There are times when a level can seem absolutely impossible until something just clicks, and the game's simple approach to delivering it all is infinitely helpful in that regard. Rather than distracting, you're encouraged to sit back and concentrate, and the result is an incredibly original, thoroughly engrossing take on a visual puzzler.

Yeah, I had a lot of fun with it. It just wasn't something that held my attention as long as I was expecting. Single player was the golden goose.

Considering the diminutive offering compared to other GT games, you'd think this would feel lacking in some way. It falters at times, yes, but Prologue is an honest-to-goodness peek at what's to come. Oh, and it's a hell of a game to boot.

There's no denying the market for Arcana Heart: it's a pure fanservice, all girl-on-girl fighting game with such delightful anime clichés as a robot girl with huge boobs, a kimono-clad girl (and sisters) with huge boobs and an apparently lesbian end boss with (wait for it... waaaaiiittt...) big boobs.

I was starting to get worried that maybe Final Fantasy VII just shouldn't be revisited with some of the previous games, but Crisis Core blows any doubt out of the water. Get this game, and then join us in praying for a PS3 remake.

The only complaint that I have is that the rap meter still seems to be a little off, so even when I swear I was dead on, I was dinged.

Once you've taken the time to adjust to the nuances, the new swing mechanic completely changes the game, yet retains the same pick-up-and-play feel that the series has always had.

If you liked the first game and you like movies, this one's an absolute no-brainer.

Unfortunately, the feeling that it was also a portable Ratchet game is inescapable, serving as a constant distraction and turning what was previously a "wow, this is an honest-to-goodness Ratchet game that I can take anywhere!" experience into a "ew, people actually thought this was on par with the Insomniac Ratchets?" one.

It really can't be overstated how much of a technical accomplishment this really is.

Patapon is just one of those games that you don't see very often. What originally seems like a basic concept is almost constantly being fleshed out with nuance and depth as new songs, items, units and enemies are added with each successive level.

Iridium Runners is sort of the equivalent of a feel good movie. No, none of the characters are all that engrossing, there's not a whole lot to make you appreciate what went into the production, and yet... it just all works.

So yes, I'm a big whiner about the new way the game throws all its different modes at you during the career progression, but custom soundtracks, online play, tons of subtle little tweaks to the handling, track design, weapons and even a few elements borrowed from past games all add up to one of the most insanely packed offerings on the PSP right now.

I don't even want to think about the visuals or audio long enough to talk about them. Both are offensively bad, from the Xbox-quality graphics and level detail to the frequent and pointless use of stereotypical comments and ham-fisted injections of "edgy" cussing. Even if the entire game was meant to be taken as satire, it still comes off as shoddily executed. Don't play it. Don't rent it. For the love of all that is good and holy in the world don't buy it.

Devil May Cry 4 does exactly what the series has been trying to do since the first game: it recaptures the careful balance of light puzzles, tight, varied action, over-the-top cutscenes and clever little boss encounters, all starring a pair of smart-mouthed, swaggering dyed-in-the-wool action flick caricatures.

Few games allow as candid and open-armed a tour of just what went into making a series as this. It's absolutely worth every cent, and I can only hope that Eat, Sleep, Play's future efforts are this packed with information about the process.

Decent, certainly capable of hooking those taken with all things militaristic and diplomatic, but very few will be smitten with the overall presentation.

A pure, unadulterated action flick boiled down into its simplest parts, Extreme Justice wantonly flaunts its ignorance of depth or basis in reality and as a result walks away a top-notch portable effort, and a damn fine follow-up to the original.

Above all else, though, it's the game's delightful sense of balance and ever-present progress carrot dangling just out of reach that kept me coming back.

A very, very solid and semi-interactive version of the cartoon, Harvey Birdman may be as inept in court as the game's namesake, but all of the humor and interesting takes on classic characters come through just fine.

A very, very solid and semi-interactive version of the cartoon, Harvey Birdman may be as inept in court as the game's namesake, but all of the humor and interesting takes on classic characters come through just fine.

Atari Classics Evolved is a tight, concise little value-priced collection of honest-to-goodness great retro games. It's well worth the asking price and even offers a little more than you'd expect.

The MX vs. ATV formula has finally burned through the last of its wide-bodied appeal. That doesn't mean Untamed is a bad game, but it's not what I would call a proper Rainbow Studios game either.

Handing off the game from Rainbow to Incinerator Studios was a bad idea. A baaaaaad idea. If you must play the games, stick to the PSP or PS3 versions. No, really.

