying, and it'll take several games to really master the nuances of the elegant ruleset. Colonization might not appeal to everyone, but it'll definitely hit a sweet spot for many strategy fans.

We couldn't in good faith recommend this game for children or those with a predilection for mindless mini-games, but Sim gamers will probably enjoy what it has to offer.

Thanks to its branching era structure, you'll be able to play this one over and over again, and perhaps one day you'll build that perfect city for the ages.

Warhammer Online has had the smoothest, most complete MMO launch we've ever seen. Game balance and other elements of the game need tweaking but they're all there, they all work and most importantly, they're all fun.

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.

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.

Force Unleashed may not be the mind-blowingly awesome "Star Wars" game that it was hyped to be, but thanks to some cool play mechanics, a great story, and a couple fun extras, it's still a fun (if flawed) ride.

The admittedly cool storyline is wasted on infrequent text windows with motionless character portraits.

Force Unleashed may not be the mind-blowingly awesome "Star Wars" game that it was hyped to be, but thanks to some cool play mechanics and good use of the Wii Remote it's still a fun (if flawed) ride.

TNA iMPACT! players will likely be torn about how they feel about the countering system, as it's easy to learn yet difficult to master.

Crysis was a fantastic PC game, and Crysis Warhead serves up more content with the same visual genius. If you're hungry for more, it's hard to go wrong with the $30 price tag -- just don't expect anything revolutionary.

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.

Dragon Quest IV offers a classic RPG experience that you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.

If you've been playing Rock Band regularly over the last 9 months, then you'll find a lot of welcome features -- and tons of more music -- in Rock Band 2.

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.

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.

The controls feel a bit antiquated now that we've been acclimated to the Skill Stick, but it's an excellent way to introduce your non-sports game loving friends to one of the best sports titles in years.

Despite its technical problems, Yakuza 2's story really kept us coming back for more. It's fantastically paced, constantly dropping teasers to keep you interested in what's going to happen next.

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.

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.

Lock's Quest provides a familiar experience that at the same time feels so distinct and unique that you'd be hard pressed to find something similar to it on the DS.

It may not be a perfect game, but truly innovative titles seldom are. Spore is a technological triumph that introduces a whole new way of tapping into a bottomless well of content.

The basic gameplay elements from Spore's creature stage have been expanded upon in Spore Creatures, and if you're looking for more of that, you'll be quite pleased by this attractive little adventure.

It remains bogged down with completely unbalanced gameplay, maddeningly difficult AI, and online gameplay that has the longevity of a stick of Big Red. That being so, there's nothing worthwhile in the final product that you can't get in the demo.

It remains bogged down with completely unbalanced gameplay, maddeningly difficult AI, and online gameplay that has the longevity of a stick of Big Red. That being so, there's nothing worthwhile in the final product that you can't get in the demo.

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.

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.

A tragically missed opportunity.

A tragically missed opportunity. There are hints of an excellent Total War-style real-time tactics game married to the undeniable crazy charm of the Warhammer Fantasy universe.

Infinite Undiscovery's greatest weakness is that it feels too much like other, better JRPGs, many of which were also developed by tri-Ace. However, in a strange way, that's also its greatest strength.

Even without some of its improvements, Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise would be a solid sequel, but the more user-friendly gameplay, online features, and variety make it better in nearly every way.

Mercenaries 2 is a lot of fun if you don't get bogged down by its rough-hewn minutiae and relish the simple pleasures of blowing things up.

Mercenaries 2 is a lot of fun if you don't get bogged down by its rough-hewn minutiae and relish the simple pleasures of blowing things up.

Will Wright created a monster -- and he gave it to you to develop. And now he's batting your creative genius in the head. It'll either wake up, or it won't... but whether or not you actually experience all that Galactic Adventures has to offer, you're in for a whole lot of fun along the way.

Vesperia may not deliver a totally fresh plot, but well-written character dialogue and a great combat system go a long way towards mitigating the cliches. A superior blend of style and production values, Tales of Vesperia is the best JRPG on the 360 thus far.

It may not be an easy game, but N+ is certainly addictive, and its design makes it a fantastic portable game.

It may not be an easy game, but N+ is certainly addictive, and its design makes it a fantastic portable game.

