Some sort of multiplayer effort would've been appreciated, but even without it, Droplitz strikes us as one of the better original puzzlers of this generation, and is well worth the effort for genre aficionados seeking a definite challenge.

Some sort of multiplayer effort would've been appreciated, but even without it, Droplitz strikes us as one of the better original puzzlers of this generation, and is well worth the effort for genre aficionados seeking a definite challenge.

The solid, yet unremarkable single-player won’t win any awards, but The Conduit still features the most finely honed online outings available on the Wii, thus making it supremely worthy of our third highest score.

With its quick battles and focus and short conversations to tell the story, Devil Survivor works great for the DS. On top of that it is so refreshing to play an RPG on the system that isn’t steeped in fantasy and/or is a remake.

Revenge of the Fallen lacks the polished sheen and balance of some of its competitors – its looks are average, and the level design and mission parameters are painfully typical. But when the Transformers themselves are freed from silly plotlines and allowed to stand or fall on their own merits, as they are in the multiplayer modes, their distinct set of abilities make them truly engaging.

Revenge of the Fallen lacks the polished sheen and balance of some of its competitors – its looks are average, and the level design and mission parameters are painfully typical. But when the Transformers themselves are freed from silly plotlines and allowed to stand or fall on their own merits, as they are in the multiplayer modes, their distinct set of abilities make them truly engaging.

But if you’re not a huge fan of the existing franchise, there’s not much here to make it worth your while.

But if you’re not a huge fan of the existing franchise, there’s not much here to make it worth your while.

Pangya may not be as technologically robust as its competition, but it definitely makes up for it in personality. Golf is rarely this weird, but we loved every minute of it.

The resulting chaos is entertaining, if not a bit over-stimulating. With creative level designs and tons of playable characters to unlock, Rocket Riot offers hours of explosive-fueled enjoyment before the fun starts to wane.

Simultaneously a new Ghostbusters movie and an enjoyable videogame. Rough around the edges, but the superb scripting and unique humour make this a breath of fresh air.

Ultimately, this game is a true celebration of all things Ghostbusters, and all the fans shouldn't wait to get this if the Wii is all they have.

Simultaneously a new Ghostbusters movie and an enjoyable videogame. Rough around the edges, but the superb scripting and unique humour make this a breath of fresh air.

Ultimately, this game is a true celebration of all things Ghostbusters, and fans shouldn't wait to get this if the PlayStation 2 is all they have. For those with little love for the series, it's still a good action game, even if the no-frills levels and abbreviated campaign are bound to leave you feeling like you're sitting at the kids' table while the adults feast.

But ultimately, this expansion will live or die based upon its song selection.

If these (songs) seem a little tired to you or you don’t want to pay for the whole collection, maybe just hold off and see if these make their way into the online shop eventually.

If these (songs) seem a little tired to you or you don’t want to pay for the whole collection, maybe just hold off and see if these make their way into the online shop eventually.

Sound good? Then you’ll be in heaven with this new pack, especially if you bought Guitar Hero Metallica and have the dual bass pedals going. If these seem a little tired to you or you don’t want to pay for the whole collection, maybe just hold off and see if these make their way into the online shop eventually.

Although it’s beset by blandish graphics and wickedly uneven difficulty, Prototype delivers a fast-paced, relentlessly amoral and wonderfully brutal sandbox adventure in a detailed city filled with cool things to see and do.

LEGO Battles certainly drops the baton on a couple of essential basics, but its light-hearted tone, unit variety, hidden trinkets, and sheer volume of maps keep it a good value for dedicated fans of this angular toy world.

Although it’s beset by blandish graphics and wickedly uneven difficulty, Prototype delivers a fast-paced, relentlessly amoral and wonderfully brutal sandbox adventure in a detailed city filled with cool things to see and do.

Although it’s beset by blandish graphics and wickedly uneven difficulty, Prototype delivers a fast-paced, relentlessly amoral and wonderfully brutal sandbox adventure in a detailed city filled with cool things to see and do.

Class of Heroes delivers some quality dungeon crawling, which will wake up the back-tracking, corner-hugging, poke-at-everything completionist within you. Unfortunately, the game strays too far into the casual realm when it comes to combat. It’s simply too easy for its own good, which slightly sours what might’ve been an awesome JRPG.

It's not a perfect game, but it has a definite charm, and fans of the SNES era RPGs will probably find a lot to like.

Even in its most blatantly obvious moments, the game’s plot is still distinctly Indy - minus that whole fun aspect, of course.

Miami Law isn't horrible. But its fast-paced 24-style plot just doesn’t mesh with the slow and methodical gameplay found in point-and-click titles like these.

