If you're a fan of action -RPGs, then by all means add this game to your collection. Just don't expect it to be "Diablo 3." That crown still belongs to "Titan Quest."

I'm not disappointed with the title at all, but I'm not particularly amazed or blown away by anything that it does, either.

Despite its faults, The Witcher is a diamond in the rough as a mature, gritty and atmospheric RPG that heads into territory not often explored.

An excellent example of how a talented crew can break with the tired trend of modern urban combat in the Middle East and still produce an intense and memorable FPS experience. This is "worth playing," indeed.

TimeShift frequently faced me with challenges that were initially incomprehensible, and then too easy to overcome once I had some idea of what the hell I was supposed to do.

Virtua Fighter 5 continues the success of the VF franchise by adding an online mode and providing enough single-player modes to keep even the most avid fighting fan enthralled for quite a while.

The no-frills adventure portion of the title offers a twist on the exciting fighting formula, although the unpolished reliance on platforming might turn off players who are looking simply to crack some skulls as the orange-clad Hokage hopeful.

A graphically impressive party game. Although it may seem a bit droll and uninspired to the hardcore gamer, it does an admirable job of being a fun party game for the younger crowd.

The touch-screen and scrolling controls are sloppy, the sound is almost nonexistent, and the graphics are decent but boring.

Hours of pure, smart fun for me. I haven't laughed out loud at a game in a while (where it was meant to be funny), and I would certainly recommend at least spending some spare weekend time on it.

As intended, Cars Mater-National Championship will appeal to children who have never played the first Cars game or did really love it, and also the kids who even quite a while after release are still enamored with the movie, or were too young for it when it originally debuted in theaters or on home video.

Stranglehold is the poster child for the creation of a new category of very short, lower-priced games that hold together over their abbreviated length.

With the difficult camera angles, blurry death sequences, bugs and glitches, playing Manhunt 2 really was like doing to the doctor — it'll hurt like hell, but something tells you that you have to do it. I shouldn't think of a game like that.

It has slapdash controls and is riddled with gameplay issues, but the game achieves what it sets out to do: be a temporary distraction that's good for relieving a bit of tension.

Manhunt 2 doesn't quite live up to the hype of its predecessor. It is incredibly violent, but it doesn't have the same effect as the original due to the muted kill sequences.

Ultimately, El Tigre is a solid game for anyone who is a fan of the book or television series. The narrative is great and follows the series well, and even though it does have its shortcomings in gameplay, it is still a good game.

This title would be a very good candidate for any child who's a fan of the "Cars" movie or enjoys cartoony racing games.

Guitar Hero III is a great game — at least as good as its notable predecessors. In the title's PlayStation 3 version, however, the deal comes with a caveat: For a seamless, uncomplicated experience, you can't bring your old Guitar Hero gear with you.

On one hand, it's Guitar Hero. Messing it up would've been sacrilege, and Activision did a pretty good job of not doing that. It's just as fun as it ever was, and the song selection is pretty great. On the other hand, they could have done a little more. Revolutionary new steps forward weren't exactly expected, but Guitar Hero III feels a little too much like more of the same.

It's by no means terrible, and by no means as bad as you might expect, but by the same token, it's not as good as, after the opening game sequence, you begin to hope it might be.

It's very scary, but it's held back by an annoying save system, limited inventory and respawning enemies.

Instead of fleshing out the most gore-filled and evil FPS series yet made, Mindware has instead managed to flog a dead horse. As a final insult, this is the most poorly performing version of Painkiller yet; it loads more slowly now than ever before, even with my updated hardware.

The game definitely passes, but it belongs to a niche favorable to genre-addict gamers.

Jericho is a title with great ideas. The squad-switching mechanic works very well, the various magic abilities are mostly sound and the plot is potentially very interesting. However, great ideas don't make up for shoddy execution, and Jericho just isn't a $60 game. It's far too short and easy, and the complete lack of any post-game content is almost unforgivable.

