Most definitely the best platform game to come to the Xbox in its 4 year life.

NHL 10, like its predecessors, puts the emphasis on realism instead of trying to grow its base and provides a couple of physical improvements for existing fans. That said, while the series hasn’t advanced in the last 12 months as much as it did 24 months ago, that’s only because NHL 09 was that revolutionary.

Perhaps BioShock needed a sequel, and perhaps it didn't. Regardless, BioShock 2 is here and it's a great sequel that fixes the problems of the original and crafts another compelling tale within the walls of Rapture.

A must-buy for every DS owner, whether you're a puzzle fan or not.

NHL 10, like its predecessors, puts the emphasis on realism instead of trying to grow its base and provides a couple of physical improvements for existing fans. That said, while the series hasn’t advanced in the last 12 months as much as it did 24 months ago, that’s only because NHL 09 was that revolutionary.

The top shooter on the 360. It tops Gears of War in most multiplayer areas. You may enjoy the faster pace, futuristic weapons and setting of Gears of War more but for my money, ‘Vegas’ offers a more satisfying experience and infinitely better designed maps.

If you have an HDTV and if you love Street Fighter and if you still have $15 to your name in this economy, you owe it to yourself to download SFII Turbo HD Remix, even if it means skipping a meal.

Amazing graphics and sound coupled with tight, addictive gameplay – not to mention a plethora of amazing dream roadsters to earn and collect – means hours upon hours of fun for the discerning gamer.

I commend Square-Enix on bringing over a very niche title and taking the gamble with both the game mechanics and the audience.

If you're new to the Call of Duty series, you're in for a real treat with the single player, and the multiplayer will welcome you with open arms. If you used to like the series and have either gotten fatigued with the template or turned off by the last entry, this game deserves at least a rental, but I'd recommend a purchase. If you simply love the franchise, period, you've probably already prestiged once or twice already devoting countless hours to the online portions.

Rockstar just took numerous people to school on PSP development, showing you can take a huge game and put it on a UMD without sacrifice, and even add stuff to the mix.

The most stylish platform game of Sony’s big three and Sucker Punch Productions deserves a lot of credit for putting together an impeccable presentation.

Without hesitation I can say it's one of the best looking and sounding Xbox games to date, and virtually nothing has been lost in the translation from PC. It's creepy, immersive, dark - and features a style that really gets into your head.

Perhaps BioShock needed a sequel, and perhaps it didn't. Regardless, BioShock 2 is here and it's a great sequel that fixes the problems of the original and crafts another compelling tale within the walls of Rapture.

Some presentation aspects may have been rushed for the sake of the game's release (in time for the World Cup, Go Canada Go!!), but it's still a great package. Once again, ESPN is hanging with EA right at the top.

An excellent departure of this already great series and now you don't have to worry about going to prison for throwing innocent animals anymore.

The realism is improving with every new game that EA turns out, making the game more and more enjoyable for soccer fans and general sports video game enthusiasts alike.

With HD graphics, a finely remixed soundtrack, and good online gameplay, your $15 is already netting you more fun than most full priced fighting games do.

Bottom line, if you are a fan of shoot 'em ups or just do not feel like dragging out the Dreamcast, you will not be disappointed in this updated version of a classic game.

In spite of the negative aspects of the game, I highly recommend the interesting and unique experience that is Heavy Rain.

It's a win-win situation for gamers no matter if they've done all there is to DMC3 or have never picked the game up in their lives. And now, the wait for Devil May Cry 4 is on.

A great game, though not quite as good as those glory days of 2003 and 2004, when the series was simply amazing.

From the opening title screen to the epic final battle, New Super Mario Bros. Wii has everything a fan of the franchise could ever want.

While the multiplayer modes were fun, I found that the main game was much more compelling and ultimately what kept me booting up my DS.

There are loads of savory things to do in this paper-made world that's funny, and original, and just solid by any and all means.

I think most high-school kids would get a kick out of this game, regardless of whether they can play GTA or not.

If you're new to the Call of Duty series, you're in for a real treat with the single player, and the multiplayer will welcome you with open arms. If you used to like the series and have either gotten fatigued with the template or turned off by the last entry, this game deserves at least a rental, but I'd recommend a purchase. If you simply love the franchise, period, you've probably already prestiged once or twice already devoting countless hours to the online portions.

With this sequel, Visceral Games has masterfully expanded on the first Dead Space. They've revved up the series with tougher guns, a bigger setting, and online multiplayer, but kept the spirit and, most importantly, the scares of the original in tact.

Long as you're not hung up on the whole rally thing, Dirt 2 delivers solid fun.

