If you can forgive the controls, Azkend 2: The World Beneath can be a fun puzzle game.

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.

The graphics need to be overhauled, the missions need to be more diverse, and I would definitely like to see a deeper diplomatic side to the game. The bottom line, however, is that if you like strategy and micromanaging a lot, you should give this a try, but if you are easily bored, you'd probably want to pass on this title.

Real Heroes: Firefighter isn't a perfect game by any means. Everything here, from the graphics to the sound to the controls, comes off as average with a few issues sprinkled here and there.

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.

If all you want is to play through the video game equivalent of a Marvel movie, then it does an excellent job. If you're hoping for something you can play for infinite hours with constant updates, the truth is that it's too early to tell. What we played was fun for a few hours of co-op, but I have my doubts about its long-term viability. It's by far the best Avengers game ever made, and with the exception of Hulk (whose Hulk: Ultimate Destruction remains the pinnacle of Hulk gameplay), it features the best video game version of the superheroes to date.

The Looney Tunes license is well used, but it narrows the game's audience in an unintuitive direction.

Final Fantasy Anniversary Edition is an excellent visual upgrade to the original version with support for the PSP's widescreen enhanced graphics, but it only slightly improves on gameplay and offers just a small amount of new additional content.

A surprisingly solid RPG, and one that I think a lot of people will probably miss solely because of the cover art.

Clean up some of the camera issues, add some length, and this could have been the PSP launch title to own, but as it is, the title is worth a weekend rental.

The title is plagued with too many issues to be a big contender this year, which is a shame because the core gameplay is a lot of fun, proving that this series, like the young NBA hopefuls, is full of great promise and potential.

At the heart of things MX vs. ATV: Untamed is an ambitious title whose execution fails to live up to the lofty standard set by previous entries in the series.

Altogether, I enjoyed MLB Power Pros for the PS2, but I don't think it's a perfect casual game experience. It still straddles the line between hardcore and casual, and it occasionally dips too far into either side to be enjoyed by everyone

At the end of the day, The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga for the PS2 ends up appealing only to those gamers who have no other way of playing the five games included in this compilation. A quirky default control scheme, numerous load screens, and some audio bugs will annoy those looking for arcade-perfect conversions of these games on their PS2s.

Overall, Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom isn't that bad. The story is good enough, if a tad generic, while the characters are likeable if you can get past their odd dialogue and exaggerated reactions. Outside of a pretty finicky magic and parry system, the combat is done well for those who crave real-time action over menus, and some of the other systems bring some depth to that. Presentation is decent, but the camera can be enough to put off some people. If you're craving a game that sticks to some JRPG standards, Shiness isn't a bad one to check out once you're done with the heavy-hitters on the system.

The European aspects with gallant warriors fighting off the impending doom of dragons is incredibly fun in this game. It's the perfect amount of challenge, and it almost presents the player with a JRPG-Musou hybrid that's rewarding to play. However, music and story are largely lacking in the game, either being convoluted or unimaginative, if not both. Given the overly complex customization and sexist tones, the whole project drops from above average to lackluster. Shining Resonance: Refrain is a learning opportunity in recognizing when parts of a game are overextended or outdated.

Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus is incredibly intriguing and draws in the player with its world-building and tone. The art and music provide just enough to pique one's interest, but as a game, Mechanicus leaves a lot to be desired. I makes itself into such a cookie-cutter experience that progression doesn't feel rewarding, and it reduces the battles to pauses in narrative progression. Top that off with insufferably written narrators, and you get an experience that's tough to sell. The concept and world of Mechanicus are interesting, but the follow-through, laced with lethargic gameplay and sometimes indecipherable characters, is lacking.

Unlike many games, Transformers is actually less than the sum of its parts. It may look and sound kind of nice, and give you all sorts of things to do, but who cares when it's just not any fun and you want it to transform into another game after 30 minutes of play time?

Hey, Ice King! does what a good licensed game is supposed to do but few actually accomplish nowadays: It's well-crafted game that shows care and polish, but it also serves as a good gateway to the "Adventure Time" cast, world and style of humor, with fan service besides.

Retro gamers will likely get more mileage out of Legacy of Ys: Books I & II than anyone who expects this to redefine the way that action RPGs are played on the DS.

The game is even fun at first, until you hit the curse of repetitive gameplay and inconsistent AI, which is where it all falls apart.

The addition of motion controls is an interesting experiment, but the actual execution leaves a bit to be desired when you find yourself with a couple bogeys on your tail.

The good news is that Crash Team Rumble isn't a bad game, mechanically. The play mechanics are solid, characters are well defined, and matches can be quick, which does well to compensate for the differently paced progression on characters and the season pass. Despite this, the concept is already a difficult sell, and with the absence of offline modes, the title is solely dependent on a player base to ensure that there is actually a game to play. The low price in this space, when compared to other titles from major publishers, might make it appealing for curious players, and they'll have a good time with it, but be warned that there is the real possibility of this being a title with a short life span if there aren't many other players who are either open to the idea or outright enamored by it.

One of the most balanced, well thought out action/adventure titles out there. It's a bit of a shame that it took so long for this title to be completed as it would have had a much larger impact on the market a few years ago then it will now.

While the story is certainly on the light side and the sound is kind of weak, the gameplay and the puzzles more than make up for it.

The high concept of reality blood sports shows is fairly cool, but they didn't develop it far enough.

The biggest draw is the Nerf gun that comes packaged with it, but surely you can find a nice Nerf gun for the $60 that this game is going to cost you. I'd advise parents and gamers to avoid this one, as you could spend your money on far better Nerf products than this amalgamation.

Unfortunately, due to the shortcomings and bad translations, it's just not as good as it could have been.