Too little evolution from past GH games.

To be blunt, EA should’ve done one of three things with Tiger on the PS2 – restore some features that all other platforms enjoy, sell it for $10 as a “roster update” of sorts, or just put it out to pasture once and for all.

At least Tiger’s PSP offering this year resembles a full-fledged title (unlike his counterpart on the PS2, which is embarrassingly devoid of features). Even so, though, we can’t justify shelling out 40 bucks for what amounts to a fresh coat of paint, no matter how well it plays.

Swords & Soldiers will certainly make you laugh, but it’s also just as likely to give you a serious hand cramp from the many hours of your time it will commandeer.

The Legendary Starfy never completely shakes the sluggish nature of its initially vanilla gameplay, and the game offers very little challenge for hardened platform veterans, but it's a pleasant romp that continually improves as it progresses.

Knights in the Nightmare isn't a bad game; the combat system is addictive as hell, and though the various elements of the game that might seem like an odd mix, together they make a lot of sense. It just tries to do too much, so instead of a historic must-play that changes the genre forever, we get a quirky, worthwhile oddity.

The game also suffers from a lack of content.

InFamous shows huge potential, but it’s ultimately held back from greatness by too-sticky controls and its surprisingly bland ruin of a city. It’s still fun, but there’s a lot of room for improvement in the strongly hinted-at sequel.

In short, CGS is a lot like its own hero, Killian - stuck in second place between mediocrity and exceptional.

A broken core of a game.

Quite simply, there is a sh.t-ton to keep track of. But no matter, these worries fall away the more you play. And soundly beating the crap out of another guy will be a walk in the park.

And the multiplayer? It works very well.

Despite its unattractive exterior, Puzzle Kingdoms shines where it counts – fun, addicting puzzles with tons of meaningful customization options, and no BS filler (like, ahem, PQ Galactrix’s tedious leap gate hacking).

Just for you, Metacritic! Punch-Out!! expertly walks the line between casual punchy-punchy and “serious gamer” depth. As with all the best fighting games, it’s not about seeing the end, it’s about how you get there.

It isn't the prettiest game nor the easiest, but for the hardcore fans keeping the PS2 afloat and for those that want to join the effort, Devil Summoner 2 is worth the time.

More successful as a single-player experience, which can be seen as good or bad depending on your inclination.

Our main problem with History Great Empires: Rome is that the historic elements are only surface level and the strategy elements aren’t much deeper than that.

Its handful of setbacks slightly outweigh its improvements, but Galactrix still offers an addictive, puzzle-meets-RPG experience that won’t disappoint most fans of the original PQ, as well as anyone looking for an accessible game that still packs plenty of substance.

Despite its unattractive exterior, Puzzle Kingdoms shines where it counts – fun, addicting puzzles with tons of meaningful customization options, and no BS filler (like, ahem, PQ Galactrix’s tedious leap gate hacking).

Starts out strong, but falters. You’ll soon grow so bored with the repetitive boss fights and brain-numbing exploration that only the reveal of the next sex object will pique your interest.

Excitebots is a step up from its four-wheeled cousin and possibly just bizarre enough to hold your attention for far longer.

The Dark Spire certainly attained its goal of creating an homage to classic dungeon-crawling RPGs. But its confusing design choices and unforgiving gameplay may turn off anyone born after 1990.

It’s almost heartbreaking how much wasted potential there is here.

That feeling of cheap, lazy design resonates throughout Dragonball: Evolution, a game that ultimately seems more concerned with how often it displays the faces of the film's cast rather than creating legitimate use for them.

Its handful of setbacks slightly outweigh its improvements, but Galactrix still offers an addictive, puzzle-meets-RPG experience that won’t disappoint most fans of the original PQ, as well as anyone looking for an accessible game that still packs plenty of substance.

Hammerin' Hero is notably short, and the action rarely diverges from the established platform template, but it's hard not to be won over by the humorous scenarios and vibrant personalities of the characters (accentuated by excellent voice acting).

We'll give Major Minor's Majestic March credit for a creative concept, but this middling rhythm routine should have been a WiiWare release or half-priced budget title. And until the latter occurs, we can't help but think you'd be better off marching to your own beat.

Read that last bit again. “Dress up Mama to your liking?” Has there ever been a creepier, more Freudian feature in any game, ever? No, we do NOT want to put cute clothes on Mama.

The Metallica integration goes deeper than the music itself – the band members all appear in the game, although career mode finds you playing not as anyone IN Metallica, but as the band opening for them while on tour.

