Despite a few glitches and omissions (no multiplayer or online options, although there is a map editor), expect Silent Storm to receive a noisily positive reception from the tactical strategy crowd.

Fans of flight simulation should be rolling in joy at the accuracy of the presentation of the racing, and there's the added bonus of being able to light up the skies in the excellent free-flight combat mode.

Although it seems likely most people will end up playing the traditional modes, the additions are interesting, and voice chat is worth the price of admission on its own.

That break-the-mold game that longtime players of the franchise have been waiting for. And if you're already a street-rag reader, you have permission and reason to drool - just keep it off the AirFlow controller, please.

A sign that the series is grinding along nicely in a comfortable rut, biding its time with the same old technology and some minor gameplay changes.

Comic book fans will be enthralled with it, and so will anybody else looking for a cheerfully violent action-adventure. It may not be earth-shatteringly original, but it makes up for this by delivering plenty of earth shattering in other areas.

Graphically it's a generation behind its peers, and the control system betrays its Xbox roots, but if you can put up with that you're pretty much guaranteed a good time.

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.

The current-gen NBA 2K7 is a really good basketball title that looks great and plays even better. At $30, it's well worth picking up, even if it isn't a huge step up from last year's title.

It's a fast-paced online deathmatch game with few bells and fewer whistles, featuring essentially the same weapon lineup it's had for ten years.

The gameplay is solid and fun for any skill level, but what's really amazing is just how good this game looks. The faces are scarily accurate.

For fans of the original, this is the version to own, providing super slick game mechanics and excellent presentation. Just don’t expect it to do anything other than entertain you for a while, rather than knock the pants off your head like "Halo" did.

Along with the AI issues, the handling between autos is a little suspect. Despite the fact that the game is loaded with exotic cars -- 36 to be exact -- they all seem to handle very much like one another. If there are differences, they're extremely subtle.

Every aspect of the game feels polished and ready to go, whether it's the single-player story, the online multiplayer, the numerous unlockables, or the custom mapmaker. This is one of those rare Jack-of-all-trades that has actually mastered them all.

Every bit as good as you’d hope... If any criticism can be found with Icewind Dale II, it's that it may be more than a little inaccessible to the non-"hardcore" role-player.

That break-the-mold game that longtime players of the franchise have been waiting for. And if you're already a street-rag reader, you have permission and reason to drool - just keep it off the AirFlow controller, please.

The AI is surprisingly excellent - if you send a batch of troops out to scout, they will take up careful positions, scale machine gun positions, engage the enemy, and redeploy defensively without any more commands having to be issued.

Largely an upgrade on the original, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is still one of the most polished and imaginative escapades we've played. Like a blockbuster movie, the tale delivers on almost every count from dazzling pyrotechnics to deft storytelling.

Imaginative players will find all kinds of ways to extend the game, and there's a virtual certainty of downloadable extras too.

All of these details get wound into a very straightforward game world that is absolutely packed with quests and other things to do. In most MMOs, characters spend their first 10 or 20 levels looking for enough things to do to earn better powers and weapons. Here, a ceaseless barrage of possible tasks begins with the orientation area (on the Isle of Refuge) and continues deep into the game.

With the slightly worn graphics engine and the advances of EA's "NCAA" -- notably the analog throwing and batting -- it's impossible to call The Show the best baseball title on the market. It is, however, a wonderfully well-built game that has all manner of detail to please every conceivable baseball fan.

In Picross DS, you get a real sense of accomplishment, while still being just as enthralled as with the Tetrises and Meteoses of the world. It rewards intelligence over reflexes, broadening its target audience immensely. Play it for 10 minutes, or five hours; either way, you'll have a smile on your face the entire time.

A stronger, smarter fighter than it was during its Xbox 360 battle.

Offers players the biggest, uninterrupted, free-roaming modern urban environment that console gamers have ever seen...Here is a game that manages to make even the most basic tooling-around-town a rewarding, engaging experience.

An incredible technical achievement in visuals, depth and realism. CFS2 is a technically excellent game, though somewhat lacking in heart.

Match-up restrictions aside, Raven Shield is not only a great multiplayer game, but a welcome next step in the Rainbow Six series for gamers that should meet, if not exceed, many of its fans expectations.

If you are the kind of gamer who generally wants to button through game cinematics anyway because you think they're a pain in the ass, you should avoid Xenosaga like it was a proctologist with a history of methamphetamine psychosis.

Not only did the game offer the same turn-based battles and strategies that I love, it even sports the same 2D sprites that I remember playing while slurping down HI-C juice boxes and eating Dunkaroos. Needless to say, I was instantly hooked.