If you're looking for the best RPGs of the Hi-Def Era, this game certainly ranks near the top alongside Lost Odyssey and Valkyria Chronicles.

The play is intense, they graphics are great, and the multiplayer is better than ever.

At $20, if you're a racing fan, don't pass up what feels like a full game.

Though some parts of the game tend to be frustrating in how poorly they were handled, Dirt 2 is still a good, fun racing game in a genre that's underrepresented on every console.

While Gears of War for the PC is a good game, worth playing if only for the collective experience, it will make you angry more than once during your fight to save the world.

To say that Treasure has done it again is a bit redundant at this point. Treasure always does it again. And Sin and Punishment: Star Successor is no exception.

This unconventional game movement is officially part of a growing trend on the PS3 and could be its key to success instead of a major "killer app" like Metal Gear Solid 4 or Killzone 2 as you'd expect.

This is by far the best XBLA title yet, and despite the relatively high price tag, it actually offers incredible bang for the buck.

If you loved the original and just want more Sackboy to hold you over before Sony releases LBP 2, this would be a good purchase for you. But I’d still say $19.99 is a fairer price tag – even for the eager.

It has that old-school feel of a game like the original side-scrolling Gradius, all wrapped up in a brilliantly simple veneer with smooth controls, amazing physics, and all-around satisfying gameplay.

If you’re looking for Disney nostalgia and very linear action-RPG gameplay, it’s simply a joy to see, hear and interact with all of your Disney favorites.

Bayonetta is a superb action title that gets props for still being very challenging for the hardcore action crowd, but accessible enough for less-skilled players to play – the forgiving systems in place allow for minimal frustration, which usually leads to said player becoming much more skilled than they were before.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is yet another great entry in a consistently excellent franchise, and the best entry in the series since the PS2 days.

If it isn’t the ‘true’ definitive RPG of the PS2 generation, it’s certainly one of the top.

Easy to learn, difficult to master, this game is perfect for gaming on the go.

While the 2400 MS point price is a bit on the high side, the content manages to provide more swashbuckling, looting and questing for those who couldn’t get enough from the retail release.

One of the best titles to come out for the DS yet.

Cramming all the cars, events, options, and even a large soundtrack into one UMD is nothing short of masterful, providing exactly what the PSP needs to grow – games designed to be played in spurts, yet as massive as the same sort of game on the home systems.

If you are an RPG player then you should not skip out on The Witcher because it has it all, visuals, audio, gameplay, story, and scantly clad women/dryads/hookers/etc.

With a single player campaign so exciting it should be illegal, combined with an incredibly fun multiplayer, Call of Duty 2 is an absolute must-have for any gamer.

With its combination of an enthralling story, interesting blend of gameplay, beautiful graphics, and a gripping soundtrack Valkyria Chronicles is right up there with Final Fantasy Tactics as one of the best SRPGs to ever be released.

The multiplayer mode can handle up to four players offline via split screen and a whopping forty players online via the new PlayStation Network.

Electronic Arts took an amazing product, and instead of slacking off, they added a bunch of things to make this the most addictive Madden yet.

It's videogames at their most base and most enjoyable.

Singing the rhythm yourself and tapping it out with your foot when your minions let you down demonstrates how hard it is to be a god and how into this game you can become.

With a decent storyline, hundreds of quests and missions, along with downloadable content the game could easily take anyone over 100+ hours to beat it; and that's not including the game's multiple endings.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta fills in another piece of Kratos' past. With more innovative gameplay mechanics and brand new magic and weapons, it's entertaining and engaging, especially for fans of the franchise.

Punch-Out!! captures the essence and invokes the spirit of the original without feeling old.

This game is so good that it is easily one of the best values you can find on the Xbox!

It will take weeks to see everything across this incredible story.

Crysis 2 may not be the new killer app, but it's the complete package when it comes to shooters.

It's animals: A whole town filled of animals you'll be exchanging words with to get things and to get things done. New items to collect, new bugs, fishes, and more to score, new characters to meet, new things to do, and at last online takes Animal Crossing a step ahead the previous iteration failed to accomplish.

If you are interested in casual play, you're much more likely to enjoy Super Street Fighter 4 or Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix, both of which are already available on PS3 and 360. If you didn't find joy in the fireball hurling antics of other SF titles, this one won't sway you either. You should probably hold off for Soul Calibur V. If you are a fighting enthusiast with an Arcade Stick, a lot of patience and a vast hunger for competitiveness, you'd be hard pressed to find a better experience than Third Strike.

If you haven't picked up Unwound Future yet, do it. If you haven't played any of these games yet, what are you waiting for?

WLK doesn't quite have the impact of the first game, and really should have had online play for competitive and cooperative play, but it's still a fun, addictive, and simple game that is almost like the anti-action game; it's just supposed to be easygoing and relaxing.

