Despite these issues, all the elements are in place for Brink to become a terrific multiplayer shooter. It handles well, offers customization options galore, and challenges FPS players to do more than just pull the trigger.

In terms of sheer strategic depth, there's not a city-builder out there that can match it.

It's rough around the edges in some spots, and can become infuriatingly difficult at times, but if you stick with it, you'll probably get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

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.

Mercenaries 2 is a lot of fun if you don't get bogged down by its rough-hewn minutiae and relish the simple pleasures of blowing things up.

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.

A very worthy sequel. It doesn't change any of the fundamental aspects of the original's gameplay; it just builds on them and gives you a helluva lot more bang for your buck. And considering that those who saw the original's unrealized potential forgave its imperfections, that's exactly what it had to do.

It's well worth your time to play through, if only for the motorcycle and gun turret scenes, and some of the more freakish weirdoes to cull later in your romp.

THQ, Team 17 and Two Tribes have not only turned out the best Worms game of all time, but a title that stands on its own as a truly excellent piece of DS software.

The one major area where European Assault fails to deliver is on the multiplayer side of things. While there are plenty of cool gametypes, from old standards like Deathmatch to some interesting objective-based games, the only way you can play with friends is on a single TV.

May not break new ground, but it offers a superb sense of flow and pacing, exciting combat, and a treasure trove of weapons and gadgets. That's a formula for fun.

If you are from the era when Falco was considered cool and "Return of the Jedi" had just been released, then I heartily recommend this game to you.

Okami fans will be spellbound with nostalgia while finding plenty new to enjoy, and fans of Zelda-esque adventures will be hard pressed to find another portable game so engaging in the twilight of Nintendo's soon-to-be replaced Nintendo DS hardware.

This is the over-the-top, pick-up-and-play fighter that's we've been missing for so long. It's far less complex than its top-rated contemporaries, but that's part of the fun.

As the name would imply, Pure wins because it sticks with only the most important facets of ATV racing: crazy handling and absurd, gravity-defying stunts. Its stellar visuals (exemplified by the glittering glacier track set in New Zealand) are simply icing on a cake of solid gameplay that rarely falters in providing the basic racing game essentials.

Sure, the wonder of experiencing Rapture for the first time is gone, and yes, the engine is really starting to show its age, but the most important element -- BioShock 2's narrative -- lives up to its heritage.

The new DS-centric controls add a lot to the formula, though some other cool new features, such as forensic videos, are too sparsely used.

A deep Dynasty Mode and some cool new gameplay additions ensure that you'll be playing the game for months to come, and while we can't say yet if the game will be able to gain ground on its biggest rival, we can say this: NBA Live 2005 is the best EA Sports basketball game ever.

Despite these issues, all the elements are in place for Brink to become a terrific multiplayer shooter. It handles well, offers customization options galore, and challenges FPS players to do more than just pull the trigger.

Everyone who enjoys video games owes it to themselves to try these titles at least once. If, however, you enjoy arcade reflex contests where you play for high scores, this will be perfect for you.

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

Despite these issues, all the elements are in place for Brink to become a terrific multiplayer shooter. It handles well, offers customization options galore, and challenges FPS players to do more than just pull the trigger.

Dear Esther, however, presents something truly different. It's an experiment to be sure -- and one that's not entirely successful -- but it hits far more often than it misses. It's a strong start to a new breed of adventure that asks players to think instead of clicking on items until something arbitrarily happens.

Speaking of graphics, Virtua Tennis: World Tour looks almost identical to "Sega Sports Tennis" on PS2 -- which is a compliment.

It has enough to keep any committed racing fan coming back for a good couple of months.

I like 'em fast and furious, not fast and frustrating. That being said, I fell in love with GT Advance 2 almost from the very beginning.

Battlefield Premium members have access to Armored Kill right now, and everyone else who's interested will be able to buy it for $15 on September 25th. If you're still playing Battlefield 3, or burnt out from claustrophobia or lack of tanks, I suggest that you do.

Building a thriving economy from scratch is immensely satisfying, and it'll take several games to really master the nuances of the elegant ruleset. Colonization might not appeal to everyone, but it'll definitely hit a sweet spot for many strategy fans.