A unique little adventure game with loads of style, fun characters, and plenty of charm.

Magical Starsign does an excellent job at taking the classic Turn-Based RPG formula and turning it into something fun for Nintendo's new handheld device.

Contact is a classic case of A for effort, C for execution. It is easy to tell that a lot of love was put into this game and it had the potential to be a classic of Earthbound proportions. Unfortunately, despite the game's merits, I ultimately found it too mundane, boring, repetitive, monotonous, and dull to recommend.

It's not a direct sequel in terms of story, and it's not a simple dungeon crawler either. Instead, it's a sort of wayward, roundabout RPG that gets the job done well. Personally, I still prefer the first game to this one, but objectively, Swordcraft Story 2 makes serious strides to improve on the first, and I cannot overlook that.

If you're a SMT fan, are jonesing for a game that combines Pokémon with an action-RPG, or just are looking for some great characters and setting, then by all means, pick this game up ASAP. Otherwise, wait for it to come down in price or rent it, as it is relatively short.

After a rocky start, Tales of the Abyss proved to be a truly enjoyable game; possibly the best in the series so far, and a contender in my book for game of the year.

Uninspired slop. MKA had quite a bit of promise, and we were extremely excited to play the game based on interviews with the staff members, but issues with the control scheme and gameplay functionality killed what we were hoping would come about in Mage Knight: Apocalypse.

One of the best games of this year, and was entirely deserving of our "Best of E3 2006" award. With a fantastic tri-Ace battle system that's both accessible and deep, Square Enix has provided a sequel that both fans and newbies will love equally.

One of the worst RPG experiences on the PSP, and one of the worst RPGs of the past few years. The terrible story, bland battle system, and the atrocious load times and slow down makes this Strategy RPG unbearable. And because of this, Spectral Souls is like eating your grandmother's fruitcake. It looks appetizing on the outside, but as you put it into your mouth, it's stale and hard to swallow.

There's a fine line between "challenging" and "cheap," and there are some occasions where I feel Baten Kaitos Origins crosses that line.

While players won't be choosing skill points in trees or devoting time to selecting whether +5 intellect or +3 wisdom is better, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime is simply some good, clean fun for all ages.

The Mystery Dungeon games are definitely different than most Pokémon games, and there's fun to be had with them, but there are still a lot of better games available on the DS (including the second Pokémon Mystery Dungeon), which makes Blue Rescue Team difficult to recommend.

The Mystery Dungeon games are definitely different than most Pokémon games, and there's fun to be had with them, but there are still a lot of better games available on the GBA, which makes Red Rescue Team difficult to recommend.

From Software's older RPGs were barely playable, but this one was one of my favorite RPGs of the year. The eye candy is the game's defining feature, but it doesn't attempt to stand on that aspect alone.

Where this game really shines, though, is in the fun gameplay and excellent music and voice acting.

If you want a short, fun, quirky, and sometimes sentimental Strategy RPG that knows its market and takes jabs at it with impeccable humor, you should get Disgaea 2. If you'd prefer a game that allows you to play for hours on end (like, over 200 hours) with new events to keep your interest now and then, but you don't want it to be an MMORPG, then get Disgaea 2.

None of the bland gameplay is helped by the fact that the controls feel sluggish overall.

Deep Labyrinth is every generic action-RPG you've ever played overlaid with what is quite possibly one of the worst control schemes in any DS game.

If you like the turn-based strategy RPG genre (such as Fire Emblem), you're almost guaranteed to enjoy this game. Be prepared to do a lot of reading, a lot of thinking, and a lot of losing. With that mindset, you can really enjoy this entry in Banpresto's long line of mecha SRPGs.

All in all, it's the best control I've seen in an action-RPG for a handheld game. I'm serious.

Easily the best domestic RPG on the PSP to date. The game itself is incredibly unique and fun to play. The portability is both a blessing and a curse, allowing one of the PSOne classics to be played on the go, but limiting you to a four inch screen.

Given a little time to handle the learning curve, I found the greatest enjoyment in actually playing the game instead of pondering the prose, and isn’t that the point of a handheld title?

In a word: yuck.

MHF is definitely not a game for newbies, and it's not a big fan of loners, but there's some real fun to be had along with the frustration.

The difference from the first game to the second, in my experience, is like the difference between cheap pan-Asian food sold in a mall and an expensive Japanese sushi restaurant. No more greasy egg rolls: it's time for some blue-fin tuna...except, it's from Europe.

An unexpected treat. I'm terribly grateful to Ubisoft for bringing it to the US and Europe in such a timely manner.

If you're looking for a fun 30-40 hour game to play, Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny is a clear choice. It's nothing like those state-of-the-art 3D RPGs from Square Enix and the like: this is oldschool glory.

My personal opinion is that this expansion was a much-needed breath of fresh air for the MMORPG. However, for Square Enix to continue to keep the game interesting, they will need to pull out a trump card, or else gamers could move on to bigger or better things.