Rock Band 2 doesn’t revolutionize the series or the genre. It lacks a super defining feature (a la Guitar Hero World Tour’s music creator) but it’s hard to complain when the core game is so good.

But ultimately how much you personally enjoy Guitar Hero: Aerosmith depends on how much you like the band. If you love Aerosmith, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is easily the best Guitar Hero yet.

But ultimately how much you personally enjoy Guitar Hero: Aerosmith depends on how much you like the band. If you love Aerosmith, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is easily the best Guitar Hero yet.

But ultimately how much you personally enjoy Guitar Hero: Aerosmith depends on how much you like the band. If you love Aerosmith, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is easily the best Guitar Hero yet.

But ultimately how much you personally enjoy Guitar Hero: Aerosmith depends on how much you like the band. If you love Aerosmith, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is easily the best Guitar Hero yet.

Battlefield: Bad Company is one of the most entertaining shooters ever released.

Guitar Hero: On Tour does a great job of bringing the Guitar Hero experience to the Nintendo DS.

With solid gameplay and a great presentation, Kung Fu Panda is easy to recommend to fans of the movie or parents looking to entertain their kids with a robust yet accessible action platformer.

With solid gameplay and a great presentation, Kung Fu Panda is easy to recommend to fans of the movie or parents looking to entertain their kids with a robust yet accessible action platformer.

With solid gameplay and a great presentation, Kung Fu Panda is easy to recommend to fans of the movie or parents looking to entertain their kids with a robust yet accessible action platformer.

With solid gameplay and a great presentation, Kung Fu Panda is easy to recommend to fans of the movie or parents looking to entertain their kids with a robust yet accessible action platformer.

With solid gameplay and a great presentation, Kung Fu Panda is easy to recommend to fans of the movie or parents looking to entertain their kids with a robust yet accessible action platformer.

If you're interested in golf games on the PSP, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 is definitely the game to get.

Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars makes the jump to consoles well although it's not perfectly intact.

Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars makes the jump to consoles well although it's not perfectly intact.

Grand Theft Auto IV is undoubtedly one of the strongest games of this generation. The amount of content is simply mind-blowing.

The presentation is excellent, as is expected from Gran Turismo’s debut on the PS3. The game certainly fills a void in the PS3’s library but the relative lack of content (only 70 cars and 6 tracks), means that only the Gran Turismo diehard should pick up Prologue.

Dark Sector doesn’t try to revolutionize the action game genre. It just wants you to have fun, by killing enemies with an awesome weapon and going online to do the same. And it certainly succeeds as being a fun game, with great presentation values.

It’s a very fun, engaging game that fits in with Sony’s casual positioning for the PS2.

Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds is one of the most fun games available for the PS3 and certainly a great new-generation start for the franchise

On its own merits, though, Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is an excellent shooter, with some of the best controls and gunplay on any shooter.

Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz is another fine trivia game and a great addition to the Buzz! franchise. If you’re a movie buff or like movie trivia, you’ll love the game.

As a single-player game, the AI flaws begin to add up in an annoyance, so it is strongly recommended that you play with another player in split-screen or online

God of War: Chains of Olympus is one of the few PSP games that deliver a console experience while tweaking the formula for the PSP.

The polished graphics, new missions and classes, and multiplayer mode are all icing on the cake for a game that is genuinely funny and provides a rather unique experience.

The polished graphics, new missions and classes, and multiplayer mode are all icing on the cake for a game that is genuinely funny and provides a rather unique experience.

Ninja Reflex is definitely worth playing but unless you’re planning on making extensive use of the game’s multiplayer mode, there isn’t enough content here to warrant the $40 price tag.

MLB 08: The Show easily wins the “most improved” award but it may very well be the best PS3 baseball game. It plays well, looks amazing, and really showcases the power of the PS3.

However, on the PS2 and PSP, Sony San Diego was able to bring over a lot of the gameplay and AI improvements, making MLB 08 one of the best playing baseball games on either platform.

