This is easily best Prince of Persia game yet. The new moves, including those delicious stealth kills, work perfectly.

It captures the spirit of the Hulkster to a tee. Bounding building to building across cities and leaving huge craters in your wake is more addictive than gambling...The game's ingenius side challenges are an absolute ball.

And speaking of those late stages, don't plan on seeing them. Ever. This game is so controller-bustingly hard that even the one guy in the office who beat "Ninja Gaiden" ended up wetting himself, then shivering in a corner of the Xerox room all afternoon. Which is a real shame, because behind that near-impossible difficulty there's a big, beautiful action game here.

The best boxing game in the business keeps getting better.

Once you tap into Xbox Live, you'd better get yourself an IV drip so you don't have to leave the couch…and a bedpan might be a good idea.

It captures the spirit of the Hulkster to a tee. Bounding building to building across cities and leaving huge craters in your wake is more addictive than gambling...The game's ingenius side challenges are an absolute ball.

The biggest difference is the ability to manage your wingmen. Coincidentally, the game uses the same wingman commands we use when it's Ladies' Night at our favorite rum bar: attack, cover and disperse.

With over 20 weapons and gadgets at your disposal, you can rappel up a wall or bludgeon an enemy into submission with a wine bottle. It’s decidedly low-tech, but pleasing in a visceral way.

The game's free-flowing scuffles are akin to your toilet experience after a night of over-beering: In other words, both are shockingly big, messy, chaotic, scary, surprising, and usually a little bloody.

And yet there's still something here that kept us playing to the end. Can't quite put our finger on it…ah yes, now we remember what it was: This game has a story that's almost too damn good for a video game.

Not for the timid, Psi-Ops features some flat-out nasty moments. Sneak up on enemies to drain their minds of psi energy and pop open their heads. Set some poor bastard on fire and he'll run around screaming.

The soundtrack, one of the best aspects of the game, effectively immerses you in the era, while the visuals make you really, really thankful you were not in Vietnam.

As far as sequels go, Fight for NY is to "Vendetta" what "The Empire Strikes Back" was to "Star Wars."

The game has incredible graphics and sound, as well as clever AI that doesn't require you to baby-sit each squad member.

The sequel to last year's third-person/real-time strategy game set in Star Wars land once again manages to be the 'Nam of Wars games. In other words, the disc does a heck of job of trying to make you feel like you're really "in the sh.t" on Coruscant.

If there's any current genre in need of a Fight Night–style makeover, it's THQ's rasslin' line. In the words of the Undertaker: R.I.P., grappling games...at least for a little while. If you must, then rent.

It’s decidedly low-tech, but pleasing in a visceral way. While many scenes play out on foot, there are plenty of vehicles to operate, from tanks and choppers to a Porsche Cayenne.

Not for the timid, Psi-Ops features some flat-out nasty moments. Sneak up on enemies to drain their minds of psi energy and pop open their heads. Set some poor bastard on fire and he'll run around screaming.

Just like our last girlfriend, the game does a little too much hand-holding for our tastes. And any gamer worth his beans won't be challenged by Sly 3 until the excellent final levels.

The best boxing game in the business keeps getting better.

It captures the spirit of the Hulkster to a tee. Bounding building to building across cities and leaving huge craters in your wake is more addictive than gambling...The game’s ingenius side challenges are an absolute ball.

The player renderings are nothing short of unbelievable. We don’t know how many polygons they used to make every sneering taunt and celebration come to life, but we can assure you, it’s somewhere between a lot and a shitload.

Except for the cuts that play during the menu screens, the game features absolutely no music. Now that's hardcore, baby!

Much of the run-and-gun action is marvelously good but whenever we were just starting to get comfortable with a level or a particular set of weapons, the game was already zipping us off to someplace new.

This rock-solid baseball sim features improved hitting and pitching mechanics, and addictive-as-Red Bull mini-games.

Between the massive boss encounters and hours of swinging around Manhattan, you're in for at least a week of play.

And yet there's still something here that kept us playing to the end. Can't quite put our finger on it…ah yes, now we remember what it was: This game has a story that's almost too damn good for a video game.

Indeed, the game requires constant shouting into the mike; so you can forget about ever playing this cart on public transporation... unless of course you don't mind being mistaken for an insane person.

This year's Tiger feels more complex and sophisticated than ever. Putting is more challenging (e.g., total bitch)... Yet, the game is still accessible to armchair golfers, thanks to those welcome arcade-y touches.

Indeed, the game requires constant shouting into the mike; so you can forget about ever playing this cart on public transporation... unless of course you don't mind being mistaken for an insane person.

Making a name for youself by climbing the game's Black List, aka series of bad-ass mo-fos you must beat, is good fun.

It’s decidedly low-tech, but pleasing in a visceral way. While many scenes play out on foot, there are plenty of vehicles to operate, from tanks and choppers to a Porsche Cayenne.

