Simply put, it is an experience, and one that everyone needs to try.

Overall, Shift 2 Unleashed is a fantastic driving game that should satisfy fans on either side of the arcade/simulation spectrum. The game may not be as sheer fun as Hot Pursuit was only six months ago, but could easily occupy a cherished spot on your shelf right next to it.

What feels missing are any additions to the late game modern units or buildings.

Vanquish is fun, it's exciting and it's a fresh take on the cover based shooter that breathes a bit of originality into the genre.

Vanquish is fun, it's exciting and it's a fresh take on the cover based shooter that breathes a bit of originality into the genre.

So the "kill with skill" gameplay and the hilarious, raunchy dialogue more than make up for the game's shortcomings, and a murdery good time for mature gamers can be had without devoting eighty hours of your life.

Battlefield 1943 is proof that the increasing complexity found in some shooters gets in the way of the fun instead of enhancing it.

All in all, this is the perfect procrastinator’s game. It’s light, it’s somewhat challenging and above all, it’s enjoyable without the addiction factor.

It’s also the only title I know of that made me happy while playing it. How often can you say that about a videogame?

It’s definitely one of the best baseball games I’ve come across since my glory days of "The Majors Pro Baseball" on the GameGear.

Halo 3 ODST offers up everything you'd expect from a Halo game. Fast paced action, a decent story, and a great multiplayer experience.

I personally found Resident Evil 5 to be a great addition to a beloved franchise that has been going on for nearly fifteen years, even if it doesn’t represent the series’ finest hour.

Overall, NFS Shift provides an entertaining experience with a decent variety of tracks, locations, and vehicles.

Anniversary is a great game that stops just short of excellence due to a few nagging issues.

However, the game is enjoyable overall, though really only a ‘must have’ for those who can score a million points with their eyes closed and one hand tied behind their back.

Accepting Borderlands on its own terms is key to enjoying the experience. It may be a late comer but this is definitely one of the better games released in 2009.

Enter Bleach: The Blade of Fate. The game delivers great gameplay and superb graphics with plenty of single player game modes like arcade, versus, and challenge.

The variety of achievements will also keep you entertained for a long while. A solid, fun and wholly addictive game that should be purchased on its merits alone.

The visuals are very well done and the sound is simply incredible, especially with the score it has.

In the end UFC is definitely a worthy investment for those that have the patience, and time, to learn how to play the game as it’s intended to be played.

If it weren’t for the bloated playtime and weak set of characters, JC2 would have reached its full potential and become a true franchise title.

Masterfully crafted, Darksiders is clearly a work of passion, and though it borrows a lot of elements from other games, they come together in such a way that will keep you entertained from start to finish.

A co-op mode would have been wonderful, a more fleshed out story-line, additional levels that didn’t take place in dark corridors that herded you from A to B without fail, more multiplayer options; these are all things that should be expected of games being released on next-generation consoles.

Masterfully crafted, Darksiders is clearly a work of passion, and though it borrows a lot of elements from other games, they come together in such a way that will keep you entertained from start to finish.

You can see everything that the game has to offer in one solid evening of gaming, which makes a full price tag hard to swallow. However, Smooth Moves is one of the best rentals that you could make for your next party.

A bit of an odd duck. It combines the new, successful multiplayer system of Modern Warfare with the old, familiar setting of World War II. Though WWII games are a dime a dozen, Call of Duty is still at the top for a reason. The campaign is varied and exciting, and can be played with up to three friends.

Torchlight doesn't really do anything new, per se. It's taken the dungeon-crawling genre and refined it to its best elements.

Race 07 certainly does appeal to the enthusiasts of the serious racing genre, but does a lot to make the game playable by those who aren’t quite familiar with the proper procedure to take a turn without spinning wildly out of control.

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword is simply a fun game to play.

Ninja Gaiden presents a decent package that will entertain you for brief periods of time if hack and slash button mashers are your type of game.

Contra 4 is meant for the hardcore old school crowd, and only for the hardcore old school crowd.

Rhythm Heaven is one of those rare portable games that is so addictive it makes you wish you had a longer commute to work.

Stacking is a fantastic game with some actual content, challenge (so long as you avoid the hint system) and it has a whole lot of charm.

While it doesn't bring any major innovation to the franchise, Guitar Hero 3 is a solid successor and an excellent first outing of the franchise by Neversoft.

Despite a five year gestation period and some unfortunate gameplay flaws, Alan Wake remains a powerhouse of interactive storytelling and sometimes unbearable tension.

It would have been a fantastic film, but as an interactive experience, it isn’t ready for the main stage. The tragic thing is that with some fine tuning and more mid-game jokes it could have been great.

