The reason why it’s not fun at times isn’t because it doesn’t replicate the sport well--I would go so far as to say that I wish soccer had as much checking and all-out craziness--but rather that the AI becomes so incredibly cheap in the later tournaments and that there really isn’t much to the overall game aside from just beating the crap out of everyone to make way for a shot on goal.

Lost Odyssey is a pretty solid Japanese RPG, and distinctly fulfills the niche it aims for. It's not a true Final Fantasy clone, but at the moment, it's the best-looking late-90s FF knock-off on the market. But whatever "decent" vibe it has ends up being cut down by technical glitches to the point that it makes the epic adventure feel more like a dinky puppet show.

While it may seem like Capcom's diving back into the well of a successful franchise, Apollo Justice is the first Ace Attorney game built from the ground up for the DS, and it succeeds in delivering just enough legal shenanigans that are serious enough--and silly enough--to entice both fans and rookies alike.

Even with all these hiccups, there’s still a solid combination of adventuring and fighting to be found here. And the sense of progression--going from a lowly no-skilled friendless ninja to a super awesome friendless ninja--is handled well in terms of what powers you get and when you get them.

If Ultima Online was essentially "immerse yourself in an alternate universe and live," then Tabula Rasa is a much more focused "jump into an alien world and fight."

Nice quick bursts of gaming.

Revo is moderately fun at best. The sense of speed is decent. The sense of control, power, and precision per car is hard to distinguish for the majority of vehicles, and there is nothing wacky, silly, or distinct about the game that provides that creative hook that other racing games such as Daytona USA, Colin McRae Racing, or Gran Turismo provide. In short, Sega Rally Revo is disappointing.

This is a pretty well-constructed expansion; it adds a fair amount of new stuff at the right price point. It won't make you a C&C convert if you preferred other RTS games, but for fans of the old-school, superfast, almost action-y pace of C&C3, this is a welcome addition.

After learning the full extent of each faction's abilities, it really is pretty neat to completely adjust strategies based on both who you're playing as and against.

The 360 is much crisper in appearance, but you'll run across frame rate hiccups while you're playing.

Everything that made Woo’s films remotely interesting make absolute sense in a videogame universe. If you’re still clinging to the notion that the silliness of Woo films couldn’t possibly be appreciated, not even in videogame form, loosen up. It’s not that bad. Actually, it’s pretty good.

It drives me absolutely crazy when publishers slap the Saturday-morning-cartoon-like coat of paint over a game, thereby alienating most people over the age of eight.

Like its predecessor, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates is strong on action, and it's a kinder, gentler Final Fantasy that's relatively easy to pick up and play.

Unfairly hard.

Sadly, The Club probably would’ve made a bigger splash had it been released in the early part of this decade, when games like this were all the rage.

You find yourself in a game resembling a mix of Fable and Pikmin.

The sequence where you play as Albert Wesker right after he gets infected and takes on Lisa Trevor will undoubtedly be part of any RE fan's highlight reel.

Everything gels when I approach Battalion Wars 2 the way it’s meant to be played--slowly and methodically, like a real-time strategy game.

Revo is moderately fun at best. The sense of speed is decent. The sense of control, power, and precision per car is hard to distinguish for the majority of vehicles, and there is nothing wacky, silly, or distinct about the game that provides that creative hook that other racing games such as Daytona USA, Colin McRae Racing, or Gran Turismo provide. In short, Sega Rally Revo is disappointing.

A decent game that has the parts of a great game. Add alcohol or any other mind altering substance to the mix, and some friends, and all of sudden the game could be insanely fun. But a game should be fun enough to be enjoying alone and not just with company.

The ingredients here--spooky creatures, fantasy worlds, exploration of death--all have a familiar ring to them. This looks like the kind of game that Neil Gaiman (a contemporary fantasy writer) would make if he created games.

The game moves along at a decent clip, but there are no real high points--no really hard, gritty, challenging sections that burn into your memory cells.

I could see the beauty that still lurked underneath her obvious heartlessness, but it was so much harder to spend time with her now. Eventually, our every assignation devolved into the bitterest of fights, and I’d storm off, vowing never to see her again.

Army of Two is a co-op focused game, much more so than even "Gears of War." If you pick this up, you absolutely need to be playing with a friend. It's borderline broken when playing alone, but if you are taking down tangos with a buddy, it becomes a much better and unique, experience.

