Although the game is technically lacking and isn't for everyone, it's one of the most original and engaging titles on the market.

Spirit Tracks features some of the best labyrinths and inventive bosses in Zelda history.

DiRT 2 is extraordinary sensory overload. It's gorgeous, it's thoroughly addictive, it mends past problems, and it's fun. Really fun. But it won't please all the realists out there, and it may not feel quite so perfect over the long haul. At $60, maybe it should have.

Part of what distinguishes Disgaea from more run-of-the-mill SRPGs is its wicked sense of humor, which makes just unveiling the story a treat.

The Heisman difficulty level seems really balanced for the first time in years. The running game is great, with grind-it-out yardage available inside and game-breaking moves to be had outside.

After logging over a hundred hours on Dragon Age: Origins, I still want to continue playing. I want to unearth more of its secrets, to better know its characters, to see how the decisions I make can impact its world, and yes, to see more of its endings. I can't think of a better recommendation than that.

A combination of solid Zelda-style gameplay and cinematic excellence push Beyond Good & Evil into the upper echelons of action / adventure games. This is what an interactive movie should be.

I appreciated the places the story took me in the end, but the final series of boss fights not only felt forced into the game's plot, but also were so long and arduous that I wondered if I'd ever beat them at all.

A great expansion pack. It makes Shogun better, adds new units, modes, and campaigns, and yet doesn't disrupt the sweaty-palmed fun of the original.

It's not the most prolific game released recently, and with some real zeal you can probably thrust through it in a matter of hours, not days. But for the price…

My biggest gripe with NASCAR 2005 is the lack of polish in the graphics department. The framerate was a bit sluggish at times and I had a hard time getting past the jagged appearance of the cars.

By far the best feature of Substance is the audio. Supporting Dolby Digital, the sound effects, dialogue, and musical score are topnotch.

In my opinion, "Major League Baseball 2K5" is the better game. It's a close one, to be sure -- as each area that one game has a weakness in is a strength for the other title -- but I enjoyed the pitching and batting in MLB more, and fielding, one of its weak points, isn't as big of a deal to me.

If Call of Duty let you run free in the playground, then United Offensive keeps you on a short leash and yanks hard when you don't do things the right way.

The lack of an Elimination mode constricts the variety of gameplay and no additional skin-editing functions is irksome, but these issues don't prevent WipEout HD from doing what the franchise does best: go really, really fast.

Veterans players with plenty of Company of Heroes combat under their belt will eagerly dig into the new expansion pack as the new armies on offer are a lot of fun and will throw plenty of new twists into multiplayer games.

In a world where one of the most common gamer laments is there's no originality in gaming anymore, Psychonauts is an incredibly enjoyable breath of fresh air.

DiRT 2 is extraordinary sensory overload. It's gorgeous, it's thoroughly addictive, it mends past problems, and it's fun. Really fun. But it won't please all the realists out there, and it may not feel quite so perfect over the long haul. At $60, maybe it should have.

Everything about the game's presentation is top-notch, from the washed-out stylized art design to the feature-film level soundtrack that pounds away from start to finish. And that's really what Gears is all about: it's a slick, polished action film that you happen to play on your PC.

Out of the Park Baseball 4 is such a great online game that I can't stop singing its praises to anyone who will listen.

The best arcade-style action / party game to come around in ages.

Although its campaign has some plot twists that are mind-boggling, and there's no pretense that the ending is a bonafide cliffhanger, it's engaging, even if the narrative fails to explain some of the big story hooks. Competitive multiplayer is bigger and more brutal than its predecessor. Most importantly, co-op multiplayer is an absolute joy to play. Ultimately, however, it's the role-playing elements, such as experience points, that really enrich the experience.

Delivers a much more authentic representation of the fastest game on ice and this is reflected in its tight checking action (low-scoring games are now the norm) and truer-to-life gameplay mechanics.

Even if you've played the original, SSX Tricky is a fantastic game of fast paced action and tons of surprises.

While it's still shy of perfect, Round 2 is an outstanding title and clearly the best boxing game ever made.

Wonderfully imaginative, and, most importantly, a heck of a lot of fun.

After playing PJS to completion -- about three hours, altogether -- I feel like I've completed half of an awesome puzzle game.

The new races and game balance changes have revitalized the multiplayer game, and the new campaign gives plenty of gameplay for single-player fans to sink their teeth into.