Most NASCAR fans will enjoy this year’s version, but if they have 06, which they likely do, there might not be much reason to upgrade.

This overall spectacle sometimes approaches realism, like watching a bout on television. But it’s only a fleeting effect, like those newspaper puzzles where if you stare at the dots long enough in just the right way, a three-dimensional image appears.

Rocky Balboa smacks hard with the love its authors must have for the series of movies it takes its inspiration from. One wonders why on earth it’s a PSP exclusive when it could’ve been done so much better on a platform that allows for more scope than a portable but given the circumstances they’ve done a fine job.

Heavy on story and atmosphere and with a massive number of missions to complete, Siren should appeal to devoted fans of the survival-horror genre. But it's simply too complex and unwieldy to be appreciated by less hardcore players.

While Spider-Man 2 truly puts you in the webbed booties of the wall-crawler and boasts a ton of freedom to do what you want, there's not enough variety to keep things fresh from start to finish.

This is designed as the first game in a new Ubisoft franchise, and I do hope there’s another. The little miscues can be fixed, the stealth tweaked, and I’d be up for free running through the French Revolution next time.

While Spider-Man 2 truly puts you in the webbed booties of the wall-crawler and boasts a ton of freedom to do what you want, there's not enough variety to keep things fresh from start to finish.

Like "Wii Sports," it is the perfect title to show off the Wii to friends, family and an excellent game to have in your library for those times where you just want to sit back, have a little fun and some laughs.

While MTV Music Generator 3 is easy to pick up and mess around with, would-be DJs would find the time better spent learning a software application that actually gives them the freedom to create without the restrictions and limitations found in this fun but simple package.

For anyone looking for a deceptively solid tennis game, grab your balls and get ready to make some racket with Outlaw Tennis (aren't I creative?).

While it has a fine single player component, the game only realizes its true potential if you go through the trouble of rounding up three friends with Game Boy Advances.

A thinking man's military game, Full Spectrum Warrior's set-piece confrontations tend to force you into one specific course of action. But it's still as close as you'll come to living the real thing - and be thankful for that.

Action oriented fans should steer clear of this title, but those looking for an accurate soccer experience should at the very least give this title a try.

The inclusion of the original Tron games helps push up the coolness factor -- so thumbs up to all for creating a fun on the go Tron experience.

It’s a great demonstration of all the things that can be done with the Wii controller, although it’s still amusing with a conventional PS2 joystick.

Easy to pick up and play and immediately enjoyable.

Not surprisingly, some liberties were taken to reconcile logistics with gameplay. Call in the airborne and your paratroopers arrive immediately, with no need to plan the air drop in advance. But that is where the suspension of disbelief ends.

With some races you can win in a snap but others are down to the wire and sometimes are way too hard. Juiced is definitely for those who love to put the pedal to the metal and lay waste to some asphalt.

Excite Truck is as boisterous and cantankerous as your mother-in-law was when you forgot to call on her birthday. It's engines roar. It's music snarls. There's nothing sedate or stately about it. And, that's why it's simple but thrilling mindless fun.

The only big problems with the game itself are that it isn't all that long, and it doesn't take advantage of the dual screens.

While Spider-Man 2 truly puts you in the webbed booties of the wall-crawler and boasts a ton of freedom to do what you want, there's not enough variety to keep things fresh from start to finish.

Despite its literary background, “Shadows of Angmar” doesn’t rewrite the rules for massively multiplayer online games and instead sticks to the same safe, proven formula. It does, however, deliver a rich world that stays mostly true to Tolkien’s vision. [Associated Press]

For fans of the previous game, there’s not much new here beyond a co-operative multiplayer mode where two people are tasked with steering around one katamari. Unless you and your co-player are psychic, though, it’s a tough, frustrating task.

Black sets out to achieve one goal of being the biggest, loudest and most impressively single mindedly violent FPS. Regardless of the zero it receives for narrative, it most definitely scores huge on thrills.

Younger racers won’t really care too much about the auto-reset and lack of sliding all that much and should be engrossed in the unfolding storyline.

Much like the distinctive homegrown television series, Atomic Betty's sophomore GBA venture is screwball, carefree fun at its very best and a tribute to how far the Canadian gaming industry has come in such a short period of time.

Although it is not as sophisticated on some levels as the continuing adventures of Sam Fisher, it does stand on it's own as a fine addition to the "sneak and destroy" genre of games.

With only 35 songs to sing along with, any real fan of karaoke will whip through them in only a few sessions.

While not the amazing experience we were all expecting, Quake 4 is a worthy successor to the Quake franchise.

Besides some lazy moments where characters show up repeatedly and say the same things over and over, some clunky controls on the main map and some overly-long load times between races and minigames, Cars does the trick.

It has pretty graphics, plenty of extras and an engaging storyline. I may have taken a whole lot more from it if I was a hardcore fan of the history of X-Men, but it still has enough going for it to keep all types of gamers happy.

