Clocking in at just two and a half hours, Raam's Shadow is quite brief for its $15 price tag. The intense tried-and-true gameplay is there and it has some fun moments, but the story feels insignificant, and it's over before you know it.

We appreciate the strong emphasis on tournament play, but none of the new additions to PGA Tour 10 blow us away. If you absolutely love the series, or are brand new to the franchise, here's another one. But if you're looking for something truly new, you might want to check out PGA Tour 10 on the Wii.

Dead Space Extraction is certainly worth experiencing, though with its slim feature set, it's a hard sell at the 50 dollar price-tag unless you're a fully-devoted Unitologist. For most, a rental will suffice. Either way, prepare yourself for great ride.

If nothing else, this playful romp packs enough in-jokes for both Simpsons fans and gamers in general that it’s definitely worth playing through at least once.

The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned is a humorous and entertaining episode to extend the Borderlands experience. However, it can be a bit repetitive at times, and it lacks any worthwhile souvenirs.

Those with a keen eye for the nuts and bolts of puzzle composition will walk away moderately enriched by this effervescent anthology of game design haikus.

Wii Party excels when it comes to variety and accessibility. With a large number of engaging mini-games, and several stand out modes to choose from, you'll have plenty of fun with it, especially with a group of friends.

It could use a lot more integration of the television show, but at the same time, the show assets aren’t overly invasive as to turn off fans of the Karaoke Revolution games.

We appreciate the strong emphasis on tournament play, but none of the new additions to PGA Tour 10 blow us away. If you absolutely love the series, or are brand new to the franchise, here's another one. But if you're looking for something truly new, you might want to check out PGA Tour 10 on the Wii.

While the game offers a lot depth and content, there just aren’t a whole lot of frills and the game definitely lacks mass appeal.

Ubisoft Romania has done a great job in making a sequel that one-ups its predecessor in every way, from innovative gameplay in a by-the-books-genre, to a full-bodied multiplayer experience.

A solid platformer, revisiting the original's distinctive gameplay with a wide range of fresh ideas. It just feels as if many of its elements never grow beyond the introduction phase, resulting in a romp that's varied and enjoyable, but never quite raises the stakes.

Touch My Katamari does little to break the mold, but with its odd humor and addictive simplicity, it's a great game to have on the go. Plus, at $30, it's one of the more reasonably-priced Vita launch games.

A difficult and lengthy game built for loyal and determined role-playing adventurers. However it’s weak character development and persistent leveling demands may tire out even the most hardcore experience collectors.

Though the series has yet to recapture the magic of the first episode, The Wolf Among Us still offers a grim fairy-tale world worth getting lost in.

Disneyland Adventures succeeds in recreating a reasonable facsimile of the Disneyland experience. The open world is accurate enough to be passed off as an interactive tour of the park and there are some genuine treats in its collection of mini-games.

The fleshed-out story is a nice touch, and the head-to-head canyon races are a hoot, but with so little content it’s hard to recommend as a purchase unless you’re spending your nights on deserted pieces of road looking for some action.

It’s challenging and polished, but it can also take a bit of getting used to.

The Conduit deserves credit for getting the most important stuff right. In spite of the disappointing single-player campaign, it delivers as a shooter on the strength of its multiplayer component. The Wii finally has a competitive FPS worthy of spending time with.

The prognosis is good: Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 channels the spirit of the first game and then some with a tighter presentation and a developed story sure to reward players who've persevered with Derek in the first installment.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 doesn’t shake things up, but its enhancements keep the game entertaining and addictive, which is really all that matters.

Plain Sight's low-gravity environments and ultra-mobile characters combine to create a relentlessly fast-paced experience. While it's simple to play, its multiplayer nature means you'll always find stiff competition.

Fiddling with a well-loved formula is frequently a recipe for disaster, but Might and Magic Heroes VI manages to maintain the feel of the series while making the franchise relevant for a new generation.

Pigsy's three hour adventure isn't perfect, but it's an entertaining side-story for players interested in a slower, more strategic take on Enslaved's combat mechanics. Like its slovenly hero, Pigsy's Perfect 10 comes off a bit sloppy, but it has a good heart.

The seven bucks it costs on Xbox 360 seems a little steep, especially when the quality of future mutations remains unknown. What's here is ultimately very good, but it comes at a small premium.

Dance Dance Revolution is quickly becoming a tired franchise, and Universe doesn’t do much to change that. With that said, there’s no denying it’s a solid game with enough content to keep people playing until the inevitable sequel.

House of the Dead: Overkill is undeniably fun. Its crude humor, non sequiturs, self-referential jabs, and brevity are practically overcome by smart level design and surprisingly deep gunplay.

