Soul Nomad is a pretty strange game... but what emerges is a game with an old aesthetic, but new twists, making gameplay fresh and exciting.

It's too hard at the beginning for newcomers and young ones, too simple in its stage and artistic direction, and overall, it plays like a prototype to the previous and superior Katamari titles.

The story and setting are cute and fun and the drawing aspect is nicely integrated into the whole package, but this is supposed to be a game, not an interactive story and art experience.

If you're tempted to rip through Twisted Metal: Head-On: Extra Twisted Edition's multiple courses, tantalizing bonus content, or both, keep in mind that it's not for everyone.

It's not impossible to learn the button layout, and the camera gets a little less broken with practice. Exploring the vast world of Monster Hunter is a lot of fun, and there are so many well thought-out systems that it seems like there's always something new to discover or create.

Fun, but short, pretty, yet too easy to crack open and finish within hours, shooter fans might want to try the trial version before giving it the full noteworthy decision of point shelling.

Gripshift tries to do a lot of thing, and while it doesn't succeed at everything there's a huge amount of content available for what it does best.

Like any good tool, though, the amount of enjoyment gotten from Jam Sessions is going to be directly related to how much work goes in.

What it lacks is the spark that elevates a merely decent game to greatness, but it's still a fun time for people who dig the duck and shoot style gameplay.

It's shallow, very easy, and tells a goofy story with all the sap of an after school special. That said, it's a very good kids' game, with some fresh ideas, and a unique blend of gameplay styles that make for a very appealing package.

I just wish it had been a little less polished and a little more ambitious, focusing more on the story and developing additional abilities for the player to gain as the action progresses. It'll never be game of the year, but it's a solid experience no FPS fan should overlook.

It's best to get Cooking Mama 2: Dinner With Friends for a younger relative, and then borrow it when they aren't looking.

Mana Khemia offers plenty of humor, great looking 2D graphics, solid music, and a combat system that makes the turn-based approach a little more hands on.

THQ had an opportunity to cash in on an expensive license with a barely-there effort, but instead decided to spend the time and resources necessary to build a racing game that offers lots of fun for kids and fans of the movie.

I haven’t made it to the Lair of the Golden Condor yet, but I'll give it a go every once in a while. It's a great way to kill some time and enjoy a style of gameplay we don’t often see anymore.

It's a lot of (very familiar) fun, but like an overpriced concert t-shirt, there's no escaping the feeling that it's not quite the value it looked when enthusiasm had free reign over your wallet.

The final level, which should have been the deciding factor in a game constantly wobbling between pretty fun and mildly aggravating, became tarnished by the drudgework of forced repetition. NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams still ends up being a decent game, but it should have been so much better.

It would have been improved immensely by true, accurate aiming, but even without it's always a good time blowing away terrorists and earning new weapons for the next play-through.

R-Type Command is an excellent chunk of addictive gaming set in a military sci-fi space opera, and an easy recommendation for anyone with the small amount of patience a good strategy game requires.

The action is solid and fun, but ultimately lacks anything truly exceptional to stand out from the pack.

If you can round up at least three friends online, the game's problems and shortcomings tend to fade into the background.

Space Giraffe does an incredible job of tying score to performance, and the feeling that there's always a way to squeeze a few more points out of a level provides amazing replay value.

The arranged soundtrack is the greatest gift this collection has to offer.

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition is a powerful, bombastic exercise in mayhem.

A brilliant idea on paper.

If you're not into the challenge of doing something over and over trying to get your name higher on a leaderboard there won't be much here for you.

Capcom of Japan is learning from the West in their game design, and learning how to do a PC port the right way. It's clear that this is alien territory for them, and they have missed some opportunities along the way. Still, they have created an enjoyable game and a port that satisfies, even if it isn't as grand as it could have been.

While lacking a bit of the depth and complexity of King of Fighters XI, Neogeo Battle Coliseum makes up for it in character variety.