Our House Party! may have some funny moments, such as the inclusion of the Taking Heads song and an old-school RPG showing up on the bedroom TV set, but they can't save it from being, at best, a mediocre game.

The gameplay is boring, the design is simple and plain, and overall, I'd have more fun actually putting up real wallpaper than doing it virtually in this title.

Scooby-Doo! First Fright is a decent brawler that is intended for children but serves as a very poor example of a Scooby-Doo licensed title.

It is definitely recommended as a rental for younger fans, but if you or someone you know has problems with the tiny characters, it would be best to go for the Wii or PS2 versions instead, if those options are available to you.

Ultimately, Wet is a fun, if slightly flawed, single-player romp.

All in all, Wet is a fun game, though it's marred by a terrible camera aiming system and the occasional stiff-feeling actions.

There's no getting around some of the technical and interface hiccups with Red Faction: Guerrilla, but if you can deal with the shortcomings, this really is a fun game.

Even as a fan of RPGs in general, I don't think that anything about Bleach: The Third Phantom will appeal to most people. Unless you're really dying for some new-related items, I'd avoid this title completely.

Excellent graphics and sound, especially for the driver camera, offer something awesome to the genre, while the controls are as tight as ever. Add this to a mostly solid campaign mode and opponent AI that does more than stick to pre-determined racing lines, and you have a racing game that can stand up well with the best of them.

Excellent graphics and sound, especially for the driver camera, offer something awesome to the genre, while the controls are as tight as ever. Add this to a mostly solid campaign mode and opponent AI that does more than stick to pre-determined racing lines, and you have a racing game that can stand up well with the best of them.

Obviously, this title is highly recommended for anyone buying a hockey game this autumn, but if you've never played a hockey simulation, or it's been years and years since you've bothered, I can't think of a better place to start or return than NHL 10.

Obviously, this title is highly recommended for anyone buying a hockey game this autumn, but if you've never played a hockey simulation, or it's been years and years since you've bothered, I can't think of a better place to start or return than NHL 10.

Overall, with some great presentation and truly fun video game hockey, not to mention a laundry list of features and without doubt clear improvements over the past couple years of the franchise, NHL 2K10 is a worthy hockey title. It just isn't likely to be the most worthy hockey title this year.

UA2's inspired story, backed with plenty of thumb-blistering destruction, can be fun, but by staying firmly within the lines, it ultimately keeps itself from mastering anything new.

If you never played the original and the particulars of this title likely suit your gaming tastes, especially if you have friends who'll play along through the missions, by all means strap on your alter ego and get to saving the world.

Scribblenauts can easily fill in the blanks as one of the most unique gaming experiences that anyone can have this year.

I'd avoid this one even if you're a die-hard fan of the series.

PopCap's games seem to be hit after hit, and Zuma's Revenge follows the trend nicely by taking a successful existing formula, tweaking and adding to it while being extremely careful not to wreck it, throwing on a nice slathering of solid artwork and a little sound work, and offering it for a reasonable $20.

The prevailing theme to come from Monster Trucks Mayhem is that it provides too little of everything, no matter how good it is.

Overall, if you can put up with DRM and GFWL headaches, and don't mind risking losing your save games and progress - or at least having them tethered and more complicated than they need to be - Resident Evil 5 for the PC is probably the version to get.

It's baffling that the MotionPlus accessory can pick up the nuances of a manual deke but can't reliably detect when you're trying to make a shot, and the overall sluggish nature of player control was certainly frustrating. Combine that with a spotty online mode, and all the control options and modes in the world can't make up for the fact that the game just wasn't very fun to play

The bottom line on Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is that it's one of those games that every DS owner should buy, period. Regardless of your feelings about RPGs, the title is just so entertaining and well-executed that you're nearly guaranteed to love it.

The concept behind Darkest of Days is a pretty original one, and the companies involved should be commended for trying something different with the crowded first-person shooter genre. Unfortunately, good concepts alone don't make for good games, and this is an example of what happens when you ignore every other aspect of the title.

So long as you don't mind a short, but sweet, experience, it's worth checking out. Just don't expect a revolution.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade is a gaming experience that must be played regardless of your console preference.

Mini Ninjas is just purely, simply a great video game. Period.

IL2-Sturmovik: Birds of Prey isn't for everyone, especially not players who expect this to be the next Crimson Skies or to fill in for the next Ace Combat. Its emphasis on traditional dogfighting without frills, along with its low-key presentation, may seem a little dry alongside Jeremy Soule's stirring soundtrack, but the realistic bent of its flight mechanics and gameplay will find an audience among flight sim enthusiasts and would-be WWII pilots who want a reason to plug a flightstick into their console.

It's a disappointment to see a promising series end in this way, especially now that Transmission Games is no longer around to potentially fix issues in a sequel. Flight sim fanatics who are eager to take a break from reality and fly around in an action-packed arcade shooter on the PC may still want to give Heroes Over Europe a whirl. They'll just have to put up with its sometimes annoying characters, its total disregard for realism, and its lack of basic gauges and indicators.