The Metallica integration goes deeper than the music itself – the band members all appear in the game, although career mode finds you playing not as anyone IN Metallica, but as the band opening for them while on tour.

The Metallica integration goes deeper than the music itself – the band members all appear in the game, although career mode finds you playing not as anyone IN Metallica, but as the band opening for them while on tour.

We were put off by Legends’ quick-time event-heavy controls. Yet at the same time, we felt driven to replay matches and earn unlockables. Yes, we had fun but we griped a bunch too. Maybe the next Legends game can return to the right-analog stick action we’re so used to. Or maybe it’s we who are blinded by nostalgia.

Truth be told, we were put off by Legends’ quick-time event-heavy controls. Yet at the same time, we felt driven to replay matches and earn unlockables. Yes, we had fun but we griped a bunch too. Maybe the next Legends game can return to the right-analog stick action we’re so used to. Or maybe it’s we who are blinded by nostalgia.

Shadow Assassin's flaws are easily forgiven though because the end package is just too great to hold a grudge.

In a vacuum void of Pokemon franchise history, Pokemon Platinum would easily score a 10 – its depth and replayability are completely unrivaled among any other game series. However, after more than 10 years, we really expect more from the series at this point.

Shameless developers trotting out shallow minigame anthologies and SNES era RPGs should stand in embarrassment at just how much potential Rockstar Leeds managed to wring from a console this late in its lifespan. Gentlemen, it’s time to beg your girlfriend for that DS back. Perhaps you could trade in your PS3 - it’s not like that’s getting more GTA anytime soon.

We had a great time with Valkyrie Profile, and it has great replay value with multiple endings and branching stories. However, the difficulty spikes randomly during the battles, and that’s hard to look past.

Resident Evil 4 taught the industry so much, and in turn we expected RE5 to at least learn from what others have since added to those accomplishments. Instead, it jams the series full of gasoline-enriched testosterone, keeps outdated inventory and control ideas and refuses to admit the franchise is now more action-adventure than survival horror. Don’t let the negatives fool you though – it’s still one of the best balls-to-the-wall co-op excursions you can buy.

Resident Evil 4 taught the industry so much, and in turn we expected RE5 to at least learn from what others have since added to those accomplishments. Instead, it jams the series full of gasoline-enriched testosterone, keeps outdated inventory and control ideas and refuses to admit the franchise is now more action-adventure than survival horror. Don’t let the negatives fool you though – it’s still one of the best balls-to-the-wall co-op excursions you can buy.

Crystal Defenders doesn’t do much that’s new or revolutionary, but with very slim tower defense competition on the 360, it’s an addictive distraction.

Avalon Code's story props up the experience even if the game's combat feels punishing, bordering on unfair, and if you're an old school RPG scholar this one deserves some study.

The biggest trouble of all is that Khemia borrows too much from earlier Gust games.

Here’s hoping Watchmen’s problems, and its price, can be addressed for part two later this year.

The real breaking point for this innocuous title is the price tag. Yes, Watchmen is one of the best looking downloadable games we’ve seen on a console (even if the lighting takes the murky color palette to nearly opaque darkness), and yes, the voice acting and production values are impressively high-end. Still, paying $20.00 for such a shallow experience just doesn’t seem right.

The real breaking point for this innocuous title is the price tag. Yes, Watchmen is one of the best looking downloadable games we’ve seen (even if the lighting takes the murky color palette to nearly opaque darkness), and yes, the voice acting and production values are impressively high-end. Still, paying $20.00 for such a shallow experience just doesn’t seem right.

We’ve rarely been so conflicted about a baseball game, but MLB 2K9 is a paradox. It’s undeniably fun and accessible, offering plenty of addictive options for hardball fans. It also suffers from too many gaffes that are impossible to ignore.

We’ve rarely been so conflicted about a baseball game, but MLB 2K9 is a paradox. It’s undeniably fun and accessible, offering plenty of addictive options for hardball fans. It also suffers from too many gaffes that are impossible to ignore.

Tight, gorgeous and virtually bursting at the seams. It’s the crown jewel of this generation’s baseball games, proving that follow-ups can indeed meet (or beat) their superstar predecessors.

MLB 09 The Show remains the definitive baseball experience, a startlingly deep and expansive take on America’s Pastime that offers more hardball than most of us could likely get to in a full season. There aren’t many noticeable improvements this year, though, which may bring pause to those who’ve already got a few seasons under their belts.

MLB 09 The Show remains the definitive handheld baseball experience, a startlingly deep and expansive take on America’s Pastime that offers more hardball than most of us could likely get to in a full season.

