For double-agent wannabes, we suggest renting a copy. Playing through Casino Royale is worth the thrill despite the game’s many flaws. But if you wanted an interactive version of the newest Bond fl ick or a game to replace the Call of Duty experience, Quantum just doesn’t make the cut.

A collection like this should be extremely quick, easy fun, and Museum's quirks detract too much from that. [Holiday 2008, p.74]

Older kids will undoubtedly roll their eyes at this harmless sequel, but its simple platforming hub and dozens of unpredictable mini-game spokes cater nicely to youngsters with short attention spans. [Jan 2009, p.75]

Those intrigued by 19th-century strife should wait for a price drop: $50 is too much to ask for such a slim package. [Jan 2009, p.75]

Unless you dream of defending the president, there are better sacrificies. [Jan 2009, p.76]

But it’s still a letdown. If only this had been packaged with more goodies or delivered digitally for a more reasonable price.

It seems content to merely bridge the gap between the quirky RPG charm of "Episode 1" and whatever's next without even getting out of the car to stretch a bit. [Dec 2008, p.72]

If you and/or your kid love the show enough to tolerate all that…you should still stick with the infinitely superior XBLA game Wits & Wagers.

Games this captivating do not come along often. Between its engrossing story, ginormous world, well-crafted RPG side, and white-knuckle FPS combat, Fallout 3 completely, utterly gives you your $60 worth. [Dec 2008, p.52]

Baja 1000 sputters by with what just might be the worst vehicle handling of the decade. [Jan 2009, p.75]

There's a definite downshift in graphical swagger (no more heat-haze and speed-blur visual effects), but MotoGP 08 delivers pretty much everything else a two-wheeled racing fan could ask for. [Dec 2008, p.87]

The game's at least competent, and that's surely good enough for fans. [Holiday 2008, p.83]

It’s one of the 360’s best social experiences, and one that anyone can enjoy. That it also doles out Gamerscore points like candy on Halloween only makes us even happier to play it.

World Tour is a big leap in content and polish over last year’s game, but we’re disappointed by a few unsatisfying creative calls. The extended song endings aren’t always enhancements, the unlockable gear doesn’t match the effort put forth to earn it, and we prefer Rock Band 2’s looser career-unlock structure. Most of all, Rock Band 2 simply feels more musical and organic; we get the suspicion that some World Tour songs had notes added to their charts simply to make them trickier, and not because the music suggested it.

Clever humor that'll have you chuckling for months. [Dec 2008, p.93]

Fable II is everything Molyneux promised the first time around. It's funny, deep, emotional, epic, and, yes, wildly charming. We are already eager for a second playthrough, and we're betting a lot of you will have exactly the same reaction. [Dec 2008, p.68]

Perhaps the developers should have put a bit less effort into securing voice actors(Mark Hamill, Wayne Brady, and Elijah Wood have roles)and a bit more into fine-tuning the mechanics. [Holiday 2008, p.67]

Shadows has a dark side of its own, with a few glitches like foes and objectives occasionally disappearing or freezing, but they’re not enough to mar this otherwise spectacular adventure.

The biggest disappointment is that the six character classes, experience-based upgrades, and full-featured level editor can't elevate online play past the sheer rote familiarity of deathmatch, capture the flag, and control-point variations. But even though Far Cry 2 isn't quite a sandbox-shooter masterpiece, it is a consistently fun and intensely challenging trek into the ailing heart of the dark continent.

Unfortunately, in the few areas where this version aims for freshness, it comes up flat. [Holiday 2008, p.83]

At best, Disney Sing It is a gateway game to Rock Band or SingStar for Disney Channel devotees. [Dec 2008, p.92]

An extremely solid racer with moments of greatness; but just enough flaws to keep it from the ranks of the classics. [Dec 2008, p.82]

What a colossal mistake! [Dec 2008, p.93]

The included map editor defines the term user-friendly. [Oct 2008, p.84]

Despite its baffling looks, booming resonance, and asymmetrical layout, Rock Revolution’s controller is not actually the game’s biggest problem; it’s Rock Revolution’s note charts and the onscreen icons that make the game so joyless.

Good luck ffinding a game on Live, anyway--the servers are barren, and with cut-rate production values like this, it's not hard to see why. [Holiday 2008, p.83]

We expect a few things from a modern arcade-style brawler: reasonably placed checkpoints, more than one playable character, varied enemies, and multiplayer. Golden Axe: Beast Rider, Sega’s reinvention of the arcade classic, delivers none of them. Perhaps the worst oversight of the bunch is the lack of multiplayer options.

Ironically, these rough edges seem almost at home in the messy, funny, in-your-face world of Saints Row 2. Stilwater isn’t pretty; it’s a dark, dangerous place. But as it turns out, there’re lots of big thrills here, and it’s well worth the $60 to live here for a while — whether you’re a lawful citizen or a would-be gangster.