As with every music game, it's all about the replay value, and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock has plenty of that. I can't say enough good things about the quest mode, Party Play is shaping up to be more user-friendly than ever, and the amount of competitive and co-op gameplay options are all great fun.

This is the best Guitar Hero title to date and it returns to the formula that worked so well for Guitar Hero III. The storyline differentiates it from the competition and its over-the-top heavy metal look and feel work for it quite well.

This is Civilization at its best and over time it will ripen like a fine wine and become a masterpiece. 2K Games have outdone themselves in making some massive changes without changing the core gameplay and alienating their fans.

Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City is for hardcore RPG fans only. Those looking for a challenging title that will deliver 50 to 80 hours of gameplay will not be disappointed.

Cladun may not be the deepest RPG in the world, but it has a ton of playtime, and with short levels you can easily pick it up at any point and jump right in.

Worms 2: Armageddon is an excellent multiplayer game, but a so-so singleplayer game.

If you just enjoy good adventure games with a heavy dose of action, then be sure to give Shattered Dimensions a look.

If you just enjoy good adventure games with a heavy dose of action, then be sure to give Shattered Dimensions a look.

If you have been curious by the hype behind the NHL, then now might be the time to check it out, especially with next year's football season in limbo. NHL 11 looks good, sounds good, and plays even better. It scores a hat trick with its on ice gameplay, deep EAUHL experience, and flexibility to be fun for casual gamers and the hardcore gamers as well.

While I can't call it a worthy successor to the more recent titles, it does manage to approximate the feel of a Metroid game. For the first and only title that Nintendo has let out of the barn, I'd have to say it is a worthy, if incomplete, effort.

Overall, the game is a solid taste of things to come and if the final game sticks the landing, then we're all in for a good zombie-killing time.

They've put in more weapons, game modes, and customization while keeping the basic game underneath unchanged. If you enjoy turn-based strategy or simply exploding barrels of oil on top of your friends, you'll enjoy Worms: Reloaded.

If you want a game that will make you think quick on your feet, but not over burden you with a convoluted story, then Ivy the Kiwi may be for you.

Side missions are decidedly absent, the sandbox has no toys to play with, the combat mechanic is a little rough, and you'll spend as much time driving around as you do watching cutscenes. Thankfully the story is decent and different than other crime-based titles, even if it is a completely linear affair.

If you're looking for a deep, meaningful commentary on life and man's inhumanity to man, then you're looking in the wrong place. Shank may be a cliché story, but it's a cliché story that's executed exceedingly well and should be appreciated as such.

The mortal sin of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is that the co-op is only available, for now, locally. Your buddy needs to be on the same machine, you can't play with anyone online. There is a future patch that promises to implement online co-op, but for now it isn't there and that will have a tragically major effect on many people's abilities to experience it.

If you're a fan of fantasy novels, RPGs, Choose Your Own Adventure, Harry Potter, life simulators or all of the above, Academagia will probably feed your need while not draining your bank account (at least, not until you're hooked and the next four games come out).

I can't say with certainty that it is a result of the patch, but I can say that I feel that this game plays on the field much better than last year's version.

While the game doesn't break any new ground in the JRPG genre, it does help to the fill the JRPG void that the Wii suffers from.

Blizzard was facing a monumental challenge when it came to releasing a sequel for the genre-defining Starcraft, and they have answered that challenge magnificently.

Anyone who's played NBA Jam will feel right at home from the very beginning of HoopWorld. You'll be passing, shooting and making wild dunks, but with a few twists.

DarkStar One is a fairly big (and dangerous) world; while it isn't always the prettiest game nor does it host a wide variety of missions like other contemporary sandbox titles, the important thing to know is this: for a 4 year old port it still manages to bring something new to the table that is fun and the combat works, and in the end isn't that exactly what we want out of our games?

In other words, if you have a passing interest in the Dragon Quest series, you need to play Dragon Quest 9. It's not going to win any awards for originality, but it shows that, in some cases, iteration is preferable to evolution.

