There are very few games that showcase this kind of creativity combined with a protagonist with a believable reason behind their cause.

Xbox’ers are getting the strongest version of this unique product by far. Kudos to the team over at Mix Max for creating such a thorough application that is also totally user friendly.

It is definitely a game that can be likened to chess in that to be really successful, you’ll need to plan 2-3 moves ahead.

This is an incremental update with a lot of fresh paint.

The ability to play versus, mix-matched style with characters from various coin-ops is a great twist to a classic compilation, and the chance to do all of this online makes the pie that much sweeter.

A massive step in the right direction for the series, and helps repair some of the damage done to the brand's reputation over the past few years.

Gladius is by far unmatched in terms of character control in the strategy/RPG genre. The only thing I would have wished for is more ability customization for characters in between class types.

I wish that Mirror’s Edge was more like a rock-climbing course (or like the climbing mechanic in "Assassin’s Creed") that gives you numerous ways to reach the spot you need to reach, though with the occasional stumper that gets you scratching your head to find the solution. Instead, I found myself frustrated by the do-it-again-until-you-get-it-right gameplay, which was more tedious than challenging—much like the platformers of the NES era. Those old classics were designed that way because of cartridge-memory limitations, but Mirror’s Edge can’t use that excuse.

It is really Dan Paladin’s creativity and skill as an artist that makes you want to continue on in Alien Hominid, not necessarily the gameplay.

For whatever Ghostbusters: The Video Game is lacking purely as a game – and really, it’s not that much – it more than makes up for it in the production. We should hold it up as a model not just for movie into video game translations, but as an example of how you treat a beloved institution right when making a video game about it.

EA Bright Light did about as good a job as a team can do when working with the classic games of many of our childhoods. It’s a delicate job, but HFGN pulls off classic-board gaming with aplomb, while at the same time adding more video game-centric modes to each title.

The new mechanics that it adds to the first-person shooter genre will be remembered for a long time to come, and they certainly help differentiate it from the rest of the pack; something that isn’t so easy to do these days.

There are plenty of methods in which to wreak havoc and weapons like the Land Shark Gun are fun as hell, but no matter how you dress things up, Armed & Dangerous is simply an above average third-person shooter.

Straight console junkies may find it a bit vapid, but the rest of the world’s gamers- those of us who have gamed in arcades before, will most likely find OutRun 2 invigorating.

While the fact that the game can be completed in 7-10 hours may turn off some tastes, it is still an enjoyable 7-10 hours.

If gads of dialog, characters that ooze personality and freer form combat sounds like an RPG delight to you, then order up Tales of Vesperia pronto.

Win or lose, though, you're guaranteed to have a good time with the experience. Who knew that an XBLA game would ultimate prove ol' Gordon Gekko right? Greed, at least in this case, is definitely good.

The single-player campaign is as intense as we've ever played on the Xbox, although it doesn't last too long (anywhere from 7-10 hours depending on your skill level). The multiplayer component can hold its own with the "Halo 2"'s and "Rainbow Six"'s of the world.

I honestly didn’t know much about Carcassonne before I played it on XBLA, but the cozy format and computer control makes it a lot of unfettered fun. Sierra also promises that it’ll add some of the board game’s expansion as inexpensive downloads soon, which will extend the gameplay that much more.

The contrasting abilities of Sphinx and the Mummy make this a true two character game and not simply the same character with a different model and textures.

Guys and gals that got off on "T.H.U.G." will also find a lot of gameplay value here since they will be able to dig deep into the lengthy Career Mode. Gamers jonesing for the return of the motocross track editor, a la "Excitebike," will want to check it out as well.

Just as solid as the gameplay in Assault Heroes is the way in which it looks. This is what an arcade-style shooter on a next-gen platform should look like.

But the experience of playing Perfect Dark for XBLA definitely feels behind the times.

The more players you can get in a game, the more fun it becomes, but single-player is no slouch either, especially with all the extra modes.

While the atmosphere might not be all there and while the hitting might prove to be intimidating, those who learn to master the nuances of the game will be in for an enjoyable baseball experience.

Chessmaster isn't for all Xbox'ers, but it is highly recommended for anybody event remotely interested in learning how to play chess or wanting to become a better player.

There are big monsters, countless enemies to place the hurt on and an epic adventure to go along with it.

EA has made a lot of strides with NHL 06, especially on the offensive side of the ice. That being said, the AI is still a problem area that prevents the series from reaching its maximum potential.