As much a detective story as a horror one, Vampyr rewards you for taking an interest in the people around you and tests your moral compass with a lack of black and white options.

As the only game in town this year, NCAA Basketball 09 pulls its own weight but shouldn’t demand your full attention. Only hardcore hoops fanatics need drop down their hard earned cash; the rest of us can shuffle along just fine without it.

Homefront's campaign tells a good story, but that's about the only thing it does exceptionally well. The action is fun, but nothing special, and it sometimes feels so rigidly scripted that it's almost stifling. Meanwhile, the radically different multiplayer stands out as a much better game, with chaotic, drone-and-vehicle-filled action that's just fun an involving enough to make Homefront worth picking up.

The game starts out at a tortoise's pace and never gains any speed. It's a 20-hour game that's stretched out twice as long as it should be.

Even with its problematic moments, Commander’s Challenge has hours of tough and intense gameplay to offer console owners with a hankering for more Red Alert 3 action.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a solid third-person co-op shooter that feels like it belongs in the franchise, but its replayability has yet to be determined.

The Godfather: The Don's Edition might be a last-gen retread, but for what it's worth, it's still one of the better titles available for the PS3 right now.

If you can stand the slow pace and suffer through a few unfair puzzles, you’ll find Tengami’s breathtaking visual beauty and slick interface more than make up for any shortcomings.

With the wealth of RPGs, and even great SRPGs, that have arrived on the 3DS in the last several months, it would almost be unconscionable not to recommend one of those games instead of Project X Zone. Fun combat and screaming Tekken characters can only take you so far.

While The Sims 4 is a good first effort that will entertain goal-chasers and fan creators, it lacks much of the variety and humor that defines The Sims.

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.

It's still a great game in its own right, and while the developers missed a lot of potential uses for the controls - it might have been cool to snap the controllers like reins during chariot sequences, for example - they're still a fun way to play. Not quite fun enough to justify the price difference with the near-identical GameCube version, but fun nonetheless.

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.

After all, when you can fly up to an opponent and gut-blast him with a lightning bolt of sheer psychic power ... that makes up for a lot.

And while the core game is inviting, easy to grasp and simple enough for casual dabbling, there’s no sense of accomplishment as with Puzzle Quest.

In fact, that’s the real root of the problem with King of Fighters: The Orochi Saga. This series barely evolves at all, so this is a grouping of five versions of essentially the same game. Thus, it isn’t really for anyone but the super fans.

Midway took the one title with the most variety and replay value in the entire MK stable and shined it up nice. We’ll take it.

Homefront's campaign tells a good story, but that's about the only thing it does exceptionally well. The action is fun, but nothing special, and it sometimes feels so rigidly scripted that it's almost stifling. Meanwhile, the radically different multiplayer stands out as a much better game, with chaotic, drone-and-vehicle-filled action that's just fun an involving enough to make Homefront worth picking up.

A solid follow-up to an already engaging franchise. Players with a lot of time invested in Heroes of Might and Magic V are going to appreciate the engine tweaks and thoroughly enjoy giving it a go with the Orcs.

We played through the PS3 version and noted several bugs with the network along with large loading times. Although these problems didn't distract us from enjoying the game, dropping connection during a race can cause extreme virtual road rage.

For gamers seeking to initiate their offspring into massively multiplayer gaming, though, it's certainly worth a look.

It's hard to recommend this game to anyone but the most hardcore of flight simulator fans. As in, you have to be unreasonably hardcore. As in, you have Apache-themed bedspread and keep a picture of a Boeing AH-64A in your wallet that you stare at longingly throughout the day.

Four pieces of game history.

Deception IV: Blood Ties continues the legacy of Tecmo's cult series, and feels like a full realization of the original premise. If you have the patience for its late-game flaws, there's never been a better time to cast your lot with The Devil.

EA Sports UFC boasts incredibly detailed fighters and great combat. However, this debut effort from a new publisher lacks the single-player balance and the variety of modes that previous UFC games brought to the ring.

Too little evolution from past GH games.

This fresh take on tactics games adds a bit of steam, folklore, and shooter action to the turn-based combat. Plus, it’s hard to pass up the crazy premise of Abe Lincoln fighting aliens.

Rogue Trooper may not be cutting edge, but as a simple, straightforward shooter, it’s more than capable of delivering a quick action fix.