Whatever UTIII lacks in offerings right now (and I can't find one among them beyond stuff from older games), the mod community will add. If that doesn't demonstrate this whole "Game 3.0" concept perfectly, I don't know what does. Seriously, go buy it.

High Velocity Bowling is far, far better than you'd think it initially seems. I've little doubt that this review will probably be one of the highest-rated of the bunch on most aggregate sites, but I honestly think it's a simple matter of going into the game with an open mind.

PAIN just needed a little more... something. Another level, more stuff to do, I don't know what, but it's impossible to escape the feeling that what's being offered for $10 is spread a little too thin.

Hardware issues are annoying, yes, but with a killer single player mode, great online multiplayer and the promise of dozens of individual tracks and complete albums, the game more than pays for itself out of the box.

Time Crisis 4 is an instant buy for long-time fans of the series. It really is a damn fine game, and the new Guncon has some potential for great games. At its core, the arcade game represents the perfect approximation of what it'd be like to be in a Jerry Bruckheimer action flick, and though it's over quickly, while it lasts, it's a blast.

They took a big risk in doing something other than a cartoony platform and in many respects Uncharted is a success, but slightly sloppy gunplay and some absolutely infuriating parts of the game hold it back from being a true killer app. On sheer graphical merits alone the game is a must-buy, but as a complete game, we'll have to wait to see how the sequel turns out to know for sure if this is gaming's equivalent of an Indiana Jones flick.

Requiem isn't a particularly bad game, oh no; it's something quite worse: a patently mediocre game.

It's likely that BLADESTORM is going to be an absolutely polarizing affair. Plenty will hate it for not being Dynasty Warriors while commenting in the same breath that the Dynasty Warriors games aren't different enough, while others will find the RPG elements and light strategy to be refreshingly different.

The SIXAXIS controls do feel bolted on, but left to traditional controls, it succeeds in being a solid flight game. It may not have some of the polish in the presentation that more impressive games like the oft-mentioned Ace Combat games have, but it's still fun.

In the end, so long as you haven't tired of the series yet, it's a damn fine value, and something that you can buy for just about any gamer guilt-free.

As it stands right now, though, it's merely going to have to settle for being the digital equivalent of tactical splinter; hardly lethal, but annoying enough that it can't really be ignored.

It marries technology with control and keeps giving for weeks if not months after you first pick up the controller. It delivers a powerful single-player experience and an almost impossibly tense, utterly addictive online component and when the two are brought together... well, you're looking at your Game of the Year right here.

A good game show comes down to a handful of things; a good way of equalizing all players regardless of skill (but still allowing those that are most knowledgeable to have some advantage), good question variety, engaging modes or rounds and a presentation that wraps it all up. Buzz! has all of these in spades.

Far, far better than the odds would suggest, and though it's not all perfect, what's there is certainly worth picking up if you enjoyed the movie and want something to play with the kids.

I honestly can't recommend Afternoon of Darkness enough. It is everything a SRPG should be, filled to the brim with a staggering amount of gameplay, a great story with absolutely insane characters, killer gameplay that all SRPGs would do well to copy, and with the PSP version, runs, looks and plays better than the original version.

In all, Guitar Hero III serves as a nice little high water mark for Neversoft. It's hardly all that high, but proves that, yes, they can actually make a Guitar Hero game without trashing the series in one fell swoop and, as evidenced by the stuff seen in the Aerosmith expansion, they can clearly learn from their mistakes.

a game made for geeks. Even ignoring the steampunk and fantasy element, the whole process of collecting cards and doing battle with them is incredibly dorky, but to be honest, the game is so much fun to play and after about an hour of futzing around, fairly easy to understand that you'll take any lumps just to find someone to play a game with online.

Jericho had a lot of potential, and in some ways, like jumping back and forth between squad members it actually does something different. Sadly, all of the game's set-up and backstory are essentially squandered on an over-reliance on the same constantly spawning enemies and too-obvious puzzles.

Letting enemies beat on you while your block window is closed until you’re a bloody pulp or laying endless unblockable attacks onto a character that lacks neither the agility nor the grace to combat enemies that seem built only to make players cuss like drunken sailors.

The single best game you can find on the PlayStation 3 right now, and at the end of the day, it's the best in the series. If you own a PS3, you need this game in your library. It is the absolutely definition of a must-have title, and right now is the front-runner as game of the year, hands down.

MotoGP 07 just plain looks limp next to the better games.

A cheap cash-in that not even fans could love, Napoleon Dynamite just doesn't offer anything worthwhile.