In the end, Marvel Ultimate Alliance is really a better version of the X-Men Legends game with better graphics, a longer story, bigger levels, more powers, more unlockables, more characters and an even better co-op mode. Unfortunately, this is also a game that you may have already played twice before.

If you’re looking for a deep strategy title, then Europa Universalis III is likely for you. With its improved interface and tutorials, it’s possible to lose at least a few hours in the game even if you’re not an enthusiast of the genre.

If you've already got MLB 06, it's difficult to justify the upgrade unless this mode particularly interests you, but for those new to the series then MLB 07 is worth the purchase for any fan of the sport.

If you can get past some significant pacing issues and a storyline that squanders its potential, you'll have a blast playing around with the deep strategy and addictive mechanics of this little gem.

The gameplay itself is enjoyable because of its simplicity, not despite it.

Vegas 2 is easily the best in the long line of Rainbow Six games, and comes very highly recommended for any first person shooter fan looking for a challenge.

An excellent racer, and a must for any fan of any form of racing. It replaces and raises the bar in all categories, mixing a huge amount of quantity in styles, cars, and tracks, with a truckload of quality.

Much like Madden, NHL, or any other hardcore simulation of a sport, F1 2011 is really meant for fans of the sport, and little else. More casual racers won't find what they're looking for here. If you're a hardcore Formula One fan, this is your holy grail.

For someone who is not a die-hard baseball fan, I really enjoyed this game. I can only imagine that if I was crazy for baseball this UMD would only leave my PSP in a year's time when MLB'08 was released.

Whether you rent it or buy it, Extraction is a must play for any mature Wii gamer.

Regardless though, with this game you've got a fun solo and party game that is more than worth the asking price. I mean, if you're a party pooper then you probably won't enjoy it as much when you're losing.

Overall, Shift 2 Unleashed is a fantastic driving game that should satisfy fans on either side of the arcade/simulation spectrum. The game may not be as sheer fun as Hot Pursuit was only six months ago, but could easily occupy a cherished spot on your shelf right next to it.

Trenched delivers a lot for its 1200 Microsoft Points tag. It is a new perspective on tower defense and it makes for some frantic gameplay moments, but it does not skimp on the strategic style of it one bit. The action is exciting and the comedy writing is there and really sells it. Double Fine has created a download that is definitely worth your time.

As a consumer who’s already purchased and played through two X-Men Legends game, I was expecting a bit more of a departure from the safe, established franchise.

While the online aspect truly adds a completely new dimension to the game, Test Drive Unlimited, at its core, is simply one of those rare games that must truly be experienced by all.

It's great for some fast-paced racing with explosions, and the ability to rank up and gain more and more unlockables make it easy and fun to come back to and play just one more race.

A better version of the "X-Men Legends" game with better graphics, a longer story, bigger levels, more powers, more unlockables, more characters and an even better co-op mode

Masterfully crafted, Darksiders is clearly a work of passion, and though it borrows a lot of elements from other games, they come together in such a way that will keep you entertained from start to finish.

I'll give Bioware points for trying to do something different in their world, but they really did have it right the first time in terms of character building and the scope of the story.

The visuals are very well done and the sound is simply incredible, especially with the score it has.

In the end, it seems that Trauma Team has something for everybody, whether you like to take your time, be rushed to save multiple lives, be on the investigative side of things, or just play some ol’ fashioned surgical gameplay.

All this said Mega Man 9 has a lot going for it. It isn’t terrifically expensive but you can have hours of fun with it, trying to master the stages and the Robot Masters.

That said, Condemned 2 is still a heck of an experience that should be played by any who are fans of survival horror type games.

It would have been a fantastic film, but as an interactive experience, it isn’t ready for the main stage. The tragic thing is that with some fine tuning and more mid-game jokes it could have been great.

When this game is running properly, without falling through the ground, NPC dialogue not triggering properly or enemies running through the floor, then it's a very fun journey.

While all of the work that went into Dark Athena is appreciated it doesn’t change the fact that the pacing and level design in the original game far outshines that of anything that the expansion really brings to the table.

The visuals are mind-blowing and the sound is simply incredible, especially with the score it has.

In the end, I'd have to give Nintendo a big pat on the back for this one.

Split/Second is an exciting, fast paced arcade racer that is ever bit as enjoyable as other franchises in this genre.

However, the game is enjoyable overall, though really only a ‘must have’ for those who can score a million points with their eyes closed and one hand tied behind their back.

The gameplay could use a tune-up, and more of a plot would’ve been appreciated, but fans of the Midnight Club series, and street racing in general, will not be disappointed.

It's a game that makes you feel like there aren't enough gaming hours during the summer months.

Enslaved: Journey to the West is definitely a contender for game of the year.

