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 individual elements of the game initially seem passable, but in sum they make up a regressive, repetitive game that only functions as a way to kill your spare minutes through raw attrition. There's nothing epic to see here.

You might get the impression that Remedy is stringing you along what feels like a never-ending nightmare, but in this case, it's a trip worth taking.

If judged solely on its failure to resolve its story, Wings of Liberty could have been a disappointment. But with a production so carefully thought out, masterfully designed, and flawlessly executed, it's impossible to come away from the game with a negative impression. Starcraft II is the sequel that we've been waiting for.

The intricate combat mechanics and exciting battle system can't make up for the poor production values, not to mention the sheer amount of repetitive grinding the game demands.

The experience becomes a monotonous grind before you get anywhere near the level 10 cap for free players, so put some time in before you slap down 20 bucks.

This is an inverted Faustian bargain--will you pay the high price to play the small slice of heaven that lingers in Limbo?

DeathSpank maintains a tongue-in-cheek quality throughout that mocks hackneyed game conventions even as it celebrates them. If you've played several RPGs before, you'll definitely be in on the jokes, but the never-ending fetch-quest gag isn't quite as funny when you actually have to do the legwork.

While in some ways little brother has finally come of age, it still has nagging immaturity issues at times. While there are no new modes, the tweaks to the existing ones are all for the better, and the new running controls are so precise and lifelike that we hope big brother Madden takes the hint.

DarkStar One: Broken Alliance is big, complex, and just messy enough to make it hard to recommend without some reservation. If you've been hard up for a space combat sim, this is a lot of game for $50. If you're short on patience, though, you may want to sit this trip out.

Landit Bandit can wildly fluctuate between quirky fun and complete frustration, but if you don't mind a little turbulence, it's not a bad pick for $10.

The core of Dragon Quest IX isn't a drastic departure from past games, but the focus on social play has led to a wealth of new features, expanding the game with countless side quests, customization, and character depth. It's a worthy successor for the franchise.

Blacklight: Tango Down offers an impressive amount of content for a $15 release, especially when you consider it's the going rate for a mere map pack in Modern Warfare 2.

It's hard to argue with Crackdown 2's draw. After a multi-hour session consisting of little more than hunting down agility orbs and engaging in unstructured havoc, you'll still find it hard to peel yourself away.

Tournament of Legends is definitely a different type of fighter with a unique mythological spin, but different isn't better in this case. This paltry package is best left to fade into the mists of time.

Puzzle Quest 2 is a worthy sequel in every measure. It improves the look and feel of the original, successfully builds on its mechanics, and still feels different enough to provide a sense of novelty and newness.

APB's good points can't be ignored. It's got the best spread of customization features this side of City of Heroes, and the idea of a player-driven combat environment is certainly appealing. But the multitude of design and technical issues hamper the fundamental gameplay and make it hard to enjoy without some serious compromise.

Enemies are practically defenseless in the face of your super-powers, and the puzzles never advance beyond the basics.

Ninety-Nine Nights II is one of the most difficult games available, but the real challenge is putting up with this mess. Boring missions coupled with tedious combat isn't a recipe for fun. Stay away unless you're a glutton for punishment.

For a series that frequently touches on such dark themes, Harry Potter is surprisingly amenable to the Lego treatment, even at its grimmest moments.

However well it might model the experience of killing with deadly precision, Sniper: Ghost Warrior suffers from a barrage of technical and design mishaps that make it hard to recommend wholeheartedly. If you've been hard up for a shooter with precisely this sort of narrow focus, it's worth a look, especially given the budget price, so long as you temper your expectations.

It's the ultimate rental ride that might just bewitch you into purchasing it.

Gruesome teddy bear murders can be good for a laugh if you can appreciate horrific violence as retribution for intolerable cuteness--and deep down you know you can--but like the giddy announcer making up silly names for your kills, the extremely repetitive gameplay quickly loses its charm.

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.

