There are some minor gameplay issues, and the weak multiplay -- with no online gaming -- hurt the overall game, but the single-player story is strong.

Instead of a true stealth engine, you have awkward "hide spots" to accommodate the free roaming. Combat is either too easy or too hard, lacking the brilliance of a dedicated action title. And the free-roaming, bound as it is to mission objectives that would be fine in a more linear game, is just unsatisfying. Each element of the game is individually interesting, but as a whole the package feels incomplete and patchwork more than innovative.

It doesn't fix the fundamental design issues that marred Empire at War, but all the fun new stuff it adds and the strategic wrinkles it introduces might make it worth the effort to get past them.

It's just too darn much like its predecessors. The graphics and sound have shown little improvement since the first game in the series, and they certainly haven't been updated at all with the leap to DS (save the 3D Mega Man on the touch screen).

Sweet in that the title boasts a massive, fully destructible environment with an impressive arsenal of weaponry and some really fantastic and innovative multiplayer. Sour in that the single-player experience grows repetitive and boring over time, and the broken vehicle mechanics really drag down gameplay.

While many aspects of it are excellent, the gameplay is flawed enough to occasionally frustrate and sometimes make Magic Pengel feel less like a game and more like a chore.

For the most part, Wario World offers little above and beyond the standard 3D platform romp, and what is offered turns out to be very short and repetitive. That's not too say that the game isn't fun while it lasts, because it is -- I just wish there was four times as much to crack.

One of the best-made games you can get on your PSP, far better than a simple port of an arcade game, yet hindered quite significantly by the handheld's design flaws.

Despite Fracture's promises of altering the gaming landscape as we know it, its aftershocks will likely be nearly imperceptible.

Being able to carry around so much gaming goodness is a boon, particularly since playing in small chunks is so rewarding. It's too bad that gamers looking for a great online race will have to search elsewhere.

There's not much here to differentiate the PS3 version from current-gen consoles besides the sweet high-resolution graphics (and in the case of the Xbox 360, not even that), but if you have a PS3, there are worse games you could play on it.

It takes some getting used to, but in the end, Fallen Enchantress largely fulfills the promise of its genre-blending premise.

Wii owners have been waiting a while for a top-notch FPS to call their own, and although the single-player mode has its faults, The Conduit's multiplayer experience helps to lessen the pain.

The historical sweep is fascinating, as is witnessing the advances and growth of your prospective civilization, but it's truly unfortunate that your participation in all of this couldn't be more involving and challenging.

The only major problem, and I'm afraid it's a big one, is the control. The PSP D-pad is not so hot, and it's particularly poor for inputting the fast, precise commands required by a 2D fighting game.

The bugei gimmick is really clever, and kept driving me to play more. I can't say as much about the actual gameplay and story, however.

For a first attempt at a new idea, this is a pretty solid game, and worth a look for most RPG fans. The worst part? You just know any sequel's going to have a lot more than 396 spells to remember. End the madness!

A sequel that's good but not great. It's got mini-games that will hook you immediately, a stronger emphasis on group play, and some genuinely hilarious moments. It's also got some bad mini-game mechanics that are recycled throughout the experience that drag it down.

The U.S. version, on the other hand, features too many one-hit wonders that could have been easily eliminated without anybody mourning them: how many times do you want to sing Chumbawumba's "Tubthumping" or Spin Doctors' "Two Princes"? The novelty is gone after the first time.

Far better than it should be, partly for its spirited use of the license, partly for its variety, and partly for the simple fact that it's a rarity to have a game like this with serviceable bots.

The game's lower level of difficulty and varied gameplay styles make it easy for just about anyone to get into the game and enjoy the experience.

JF4 introduces several leading edge innovations into the genre that set it apart, yet at the same time it manages to crash and burn when it comes down to just the basics.

If you can say that you're looking forward to having ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a week than this is a great title for you. If, somehow, you're totally out of great DS and Gameboy games to play on the go, Galaxies makes for a passable time killer on the road.

For fans of the card game, Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubadour is a dream come true. The game takes everything that has made the card game so popular for years, and faithfully puts it all together in one convenient handheld package.

It's definitely fun and easy to get into, but the game lacks any real technique that will keep you coming back to it after the initial thrill has worn off.

It’s more lethargic; full of AI cheating, slowed down gameplay and ultimately causing frustration.

The ability to download existing leagues, cups and tournaments from the console game to the PSP is a fine addition to the core gameplay, which is fundamentally the same as in the last two games.

The single-player modes are really lacking, which is really astounding since the multiplayer is so much fun.