Combine new weapons, ship types, the wonderfully realized debut of the Zuul race, deeper gameplay, more scenarios and new ways to play, and you've got a solid, if unforgiving, title for hardcore turn-based fans to set their sights on. Kerberos definitely put enough into this to make it more than just a mission pack but not quite a full sequel.

The stylish storytelling and the possibilities posed by the setting can't hide the embarrassing localization, the unexciting fetch-the-key gameplay that most every other FPS has moved beyond, and issues with the graphics that might have you reaching for the nearest bottle of pain relievers and asking what happened to quality testing.

Anyone who's played a tank simulation before will find this to be a pretty simple game because there isn't much to control, and it can become repetitive rather quickly.

Halo 2 on the PC is a lot like Halo 2 on the Xbox, only now with higher resolution graphics, a level editor, and the ability to aim a sniper rifle with a mouse rather than the right analog stick.

Thanks to the driving aid system, it offers a racing experience that can be modified to suit any player's desire and skill level.

A prime example of potential wasted. Even getting past the terrible use of the Shadowrun license, the game itself just feels half-finished. The lack of variety and polish that shows in every stage and every character model just accentuates this every time you put the disc into your 360.

I think it's quite entertaining and does many things just right. However, it's clearly unfinished and was rushed out the door.

The problem is that the Mario Party franchise hasn't really evolved or changed much from its days on the Nintendo 64. Yes, there are new characters, stages, and mini-games, but despite their clever designs, they're quickly growing repetitive and stale.

I found Crush to be an innovative twist on the platform/puzzle genre. The game is suitable for all ages and includes a hint feature which you can enable or disable in the options menu. My only complaint with the game is that it feels a bit short with only 40 levels.

Sadly, first-class presentation can't save Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm from disappointing mediocrity.

It's not perfect, and the limited amount of characters will quickly grow tiresome to some, but those who really enjoy the bullet wave-filled combat will enjoy testing out their skills online.

The Secrets of Atlantis: The Sacred Legacy is a wonderful glimpse at what could have been. You have a great premise and a great setting, but ultimately, the game falls flat with an uninspired story and frustrating, sometimes nonsensical, puzzles.

The New York Times Crosswords for the NDS is made for the puzzle freak and crossword enthusiast, but it's also enjoyable for anyone who has a penchant for simple-playing games with a good deal of challenge.

Nothing in the game works right, the physics are embarrassing, the gameplay is repetitive and boring, and the only bright spot is the cut scenes, which are simply nice window dressing for a shockingly boring plot.

The movement controls are very slippery and awkward, you spend most of your time in mundane conversation trees and playing the same mini-games relentlessly, and the reward at the end of the year isn't particularly satisfying.

A decent game marred by glitches and rushes.

It's reasonably good-looking, intelligent and fun, but with a lot of flaws.

In short, Naruto: Ninja Council 3 shows little to no improvement over its predecessors, with equally brain-dead play and a genre switch that sets it in competition with far better games in its own series, to say nothing of other games on the system using the same characters.

Rarely have games floored me with their animations and graphics as much as Odin Sphere did, but that is almost all that is worth recommending.

It is perhaps the very definition of mediocre. Combat is repetitive and boring, but not particularly flawed in any way, except perhaps for the weak AI.

But when all the parts are added up, this is just another on a long list of licensed games that fail to actually get past the low standards set for the genre.

An enjoyable, if slightly simple, way to spend a few hours. It's as addictive as side-scrollers come but is overly reliant on its film inspiration to fill in the gaps of the story and create a pre-existing bond with characters.

Overall, Art of Fighting Anthology certainly did not stand the test of time, and the titles definitely don't have anything on current 2D fighters.

The controls are exceptionally tight, the translations from the original arcade titles are splendidly recreated in a fashion that suggests to me that great care was taken to ensure that each game would be faithful to the original and the interface is both simple and useful.

Etrian Odyssey is old school. There is no other way to describe it. It's slow, difficult, sparse with the hints and unforgiving to those who try to speed through it. If this doesn't sound like fun to you, then it's best to move along, because you won't enjoy Etrian Odyssey. However, if you're one of those gamers who has fond memories of Wizardry and Ultima, then this might just be what you're looking for.

Shrek the Third isn't a terrible game, but it's not a terribly fun — or long — one, either. It suffers from boring, repetitive combat with extremely frustrating platform jumping, and while the story and dialogue are hilarious, the voice actors providing poor impersonations tend to detract more than enhance from the entire experience.

Shrek the Third is a funny beat-'em-up perfect for kids that liked the movie, but it suffers from simple controls and repetitive fighting.

I enjoyed playing Shrek the Third because it is a fun, uncomplicated title that is accessible to action fans of all ages. It's a linear adventure, though, so don't expect a whole lot of replay value.