However, on the PS2 and PSP, Sony San Diego was able to bring over a lot of the gameplay and AI improvements, making MLB 08 one of the best playing baseball games on either platform.

Major League Baseball 2K8 is a great baseball game. Kush Games made plenty of improvements to the core baseball engine, most of which are wholly welcome.

Patapon is a wonderful experience. It’s a rare novel idea that only comes along so often and shows the potential of the PSP.

Conflict: Denied Ops isn’t going to set the world on fire. The game isn’t worthwhile by yourself (mostly because the little friendly AI issues add up and the enemy AI’s annoyance factor is multiplied when you’re dealing with it alone), but if you’re going to play it with a friend, it provides a guilty pleasure.

Conflict: Denied Ops isn’t going to set the world on fire. The game isn’t worthwhile by yourself (mostly because the little friendly AI issues add up and the enemy AI’s annoyance factor is multiplied when you’re dealing with it alone), but if you’re going to play it with a friend, it provides a guilty pleasure.

Overall, the gameplay is stale and the presentation is below average.

As mentioned above, Turok isn't perfect (decent but not great human opponents, too few checkpoints, sometimes repetitive waves of enemies) but if the prospect of man-versus-dinosaur appealed to you, then Turok doesn't disappoint.

Battle for the Pacific's presentation isn't bad but it's gameplay has too many flaws to be recommendable. These flaws become even more apparent in light of the increased FPS competition on the Xbox 360. Skip this.

Rock Band is certainly the most ambitious music game yet and largely succeeds.

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is a solid heist game and a solid co-op game. The premise is very interesting but some of the core gameplay isn’t as polished as some of the other shooters you’ll find this holiday season.

So, is Assassin’s Creed perfect? Not exactly. The main game will run around 20 hours but you’ll see most of what the game offers in the first few.

All in all, Smarty Pants is a very fun trivia game for the Wii. It has great topics, many questions and good (if light) use of the Wii Remote.

Medal of Honor Heroes 2 isn’t going to win awards for being groundbreaking or innovating. But if you’re a Wii owner looking forward to running down some Germans using your new Wii Zapper or just want a good, old-fashioned run-and-gun shooter, then this is your game.

Is Soldier of Fortune: Payback a bad game? No, not really. It's a rather enjoyable (if simple) and good looking shooter. It's just that there have been so many amazing playing and looking games in the past few months, that Payback can't compare in comparison.

On the PS2, the game isn’t helped by an equally mediocre dancing component. It isn’t horrible by any means, but there are cheaper, better karaoke alternatives available on the PS2.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare shows that you don’t have to revolutionize a series to invigorate it.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare shows that you don’t have to revolutionize a series to invigorate it.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare shows that you don’t have to revolutionize a series to invigorate it. The move to modern warfare has enabled Infinity Ward to deliver the most frantic, chaotic shooter ever.

The Bee Movie Game is obviously aimed at younger players and those who are interested in the movie. But even older gamers will find plenty of humor and solid gameplay to enjoy in the game.

Call of Duty 4 manages to bring the frenetic, highly scripted gunfights of its big siblings to the Nintendo DS. It’s definitely one of the handheld’s best shooters, although it would have arguably been the best with the inclusion of online multiplayer.

Buzz! The Mega Quiz is definitely worth the $40. The game is a perfect complement to SingStar and the Guitar Hero games, and makes the PS2 quite a party machine.

The Bee Movie Game is obviously aimed at younger players and those who are interested in the movie. But even older gamers will find plenty of humor and solid gameplay to enjoy in the game.

The Bee Movie Game is obviously aimed at younger players and those who are interested in the movie. But even older gamers will find plenty of humor and solid gameplay to enjoy in the game.

The Bee Movie Game is obviously aimed at younger players and those who are interested in the movie. But even older gamers will find plenty of humor and solid gameplay to enjoy in the game.