Conan is an average action game that seemed content to borrow from other titles without really taking full advantage of its source material. If it's a thirst for blood you have, though, this title will definitely quench it.

From the moment you power on your PSP to the moment you turn it off, Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles does a remarkable job of pulling you into the Castlevania universe and immersing you in the difficult, but ultimately rewarding gameplay.

This title is not bad, but it's not particularly good, either; it simply blends into the crowd. That trait may be great for a ninja, but it's not so good for a console title.

A title that's running on autopilot. It looks better than the previous Ace Combat offerings, but little else has changed.

To put it bluntly, Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure is one of the best games out for the Wii, and any gamers who own Nintendo's new system owe it to themselves to at least give this title a try, if not a buy.

Mega Man ZX Advent tries to outdo the last game in the series, and in doing so actually ends up as a less satisfying experience.

It's been a great run; court is adjourned.

Oddly, the problem is that, it feels too much like a classic hack-'n'-slash RPG. Games like Diablo and Baldur's Gate used the same formula over 10 years ago, and they did it better.

Future is a great game in its own right, despite its positioning to show off the power of its publisher's platform, despite the fact it does very well show off the PS3's capabilities.

A collection of games that have been slightly altered to work with the Wii's innovative controls, but it's ultimately a simple title made for the enjoyment of the nostalgic masses.

A disappointment for fans of the series. A story with as much depth and variety as Naruto should have been an epic role-playing game, but the end product with which we are presented is remedial and random, seeming very much as though the producers of this title were told to slap something together at the last minute, shove the Naruto characters into the game somewhere and get it to market in a hurry.

Frankly, developers of this type perform a gross disservice to other practitioners of the medium, and THQ should have never let this one out the door, no matter how much revenue they'll earn in licensed sales.

Victorious Boxers Revolution should have been great. Hajime no Ippo is about the closest you can get to an animated version of Punchout, and the Wii is almost custom-made for boxing titles. Yet the poor Wii controls, short length and lack of extras make it hard to recommend this game for anything but the most die-hard fans of the Hajime no Ippo manga.

I found the gameplay in The Sims 2: Castaway to be quite entertaining and, to a point, addictive, especially after delegating a large amount of the repetitive resource gathering to island primates and other castaways.

Flight Simulator X: Acceleration adds a respectable amount of content to the original Flight Simulator X, especially for the $30 price tag. Although you only receive three new aircrafts, they offer significantly different flight experiences and challenges that are exemplified by the new, well-designed and interesting single-player missions.

What's incredible is that Big Huge managed to introduce so many fresh ideas to the game yet still maintain the essentially balanced gameplay that remains as addictive as it always was.

A forgettable relic that is just another in a long list of DS shovelware and a pretty bad example of it at that.

All in all, SpongeBob Atlantis Squarepantis is a decent enough kids' title on the DS, with platforming elements that work well, but it hardly does anything to push the genre forward.

For $20 nowadays, it's not the worst way to pass a few hours with a kid, but don't expect it to get much more than a few days of playtime.

In the end, Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots is a game with a decent concept that got bogged down by limited execution and what feels like a lack of interest on the part of the developers.

The mini-games are actually quite fun, and only Tetherball and Wall Ball stand out as weaknesses. If you're looking for a great family game or something to hold the kids over until the next Spongebob or Naruto game, then EA Playground is a great choice.

Although skeptical at first, I was slowly won over by the gameplay in The Sims 2: Castaway. The goal-oriented structure helps maintain the momentum of an otherwise open-ended situation.

A Sims title in name alone. Sure, you can decorate and dress up your character in various clothes and make some limited customization, but at its core, this is an adventure title.

It's just offbeat enough to earn its indie label, and once you get going, it really is next to impossible to put it down.

Despite these problems, Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun is still a solid title that adventure fans will love.

The single-player game will last the average gamer no more than 10 hours, after which your only option will be to repeat it in order to improve your score, or find some friends who also have a copy of the game so you can compete in the multiplayer matches.

