It is neat to experiment with language to summon your favorite heroes or see surprising effects on the world, and it's at its most fun with a friend brainstorming with you. Still with the awkward action and haphazardly placed puzzles, there's a lack of direction to unleash that potential, making it hard to stay interested for the long-run.

Tenchu: Shadow Assassins gives the Wii’s family-friendly catalogue a welcome streak of red, but an ancient design and trifling motion controls make it an old dog of war. Many aspects of the game simply feel dated, but the series is definitely back to its stealthy fighting form. It’s going to take a lot more for it to achieve a successful contract kill.

With plenty of humor and a substantially long quest, players will be surprised at how enjoyable Overlord can be.

If it were released back on the Saturn as originally planned, Nostalgia probably would have become a cult classic. But there's a reason some of the elements that drive it have gone the way of the dinosaur. If you're looking to experience an RPG from the days of yore, Nostalgia certainly delivers on its namesake.

It's the better of the two downloadable chapters, but you'll need to buy both to fully appreciate it.

While the story can be convoluted and the controls make navigation harder than it should be, it's dark take on death and atmosphere make it a ghost hunt worth taking.

Ultimately, Tiberian Twilight is merely a C&C game by association; not the most terrible of fates for an otherwise solid RTS game, but certainly a bittersweet one for the franchise faithful expecting more.

Quantum of Solace is a passable Bond game and an above-average action game, but it's seriously held back by a lack of style and originality.

While Proteus doesn't evoke a sense of lasting emotional impact, it provides a brief escape to zone out and let your senses soak in its world, whether you're following your nose in discovery or simply relaxing and watching the sunset.

Bound by Flame is far from perfect, but underneath a few rough edges, a memorable journey awaits, defined by an unpredictable storyline, and decisions that have a meaningful impact on the story.

Alien: Isolation is worth experiencing, but at the same time feels like lost potential.

The Darkness still packs plenty of gut appeal, with limbs being sheared and torsos torn asunder. Alas, players cannot sustain themselves on gore alone. Ultimately, the ultra violence will whet your appetite for bloodlust, but fail to slake your thirst for a truly great game.

Until Nintendo manages to nail all aspects of Smash’s multiplayer, it’s just another missed opportunity that has to rely heavily on its solid single player offerings.

When the credits rolled, we didn’t feel relief, but rather disappointment that the adventure was over. There’s a lot to criticize in Tales of Zestiria, but the combat and characters make it enjoyable regardless. Like many good role-playing games, it’s easy to get lost in, whether that means fine-tuning your strategies or watching the various character arcs unfold. At its best, Zestiria reminds us that the Tales series still has life left in it.

One particularly frustrating aspect of the game is the inventory management system.

A respectable roster, goofy but generally fun fighting, and the bridging of two universes with an actual coherent story line makes MK vs DC appealing for casual players. But if you're looking for a true Mortal Kombat sequel or the next super-balanced tournament fighter, this watered-down, crossed-over spin-off isn't your game.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with the Wii version, but the controls don’t make a huge difference in this year-old game, either.

Those who grew up with later installments in the series may lament the lack of an open world, split-screen support, create-skater option, level editor, or moves such as the revert, but the best part of the original games--working toward mastery of particular techniques and levels--remains a compelling reason to revisit the past.

Purposely frustrating, Spelunker HD offers a lot of game to work through, straddling the fine line between good difficulty and rote memorization for an entertaining enough throwback, but one that few will end up finishing. Idle thumbs need not apply.

MLB 2K8 accomplishes what it set out to do--giving players more control in every phase of the game. Unfortunately, the changes come at a price that is hard to accept. In addition to the terribly inconsistent frame rate, evidence is everywhere that the game simply isn’t finished.

Whether it’s the TV parodies or inventive balance board support, Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party is a fresh successor to the original. Yes, Wii mini-game collections have been done to death, but TV Party does it right, and does it differently.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane doesn't make a huge splash, but riding the waves and boosting for shortcuts make for some good, cheap summer thrills.

The inclusion of superstar fighting styles and the struggle submission system is a step in the right direction, but it’s still difficult to recommend Smackdown vs Raw 2008 for a purchase to anyone but the most ardent fan.

Daylight's potency is diminished by repetition and distraction, but when you have the chance to become truly engrossed in its shadows, it can really pull you in and make you jump, especially if you’re wearing a pair of headphones.

Mad Max doesn’t break a new mold for open world games or feel like an epic cinematic experience, but it’s nowhere near being a cheap movie tie-in either.

MLB 2K8 accomplishes what it set out to do--giving players more control in every phase of the game. Unfortunately, the changes come at a price that is hard to accept. In addition to the terribly inconsistent frame rate, evidence is everywhere that the game simply isn’t finished.