The Simpsons Game is a must-have for Simpsons fans. If you don’t like the license, though, the game probably won’t do much for you since the underlying gameplay isn’t anything special.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is undoubtedly the best game in the series. The amazing soundtrack, superb wireless guitar, subtle tweaks, and excellent online multiplayer are exactly what fans have been wanting from the series.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is undoubtedly the best game in the series. The amazing soundtrack, superb wireless guitar, subtle tweaks, and excellent online multiplayer are exactly what fans have been wanting from the series.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is undoubtedly the best game in the series. The amazing soundtrack, superb wireless guitar, subtle tweaks, and excellent online multiplayer are exactly what fans have been wanting from the series.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is undoubtedly the best game in the series. The amazing soundtrack, superb wireless guitar, subtle tweaks, and excellent online multiplayer are exactly what fans have been wanting from the series

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction isn’t a groundbreaking sequel by any means. But thanks to super-refined gameplay, unbelievable graphics, and a generally fun atmosphere, you’re looking at one of the PS3’s best games.

However, the fact that Spider-Man 3 is late to the party, coupled with the PSP’s control limitations, keep this version from achieving the same success that the other versions achieved.

Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground is easily the best Tony Hawk game to date. Everything from the varied career mode, new gameplay features and video editor come together in a great, cohesive package.

Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground is easily the best Tony Hawk game to date. Everything from the varied career mode, new gameplay features and video editor come together in a great, cohesive package.

Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground does a great job of bringing the Proving Ground experience to the Wii and PS2. The game is a port of the next-generation versions and includes many of the same environments, goals, characters, etc.

Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground does a great job of bringing the Proving Ground experience to the Wii and PS2. The game is a port of the next-generation versions and includes many of the same environments, goals, characters, etc.

Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground is a solid complement to the console versions and the best Tony Hawk game on the Nintendo DS. Sure, you’re not getting the Rigger Editor or Video Editor, but you do get to skate around in three cities with fundamentally fun gameplay.

Sony’s NBA 08 is a solid basketball game and a noticeable improvement from last year’s game. The Replay Mode is very fun and the character customization elements are quite fun, but the actual gameplay isn’t as tight as its competitors. The lack of a franchise mode hurts the game, too.

NBA 08 on PSP is definitely the best of the three NBA 08 games, and a good basketball game to boot.

In the end, The Orange Box is worth more than your $60. The Half-Life 2 games alone could comfortably sell at that price, but the addition of the surprisingly fun Portal and the incredibly deep Team Fortress 2 make this a must-have game.

Folkore isn’t perfect, since you are often replaying the same areas with different characters. It also takes a while for the story to take off, but as I mentioned above, once it does you’re in for a treat.

Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars is one of the most action-packed games of the year. If you’re looking for the next great team-based shooter, you can consider your search officially over. In a year with plenty of promising shooters, QUAKE Wars has cemented itself as a must-have.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, despite being aimed at a squarely younger audience, is a very fun game despite its simplicity. It doesn’t have the depth of something like say, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, but should provide plenty of fun for those looking for a simple brawler with characters from the Spider-Man universe.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, despite being aimed at a squarely younger audience, is a very fun game despite its simplicity. It doesn’t have the depth of something like say, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, but should provide plenty of fun for those looking for a simple brawler with characters from the Spider-Man universe.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, despite being aimed at a squarely younger audience, is a very fun game despite its simplicity. It doesn’t have the depth of something like say, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, but should provide plenty of fun for those looking for a simple brawler with characters from the Spider-Man universe.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, despite being aimed at a squarely younger audience, is a very fun game despite its simplicity. It doesn’t have the depth of something like say, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, but should provide plenty of fun for those looking for a simple brawler with characters from the Spider-Man universe.

The Nintendo DS version of Friend or Foe is by far the most different, but it’s also the most in line with previous Spider-Man games on its respective platform. Friend or Foe’s addition of enemies and solid coop mode make it a solid addition to the Nintendo DS’ Spider-Man lineup.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, despite being aimed at a squarely younger audience, is a very fun game despite its simplicity. It doesn’t have the depth of something like say, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, but should provide plenty of fun for those looking for a simple brawler with characters from the Spider-Man universe.