The long load times and pesky bugs, which vexed Tribes 2, are there to once again wreck havoc on our fun, so you need to download the necessary patches.

As far as sequels go, Fight for NY is to "Vendetta" what "The Empire Strikes Back" was to "Star Wars."

The sequel to last year's third-person/real-time strategy game set in Star Wars land once again manages to be the 'Nam of Wars games. In other words, the disc does a heck of job of trying to make you feel like you're really "in the sh.t" on Coruscant.

Indeed, the game requires constant shouting into the mike; so you can forget about ever playing this cart on public transporation... unless of course you don't mind being mistaken for an insane person.

If you pumped more than a week’s worth of quarters into the old "Ghouls n’ Ghosts" machine, you ought to add it to the collection.

The player renderings are nothing short of unbelievable. We don't know how many polygons they used to make every sneering taunt and celebration come to life, but we can assure you, it's somewhere between a lot and a shitload.

These are some of the best graphics you'll ever see. Your first confrontation with the V-Rex (yes, that's what Peter J. is calling it) will be very, very memorable.

These are some of the best graphics you'll ever see. Your first confrontation with the V-Rex (yes, that's what Peter J. is calling it) will be very, very memorable.

The best side-scrolling action game for $30 this side of buying $30 worth of live crabs. That means buy it.

Making a name for youself by climbing the game's Black List, aka series of bad-ass mo-fos you must beat, is good fun.

The single-player campaign is the best yet in the series.

This year's Tiger feels more complex and sophisticated than ever. Putting is more challenging (e.g., total bitch)... Yet, the game is still accessible to armchair golfers, thanks to those welcome arcade-y touches.

The best game set in the X-Men universe yet.

Carry out your finest work in shadowy places and dole out dagger lobotomies with little chance of being penalized. It's almost as good as being a U.S. president or Hall of Fame running back!

Greg Gumble and Clark Kellogg do a nice job with postgame highlights and their "Selection Sunday" show lends real NCAA flavor to the proceedings. In the booth, Vern Lundquist and Bill Rafferty do a solid job of keeping commentary interesting.

Nuanced controls like the Pure Swing System let you toggle the left thumbstick of your controller to dig out low pitches, reach for a hanging curve or, in our case, just fan the air where you thought the ball should have appeared.

This game features the best hecklers of all time. When Boston's hirsute Johnny Damon steps to the plate, someone in the crowd shouts, "Cut your hair, you hippie!" Amen to that, brother!

Much of the run-and-gun action is marvelously good but whenever we were just starting to get comfortable with a level or a particular set of weapons, the game was already zipping us off to someplace new.

By far the biggest innovation is the massive, explorable cityscape, complete with secret garages and locals hankering for a drag race. The only truly unforgivable flaw is the cornball dialogue.

Making a name for youself by climbing the game's Black List, aka series of bad-ass mo-fos you must beat, is good fun.

Buy with the knowledge that even the multiplayer mode can’t save some environments from growing stale.

Painkiller sports some of the best graphics to come down the PC pipe all year. The bosses (the hammer-wielding Saphathoraél in particular) all look incredible.

Deadlocked makes it easy to see why the series' third-person gameplay is the best in the business. Buy.

This game features the best hecklers of all time. When Boston's hirsute Johnny Damon steps to the plate, someone in the crowd shouts, "Cut your hair, you hippie!" Amen to that, brother!

These are some of the best graphics you'll ever see. Your first confrontation with the V-Rex (yes, that's what Peter J. is calling it) will be very, very memorable.

This year's Tiger feels more complex and sophisticated than ever. Putting is more challenging (e.g., total bitch)... Yet, the game is still accessible to armchair golfers, thanks to those welcome arcade-y touches.

With six courses, 19-plus characters, and a hefty "Career" mode, this disc will knock "Lumines" out of your PSP (for a week or two at least).

This year's Tiger feels more complex and sophisticated than ever. Putting is more challenging (e.g., total bitch)... Yet, the game is still accessible to armchair golfers, thanks to those welcome arcade-y touches.

We love it for the über-violent finishing moves and optional online action and hate it for the "instant death traps" we get stuck in on nearly every level. If only we were less clumsy!

We love it for the über-violent finishing moves and optional online action and hate it for the "instant death traps" we get stuck in on nearly every level. If only we were less clumsy!

The best game set in the X-Men universe yet.

This port of a PC game (it originally appeared on Xbox) is stiff, formal and corny in the way that PC games usually are. And it requires the patience of a Buddhist monk to get into. But persevere, matey, and you'll discover plenty of treasure worth plundering.

Even though the cartoony graphics are like classic arcade games, the controls remain remarkably sharp.

Between the massive boss encounters and hours of swinging around Manhattan, you’re in for at least a week of play.