Rally racing is all about control, and the PSP's controls leave a lot to be desired. Perhaps that's not Sega's fault (it's Sony's), but the rally games and the PSP D-pad or analog stick are a bad, frustrating mix.

The good news is that once you do hop inside the ring, you tend to forget about who is missing as you try to figure out how you can slam your head into a steel cage or get hit in the back with barbed wire and not get hurt (you can't).

In the end, 2K8 is a great distraction until the season starts, but if you want to put your time into a better game, EA's NHL 08 is the dynasty worth your dough.

Extreme Justice is no world beater, and you wouldn't call it deep; but it is a solidly crafted action game with a good amount of gameplay. If you enjoyed the first Pursuit Force, this one's even better. And putting away bad guys is always a good time.

Post play is not only a viable option this year, it's my preferred way to score, and I really can't remember the last time that was true in a basketball game.

Even though Rome is still plenty intimidating to anyone who has never experienced an EU game before, refinements to the interface and core gameplay make it surprisingly easy to sit down and start playing.

Post play is not only a viable option this year, it's my preferred way to score, and I really can't remember the last time that was true in a basketball game.

Off the Rails is a solid collection of minigames and a decent coaster creator, a nice party experience for the family. It's a shame the management system wasn't beefed up a bit more--even the little kids could benefit from creating their own theme parks from scratch.

The deep customization will have users tweaking for hours, and the online options offer a serviceable distraction from the offline campaign. Anyone claiming the PSP has no games should probably take a look at this one.

Even though it's not as good as previous installments, and is generally more of the same, the fundamental gameplay underneath is still quite amazing, even today (the gameplay excuses its 2004-era visuals).

The best part about Scene It is that you can get a bunch of achievement points! Sure, you may not know exactly why you're getting them every time, but if you can pad your GamerScore by 110 achievement points in under an hour, who cares if you understand how you get them!

For those who didn't check out the PlayStation 2 and PSP games, it will feel fresh and fun. For the rest of us? It's still fun, as long as you're not looking for much in the way of change.

Ultimately, however, the uniqueness and enjoyment of being able to create so much of the world yourself makes this one worth playing, even if the gameplay isn't as original and entertaining as the artistic parts.

Tony Hawk brings a mixture of joy and frustration to this reviewer. On the one hand, I still find I always have room to improve. On the other hand, this really is the same game we've been playing for nine years.

Twisted Metal: Head On--Extra Twisted Edition is an entertaining compendium that's lovingly conceived and composed. The gameplay's as wicked as ever, and the price can't be beat. The entire package transports you to an earlier videogame era, and you get the real feeling this is the last Twisted Metal of its kind.

Tony Hawk brings a mixture of joy and frustration to this reviewer. On the one hand, I still find I always have room to improve. On the other hand, this really is the same game we've been playing for nine years.

Dark Sector is bipolar rollercoaster ride that tops out at gorgeous, innovative, and striking (glaive, visuals, virus powers) and bottoms out at a bland, unoriginal, and buggy (gunplay, storyline, melee attacks). The extremes are both high and low, but at least Digital Extremes has a solid base moving forward to the inevitable sequel.

If you’re looking for a game for the kids, or you’re really into marine life, then Endless Ocean is worth checking out, but adrenaline junkies and HD fanatics will likely find themselves disappointed.

Sadly, The Club probably would’ve made a bigger splash had it been released in the early part of this decade, when games like this were all the rage.

The realistic physics and driving model works very well, but the setting and structure of the racing events ultimately brings it down.

Army of Two is a co-op focused game, much more so than even "Gears of War." If you pick this up, you absolutely need to be playing with a friend. It's borderline broken when playing alone, but if you are taking down tangos with a buddy, it becomes a much better and unique, experience.

Dark Sector is bipolar rollercoaster ride that tops out at gorgeous, innovative, and striking (glaive, visuals, virus powers) and bottoms out at a bland, unoriginal, and buggy (gunplay, storyline, melee attacks). The extremes are both high and low, but at least Digital Extremes has a solid base moving forward to the inevitable sequel.

Sega Superstars Tennis isn’t the best tennis game out there, especially since the actual tennis isn’t even as close to being as smooth or challenging as something like the Virtua Tennis or Top Spin games, but it can be just as rewarding for Sega fans and those people looking for a simple and fun approach to the sport.

