Despite the staid atmosphere, Links is the fairway to hit if you're just in this for a round of golf. Especially if you want to play that round online... with voice and three of your friends.

It successfully marries open-world shenanigans with a great story, a “Witcher”-sized challenge, and keeps it humming with smart, addictive combat against a tide of brilliant enemies. Our species might lack good judgment from time to time, but “Horizon” proves we’re still worth saving.

It's generous, detailed, and brainy. If you want cheap thrills, there are some great real-time strategy games out there -- this isn't one of them. But if you want something from the other end of the spectrum that plays unlike anything else, this is the game for you.

And at least until Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite steps into the fight, you’ll want to come back to Injustice 2. It’s the complete package — beautiful, nuanced, and inviting — and though it trips up a little with its short, uninspired Story, it more than makes up for it with the most rewarding superhero power fantasy this side of Batkid.

What's so great about the game, apart from it looking and sounding so good on PS2, is the course design that you get to sample.

Online play is an easy oversight to overlook, though. The single-player game is as tight as any platformer around, and the presentation is so far beyond what we've seen before that you simply can't afford to pass it up. The future is bright, indeed.

Much more user-friendly and action-oriented than their "Romance" series, Tactics throws you right into battle early and often; turn-based strategy fans will surely love this one.

Playing Battle Realms is simply a joy. It's a real-time strategy title that doesn't bog you down in its details, it doesn't carry the ponderous weight of less refined titles, and leaves you with that genuinely satisfied feeling you get from playing a superbly crafted and balanced title.

The biggest, pervasive plus of Mercenaries is the raw, gleeful destruction options open to you. This is exactly the kind of stuff your parents don't like about video games.

Get past the slightly dated presentation and you'll find a game that's as involving as the best current RPGs.

In the end though, what really makes Crypto-138 stand out from the pack is the combination of solid controls and side-splitting humor. It may not be politically correct, but it's going to keep you entertained.

A simple joy to play. There's little about it that isn't excellent, polished, authentic rallying of the highest standard, with the graphics, sound, and above all handling to back up its well-respected license.

Striking a balance between cinematic, story-based gaming and free-roaming fun is harder than most people realize, and True Crime manages to pull it off in a way that brings excitement, challenge, and even a few laughs here and there (some of the voice work, particularly that of one Mr. Walken, is priceless).

Its regimented take on open-world gaming is surprisingly well handled, and Hopkins' quest to put order to what is the Wild West of education, has been built with enough loving care that players will be compelled to follow it to its natural conclusion.

There's an awful lot of gaming to be had here. While the updated version of the first Dead or Alive is only worthwhile for nostalgia's sake, the revamped DOA2 is a graphical masterpiece, and a blast to play online.

Few games have so much gameplay, let alone provide a setting and atmosphere that tell a captivating story. That said, Metroid Prime is an acquired taste.

If there's one department in which MVP can't be beat, it's player animations. From the plate to the mound and out into center, these guys move with a jaw-dropping grace and fluidity.

A wholly successful attempt to create a fully character-based game. It's fun and engrossing, and more than strong enough to stand against darker, more difficult games aimed to please a jaded, older audience.

If you aren't up for endless hacking and slashing, there's not much here. But for anyone who digs the genre, Gladiator is the most satisfying form to come down the Appian Way in some time, and is definitely worth a look.

Won't appeal to everyone, but if you're nostalgic for the original or like unstructured and open-ended games, this booty is well worth seeking. Yarrr!

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.

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

Due to good physics modeling, sharp AI, and spot-on controls, no amount of wonky pitches and fiery players, watery stadiums, and moronic (if hilarious) commentary can detract from the solid gameplay.

EA's challenge is not to simplify their simulation or stop adding detail, but to integrate those features so well that players can simply marvel at how advanced the game has become. The Superstar revisions are a step in the right direction, since they allow players to focus on the entire game one player at a time, but otherwise that's just not the case.

If you played the original Viewtiful Joe and enjoyed it, Viewtiful Joe 2 is a classic case of more of the same: a fairly conservative upgrade to a winning formula.

Go to faraway lands, meet strange orcs... and kill them. Microsoft proves that real-time strategy can be done right on consoles.

Imagine a long-time Trekkie's glee at being given the opportunity to walk around the original 60s set with the cast; Renegade is the virtual equivalent for the C&C fan.

But what's most remarkable is how much variety Rare squeezed into this game, mainly by liberally scattering minigames throughout the world.