The PSP now has a stylish, almost insufferably cute dose of action/puzzle gaming, and a world that will appeal to both sexes and all ages.

Although the brain-dead enemy AI remains unchanged, Athena Sword is a worthy expansion.

Without patience and some dedication, this could be a quick ticket to frustration. But that's also what makes the game appealing, because for those who are up to it, there's a serious challenge in store.

A ripping good time.

The graphics and sound are as solid as the strategy. They didn't quite match the card game's distinctive art style, but most avid players will be able to identify each creature at a glance.

A role-playing game that's just a little more interesting than the rest of the fold.

A real disappointment.

Bears the gift of immense replayability, lending itself to quick, low-commitment gameplay sessions.

More fun than frustration. Its beautiful environs and great combat system outweigh the less critical problems, and make the title a solid action-rooted RPG.

Certainly one of the more imaginative games of the 360's launch line-up, Amped 3 impresses in both its stylish, off-the-wall presentation and its relaxed, laid-back gameplay.

Dialogue is fantastic. The script's professionally written. Foul language is common, yet used in the appropriate context. Weapons come off as carefully balanced, and won't disappoint.

Some of the game's combat moves are very impressive, especially as you don't need to do anything particularly complex to pull them off.

Its uncompromising design could be perceived as lazy and frustrating or inspired, bold, and nostalgic, depending on your point of view.

While Project Gotham Racing and Forza Motorsport improved upon their winning formulas in their respective sequels this year, EA completely overhauled the Need for Speed franchise to create what is arguably the best game in the series.

What makes the game worth recommending is that the mixture of so-so adventuring with so-so combat makes for a pretty good game that's addictive and more strategic than games that are strictly focused on adventure or fighting.

With many hundreds of officers to meet, totally open-ended gameplay and ten scenarios to experience, this may be the best and longest lasting game you've ever bought.

Its instant accessibility, great overall presentation and tremendous historical feel make this game a secret worth spreading.

Gamers who haven't exactly stuck by Sonic's blurry blue side over the years will have to work a little harder to get to the fun, spastic heart of Sonic Heroes, but those who know what to expect in terms of mechanics and sheer kinetic insanity will feel right at home.

A respectable weekend time-waster. It's got enough going on to fill a late night or two, and not so much that many gamers will pine for it when it's gone.

Yes, [it's] still using the same dated graphics engine that appeared in "DW4", and the music and sound effects likewise remain the same. But the fun, challenging, and over-the-top gameplay that has made this series so successful is also still here.

If realism is really your gig, Fever is not the best choice, with Sega's "NFL 2K3" having more balanced gameplay.

Dark Messiah gets points for being unique among shooters, but it loses points for not being unique enough. It's the same old dungeons, the same generic monsters, and some uninspired gameplay that doesn't make for a very memorable game.

It's inoffensive and challenging enough to keep both the builders and the managers entertained for much longer than an outing to a real zoo would.

Whether you're a fan of anime or not - long after you know you've seen all the surprises there are to see, there is still something very cool and rewarding about all that crazy-missile combat.

There's a detailed enough golfing sim hidden underneath and one that is likely to be long-lasting as a competitive game, relying as good cutthroat titles do on balanced amounts of skill and luck.

What Halo 2 represents -- an integrated online experience, smooth, console-like mechanics and a hassle-free setup procedure -- is a great development for the PC's future as a gaming platform. But all the philosophizing in the world isn't going to change the fact that it's a port of a three-year-old game that we've all played to death, and try as we might, we just can't get excited about that.

The game itself is an uneven mishmash of fighting, driving, and shooting. Call it Grand Theft Goodfellas; if someone took Rockstar Games' popular Grand Theft Auto series, moved its setting to New York, and then sent it via the Wayback machine to post-World War II New York, the result would be The Godfather.

Graphically, SOAF walks a narrow line between ultra-realistic settings and way-too-sparse texture mapping.

Once the initial thrill of playing such a violent and visceral strategy game has worn off, you're left with an RTS without most of the things that make RTS games entertaining, like planning, economic balancing, and developing your base.

Its key omission, though, comes in the loss of the original's delightfully open-ended nature. There is no "good" or "bad' way to win a bowling match -- you either win or you lose -- in which case all you need to do is try again.

If you can get graphics this good in real-time, why settle for a shooter-on-rails?

There’s some incentive to replay the missions (to attain better scores and complete your card collection) but when similarly priced RPGs offer 50+ hours easily, Lost Kingdom’s value for money has to be questioned.

An interesting experiment that works well in some situations and grinds to a halt in others. While this would be a disaster for a full-priced game, the $30 tag softens the impact somewhat.

It's unlikely to tempt many current MMO addicts away from their regular poison, but if you've been looking for something that requires less commitment or organization it might be just the ticket. Auto Assault is the MMORPG for people who don't have time for MMORPGs.