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge is a game to be played for the nostalgia factor, and for those who never played it the first time. I'd also throw in die-hard fans of the series, but people new to the franchise will be left scratching their heads unable to grasp what the big whoop was in the first place.

Crackdown 2 is a game that's heavy on action, gameplay and interacting with your friends. At the time of this review, I can't think of another sandbox style game that allows cooperative multiplayer that is this fun and accessible.

The key word throughout this review has been "surprising." Pearl Harbor Trilogy: 1941 - Red Sun Rising is way better than it has any reason to be. Legendo, the developer, is definitely on the right track with this one. If any of this sounds interesting to you, this game can be purchased for only $7 on WiiWare, and I guarantee you'll have a good time with it.

Atlus has done an incredible job with creating a portable version of Persona 3, and if you are a fan of the series or are looking for a JRPG to add to your collection, then P3P is definitely worth getting.

PQ2 retains much of the same addictive nature from it's predecessor and will likely please most fans of the series, as long as they can tolerate the lackluster visuals and some unique (and occasionally frustrating) new gameplay mechanics.

So where do we stand with Singularity? It's not going to set the world on fire with new features as a great many are borrowed from other games. That said, they are handled with care and given a new coat of polish courtesy of the Time Manipulation Device.

While I can't say that Singularity is chock full of new ideas, the few it brings to the table are worth the price of admission.

APB attempts to combine the feel of an MMO with the PvP of a first person shooter. By themselves, each concept works well. But here, each feels like it only received partial effort.

Naughty Bear is an example of a game that fundamentally misses the mark - there are a ton of fantastic, creative ideas here that sound great on paper, but are so poorly executed that it just doesn't work.

Still, fans of retro-adventure titles and those just bored of the "same old same old" in the hidden object field may find themselves captivated by A Gypsy's Tale's storybook charm.

As it stands, however, it will probably just end up disappointing Risk players old and new. In a Live Arcade packed with great games competing for your dollar, Risk: Factions just winds up being one die roll short of a win.

It isn't deep. It won't set a new standard for action games. But I had a great time playing and I believe you will too. This is the first Transformers game I've been excited about, and having played it I can say that my excitement was validated.

If you wanted to play with the newly designed Transformers but only have a Wii, go out and purchase a PS3 or Xbox 360 and a copy of War for Cybertron. You might be spending more money, but it will be well spent compared to this game.

Over-all, War for Cybertron DS was mediocre.

Over-all, War for Cybertron DS was mediocre.

If you're up for a challenging mental workout that offers just enough action to keep your fingers from getting bored, you'll definitely want to give Puzzle Dimension a spin.

However, I get very angry when a game aims for the ground and misses. And falls over. And then poops itself. That's Arcade Sports in a nutshell.

Niche products like Green Day: Rock Band have an obvious audience – Green Day fans. If you are a fan of the band, you’ve probably already got a copy of the game. If you aren’t a fan of the band, this product likely won’t make you one.

If it was a full price PSP game, it really wouldn't be worth the money, but at $20 and the sheer number of endings, it's probably worth it for fans of Disgaea or adventure games in general.

It was a great game on the PSP, but when playing it on the PS2 from your couch, with surround sound and a TV bigger than a post card, the game is simply average.

Uneven is probably the best description when it comes to Blur. On the one hand the audio work is lacking overall, but the developers went the extra mile to add plenty of sound effects to show if you're racing on pavement or off-road.

Uneven is probably the best description when it comes to Blur. On the one hand the audio work is lacking overall, but the developers went the extra mile to add plenty of sound effects to show if you're racing on pavement or off-road.

While there will certainly be debate on the online license change (when it eventually works), there is no doubt that UFC 2010 is a vast improvement over its predecessor.

While there will certainly be debate on the online license change (when it eventually works), there is no doubt that UFC 2010 is a vast improvement over its predecessor.

