Lets you race through four action movies that have been melted down and poured out on the pavement - who are we to criticize that? [July 2010, p.74]

Simply having the game online is a significant enough step forward. [Feb 2003, p.77]

Shank 2 isn't quite as robust or refreshing as its predecessor, but it's another damn fine (and fun!) downloadable adventure.

Aimed at pre-teens--some overly cutesy characters and patronizing narration make it a little too cloying for grown-up gamers--Thrillville hits its marks well on most fronts. [Jan. 2007, p.75]

Revolution definitely punches up the Black Ops II multiplayer experience with fantastic maps and an SMG, while the exciting new "Die Rise" sweetens the deal.

With three "episodes"--two story episodes and Croft Manor--the price tag is easily justifiable: Anniversary offers a respectable four to eight hours per slice. [Holiday 2007, p.76]

Joe Danger has a potent ace up his sleeve: a flexible level editor that lets you easily build new tracks even as you roll and rocket through them. Joe Danger 2's movie sets don't always know the difference between a joy ride and a death race, but this feature alone is bound to keep fresh, fun new content flowing for ages.

NASCAR 08's driving model is so demanding that you should probably stop diddling with those half-inch thumbsticks on the stock controller and buck up for Microsoft's wireless wheel. With physics this good, it's a worthwhile upgrade for NASCAR fans. [Sept 2007, p.77]

Whether you're tackling it solo or with friends, Simpsons Arcade likely won't take more than an hour to run through from start to finish, making the $10 price tag seem a little steep. Even so, there's a lot to take in, especially in this version.

Though the combat grows repetitive, the game manages to look lovely while you slap around your foes. If you’re a fan of large-scale battle games à la Dynasty Warriors but prefer to play solely as one character, Circle of Doom makes for a great after-holiday snack.

Condemned 2 was designed to mess with your head, and boy, does it succeed. We’re glad we got the chance to return to Metro City, but the old town has changed — in some ways for the better, but a little for the worse.

With just one map for each lane approach (split between two play styles), Guardians' limited scope left us itching for just a bit more variety. But the game rewards obsessive, repeated play with extensive tactical depth, making such a streamlined approach remarkably effective.

Even when your objectives sound about as thrilling as a Sunday-afternoon grocery run, the sheer chaos Heller unleashes upon the distressed and detailed world of New York Zero while completing them keeps Prototype 2 from feeling like a chore. If you can turn off your brain and just enjoy the frenzied carnage, you'll have a blast.

If you can weather the campaign's slow start and the game's wildly overwrought menu system, you'll find more than enough incredible content here to satisfy your Akrid-killing, giant robot-piloting fix. [June 2010, p.74]

A full, unique experience that's equal parts familiar and new, technical and mashy.

But it’s that feeling of stumbling into gunfights — ones that aren’t meticulously designed with shoulder-high slabs of concrete to hide behind — that makes Metro so organic…and unlike anything else on Xbox 360.

Defiance's story and visuals really shine through. The combat may be repetitive, but it's solid and fun and the well-paced plot does a great job of tying the knot with the long paths of Kain and Raziel. [Jan 2004, p.80]

The design has managed to capture the essence of the genre while making everything contextual to your controller, an impressive feat. [Jan 2004, p.84]

Colonies ups the frigid fun and arachnid ass-kicking while lowering the price: thirty bones buys the original's content plus tons of new multi- and single-player offerings. [June 2008, p.77]

The best thing here is still the three games, which hold up amazingly well after all this time. You could get them by buying the now-very-cheap Ultimate Genesis Collection (which includes dozens of other classics), but for purists, these fully featured versions are a must.

Though Dead Block's zombie combat would benefit from easier targeting, its rockabilly music, amusing characters (zombie clowns, anyone?) and manic pacing more than compensate. The campy madness only gets better in split-screen co-op, so not having online multiplayer is a shame, but for hectic puzzle-action fun, this game delivers.

It's a solid, fun fighter for sure, but it also lacks that special something previous installments had. Dead or Alive is a series known for pushing the envelope in many different ways, and DoA 5 simply doesn't deliver that same sense of daring design that previous titles offered.

A handful of heinous difficulty spikes will try your patience - especially when you're protecting something other than your own backside - but even in the game's roughest moments, its unexpected diversity keeps you engaged.

If you're an armchair general, it's hard to imagine a more appealing game on your Xbox than this. [Feb 2005, p.76]

It's like a bunny-sloper stuck in five feet of powder. [Dec 2005, p.118]

Okay, so you're mostly just blasting away at anyone not wearing your current colors, but it's still plenty addictive.

It's a dense, intelligent game, and we felt smart for having finish[ed] it. [Sept 2011, p.78]

Ultimately, GHIII succeeds as a polished technical workout for top-tier shredders, but the game's magic was never really about pressing buttons anyway--it was about making the player feel like, well, a guitar hero. Now, we just feel unworthy. [Dec 2007, p.64]