Claptastic Voyage doesn’t bring much new table and it’s a bit light on side content. However, its ability to have fun with its setting keeps it feeling fresh even if you’re starting to wear out on the Borderlands formula.

For fans of the story, inFamous: First Light is somewhat dimmed by rewriting events and motivations, but it’s carried along by Fetch’s fast, agile gameplay and a strong closing chapter. It’s not a must-play, but it’s a good excuse to run another lap around Seattle.

The card trading mechanic can be a lot of fun, and as an extra in a full-featured franchise like FIFA or Madden, it would feel more at home. Standing on it’s own two feet it’s not quite enough to carry a game by itself.

An attractive game with a dark bent, and the pitches really bring the game to life.

The inclusion of superstar fighting styles and the struggle submission system is a step in the right direction, but it’s still difficult to recommend Smackdown vs Raw 2008 for a purchase to anyone but the most ardent fan.

Anarchy Reigns throws a lot of blows, and while it's sometimes recklessly off target, this is a talented and capable fighter at its core.

Endless Ocean is a specific type of game for a specific kind of player. Leisurely swimming and looking for wildlife may be a bit slow paced for some, but if you find yourself glued to Animal Planet on Friday nights, it gives you a chance to live out your dreams of undersea discovery.

A bit similar to "Crackdown." The sum of its parts doesn’t really equal anything outstanding. In fact, it’s downright crap in some ways. But when you actually play it, you’ll find yourself coming back for more…even if you’re not totally sure why.

With a more deliberately-designed fighting system, Battle Royale strives for the sort of cred you'd sooner find in an arcade than a living room get-together. The end result is a serviceable party game that shoots for the stars but ultimately comes up short of its competitive aspirations. In its attempts to take its format in a different direction, it has inadvertently skewed itself away from the fundamentals that would make it work. In the end, you can safely say that Battle Royale is indeed not like Smash Brothers, but it might have been better if it were.

Though Guitar Hero: Aerosmith plays heavily on the notion that it’s a must-buy for fans, even they will be ultimately disappointed with what they’re getting.

If you can overcome navigating pre-rendered backgrounds and enduring countless random battles, Devil Summoner 2 turns out to be an enjoyable experience.

It’s clear that some effort certainly went into this dastardly devil’s creation, but Vergil’s Downfall leaves us wanting more; the inability to play as Vergil in the main campaign, much less the recently released Bloody Palace mode, is a puzzling omission given the precedent set with Devil May Cry 3.

The Gunstringer is short, has some control issues, and isn't especially deep in modes and options, but if you're looking for something substantial to play with your Kinect there aren't many better options.

Patapon maniacs will find a lot to keep them interested: this is a long game, especially at $20, and there's a lot to the online if you can deal with its rough edges.

Loads of fun, and it's a decent buy at $14.99. While it could benefit from a wider range of weapons and environments, its engrossing and unusual gameplay makes it a safe bet for any dedicated tower defender.

Given that the elements designed around its collectability are the game's biggest hook, though, it's hard to recommend to those who'd play on the cheap. If you aren't willing to shell out for the plastic, then you should reconsider clearing some shelf space for this one.

The Club is a lot like junk food—it initially tastes good but it won’t leave you satisfied for long.

Dark Sector goes for gore and glory, but does better spattering blood than it does applying polish. Despite a number of original elements and a fairly solid gameplay core, the game isn’t able to add substantially to the formula and mechanics it’s borrowed from other games in the genre.

Darkspore is merely a pretty good action-RPG. It works great on a fundamental level, but its execution is a little too cumbersome to let you truly appreciate its breadth.

Quotation forthcoming.

The learning curve is steep, the controls take effort to master, and the single-player game is ultimately there to prepare you for head-to-head matches. It’s a very specific game experience that rewards trial and error and fails to appeal to a broad audience in the process.

Cold, Cold Heart is a bit curt and claustrophobic, not unlike Mr. Freeze himself. If you felt Arkham Origins didn’t do enough to force the franchise forward then you can give this DLC the cold shoulder. If you’re a committed defender of Gotham City, you should be amused by this brief addition to Batman’s beginning. Just don’t expect this New Year’s party to last all night.

Golf seems like a sport that would be easy to replicate with the Wii remote, but apparently it's not. Where swing mechanics are concerned, Wii Sports Golf is far superior as it actually replicates what you're doing with the remote on-screen.

Think of it as a dumbed-down edition of the console game, providing an on-the-go fix for fanatics.