While a bit of a novelty, the mic works well, even if the games could have just as easily been played with a regular joystick.

Once every few years, a game comes along that changes all the rules. A game so unique and so groundbreaking that it not only redefines a genre, but redefines how we as gamers connect with our world. This ... is nothing close to that kind of game. But damn if it isn’t fun.

As much as I enjoyed it, I now spend most of my time nitpicking on small issues that in the end keep this game from being a classic.

There really isn’t much here that you haven’t seen before in a digital pool game, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a fun way to spend a few minutes killing time.

The main problem with the story mode, though, is that's simply too hard.

For starters, though the game is $10.99 some may feel cheated by there being only two variations of the same level. More content will come available through download, but one level is still only one level.

Is Leisure Suit Larry crass? Yes. Vulgar? You bet. Immature? Of course. Funny? Downright hilarious.

Another uber-retro game from the heyday of coin-op fun, this game actually holds up fairly well despite it’s very old-school graphics and sound.

A fun, zany, irreverent, violent (yeah!) and humorous game. It's just not very deep. It makes for a really good rental game as most of the coolest and engaging parts of the game are encountered in the first few missions and are then repeated throughout the rest of the experience.

Is Leisure Suit Larry crass? Yes. Vulgar? You bet. Immature? Of course. Funny? Downright hilarious. If you're looking for a video-game romp with a lot of off-colour and racy humour, you've hit the bull's-eye.

But the fantastic presentation of the multiplayer concept, aided by the single cartridge format, is reason enough for purchase. Bombs away!

Is Leisure Suit Larry crass? Yes. Vulgar? You bet. Immature? Of course. Funny? Downright hilarious.

This game has everything a Sudoku enthusiast could possibly want – namely, hundreds upon hundreds of puzzles ranging in difficulty from quite easy, to frustratingly difficult.

Given today's evolution in RPG's (even for handheld RPG's), I find it hard to believe this compilation will hold the attention of newer gamers for longer then 15 minutes. Any old school players out there with a GBA however will get plenty nostalgic with this duo of games.

If you think you’d enjoy playing an RTS you played 4 years ago, but with wickedly updated graphics/sound/cut scenes and with a dual layered map, then by all means pick [it] up.

A bigger pad would help in the future.The other problem is the selection of game modes to choose from.

You gain experience from every battle -- which makes you stronger – lather, rinse, repeat, add a story, and there’s your gameplay.

Word of advice to the developers: When creating the next installment of this franchise, do what you did with the presentation end of things, and almost completely rip-off "Grand Theft Auto," and their gameplay. It’ll make this sort of title appeal to almost everyone.

As enjoyable as the game is, as my roommate can attest to, watching someone else play is about as exciting as watching the real thing.

Gun is the best Wild West game to date but it is a low-down dirty shame that developers Neversoft didn't apply the same comprehensive approach to the design work as they did to the soundtrack, voice casting and the plot.

The graphics and sound in Death Jr. are nothing spectacular. The music is catchy but repetitive, and the sound effects are sparse and basic.

For the features it has, though the same as others on the market, and for it’s ability to just give you a good time I give this game a 7 out of 10.

Fantastic visuals, a decent plot and an interesting music-based fighting system are hampered by some tacked-on non-features, iffy controls and a thinner roster of rappers. Bring back Lil Kim!

A decent party game for the attention deficit disorder crowd, but the single-player game doesn't offer much that you won't have already experienced in the Game Boy Advance version.

A quick but surprisingly enjoyable diversion. It's recommended only for younger gamers who likely won’t be able to point out the game’s obvious shortcomings like its graphics and almost complete lack of memorable sound.

It's a fine addition to Black & White 2 but in the end it's more of the same - entertaining more of the same, though, for under $20.

Younger gamers will enjoy the Roman atmosphere and fairly easy game play and there are enough features and variety in CivCity: Rome to make it a good addition to any strategy game collection.

Don't let the big-headed cartoon folk fool you, this is a solid (but fun) simulation of golf, and online-enabled to boot. Too bad it's so similar to the previous game in the series.

Also a little disappointing is the permanent map display that takes up the right-hand third of the screen and can't be switched off. Some sort of heads-up display or radar option would have been nice, so you could roar into battle using all of the PSP's widescreen real estate.

Enjoyable, although apart from the upgradeable weapons system and weapon loadouts in the multiplayer, it is not groundbreaking.

Besides, any game that lets you engage in drunken bar room brawls can‘t be all that bad, savvy?

What's also frustrating is that lower-level foes with no real super powers like Nazi soldiers and Nuclear Winter's henchmen are way too strong. Often you may find yourself swarming an irritating straggler here and there after engaging in a huge rumble that has left your team weaker than Aunt May.

The overuse of bland office building environments and a steep difficulty curve mar an otherwise captivating storyline and novel use of the first-person perspective.

If dueling with collectible cards isn't your idea of a fun time, the Marvel Trading Card Game doesn't really offer anything new to pull you or other gamers in.