The fleshed-out story is a nice touch, and the head-to-head canyon races are a hoot, but with so little content it’s hard to recommend as a purchase unless you’re spending your nights on deserted pieces of road looking for some action.

Infinite Undiscovery is a capable console action-RPG with an interesting story and some unique ideas, but other than its excellent battle system, the game just isn’t on the same level as the best games in the genre.

Like everything Disney inspires, it’s the colorful and playful energy that will keep you coming back. It’s just tough to stay excited about waving your arms around for very long.

Hopefully the online issues will be ironed out before the full-on release, but if you simply can't wait to get a horsepower fix then bite the bullet, pay the ticket, and put it to the floor.

SOCOM vets might have trouble justifying another purchase when Combined Assault is so similar to the previous game, but this is still a solid shooter as long as you’re content to play almost exclusively online.

While it could have benefitted from a few new modes, a create-player feature, or mini-games, NBA Jam: On-Fire is still a shoulder-charging steal at $15.

While the horror-shooter concept still works, the latest installment of F.E.A.R. has evolved in ways that are mostly superficial. An increasingly twisted story and an unneeded mini-achievement system both feel as if they're reaching, and neither element improves the basic gameplay.

Yes, it's fairly light on content, skimps a bit on frills, and doesn't break much new ground. But for a solid few hours of enjoyment, this ingenious reconstruction of a forgotten genre is definitely worth a try.

The initial hours, when played with a survivor’s unsure intent are electrifying, illuminating a slice of fast, animal terror. Before long, it settles into the mechanical, methodical, human realm, challenged by a few creative late-game curves. By all means check in, get a physical, but you might want to opt for outpatient care.

Compared to other Castlevania games, Harmony of Despair's world feels like a bit of a patchwork. The thrill of discovery is gone, and in its place is the compulsive drive to acquire loot. Oddly enough, it works, and it can actually be a lot of fun with friends.

Quite unlike anything else out there. It's a game that pushes back and challenges you to think on your feet. If the confounding puzzles don't hook you, the branching, variable story, and the steamy, nightmarish vibe certainly will.

While the novelty eventually wears thin due to lack of variety, Not a Hero offers its share of moment-to-moment thrills. The simple tactical action is sure to please players in the mood for its quirky vibe and pulp setting.

The challenges and online leaderboards are a plus for competitive players, and the high-adrenaline experience is a great fit for quick handheld sessions.

If Soma doesn’t get under your skin with its cramped corridors, dark ocean passages, and telepathic freaks, it will stay in your head because of its fascinating narrative experiments with the human brain.

The lack of narrative finesse and the toning down of the scripted events was a good call. It’s not quite the open world shooter that was promised, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

Sniper Elite 3 definitely improves the rare but rewarding genre of open-world sniping. Being thoughtful about each shot instills a sense of companionship with your rifle, and we definitely felt an unexpected bond with our terrifying tool of death. Everything involving firing that rifle is fun, it’s just too bad the other elements in the game aren’t as impactful.

Infinite Space is high on content, but falls short elsewhere.

The most demanding sim aficionados might not find enough to hold their interest for the long haul, but East India Company is definitely worth checking out if you're new to the genre or merely have an itch to make lots of virtual cash.

This game has surely glimpsed the Necronomicon, and while the blood-curdling rituals may not bewitch you for years to come, it's a delightful cantrip to enchant you for a fortnight or so.

You may not be able to argue with its price, but you'll certainly be surprised with how addictive Battlefield Heroes can be.

Prey is something of a paradox, because it’s got a ton of original ideas wrapped up in a package we’ve seen a dozen times before.

It’s a game like no other, but it takes a great deal of patience before you’re able to truly enjoy it.

Despite the simple end goal, the game is filled with vagaries resulting from an unclear interface and a perplexing process for setting waypoints. That turns the masked men's path finding into a grueling, aggravating operation as they stop within sight of their goal for no apparent reason. Still, seeing how all the elements react to one another is captivating.

Draws up a completely new plan that spells out every last detail of the player's job with little room for deviation, but the crazy damage model that's always defines the series plays as well here as it did in an open world. The destruction certainly packs a punch, it's just not quite enough to blow us away.

Axiom Verge isn’t the best in its class, but it takes a familiar structure and adds a tool belt loaded with interesting weapons and gadgets. It’s a worthwhile adventure that entices you to unearth its secrets and rewards you for doing so.

Too bad the game doesn't offer much variety outside of its weirdo flea market.

