It's perfect for children, for whom things don't have to "be integrated" or "logical". A series of semi-amusing, unconnected activities: sounds a lot like a sandbox, which, once you graduate middle school, loses its charm unless you can bring your gat.

A deep dive into an emotionally resonant, thematically intriguing, and visually striking abyss, Under the Waves' waters are choppy at times, but there's pearls to be found amidst the turbulence of its enthralling ocean.

A fascinating, fantastical world let down by plodding pacing.

If you are a devoted fan of the series looking to revisit the DBZ universe, then this game is certainly worth your time and dollar. For gamers just looking for an exciting fighting game, its best to leave this one on the shelf.

Like a fast food burger, Dungeon Hunter: Alliance is a generic mishmash of tasty ingredients that crudely satiates your appetite, but it's nothing particularly special. Though unfortunately, at $12.99, it's definitely not on the value menu.

The dev team clearly believes "more is more" and the funny thing is that sometimes they're right – other times, a bit of editing on the enemy numbers would have really tightened the experience up. Instead of more enemies, there should have been more colors in the palette and more variety in the level design.

While still quite playable for several hours, the lack of true innovation or noteworthy upgrades makes Mater-National seem like more of a rushed expansion than a full-fledged - or fully necessary - follow-up to a memorable kid-friendly racer.

An experience that feels thin and repetitive in spite of its length and new additions, Knack 2 feels like a palette cleanser rather than a main course.

Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition has as much content as its name implies, and it’s the most stable the series has ever been. While it provides some mindless, button-mashing fun, it's still incredibly repetitive.

Faces of War wins on several fronts with its attractive destructible environments and solid multiplayer options; unfortunately, it falls short of total victory with frustrating AI and extensive micro-management duties, especially in single-player.

Driver '76's brand of road rage does get more right than it does wrong, and though it might not offer the best combat action or racing excitement, it still deserves a look for its competent mix of the two.

Stacked could benefit from more polish and deeper player customization (no, we don't want to look fat and balding, even if we are), but its actual gameplay is solid, and the creepy I'm-watching-you-so-I-can-destroy-you vibe can only help your real-world strategy.

Between the NFL Network announcer that has the same canned sound bite for common transactions and the lousy framerate of the in-game action, there’s a decidedly second-class-citizen feel from the get-go.

A positive example to other developers, that better things are possible if you merely put in the effort.

The story mode is ridiculously slow-paced, and involves going to the mall, shopping, changing clothes, getting haircuts… yeah. There are non-music minigames thrown in, but they’re half-assed and the music minigames, which are semi-Guitar Hero-style, are fun, but there’s no way to access them outside the story.

A multiplayer co-op option would have been perfect for Avatar, but is sadly missing. Where the action becomes repetitive and tiresome, playing with friends would have at least added some opportunity to develop different strategies for larger melees and boss battles.

It's a surprisingly entertaining, well-designed game that stays interesting from start to finish, and if nothing else it'll give you a whole new perspective on those rat bastards who keep tagging your house.

While we're pleasantly surprised with Flushed Away, that doesn't mean it ignores all of the typical problems for licensed games made on the quick. The camera is pretty crazy at times (especially when you're attempting to control it, oddly enough), and the controls are awkward.

A gorgeous and charming game that unfortunately doesn't improve on enough of the original gameplay aspects to keep fans engrossed.

With more menus than a Parisian dining district, Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos gets bogged down by its own ambition. And the game’s relative ease only makes its strategic density seem all the more unnecessary.

But as long as you're cool with the low-frills nature of the experience, the action in Real Heroes: Firefighter is unlike anything else on the Wii - which alone may be worth it for some.

It's perfect for play in airport terminals and doctor's waiting rooms, but it's hardly of the addictive, "Puzzle Quest" and "Lumines" "I'll sleep when I'm dead!" variety.

Provides a decent distraction for a few hours, but the $10 (800 MS points) price tag is a bit steep for a fairly simple puzzler. Aside from Master Shots mode, some neat physics, and the fact that you're playing with goo, the rest of the game gets dragged down by the lack of variety and overly straightforward gameplay.

If you're looking for groundbreaking gameplay and a thrilling story - or even differences between the Xbox and PS2 versions, other than HD support for Xbox - you'll be disappointed. Justice League Heroes is a pretty standard action RPG that's neither offensive nor alluring.

A good time when taken in small doses. The multiplayer mode is where the action really shines, so here’s hoping the community builds a bit more.