Though Disgaea 3 comes with a steep learning curve, there's so much depth to the game, both apparent and hidden, that you could literally spend thousands of hours with it. It's a niche experience, but one that's exactly what its target audience is looking for.

The biggest control-related issues arise from the system's imperfect recognition of your motions and button presses.

Deprived of a decent storyline, innovative mechanics, and limited variation in either enemies or environments, Too Human is barely worthy of a weekend rental.

There's a fair amount to like about SCT3, but its greatest weakness is that there are two other games out there that stack up extremely well against it.

It lacks depth, offers minimal incentive to continue playing past the first hour or two, and doesn't do anything with its online offerings that could convince you to neglect the countless other games that offer far richer multiplayer experiences. There's no reason to pick this one up unless you're desperate for something in the space milieu.

Although it's certainly not for everyone, Bangai-O Spirits is a well-made and extremely challenging game. It's great to see Treasure revive this title, and it works surprisingly well on the DS.

Online play is a very enticing part of what Madden brings to the table this year.

Online play is a very enticing part of what Madden brings to the table this year.

Madden NFL 09 All-Play is not a dumbed-down version of this year's best football game. Think of it more like a specialized version that successfully refines the crucial elements of football and distills them into a final product that is at once accessible and plenty of fun.

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.

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.

Soulcalibur has never been broken, and while there is certainly room for some novel approaches in the fighting genre, I would argue that no game has of yet come close in terms of subtlety and inventiveness.

Soulcalibur has never been broken, and while there is certainly room for some novel approaches in the fighting genre, I would argue that no game has of yet come close in terms of subtlety and inventiveness.

Die-hard fans of the genre might be able to find some value, but those same fans would be better served by the likes of Final Fantasy Tactics A2 on the DS, which not only features superior gameplay, but is also about $30 cheaper.

It's got some wonky controls that make fairly routine gameplay tasks unnecessarily laborious, especially the annoying checkpoint system and map checking that removes you from the terror quite often.

Along with the characters, the settings have been heavily reworked too. Players move in beautiful 3D environments displayed on the top screen, with the bottom screen being mainly used for the overworld map and for smaller maps such as dungeons, mountains and castles.

While Civilization Revolution does a great job of introducing the concept and gameplay of Sid Meier's classic PC series to the consoles, it falls just short of true greatness due to a lack of depth in the AI and multiplayer options.

While it won't be winning any beauty contests with its barebones 2D graphics, the play's the thing and the combination of solid controls and lots of content in the form of the technologies, units and variegated civilizations make Civ Rev an enjoyable and entertaining romp through the traditionally staid and somber realm of nation management.

Chocobo's Dungeon isn't a traditional Final Fantasy game, but it's still loads of fun and very addictive.

The game looks gorgeous (come on, what did you expect?), runs very smoothly, and features some cool new additions to the series. Sure, the single-player mode is hackneyed and contrived, but the multiplayer action is as good as ever. This is the best console Unreal game to date.

The gameplay is spot-on.

It's not that the game has the wrong songs, but that it has so few of them. For $60, you can't help but feel a little cheated when all you get is Guitar Hero III with a light coat of paint and barely half the songs.

It's not that the game has the wrong songs, but that it has so few of them. For $60, you can't help but feel a little cheated when all you get is Guitar Hero III with a light coat of paint and barely half the songs.

It's not that the game has the wrong songs, but that it has so few of them. For $50, you can't help but feel a little cheated when all you get is Guitar Hero III with a light coat of paint and barely half the songs.

That lackluster combat is a lot to get past in order to enjoy the tiny morsels of classic Hellboy wit, and the lingering bugs that cause Hellboy to snag and hang on bits of the environment don't help either.

It's not quite as engrossing a turn-based strategy experience as Final Fantasy Tactics, but its unique setting kept my interest long enough for me to discover the fun that lay beneath the unpleasant exterior.

A pile of uninspired, by-the-numbers gameplay and missed opportunities.

A pile of uninspired, by-the-numbers gameplay and missed opportunities.

A pile of uninspired, by-the-numbers gameplay and missed opportunities.

The simple fighting engine allows for some easy to get into action that will satisfy Naruto fans' desire to see their favorite characters pulling off their signature moves. If you want anything deeper than that, however, you're out of luck.

The production values in Final Fantasy Tactics A2 are top-notch and Square Enix has really punched up the graphics and sound.

