It's reawakened my passion for the world's most popular sport, and it's seized my attention more completely than any video game since "ICO." Konami receives my foot-funk-free Golden Boot for this amazing effort.

The soundtrack in particular won me over from the very start. But despite all the references to this beloved material, I also felt satisfied as a gamer, challenged by its unique blend of exploration, action and strategy.

The best old-school adventure gaming to hit the scene in years.

This is one game you won't put down until every technique, option and secret has been revealed.

There's enough content and replay value to keep you busy for hours -- even more if you hook up with friend. Factoring all the elements this title offers makes it a no-brainer for anyone who's wanted a fighter that's simple to play, entertaining, and offers long-term value.

Perhaps the greatest praise I can heap upon Point Lookout is that it doesn't feel tacked-on but more like a natural extension of everything that makes the new Fallout what it is.

Though I still don't know what a perfect game of DX looks like, the fact that I'm still glued to it (despite -- at this point -- finishing what I estimate to be maybe one actual five-minute game in any given hour) should give you a pretty clear idea of how I feel about it.

We can't recommend Persona 3 highly enough, although a lack of even an option for controlling your whole party directly is a real shame.

While the previous game may be more polished, this edition aims higher and achieves more regardless of a few missteps.

Definitely the best puzzle game on the DS. Every time I play it, I find something new to appreciate and it makes me want to play more. And for the record, I like it more than "Lumines."

While this latest effort has its share of missteps, it's still the best Madden in recent memory. Gameplay is king, and Madden NFL 10 is plain and simple a hell of a lot of fun to play. This is a must-have for football fans.

It still succeeds in providing the player great fun through dozens of brilliantly designed worlds, but some innate limitations of the GBA hardware prevent it from being at the very top of its form.

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

As is usually the case with Ubisoft's games on Xbox Live, the netcode is solid, so you shouldn't see much lag.

The odds of Sony dropping a first-party title better than this for the rest of the year are slimmer than a supermodel on the Atkins diet.

The gameplay is far more balanced than the previous two games, and the graphics are excellent for current-gen and have more detail than their predecessors.

After four iterations, FIFA Soccer 08 feels like the first title to live up to the "next-gen" name.

Being able to dominate players with Shaq or throw cross-court, no-look passes with Tony Parker is a wonderful addition, and it actually makes you feel like you're playing the game with real NBA players, not just a bunch of identical players.

Because of the complexity of the level design, part of the game's appeal is in attempting to find as many solutions as possible. You can always replay a level to try a new strategy or see a new area.

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

It's totally new and different. There's nothing else like this on the market. And it's a PvP fan's dream. But the big thing that pushes Guild Wars into must-have territory is the fact that there's no monthly fee.

Delivers an engrossing tale of identity, mortality and discovery in a bizarre, fantastic setting. Clearly, a great choice for those seeking to role-play and watch their character develop.

As a complete package, then, Sims 2 University delivers in a big way. There's a staggering number of new things to do and new ways to interact with your Sims. While bugs occasionally crop up, they're not quite enough to spoil to party.

It's a bit shorter than Episode 1 (mostly due to slightly easier puzzles), but the script is much sharper and funnier this time around, which makes it a more than adequate trade-off. Telltale Games is finally hitting its stride with this series and we couldn't be happier.

While this port isn't the significant enhancement that we'd all hoped for (to put it kindly), Prepare to Die Edition is still clearly the definitive version of Dark Souls. It plays smoother, multiplayer is improved, mods have enhanced the resolution and promise further improvements, and there's content not currently available on the consoles.

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

Forza 3 is a brilliantly engineered, if somewhat cold, racing game.

Between its extraordinary collection of cerebral trials, its comprehensive menagerie of shape-shifting animal-tools, and its skilled use of almost instinctual motion control, Zack & Wiki reveals itself as an unexpected, must-own treasure.