Sins is an epic space strategy game that has truly and seamlessly blended the traditional turn-based model with the modern real-time formula. And it's a great way to turn four hours into four minutes.

It's really fun to pull back from the level and look at it as a whole; in fact, it kind of makes me wish that I could have physical playsets of each of these levels.

Opposing Fronts is a damn solid expansion that is playable for total newbies, but works much better if paired with the original COH.

While all the added content is damn good, ironically, the greatest gameplay addition to this PC port is also responsible for one of the bigger annoyances: the interface.

While the game's focus is clearly on driving, managing sponsors right will double or triple the income of winning an event and is a fun minigame on its own; making lots of money is crucial to entering higher-level, ultra-costly racing series.

Apparently, Hannibal’s scientists have been busy, and my spies have been lacking, as I had no idea that Carthage possessed nuclear capability. If I had, I wouldn’t have sent in a mere blimp as my first act of war.

A beautiful-looking and great-playing game with a bright future ahead of it. This first effort is a worthy effort for any skating fans, though a little more design compression, some smarter level design, and a little more direction would have been nice.

Days of Ruin adds some sheen to an already polished product. It's true that the postapocalyptic look and feel make the overall mood darker, but the game maintains the essential Advance Wars style.

If you’re looking for the best version of the guitar peripheral, then the Wii version wins out. Not only does it have a more weighty feel to it, but it also rumbles when you kick into star power--pretty cool.

For the first time I can remember in a hockey game, it's not about how fast you set up your one-timer--it's about positioning, spacing, and setting up the perfect play.

I can’t really remember the last time I had fun restarting a single race over and over and actually was excited about it because I knew that I was this close to having a perfect race--if only that stupid Ducati would just leave me alone.

For the first time I can remember in a hockey game, it's not about how fast you set up your one-timer--it's about positioning, spacing, and setting up the perfect play.

As far as the actual game goes, the Xbox 360 version is the best since it looks better and its online functionality is substantially smoother than that of the Wii version.

This episode is a carefully orchestrated symphony that ends story threads, revisiting each episode and all the characters in them with sharp wit, elegance, and great story-telling craft.

There are an overwhelming number of features in this game that should keep even the most die-hard fan happy until next spring.

These campaigns are so deep and focused that they make up for the fact that they do almost nothing to correct the original game’s sense of sprawl, or lack of a sense of direction whenever someone puts their stirrups on.

Chariots of the Dogs serves as a very serious necessary because it ties together nearly everything from previous episodes. So though it's whacked and nonfunctional in some respects, with its overabundance of portals, time travel quests, and flat jokes, it's particularly relevant to this season's overarching themes. For followers of season two, it's a must-play, even if it isn't the funniest episode.

A solidly constructed game that truly anyone of any skill level can play. There's no multiplayer mode here per se, but that doesn't actually prevent Curious Village from being a party game--you can just read the puzzles out loud and any number of people can tackle them anywhere at any time.

It's one of those rare family games that doesn't fall into the genres of minigame collection or rhythm title, and your seven-year-old kid will have as much fun as you do.

In the end, though, even with these complaints, Madden 08 still manages to deliver on a level the franchise hasn't seen in years, maybe ever, thanks to its amazing gameplay.

A beautiful-looking and great-playing game with a bright future ahead of it. This first effort is a worthy effort for any skating fans, though a little more design compression, some smarter level design, and a little more direction would have been nice.

Dirt is an excellent counterpoint to the shallower, more arcade-y MotorStorm, offering serious racing fans a full-bodied game replete with HD-gen graphics, physics, sound, and a great depth of off-road racing types.

If anything, the extra challenge is definitely a reason to play through the game a second (or third time) just to see if your skills can hold up. However, the addition of leaderboards, which rank players based on their overall score and scores for individual levels, will be the real reason to revisit the game.

If anything, the extra challenge is definitely a reason to play through the game a second (or third time) just to see if your skills can hold up. However, the addition of leaderboards, which rank players based on their overall score and scores for individual levels, will be the real reason to revisit the game.

The moment-to-moment, deep tactical gameplay is just that good. While games like Team Fortress 2 or Halo 3 are fantastic jump-in-and-play multiplayer experiences, Quake Wars is now the new king of tactical online multiplayer (apologies to Battlefield 2).

When 32 players go at it all at once, the intensity of firefights is over-the-top. Warhawk for PS3 deserves every good review it gets.

For all of its hiccups and its bloody personality, Heroes is the most fun you can have with a lightsaber without using the Force. Moreover, it serves as a reminder that the Wii's creative potential is broad, and that there are developers out there who are not afraid to play rough and get a little crazy.

Dirt is an excellent counterpoint to the shallower, more arcade-y MotorStorm, offering serious racing fans a full-bodied game replete with HD-gen graphics, physics, sound, and a great depth of off-road racing types.