While these lackluster mini-games are no hidden-object puzzle or "make your own tea" chemistry set (as seen in Laytons 1 and 2), Unwound Future still has a solid set of puzzles for its main adventure, and the story itself is very engaging.

It's always nice to see developers support Wii with quality titles, and certainly this fits the description of a quality title - Sid Meier's Pirates is arguably one of the best games of the last decade. At the same time, the Wii version is - despite the IR and motion controls - probably the weakest of the game's many incarnations, despite being the most expensive.

Sonic 4, on the other hand, should have had a different title, like Sonic the Hedgehog: Re 1&2, because that is what the game feels like. The game may make gamers question if Sonic Team can make a proper, new Sonic title, instead of throwing together elements from over ten years ago and expecting us to be satisfied.

The mechanics are tried-and-true and the actual gameplay is pretty sound. Unfortunately, the game also hurts itself with long load times, the lack of co-op, fuzzy graphics, and a weird menu system, among other issues.

It's frustratingly hard but well-made; easy to pick up but quickly repetitive.

Even with those drawbacks, though, Imageepoch gets serious props for doing what no developer has yet seen fit to do; namely, give Wii owners a party-based RPG free of gimmicks.

A game that looks and sounds good but whose premise only holds up for so long.

Like the platformers of yesterday, Ivy the Kiwi? has an engaging personality all its own– and it's Ivy's table where other games should sit.

Regardless the shortcomings, Nintendo definitely deserves praise for yet again hiring not one but two orchestras to play the game's soundtrack start to end– hearing real strings and percussion, occasionally augmented by sci-fi synthesizer, adds a lushness to the soundtrack that Metroid has long deserved.

As modern games go, this one looks pretty bad, is short, and has very little beyond the core game.

Coupled with its simple story and addicting post-game play, one of the greatest triumphs of Dragon Quest IX is that it manages to be a serious role-playing game without taking itself too seriously.

Overall, Batman: The Brave and The Bold elevates the brawler genre with an interactive, funny story.

Broken Rules is a small developer that focuses on downloadable games, and it has crafted a very enjoyable experience with its debut game, given the time and resources it has to work with. We hope this isn't the last we see from the developer.

The slick production values jazz up the game, and the Metroidvania exploration works on a basic level. Spidey fails to sling off the ground because of repetitive combat and a lack of variety. The world feels a bit lifeless.

Galactic Taz Ball is just one more licensed game that WayForward has turned into something of a sleeper gem.

The control and QA problems are unfortunate, really, because this is easily the best Spider-Man game in nearly every other respect.

Risky Revenge's soundtrack is phenomenal. Even with diverse settings, each music track complements the location you're in and seamlessly transitions into the next track as you travel the various locations.

Altogether, Owls of Ga'Hoole is a fun game with many positive attributes but one major flaw that significantly detracts from its overall value.

Overall, Monster Hunter Tri is a long game with great online co-op on a console not known for either.

Sure, the game barely scratches the surface of the instrument and its composition tools are pretty much useless, but the rhythm game contained within is fairly solid, has a strong selection of good classical music, is made all the more realistic and even a bit educational, thanks to the included piano peripheral.

Games aren’t beauty pageants, though, and while this game looks good, it isn’t really that interesting.

There's a lot of content and novel concepts in this game, but you'll need to look past the cheesier elements and muddy presentation to love what's underneath.

Despite all these gripes, Rooms is still a blast to play. While $30 may seem a bit steep for the title that, when boiled down, is nothing more than an advanced slide puzzle, once the game inevitably lands in the bargain bins it is definitely recommended for any puzzle fan.

Nicalis did a fantastic job of turning one of the best indie games of all time into something Wii owners could be proud to download.

The space action, although basic, is addictive. The land action, though mostly text-based, remains fun throughout. The storyline, too, is powerful, thanks both to subplots that are complex without being confusing and a vast array of great characters, who shine despite being essentially static images.

Deca Sports DS could have been so much better. Hudson had most of the game locked down, but the controls are awful. The game had to have been play tested, and there is no reason as to why they weren’t fixed.

Newcomers to the series will be well-treated if jumping into the series at this game, and long time fans will also be immensely satisfied, left only with a wonder of who will headline the next sequel that cannot come too soon.

Between the broken controls, the annoying protagonist and godawful soundtrack, Crime Scene is best left, to use police terms, in the dusty backroom of unsolved cases.