Ultimately, it’s all pretty basic stuff. There’s nothing particularly fancy about the actual game mechanics and it’s somewhat odd that The Simpsons Game makes fun of various videogame clichés (such as not being able to swim, using levers or pads on the ground to open doors) and then turns around and uses them about a dozen or so times.

In the end, 2K8 is a great distraction until the season starts, but if you want to put your time into a better game, EA's NHL 08 is the dynasty worth your dough.

The good news is that once you do hop inside the ring, you tend to forget about who is missing as you try to figure out how you can slam your head into a steel cage or get hit in the back with barbed wire and not get hurt (you can't).

Ultimately, it’s all pretty basic stuff. There’s nothing particularly fancy about the actual game mechanics and it’s somewhat odd that The Simpsons Game makes fun of various videogame clichés (such as not being able to swim, using levers or pads on the ground to open doors) and then turns around and uses them about a dozen or so times.

Flagship, despite whatever mistakes it's made with Hellgate, still taps into that addicted-to-loot gland in my cranium, and I am willing to put up with its flaws. It's now a matter of whether you want to put up with its somewhat unpolished nature at the moment, or wait until Flagship possibly smoothes out the warts that its little demon is showing.

There’s almost nothing about Super Swing that causes it to be mistaken for, say, Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf, but its strength is its nicely tuned swing mechanic that frankly puts Tiger’s woods and irons to the test.

The clunky puzzles and mechanics often overwhelm any sort of enjoyment you might get out of confronting large squads of enemies, especially when the overall formula for the game follows a typical solve-the-puzzle-and-fight-wave-of-enemies-and-repeat design.

If anything, it's these human train wrecks that help separate Untamed from other racers out there. The only game that comes close in terms of pure racing mayhem is probably Flatout: Ultimate Carnage.

At best, it's a nice-looking distraction with some much-loved characters, and at worst, it's a sometimes dull and occasionally exasperating minigame collection on a platform full of better, cheaper minigame collections.

If you're able to look past the framerate, the pitching and franchise are worth checking out, but if you only have enough money for one baseball game this year, Sony's Show is definitely the one worth attending.

Neves is a simple game, but it offers quick-hit gameplay that leaves you feeling a bit smarter at the end of your time with it.

Speed Racer is a decent racing game, but it never gets your adrenaline pumping. Even the movie connection doesn't juice up the show. Also, unlike most racing for Nintendo systems, only two players can race in split screen mode, and there's no online mode at all.

It's almost like congratulating Adonal Foyle for working on a new move in the offseason while completely ignoring the fact that the rest of his game is downright awkward.

Nights: Journey of Dreams draws much from Nights Into Dreams, and sometimes it reaches too far back. But even though it takes some concentration to build adequate flying skills, when you finally do ultimately Nights becomes a rewarding contest.

The uncomplicated, quick-hit arcade feel of the game is a nice fit for the Wii, even if the coin-op legacy sometimes makes the gameplay a little dusty.

The gameplay itself represents a disciplined FPS effort that lifts it above recent mediocre titles such as Blacksite: Area 51, though it doesn't hold a candle to the big guns of The Orange Box, BioShock, or Call of Duty 4.

From the very first level, the God of War copying is all too apparent; in fact, the setup of the first scene mirrors the first scene in God of War II to a T!

From the very first level, the God of War copying is all too apparent; in fact, the setup of the first scene mirrors the first scene in God of War II to a T!

Happily, the gameplay avoids the trap of many dungeon-set games, which is that combat becomes repetitive and not very challenging.

It feels disappointing at first, but it quickly moves beyond that and turns into a game that, despite its shortcomings, is just plain fun.

As a casual game, We Ski works. Sometimes it takes the "casual" a little too literally, but its tight controls and impressive physics make you feel like you're mastering skiing techniques even if your heart rate barely fluctuates.

It could have easily been another "definitive version" type of package for PS3 gamers, but as it stands, it's a "great content, lousy tech" consolation prize.

It's almost like congratulating Adonal Foyle for working on a new move in the offseason while completely ignoring the fact that the rest of his game is downright awkward.

I could go on and on how Mario & Sonic misses the mark in nearly every respect, but there’s really no point.

If anything, it's these human train wrecks that help separate Untamed from other racers out there. The only game that comes close in terms of pure racing mayhem is probably Flatout: Ultimate Carnage.

Sega Superstars Tennis isn’t the best tennis game out there, especially since the actual tennis isn’t even as close to being as smooth or challenging as something like the Virtua Tennis or Top Spin games, but it can be just as rewarding for Sega fans and those people looking for a simple and fun approach to the sport.

