So, yes, the future does indeed looks bright for FIFA 09, but with UEFA EURO 2008 currently on the shelves, the future also happens to be right now.

A thoughtful and intriguing game.

NBA Live 10 shows continued improvement for the series. But in classic EA fashion, this feels incredibly iterative. The improvements of this latest iteration are impressive nonetheless, but it feels like a long road to one truly great basketball game to grace our consoles, a revolutionary and defining game of its genre.

The combination of an intriguing campaign mode and large-scale multiplayer action for up to 24 players is hard to mess with, at least in terms of the late-model combat stuff.

Gameplay is fast and smooth with very minimal lag. Of course, the greatest part of all is the ability to talk with your opponents, which essentially completes the experience.

Gives you a bit more "professionalism" than the arcade feel of SSX so it’s a nice blend of arcade fun and authenticity.

It is essentially the same game as last year operating with a few notable tweaks, but still delivers a rock-solid college basketball experience. Gamers who want to take their skills online will definitely need to snatch this one up.

The new focus on multiplayer expands the gameplay immensely. Duets are a real treat, while the "Sing and Dance" and Minigames don't live up to their billing.

It’s not perfect, to the hardcore or others. But it is good enough to give you an experience you won’t regret.

A likeable mixture of wheel-to-wheel racing and extreme racing modes is sure to satisfy the Alpha-male motorsports fan. The A.I. is a bit suspect, however.

There have been few action adventure games that pull of the perfect blend of gameplay, storyline and presentation that Otogi manages to do. From Software did their homework in regards to the control scheme and overall gameplay mechanics.

Yuke’s really stepped it up for WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009, with the pay off being the finest wrestling game for the HD systems to date. There are a few base gameplay anomalies that keep WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 from being a true champion, but the sheer quantity and quality of SmackDown vs. Raw 2009’s content, not to mention its WWE-perfect grandeur, makes the decision to grant the title belt to Yuke’s latest effort an easy one.

Its cutesy image may not appeal to the hardcore crowd, but the core game is nearly flawless. It’s a game that you’ll want to continue playing – it doesn’t feel like “work”. The characters are imaginative, the visuals are outstanding, and the game is downright fun.

The strong cast of characters, each of them with their own unique look & feel, really gives KOF XIII a certain appeal. Fans of Anime will absolutely adore the artwork.

Its simplicity is what boosts its addictiveness. This isn’t a game about complex strategy and well timed precision; it’s a game about kicking ass and having tons of fun with your friends.

The main issue is that there are a ton of games out this holiday season that are fun from start to finish, while Nuts and Bolts will probably take most of you up to a point before you lose interest in the Lego-like construction projects and the pursuit to beat all of the challenges.

Although the fielding needs some work, the hitting and pitching mechanics are excellent, as are the “big play” moments.

While not as bare bones as "Madden NFL 06," NHL 07 still could use a bit more substance to back up its innovative controls and killer graphics and sound.

While the game's definitely not perfect, it introduces some interesting gameplay mechanics to keep the action steady from start to finish, and it sports some truly excellent graphics. It's not going to win any awards for its storyline (I still don't know who some of the characters are), but when viewed as a series of standalone missions, it's a blast.

Those that take a chance on Otogi 2 will find a unique and beautiful hack-n-slash title that sprinkles in plenty of variation thanks to some limited RPG-like upgrades, diverse playable characters, and a challenging story mode.

It manages to take inspiration from known quantities in the puzzle and rhythm genres to create something that feels distinctive and, more importantly, is a lot of fun. That the bulk of your money is going to charity is a feel-good bonus for a game that deserves your time regardless.

Though the game has some interesting features—including educational facts that relate to Chopin—the alternating running and combat gets tiresome.

While the Xbox 360 version doesn’t pack the same amount of features or overall depth that the Xbox version does it’s still a truly next-gen football offering that is definitely worth your time and money. The visuals alone, as long as you’re playing on a solid HD set, are worth the sixty bucks at times.

Has enough great looking textures to knit a quilt. You will be able to make out the grass, and even the line paint on the grass. The turf looks like turf, not just a brighter shade of grass.

It's tough to recommend GUN at its full sticker price for what it is, and that is an excellently told, eight-hour story wrapped up in the guise of an action videogame masquerading as a Western.

Take every cool martial arts weapon that you wanted as a kid, and add to it many of the killer utensils from medieval times– that pretty much sums up the weapons used by Soulcaliber characters. And, instead of keeping character types of a consistent ilk, Namco went all over the board– from reptile to Asian Elvis– in order to keep us coming back. We’re talking about some of the most highly-regarded fighting game characters of all time.

I had a lot of fun playing the dunk contest in "NBA Live 2005," but I couldn't really get deep into the actual games. This is not so in NBA Live 06. I'm thoroughly enjoying the actual season games this time around and I have to attribute most of this love to the Freestyle Superstar system.

If I have to pick a gripe it would be that the game wasn't designed primarily for the Xbox then stripped down for other consoles, but the addition of 2 levels and an extra villain make it a worthwhile effort.