No boundaries are pushed, but no crippling mistakes are made. Still, I say we abandon the status quo and further distinguish Western games from their brightly-colored Eastern counterparts. For mechs, I prefer rust to shine, and crude oil to cold fusion.

If you’re not already familiar with tactics games then the beginning will seem unnecessarily difficult.

The game might provide a fun, visceral thrill, at first. But by the end it becomes to mind-numbingly repetitive you may as well go gnaw on some flesh yourself.

The game might provide a fun, visceral thrill, at first. But by the end it becomes to mind-numbingly repetitive you may as well go gnaw on some flesh yourself.

Game Arts’ new team has mad skills, Smash-Up is among the top three best Wii fighters going, and Karai is the best thing to happen to body armor since Samus took her helmet off. No bustiere though...but she sure looks good in gold!

If you’re thinking of picking up the game, go into it knowing about the steep difficulty of the story mode, and try out the demo first. I recommend the game with the caveat that you may never obtain the skills needed to see the end of the story, just like arcade games of old.

Flower, Sun and Rain is a great remedy for those pesky times that you start to actually feel sane and rational.

Blue Omega’s vision is buried under so many layers of clumsy gameplay and painful cinematics that the glimmers of the game that could have been just can’t stem the tide.

Blue Omega’s vision is buried under so many layers of clumsy gameplay and painful cinematics that the glimmers of the game that could have been just can’t stem the tide.

Blue Omega’s vision is buried under so many layers of clumsy gameplay and painful cinematics that the glimmers of the game that could have been just can’t stem the tide.

Fun combat, crazy depth, and varied character classes outshine clunky menus and complex interface issues.

Fun combat, crazy depth, and varied character classes outshine clunky menus and complex interface issues.

Fun and unique, but don’t get your hopes up. Don’t try to rush through, or else recurring enemy patterns will drain your patience. Let’s see if Abylight couples this fun engine with some interesting character and story ideas in the future.

Character interaction is the great highlight, weak and wandering pace is the low point.

If drinking out of a giant-size Taco Bell cup that displays The Missing Link and his big sweet smile doesn’t sound like a completely humiliating experience to you, then MvA might make a decent addition to your game collection. But for the hardcore gamer - pass.

If drinking out of a giant-size Taco Bell cup that displays The Missing Link and his big sweet smile doesn’t sound like a completely humiliating experience to you, then MvA might make a decent addition to your game collection. But for the hardcore gamer - pass.

Japanese quirk plus puzzle-centric platforming plus affordability plus ridiculously cute mushrooms make for a tasty, if brief, treat. Soup’s on.

If you like it old school, only updated--the game controls nicely holding the Wiimote sideways--do not hesitate to lock and load. [Apr 2008, p.60]

Unfortunately, Arcana Heart then falls short in its attempt to become a major player in the fighting game scene. [May 2008, p.59]

Flatout: Head On may not contain guns, but who needs guns when you get plenty of explosive destruction by simply crashing your ride into oblivion. [May 2008, p.65]

As much as I enjoyed most of what Mana Khemia had to offer, actively disliking three of the game's main characters(Vayne, Jess and Flay)made it easy to be apathetic every time a storyline cutscene kicked in. [Apr 2008, p.61]

Shooter fans may not respect it, but they will enjoy it. [May 2008, p.54]

Shooter fans may not respect it, but they will enjoy it. [May 2008, p.54]

If you'd have told me back then that in 2008 (nine years later) I'd be able to buy both, arcade perfect, on a Nintendo console with a two-handed controller for under $30, I'd have figured you for a loon. [Apr 2008, p.62]

For 30 bucks, the capable haunts here are worth this house of horrors. [May 2008, p.60]

Turning Point's theme of an alternate reality had some possibilities, but even within this fiction you just end up doing uninspired and overworked shootouts. [Apr 2008, p.63]

Turning Point's theme of an alternate reality had some possibilities, but even within this fiction you just end up doing uninspired and overworked shootouts. [Apr 2008, p.63]

This is one club people might not want to join. [Mar 2008, p.58]

This is one club people might not want to join. [Mar 2008, p.58]

This is like an indie version of DQ--a sweet little aside between epics. [Mar 2008, p.50]

This is one club people might not want to join. [Mar 2008, p.58]

Plead nolo contendere, Apollo. [Mar 2008, p.65]

But DW6 does feel sort of lightweight, especially at a $60 price tag. [Mar 2008, p.59]

But DW6 does feel sort of lightweight, especially at a $60 price tag. [Mar 2008, p.59]

Unfortunately, while the intimidation that comes along with many a dungeon crawler is lacking here, so too is an overall sense of polish: control and combat are just too stiff, and character and monster sprites are thoroughly bland. [Mar 2008, p.66]

