Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy could’ve been a really good game, but it ends up floundering beneath a pile of stats and character management.

This is an okay title, and maybe worth the twenty bucks if you're looking for a simple, fun, yet flawed old-school 2D fighter.

So, curse you Konami, for releasing "Frogger: Ancient Shadow" [PS2], which made me scream and throw my controller, and thank you Konami, for releasing Frogger: Helmet Chaos, which I had some fun with.

Role-playing enthusiasts will probably deem it too underdeveloped for their tastes, but Neopets fanatics and younger players should come away satisfied.

A decent puzzler that is humorous, relatively well written and presented, and plenty challenging. The spiking difficulty due to puzzles that simply seem bizarre and obscure can stop you in your tracks but hey, isn't that a common trait of the genre?

The Last Tinker: City of Colors is like the nicest kid in school. He’s not the best athlete or student; he’s just nice and because of that, you want to like him. To some extent, you do. But he still isn’t picked first in gym and he doesn’t ace all his tests.

Shing! is a beat ’em up with a few good ideas and facets to admire. While many of its ambitions aren’t executed in the best of ways, Shing! serves as a decent distraction with friends. Its four-player cooperation, competent if iffy combat, and polished art style make it an okay journey for its humble several hours of playtime.

This is one hell of a stress reliever.

The story is just a bunch of barely understandable gibberish, the characters feel tired and overdone, and the “streamlining” of the combat is only the equivalent of dumbing-down. Nothing more.

Too many times, it just feels as if you don’t have total control over what’s going on during a match, and the AI is questionable.

City of Brass is a beautiful, highly-polished and mostly successful attempt at turning the genre on its head by making it more accessible to everyone, from rogue-lite veterans to first time players. With a unique and intuitive new combat style and some innovative takes on genre conventions, you’ll find plenty to like about City of Brass no matter what your skill level.

Arena Football seems like a good idea on paper, but the execution of the idea is miserable.

The controls are slow and clunky, the technicals are passable but never really shine, the story and progression through the game is erratic, and we think the potion making part will prove frustrating for some of the title’s audience.

Magic Ball isn’t quite as innovative as other PSN games out there and it certainly won’t test your brain, but it’s a decent downloadable title that may deserve your attention.

Need for Speed is a fun, accessible racer that’s both aesthetically impressive and technically stable. The always-online requirement means server problems can affect your game and oh yeah, you can’t pause, either. I’m sorry but it just wasn’t necessary.

A lot of great concepts…too many great concepts, in fact, and the charming exterior and good control can't save it. And what's this about no online multiplayer? Really?

Does a lot of things well, even if the pacing, depth, and overall immersion isn't where it needs to be. The basic control for each event is mostly intuitive and solid, there are a ton of events, using Move adds a lot to the gameplay, and skill supersedes luck (as well it should, of course). The technical elements are pretty good, too. We just require more in the way of "oomph," more reasons to keep the player coming back for more.

There’s definitely a bit of lag when playing online but it’s also a big bonus and certainly the biggest addition to the franchise in question.

Despite the mechanical and control issues, the apparent cheapness of some of the many deaths, and a few poor decisions, the game does have at least some appeal.

Superstars V8 Racing works hard. It strives to be a true-blue simulator that sacrifices a few things here and there for the sake of its digital format and price tag. For the most part, it doesn't do a bad job.

Ultimately, the game's biggest flaw is its duration. Most players will only need two or three hours to complete the final level.

The mission structure is broken, and the missions can be very short. The online, while fun, is incomplete. And the visuals leave something to be desired.

Diner Dash is good…I think. It’ll tick you off but again, that’s good…I think. Maybe you’ll just have to play it to fully understand.

Atelier Rorona: Alchemist of Arland is a darn good RPG with an admitted emphasis on item creation, which won't be alien to those familiar with the Mana Khemia or past Atelier titles.

There are so many places that just scream out for more attention; I couldn’t play for more than 15 minutes without going, “oh come on; that could’ve been awesome!” There’s just always something that reared its ugly head and it’s absolutely unavoidable.

In the end, this title really isn’t half bad. If only beating Billy senseless during the end credits wasn’t the most fun we had with the game.

I decided to slug through about a dozen events before tossing in the towel on campaign, particularly because all the events are nearly identical.

Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle has all the elements and aspects of a solid strategy/RPG, and despite the fact that it's more than a few years old, it delivers what it promises. Unfortunately, the whole thing feels a little more muddled than it should've been.