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]