The only area that the Xbox version of this game really pales in comparison to its PS2 brother is in the lack of an online mode -- a pity when the system has the necessary hardware built right in!

Bugs aside, Bloodmoon is a smart buy for fans of the original game simply because it's not just more-of-the-same; the quests are well designed, and the werewolf slant changes the entire flavor of Morrowind.

It's also a perfect game for the entire family, being deep enough for adults to appreciate and visceral enough for kids to get a huge kick out of.

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.

If you can bear some of the repetition in between missions, the missions themselves are a blast. The environment is among the most compelling ever put on a screen this year. And multiplayer is strong.

These are the best games in the series by a considerable margin, and should provide you with entertainment for weeks to come, especially if you're planning on playing "Pokémon Battle Revolution" for the Nintendo Wii.

For gamers who've mocked their PS3-owning friends, it's time to suck up to them and hang out at their crib for this one. One taste of this, and it's going to feel like a long, long wait for the summertime release on Xbox 360.

The progression of difficulty is actually quite linear and well-balanced. But, because the entire experience is so densely compressed, for most people the game becomes too difficult and too technical far too quickly.

A terrific game. All of the stealth gameplay, intricate level design, Byzantine story branches, and delightfully larcenous action makes a welcome return in this edition. The godfather of stealth-action games is back. Unfortunately, while Thief: Deadly Shadows stands as an equal to any of the previous games in the series, it doesn't exceed them - nor does it move the franchise forward as much as it was obviously designed to do.

It's one of the finest crossover titles I've ever played; mainstream gamers will enjoy it for its excellent use of the movie license, sharp visuals, and easy-to-pickup gameplay, but it also has enough challenge and variety for hardcore players to soak up.

Getting 43 cars running on-screen at once is no easy task, but the graphics engine used for the GameCube version of NASCAR Thunder 2003 pulls it off without breaking a sweat.

This is the game that so many have deemed the best game ever released on the PlayStation. Now it's been given a new coat of paint. Sure, it has a few blemishes ... but overall, it's the same experience you loved before, only now it looks better.

While the gameplay is based on the same principles, The Sims is much more accessible as an overall product than Nintendo's pastel-hued "Animal Crossing."

Its incredibly diverse control system is implemented into a truly enjoyable game that has enough simulation elements to please boxing fans and strong gameplay that can be appreciated by a diverse crowd.

Its kiddy facade hides some terrifically fun gameplay with a lot of meat on its bones.

While it would have been very easy for the developers at Rockstar Toronto to simply recreate the events seen in the movie, they've managed to craft a tale that actually enhances the film.

Despite its lackluster storytelling, Red Faction: Guerrilla is a whole lot of fun to play, thanks to its meaty campaign and well-rounded multiplayer offerings.

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.

My only serious complaint is that the music utterly sucks in every way and is an affront to mankind that should be excised from the universe by the vengeful spirits of J.S. Bach, Duke Ellington and Hank Williams.

If you're interested in taking on a captivating yet downright terrifying single player experience, F.E.A.R. comes highly recommended.

While Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood feels a bit too much like its predecessor in many ways, that's like saying "The Godather 2" was a bit too similar to "The Godfather."

It's beautiful, it's well-designed, and I can't wait to spend more time in it.

While T2E is essentially more of the same, and doesn't quite have the same "wow" factor of the original, the improved engine and netcode make it a much more solid game.

Hot Date breathes new life into a game that hasn't even come close to dying.

Visually and conceptually, Alice is unparalleled among this year's games, and succeeds in eclipsing its own weaknesses with intoxicating style. A defiantly original example of game-development as a fine art.

A fantastic racer for those that want tons of cool customizations and huge single-player challenges, but gamers looking for a more traditional arcade racer might need to approach NFSU with the following in mind -- it's tons of fun, it looks amazing, and it's best on PS2, but be prepared to witness a perceptive lack of variety, and one huge-ass single-player challenge.

These "Metroidvania" games may be a bit formulaic, but there's no denying that they're still great fun. Order of Ecclesia is a bit of an improvement over Portrait of Ruin, and it's right up there with the excellent Symphony of the Night and Dawn of Sorrow. This will be one of the best DS titles released this holiday season -- don't miss it.

The new title combines strong platforming fundamentals, Assassin's Creed's open-world structure, and some of Okami's wonderful aesthetic flourishes. What it introduces to action games is something truly wonderful. Since the Prince can't die, the pace and rhythm of gameplay is never lost, yet it still offers a challenge even for hardcore gamers.

While EA's series definitely has its strong points, ESPN NBA 2K5 has better graphics, AI, and that highly addictive 24-7 mode.

The new race and the gameplay changes have evened out the playfield for a while, offering a chance for new players to get into the game if they missed it the first time around.

Don't expect to find radical gameplay changes or innovative open-ended mechanics here. Instead, come armed with a belly full of courage and a clean change of underwear, because I can't even remember when a video game has shoved this much grotesque evil down my throat in one serving.

