None of this matters. Rogue Agent has it where it counts; in gameplay, innovation and just plain, flat-out devious fun.

This is a very buggy game.

The 3D graphics are amazing in comparison to the flat sprites from earlier systems.

The content isn't even worth a laugh, and the story is so full of holes (is this based on a Croatian comic or show? It seems to expect you to know the cast in advance) and clichés that it has no value unless you're a die-hard fan of Eastern European culture.

A well-intentioned game that still suffers from shallow gameplay and a few major design flaws. It can be amusing in short bursts but grows tiresome rapidly.

The replayability of Ultramix 2 is immense, with content downloads and Xbox Live player.

A suprisingly solid piece of history and should provide you with at least a few hours of point-raking fun.

The lack of execution makes this a title to avoid.

The core gameplay is similar, but the new camouflage and stamina additions require strategic adjustments that perfectly fit the deliberate, tactical feel of the game. It's a beautifully crafted game from every angle.

King Arthur’s problems begin with its controls. I am fully aware that this is an action game, but it is not one with much depth to it by any means. So why are not one, not two, but five attack buttons needed? The answer: They aren’t.

A highly addicting title with some major bugs to it, which makes for a horrible experience for a serious "Sim" fan and would rank up there in the "toss the DS against the wall" level of frustration.

It seems that everything was done in generic terms: the graphics are blurry and nondescript, and the music and sound effects were also generic. The cut scenes are from the show, which is pretty mindless on its own.

The story is well done, and the story is fairly engaging, especially if you are already a fan of Salvatore's writings.

Half-Life 2 doesn't have any radically new technology under its hood, but every bit of it is as polished as the floor of a palace...A lock for Game of the Year but also as the yardstick against which future first-person shooters will be compared for years to come.

Bad control, mediocre graphics, bad voice acting, bad sound, boring and extremely flawed gameplay, and worst of all, nearly criminal abuse of an intellectual property, make this one game that is most definitely not worth anybody's fifty dollars.

If you are approaching Bloodlines expecting a FPS with vampires in it, you won't like the title. The rest of the gaming populace, especially those who loved "Dues Ex" and its style of gameplay, will find Bloodlines to be an intriguing RPG based on the established pen-and-paper game and containing some of the more original aspects seen in an RPG this year.

As an episode, this would be quite entertaining to watch once or twice. As a game, however, it doesn’t manage to get the job done, falling way too short on actual substance and gameplay.

Sluggish controls, sketchy A.I., watered-down stories, and a frustrating lack of checkpoints block this game from stepping into the FPS V.I.P. room. On the good side, it does have atmosphere, varied gameplay, and interesting, authentic weaponry.

It's pretty darned fun once you get used to the quirks.

A quirky title that can be fun, the first time around. Not being an avid collector of clothing for the girl in the game, I got bored with the game once I had beaten it the first time through.

It has the ingredients of a good platform game: good graphics and controls, but unfortunately, poor level execution and weak audio take away from the game.

To make the game really enjoyable, the developers should have added a choice to re-spawn a pinball if it drops through the flippers within the first few seconds. That, in addition to fixing the sluggish flippers, would have made this a game a lot better.

Sorry, Wizards; we know what you're up to, and we want to let you know: Try harder next time, and you just might make off with a bit of cash in the end.

Expect to be frustrated anyway. The tank levels are the worst offenders, with missiles coming at you from every direction, your armor evaporating like dry ice, and the bizarre rules under which you're allowed to disembark.

Ghost Recon 2 isn't the best shooter on the Xbox nor is it the best Live title, but it is one of the best choices for a gamer looking for a realistic take on modern warfare.

Tedious gameplay, dumb A.I., bad collision detection, glitchy graphics, and weak audio in a video game.

Even if you only slightly enjoyed the first game, you will find enough in its sequel that you should probably pick this one up, especially with the inclusion of a co-op multiplayer mode. If you hated Blinx before, Blinx 2 is basically more of the same.

And this game somehow manages to have the least interesting story of the three aforementioned RPGs, which is a massive negative considering how vapid "Tales of Symphonia" and "Skies of Arcadia" were in that regard.

With everything but the sound category being wholly mediocre and disappointing (especially for players of the first Call of Duty), Finest Hour is just another sub-par release.

To top it all off, the online portion of the game has been vastly improved, and EA has addressed almost all of the complaints that were raised about the original NFSU, from the ability to reset the race, create private or password-protected rooms, to several different modes for online play.

There’s a certain thrill in launching off a ramp and zooming through the air, flipping and spinning, especially when there’s no threat to you involved. On the other hand, there’s too much dilution of styles here, producing a weak mix of pure motorcycle action and free-roam exploration.