Puzzle Quest 2 is a worthy sequel in every measure. It improves the look and feel of the original, successfully builds on its mechanics, and still feels different enough to provide a sense of novelty and newness.

It's all clearly aimed at kids, but if you let yourself, you'll find it easy to get sucked right in alongside the young'uns. Toy Story 3 is full of non-corrupting sandbox play that's genuinely addicting. As for as movie games go, you can do much worse.

Like Stolen Memories, though, Overlord is a short-lived experience with plenty of familiar elements. Two-or-so hours of gameplay is a little slim for the price, though the quality of the content ultimately speaks for itself.

While we miss the crazy bad guys and refined controls, Peace Walker definitely lives up to the Metal Gear name. Base management adds a deeper sense of growth to the experience and there's plenty to come back to after you finish the story.

Infinite is all about the story, and for Disgaea diehards, this amounts to a huge helping of fan service.

Lacking some of the magic that made Beatles Rock Band great, Green Day Rock Band by comparison feels like a pedestrian effort.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 focuses most of its attention on gameplay this year, keeping its traditional controls intact while adding the focus meter to the mix, which adds a nice level of strategy to the game.

If a you're going to release an unlicensed football game, it had better knock our socks off. Backbreaker doesn't even come close. Pass on this one and hope for a better game next year.

The days when you could forgive RPGs of being deficient when it comes to gameplay are long past. Alpha Protocol's minute-to-minute action should have been on par with the traditional RPG stuff, but it's nowhere near close.

Blur is essentially Mario Kart with deeper driving mechanics and more strategy, but those characteristics are potent enough for it to stand on its own. The unpredictability of races packed with drivers, as well as the wealth of vehicles, tracks, and challenges, ensure that you'll keep coming back for more.

Blur is essentially Mario Kart with deeper driving mechanics and more strategy, but those characteristics are potent enough for it to stand on its own. The unpredictability of races packed with drivers, as well as the wealth of vehicles, tracks, and challenges, ensure that you’ll keep coming back for more.

A sizable number of additions, improvements, and fixes make it a clear choice over the original, and as a fighter, it maintains its status as one of the most technically accomplished and brutally satisfying entries to date.

While it tries at times, ModNation Racers just doesn't have the charm or originality of LittleBigPlanet. The environments in particular are rather generic and lack variety, and the framerate is inconsistent, noticeably dropping in the lobby or split-screen.

There is more creativity in some single stages in this game than in entire other games. It's a bit familiar, but all the fat has been cut away to expose a pure gaming core. There's something for just about everyone and games that we can truly recommend to almost everyone are rare.

Alan Wake paints a vivid nightmare that you won't soon forget. It's the freshest take on the horror game in a long time, and every moment feels like it was painstakingly scripted. There isn't much fluff here. That said, the game is lacking in the frills that we've come to expect from a triple-A release.

By rendering an expert treatment of its Wild West source material, Red Dead Redemption provides an excellent and original open world experience. The atmosphere and gameplay fit together almost perfectly.

Trauma Team is a step in the right direction for the series, adding new elements to keep things fresh while managing to preserve what's worked well.

It's a shame that Split/Second fails to provide new courses later on, and once you've seen it all, it does lose some of its magic. But while it's fresh, Split/Second delivers an exhilarating sense of danger and surprise. It's just simple, explosive fun.

It's a shame that Split/Second fails to provide new courses later on, and once you've seen it all, it does lose some of its magic. But while it's fresh, Split/Second delivers an exhilarating sense of danger and surprise. It's just simple, explosive fun.

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

It's a fun game with solid platforming, though the combat can drag the experience down at times. If you're looking for one more adventure in the vein of Sands of Time, consider discovering The Forgotten Sands.

Lost Planet 2 has many missions, modes, and battles to experience, but it's not accessible without some effort. You'll definitely need to enlist a few allies in order to properly take advantage of the game's co-op-focused structure. It's a poor choice for anyone without the means to party up.

If skateboarding is your way of life then buy without pause, but the more casual player should give it a rent to make sure the enhancements warrant the cost.

