The best of the college hoops crowd... The attention to detail in some of the arenas borders on the obsessive.

I was taken with it, I wanted to play it, I wanted to look at it. But it's sometimes frustrating and its boss battles are totally irritating.

Offers no gameplay surprises, not enough challenge, and not enough replay value, but it's certainly prettier than most GBA platformers.

As the great sage Ferris Bueller once said, "I must be honest here, I love driving it. I highly recommend picking one up. [It's so choice.]"

Although the single player game has a few too many potential dead ends, the accessible gameplay and multiplayer support for up to four people means it's a surefire crowd pleaser.

Nintendogs is good, but after the novelty of the voice recognition wears off, there's just not a lot to do.

The Xbox version, in addition to being considerably better-looking than the PS2 version, also supports Xbox Live online play for head-to-head racing, though seemingly must-have features, like co-op racing or the ability to play as the cops, didn't make it into the online portion of the game.

As good as Dragon Sword is, the game is over way too soon. Seven or eight hours may seem like a decent length for a portable game, but once you're finished, there's very little incentive to return.

Though it may appear that the game is aimed at a young target audience, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime has it all: a great sense of humor, solid gameplay, awesome tank battles and a charming story.

Fans have been waiting years for a true Contra sequel, and now it's arrived. Whether you're a fan of the series or someone looking for a challenge, you'll find a lot to love here.

This game demands exact timing and precise inputs. In that sense, it's a much more challenging affair than the prior games.

The two-player mode doesn't deliver the goods. At times, the competition feels more like a festival of yawns than edge-of-your-seat action.

My wish list for future iterations includes night racing, variable per-stage weather, working in-car gauges, and crowds that aren't 2D pancakes, but I can't say I've played a more satisfying racing game all year.

Ultimately, if you have plenty of time to sink into it and enjoy building characters as much as uncovering storyline, this is one of the best games available today.

Pure Bond, perhaps even the best Bond, with something for everyone. The over-the-shoulder view is what 007 needed all along.

It's not there yet (with this version), but we look forward to the elimination of players running through each other, balls landing perfectly in gloves, and a more simplified swing system.

Irrational deserves kudos for recapturing the core "Tribes feel" that fans know and love: the high-flying, jetpack-powered combat is still as much a blast as it ever was.

All in all, the game features enough choices and entertaining kills to have you playing some missions more than once, striving for that elusive Silent Assassin rating.

Features like the boss battles, online play and co-op could have made Guitar Hero III a legend itself but end up feeling unpolished. Still, there's enough meat in Guitar Hero III to keep any would-be shredder happy for a long time... or at least until Guitar Hero IV comes out.

Unfortunately, the most fitting literary comparison is that several long stretches of repetitive gameplay will make you feel like you're wandering aimlessly through the woods of an unedited novel.

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.

On paper, it sounds brilliantly inventive. Nail-biting edge-of-your-seat conversation? That's practically unheard of in games. Unfortunately, L.A. Noire drops the ball.

If you're a fan of "X-Men Legends," then it's safe to say that MUA is right up your alley. If you dig either dungeon crawlers or some of the biggest icons in comics, you'll probably enjoy what Ultimate Alliance has to offer.

One of Bully's most incredible achievements is in the realm of sound.

The fighting is hard-hitting, intuitive, and satisfying, and the story-mode is well-developed enough to give it long-term legs despite it's lack of an online multiplayer component. On top of that, the manner to which the hip hop element has been realized is really impressive.

The combat is fun but tends to be short, but the physics are good and the game is forgiving.

If you are not a fan of "Myst," Myst III offers you an empty plate. For fans of the series it is an entire smorgasbord.

It is in many ways the best of the bunch, but somewhere along the line it has lost that cool edge that made the series so legendary.