Thank goodness for the battle system, then, because it saves the game while you're wincing through the saccharine banter and waiting for the training wheels to spin off.

It's kind of like DICE has trained for a game development biathlon, resulting in its first game where the single-player mode is just as good as the multiplayer.

It's kind of like DICE has trained for a game development biathlon, resulting in its first game where the single-player mode is just as good as the multiplayer -- and that says DICE has what it takes to be among the best in the business.

It's kind of like DICE has trained for a game development biathlon, resulting in its first game where the single-player mode is just as good as the multiplayer -- and that says DICE has what it takes to be among the best in the business.

SupCom 2 is a pretty darn fun time... it's probably just not what SupCom fans expected.

It's not quite up to the shining standards of Mega Man 2 and the extremely underrated Mega Man 5 (and I'm dead serious about that -- go play it before you knock it), but it's definitely nowhere near the bottom of the bin that Mega Man 4 and the non-NES installments so squarely define.

If you can buy into the idea that the ending you get is your ending, and that your characters are really your characters, then you just might find yourself feeling moved by a videogame.

While the strategic level is an admirable attempt at something halfway between the elegance of Civilization and the historical specificity of Europa Universalis, it doesn't have the benefit of letting a human player take over. Here, once again, the game falls apart when it breaks out of the strict scripting of the story-based missions.

Try it and you'll probably end up like me, telling your friends to play the game not just because it's a stylistic novelty, but because, like any good pie, it has both a delectable crust and a delicious filling, which make P.B. Winterbottom a memorable treat to enjoy.

If this new AvP were like a grapefruit, and you were like the Dole Fruit Company, you would probably buy it only for use in juicing, not to be eaten on its own, as it just doesn't have enough meat. And by "buy it only for use in juicing" I mean you probably wouldn't buy it at all, because it isn't very good.

It's a bit ironic, to me, that I'm now complaining about an Ace Attorney game being too easy, but hey -- given how arcane the adventure games of old often got, I'm glad this is the worst thing I can say about AAI: ME.

Whatever your inclinations, Tropico 3 is an enjoyable city simulator that offers the same sort of replayability that others of its kind do; this one just emphasizes experimentation with moral behavior rather than perfecting a building grid.

While BioShock 2 largely addresses the shortcomings of its predecessor, it also bears the curse of familiarity. Traipsing around Rapture is certainly still enjoyable, but it's kind of like a magic trick you've already seen -- not quite as impressive as it was the first time around.

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 first time was rapture, the second time's been solid, but a third visit to the depths would make me wonder if creativity's been lost to the abyss.

Despite its flaws, Dante's Inferno is definitely worth checking out, if only because it presents a unique visual take on one of literature's greatest works. It's occasionally shocking and often annoyingly repetitive, but the action is good enough to keep you engaged through what is a thought-provoking experiment in converting classic literature to a game.

But as the third game in a trilogy, it feels too much like a common scene presented uncommonly well. The Zone is still as ashen and eerily alive as ever, the NPCs still sling out more "bros" than a frat boy, and the Major's path through the carnage remains largely unchanged from Strelok's, complete with the apparently requisite oddly abrupt final sprint through a horde of well-armed opposition.

Trek fans are meant to salivate at the sights and sounds of their favorite universe made manifest, like a dog hearing the chime of a chow bell. And publisher Atari is banking on the hope that -- like Pavlov's pups -- consumers will be content with the same ol' kibble day after day. The result is a shallow, poorly paced, and repetitive game that, divorced from its storied source material, wouldn't warrant a second look.

Though the game features several imaginative environments, the same can't be said for its pedestrian, trope-riddled story.

It's the way that Mass Effect 2 expands upon the narrative established in the first game that marks a true breakthrough for interactive storytelling.

A brilliantly twisted love letter to the videogame medium, scrawled in blood and pixels.

Unlocking all the characters requires beating the single-player arcade mode no less than 16 times, a mind-numbing chore that borders on Super Smash Bros. levels of grind-ness.

MAG, much like actual war, is often an ugly, confusing mess that tosses a group of people into extraordinary situations where they can overcome through teamwork or die as frustrated individuals. If you're looking for just another game to see your name on top of a leaderboard then keep on walking.

The ideas weren't taken to their logical conclusions; the designers stuck their toes in the water, pulled them back, and decided they needed to gather a little more gumption before they could dive in. Maybe in Dark Void 2, in which a brash, headstrong pilot gets a hold of a jetpack created by an aging engineer and uses it to fight zombies, we'll see the full-fledged realization of this game's genuinely interesting designs. Until then, however, jetpack fans will have to settle for half-baked.

Maybe in Dark Void 2, in which a brash, headstrong pilot gets a hold of a jetpack created by an aging engineer and uses it to fight zombies, we'll see the full-fledged realization of this game's genuinely interesting designs. Until then, however, jetpack fans will have to settle for half-baked.

Maybe in Dark Void 2, in which a brash, headstrong pilot gets a hold of a jetpack created by an aging engineer and uses it to fight zombies, we'll see the full-fledged realization of this game's genuinely interesting designs. Until then, however, jetpack fans will have to settle for half-baked.

Take away the armored masks and you'd have a hard time telling Army of Two: The 40th Day from a glut of other third-person shooters. It's not bad enough to be especially memorable, and it's not good enough that people will talk about it for very long.

Take away the armored masks and you'd have a hard time telling Army of Two: The 40th Day from a glut of other third-person shooters. It's not bad enough to be especially memorable, and it's not good enough that people will talk about it for very long.