If you’re looking for a chess match, you’ll probably be disappointed by what’s instead feels like the kind of war game you played with toy soldiers as a kid in the backyard - lots of bodies flying around willy-nilly and lying face first in the dirt.

Things get stale rather quickly, largely in part to the game's propensity to confining players to a single path through the campaign. The multiplayer doesn't help things along very much.

Some very fun moments arise in the various tournament offerings. Hits in the game make "Madden" look like its players are playing patty cake with each other. Controls could have been handled a bit better but what we have is acceptable.

And if this were just a pen-and-paper experience, it would be almost perfect. The problem is, this isn’t a pen-and-paper adventure—it’s a video game. That means the action doesn’t take place in your mind’s eye. It happens right in front of you on the screen.

For every moment that Tomb Raider: Underworld shined, there were two or three where I was extremely disappointed. The fact that it feels at spots like a big movie broken up by interactive segments, rather than a deep game with cutscenes to give you a brief respite from the action, was one of the biggest offenses.

While the game does contain some exploration and adventure aspects, the core gameplay boils down to a never-ending series of mini games that become repetitive fairly quickly.

In this game, most of the 12 achievements offered are for snagging the fruit in each level, with the others being for slamming two enemies with a single rock, dispatching four creatures with a single rock and (the nearly impossible) clearing a whole level’s soil.

Licensed audio tracks ands voice acting from the movie makes the audio worth listening to.

The intensity additions are all well and good, but the basic gameplay engine and A.I. system needs looked at a bit closer.

Built upon a strong engine, but not doing much to keep up with the Joneses.

All the titles are direct emulations so the sense of nostalgia is amazing and old-school gamers will dig the inclusion of Game Gear titles, unlockable Genesis games, and a few extras.

Those encountering BoS without ever playing "Baldur's Gate" will definitely find some sweet RPG style gameplay and some nifty real-time action to boot.

If you're the type of person that's glued to the television every four years, carrying a torch for the Summer Games, Beijing 2008 is tailor made just for you. With its wide variety of events and a solid presentation, you'll be hard pressed not to get something out of this release. Still, control issues and a poor online experience keep this game from having any chance of bringing home the gold.

The LEGO elements are just as fun as ever, and the advent of the masks provides solid variety.

This most certainly isn’t a game that you’ll be able to relax and play with a smile on your face. That’s not to say it’s bad, but just that it’s going to cater to a smaller segment of the Xbox 360 population looking for maximum challenge.

The XMP mode can be a ton of fun with at least 4-on-4, but with any less it seems rather slow and unsatisfying. The visuals are unimpressive, minus the nice weapon particle effects.

The new dance pad changes the mechanics of dance games a bit for the better even if it is a bit frustrating at times to keep your bearings while on the mat. Bring a spare shirt too because the action is frenzied and sweat is an assurance.

Fun is the bottom line here. Arcade simple, but entertaining. A.I. is unscrupulous at times.

A great golf game that actually has pretty impressive physics and realism.

The game’s poorly ported control scheme makes the rich flavor of the original game taste more like day-old leftovers instead of a gourmet gaming treat.

The visual style, the sounds, and the jokes are straight out of the show, and all come together to create a fun and enjoyable game.

If you’re looking for a game that is fun [and] will allow you to jump right into it, this is definitely the game for you.

Despite all this chafe in the wheat, Namco Museum Virtual Arcade is a pretty decent package for the price.

Platform junkies will dig the challenges and combinations of different powers each character has, movie fans will enjoy the continuation of the story and their favorite characters, and gamers just looking for an innocent rental won't be disappointed either.

Definitely has an intriguing storyline, but the repetitive gameplay and static camera hurts what could have been a much better effort.

Gory, sometimes more so than some would like, yet unique and ultimately satisfying.

The ability to create a soldier, tweaking various elements in both a physical and mental capacity, and then raising him through the ranks is great, but the actual gameplay is hurt by a lack of fluidity.

I think there was the potential for greatness, and clearly a lot of time was poured into making it what it is, but the end product is ultimately diminished by its shortcomings.