A fun - if entirely too short - music game with loads of personality and great tunes. It's just overpriced.

Hardcore puzzle fans will be disappointed with Trioncube's lack of depth. But if all you're looking for is a quick, pick-up-and-play puzzle experience here and there, it's still worth the budget price.

It's hard to forget that even after the numerous PC updates, you're playing a nearly seven year-old game, and after a few hours, it feels that way. If you are looking to take a trip back to the glory days of Quake mods, Nexuiz is what you are looking for. Just don't expect to stay for long.

It’s all good, but it’s still a simple premise that wears out sooner rather than later for most folks – a free game that lasts this long is great, but when we’re shelling out actual money, we have higher expectations.

The biggest problems with Vanguard lies in its graphics and overall length. It takes only six to eight hours to complete the game on normal, and graphically the game looks like it’s seen some serious battle.

The underlying mechanics are a lot of fun and the new characters, maps and Skill system make it a more robust offering than anything that's been on a console. But even these additions don't justify the hefty pricetag, and with no online leaderboards to spur further playing, we suspect most will move on not long after the five-hour game is complete.

A darkly humorous action RPG with entertainingly fast-paced combat, Drakengard 3 is a unique experience marred by long load times, minor technical issues, and lackluster world design.

Rise of the Argonauts has a nice story and something to offer, but shortcomings like this chip away at the fun and ultimately keep the game from matching its legendary sources of inspiration.

Promise Mascot Agency's oddball, sometimes grotesque characters are actually incredibly charming, and the town of Kaso-machi is great to explore. These yakuza-managed living mascots can be messy mechanically thanks to poor balancing, but I'm won over by its truly immaculate and bizarre vibes. It's hard not to love the result, even if it could be a lot tighter.

Lords of Shadow 2 is a sequel that simply tries to do too much. It fills out its lengthy running time not with deeper explorations of the surgically precise combat, platforming, and cohesive world-building of its predecessor, but with multiple misguided, jarring new elements that all-too often fail to satisfy in their own right. Worse, they make for a diluted, deeply disjointed overall game experience.

Crackdown 3 is bonkers chaotic fun but also a case of wasted potential. The series deserved an iterative revival but instead, we have the tried-and-tested Crackdown backbone with remastered visuals and a touch more chaos, sadly squandering the promise of its few interesting additions in the process.

The sporadic and rote boss battles don't ooze as much personality - sitting back and shooting rocks at eyes on stalks as they open isn't exactly epic - and none of the grunt henchman, from reptiles to rhinoceros beetles, provide any combat challenge against Scrat's surprisingly powerful kicks and frantic tail-smacks.

A disappointingly bare-bones color-matching game that doesn't measure up to its artsy promise.

It's worth checking out, but please, don't let yourself work in this Tamagotchi sweatshop too long.

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.

1348 Ex Voto starts with a wealth of potential, and unfortunately manages to squander it at every turn, creating a hollow, rage-inducing, and disappointing experience, with its beautiful depiction of Italy and talented performers being its only saving graces.

While still quite playable for several hours, the lack of true innovation or noteworthy upgrades makes Mater-National seem like more of a rushed expansion than a full-fledged - or fully necessary - follow-up to a memorable kid-friendly racer.

A promising effort, delivering an engaging gameplay experience and an expansive world. While it's hampered by overlong cutscenes and bland characters, it will satisfy fans of the genre, and maybe make a few more.

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.

Ultimately Empires continues Koei’s long-standing "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it" credo when it comes to Warriors games. Which, when you've made the same game nine times in a row, has us adopting the philosophy "been there, done that."

When Gravity Rush 2 sticks to its strengths, it soars; it’s a shame that its stale mission design and clumsy controls keep it from getting too high off the ground.

It's perfect for children, for whom things don't have to "be integrated" or "logical". A series of semi-amusing, unconnected activities: sounds a lot like a sandbox, which, once you graduate middle school, loses its charm unless you can bring your gat.

A chaotic action romp, tragically let down by repetition and padding. There's fun to be had, but all too little variety in its huge open world.

The battles are unchallenging, but complex. The story is trite, but entertains. The exploration is fun, but easy.

Rock Band Blitz is a bit like a wooden rollercoaster. When you first experience it, it's thrilling--but with each repeated ride, it starts to feel less exciting and more rickety.

