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?

I wish that I could say that the PS3 version of Tony Hawk's Project 8 felt like a next-gen game, but it doesn't even have online gameplay, an element that was crucial to solidifying Neversoft's current-gen games as a blockbuster franchise. Combine that with the flaws already plaguing the game, and it's very difficult to recommend.

Though it doesn't hit the graphical highs of the upcoming "Metal Gear Solid 3," the visual style is one of the few ways that Spy Fiction distinguishes itself from its parent series in a positive way.

We can't help but think how much more enjoyable this game could have been with some better jokes, a few more interesting mini-games, and the ability to explore without loading screens every 15 seconds.

But nobody is going to fall in love with the game, unless they're in love with the sound of Jamie Little's big mouth.

While the voice command feature is interesting, games like World in Conflict, Empire: Total War, and Company of Heroes offer far more depth and are ultimately easier to recommend.

Stay far away from this street ball disaster.

A decent enough shooter that just doesn't do enough to stand out in the Xbox's crowded FPS market.

It's a curiosity worth a rental -- before the Xbox Live population drops to zero, as it quickly does for so many second-tier games. You just might be able to overlook its flaws and find the button-mashing fun.

It would be a lot easier to recommend if it were half that price. As it is, you're paying $40 for lackluster collection of old arcade games, a port of a good DS game, and a handful of varying quality remixes that all feel like expanded mini-games.

I understand the need to change the identity of the murderer in order to create suspense for those who have already read the book. Unfortunately, the new ending feels tacked on and incredibly contrived.

A disappointment of near-epic proportions. Sega ripped out the very heart of PSO's legendary addictiveness, replacing it with a repetitive, tedious grind that shows no signs of ending.

As dense and nihilistic as the source material, but not nearly as thrilling.

There's no doubt that the arenas look amazing, and the presentation is great. Unfortunately, this is a game and not a tech demo, and the gameplay and modes are severely lacking.

Unfortunately, playing it with the flighty Wii Remote controls can sometimes make it more frustrating than fun, and the much ballyhooed eight-player mode (just look at those excited folks on the back of the box) is a (wait for it) bust.

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.

Complete with more bugs than month-old flypaper sitting outside a slaughterhouse, True Crime: New York City is utterly mediocre.

If you've never played an RPG before, then perhaps this'll make for a memorable adventure. It's certainly competent. However, those who are well-versed in the ways of herbs and leather armor would do well to save their money for a more invigorating, less blatantly soporific quest.

Instead of delivering a total experience, Kong feels more like the developers decided to throw together two half-finished games and hope for the best. The end result is an average experience.

But it's impossible to ignore the unfinished feel of the "final" product and even though it received a patch almost immediately after release, a lot more support is needed to make this a game worth investing a lot of time in. It's simply not finished yet.

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.

It needs more games, more multiplayer games, and a single-system multiplayer mode to make it truly worthwhile. Otherwise, as mentioned before, simply buying a deck of cards and finding a few friends is a much more entertaining experience.

Don't get us wrong, we understand that Tenchu sucks, but some of us happen to like it regardless of its faults and it is those die-hard fans that will find Tenchu Z to be the most rewarding of the entire series.

If you have a choice, between getting the GameCube and PS2 version of the game, go for the GameCube. The semi-frequent load times are significantly shorter on Nintendo's system, and the graphics look slightly better.

Season 2 will help satisfy series or genre fans' lust for collecting things by virtually golfing, but by failing to add a satisfying online experience to the game -- the first game's real weak spot -- 2 is more expansion pack than true sequel.

Atari, for some reason, decided to employ the touch screen for ALL the games on its compilation. For some games, it works; for others -- it's a clunky, useless interface that will have you cursing your DS hardware in no time.

Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 just isn't as relaxing, with its frustrating mini-games and flawed core game mechanics. There's still plenty of eye-candy to be had, but if you're looking for anything more, you may want to pass.

The graphics, which look perfectly fine on the PSP, look decidedly low budget blown up on a TV. This is compounded by the fact that AS has been released as a full price title. This would be less of a problem if the game was $30, but for $50? You'd be better off saving $20 and picking up a copy of "Resident Evil 4."