Again, it's more of a misunderstanding than anything. Capcom thought gamers wanted a bare-bones, stand-alone version of Mercenaries, and that's what they made.

Dropping five bucks on this arcade classic, which now has online support, is a pretty safe bet.

It won't blow your mind, but it has enough style and playability to make it quite fun, whether you care about the league or not, which is a far cry from "Madden" which is practically designed to run off anyone who doesn't enjoy football in some form.

There's much more worth mentioning here - the lobotomized AI, the nonexistent collision detection, the bare-minimum sound design, and cliché characterizations - that make Alpha Protocol feel like a four-year old game.

As for the gameplay itself, Worms: A Space Oddity is neither ground-breaking nor a bore. It is simply a Worms title for the Wii; fun to play, best in multiplayer and always a good laugh.

Though in general a direct Dynasty Warriors clone, Devil Kings does try to take this familiar play style and make it something different, though it sacrifices the things that made Dynasty Warriors so popular amongst PlayStation 2 owners.

Whether it’s the similar gameplay (My Life as a King excluded) or the recurring four races or even just the general look of it, I usually know what I’m getting with a Crystal Chronicles game and usually I like it. The DS version of Echoes of Time manages to uphold that tradition quite nicely. The Wii version, sadly, does not.

A title that doesn't try to do anything new and different in the action/platformer realm, but it does manage to capture some of the spirit and whimsy of the movie it is based on.

In general Ys: The Ark of Napishtim is a competent game that isn't really flawed technologically aside from the loading issues, and is better than other US-released role players, but the game isn't exactly brimming with excitement thanks to a cliché story and ultimately repetitive hack and slash action.

White Knight Chronicles is a decent attempt at making a hybrid RPG, creating something for offline and online players. However, the emphasis on both has made the game somewhat half-baked.

The confusion created by the messy HUD and annoying radio chatter, along with the repetitive missions makes this a rather forgettable rental.

An overly simple combat engine combined with clunky controls, a clumsy camera, and marginal graphics bog down the idea of playing "god" in the virtual matrix.

Although Live is stunning but stripped exactly like the rest of EA Sports’ lineup, the fact that it has competition is its biggest setback if you’re looking for a long-term basketball game.

Its action, its story telling, its graphical and audible structure: these things don't match up to any good.

A game with great ideas but bad execution in many ways. Pinball has always been a quick fix kind of game, just like old-school arcade games, and Flipnic really doesn't emphasize quickness, but rather dedication in order to finish challenges across all the tables.

A textbook example of wasted potential.

Kane deserved better.

Whoever got the idea that being good was bad and that being bad was good wasn't as smart as the person who thought being good and bad at the same time was where it's at.

There's much more worth mentioning here - the lobotomized AI, the nonexistent collision detection, the bare-minimum sound design, and cliché characterizations - that make Alpha Protocol feel like a four-year old game.

Based on price alone, it wouldn’t be far fetched to assume that the game is a one-trick pony, but surprisingly, there is a nice handful of minigames to test out.

You'll play Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll in spurts, because it's fun for a while. But the game's control problems will eventually cause the charm to wear off. And then the lid will be nailed back on the barrel and the monkeys won't come out to play again.

The presentation leaves something to be desired, but the price tag – either free or for $10 – is totally worth it for those who want some casual fun in their Xbox 360 rotation.

Although losing track of your character in all of the commotion on screen is a serious problem and button mashing is a result, if you have a short attention span and love chaotic gameplay, Red Hot Rumble may be right for you.

It’s got a fantastic betting concept, rich customization and a couple of RPG elements throw into the fighting gameplay. On the other hand, the actual gameplay is slow and sometimes boring and the graphics don’t do much to inspire any life into the title.

Overhead racing fans in particular will be able to stop comparing any new entry in the genre to a game that is more than 20 years old and will instead be able to point to Scrap Metal as an exemplar of the genre.

Given the much too difficult AI, the pre-load that leaves you anywhere but on track and the ATV being placed in the most annoying locations, gamers that are easily frustrated will definitely want to look elsewhere.

Contra on the XBLA is well worth a look for Contra completists and other fans of side scrolling shooters, but most people will get their fill with the demo download.

NBA 06 is a tale of features over gameplay – and that's kinda sad seeing how skimpy the feature set is.