By going real with the songs, next-gen with the graphics and online with the gameplay, it leaves the wishlist relatively barren. At the same time, it's not delivering us much new on the gameplay front, and in fact lags a bit in terms of smart strumming mechanics.

There was a strong game in here - it just ended up half-baked.

Dementium: The Ward is almost perfection, performing as a fantastic feat of first-person survival, and oozes with a truly, truly frightening aesthetic. Even if it's not the first in its genre, it's the most satisfyingly original game we've seen on the DS in some time.

Data Design must be stopped. Do not give them any more money. They are the equivalent of those movie studios that produce straight to DVD knockoffs of blockbusters in a cynical, lazy attempt to swindle cash from uninformed customers.

Crash of the Titans is polished and fun while it lasts. We just have a hard time recommending a purchase when it all ends so quickly.

The game does draw nicely on the Galactica license, giving you a few different ships with varying stats to pilot through the different levels, as well as some online modes. But the base game play elements are so broken and boring that you'll have a hard time coming back to the game after a few missions.

The beauty of Exit is that it's perfect to play in little, bite-sized chunks (no doubt a side effect of originally being programmed for a portable system). There are loads of levels to challenge, but each one only takes minutes to complete.

If you're a Castlevania completist, or just a fan of old school gaming, then pick up this bloodsucker.

Far better than any other flight game on the 360 - and it also happens to be a technical showcase for HDTV fanatics everywhere.

The best part of the game is figuring out how to manipulate the tools you're given by utilizing the remote.

The complete package looks and feels polished - the simple 2D graphics are colorful and manage to cram tiny details into the DS screen, while the controls are as tight as you would expect from a Mega Man game. After all these years, its amazing the formula hasn't strayed too far from the original.

Topping off all of this mediocrity is the weird multiplayer, containing modes (free-for-all deathmatch, capture the flag, etc.) not normally found in this type of game. In theory the game should be more unique for these options, but there's a reason hack-and-slash RPGs avoid this style of multiplayer: it doesn't work well in the engine.

Ratchet & Clank Future isn't a revolution, but it is a marvelously kickass game that'll keep you entertained for hours as you plumb the depths of its huge levels, find creative ways to blow up its monsters and try to ferret out all its dozens of cleverly hidden items.

We can't help but feel Namco's overestimating our affection for Pac's smiling yellow puss if they thought that'd be enough to get gamers to enjoy this pathetic pile of remixed drivel.

Call it Before They Were RPGs: a trip back to the days when the genre was simple, looked bad, and just wanted to be taken as seriously as the other, cooler genres.

A lack of extensive content proves to be the ultimate detractor, as most skilled players will see and do nearly everything on the single-player front inside of five hours. And without Wi-Fi play or even single-card support, the multiplayer experience is hardly a highlight of this iteration.

If you know you're getting into a heady, deliberate, and involved game then you'll be rewarded well by Front Mission.

An otherwise serviceable boxing game on the Wii that doesn't work with the motion controls, which is the whole appeal of playing a boxing game on the Wii.

It's hard to believe that any two-year-old game could be livened up this much with an expansion pack, but Big Huge Games has pulled off this trick just about perfectly with The Asian Dynasties. While the core gameplay is still recognizable, this is a great facelift that makes an old friend look young again.

If they had translated the aura of the film through more creative means in the actual gameplay and story, like they did with the art, instead of just recycling old dialogue and tossing in generic mini-games, Napoleon Dynamite: The Game might have been more of a success. As it is, however, we recommend staying far, far away.

Compared with prominent puzzlers on other platforms, Balloon Pop might seem a bit outdated, slightly repetitive, and lacking in unique charm. But until the Wii's software library offers better options for the price, it's a decent choice for genre dabblers and those seeking a simple diversion.

Once all of your goals are completed, you get a feeling of accomplishment, but lose some of the replayablity of other Sims games - you've seen one uncharted island, you've seen 'em all - and the thought of having to harvest all those vines, chop wood, find berries, pick leaves, catch fish, light fires, build furniture, find shelter and identify plants might not sound appealing.

A cool game, and a gorgeous showpiece for Xbox Live Arcade, holding up well with the likes of other trippy titles like Geometry Wars and Space Giraffe. But the repetitive gameplay doesn’t really hold up like it should. And the game’s crazy presentation will only take most gamers so far.

A fun little game that will probably do a better job in stirring nostalgia in those who were playing it 16 years ago rather than drawing in any new players.

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.

If you miss Beautiful Katamari... you're just missing out.

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.

It boldly straddles the line between pick-up-and-play and hardcore simulation in a way that's nothing short of refreshing on a system that's currently caught under an avalanche of mind numbingly simplistic "casual" games.