Beautiful Katamari holds out as a well-crafted cash-in of the Katamari formula, seeking to bring it to a new, potentially larger, audience. Unfortunately, "cash-in" still applies, and in spite of some great additions, it's still the same old Katamari.

Fish Tycoon cannot escape the trappings of mediocrity. Besides its unique status as a game that requires tedious work for minimum payoff, it also features some of the worst DS compatibility to be seen on the system.

Ultimately, it's a good version of a good game that originated on a very different platform — an even better game, really, just as Resident Evil 4 for Wii is the definitive version of an already excellent title.

Alas, it fails at everything it sets out to do, and it can't even manage to adequately imitate genre progenitors from nearly a decade before it, let alone do anything to surpass them.

In general, Avatar: The Last Airbender The Burning Earth offers a fairly rewarding and entertaining gameplay experience, successfully bringing much of the spirit of the show to the console without sacrificing too much in terms of quality fun.

If you are hoping for an updated version of the exceptional Seven Kingdoms gameplay in Seven Kingdoms: Conquest , you will be seriously disappointed.

Feels like the same game that we've been playing for years. The developers have certainly taken some steps in the right direction with the class system and a couple of new moves, but the game is plagued by frustrating and boring challenges, weak presentation and a glitchy level editor.

Proving Ground for the DS is the Tony Hawk series' most respectable effort in quite some time.

While the actual game is surprisingly fun, it is also poorly designed and horribly balanced, trying so hard to maintain the series' belief that "Alchemists are better than everyone else" that no thought was given to gameplay balance.

NBA 08 is roundly good at what it does; it just doesn't do much. In today's top-tier sports games market, it's not a bad game. It's just, save the engaging Upside Progression System and unique Games of the Week challenges, behind the times.

The single-player Conquest mode and robust multiplayer capabilities do help to redeem this title and are certainly worth a look, but if you already own NBA 07, you should carefully consider if NBA 08 offers enough improvements and new features to justify a purchase.

Each component of the package has moderate to minor flaws, but as a whole of historical significance and truly unique, entirely innovative contemporary game design, The Orange Box is pretty damn close to perfect, barring the rare, almost accidental miracle title.

The once-great are still very good, and the newer titles continue pushing the envelope in terms of quality, narrative and how much you can do within a given genre.

If you played racing games in the arcade during the early to mid '90s, chances are that you've played Sega Rally Revo. Sure, the package is prettier now, and Sega has tried to update the franchise with the addition of deformable terrain, but compared to some of the newer racing titles available, everything else just feels like old hat.

It's got a good learning curve, a wide range of characters, proper story modes, audio seemingly pulled direct from the series, beautifully animated graphics and it mixes up battles in a few surprising new ways.

Overall, I was solidly entertained by Bleach: Shattered Blade. Even though I had to look up some stuff to get a general idea of who everyone was, I found myself sucked into some of the cool combat features, such as the "clash" mini-game.

A strong RPG and something any D&D fan should check out.

All things considered, Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck is a solid title that has quite a bit to see.

Folklore, presenting a tale of legends, aspires itself to the status of a legendary game. Alas, the title is flawed by various shortcomings and poor design decisions, placing such grandeur beyond its grasp. But, however lofty its unfulfilled ambitions, Folklore is certainly not a bad game; indeed, it's a reasonably good game.

Minus its hiccups in gameplay and difficulty, FIFA 08 is a good game. It's just not a great game when compared to the reigning king of soccer games, Winning Eleven (Pro Evolution Soccer in Europe).

If it had something, anything new I feel like I could recommend, I'd fully endorse it, but I can't do that here.

A solid game, allowing for wildly varying tactics.

Hot Pixel has an excellent reward system with plenty of unlocks to keep things interesting. If you're a fan of the old 8-bit arcade gameplay or enjoy a faster-paced game, you might want to give Hot Pixel a try.

As it stands, I think that judicious use of patches can iron out many of the issues with Loki. Until then, I'd still recommend it, but see if you can find it for a good budget price.