Sadly, The Club probably would’ve made a bigger splash had it been released in the early part of this decade, when games like this were all the rage.

IO's next big thing is a mish-mash of a few phenomenally great moments hidden inside a clusterf--- of nearly unplayable controls, bad level progression, unpredictable AI, and some seriously broken gameplay scenarios.

Sega Superstars Tennis isn’t the best tennis game out there, especially since the actual tennis isn’t even as close to being as smooth or challenging as something like the Virtua Tennis or Top Spin games, but it can be just as rewarding for Sega fans and those people looking for a simple and fun approach to the sport.

If you're able to look past the framerate, the pitching and franchise are worth checking out, but if you only have enough money for one baseball game this year, Sony's Show is definitely the one worth attending.

The gameplay itself represents a disciplined FPS effort that lifts it above recent mediocre titles such as Blacksite: Area 51, though it doesn't hold a candle to the big guns of The Orange Box, BioShock, or Call of Duty 4.

Fans of the originals or die-hard light-gun aficionados will enjoy the trip down memory lane, while the rest of us are better off with The Umbrella Chronicles or heading to the local arcade for some Lethal Enforcers II.

Though this RTS-interface-for-consoles is pretty good on its own, it's crippled by the poor framerate. Basically, anytime you have one or more Hierarchy walkers on-screen, plus any other units, everyone starts looking like they're moving underwater. Which isn't conducive to an RTS game with crazy units that sparkle and shine.

For parents, it's nice to have a gaming option that's not tied to licensing for yet another TV show. And the gameplay that is there fun and simple, so when the young gamer in the house does want to play multiplayer, it'll be entertaining for everyone.

Heroes of Mana could conceivably have the best RTS controls yet on a non-PC RTS game.

Smarty Pants does a decent job of continuing EA's agenda to make games that the whole family can play.

It feels disappointing at first, but it quickly moves beyond that and turns into a game that, despite its shortcomings, is just plain fun.

IO's next big thing is a mish-mash of a few phenomenally great moments hidden inside a clusterf--- of nearly unplayable controls, bad level progression, unpredictable AI, and some seriously broken gameplay scenarios.

My consoles are where I play the big, "important" games like BioShock, Uncharted, and Super Mario Galaxy. For the PSP, which I use while in transit on a flight or on a long, not-so-great vacation, this collection may have its fair share of flaws, but it fits my needs more or less to a tee.

Continues crawling forward in the same vein as its predecessors, and it does very well for itself in the Wii.

IO's next big thing is a mish-mash of a few phenomenally great moments hidden inside a clusterf--- of nearly unplayable controls, bad level progression, unpredictable AI, and some seriously broken gameplay scenarios.

For whatever reason, FIFA Street 3 is about as deep as a book of poetry by Paris Hilton.

One thing NBA 08 does do that the competition can't, though, is run at 60 frames per second at 1080p. Then again, when the players on the court aren't always acting like their real selves, what does it matter how much they look like them?

For whatever reason, FIFA Street 3 is about as deep as a book of poetry by Paris Hilton.

Unlike many squad-based shooters that don't require the use of the whole team, Jericho's premise relies on it. What's equally important is that each character is genuinely worth playing.

Unlike many squad-based shooters that don't require the use of the whole team, Jericho's premise relies on it. What's equally important is that each character is genuinely worth playing.

You're doomed if you try to take this game seriously; it doesn't even take itself seriously. Moreover, you pay full price; and the game is short, so you'd better like Harvey Birdman. If you have doubts, catch the show on the Cartoon Network before you make the call.

Manhunt has turned from a violent, yet solid stealth game into a mediocre stealth game with a clichéd story and toned-down ultraviolence.

BlackSite, which evolved from a light-gun coin-op game in the late 1990s, does its best to shadow "Halo 1"'s story in many respects, but regularly comes up short.

Music Jam is definitely a step up from your average, crappy TV show turned even crappier platformer, but that’s like saying a car accident is better for you than a train wreck.

A completely frustrating game for all the wrong reasons. The challenge here isn’t the good kind of challenge that can be overcome naturally over the course of time as you become more familiar with the game. It’s a cheap challenge where any single mistake almost takes you completely out of the race. It’s worth noting that online multiplayer counteracts, that since your opponents don’t magically catch up with you the second you make a mistake.