If you've never seen the allure of the Mega Man Battle Network series, this latest installment isn't going to win you over. Even if you are a fan, the heavy sense of déjà vu might have you feeling a little apathetic by now.

Some will take Urban Chaos at face value and feel good inside with the game's many nods at the every day heroes of Americatown, USA. Others will take in the game's blatant sensationalism and wonder if it's not-so-subtle satire. Regardless, Urban Chaos: Riot Response is lots of fun, and merits a look from anyone who enjoys shooters.

While Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War has some great concepts behind it and a few enjoyable moments, it's not really worth the gas it takes to drive it home from the software store.

If you own the very similar Moto GP 3 you may resent coughing up cash for an incremental improvement (keep in mind the game retail for 60 bucks), but serious sim-racing fans that can overlook the minor technical issues will find a highly rewarding racing game with depth, a lot of options, and plenty of potential competition.

Unless you're desperate for a baseball game on your 'Cube, MLB 2K6 is probably worth passing up.

It's competent, and weird, and will be infamous in a couple years. That's gotta count for something, right? Even Young Lady With Full of Troubles could appreciate that.

Codemasters' Race Driver 2006 will hook you up with dozens of hours of both single and multiplayer gaming that'll test your wheel skills in just about every type of motorsport racing there is.

It's hurt by the PSP's awful controls, but that's not unexpected. Fix that d-pad and you'll be set for more Moai-shooting action than you can shake an option at... and that's a good thing.

By no means a terrible game. It's just a very slapped-together title that shows that direct ports of handheld games to PS2 probably aren't a great idea.

If you're into The Movies for the strategy sim, there's nothing noteworthy added in Stunts & Effects. But if you enjoyed building your own films, the freecam and the improved prop placement options alone are worth the price, while the props, sets, costumes, and effects merely add to the moviemaking experience.

The best thing that can be said about Cars is that it lays down solid racing gameplay without feeling generic.

If you're going for sheer quality, the PSP version of Cars is the best of the handheld games based on the movie.

There's no real story to hold any of this together, so in the end, Cars for the DS amounts to nothing more than some disjointed mini-games that are either too drab or too long to warrant unnecessary replays.

Despite the somewhat limited multiplayer mode, Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure is still top notch. The Dragon Ball fans will love it, of course, but even if you're not into the series, it's definitely worth checking out.

The extra unlockable characters don't make replaying races a worthy use of time, and the credits roll long before you expect them to, even for a GBA racer. It's too bad, since it could have been a cute family-friendly title, but thirty bucks it's a complete waste of money for an hour's worth of gameplay.

The best thing that can be said about Cars is that it lays down solid racing gameplay without feeling generic.

The best thing that can be said about Cars is that it lays down solid racing gameplay without feeling generic.

Big Brain scores points for its friendly and colorful art style and variety of activities, and there a lot of reasons prospective students will want to enroll. The problem is there's not much to keep you from dropping out after a few days.

MLB Slugfest 2006 isn't going to revolutionize baseball games, but even at less than half the price of the competition, it still can't be recommended.

The single-player game is entertaining, but ultimately, really can't sustain itself in comparison to, say, Meteos.

MLB Slugfest 2006 isn't going to revolutionize baseball games, but even at less than half the price of the competition, it still can't be recommended.

In the end, City Life is a credible first try at a city-builder for Monte Cristo. The game's emphasis on social engineering and urban harmony is a nice addition to the genre, and if the player is willing to dig through the messy presentation, there's some fun to be had here.

Delivers exactly what you'd expect from a Half-Life expansion: it returns to the intriguing setting of City 17, delivers lots of tight action sequences and well-crafted puzzles, and is arguably the best-looking shooter out today.

Unfortunately, similar products have been around for years now, and unless you're not old enough to play competitive poker on an online gambling site (most of which offer free games as well), it's hard to justify picking this one up.

A game in waiting. It's certainly playable right now and has some fun despite its issues. Still, you can see how this could end up one of the best baseball game ever made... if it ever gets finished.

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.

Unfortunately, similar products have been around for years now, and unless you're not old enough to play competitive poker on an online gambling site (most of which offer free games as well), it's hard to justify picking this one up.

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