While Dirt 3 takes surprising steps backward in terms of social networking, thereby limiting its addictiveness, it's still the best way to head off-road without winding up in the hospital.

Yes, it's flawed, but L.A. Noire is an honest-to-goodness detective crime thriller - a genuine breath of fresh air that values narrative and story above all else in an age where scripted action sequences and online deathmatch rule the day. It's the closest thing Xbox has to PlayStation's unique adventurer Heavy Rain.

Jack might be the star, but you'll have more fun with the supporting cast once his spotlight dims.

Unless ghostbusting is in your very marrow, Sanctum isn't worth the headaches. [June 2011, p.88]

We pined for more varied gameplay sequences, like the chase segment that forced us to teleport ahead of obstacles to avoid a giant monster bearing down on us, but they're too few and far between. [June 201188]

For that reason alone, we'd say this game makes a great distraction for younger kids(especially since you can share the mini-game fun with any friend who wants to jump in), but the young at heart will likely need something more. [June 2011, p.85]

Da Vinci doesn't hit consistent highs, but it's a fresh and fairly priced reason to dive back into Brotherhood months after its debut. [June 2011, p.85]

Fortunately, these stumbles won't keep you from enjoying most of Carnival's offerings, especially if you play it with friends. [June 2011, p.83]

Granted, even with a friend in tow, the missions all feel the same--which rings true of DW7 as a whole. [June 2011, p.83]

Perseverance will make you a better player, while earning you new units to exploit in enjoyably unpredictable multiplayer duels. [June 2011, p.82]

As long as you're not dead-set on playing by yourself, don't miss one of the most exciting and habit-forming co-op experiences on Live Arcade. [June 2011, p.81]

Battle: Los Angeles is a slapped-together shooter that'll take you less time to finish than it does to watch the movie it is based on--and it'll cost you almost the same amount of money. [June 2011, p.81]

Ultimately, Virtua Tennis 4 tries to please everyone by walking a fine line between sim and arcade, but regrettably, it never commits to either camp. [June 2011, p.80]

For a first-time effort, NASCAR 2011 has lots to like. But it needs some serious behind-the-wall garage time to get its setup right. [June 2011, p.79]

Make no mistake: the latest iteration in the Operation Flashpoint series has plenty wrong with it. But it burger-chomping, chain-smoking heart beats with a fiery tenacity that's unrivaled in the current console era. [June 2011, p.78]

But for now, you're buying what feels like an early beta test. [June 2011, p.77]

Nailing distant opponents with your main cannon sometimes demand more luck than skill, and you'll occasionally get stuck behind objects that obstruct your view, but most of the time you'll just have a blast blowing things to hell and gone. [June 2011, p.55]

The action does start to drag in the last couple of hours...If you're excited by even the slightest hint of carnage, though, the rubblelicious Armageddon delivers. We absolutely got what we came for: an exciting sci-fi shooter with carnage galore and some of the most crazy-powerful guns we've seen in ages. [June 2011, p.50]

Portal 2 isn't dessert - it's a delectable multi-course meal at a five-star restaurant. Make your reservation now.

Mortal Kombat still isn't quite up to Street Fighter's level of complexity, but it's a deep, incredibly brutal fighter nonetheless, offering tons of variety and hidden extras. It's a goofier reboot than we were expecting, but it's also the most fun the MK series has been in years.

Multiplayer lets you and up to three friends either break into teams of two for score battles or play cooperatively, sharing dancing and singing duties on songs. Even with four of you, though, you'll still miss the one presence that's in short supply: Michael Jackson.

It's good, solid fun, but it offers very little that we haven't experienced before. [May 2011, p.68]

Yar's Revenge isn't bad, but all its pleasures are decidedly short-lived. [May 2011, p.71]

Some of the bigger bosses are fun to take down, and the grim backgrounds are often quite pretty, but robotically pounding or charging the X button for hours on end will wear down the will-power of even the most stalwart gamers. [May 2011, p.71]

This repetition, combined with Severed's short runtime(two chapters beaten in around two hours), keeps it squarely in the realm of diehard devotees. [May 2011, p.75]

If Mayhem 3D emphasized convincing handling and powerful impacts over graphic-novel gimmickry, we might've spent less time grinding gears and more time high on adrenaline. [May 2011, p.75]

When Lego Star Wars III sticks to the basics, it's still a crowd-pleaser. [May 2011, p.76]

Even if Hollywood never produces another Rango movie, we want a sequel to the game. [May 2011, p.77]