Phantasy Star Portable’s arenas offer loads of loot if you’re in need of satisfying a role-playing craving. The problem is that it’s designed for extended sessions rather than portable play, and you’ll spend as much time talking about a rabbit-eared robot’s feelings as you will slaughtering legions of monsters.

Probably the key flaw in Killzone 2 is how meticulously scripted it is. For example, if a Helghast is programmed to run to a certain location and then start shooting, he usually won’t shoot until he gets there, even if you’ve ambushed him and are filling him with holes.

If you're one of the unlucky saps who have yet to be caught in Peggle's addictive grasp, the affordable, content-packed Peggle Dual Shot may be the best gateway to this enduringly enjoyable franchise.

Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard is trapped in many of the clichés it seeks to skewer, but it’s still a fairly adequate shooter and occasionally gives you a chuckle. It’s just that we were hoping for something truly unique.

Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard is trapped in many of the clichés it seeks to skewer, but it’s still a fairly adequate shooter and occasionally gives you a chuckle. It’s just that we were hoping for something truly unique.

Other low-budget signifiers include some bland-looking riders and effects, not to mention few "known" artists on the soundtrack. But in the areas that really count – offering a compelling, substantial simulation of the sport – Stoked is the best option for virtual powder fiends we've seen in some time.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope will deliver a ton of Japanese RPG goodness.

Ultimately, Ys feels incredibly unneeded. Its play style is too archaic and too boring, even for old-school fans. The story and dialogue may have once been impressive, but are now just empty and laughable. And the real joke is that this is being sold at full price.

Its handful of small setbacks are just about evenly balanced with its improvements though, so Galactrix still offers an addictive, puzzle-meets-RPG experience that won’t disappoint most fans of the original PQ, as well as anyone looking for an accessible game that still packs plenty of substance.

Its handful of setbacks are just about evenly balanced with its improvements, so Galactrix still offers an addictive, puzzle-meets-RPG experience that won’t disappoint most fans of the original PQ, as well as anyone looking for an accessible game that still packs plenty of substance.

As long as you're not expecting thrills or surprises, Onslaught's by-the-numbers bug blasting serves as a fair placeholder until something bigger and better (The Conduit, perhaps?) comes along. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement, but for shooter-starved WiiWare fans in this case, something may be better than nothing.

It will be like playing "SFII" for the first time all over again, only with the years of love and experience you've since gained already built in. To long-term Street Fighter fans, everything old is new again. To the new players, we simply say welcome to the party. You're going to have a hell of a good time.

It will be like playing SFII for the first time all over again, only with the years of love and experience you've since gained already built in. To long-term Street Fighter fans, everything old is new again. To the new players, we simply say welcome to the party. You're going to have a hell of a good time.

The story and acting are great, the missions are enjoyable and riding around on the retooled bikes is the most fun it’s been in any GTA since Vice City. It’s not going to change the minds of any Niko-haters, but anyone itching to delve back into Liberty City should grab it now.

Delivers all the goods where it counts most. It’s hard as hell, but won’t frustrate you to the point of despair. Its sense of humor is still charming - even though we wanted more of it - and it looks great to boot.

DQ V is a missing link for western gamers, a step forward in RPG design that, when played now, puts many design choices in later works into perspective. And though current titles have built on its innovations in the years since its release, this advancement in storytelling is still captivating now.

What little mature fun was to be had, including the cutscenes and dress-up mode are now nowhere to be found and the motion controls utterly wreck what should just be mindless zombie-goring fun.

It works on several levels, but Retro Game Challenge is more enjoyable the nerdier and possibly older you are. The games are fun enough to play, but if you recognize a Ninja Gaiden parody just by playing for a minute, have played Galaga enough to tell the subtle differences in what they chose not to emulate or chuckle at the phrase "feel asleep," this is absolutely the game for you.

While every game isn't a winner, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection is the best you can do, outside of Japan anyway. At least until the next, even more Ultimate Collection.

We can't blame you for being hesitant, but the odds are pretty low that you have even half of these that will play on a current system. While every game isn't a winner, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection is the best you can do, outside of Japan anyway. At least until the next, even more Ultimate Collection.

Quite fittingly, Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad is gaming's equivalent of a cheesy B-movie. Sure, the production values stink, but for anyone with a fetish for zombies and/or samurai bikini cowgirls covered in blood, it's worth a few bucks. Rest assured, though, we won't judge as we had a bit of guilty fun ourselves.

Deadly Creatures isn’t quite spectacular, but it is a solid experience that never runs out of ideas and will keep throwing in surprises, satisfying combat, and a decent challenge.