Joker 2 is one of those games that's fun in short bursts, but isn't all that memorable. It does borrow some of the great parts of Pokémon while carving out its own identity in the rich Dragon Quest world. But of all the things it had to borrow from Dragon Quest, why, why did it have to be the endless grind?

Need for Speed takes driving into a gorgeous world with a modern edge, but its pesky attitude and strict online-only requirement make you yearn for the good old days.

While Power Pros 2008 offers an undeniably massive amount of modes and options, we could’ve easily waited until next spring for a truer, fuller follow-up. Veterans of last season’s title have pretty much played this game already, but it is a nice place to start if you’re new to the series.

The moment-to-moment action may be better than last year's game, but this is nothing more than a glorified roster update. Only Career Mode fans have reason to celebrate.

It has the double misfortune of being an incomplete port, and of being released around the same time as "Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror" (which does the same things, but better).

PowerUp Forever has a gorgeous look, and if it copies too heavily from other games, it combines the borrowed bits in a truly unique way. It’s more artistic than most games, but it’s also strictly a solo experience. There are a ton of other twin-stick shooters that are just a little deeper and better balanced, and many of them offer multiplayer support.

In its visuals and audio, Trek to Yomi nails its brief to create an Akira Kurosawa-inspired samurai adventure. Its interactive elements, however, along with its story, are all too ordinary and rarely combine to heighten the atmosphere or create suspense. Worth a try for the sightseeing perhaps, but don’t expect it to cut deep.

ZombiU's complete and utter dedication to creating a tense, realistic zombie survival game can be problematic, and its often at odds with itself. Despite this, the game successfully proves that horror games can be enhanced by the Wii U's GamePad, and does a great job at showing how the new controller can create an incredibly immersive experience.

A beautiful-looking game, which is perfect for those with a lot of patience and a natural desire to uncover the truth. I just wish it was more interactive and allowed to do more than just ask questions.

We're not thrilled with the limited character creation options and we don't understand why every time we opt for an AdHoc or Wi-Fi game, the game forces a full system reset.

What works Super Monkey Ball 3D is just that: 3D and Super Monkey Ball. Unfortunately, that fun is pathetically short-lived, and everything else is a poorly executed afterthought that makes the $40 price tag borderline insulting.

By the end of the campaign we were satisfied with the admittedly-average story, but the stale combat and chaotic multiplayer that are supposed to sell this game just aren't built well enough. On the cheap, you could probably do worse than this, but we can say for a fact that you can do a hell of a lot better.

A mediocre actioner that's probably best ignored. For what it is, though, it's surprisingly good. If you're willing to give him some time and earn him some cool guns, this budget bounty-hunter has some fun to offer.

But even though the game shares some DNA with gems like the WarioWare series or the trippy Katamari Damacy, WTF got the short end of the genetic stick. If you’re going to spend your free time doing something that’s ultimately pointless and repetitive, you might as well get a real job.

A direct port of a game clearly designed for the Wii to platforms that don't even support the core appeal. It's sad now that the bunny that demos the Wii's controls before every event is replaced by...empty space.

A beautiful-looking game, which is perfect for those with a lot of patience and a natural desire to uncover the truth. I just wish it was more interactive and allowed to do more than just ask questions.

It cannot be compared (favorably) to the console versions, but it's the only iteration of Mater-National that improves upon its predecessor, and is not a bad option for race-loving tykes this holiday season.

There are a few issues with Big Red One (particularly a slow trudge through the Africa campaign and spots of truly artificial intelligence), but fans of the series will find it enjoyable, intense, and an improvement over earlier chapters.

By the end of the campaign we were satisfied with the admittedly-average story, but the stale combat and chaotic multiplayer that are supposed to sell this game just aren't built well enough. On the cheap, you could probably do worse than this, but we can say for a fact that you can do a hell of a lot better.

This is not a game that will score high with gamer girlfriends.

Longtime addicts that have kept up with the series and crave more of its rare gameplay will eat it up. Gamers that have never cared about or have never heard of the series don't have any reasons to give it a whirl. There's really no getting around it. Either you like this style of game or you never will.

For now, buy this to get the headset for Resistance 2 and come back to SOCOM in a couple months. Maybe it’ll be completed by then.

In fact, for casual Warriors players, it may even be better to have not played the first game, as the main game probably will make you less likely to want to play the new, but not all that different, content.

The main character’s name is SONIC – it’s a reference to how fast he can run. Why must the game include all this other random crap, especially when it isn’t all that polished anyhow?