Not worth anyone's time, and certainly not worth anyone's money, unless someone is utterly enamored of shooting anonymous terrorists in foreign lands with no names.

It has everything that should make it a quality game and a good seller, then drops all the marbles by failing to put in enough game to hold up the bargain.

The level designs are somewhat inventive, especially where Violet is involved, but mostly they feel like the developers talking down to their audence.

Lacking in everything that makes a game enjoyable, this one should have spent more time on the drawing board before hitting the shelves.

Tim Curry fills in doing the voice of narrator Lemony Snicket, and he does a fine job being dry, sharp-witted and, well... Tim Curry.

It is a technically amazing piece of software, with no issues with errors or bugs with the coding.

Oh, yeah, and the ladies? They look good. Not only do they look good, their dresses, poses and mannerisms run the range of surprisingly ingenious and tasteful to downright scandalous. Got a fetish? Rumble Roses has it covered.

It's not very difficult, it controls great, and the graphics and sound – while not majestic in any way – are fine.

For now, this is still the most fun you can have hitting random people with random things by the hundreds, while still whetting your appetite for more of the same.

Probably the best vocal series available at this time for any console.

A flawed gem. It’s a lot of fun to play, it looks and feels great, and it’s very reasonably priced, but a number of omissions (most notably multiplayer capability) give it a short life-span with very limited replayability.

A well-designed, well-executed, graphically superior racing game. The replay value is high, the learning curve is fine, and the overall presentation is first-rate.

One of the strongest FPS offerings of the season in campaign mode, and one of the best internet-enabled FPS games for any platform.

It's not as revolutionary as the original, but is addictive and fun. There always seems to be a goal that's “just out of your reach” that kept me interested in playing.

Diehard fans of the "Ghost in the Shell" series will likely want to play through it at least once in order to dissect more of the series' story. Otherwise, I would say this game is only for people who really like shooters, and even then, it's a moderately short game.

Twisted Mill games has come up with a City Building Sim that follows in the rich traditions of its predecessors, adds new depth and complexity, a superior graphical presentation, and a more realistic AI model.

On the plus side the Pacific theatre of WW2 is a fresh view of that same old war, everything is about as authentic as it can get without sacrificing playability, and the new features do well to break up what easily could have been yet another WW2-themed FPS. However, the clipping errors, other aggravating issues, and rather weak-sounding weaponry do detract from the overall experience.

If you’re looking for a lot of polish here, you’re not going to find it. If you like space sims, and "Star Wars Galaxies" isn’t doing it for you, it’s worth at least downloading the free client and checking it out.

It’s sort of like saying you loved a really bad movie (like "Plan 9 From Outer Space") or saying you really hated a great movie (like "Gone With The Wind").

A solid game built by loving hands. Obviously, the developers, when deciding to port this title to the Xbox from the PC, took their time and studied what could be done to improve the gaming experience.

Sure it costs a bit more than a deck of cards, but it also provides you with digital opponents, dealers and even a couple of games you cannot play solely with a deck of cards.

Does exactly what it sets out to do and no more by laying down a passable combat engine and little else. In a way it's almost refreshingly straightforward.

Oh yes. Also, you can install this game, put the CD away, and run it without the CD in the drive. Thank you very much, developers. With companies bending over backward to install broken copy protection schemes left and right, the lack thereof is refreshing.

With a huge songbank in the game and a setup that is more conducive towards building strong routines when in multiplayer instead of straight competition, hooked gamers will have an easy time spending countless hours with this game over the next few months.

It is a lot faster paced than "Blade Warriors" and surprisingly you can somewhat button mash in this game (Usually doesn't work out though since the game requires a massive amount of skill).

The biggest plus is the fact that it's a whole lot easier to pin, escape, counter, and it's a huge step up in graphics department, although the game's voiceovers and the movement residing solely on the digital pad ruins this for me.

If you are an adamant fan of "Duel Masters," this may be your new best friend. However, due to the repetition and because it isn't at the same level as "Magic," this is not my cup of tea.

While not immense, the replayability is significant due to increases in difficulty level and the sheer size of the game.

If you can get over the admittedly wonky premise, you'll find an intense, involving horror experience.

It does have its fair share of flaws and rough edges, but it also has quite a few areas where it absolutely shines.

This is the most fun I have had with a role-playing game in a very long time. It drips with an attitude that is wonderfully anarchic and cynical.

I have to subtract a point for what, in my opinion, is a total lack of overall upgrading. While there are hundreds of more things to do in San Andreas, I feel, in my heart of hearts, that the game looks and plays just like its two predecessors.

This is what a sequel should be ' they aren't trying to reinvent the genre or completely change how the game is played, they are taking what worked before and adding logical next-steps to it, making it better and fuller.

If you are a flight sim gamer, you need this title.

