The solar sensor may have been a huge turn-off for many gamers, but Kojima took a hint and removed it from Lunar Knights. What you are left with is a very fun vampire-slaughtering game that doesn't lose any of its charm (especially if you still use a "Boktai" game for a solar sensor).

MVP 07 NCAA Baseball lacks flashy visuals and the all-important big league license, but the quality of the gameplay is undeniable.

A bit too watered down from the other Sims games.

If you're looking for a light RPG, then Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia definitely fits the bill because it's cheerful, well animated and utterly predictable. Combat is a breeze, even if you're farming for items, and the plot is lackluster at best.

With a wide cast of enjoyable characters, a surprisingly interesting plot, and an enjoyable battle system, Final Fantasy VI is the perfect title to bid adieu to the tiny system which has given us years of enjoyment.

Vanguard is flawed but has exceptional potential to offer a satisfying long-term experience.

Although engaging, the single-player campaign is just too short and will provide very little replay value.

It may not be the perfect game, but it's easily one of the best Japanese-made RPGs you can find.

A title with an interesting concept that gets too bogged down in its own mediocrity to use that concept well. Most of the game can be played on autopilot - issuing simple commands and then watching lackluster ship models fight until one explodes.

Decent mini-games can only go so far to fix a broken main game, terrible art design, and voice acting that even a patient fan of low-quality acting can't handle.

The enjoyment of seeing all of your favorite characters in a new story may not be worth the frustration of the endlessly tedious random battles. If you can get past the endless swarms of identical enemies, a rather lackluster adventure awaits you.

Legend of Heroes III starts slowly, doesn't build to anything worth writing about, and doesn't even have challenging combat or an interesting plot. Keep well away, as Legend of Heroes III wasn't even a good game in 1999.

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.

My overall impression is "vaguely disappointed." There is a litany of technical issues, and the lack of new classes is spectacularly underwhelming, but it's the pervasive sense of same old, same old that really keeps me from singing glossy praise.

Almost more like an expansion than a full sequel. The changes made are very minor, with the exception of the Psyche Lock system, and those who've played the first game will be able to jump right into the second. However, rather than being a disappointment, this is a very good case of the old adage, "If it isn't broken, don't fix it."

At less than ten hours in length, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition feels a bit brief, but the frenetic action makes up for the vapid storyline and slightly sluggish feel.

It's deeply flawed, with awful game design and mechanics marring the entire experience.

The title remains mediocre in most categories, and there really isn't anything remarkable here.

What ultimately matters is the singing experience, and that is as enjoyable it ever has been. That's not entirely a positive statement, however. Aside from the "American Idol" skin, Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol is generally unchanged from previous entries.

The game itself should appeal heavily to Yu-Gi-Oh fans, with the online gameplay adding a near-infinite amount of replay value while saving the player the hefty costs of real cards. However, be prepared for a massive amount of grinding in order to unlock all of those cards, as well as a confusing interface and poor game manual.

Sure, it tends to wear its influences so prominently on its sleeve that it bleeds over into the derivative (Unreal 2, Tron 2.0, Deus Ex, Star Wars, etc.), but there did seem to be a certain passion that went into the code somewhere along the line.

I was able to play this game for hours straight without realizing it while having the advantage of being able to get up and walk away at literally any moment without it negatively impacting things.

All of the arcade greats are here, although it is plagued with load times, arcade-imperfect porting, and unnatural-feeling Wiimote controls. With such a massive collection, there should have been more extras, but with seven games on one disc, it is definitely something that should not be missed by fans.

Ultimately, Star Trek: Legacy is remindful of the story of the Enterprise herself — a pristine, well-manned, well-intentioned vessel that sets out to break new ground for gaming but ultimately encounters strange nebulae and forces that disable her systems from time to time.

Elebits definitely has its moments, but they are few and far between, often buried between lengthy spurts of tedium.

If you want to summarize Far Cry: Vengeance, take Red Steel, polish the controls to a mirror sheen, toss in the Predator mode that is now a trademark of the series, and then pull out some steel wool to scratch up everything else.

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.

Fans of the show will get irritated that the story with which they fell in love has been chopped up, cannibalized, and made into another generic beat-'em-up, and people new to the series will be confused as the plot bounces around viciously in Story Mode — which must be completed before the much quicker, more notable arcade-style Character Mode is available.