The game has stability now to rival the games that have been on the market for years. While a few minor bugs and the occasional graphical glitch still exist, the game tends to play quite seamlessly.

The story and the graphics certainly make the grade, but a few tweaks are still needed in the gameplay to cement this one as a classic.

It has many game mechanics in common with "EverQuest," the potential for town building like "Shadowbane," and a complex crafting system like "Ultima Online" or "Galaxies."

It's not a failure by any means, but feels mostly like a fun afternoon (or more) spent watching pulpy spy and war flicks.

Intriguing—if a little hackneyed and too A&E docucrap friendly—stories never go out of style.

The hardest worm ever to grace your garden.

It controls decently, has some good tracks, and looks and sounds like you'd hope a PSP racer would. The problem is that its main selling point -- the police dynamic -- is as much a negative as it is a positive, leaving it without a real means of distinguishing itself.

It's not a game for footie purists by any means, but if you want a fast-paced and entertaining match -- and one you can play with friends who don't all need to own the disc -- this is it.

A decent, facile translation of the D&D experience, but only for those who weren't already obsessed and experienced with the original. It's paradoxically ill-suited to the hardcore audience.

Like most pure-bred simulations, Rail Sim offers rewards proportional to the amount of effort you're prepared to invest.

Even with a thin (even irritating) story and relatively short play time, Pac N Roll is fun in small doses.

The game that is supposedly there to make you feel like Bond, ironically ends up achieving the opposite at times because of the scripted and rather linear nature of the proceedings - there's simply too much 'guidance by hand' to really convince you that you truly ARE Bond.

Just too much fluff and not enough fun.

It's certainly not revolutionary, but it's a simple, fun and very likeable game. It's perfect for dorm rooms or back-from-the-pub entertainment, as the controls don't take long to grasp and the gameplay isn't exactly rocket science.

A solid game that leans towards the easy side. The only real flaws are an iffy camera and iffier reading of its potential audience. It's still the best interactive thing to happen to the Shrek universe thus far.

If you don't need real world licensing or scenery, if you're willing to power through some gratifying RPG advancement with your duffing, and if you don't mind the cloying kiddie graphics, Super Swing Golf is the definitive fantasy golf game.

Lots of different stars, ships, and aliens may be nice, but there is no excuse for unwieldy controls, a horribly high learning curve and pacing that takes a good dozen hours before things get interesting.

We've seen non-games like this before; the Dreamcast's "Seaman" comes to mind. Typically, they're fleeting novelties that burn out quickly. Electroplankton feels different, simply because it offers too much choice and unexpected surprises.

The changes are as skull-shattering as we had hoped -- rejuvenating a franchise in dire need of a makeover.

Ballistics is never lacking for a quick, cheap thrill. Unfortunately, the gameplay is actually skin deep, it crashes often, and ultimately doesn't deliver on its eye candy promises.

The missions seem more like replicants from other games, including the original Galactic Battlegrounds, Age of Empires, and just about every other RTS clone on the market.

It feels good on the PS2 pad, even, though a joystick is (of course!) preferable.

One of those games which you'll find to be a great laugh or a shallow bore. With not much to the gameplay in terms of variation, things can quickly get tedious.

Although the single-player game is mixed, Xbox Live addicts will find much to enjoy with Clone Wars - enough that it'll probably justify its purchase price alone.

A solid, easy platformer that's colorful, fun, and full of variety. Kids and casual players should love it, but hardcore players may gulp it all down too fast and be left hungry for more.

Despite its casting issues, Marvel Avengers is a decent enough LEGO romp — better than the disappointing Jurassic World and Batman 3: Beyond Gotham but not quite as good as Marvel Super Heroes. Fans of its spandex stars should certainly suit up. The rest of you might want to wait for another hero.

As good as the combat is, Darkstar One is too simplistic to evolve into a real classic. It's a great look back at a fading genre, but lacking a stronger story and economic system, it's not likely to foster a major revival.

Just Cause 3 is an over-the-top blast that embraces the term “sandbox” more literally — and un-apologetically — than any other game in the genre. If you’re seeking substance and depth, wandering Fallout 4's RPG wasteland might be more your speed. If you want to ride a weapon of mass destruction like a hobby horse, however, you'll want to consider joining Just Cause 3's rebellion.

If you can look at the PSO universe with fresh eyes, like the Sonic Team designers clearly did, there's a lot of addictive gameplay to be mined from this new colonial frontier.

It's a perfectly serviceable war shooter offline, and turns into a strong SOCOM rival when you're gunning with 31 other players, which is just the sort of action the PSP has been missing.

It offers little incentive to reinstall the rapidly ageing masterpiece.

The dated technology and lack of features -- most importantly, the unchanging, scripted campaign -- kills the longevity of what might have been a breath of fresh air in the simulation scene.

The highly detailed graphics convincingly portray both might and oppression with a realism that is awesome, encompassing huge caverns, fathomless pits and sudden dead ends.