At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself: would Halo Wars be as good as it is, if it wasn’t for the Halo name? The answer is probably not.

Regardless though, with this game you've got a fun solo and party game that is more than worth the asking price. I mean, if you're a party pooper then you probably won't enjoy it as much when you're losing.

It's always nice to see a game developer breaking from the mold and Catherine does that in a huge way. Unfortunately the difficulty is going to alienate a very large amount of people. Tacked on with those who were alienated already when they found out this wasn't an RPG and it's not looking good. We only hope that this game will find the crowd that enjoys both the aggravation of the challenge and the developing storyline that forms the core of Catherine. There is a hell of an experience here if you only have the patience for it.

Once again, from every angle, Saints Row 2 is golden (shiny like the box). You’ll drive around and conquer Stilwater for many hours to come.

It's great for some fast-paced racing with explosions, and the ability to rank up and gain more and more unlockables make it easy and fun to come back to and play just one more race.

Out of Bounds is proof positive that even a simple concept can be turned into an enjoyable game experience for any fans of golf games or even just casual players looking for some fun online play. Tee up.

Nail the Trick mode is a vastly enjoyed innovation and the Mo-Cap functionality added with the more mature story line and cut scenes are a great aspect to the title.

From every angle you take, Saints Row is golden. You’ll drive around and conquer Stilwater for hours to come and enjoy every minute of it.

With more content and a few extras here and there, Lumines II is unquestionably a more complete experience. The tiered difficulty alone warrants an upgrade.

In many ways, Forged Alliance is probably the game to pick up. An improved interface, a new race, and improved mechanics mean that it’s the better of the two titles (although playing as the original three races in skirmish and multiplayer require the original game).

Once again, from every angle, Saints Row 2 is golden (shiny like the box). You’ll drive around and conquer Stilwater for many hours to come.

Vegas 2 is easily the best in the long line of Rainbow Six games, and comes very highly recommended for any first person shooter fan looking for a challenge.

The controls are fairly decent and simple, but the camera is just terrible. It gets stuck behind objects, above them, pointing at awkward angles, and sometimes an area will load and the camera will begin pointing at the floor. Directly at the floor.

Overall, Shift 2 Unleashed is a fantastic driving game that should satisfy fans on either side of the arcade/simulation spectrum. The game may not be as sheer fun as Hot Pursuit was only six months ago, but could easily occupy a cherished spot on your shelf right next to it.

Regardless of how the story ends the experience itself is worth the price of admission.

Overall it’s just a fun card game with a range of people, and playing with friends is basically just like the MSN for gamers, hanging out around a card game and carrying a conversation.

It's great for some fast-paced racing with explosions, and the ability to rank up and gain more and more unlockables make it easy and fun to come back to and play just one more race.

If it weren’t for the bloated playtime and weak set of characters, JC2 would have reached its full potential and become a true franchise title.

Minor quibbles aside, we here at GamingExcellence have never been so happy to be so enraged. It's a great day for gaming when we can welcome id Software back into our living rooms and computer desks. RAGE is an easy candidate for the best game of the year, and was well worth the wait. Don't miss it.

A fun distraction that’s easy to pick up and play, but that won’t really detract from the more feature-packed games on the 360.

The only thing keeping Star Fox 64 3D from being a slam dunk recommendation is the amount of gameplay that you're getting for the game's 40 dollar price tag.

Fire Team Bravo 2 is a perfectly serviceable third person shooter with some tactical qualities, but it’s not the gem of a tactical shooter players have come to love since it’s inception on the PS2.

GoldenEye 007 proves that excellent game design and superb action can overcome limitations of hardware or dated graphical presentation and is the rare Wii game that is just as compelling and addictive online or off.

A few minor quibbles and frustrations aside, Patapon 2 is every bit the worthy successor to its superlative forefather.

On its own, it'd be hard to argue that Black Ops is anything less than phenomenal. But compared to the last couple Call of Duty games, Black Ops doesn't really do anything to set it apart. It is still a great game that shooter fans will love without question – just don't expect it to change your perspective on the long-running series.

Considering that Namco Bandai Games and Monolith Soft originally intended Xenosaga to be a six-part story, this third and final episode manages to efficiently cap the vast majority of unanswered questions and plotlines from the first and second games.

The gameplay could use a tune-up, and more of a plot would’ve been appreciated, but fans of the Midnight Club series, and street racing in general, will not be disappointed.

Regardless though, with this game you've got a fun solo and party game that is more than worth the asking price. I mean, if you're a party pooper then you probably won't enjoy it as much when you're losing.

Overall Mirror’s Edge is a game that should be experienced by anyone who enjoys adventure games.