I'm totally open to a game like this working off a solid simplicity, but ultimately Fifa Street 3 isn't strong enough at its core to keep the reward of play on a fever pitch. [Apr 2008, p.61]

I'm totally open to a game like this working off a solid simplicity, but ultimately Fifa Street 3 isn't strong enough at its core to keep the reward of play on a fever pitch. [Apr 2008, p.61]

Trying to shoehorn a 360/PS3 game onto the Wii is like getting a Super Model to woof down a 10-pound ham. What comes out the other side just isn't pretty. Still tastes okay though! [Dec 2007, p.66]

The deck-building and card-collecting aspects of Culdcept Saga have a powerful appeal, but the game-board mechanics aren't quite interesting enough to justify the excessive length of the matches. [Jan 2008, p.50]

Once you hit the game's rhythm it's all downhill. It's also one of the console's better looking games in terms of textures. [Mar 2008, p.60]

Regardless, whether you've been looking forward to this game for a decade or you're just now being introduced to Nightopia, this isn't NiGHTS. [Jan 2008, p.54]

There's an inconsistency to the overall design quality that really kept me at a distance while playing Kane & Lynch. [Dec 2007, p.75]

There's certainly potential here, albeit squandered (in my opinion) on the Wii where like so many of its games, the hook--waving the Wiimote--is more curse than cool. [Dec 2007, p.81]

One of my biggest beefs is with the presentation, which is too static and satisfied to be just barely good enough on the PS3 hardware. [Jan 2008, p.59]

Still, Trauma Center: Second Opinion was one of my favorite games during the launch window for the Wii, and New Blood delivers more of the same joy. [Dec 2007, p.73]

There's an inconsistency to the overall design quality that really kept me at a distance while playing Kane & Lynch. [Dec 2007, p.75]

This is the second iteration of the Smackdown vs. Raw series to make it to next-generation platforms, and its blemishes are becoming more apparent. [Dec 2007, p.85]

There's an inconsistency to the overall design quality that really kept me at a distance while playing Kane & Lynch. [Dec 2007, p.75]

It is possible to dress up a cell phone game and make her the belle of the ball on the Nintendo DS. Unfortunately, ID has not done this with Orcs & Elves. [Jan 2008, p.64]

What it lacks in polish it makes up for in diversity and brutality. This is one bloody game. [Jan 2008, p.58]

What it lacks in polish it makes up for in diversity and brutality. This is one bloody game. [Jan 2008, p.58]

What it lacks in polish it makes up for in diversity and brutality. This is one bloody game. [Jan 2008, p.58]

The visuals are fairly nondescript, and while there's enough technical prowess to find acceptable on the PSP, the settings the designers decided to toss you into do little to excite. [Jan 2008, p.65]

If you don't dig Pokemon, do DQM. Or, if you've already beaten Pokemon, take a stab at DQM. In the end, though, it's just more of the same. [Nov 2007, p.77]

It's a decent game that feels ultimately out of its league. [Dec 2007, p.62]

It's a decent game that feels ultimately out of its league. [Dec 2007, p.62]

Prism: Light the Way is a classic game of single-screened, piece-manipulating puzzle-solving. [Nov 2007, p.76]

The slow plodding existence of a SWAT team member isn't ffor everyone. [Nov 2007, p.78]

Even after adding the additional 70 downloadable games to the plethora already present in HOT PXL, it's still painfully obvious that you're playing the same limited selection of ideas over and over. [Oct 2007, p.97]

It goes without saying, but in case you're wondering: if you're not into Jackass the TV show, you're not going to care too much for the game either. [Oct 2007, p.97]

Strategy fans who are hungry for a change of pace will appreciate Soul Nomad's many innovations, but be forewarned--they come wrapped in a pretty lousy game. [Oct 2007, p.82]

If you can appreciate old-school first person shooters, where enemies weren't expected to have the best survival instincts, then the single player mode is still worth the time it takes to play through it. [May 2007, p.66]

Stuntman: Ignition would benefit from a more style substance, and its methods start to run a bit thin, but that doesn't keep it from hitting an acceptable summer-blockbuster-style mark. [Sept 2007, p.77]

At $39.99, Fatal Inertia might be worth a look but at $59.99 you better eat drink and sleep futuristic racing. [Oct 2007, p.89]

The problem is, no matter how much you tweak Guilty Gear XX, you've still got a pretty stale game at this point. [Oct 2007, p.87]

Now, with sharpened graphics, more features, and an original story, Uzumaki Chronicles is fine for fans of the series. But the battles are a little stiff, and the relationships between locations, characters, and events would be confounding to Naruto newbies. [Sept 2007, p.74]

