Its battles are enjoyable enough, and series fans will be pleased with this adaptation of the Onimusha mythos. But in comparison to everything else on the market, the game falls short in comparison.

For a game designed to sell on the basis of its name alone, it's better than it has to be. There are still plenty of better games on the system, but this is a solid, if uninspired, title.

Battles isn't as multifaceted as Advance Wars, nor does it convey the fairy-tale personality of its console cousins, but we encourage you to look past the plain façade: there's some unexpectedly engaging gameplay buried under it.

There are things to like about this new version, especially as a multiplayer game, but in the end there are too many issues, big and small, for it to reach the nearly unreachable standard set by its predecessors.

If your frustration threshold is anything but extreme, give serious consideration before diving into this one.

A competent and occasionally compelling hack-and-slash, but fans of the PC games won't give a damn about it, and "Champions of Norrath" is a more satisfying and more technically impressive example of the genre on the PlayStation 2.

Guiding a cursor around a screen, activating a scope, and taking out targets is certainly an original and enjoyable experience, but the repetition of the enemy patterns make it difficult to return to after the game has been beaten or you've had your fill of playing sniper for a day.

A disappointing expansion for Heroes IV. The few new items available could've easily been available for free, while the biggest change to the game - multiplayer -- is already free.

While combat obviously isn't the focus of a stealth game, the fighting in Surma is stunningly awful.

Ravaged didn't help itself with its $25 price tag, either. It's not an unreasonable cost by any means, but with a growing number of strong free-to-play shooter options and Valve doing the Valve thing by charging $15 for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Ravaged seems slightly overpriced by comparison -- especially without bots to give it value when no one else is playing.

If this new AvP were like a grapefruit, and you were like the Dole Fruit Company, you would probably buy it only for use in juicing, not to be eaten on its own, as it just doesn't have enough meat. And by "buy it only for use in juicing" I mean you probably wouldn't buy it at all, because it isn't very good.

Solid as a means to satisfy most players' desire for combat. It's not too complex, but the strategy of moving across the board requires just a bit of thought and enough combat skill that you'll actually lose more than a few fights.

A fun but shallow game. The graphics and speed-based level design are great, but the game's short length and lack of truly compelling replay value are cause for hesitation.

Flight intends to carve out a niche for pilots who want a more casual, friendly, and inclusive sim, and that's something that's never really been done before. In a best-case scenario, Flight could introduce this genre to gamers who typically have brushed it aside under the assumption that it's too hardcore.

A good puzzle game. If you can get past the load times, it's even better.

It may be on a console, but don't let that deter you: it's actually surprisingly deep.

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.

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.

A "Dynasty Warriors" clone. It's also the best one I've played in years -- and I've played them all. If you have any type of interest in these kinds of titles, and consider imitation the highest form of flattery, check out Capcom's take on the genre.

Honestly, it's an okay game at heart, but it's hard to see that if you've even caught a glimpse of the other versions.

Once you get used to the controls and master the trick moves, you'll rediscover your addiction to this arcade classic.

XD is a decent enough effort, and it's certainly not a bad game, but considering how well crafted the handheld RPGs are, the unrealized potential and missed opportunities of XD become all the more apparent.

Will only appeal to die-hard fans or novice players, which is really bad because with only a little more effort it could have been so much better.

While Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War has some great concepts behind it and a few enjoyable moments, it's not really worth the gas it takes to drive it home from the software store.

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.

From start to finish, the game only took me just over eight hours to beat. And while there are some cool extras on the disc that can be unlocked, I still felt like the game was light on content.

Definitely a weaker package than "Sonic Mega Collection." The only games that truly hold up today are "Sonic CD" and the "Vectorman" titles. The rest are merely passable and are only of interest to the hardcore crowd.

On its own merits, though, it's simple, fun, and fast, and this would be enough... if it existed in a void.