What blows my mind is that Neversoft was able to include everything they did in the normal year-long development schedule.

In the end, NBA 08 offers enough outside stuff to distract from the fact that the core game of basketball is seriously lacking when compared to the other games on the market -- it's simply a matter of how much distraction there actually is.

The PSP version is ultimately the best of all of them because it contains the least amount of actual, straight basketball, but at least the PS3 version's sim aspects are solid enough to handle plenty of repeat plays and all the additional free downloadable content.

A game that unites clean, sober folks and dirty hippies alike. Such is the power of a Queasy Game.

While we certainly wouldn't mind seeing a Super GT update in the near future (mmmmm... airport track...), we'll gladly take a Revo sequel too. Next time, though, the game absolutely must pack in a little more in the way of extras and a deeper online mode.

This game is a must have for any RPG-fan out there past and present because we still know Cloud make you guys cream your silkies.

The voice acting bounces between perfectly decent and sometimes stilted and even a little embarrassing at times.

Screw it, there's really no need to go into the piss-poor "customization" options, nor the "weather" choices you have, nor the absolutely PS one-era graphics and... yeah, y'know what, f this game. Do not play it. Do not download it. Do not mention it. Do not think of it.

MLB Power Pros' greatest asset is the presentation. No nonsense and adorably charming, the game suckers you in with what seems to be a simple little game of Baseball Lite, but the deeper you plug into it, the more you realize just how much time and effort was put into making the game appear simple.

Jungle Party's presentation is actually surprisingly good.

Ultimately, it would be best for Sony to probably ditch the PS2 version and concentrate on making the actual basketball game solid for the PSP and PS3 versions next year.

Though the game isn't without its own ridiculous levels of replay value (for those that really want to go evil without repercussions, a complete side story is unlocked that lets you just tear stuff up as a baddie), it's actually kinda nice to play an NIS game that doesn't take 100 hours to finish.

If that isn't a pair of dream tracklists, I don't know what is.

Paying a full $40 for something that should realistically been $20 at most is pointless, and why the hell Sony priced the game so high is beyond me.

If that isn't a pair of dream tracklists, I don't know what is.

PixelJunk Racers isn't a bad game, it's just prohibitively difficult, so much so that it's actually a turn-off.

It is a stunning achievement in capturing performance, and a solid jumping-off point for the franchise.

It not only piles on an extensive list of race types in addition to the rally courses Codemasters has become famous for, but heaps on new kinds of vehicles and manages to pull it off with some of the best presentation I've ever seen in a racing game.

Lair is, in no uncertain terms, a colossal disaster. The offenses are numerous and the explanations unneeded. I would say the game needed more polish, but it's pretty evident that the main problems were more than just a lack of dev time.

Dead Head Fred's greatest strength is its humor. The world that was created is almost depressingly dark, but the biting humor and incredibly smart writing keep it light enough that you want to see if you can make everything better.

I'm taking a big risk rating the game as high as it is right now, and if for some reason things aren't worked out in the next week or two, this score is going to drop like a rock, but when the game works, it's absolutely amazing. Here's hoping makes it.

This game delivers one of the better RPG experiences on the PSP console. It is put together well and gives you quite a bang for your buck, just make sure you aren't a casual gamer.

Wild ARMs 5 is one of the best RPGs to hit the PS2, simple as that. An old-school approach to the genre whittles down the gameplay to simple, core elements while stripping out all the annoying bits that have built up over the years. A definite buy.

A solid port that offers a ton of single- and multi-player content for the price, a solid if slightly campy story (your supposedly hard-assed commander is a hoot), and some seriously solid gameplay make this a joy to play through... even if you do it a couple months after the game actually came out.

Jeanne d'Arc does nearly everything perfectly, and I know I keep harping on this, but it's just a stellar first effort for Level-5. If your PSP has been collecting dust since, say, Crush, break out the dust mop and grab this game.

Dragoneer's Aria is simply average in almost every way, there's no getting around it. Parts of the storyline can be entertaining, but only as much as the localization gave the characters a little pop. Otherwise, it's a purely paint-by-numbers game.

This is a really solid SRPG that adheres to the D&D rules and mythos as much as possible without reducing the fun factor. I recommend it for anyone who likes SRPGs in general, and even more so if you're deaf.

With a terrific storyline and characters, a difficulty that's challenging but not classically MegaTen hard, and a stupid amount of stuff to do in the game, it's impossible not to recommend this game to anyone who love RPGS. And most who don't.