Dune: Awakening is a game that Dune fans will find rapturous but that has a lot of small annoyances that mar it for players who aren't as engaged in the franchise. A solid but not world changing adaptation of a legendary sci-fi series.

A fantastic looking game that builds a great sci-fi world only to trash it with an unenjoyable combat challenge.

Technically sound, and with a few friends, there's definitely some competitive fun to be found. If you're willing to deal with the lack of a true singleplayer experience (beyond competing against AI opponents for cups) you'll likely enjoy yourself, though the omission definitively feels like a tremendous missed opportunity.

An uninspired effort that does little to satiate football fans’ jones for a gridiron fix this winter. The combination of its eerie similarity to last year’s game with some framerate issues should dissuade all but the most dedicated Arenophiles from investing the $30 for this PS2 exclusive.

If you don't mind paying full price for an unchanged port, albeit of a classic game, then you're most likely already a Harvest Moon fan and know what you're getting yourself into. Everyone else, we recommend waiting for a better Harvest Moon title - one with gameplay worthy of the series and graphics worthy of the system - to come out on the PSP.

Perhaps it's the drab atmosphere, ordinary visuals, linear paths, and repetitive dialogue that kept us from loving it. Wanted Corp is decent, but not nearly decent enough for a recommendation this holiday season when there are already so many great titles to choose from.

For all the risks Mirror of Fate takes in terms of story and aesthetic, its core gameplay feels mired in antiquated design that just doesn’t feel that relevant anymore. This castle may look elaborate and multilayered, but the foundations it rests on are shaky. What could’ve been an entirely new avenue for the franchise feels more like a dead end.

You could do worse with silly, weapons based driving action, but it may not warrant purchase if Mario Kart DS already has a place on your shelf.

There's enough to like about MTX Mototrax's simple-minded fairgrounds and giddy airborne excitement to overlook its value-priced rough edges.

For the right buyer, this is a gleaming golden treasure even with bits of tarnish here and there.

It struggles to find its footing here and there, but it manages to straighten up thanks to the help of genuinely likeable dialogue snippets, addictive battles, and a slick character augmentation system.

Namco Museum Megamix is hit-and-miss, but for retro arcade gaming, it can't be beat. If you drained your allowance into beeping machines for most of the late 80s and 90s, you'll love it, but if you're only interested in the new "remixed" games, you may be disappointed.

Cloudbuilt should have been an addictive competitive speedrunner, but its imprecise controls and brutal checkpoints mean that only the most patient and dedicated players will press forward in this uniquely frustrating game.

Sadly, aside from a sharp online Wii experience, Conduit 2 rarely impresses, relying too much on generic drudgery and sad attempts to capture the magic of more popular titles; worse yet, the storyline and characters seem aimless and forgettable.

The biggest problem with Dimensions, is that is never feels like a full game. It's a couple of rehashes, with two elaborate gimmicks, only one of which feels close to a full game.

Bogged down by performance issues and flat characters, Little Town Hero tells a formulaic story set in a beautiful place, strung together by complex, engaging, and gleefully rewarding battles.

A series of semi-amusing, unconnected activities: sounds a lot like a sandbox, which, once you graduate middle school, loses its charm unless you can bring your gat.

While Power Pros 2008 offers an undeniably massive amount of modes and options at a terrific $20 price, we could’ve easily waited until next spring for a truer, fuller follow-up.

There's just not enough to do, at least not for the price. We appreciate that Nintendo did something different here, and a system's launch is a great time to be more experimental, but if we're going to pay $39.99 for a new 3DS game, we're going to need more than this.

The biggest let-down? Easily the graphics, which are full of chunky shapes and primitive, basic textures and colors that wouldn’t look out of place on the original PlayStation.

Blitz mode aside, Halo Wars 2 sticks with a tried, tested and slightly tired RTS formula that's competent, but lacking in depth and originality.

We were disappointed both by the game's wonky physics system and the Kinect's strange lack of sensitivity, which had us constantly wishing we could just pick up on Xbox controller and play without flailing around. It's fun, but just like the castles inhabiting the game's many stages, Wreckateer is full of structural weaknesses that make it way too precarious, and one bump away from collapse.

A decent game - it just doesn't do enough to differentiate itself from all the other games like it. And while it's true that those games don't blend martial arts with duck-and-cover shooting, Conspiracy's approach to both of those things is just too shallow and repetitive.

And the world is huge. If it was more packed with opportunities for us to use those tools and stunts, this could have been a GTA-killer.