Though undeniably beautiful and well designed, the game is simply too difficult to learn (the tutorial weighs in at almost six hours) and too slowly paced for most players not already attenuated to its type.

If you have a PlayStation 2 or Wii with no plans to upgrade to Rock Band 2, then this is a fine choice because you lose nothing and gain 20 songs in the process. If you have the other consoles and have no plans to connect them online, then this is also for you. If you have them connected online, however, then this will only be appealing if you really want to hunt down every Rock Band-related Achievement or Trophy out there, since this pack contains no exclusive songs.

BurgerTime Party is a title that feels overstuffed. The mechanics are still good if you aren't thinking about the oddity of making burgers by walking over the ingredients, but this only works well when playing solo. Going multiplayer, as the game's title would suggest, makes the experience less enjoyable due to the aforementioned odd design choices. The base co-op experience is enough to prevent the other modes from being looked at, given their diminished overall appeal. It is a game best played in short bursts because tedium sets in when you're playing for longer. This can only be recommended to those who want nothing more than a short arcade-like burst of enjoyment before moving on to meatier fare.

This is the most fun I've had with a soccer title in quite a while, so 2010 FIFA World Cup is definitely worth checking out.

If you can get past the tedious first stages, the game really begins to pick up although the infection meter limits exploration a bit too much for Scurge to recapture that special magic, but for those holding out for a classic Metroid game on the DS, Scurge may be exactly what you need.

Nervous Brickdown isn't a game built to last. It is beautifully creative, taking a classic formula and twisting it on its ear again and again … until it runs out.

Despite feeling -- and looking -- somewhat limited in scope and ambition on the Nintendo DS, The Sims 2 offers a reasonable measure of fun if you’re willing to forego the pleasures of simulation for a more narrative-oriented experience.

Maquette is well worth experiencing. The use of recursive puzzles is fresh because so few games use it, and even though you can stumble upon the solution to some puzzles, most of them feel clever — even if they're relatively simple. The game does a great job of setting the player in a dreamlike state, and the story may be simple and lack details, but it still feels relatable. Maquette works perfectly as a palate cleanser for bigger and heavier games.

Payday: The Heist is an ambitious game that doesn't quite manage to nail down the little things. Of course, as any good career criminal will tell you, the devil is in the details, and Payday's failure here is the difference in making off with the cash and getting gunned down in the street. The pieces were all in place, but this just fails to deliver in any meaningful way.

The Sims 3: Pets won't change the minds of those who had no interest in the series. Due to the lack of some content and performance issues, it also won't convince PC die-hards that a console version can be on par with a computer.

Cruis'n Blast is a very pleasant surprise for those who crave arcade racing over the simulation style. It nails the speed and the ease with which anyone can pick it up and play, thanks to a simplified control scheme and the easy AI difficulty in the early stages. Although the variety is superficial, there's a good variety of tracks here and plenty of oddball vehicles for players to unlock. One can argue that the game isn't deep, and dedicated players can get almost everything done in a day, but with pure arcade racing being gone for so long, you tend to forgive all of that when you're enjoying every moment.

The lopsided AI isn’t the least of the problems in the single player campaign. Most of the levels involve marching down a single path, with the level typically coming to an end when you reach the end.

My gut wants to give credit to Assassin's Creed III: Liberation for being a sizeable, faithful rendition of the Assassin's Creed series on a portable platform. However, I can't overlook the glaring technical issues, and I have a hard time seeing past the forced Vita-specific control gimmicks that mar the single-player campaign. If you're willing to put up with a lot of rough edges, you'll find aspects of Aveline's story to be superior to that of Connor's from AC3, despite the loss of scale in both the literal and figurative sense. I know the Vita is capable of producing better results than this, and I hope that Ubisoft puts some more polish into its next Vita title.

As stated before, FIFA Soccer 12 is a solid game for Nintendo's console but only if you haven't played last year's version.

At the end of the day, I would rather play Resident Evil: Revelations again on current-gen consoles than to reminisce about my 3DS. It didn't hold up well, and it understandably suffers in many graphical areas due to it having been originally developed for a handheld device. It's still a better-than-average game that features a classic series plot and two of my favorite characters. If you go into it with the understanding that this is a port of a handheld game, you should be more than pleased with it. The Raid mode extends playability and longevity with its addicting gameplay and co-op capabilities. Luckily, the comes with a wallet-friendly price of $20, but if you can catch it on sale, it's an even better deal.

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.

Demon Gaze is a perfectly serviceable if unexceptional, dungeon crawler.

Batman: The Brave and The Bold is exactly what fans of the series want from a video game. Like the show, it features plenty of action and lots of co-op play with a heavy dose of humor both in and out of the cut scenes.

It may not have the strongest story in the series, but the gameplay is enjoyable due to the number of weapons and crafting options at your disposal.

A fun game. I can’t find much fault with the time I spent with it. But its overall feel is less than stellar. The game will crawl along at even medium resolutions and the pathfinding seriously hampers you at times.

If you want to take home one of the best arcade racers out there, Sega Rally Online Arcade is hard to beat. It doesn't have the depth of a full console game, but at 800 MSP ($10 USD) for an accurate arcade port, it's a great value - doubly so if you already own a proper racing wheel. Shift into overdrive and snag this one before the checkered flag drops.

After all is said and done, EarthNight is an incredibly intriguing game. With in-depth art, consistently good music, and plenty of in-game systems to keep the player asking for more, it's hard to not want to give it a try. The follies of the title largely boil down to buy-in from the player. One could easily see a player losing interest early on due to the too delayed gratification of grinding through levels to collect all of the pieces needed for a power-up to progress. After seeing how the game evolves, I have to say that it's worth the time investment. EarthNight scrapes against greatness in its concept but falls slightly short in execution — not with the space dragons, though. I fully plan to execute all of the space dragons that I can get my hands on.

A.I.L.A. is a game that has potential but fails with the follow-through. The idea of AI generating experiences meant to terrify you while also affecting you outside of the game still works. The games that represent different horror experiences do a good job of taking something familiar and making it its own. While the puzzles are fine, the combat drags down everything greatly, and the pacing means that the whole game becomes an unenjoyable roller coaster ride. There's a chance for improvement with patches, but at the moment, you'll want to wait and see if things get better before diving in.

If you can live with the issues, you'll find Maneater to be a ridiculously good time. The aforementioned issues are a shame, but the distinct nature of being a shark and the ability to deliver mayhem in a different way. It'll remind players of what was so appealing about open-world games in the first place. Thanks to Maneater's relatively short completion time compared to other open-world titles, it's well worth checking out.

The Cave is a solid adventure game.

Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash works as a third-person shooter, and the card system adds some variety. It has a variety of single-player modes that could be fun if the enemy AI were any good. However, the lack of an online audience kills much of the potential, and the title can only be recommended to die-hard series fans or those who have friends who have purchased the game and can meet up for online matches.

It's an average game because the puzzles are too simplistic despite their stylish appearance, and there's nothing that compels you to repeat the journey. As a story, however, the title succeeds in giving you an amazing journey as it deals in a subject matter that few games ever attempt.

LoC puts each and every mech simulator ever made to shame. If you have ever fantasized what it really would be like to pilot a hulking mountain of metal and weaponry there is no doubt that Steel Battalion: Line of Contact is as close to that fantasy as anything can get.