The resulting package is so good that not even the nightmarish presence of Bam Margera and his merry band of sociopathic masochists can bring it down.

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.

It succeeds as both an MMORPG and a Star Wars game -- and if you're feeling burned by the past 12 years' worth of Lucas' meddling, I leave you with a final bit of reassurance: In all of my travels, I've never once come across a mention of a midichlorian or a Gungan. That's gotta be worth something, right?

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.

If you can bear some of the repetition in between missions, the missions themselves are a blast. The environment is among the most compelling ever put on a screen this year. And multiplayer is strong. Far Cry 2 may not live up to its full potential, but there's a lot here to enjoy regardless.

The updates to the user interface make controlling characters even easier, and the overall improvements in design make it a wonderful addition for all players in the Dark Age of Camelot universe.

Shadowlands is like a love letter from Funcom to its fans. It is an example of how an MMO can grow and change, becoming richer without alienating new players or neglecting the hardcore fans who've stayed with it all along.

Its incredibly diverse control system is implemented into a truly enjoyable game that has enough simulation elements to please boxing fans and strong gameplay that can be appreciated by a diverse crowd.

One excellent thing about the single-player campaign is that there is no penalty for death. You just get set back at the nearest checkpoint.

A bold and reasonably successful attempt to capture the total NASCAR experience.

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.

It's so good and so easily accessible that it has replaced my beloved "Final Fantasy Tactics Advance" cartridge as my travel game of choice. And really, that says more than any score could.

Although the campaign storyline isn't nearly as engaging as the one seen in "CoD4," there should be enough memorable set pieces and intense sequences to keep you riveted throughout. The addition of a co-op mode brings a great deal of replay value to the proceedings, especially once you start throwing the death cards into the mix. Ultimately, it's the multiplayer and co-op action that will keep us coming back for more.

Even with the lack of balance between staying pure and choosing the filthy coward's route of Corruption, Chaos Rising is another great addition to Relic's library of RTS games.

Luckily, action sequences have been tightened up considerably from the first episode, with interactive points actually on the object in question and not somewhere nearby. And there are just enough quick-time events to keep you on your toes, though they are less frequent than before. The focus is on the slow burn of a terrible, desperate situation; the realization that no matter how many obvious monsters you've sheltered yourself from, a worse one might be standing right next to you.

Saints Row: The Third is junk food; it's camp; it's a girl you wouldn't want your friends to catch you with. It's also fun, crude without being stupid, fast-paced without feeling empty, and solidly made (aside from the aforementioned bugs).

I thought I had totally burnt myself out, playing for over four hours a day for over a week. I wondered if it was possible to ruin a game by playing it too much. But 60 hours in, I still want more.

Few games in recent years have been laugh-out-loud funny, but The Movies generates so much random silliness that - even when things are going wrong - you can still have a good time.

Crysis 2's shiny graphics are nice and all, but the Nanosuit is the true star of the show. Offering a true sense of power rarely seen in modern shooters, it helps to make this one of the most exciting games of the year.

Speaking of graphics, Virtua Tennis: World Tour looks almost identical to "Sega Sports Tennis" on PS2 -- which is a compliment.

Incredibly addictive. You're constantly thinking of new ways to design a hole, new tricks to throw at the golfers, and new adjustments to increase the sims' enjoyment and challenge.

EA really needs to perfect FIFA's control as much as it needed to make a better career mode. The old developmental mantra is gameplay first, options second. Still, what it gives us in 2004 is a solid and entertaining package.

Like Westwood's real-time strategy games, there's a lot of flash here, some of the same old interface problems, and more than enough "yee-haw!" enthusiasm to make up for any shortcomings. Well, almost.

On the whole, there's really nothing here compelling enough to attract owners of the PC and Dreamcast versions.

Between the game's multiple endings and its awesome character creation, it's definitely worth playing this 20-plus hour game again just to get a different feel for its compelling story and tight gameplay.

I can't remember the last time I played a game in which I wondered whether something could be done, and nine times out of ten it actually could be, whether it's calling in an airstrike on a lone soldier or jacking a helicopter from the sky. Blowing stuff has never been this fun, or this satisfying.

One of the coolest things about this game is the fact that it doesn't take itself very seriously. The sense of humor manifests in a bunch of ways, not the least of which are the whacked-out in-game TV shows that play out in parallel to the game's own story.

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.

One of the most entertaining and fulfilling experiences available for the Xbox 360...There are countless ways you can design a garden, and countless ways to enjoy the game.

Those who played Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly on the PS2 know that it's a great psychological creep-fest, and now the game has arrived for the Xbox bigger, badder, and more beautiful.

By far the best Star Wars game to hit a console in recent memory.

Guitar Hero World Tour is often both exhilarating and frustrating.