Yet great strides have been made in creating a more realistic-playing game, especially when factoring in the assortment of sliders that can adjust the action even further. There are still areas that could use additional polish, but the overall experience is a step in the right direction.

The vainglorious plot and meticulous landscapes of cliché will draw you in place of base compulsions to hit a level cap or maximize a "gearscore." If you can stomach the horrors of the night, as well as rote combat and occasionally glitched gameplay, you might just be the perfect pledge for this secret society.

This Wanderer may have strayed a bit from its roots, but for some players, that's reason enough to welcome it home.

The learning curve is steep, the controls take effort to master, and the single-player game is ultimately there to prepare you for head-to-head matches. It’s a very specific game experience that rewards trial and error and fails to appeal to a broad audience in the process.

It does a good job of recreating timeless fairground classics, and because they are so recognizable, this really is a game that you can play with friends and family members of any age and they’ll instantly get it.

Dark Sector goes for gore and glory, but does better spattering blood than it does applying polish. Despite a number of original elements and a fairly solid gameplay core, the game isn’t able to add substantially to the formula and mechanics it’s borrowed from other games in the genre.

The Club is a lot like junk food—it initially tastes good but it won’t leave you satisfied for long.

It's almost funny how seriously the game takes itself, but if you're looking for something out of the ordinary, this trip through the underground provides just enough of everything to be worth playing.

While the lackluster shop mode doesn't deliver anything fun or engaging, the rest of the game is still just as enjoyable as its predecessors.

The lack of notable stars, the flat atmosphere, and the by-the-numbers career mode are disappointments. Yet, for better or worse, it's the control scheme that ultimately defines Top Spin 3. Once acclimated, you'll find that it brings you closer to the on-court action than any tennis game before it, but it’s also unforgiving.

UEFA offers a solid game of soccer with no glaring flaws, a slightly steep learning curve, and a deep amount of play options that should keep most players satisfied--at least until next year's installment hits the market.

Complemented by absorbing environments and evocative imagery, Homefront's presentation succeeds in immersing players in its plausible nightmare. Sadly, a weak script, unremarkable gameplay, and a short campaign undermine much of the promise in solo play.

The controls suit the system, with a surprisingly smart option to touch on-screen icons to turn the camera toward potential threats. The stealth play and covert killing is fast and satisfying but when blades clash, things can get awkward. You're eventually given a reversal move can quickly end fights with weaker enemies, but there's no running away from certain fated confrontations, which are almost always prolonged and clumsy.

It’s great to see Formula 1 come back to the North American gaming scene, and Championship Edition is a very solid entry. But it’s a bit disappointing that, outside of the shiny new PS3 graphics, F1 still has all of the same problems we were seeing in these games years ago.

Though better than most, Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces doesn't quite have the lasting power or polish to set it apart from the high fliers in the genre. For most prospective pilots, it's a decent rent, but if all you care about is smooth controls and shooting down bogies anime-style, then this is your bag.

The lack of any online functionality hurts the bottom line, but the series has never been renowned for its multiplayer components. This is the perfect chance to get acquainted with StarFox if you've missed out after all these years, but this classic game from the 90's is merely a good game today.

The high-quality presentation, touch features, and substantial cache of content that includes ad-hock co-op and an addictive Conquest mode should please repeat customers and perhaps even bring a few newcomers to the battlefield.

Its truncated length is a deterrent to a full price purchase, and its head-to-head options are unique yet limited.

There are many things to see in this land, but wandering around can feel empty.

UEFA offers a solid game of soccer with no glaring flaws, a slightly steep learning curve, and a deep amount of play options that should keep most players satisfied--at least until next year's installment hits the market.

The vicious combat is a lot of fun, and building your army and laying siege to the enemy is a compelling experience in an action game setting. If it didn’t run out of ideas so quickly and had a smoother presentation, Viking could have struck an even mightier blow.

Sonic Rush Adventure more or less hits all the notes we’ve come to expect in a good Sonic game. It stays largely in safe, familiar territory, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

If you enjoy creating your own shows, forming your own factions, and designing your own stable of pro wrestlers, you'll view WWE 13's creation suite as the best there is, the best there was, and possibly the best there will be, with options more diverse than Mick Foley's wrestling personas. Yet the gameplay, AI, and controls have not significantly advanced from last year's title, making WWE 13 more uneven than the "People's Eyebrow."

Its truncated length is a deterrent to a full price purchase, and its head-to-head options are unique yet limited.

Who would’ve thought there would ever be day when a new Guitar Hero release would be met with such a tepid response? Maybe it’s the price, maybe it’s the looming threat of Rock Band, but at the end of the day, Rocks the 80’s fails to excite.