It would be nice to see Capcom do something a little more radical with this series, but we've probably got another three or four indistinguishable sequels to get through before there's even a chance of that happening. It's still a fine enough game, but the played-out presentation and quest full of repetitive backtracking and fetch quests fail to excite.

After six nearly identical Mega Man Battle Network games and one followup that was presumed to reboot the series (but didn't, really), is it any surprise that Mega Man Star Force 2 is pretty much the same game that Capcom has been churning out for the past seven years?

A really solid "beer & pretzels" strategy game.

Alone in the Dark seems to hold open contempt for its players...You've seen survival horror done scarier and better elsewhere. Don't get burned by this one.

One could easily say that Bad Company expands the genre itself with its combination of great story, destructible environment and surprisingly deep single-mode multiplayer. Throw in DICE's promises of future (free) content and this is one game that just might meet your wildest desires for both blowing things up and online competition.

One could easily say that Bad Company expands the genre itself with its combination of great story, destructible environment and surprisingly deep single-mode multiplayer.

The learning curve is steep, but those who enjoy a challenge might just end up embracing the greater level of realistic gameplay that only Top Spin 3 can offer.

The learning curve is steep, but those who enjoy a challenge might just end up embracing the greater level of realistic gameplay that only Top Spin 3 can offer.

It's certainly as competent in execution as the original and the developers did toss in a few nice console-only goodies, but as a whole, this expansion is quite forgettable.

Top Spin 3 for the Wii is a great departure from what 2K brought to the high-definition systems. It's accessible and presents just enough of an increase in complexity over Wii Sports Tennis to appeal to those who want just a bit more control.

Cut out about 50% of the units, make the maps smaller and tighten up the bleeding edges to make a new strategic model and we might really have something. The pacing's right, the idea's right, but stuffing the entire PC version of Supreme Commander onto the 360 is just more than the poor machine can handle.

In some ways, Guitar Hero: On Tour feels more like an experiment than a full-fledged game, as if Activision just wanted to see if it could be pulled off. Whether or not it succeeded is open to debate, as there are a number of issues that hurt the game.

Even if it's not quite as technologically advanced as its HD cousins, the Wii version of Rock Band is another great addition to the console's lineup of social games.

The pop- and dance-oriented tunes and beats are pretty darn fine throughout, and the explosions you create are portrayed audibly not as concussive booms but as instrumental blasts that sync with the background music. Just one more reason the game is well worth investigation.

Just don't let the complete lack of meaningful gameplay depth come as a shock.

What's perhaps most impressive is the way you'll feel about Snake by the end of the game (be sure to watch through the credits!). His character is fleshed out here more than any of the other games combined, and seeing him during his quiet moments with Otacon and Sunny gives him a lot more depth than we previously thought possible.

This isn't a "pick up and play" experience. This is something that requires you to sit down and work with for days -- maybe weeks -- at a time before you start to see the fruits of your labor. Still, once you get a chance to play your game, it's extremely rewarding.

Ultimately, though, its charms are outweighed by gameplay that lacks the tactics of the sweet science in real life. With better examples of video boxing on the market, Don King Presents: Prizefighter is a very tough sell.

Soul Bubbles does a magnificent job of feeding its unique approach to strategy and puzzle-solving at a constant yet measured pace, never leaving you with one bubble manipulating technique for long.

There's no denying that serious stock car fans that own an Xbox 360 or PS3 will enjoy hitting the track with this racer; it's just a shame it doesn't crackle with the personality the real sport has been known for.

There's no denying that serious stock car fans that own an Xbox 360 or PS3 will enjoy hitting the track with this racer; it's just a shame it doesn't crackle with the personality the real sport has been known for.

The lack of characters combined with the relative lack of gameplay modes makes the overall package seem a bit shallow, as if the inevitable sequel will feature more content. Even so, Burst Limit is a quality fighting game. Non-fans will be lost within the convoluted confines of the Z Chronicles, but the improved battle engine can't be denied.

Unfortunately, there isn't much to this game's rendition of New York that hasn't been done better in other games.

Unfortunately, there isn't much to this game's rendition of New York that hasn't been done better in other games.

The Incredible Hulk isn't the worst movie tie-in game ever made, but the initial charm of mass destruction dissipates rather quickly. This leaves it a rather buggy and joyless experience that, like a gumball, loses its flavor all too fast.