Fans of the series will gobble this one up, and if you haven't tried out any of the previous PSP installments, this would be the one to consider. Otherwise, there are several superior anime-style fighters on the market that eclipse Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3.

Despite a few weaknesses, 3D Dot Game Heroes combines borrowed ideas with a novel presentation and a good sense of humor to rise above the level of shameless cash-in.

Zeno Clash gives off an aura of being bigger than it actually is, and its less-refined spots really stick out. Constantly bizarre, if you can overlook its blemishes, you'll find an experience like nothing else out there.

Iron Man 2 is an unfinished game released to coincide with the flick's debut. There aren't many redeeming values here and you'll get a lot more entertainment value from simply watching the movie.

Like its predecessor, Fistful of Cake is addicting on a fundamental level, and downright excellent under the right circumstances.

If you're a fan of traditional Picross or similar puzzles like Sudoku, you shouldn't miss Picross 3D.

At 10 dollars, Trials of St. Lucia may be a little steep, but it gives Dante a shot of much-needed replayability. With online co-op, a seemingly-enthusiastic community, and a suite of solid online features, the original game suddenly feels like it has some legs.

At $10, it can only be recommended for those who have sold off their collection yet can't let go of the past.

Dead to Rights: Retribution isn’t the most refined shooter out there. The story is mediocre and it can be rather ugly at times, but if you don’t take it too seriously, the gameplay’s versatility and throat-ripping ferocity is fun while it lasts.

Nier is definitely an ambitious game that tries to break away from Square Enix's traditional style, but it ultimately isn't up to the task. It's an acquired taste that doesn't go down easy.

Penny pinching pugilists may give pause, but let your fears be dissuaded: Super Street Fighter IV is worth every single cent.

Penny pinching pugilists may give pause, but let your fears be dissuaded: Super Street Fighter IV is worth every single cent.

New home and away tactics ensure that underdog teams hold their own by playing defensively on the road and adjusting strategies to capitalize on a home field advantage.

Uncharted 2's Siege Expansion DLC perhaps isn't essential for fans content with what they already have, but given its price and breadth, it's no half-tucked effort either. If team play is your bag, this is definitely one to consider.

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.

If you're looking for a good single player adventure and the best online experience on the Wii bar none, then look no further than Monster Hunter Tri. Newcomers will find it very easy to get into the action, while the experience is deep enough to satisfy seasoned adventurers.

Considering the package deal, both games are good for bloody trip down memory lane. You might even be surprised at how well they hold up.

With Conviction, the Splinter Cell series expertly keeps pace with the way stealth games are ploddingly evolving. It even throws in a few flourishes all its own. The result is a great stealth game that's well worth experiencing, even for newcomers to the series.

Three levels may not sound like much, but you'll get several hours' worth of elegantly designed exploration and jetpacking fun for your paltry five dollar buy-in.

Brief as it is, its two hours of new content bears the Bioware standard of excellence. If your ship's decks are looking a little lonely of late, consider taking this crafty criminal's services for a spin.

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.

Again lacks almost all of the elements that made Cing's previous games stand out amongst fans and critics alike. This dull, plodding experience isn't worth your time or money. Given the lack of meaningful interactive segments, you're better off just reading an actual thriller.

With or without the Samurai Shodown name on its sleeve, Sen is a joyless effort that neither honors its colorful lineage nor brings anything of substantial worth to the 3D fighter. Despite its penchant for gory dismemberments and decapitations, this one simply just doesn't cut it.

If you're tempted, we advise you take a cold shower and reconsider.

If you're coming to this party, be prepared to play, just not in the traditional way. The 90-something built-in games are a paltry offering for the series, and the tap-only ethos really starts to wear on once you start to hit your stride as a designer. Still, the toolset is inspired, and those with a connected Wii and the ambition (and wallets) could potentially find their 15-miliseconds of fame.

Just Cause 2 is an amazing world rich with gameplay possibilities with a merely decent game tacked onto it.

