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.