At the end of the day a 2D shooter is all about the gameplay and Soldner-X 2 nails that department.

If you have any interest in platform games at all, or were a platform gamer when you were young and gravitated away from them over time, I implore you to play Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Alan Wake is definitely art, and is well written enough to keep my wife and I on the edge of our seats from beginning to end. If I can admit something, and give Alan Wake the biggest compliment I can bestow, I’d tell you that I had a nightmare about the game the night after I completed it. No horror game has ever managed that feat or even come close. It may have taken them five years to kick it out of the door, but Remedy has created a masterpiece.

Rockstar San Diego has captured the environment and the emotion of the time masterfully. So much is done right that the bugs which do exist do not detract from the game. If you enjoy open-world titles at all, Red Dead Redemption should be in your gaming library.

While there are some niggling bugs and occasional minor frustrations in the game, Red Dead Redemption gets so many things right that you’ll hardly even notice. Red Dead Redemption is the best Western game I’ve seen and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

While the game may have started off weak, it picks up pretty quickly and can even keep an adult entertained – a feat few kids games can pull off.

This is a game for the person who likes revenge or the person who likes to strategize. Whether you play through the story mode or the online mode you will encounter different environments and their derivatives that promise to leave you in the game until the very end.

Unfortunately, some basic gameplay decisions with the way the camera is handled and the way weapons and 'mechs are implemented hold this title back from its full potential.

It’s definitely worth a look if you’re after something a little outside of the ordinary, and is certainly worthy of at least a cautious recommendation.

This was Nintendo’s second effort at putting Picross on the DS, but they really knocked it out of the park here.

At the end of the day, this feels like a reboot that needed a little antivirus first.

It's a game I adored without really being able to put my finger on why, and even with the heavy-hitter, AAA titles that have come out this year, I'd say Nier is simply one of the most enjoyable and unique gaming experiences of 2010.

Monster Hunter Tri is a fantastic trip into a strange world, and a trip that you'll definitely want to take.

Those looking for a truck driving sim will find a decent simulation here that doesn't really add anything new to the genre but doesn't significantly detract from it either. Those who are expecting a game that brings truck driving sims into the mainstream, however, will likely find themselves falling asleep at the wheel.

The gameplay of Final Fight holds up surprisingly well, even if it is repetitive.

Yes, it's campy and silly in parts, and yes, it's not something many western audiences are going to be used to. However, I feel that Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love is definitely worth the look.

Yes, it's campy and silly in parts, and yes, it's not something many western audiences are going to be used to. However, I feel that Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love is definitely worth the look.

With fighting games coming back into vogue in such a big way over the past year, anticipation was quite high for a next-gen entry into the Samurai Showdown legacy. Unfortunately, bad design choices, uneven gameplay, and a limited number of gameplay options ruin this title for all but the most hardcore Samurai Showdown fan.

The amount of swagger and sheer fun in “Just Cause 2” is tremendous, and needs to be played by you right this second.

It has a tough, old-school feeling to it, but it does feel more accessible compared to other Shin Megami Tensei games.

From my perspective, this title fails to find its audience – it doesn’t deliver enough content for the older kids, and the frustration factor is too high for younger kids. I’d say you could catch this one when Toys R’ Us runs their next 2-for-1 sale, but I’d be hard pressed to recommend it at full retail price.

From my perspective, this title fails to find its audience – it doesn’t deliver enough content for the older kids, and the frustration factor is too high for younger kids. I’d say you could catch this one when Toys R’ Us runs their next 2-for-1 sale, but I’d be hard pressed to recommend it at full retail price.

It's currently the finest game available for WiiWare, and one of the best games available for the Wii.

If you are willing to spend time with the control scheme, then you can find a satisfying experience, especially if you enjoy playing online. If you are the kind of person who enjoys the singleplayer experience, then you may feel slighted by the weak campaign.