Red Steel 2 has it where it counts, with a deep combat system that continuously improves as the game progresses. It could do with more interesting tasks outside of battle, but it nails the swordplay like no game before it.

Aside from the focus on its namesake license, there's not much to stand out in MotoGP 09/10. It is fairly challenging, but the lack of variety and poor presentation ultimately make for a dull, monotonous experience.

Aside from the focus on its namesake license, there's not much to stand out in MotoGP 09/10. It is fairly challenging, but the lack of variety and poor presentation ultimately make for a dull, monotonous experience.

Rooms has some value if you're into puzzle games, but it's mediocre at best. If you're seeking a fix to your intellectual craving, there are plenty of other games better suited to the task.

It evokes classic Metroid, without the massive backtracking, as well as Ratchet and Clank's weapons.

Thanks mainly to the simplified economy and streamlined controls, Supreme Commander 2 evades the stigma associated with the RTS genre on consoles, providing more evidence that real-time strategy games can not only work outside the PC, but potentially flourish as well.

With cheats to unlock, multiplayer ranks to climb, and new, devious, level-specific crown awards to figure out, this blast from the past is still a blast to play as an un-evolved envoy of modern-day shooters.

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

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.

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.

It's incredibly familiar and a bit brief, but God of War III still stands as a herculean achievement. A lot of TLC went into its creation and it comes shining through at every turn. The tweaks to the gameplay are minimal and the lack of titan interaction feels like a missed opportunity, but when Kratos is swinging his hypnotizing blades it's easy to forget that the rest of the world even exists.

If you’ve been hankering for another tour of Ferelden, then jump right in. Just don’t expect any fantasy romance; this time around, your companions are keeping it strictly professional.

It's a very challenging experience that rewards players with the desire and endurance to reach the end. That being said, the difficulty and complex battle system will definitely turn off those who aren't accustomed to a game that pushes back so often.

It's the perfect game to jump into the series with if you're a newcomer, and the updates and new content are enough to keep veterans satisfied.

It's the perfect game to jump into the series with if you're a newcomer, and the updates and new content are enough to keep veterans satisfied.

Dawn of War II--Chaos Rising is an excellent example of a standalone expansion pack. It contributes to the core game in all major categories without going the extra mile that would befit a true sequel.

Final Fantasy XIII embraces a feeling of immediacy that ultimately serves it well. Yeah, there aren't any towns, at least not in the classic sense. But once you're fully invested in the deep, demanding combat, you probably won't miss them. If you've been waiting years for Final Fantasy XIII, don't let its streamlined approach scare you away.

Yakuza 3 brings together enough different gameplay styles that it's more or less pointless to assign it to one particular genre. It's the way it combines these individual parts and invests you in its world that really matters.

While it lacks the unique style and feel of Lost in Nightmares, Desperate Escape is a good expansion in its own right. It's comparable in length to the last addition, clocking in at around an hour to complete on your first run through, and you'll get a few replays out of it. If you're looking for one more sample of Resident Evil 5, this is one escape you should definitely take.

The campaign could use some creative spark, but it’s the staying power of the multiplayer that wins the day. If you look to get the most out of your money with video game purchases, you can’t go wrong with Battlefield Bad Company 2.

The campaign could use some creative spark, but it’s the staying power of the multiplayer that wins the day. If you look to get the most out of your money with video game purchases, you can’t go wrong with Battlefield Bad Company 2.

The campaign could use some creative spark, but it’s the staying power of the multiplayer that wins the day. If you look to get the most out of your money with video game purchases, you can’t go wrong with Battlefield Bad Company 2.

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.

While still retaining its crown as the best baseball game on the market due to its realism and depth, that crown has lost some of its original shine. MLB 10: The Show's improvements since last year's version are more skips than strides.

Capcom has once again successfully recreated a classic Mega Man game while improving the package with tweaks and new content. Those intimidated or even frustrated by the normal difficulty of a Mega Man game can fall back on the easy mode, making the experience more accessible than ever.