I'm not happy that players can't completely divorce themselves from the ground game if they want, as well as the fact that an overt Imperial from the ground game can advance down the Rebel Pilot missions if they so choose, and vice versa.

It even plays a lot better than "Donkey Konga."

The “At-Once-Turn-System” adds a welcome strategic element to dungeon-crawling, but monotony and repetition destroy any redeeming value the system might have.

Goes back to those simpler times of morally questionable, top-down gameplay, but a lame story, shoddy control, and uncooperative camera derail any standards that its brethren have set.

Brings the first two games to the Xbox warts and all, with a boatload of extra content that'll take hours to unlock. Live subscribers and fighting-game fans should be sure to grab a copy, but if you didn't like DOA or DOA2 before now, this isn't going to change your mind.

Some of the subject matter might be a little risqué for the younger audience, but for those who are of age, this title is a solid adventure with a great sense of humor.

It may lack multiplayer or online play, which many, including myself, were hoping for, but the single player campaign clearly makes up for this.

The definition of mediocrity. It is an amusing game with good play mechanics and solid physics. It is also an irritating game with long waits between turns, annoying voiceovers, and silly obstacles that are often not conducive to the type of golf game this is.

One of those games that tries to be ahead of its time, and tries to bend a genre to its will. Games that attempt the latter tend not to do a very good job.

One of the biggest issues with this game is the common sense factor, meaning that the common sense of a person starts to balk at some of the things expected in the game.

The game setup is also much easier than any others in the Contra series that I've played, but at the same time, it still more difficult than a wide variety of games.

If I were to say one thing to sum up this game, I think it would be “short.” I was able to clear through Crisis Zone in a couple of hours, and I was even taking breaks to write things down.

The fairly sloppy control made the parts where I was actually interacting with the game less than ideal.

The sun sensor hook is great, as is the game's awareness of time and location.

In spite of the awful gameplay, the instant-death mazes, the inventory items that are nearly invisible, and the useless filler of arcade "puzzles", I kept playing because I wanted to see how this game was going to fail at being dramatic this time.

Standard fare, neither horrible nor amazing.

The single player campaign starts off incredibly well, evoking thoughts of "Oh my god, they finally made a decent single-player Tribes experience," and then declines to the lowest possible point not five levels into the game.

Mastering each character will take some time, but that just adds to the game's replay value. Nothing can be more satisfying than beating the socks off of a friend so I strongly suggest picking up this one.

While Nocturne is slightly flawed because of its straightforward battles and disappointing sound quality, it is a flame that will hopefully reignite a trend of creativity in RPG storytelling and concepts.

A solid and entertaining RTS game, once you figure out the controls, that is.

The game had good graphics and gameplay, but suffers from some extraneous features (gold-plating) and a low replay value.

The most impressive quality of The Crusaders is the cohesiveness of the RPG, RTS, and action elements. Strategy fans that are looking for a deep, long-lasting console experience with frequent bouts of hacking and slashing should definitely check this game out.

A fun, challenging game for the first three stages, with varied gameplay and a likeable heroine... Once you get beyond that point, you'll find it increasingly frustrating... or you'll start cheating madly in the name of basic survival.

It has a great many strengths going for it, and at the core, there’s a good game in here. Unfortunately, due to its scope, and more importantly, few ways to deal with that scope, few people will actually want to finish the bloody thing.

This is a great game for the soccer fanatics of the world, but has limited appeal for the average Joe Gamer.

One downside is that there's a heck of a lot here that's pulled together from other games, if you're up on your gaming history you can play 'spot the element' here and rattle off a good five or so games that do bits of Ty 2 better than Ty 2 does.

With its plethora of options and playability, this is a stellar buy for the younger crowd.

If you're looking for a game that's going to keep you on the edge of your seat, keep looking. This one is definitely not for you. If, on the other hand, you enjoy a game that will severely challenge your intellect (or you happen to hold a doctorate in economics or politics), then I heartily recommend this one.

The mini-games were without question added to increase the replay value of this game and they did such to at least some degree. I admit they are kind of fun and it is cool that they added them I guess I just would rather play one of my other multiplayer centric games instead.

Simple enough for kids to enjoy, while challenging and funny enough that adults will get a kick out of it. It's great for newbies to the Mario games, while it's got plenty of nostalgic humor for older gamers.

I never thought I'd see the day when I would give a Nickelodeon-based game anything higher than a 6, but here we are. And I'm very, very glad for it.

A great addition to a classic series and should satisfy the twisted pervert inside all of us ... well, inside of me, anyway.

I thought it was fun to look forward to the next action you unlock, however, I felt it took way to long to actually unlock most of the stuff. This might not have been so bad if the game had more to keep me occupied with besides just watching my characters talk in warp speed for hours.