Unadulterated run-'n-gun goodness. Future Perfect is packed with so many features that even the most jaded FPS fans will find something they like on offer; decimating everything or hosting a multiplayer kill-a-thon, this game can accommodate all comers.

PlanetSide 2 shows the PC off. From the gorgeous lighting and huge draw distances, to the intense, multiplayer battles. It's based on something old, but that was so far ahead of its time that even now the template feels new. Exciting. It feels like the next generation has just landed.

'Splosion Man will probably prove too difficult for a lot of people to want to play through in its entirety, but I urge you to at least try.

Aside from minor framerate niggles, DUB is one of the finest racers to hit the market in recent memory, and it's certainly the king of the tuner racer scene, without a doubt.

If you can look past the graphics, the gameplay alone makes this game worth owning.

One of the best flight simulations on the market today.

A picture perfect port of what should be the most tired game in the business, somehow having it portable again, especially this well done, is a joy to fans everywhere.

This is exceptional fun, tests the mettle of even the most hardened platform junkie, remains completely true to its roots, and delivers spectacularly in the graphics, combat, design, music, and most importantly, gameplay departments.

It's hardly the dramatic revamp that RE4 was for the series, but it marks the first time that co-op play has been implemented. As a result, the overhaul makes it a good single-player game, but a great multiplayer one. Thanks to its persistent approach to weapon upgrades, it's well-suited to replay. It's a visually splendid game with gorgeous cinematics that evoke the same awe as previous games did in their time.

In the end, though the mini-games may have their flaws, the true beauty of Space Rangers 2: Rise of the Dominators is how all of these disparate elements fit together into an almost seamless whole. The more the player gets into the Space Rangers universe, the more enjoyable the whole thing becomes.

Tetris DS does a remarkable job of reminding us why Tetris was so great in the first place, and it gives us tons of extra reasons to love it as well.

Now that the prince is once again on firm footing, it'd be a crime not to let his adventures continue.

The minute-to-minute gameplay is tried and true, and when you factor in the long-tailed character progression, well, let's just say it's a wrap. Puzzle Quest's designers are certainly onto something here.

It plays almost like a new game, but with soothing familiarity that fans of the series will no doubt appreciate.

Offers some of the best turn-based strategy we've seen in a long time, and adds massive, challenging real-time battles to the mix.

A well-polished sequel that lives up to, but doesn't necessarily advance, a real-time strategy classic. More compelling RTSs have come, and more are on the way.

Most importantly, it does what it does well, and except for the lack of a printed manual and more help for learning strategies, is a worthy tribute to the lost Jane's Combat Simulations brand.

The developers have really done a good job in trying to make the game work with the inherent limitations of a gamepad, but once you're used to the superior mouse/keyboard arrangement, the gamepad is a let down.

It may not be politically correct, it may even be offensive to some, but when you come right down to it, Hitman 2 is an excellent game.

A must-play for anyone looking for a fun, intelligent action/adventure game. Is it as great as its forebear? I'll say no. That said, Invisible War is still an excellent sequel to Deus Ex, which, while lacking its scope, smooths over many of its roughest edges and provides a decent conclusion to the current story arc. [Note: GameSpy's revised 5-Star conversion scale - see site]

The lack of a real multiplayer mode is a huge disappointment to us. What makes this omission even worse is how short the single-player campaign is.

An excellent basketball game, with more features than you can exhaust in months of play.

If your dream garage has side-by-side parking spaces for an off-road K500 Pro Baja Duneracer, a Williams BMW FW27 F-1 machine, and a vintage Corvette L88 Sunray DX, this is the game for you.

This year's game clears up almost any blemishes that may have carried over through the years, and perfects the package in a way that blew my socks off.

It's an enjoyable run through the world of demon slaying. It's significantly more fulfilling than the disappointing "DMC2" even if it's not quite the leap forward that "DMC3" was (or at least, the rebalanced Special Edition was).

Not only is it a great action title, it may very well be the best superhero game for current-gen consoles.

On a very meaningful level, it gives complete newcomers access to the most exciting aspect of the game right out of the box. And should those players decide to sample everything that it has to offer, they will not be disappointed.

A brilliantly twisted love letter to the videogame medium, scrawled in blood and pixels.

Its kiddy facade hides some terrifically fun gameplay with a lot of meat on its bones.

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.

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.

A deep Dynasty Mode and some cool new gameplay additions ensure that you'll be playing the game for months to come, and while we can't say yet if the game will be able to gain ground on its biggest rival, we can say this: NBA Live 2005 is the best EA Sports basketball game ever.

Combines great graphics and kicked-up sound with, above all else, fun gameplay.

With high frame rates that won't quit, 52 stages set across eight different countries, an impressive array of environmental effects, multiplayer options in every mode, and all of the strengths of past installments of this series, Colin McRae Rally 04 is a worthwhile pick for any avid Xbox racing enthusiast.

Deserves praise for the innovative manner in which it presents its 3D locales.