The more straightforward design of Lords of the Fallen puts more focus on combat than building an interesting world. Players may be less likely to get lost, but the game lacks a sense of wonder and isn’t helped by its dull narrative and recycled enemies. Still, the solid mechanics are a step in the right direction.

Edward’s trip to the park is no picnic, but suffer through the controls and some aggravation and you’ll be compensated with a lot of unique moments. The game needed more gestation to really iron out the interface issues, but it remains an adventure worth pursuing.

Despite a distinct look and feel, Hohokum doesn't live up to its more ethereal aspirations.

The vicious combat is a lot of fun, and building your army and laying siege to the enemy is a compelling experience in an action game setting. If it didn’t run out of ideas so quickly and had a smoother presentation, Viking could have struck an even mightier blow.

Burial at Sea is a worthy return to Rapture, but by the end you’ll wish you could’ve spent more time absorbing the sights and sounds of the city’s unspoiled areas. The grand tourism of the game’s opening versus the constant combat in the rest of the DLC creates a disconnect that makes both halves feel underdeveloped. Hopefully episode two will mend the tear of Burial at Sea’s two disparate parts.

The game has a solid set of mechanics and challenging gameplay, but it doesn’t make much of an effort appeal to casual fans looking to get a taste of meticulous tactical maneuvering. If you’re thirsting for a challenge, you’ll find it. If you’re hesitant to join up, this isn’t your war.

MySims Agents is a solid entry in the series filled with memorable encounters and characters. Fans of MySims Kingdom will certainly enjoy the change of setting. While older players will breeze through it and yearn for more things to see and do, younger ones will enjoy the minigames, agency customization, and quirky cases.

The sporadic moments of greatness, when you’re storming enemy walls or have finally brokered a peace agreement, are swallowed by tedium. With patience, your inner imperialist is satisfied as you skillfully cultivate a sprawling empire. It’s too bad you have to put up with so much to get there.

For a work that prides itself on its story and your role in it, Beyond: Two Souls can’t help but make you feel a bit inconsequential in the ultimate scheme. The looks, the action, the acting, will have you see Jodie and Aiden through to the end, but not without shaking your head at what feels like a missed opportunity, bandaged by ghostly pranks and callbacks to more established games and movie staples.

If there’s anything that sticks out the most in Penny Arcade Adventures’ presentation it’s the art, and rightfully so. Mike Krahulic’s trademark style looks great with the in-game portraits, and even better in motion thanks to the game’s bevy of gorgeous animated cutscenes that seamlessly work your avatar into the action.

A game that has definite charm. Just don’t count on its effervescence to produce a long-lasting result. Despite its pretty package, many of the game’s strongest points are marred by incongruities that keep it from excelling in a genre where excellence has already long been established.

It’s a tale of give and take. Echoes of Time is meant to be played with friends, and if you don’t, it can be incredibly frustrating.

Alice: Madness Returns doesn't quite operate under modern game logic, and while it's certainly fine for a game to play by its own rules, it helps if those rules don't feel slapdash and outmoded.

The ridiculous stereotypes, somewhat offensive writing, and ho-hum gameplay all manage to come together to be something worth playing.

You can wrap up the story in about 6 hours. There are 12 costumes to try on and 27 cards to collect. Whether you can handle the grind or not Costume Quest 2 is a shallow game. It’s also a celebration of this sacred holiday that you may find yourself replaying next year. If there’s still time before the sun rises on November 1st, you may not regret buying this game.

Sonic Rivals runs a fairly solid race, but it’s running in circles around a limited amount of content.

Despite successfully improving on some of its predecessor's mechanics, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is ultimately bogged down by untimely bugs. If you can work through these issues, there's a decent action RPG hiding behind the mask. It might just be too much to ask of the average player.

Wanted: Weapons of Fate strikes one more blow against the curse of the bad licensed game, but despite unique elements and enjoyable gameplay, it doesn't quite have the polish and longevity to compete with other big-name shooters on the market.

Lasting about three hours, this $10 first act has a hard time standing on its own.

While X-Men Origins: Wolverine is clearly undercooked, it's still genuinely fun, and most importantly, it delivers the kind of visceral, untamed experience that fans expect from the character. It's been a long time coming. Just like Logan, it's a beast on the outside, but it has a good heart within.

Your enjoyment of Eye of the North will depend largely on your own personal desire to collect trinkets and doo-dads while following a reasonably interesting story.

The story is interesting and fairly epic, but told in such large chunks at a time, that sometimes the pacing is thrown off.

The best rhythm games successfully tie gameplay and music in such a way that players feel like they're part of the song. Rock Band Blitz doesn't quite bridge that gap.