NBA Live 08 doesn’t add a whole lot of new modes, but the stronger gameplay goes a long way. The improved, more realistic gameplay, coupled with the excellent presentation package make NBA Live 08 a must-have for basketball game fans.

NBA Live 08 doesn’t add a whole lot of new modes, but the stronger gameplay goes a long way. The improved, more realistic gameplay, coupled with the excellent presentation package make NBA Live 08 a must-have for basketball game fans.

NBA Live 08 doesn’t add a whole lot of new modes, but the stronger gameplay goes a long way. The improved, more realistic gameplay, coupled with the excellent presentation package make NBA Live 08 a must-have for basketball game fans.

NBA Live 08 doesn’t add a whole lot of new modes, but the stronger gameplay goes a long way. The improved, more realistic gameplay, coupled with the excellent presentation package make NBA Live 08 a must-have for basketball game fans.

Hot Wheels: Beat That! would have made a solid gift for a 6-8 year old kid looking for a new racing game if the game was valued-priced. At full retail price, though, it’s near impossible to recommend the game for purchase. It’s not that anything is inherently broken but it is incredibly uninspired.

World Series of Poker 2008 is a great poker game. The AI is aggressive without obviously cheating and the underlying gameplay mechanics are solid.

Sony’s NBA 08 is a solid basketball gamebut the actual gameplay isn’t as tight as its competitors. The lack of a franchise mode hurts the game and while The Life is still plenty of fun to play through, it may not be enough to pull the game up for most people.

Hot Wheels: Beat That! would have made a solid gift for a 6-8 year old kid looking for a new racing game if the game was valued-priced. At full retail price, though, it’s near impossible to recommend the game for purchase. It’s not that anything is inherently broken but it is incredibly uninspired.

It’s the Halo sequel that fans have been demanding. And it’s the game that’s going to sell a lot of Xbox 360s.

World Series of Poker 2008 is a great poker game. The AI is aggressive without obviously cheating and the underlying gameplay mechanics are solid.

World Series of Poker 2008 is a great poker game. The AI is aggressive without obviously cheating and the underlying gameplay mechanics are solid.

Hot Wheels: Beat That! would have made a solid gift for a 6-8 year old kid looking for a new racing game if the game was valued-priced. At full retail price, though, it’s near impossible to recommend the game for purchase. It’s not that anything is inherently broken but it is incredibly uninspired.

MySims, with its focus on finding Essence, building furniture (and friendships) and decorating homes ends up feeling more like Animal Crossing than a true Sims game. With that said, MySims is an incredibly charming game that will please more than a few fans looking for lighthearted fare.

MySims on Nintendo DS focuses on odd jobs and building relationships with the various townspeople. The game isn’t the most complex game out there and the lack of actual things to do ends up hurting its replay value. The kiddies will like it, as will hardcore fans of the Animal Crossing games.

Skate’s intuitive control scheme won’t be for everyone but those that give it a shot will experience some of the most fulfilling gaming moments of any sports game.

Heavenly Sword is one of the best PS3 games to date.

NHL 08 manages to improve on last year’s already great hockey game. If you were a fan of last year’s effort, NHL 08 won’t disappoint.

NHL 08 manages to improve on last year’s already great hockey game. If you were a fan of last year’s effort, NHL 08 won’t disappoint.

NHL 08 manages to improve on last year’s already great hockey game. If you were a fan of last year’s effort, NHL 08 won’t disappoint.

Medal of Honor Airborne delivers the most compelling MOH experience in recent years. If you’re looking for a fun, chaotic WWII game this Holiday season, Medal of Honor Airbone is a great choice.

Medal of Honor Airborne delivers the most compelling MOH experience in recent years. If you’re looking for a fun, chaotic WWII game this Holiday season, Medal of Honor Airbone is a great choice.

Lair is a tough game to rate. One on hand, the game is absolutely gorgeous and easily justifies the thousands of dollars spent on the latest home theater equipment. On the other hand, the gameplay is so fundamentally broken that it’s difficult to imagine anyone sticking with Lair through its ending.