It might take you a bit to get your space legs, but once you do you're in for a great ride.

By making the incomprehensible decision to change almost every aspect of the series’ classic gameplay, then serving it up in a lackluster campaign, the developers managed to alienate old fans and new fans alike.

Both the stealth and shooting elements of this game are largely broken, leaving only the story elements and features I mentioned above to hold it all together. Perplexed, I’ll have to say that if I’m only left with the excellent story and ambiance, I think I’ll just buy the book instead.

Saving the best for last, God of War III requires NO install and the load times are fairly short, few, and far between. That's pretty amazing for a game that takes up over 35 Gigs of space on the BluRay disc.

If you own a Wii and you are looking for something different that will challenge your emotions then give Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon a shot.

If you enjoyed Dragon Age: Origins, this is must have expansion.

It's another great WiiWare game that will give you about 5-7 hours of playtime, and as long as you're a fan of Punch-Out or even like it in passing, you'll enjoy Rage of the Gladiator.

Square-Enix should receive high praise indeed for their continued willingness to take chances with their flagship intellectual property. While many of the JRPG standards are missing, what remains is an incredible game experience.

While I hesitate to call Yakuza 3 a sandbox game, it certainly provides you with an open game where you can participate in a huge number of minigames and side quests. It also offers a fairly lengthy and intriguing main storyline.

While the emphasis on the story of Final Fantasy XIII makes for an interesting tale, the gameplay feels sacrificed, making FFXIII a good game but unfortunately not a great one.

Overall, the best descriptor I can use for Lunar SSH is “charming”. While many things may feel antiquated or cliché, the entire package has this old-school familiarity that can’t help but bring a smile to your face.

MLB 09: The Show was a great Next Gen restart for the franchise, and MLB 10: The Show delivers nicely on that promise.

The most important thing you need to know about MLB 10: The Show is that it plays a very solid game of baseball.

The problem with Alganon is that for one, it's simply so 'ho-hum' and simply boring that it couldn't sustain my interest for very long at all. Second, the largest issue isn't that Alganon is broken so much as that it simply is unfinished.

It’s film noir, it’s drama, but most accurately it is unique. I’ve played literally thousands of games on every platform under the sun, but Heavy Rain really connected with me.

The game plays just like side-scrollers of old and doesn't really apologize for not trying to do anything innovative.

If this were a PSP game I may be able to overlook a lot of these short comings, but as a PS3 game, Last Rebellion is disappointing.

Unless you’re in desperate need of an old-school adventure with a serial killer theme, this is one crime you may want to leave unsolved.

If you are looking for a solid third person shooter on the PSP then you will find it here. But, if you only intend to play the single player campaign you really shouldn’t buy this one, maybe rent it instead. The real meat of the game comes from multiplayer co-op.

Suffice it to say, the more you play the more in-depth and rewarding the game becomes. The presentation is top-notch for a game of this genre, with beautiful visuals bringing your island to life and a rollicking score to keep your ears happy

Dynasty Warriors : Strikeforce isn't for everyone - for those who want to play a Phantasy Star Online / Monster Hunter style game with your favorite Romance of the Three Kingdoms characters, you've got yourself a fun game with some strong online legs, assuming you can find like-minded people.

Overall, Bioshock 2 is a good game. Not stupendous like the first one, but then again, it doesn't have a lackluster ending like the first one did.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope - International gets so many things right that it is easy to look past its weaknesses.

Don't get me wrong, there's a ton of things to do in the game, there's just not much depth to it at this stage of things.

White Knight Chronicles has an excellent look and feel, and throws in enough unique twists on the JRPG genre to make this title something unique, but it is marked more by its missed opportunities and clichés than anything else.

Simply put, Mass Effect 2 is a game that everyone should play.

I was never one of those Minesweeper fanatics, but this game takes an old concept and moves it forward into the 21st Century. You sure do get a bunch of gameplay from a five dollar title and that makes it worth it!