It’s funny how a five-dollar (more or less) game comes along and shows how simple games can still offer great gameplay, slick presentation, and long-lasting value. You really can’t go wrong with Geometry Wars.

Sure, FNR3 has some small elements such as an abundance of advertising in the arenas and some ever-so-minor clipping issues, but it is really hard to deny the clarity and quality presented in these fights.

It is flashy and it is confident to the brink of arrogance, but it rides that reputation proudly and delights everyone who plays it along the way.

There are no other games available on any console with the charm and quirkiness of Katamari Damacy. None. Silly, absurd, and wacky, but innovative, creative, and original all the same.

A few minor camera flaws are easily overshadowed by the visceral combat experience that Dawn of War offers.

Mythic Entertainment may have created the best MMORPG based on an outside property. The universe of Warhammer fits perfectly into a game of this nature, and was implemented by the folks at Mythic with precision and dedication.

Days of Ruin may be marked as a turning point in the series, and with good reason, as the title could end up being heralded by some players for pushing the series in new directions, or bemoaned by others who enjoyed the plucky war game and its comedic aspects.

The level design is really great (I love Lungfishopolis and like Adam, I refuse to say why because it's just that great). The gameplay, however, isn't as inviting.

VJ2 has plenty of style and furious action but it could be argued that it needs some help in the balancing department.

The side-quests add a lot of replay value to the game even after completing the story mode.

An interesting mix of many gameplay facilities.

Even for all of its faults, Madden NFL 2009 is still a damn good football game and that's what's important.

It takes a rich universe and focuses it on a very popular character, and didn't just throw him into some clone of Jak 3, but instead designed a game around Daxter and the PSP.

Arguably the best current tactical shooter on the PC. It tops most other PC games in the multiplayer arena including levels of tension.

There’s a lot to do in Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl, which looks as good as a top-down Pokemon game is going to get for some time. It also benefits more than any other sequel in the series from a predecessor due to online capabilities. [JPN Import]

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is definitely a rebirth for the Tomb Raider series. A meaty puzzle-based platformer that will definitely have fans asking for more, it is the perfect conclusion to this year's Summer of Arcade and 1200 Microsoft Points ($15) well spent.

Involving missions, cutting edge graphics and an excellent narrative that, while not always living up to its potential, strives mightily to expand the storytelling and emotional connection while maintaining the right balance of fun and adventure.

Guitar Hero has the more innovative drum and guitar hardware and a promising custom music feature. But, snazzier instruments and a tricked-out music studio don’t guarantee triple platinum success.

This is not only the best motorcycle racing game on the market, it is one of the best racers period and a must-have for speed lovers everywhere.

Crysis 2 may not be the new killer app, but it's the complete package when it comes to shooters.

It's accessible, packs deep character customization, has much needed online play, not to mention it looks great and runs smoothly.

I have seen what makes a hero, and what makes a coward. I will choose the path of a hero... always.

It’s old-school and traditional, but has gameplay depth unique to it, and a wicked sense of humor that will keep you going without fear of falling into the melodrama trap.

It presents a great challenge and a unique, if cheesy, style that has appeal, and if it does appeal to you, you’ll love it.

In the end, The Two Thrones is a very solid action title that more than survived the transition from console to PC, especially if you happen to have a decent gamepad.

With Super Paper Mario, Intelligent Systems has crafted a game that will appeal to fans of both the platforming and RPG genres.

Professor Layton and the Curios Village is a great game for anyone regardless of the age due to the nature of their game.

The game has some annoyances with its level-up system and minor problems with load times and survivor AI, but the ways in which you can kill the zombies are endless, and the story and presentation actually creates a narrative more compelling than most would expect.

All in all, the multiplayer component of Mario Kart 7 is solid, addictive and fun.

For all of its shortcomings Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is a solid game that stands on the legs of the series' praised gameplay and an epic story that is not seen in every other video game of its kind, which sadly is an accomplishment these days.

There’s a lot to do in Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl, which looks as good as a top-down Pokemon game is going to get for some time. It also benefits more than any other sequel in the series from a predecessor due to online capabilities. [JPN Import]

Virtua Fighter 5 may not go down as the most charismatic fighting game around, but it gets it done in the gameplay department, which is what matters most anyway.

A great story that fleshes out some beloved characters, a simplistic but amazing fighting engine and perfectly captured atmosphere makes The Warriors a great addition to any action fan's Xbox library.

In terms of playability F.E.A.R. really couldn’t be much better, there’s really not a lot more to be said about it. If you played the PC version there’s not much new here. If not, however, sit down, turn the lights out and scare yourself silly.