Stuntman: Ignition would benefit from a more style substance, and its methods start to run a bit thin, but that doesn't keep it from hitting an acceptable summer-blockbuster-style mark. [Sept 2007, p.77]

It's easy to see the thinking behind Two Worlds. Elder Scrolls has been a massive hit and it'll be years before another hits home: When opportunity knocks... [Oct 2007, p.89]

It's easy to see the thinking behind Two Worlds. Elder Scrolls has been a massive hit and it'll be years before another hits home: When opportunity knocks... [Oct 2007, p.89]

It's novel to see a mini version of a game that I first played when the PS2 launched. [Aug 2007, p.69]

Radiant Mythology will likely disappoint anyone expecting the intense storylines, vast worlds and well-designed dungeons of a "real" Tales title. [July 2007, p.68]

It's just too bad the presentation and vision aren't there to solidify the experience fo rmore than it is. [Aug 2007, p.67]

I can't see shelling out $59.99 for such a poorly designed game unless again, you just love all things Harry Potter. [July 2007, p.66]

As much hype as the gesture system has generated, using the Wiimote to play a fighting game designed for a standard interface just doesn't work. [June 2007, p.80]

There are a lot of games out there that will be much better received and demonstrate sounder core design, yet those games in the end didn't entertain me like this one. [June 2007, p.78]

Unfortunately, in an age when third-person games have champions like "Resident Evil 4" and "Gears of War", a half-baked contender like Infernal doesn't stand out. [May 2007, p.84]

At 20 bucks, Alpha Prime may be a decent stocking-stuffer for FPS junkies. [Dec 2007, p.97]

Aedis Eclipse has the shine and sparkle of a great game, and the battle system of a bad one. [June 2007, p.85]

This sequel simply didn't need to happen. [June 2007, p.80]

Taking out the trash, I kid you not: 30 minutes of mundane pre-scripted yawn inducing tedium. They even mark where to go to on the map. [May 2007, p.65]

Taking out the trash, I kid you not: 30 minutes of mundane pre-scripted yawn inducing tedium. They even mark where to go to on the map. [May 2007, p.65]

Taking out the trash, I kid you not: 30 minutes of mundane pre-scripted yawn inducing tedium. They even mark where to go to on the map. [May 2007, p.65]

Taking out the trash, I kid you not: 30 minutes of mundane pre-scripted yawn inducing tedium. They even mark where to go to on the map. [May 2007, p.65]

Taking out the trash, I kid you not: 30 minutes of mundane pre-scripted yawn inducing tedium. They even mark where to go to on the map. [May 2007, p.65]

There are better titles on the shelf(and on this page)for fans of the form to be spending their money on. [Apr 2007, p.64]

There's no way to imagine these fights as anything but someone's absurd rap fantasy that was somehow shoehorned onto a fighting game. [Mar 2007, p.53]

There's no way to imagine these fights as anything but someone's absurd rap fantasy that was somehow shoehorned onto a fighting game. [Mar 2007, p.53]

The control scheme just doesn't feel as tactile and appropriate. The courses feel awfully familiar, despite being a little less flashy. The energy level doesn't seem quite as high, the presentation doesn't grab you with as much gusto. [Apr 2007, p.42]

It's time to either do the right thing or say goodbye. [Apr 2007, p.43]

Izuna, like all Rogue style dungeon crawlers, takes patience, dedication, and the type of gamer who is a glutton for punishment. [Jan. 2007, p.83]

It simply wallows in its competence, but doesn't do much - okay, anything - to try and exceed it. [Mar 2007, p.71]

Imagine trying to perform neurosurgery with mittens and this should hint at what it's like to put video bread into one of Elebits' toasters. [Jan. 2007, p.70]

Playing the game is satisfying, but never stunning. Still, if you like Fullmetal, this is the one portable game you can't go without. [Dec. 2006, p.92]

As a slightly improved sequel to this year's car-carnage racer on Xbox 360, the Playstation 3-exclusive Full Auto 2: Battlelines looks better, plays better, feels better....just enough to please current fans of the series, yet further bore the haters. [Jan. 2007, p.64]

Still, as a pack-in, it's hard to take pot-shots at a game that so perfectly acclimates users to the new control. [Jan. 2007, p.76]

There's a cavern in here reserved for viewing your stockpile, along with enough mini-games to keep you busy until the 720 comes out. [Dec. 2006, p.76]

The best thing to happen to the Tony Hawk franchise since free roaming, Downhill Jam is allso, if not more so, an introduction to the challenge of re-acclimating oneself to tilt gameplay. [Jan. 2007, p.75]

Genji is best played, and possibly enjoyed with patience, in chunks. [Jan. 2007, p.72]