XBLA's best pure-2D platformer to date.

After 13 years, Duke Forever is ultimately and thoroughly mediocre, with heavy bouts of boredom and frustration mixed in. And yet, for anyone with an appreciation for videogame history, we absolutely recommend giving it a playthrough.

Otherwise, though, this breezy shoot-'em-up is five-plus hours of mindless fun. [Aug 2011, p.85]

As a cheap, on-the-go timewaster, this game might work. But at $1[5], forget it. [Aug 2011, p.83]

Do yourself a favor and download the far superior Torchlight instead. It's not D&D, but it's a heck of a lot more fun to play. [Aug 2011, p.82]

It doesn't take long for The First Templar, a Crusades-era action-adventure, to rear its low-budget head. [Aug 2011, p.82]

But there's not one good reason to visit the same no-frills battlefield a dozen times or more just to grind out the improvements needed to conquer the next chapter. [Aug 2011, p.79]

Rally diehards are better off dropping the extra cash for the excellent Dirt3, or even 2007's Sega Rally Revo. [Aug 2011, p.79]

Gearheads might keep coming back for the toys and outfits, but everyone else will run like hell. [Aug 2011, p.77]

With a great story and production values, that might've been enough, But everything about the game is less-than-heroic, including Thor himself. [Aug 2011, p.77]

It's frustrating, it makes no sense, and it just makes everyone involved want to play something else. [Aug 2011, p.76]

F.E.A.R. 3 isn't expertly polished or perfectly balanced, but it's got sufficient creeping dread and more than enough gameplay variety to fan our desire for more of Alma's apocalyptic evil.

Cars 2 isn't quite gripping or original enough to top the more notable racers that inspired it, and regrettably, its aimless career mode and lack of online play are slight downers. But kids' games and movie games are rarely this polished and entertaining, so we commend Disney for doing this one right.

Dungeon Siege III is among the finer ways you can dungeon-crawl on your 360 these days, and if the developers can iron out its quirks, a sequel (which this game sets up nicely) could be epic.

Shadows of the Damned saddles itself with too much fetch-the-widget downtime to be the wholly unpredictable thrill-ride it aspires to be, but it is stuffed full of boisterous personality and pulse-pounding bloodshed.

For new and old players alike, this sequel is a superb adaptation of the classic CCG.

A marvelous action game that outshines everything in its class. [Aug 2011, p.73]

Breathtaking combination of visuals, music, and motion.

Madness Returns shows substantial flashes of being equal to its predecessor, but its strongest detractions - middling gameplay mechanics, the rushed ending, and that last tier of weapon upgrades being available only as paid DLC - hold it back.

Aging starfighters might be grateful to have a new galaxy to save, but mostly they'll be left pining for the lost glory days of Wing Commander IV and Privateer 2. [July 2011, p.81]

Though Prejudice repeats what most of us missed in the first go-round, it's still an original, must-play multiplayer game, and we'd love to see it take off this time. [July 2011, p.80]

The fact that every cheap death forces you to start a mission over from scratch is just the final nail in Xotic's suffocating coffin. [July 2011, p.81]

Even with the occasional framerate drops(particularly in co-op games), the sheer number of levels plus a deep level editor will keep hardcore shmup fans puzzling their way through for ages. [July 2011, p.79]

Whether you work together or dive in solo, this unique journey is worth taking. [July 2011, p.79]

Sadly, significant omissions derail this misguided offering, making it fairly unfulfilling. [July 2011, p.78]

It's not terrible, but not even the ability to make Grylls drink urine or hollow out a camel for shelter are enough to make it compelling. [July 2011, p.77]

Strania isn't horrible, but its garden-variety blasting is too many light years away from memorable. [July 2011, p.77]

The Fancy Pants biggest problem, though, is that it's just plain dull. [July 2011, p.77]