Spookily enjoyable, throwing enough challenges and new creatures at you to prevent boredom setting in.

The somewhat frustrating part is that each scene, after completion, lasts about two minutes, yet takes an hour or so to complete, and while you feel a great sense of accomplishment in finishing each scene, watching the brief replays may make you ponder, "I spent an hour toiling at the controller for this!?"

It would have made a much better college game where blaring soundtracks and sparkling animation effects are not as important.

If you've never been a fan of the series, or if you are deprived of living, breathing friends, this latest version won't win you over. On the other hand, if you're a Mario Party devotee surrounded with human companionship, Mario Party 6 will offer hours of entertainment and a satisfying way to spend a social evening.

Speaking of modes, Karaoke Revolution Country really outdoes itself in this department as the game features a handful of solo and multiplayer game modes, and mini-games (including a silly voice-controlled beach volleyball diversion). For example, single-player options include a QuickPlay mode (pick a song and venue and get to it), Karaoke (no scoring), and Medley (select the number of sequential songs to sing through).

Gamers who liked the idea of, say, "Twisted Metal Black," but found the execution too quick and snappy to be satisfying, should check out Road Kill, a decidedly more kinetic follower.

If you’re a serious strategy aficionado who expects more than to be seduced by lush eye candy, you’ll lament the restricted control system and the over-emphasis on storyline at the expense of intricate gameplay.

Polygon counts are noticeably low, for both the characters and the levels, and to have an accomplished developer like Sonic Team not push the hardware is quite a disappointment.

Its Star Wars atmosphere is minimal, and its advancement is riddled with repetitive, boring, time-consuming experience-grind busywork... As it stands, Galaxies is little more than a buggy, incomplete time sink.

Gives D&D fans the chance to enjoy virtually identical gameplay from "The Two Towers," but set in their favored backdrop. Aside from the trio of switchable characters, there's barely anything to distinguish the two titles.

A respectable weekend time-waster. It's got enough going on to fill a late night or two, and not so much that many gamers will pine for it when it's gone.

But what really makes Cars stand out from the pack is the excellent driving controls and physics created by Rainbow Studios.

So it's not as pretty as "DOA2," and probably doesn't play quite as well as either that game or "Tekken Tag," and there's not much strategy in the game either, but hey, if you're looking for a game that will let you literally rip your opponent to shreds, this is the one.

Some minor quirks and design decisions hamper the long-term enjoyment somewhat but overall, it's very good.

Ultimately what we have here is an excellent back-end and a beautiful graphics engine, with a combat-heavy, plot-light module and a few nasty bugs.

Remarkable, really, considering the mess most of the other Star Wars titles turned out to be. But we're not complaining.

Set on simulation, MotoGP 4 is a real challenge. It'll delight bike fans looking for a taste of the challenge and power from these awesome machines, and petrolhead types will be happy to overlook its shortcomings in the process.

A game that just doesn't fit in. Out of the box it's not as fun as its predecessors, and nowhere near as deep or engaging as Madden or ESPN.

Has great production values, is "spiritually" faithful to the look and feel of the famed Disney attraction, and is a very good action/puzzler to boot.

The novelty of the Hulk scenes wears off eventually if you're not a huge fan of the comic books, and the Banner sections are disappointing. Still, it doesn't anger us as much as some movie tie-in mediocrities.

It's not the prettiest game going, but its reliance on tense, cinch-your-belt strategy with limited forces is a welcome break from the near-mindless tank- (or in this case, monster-) rush blues.

Simple, engaging and spot-on in terms of presenting controversial material in a humorous and tongue-in-cheek manner.

Good old-fashioned crash-bang rally racing...Steel Monkeys' first serious racer is the first game since which really does the arcade rallying genre justice.

It ain't particularly novel and it ain't particularly easy, but it is engrossing and refreshingly reliant on strategic thinking to see you through.

Maybe it is the fact that you will frustratingly lose lives because it is not always clear what is potentially deadly scenery, and what is harmless background...Whatever it is, there is something lacking that denigrates this game workmanlike and a tad dull.

One thing is assured: Breakdown is a new watermark in player immersion, and it's difficult to see how it will be one-upped any time soon. From start to finish, in sickness and in health, in combat or in exploration, the player experiences the world as though inside it.

Out of the box it's not as fun as its predecessors, and nowhere near as deep or engaging as Madden or ESPN.

Ultimately, the biggest flaw with Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers is polish. Everything here works decently enough, but it all feels like minor tweaks as opposed to major innovation.

There are just too many buttons in play, and it's terrible when you want to unleash a slap shot from the point but can't remember which triggers and bumpers to use.

Tak 2's biggest flaw is that we've seen it all before. It's not a bad game, and is certainly a lot better than its predecessor, but it really doesn't do anything particularly well.

In the same league as the disposable horror flicks that fill video shelves and late-night cable. It's not particularly frightening, but good atmosphere and short-lived twitch satisfaction is enough to sustain interest for a while.