Anniversary is not quite the game that Legend was. Though initially I was floored by how well the series had been updated, as time went on and the frustrations piled up, it started to lose the raw appeal. It's good, but not great.

Piyotama is a terrific value. At $3, it's just the kind of simple impulse buy the PSN needs, and hopefully this is a sign of things to come. Give it a shot, because honestly, who can't spare three bucks?

Though it can hold claim to the title of most advanced PSP tech showpiece, the actual gameplay part of Brave Story is left lacking -- if only a little. Go into it expecting naught but a cliched RPG experience and you won't be disappointed.

Here's a dumb idea: rushing an expansion by regurgitating nearly all of the original game and delivering minimal compelling content. Here's a dumber one: charing $10 more than normal so unsuspecting consumers will pad your fiscal third quarter.

Unless you're a hardcore Tales fan, there's no reason to pick this game up; there will be plenty of great RPGs hitting in the next few months, so save that cash and trade it in soon for something a little more worthwhile.

A solid foundation and pretty walls aren't of much use if there's nothing inside to actually make the place habitable. That's precisely what Hot Shots Tennis is; pretty from the outside, solid, but without anything on the inside. Shame, really.

It's hard to hate a game as genuinely quirky and happy as PaRappa and indeed I don't hate it. I do hate the sticker price and the lack of anything truly new, however, and until this is on the PlayStation Store as a download, avoid it.

The crazy amount of depth afforded by Ryu's basic movesets, the stuff he gets from weapons and the things that are unlocked make the game so damned enjoyable that even when you're chucking the controller through a wall, you're itching to do it all again.

Costing less than $10, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that most players will play this well over 10 times: it offers fast paced twin-stick shooter action that is hard to beat. SSHD sets the golden standard for future PSN games to strive for.

Once you get a game going, the online aspect of Vegas far and away shines as the biggest selling point, but there's no discounting the single-player game either -- even if the ending is a little blah. Better late than never, Vegas rocks.

Ranging from moments that made me want to chuck the system out the window because of crushing boredom or infuriating rage, no part of this game demonstrates something that hasn't already been trounced by a better offering somewhere else.

Ultimately, it comes down to $30 for a single game when two games were about as much just a couple years back. If you're that big a Final Fantasy fan, then there's really nothing more to say. If not, you're not missing much.

GrimGrimoire is a brilliant, gorgeous, enthralling game that works just as well as a living art piece as it does as an RTS. The gameplay is fantastic, the storyline has hooks and the game is just flat-out gorgeous. But it. Buy it now.

Want to make an a capella trance song using only your voice? Want to sample a child's nursery rhyme and turn it into a new hip-hop beat? Want to lay down the thickest, sickest breaks you can think of? Traxxpad lets you do it, and it rocks.

The Darkness is a meaty, emotional, visceral experience that few games will ever be able to match. Starbreeze's next-gen debut hits on some many levels that we're almost scared to think of what they'll do next.

The BIGS is great stuff. It's not imposing -- despite the stature of the players in the game -- it's not overly technical, nor is it terribly shallow. No, the game won't give any baseball sims a run for their money, but it is a blast.

The BIGS is great stuff. It's not imposing -- despite the stature of the players in the game -- it's not overly technical, nor is it terribly shallow. No, the game won't give any baseball sims a run for their money, but it is a blast.

Ranging from moments that made me want to chuck the system out the window because of crushing boredom or infuriating rage, no part of this game demonstrates something that hasn't already been trounced by a better offering somewhere else. Stay away.

With a bit more story and more dimension to the characters in the town -- not to mention a little more variety (and no Ad-Hoc play doesn't really count) -- Dungeon Maker could have been something special. It's got the foundation, but it needs more.

Easily one of the best puzzle games ever made. Yes, it's really that good. If you own a PSP, you need this game.

Atelier Iris 3's biggest problem is just that it doesn't have any glaring mistakes. Instead, the game is so painfully mediocre that it's a struggle to keep going, not because you're hating the game, but because you're just plain bored.

Dawn of Mana isn't a complete failure as a game, it's just not what most people were hoping for from a proper 3D update. The concepts here were novel, but the execution of the main game still leaves something to be desired.

Gorgeous from top to bottom, simultaneously old-school and yet nicely updated and an absolute joy to play Odin Sphere is a monumental achievement in art design and execution. Now if we could just get it all in HD.

I know I keep mentioning this, but it's important. I don't play sports games, and yet I wanted to play more of The Show. I can't think of a better complement about the game, but it's certainly not perfect.