And while the computer AI plays like an in-bred Appalachian boy, the wrestling mechanics are on-point.

Unfortunately, the soundtrack is flatter than a bottle of Mountain Dew past its "Best By" date, but the polished gameplay makes the racing action a total gas.

Buy with the knowledge that even the multiplayer mode can’t save some environments from growing stale.

This PC war-tastic juggernaut comes to a console near you sporting a surprisingly meaty single-player experience, as well as its trademark clusterf..k multiplayer.

Between the massive boss encounters and hours of swinging around Manhattan, you're in for at least a week of play.

Elaborate levels and the multiple paths you can take to solve them go a long way in making you forget about the lack of narrative element.

This PC war-tastic juggernaut comes to a console near you sporting a surprisingly meaty single-player experience, as well as its trademark clusterf..k multiplayer.

We're especially fond of the Homecourt Advantage meter, which fills up during games; the closer the score, the louder the fans get and the harder your controller shakes, making it tougher for the visiting team to hit jumpers and free throws.

Making a name for youself by climbing the game's Black List, aka series of bad-ass mo-fos you must beat, is good fun.

The only problem is that unlocking each of the available spacecrafts is sort of like ripping off your big toenails with a pair of pliers. Well within the realm of possibility, but in the end, it just doesn’t make much sense.

The plot doesn't make a lick of sense, but once you start knocking demons around the way Barry Bonds hits fastballs, trust us, you won't mind one bit.

The best game set in the X-Men universe yet.

Unfortunately, the soundtrack is flatter than a bottle of Mountain Dew past its "Best By" date, but the polished gameplay makes the racing action a total gas.

With tons of modes, cars, unlockables, plus online play, this disc should keep you busy until your next mullet trim.

The bone-rattling density of Black's combat makes the nine levels feel like tours of duty with the grizzliest mercenary squads the world has ever seen.

This sturdy racing game features solid racing mechanics and a decent sense of speed, but it's a little unapologetically corny at times.

Using the various bio-augmentations is a hoot (one makes you invulnerable, another slows down time, etc.) Unfortunately, the developers were damn stingy with the save points, which means you'll be replaying some levels more times than you'd like.

Getting the timing down on when to load up the front suspension for extra liftoff on jumps takes a few races, but it quickly becomes second nature. Unfortunately, the game isn't very realistic when it comes to rider collisions.

The sequel to last year's third-person/real-time strategy game set in Star Wars land once again manages to be the 'Nam of Wars games. In other words, the disc does a heck of job of trying to make you feel like you're really "in the sh.t" on Coruscant.

While it’s fun to watch the dwarf hacking away with his ax, the death spells cast by the necromancer make for far more enjoyable viewing.

Using the various bio-augmentations is a hoot (one makes you invulnerable, another slows down time, etc.) Unfortunately, the developers were damn stingy with the save points, which means you'll be replaying some levels more times than you'd like.

While single-player is a mix of the funny and the frustrating, multiplayer, provides its fair share of silly-ass thrills.

Elaborate levels and the multiple paths you can take to solve them go a long way in making you forget about the lack of narrative element.

The crass, lowbrow, and gloriously juvenile Blitz proves that you don't need those fancy NFL-licensed pants to make a quality f'ball sim... Never taking itself too seriously, this shallow Madden instead chooses to revel in the seedy, sex-drugs-rock-and-roll dark side of the pigskin. Which is the side we've always desperately wanted to revel in.

This edition costs only $30, but you essentially get one game, with a lot of variants, for the money. If you want to go retro, you should pick up "Midway Arcade Treasures" for more 2-D bang for less buck.

While the nutball MK mythos is annoying-click through those windy speeches by Raiden as quickly as possible-it's all good once disembodied heads are bouncing around like popcorn.

The developers have managed to squeeze some extra mileage out of the tired "extreme sports" format with a solid racing engine and a trick/combo that will have you linking more tricks together than a prostitute at Charlie Sheen's Playa's Ball.

The single-player campaign is a little too short and too linear, but we're guessing it's probably still about a hundred times more thrilling than anything you'll see in "Episode III" come this May.

With tons of modes, cars, unlockables, plus online play, this disc should keep you busy until your next mullet trim.

Your girlfriend will go batshit for this game. Even if she's always telling you how your games are "juvenile," and that she can't believe "she actually has sex on a regular basis with someone who owns a stupid PlayStation," she'll still love this disc to bits. Trust us.

We're especially fond of the Homecourt Advantage meter, which fills up during games; the closer the score, the louder the fans get and the harder your controller shakes, making it tougher for the visiting team to hit jumpers and free throws.

Greg Gumble and Clark Kellogg do a nice job with postgame highlights and their "Selection Sunday" show lends real NCAA flavor to the proceedings. In the booth, Vern Lundquist and Bill Rafferty do a solid job of keeping commentary interesting.