The lack of narrative finesse and the toning down of the scripted events was a good call. It’s not quite the open world shooter that was promised, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

The choice to rebuild from square one on a new engine has resulted in a game that doesn’t necessarily stand up to last year’s on paper, but shows promise when taking into account the track record of EA Sports NHL. In the game of hockey, sometimes you have to make the counter-intuitive decision to take a big penalty to prevent a season-ending goal.

To say Total War: Attila is complex would be an understatement. At times it can feel like you are studying for a final exam. If you manage to get past the steep learning curve however, Total War: Attila is a rewarding historical strategy game. There’s a wide range of possibilities on the battlefield and conflicts are a marvelous sight to behold. Unfortunately a few technical problems and an insignificant political system hold it back from greatness.

The Warriors on the PSP is basically the same game it was on the consoles; a rock solid brawler that captures the heart and soul of one of the coolest flicks of all time.

The Wii version of Call of Duty 3 probably isn’t the best choice for die-hard shooter fans, yet it’s still a solid game. Realistically, you’re trading online multiplayer and cutting edge visuals for a fun, hands-on method of picking off enemies with the Wii controller.

Serviceable enough, but a grand return to form it isn't. Frankly, it feels a little warmed over.

While the ideas for those dungeons eventually made their way into other games, it’s disappointing Nintendo didn’t re-work the Triforce quest into a new dungeon or two to greatly improve the experience. Or why they still left three charts in the game rather than making all of the items immediately obtainable once you reached the quest. As it stands, even with the refinements, this segment breaks the otherwise great pacing of the game and feels out of place.

Exploring this recreation of London is a marvel, but the repetitive cycle of taking territory and gathering pointless collectibles quickly wears thin, while gameplay pillars in stealth and combat still feel lacking. It’s the most modern Assassin’s Creed has been, but the Industrial Revolution doesn’t quite bring the series into a new age.

A game of extreme highs and lows. The fragile atmosphere of fright and wonder that starts the game strong is nearly crushed by idiotic human AI and design choices that don't quite work in practice. Like its roller-coaster chase sequences, it's worth the experience, but it will at times make you want to hurl.

Divekick may not look like it’s worth ten dollars, but like the stance-switching Uncle Sensei, looks can be deceiving. Once you’ve connect with high-powered “headshot”, you’ll gain a much better sense of the game’s value. When you’re on the receiving end of that ego-crushing kick to the dome, you can be damn sure that you’ll want a rematch.

As a standalone single-player adventure, Aliens vs. Predator hits a shaky equilibrium with carefully planted franchise winks and underwhelming set pieces. But for someone with an inclination for diverse experiences, interesting multiplayer modes, or even the AvP franchise as a whole, the game casts a pretty wide net of appeal.

The implementation of the system and peripheral is inventive, but its somewhat lackluster set list and poor audio quality strike at the core of the experience. Still, if you’re the person that imported Ouendan (when-dan) from Japan or just can’t get enough of the series, hop on the tour bus.

The games repeat core mechanics too often, many solo games go on too long for good alternating multiplayer, and while it’s safe to say the Wii version is going to be the superior one, it doesn’t lend itself to extended play due to the repetition and possible physical strain.

Taken for its strengths, Mafia II delivers a rich slice of 50's mob culture with phenomenal atmosphere and solid gameplay that's easily worth experiencing. But if you're expecting the generous breadth of the best open-world games, the absence of extracurricular activities will be a bit of a disappointment.

The odd premise of Tokyo Jungle is only augmented by the adrenaline rush of survival and the peculiarity of its systems and rules. It can certainly get repetitive and unlocking everything is a bear, but its random nature can often have you shouting at the screen in moments of panic and surprise.

Fun but short, and lacking enemies more substantial than guys with grenade launchers. The series definitely still has quite a bit of potential to live up to, but if you have a friend to partner up with, it’s definitely worth taking a couple trips to witness the destruction of Shanghai.

Like a good sci-fi flick, Infestation is at its best on the very first viewing. Just don't be surprised if that inevitably ends up being the only time.

Dead Space 3 has the bad habit of drawing you into a tantalizing catastrophe right before goading you right back into its more tedious and borderline exploitative elements. The quest is long and the side-content plentiful, but it all comes at the expense of the atmosphere. In our estimation, it’s a poor bargain.

Wii Fit has it's own style and look, but there's no hiding the fact that very little effort has gone into its presentation.

It's a decent stop-gap if you're waiting for "Burnout 5" to hit stores, but most will be able to milk it for all it’s worth via rental. If the series continues to lumber on like this, its fans will inevitably burn out.

Lost Planet 3 isn’t a particularly handsome or graceful action game, but beneath the somewhat dull surface the characters and the multiplayer progression are outstanding.