I still enjoyed Race Driver: Create and Race, and as far as racers go on the DS, it's definitely one of the better ones I've played.

Without a doubt, Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow is one of PSP's top titles this year. It's beautiful, action-packed and, most importantly, fun. It's far from perfect — controls being the most troublesome issue — but its flaws hardly ruin what is, on the whole, a very good game.

The selection of cars and motorcycles is incredibly fun, the graphics are self-evidently gorgeous and the array of gameplay options are both staggering and compelling. It is very rare that a game this polished and well-designed is made in any genre, and Project Gotham Racing 4 demands your attention regardless of your skill level or taste in gaming. There is literally something in this game for everyone.

An incredibly well-made game that is a lot of fun, although it's a bit on the easy side.

Activision's chance to capitalize on the Spider-Man license should not fall on deaf ears, though, because the simple mechanics and easy gameplay in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe are the perfect fit for any young Spider-Man fan or casual gamer looking for an action title for the Wii.

All told, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is an abomination, an abysmal excuse for a game. Virtually every aspect of this blatant grab for cash is flawed in some significant way, and the makers of this game clearly churned out a severely sub-par product in an attempt to milk the franchise name in the most reprehensible of ways.

It's as good as everyone expects it to be, but that's also the problem; the game is great, but it plays it too safe.

It's not just the best DS game I've ever played, but it's also one of the best games I've ever played, period.

The Chosen: Well of Souls has simply been done better many times before.

EA games never fail to impress with the overall presentation on any of their sports titles, but sometimes it seems like that's all they were focused on when developing the game. Sadly, NBA Live 08 falls into this trap.

This is a video game that tries — and admirably succeeds — at being, well, "Jackass," low entertainment at its lowest.

If you're just a casual poker fan or are looking for a way to brush up on your skills for friendly games, you'd probably be better off just playing online for free. WSoP '08 tries to go all in and steal the pot, but I'm here to call its bluff.

Between the ability to come up with your own bizarre custom modes and the theater mode, which records damn near everything you do with crystal clarity and allows you to play it back from multiple points of view, the worst thing you can say about Halo 3 multiplayer is that it's going to force you to buy an Elite 360 just for the sake of having more hard drive space.

Ultimately, Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party for the Wii has ended up erasing about four years of progress within the genre. The improvements have been replaced with unnecessary and annoying gimmicks galore, which only make it look that much worse when compared to the latest rhythm offerings, Guitar Hero III and Rock Band.

This game isn't worth $45 or $50, but it does have a small degree of potential.

Bluntly, you should already know if you're going to like SuperNOVA 2.

A very annoying and superficial piece of work.

It has major shortcomings in plot, graphics and linearity, but the good points help to overcome the flaws. That said, it's not a strategy RPG for someone new to the genre; while it's a fair bit easier than even Disgaea, Soul Nomad has very little tutorial on how to use its varied systems, and even when using the manual as a guide, if you aren't solid on how this type of game works, it's very easy to get lost.

If you're new to the series, you should really pick up the original first, but if you're already a dedicated fan of the game and can put up with bugs, or are willing to wait a little while, then it's a must.

I like the "Jackass" show. I really do, and I don't like coming down on the video game interpretation of it, but without a true director mode, it lacks depth, and once you get your laughs out of the minigames once or twice, you'll be ready to move on.

The single-player campaign is a bit short, and the online multiplayer community seems almost non-existent, but with its intense shoot-outs, amazingly destructible environments and excellent voice acting, the game is worthy of much more attention than it has received.

It seems that the developers at Creat have gotten the balance just right with Contagion and served up a slice of fun pie. It may be a small slice, but it's a tasty one nonetheless.

It's the perfect game to plop in front of a five-year-old for an hour or two, but don't expect to have your kids coming back to it down the road.

If you enjoy flight games, can still stomach WWII-themed titles and are willing to step away from the single-player campaign when the later missions make you start grinding the enamel off your molars — better yet, if you'll forego the campaign mode altogether — Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII is well worth your time for a different sort of deeper, involved multiplayer flight game.