The Sony version has brilliantly rendered 3-D animated characters and cut-scenes, the actors from the animated series doing the voice work and large areas to wander around. There is just no comparison with this title. PSP owners are getting a treat this Halloween while DS'ers shouldn't be tricked into buying their underdeveloped edition.

Parents might suffer alarming flashbacks of their own wedding planning fiascos but the wee ones will have great fun exercising their creativity while also learning to follow instructions.

Taking the pigskin to the asphalt is a novel idea and makes for a fast and fun game of arcade football. It's not nearly as slick and addictive as its sister franchise "NBA Street," though.

Old-school Sonic speed plus a few new twists makes for a decent if not earth-shattering return to the realm of the blue hedgehog.

While the "girlfriends" are an interesting twist, Street Racing Syndicate doesn't rise much above a strictly average racing game. You'd be better off with "Need For Speed Underground" and a copy of "Maxim."

It’s gritty, and unpolished in many areas (I actually had a few freezes that forced me to reset my PS2), but if you bite down and bare it, you’ll like it. That is, if you are a fan of movies like those Mr. Ritchie makes.

In the end, Turok demands more than some gamers will want to give.

Gun is a violent, interestingly fulfilling shooter, albeit so brief it doesn't quite do its fantastic premise justice.

Word of advice to the developers: When creating the next installment of this franchise, do what you did with the presentation end of things, and almost completely rip-off Grand Theft Auto, and their gameplay. It'll make this sort of title appeal to almost everyone.

All I want do is throw or run with the ball and mash as many players as humanly possible in as many ways as possible. EA's Arena Football does all of that quite nicely.

It's not the most original brawler out there, but the tasty graphics and cinematic comic-book style action help make up for some of the games imperfections.

Despite of its flaws, it still works.

An exciting adventure that will keep you engaged until the final battle.

It's hard to imagine how this epic strategy game's control scheme could be any better on a console, but it's still not quite a match for the precision of the PC version.

There's little need for varied strategies throughout Lockdown, and once you figure out how to sweep a room efficiently, the entire game is pretty much open for completion. It makes for an interesting twist on the strategy based shooter formula, because the need for absolute teamwork is almost entirely diminished.

Tekken V: Dark Resurrection is still fun to play and it's much better than most of the competition. It's just a bit of a letdown because it feels to me that the developers missed a chance to fully take advantage on the PS3's capabilities.

Don't have any idea what the difference between a PetPetPet, a Neopet or a PetPet is and could care less? 'Petpet Adventures: The Wand of Wishing' is probably not for you then. For fans of the odd little beasts and their quirky little ways, the PSP release is a faithful expansion of the Neopet universe.

For the most part however, the control works great. Once you align your backswing with the power gauge on-screen, it's really simple to drive accurate distances and directions.

While there's not a whole lot of variety to the game play, the slick look and novel control scheme help make up for Rise to Honor's other shortcomings. And no, that's not a crack about Jet Li's height.

Old-school Sonic speed plus a few new twists makes for a decent if not earth-shattering return to the realm of the blue hedgehog.

That's 100 games and 10 dance offs in 10 stages, folks. Yep. Moms and dads, this game will have your kids tied up until doomsday...or shortly thereafter.

It's quite unlikely that the intended audience for Super Princess Peach ever played "Super Mario Bros" back in the day, or perhaps any of the many sequels - and therefore is almost likely to be a newcomer to the platform genre. And if that's the case, Peach is a perfect primer, just in time for "New Super Mario Bros" in a few months time.

The single player section is short and simple enough for any youngster to get through (probably with a little help from mom or dad) and best of all, there are plenty of addictive minigames to keep players occupied after the closing credits.

And the story's intriguing.

For the hardcore gamer, there should be enough here to keep their interest through until the ending.

While it's not the most original game of its kind, fans of MediEvil should like this slick redux of the popular PlayStation platformers. The wireless multiplayer minigames are a nice bonus, too.

Taking the pigskin to the asphalt is a novel idea and makes for a fast and fun game of arcade football. It's not nearly as slick and addictive as its sister franchise NBA Street, though.

As long as your little one can puzzle out how to operate the GBA to begin with, Little Einsteins is a perfect teaching tool that just like the animated series makes learning fun.

A solid game, but nothing special. And while certainly one of the RPG’s for the PSP yet, it’s nevertheless wise to remember that MK: Jewel Summoner benefits most from being a big fish in a small pond.

While the game looks good, controls well and is genuinely funny in spots, the action starts to get repetitive fairly early on. But you gotta love that shark gun.

This is a one-of-a-kind title that could only be done on the Nintendo DS, but this melange of musical marine life won't be everyone's cup of sea water.

A unique release in the sense that it could be a stepping-stone to bigger and better things. There is no reason Bigbig couldn’t flesh out what they have created already and release a console version.

Although, Naruto has a lot of unnecessary elements, it still is one of the most enjoyable fighting games I have played in a long time.