Killzone Mercenary is the best FPS on the system and works well enough, even as batteries drain quickly and pinky fingers go numb. It does what it does honorably, unlike some of the Mercs you’ll find, but any way you look at it, be it by platform, or by genre, it sits between adequate and good, a tech demo that happens to be worth your time. Only evangelists will collect a full deck here.

Those hoping for an in-depth solo campaign should look elsewhere to satisfy their story-driven shooting, as what's included is short and largely forgettable. Yet, if you value large-scale battles, tactical combat, and team-oriented play, Fuel of War won't leave you running on empty.

Stranglehold is trying to hijack a two-hour action movie and stretch it out into a seven-hour game. The concepts are great, the controls work, and there are plenty of cool things to do, over and over again as a bad ass cop. But keeping that sort of intensity is a challenge all its own, and throwing endless waves of enemies at the player isn’t the way to do it.

The development team has played it safe, delivering a game that maintains the status quo. It will make fans giddy, but those without preconceived notions will find it to be a bit clunky and growing long in the tooth.

The biggest element that feels missing is the incredible character interaction from New Order.

Silent Hills: Origins is a game that smartly packs all of the series’ best qualities into a bite-sized, portable portion. With its incredibly short length we only recommend it for purchase for fans. But while it lasts, it’s indisputably the best handheld survival horror game available.

Those hoping for an in-depth solo campaign should look elsewhere to satisfy their story-driven shooting, as what's included is short and largely forgettable. Yet, if you value large-scale battles, tactical combat, and team-oriented play, Fuel of War won't leave you running on empty.

Fans of the original can expect a bit more depth and look forward to testing their skills online, but it’s a shame that the single-player campaign amounts to skirmish, and not a war.

There are a lot of unique concepts in The Crystal Bearers, but their flawed execution puts a damper on the experience. Combat aside, it's got a few redeeming qualities, namely, a strong story, and some genuinely fun sequences. If you're expecting the traditional Square Enix offering of magic, leveling, and gear management, you'll be put off by the radical departure.

Having to cover the damage done to your cars gives playing the game a sense of desperation, and multiple event types mix things up. Even so, Need for Speed Pro Street doesn’t quite have enough meat to cover its bones and is best suited for players who are in for the challenge, not the big crashes.

War for Cyberton is a good shooter that'll hold your attention for dozens of hours with its multiplayer thrills, and the campaign is well worth the trek.

It definitely taxes the brain in addicting ways.

After playing it, you come away wishing that it focused more on what's best about it, namely, the bionic arm's potential as a weapon and means of mobility. You have to give the game credit, though-it admirably delivers on a concept that seems very difficult to realize, and the results are usually a lot of fun.

More options, tighter defense, gameplay sliders, and added variety across play modes would spell the difference between a big leaguer and a candidate for Cooperstown.

For all its snark and irreverence, Retro City Rampage is pretty earnest in terms of what it's all about: take a gander at all the rampage events and the dizzying array of display modes available, and it all becomes clear. If you have a soft spot in your heart for classic games and an appetite for open-world destruction, you'll be able to overlook the knee-slappers and mechanical mishaps that occasionally mar this expansive pastiche.

Considering that Custom Robo is really a kids’ game, the shallow fighting engine can be forgiven in lieu of the massive amount of bits and pieces to collect, and customization that can be performed.

A good port of a pretty good game, which controls very decently with the Wii controller. That’s not quite a glowing recommendation, but this game does deserve some respect.

As the first game in the series since Itagaki's departure, it's kinder, gentler, lighter, and a little less interesting.

Tiger Woods 08 will definitely give you your money’s worth when it comes to sheer play options.

Gran Turismo is a rewarding driving game with plenty of courses to master and vehicles to acquire. However, it's held back by a lack of key features and frustrating limitations that will aggravate car collectors most of all. After such a long wait, GT fans deserve better.

Shining novelties fueled by base guffaws quickly devolve into gimmicks. No one is expecting War and Peace to play out in the streets of Stilwater. What you should reasonably expect, and what Saints Row: The Third fails to deliver, is a clever Mad Magazine parody, something more than a middle school mentality expressed with a high budget. What you get is a sandbox game that's fun for a spell, but one that you'll outgrow pretty fast.

If you're a tower defense junkie, download Orcs Must Die! without hesitation. The lack of multiplayer is disappointing, but at around $15 you'll get five or six solid hours of play.

The game is worth a shot, especially if you’ve never jumped into Lara’s short shorts before.

It’s disappointing that some of the sticking points from last year’s game haven’t been addressed. Yet, if only for the option to download updated rosters and take their dynasty online, we recommend upgrading to this year’s game for the hardcore college pigskin fan.