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.

It's a shortish ride, and dark -- pitch black, if you like -- but a great one.

The boards look very similar. A few more would've been great, too. All things considered, Metroid Prime Pinball is a fun little game that is great for players 7 to 107.

It is almost unerringly gorgeous and a blast to play, though the combat could have been pushed forward to true "God of War" levels with just a few different options. Even so, this is the best action title going on the PS3 this fall.

With polished online play, great visuals, and the right mix of authenticity and accessibility, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 is a solid package for golf fans. Unfortunately, the insulting shortage of courses on the 360 smarts a bit, and there's not a whole lot new since last year.

Its use of the DS touchscreen is innovative, despite its handful of control issues. Platformers don't always have to be walks in the park, and it's rare to have one challenge you this much mentally.

Black Ops III deserves credit for delivering a wider game than Advanced Warfare (or Black Ops II, for that matter), but it’s not necessarily a deeper one. More meaningful, fundamental changes to how we experience the game were passed over in favor of a maelstrom of strange new ideas. It’s just plain weird...I happen to like weird, though, and Black Ops III does enough to carve out its own identity.

A solid title, featuring a believable and interesting storyline, plenty of missions to work through, and even good graphics. However, it can get very tedious at times, testing the patience of the most tolerant of gamers.

It's realistic, it's chaotic, it's immersive, it's beautiful, but players are going to have to get used to a lot fo trial-and-error gameplay. So it's teeth-grindingly unforgiving at times, but war is, indeed, hell.

Excels in fresh, exciting gameplay, especially when battling or playing cooperatively with friends. The many different courts, characters, and moves should keep you busy for months.

Time of Defiance hardly gets the adrenalin pumping, but there's more to life than quick thrills...Many will find it just as addictive and timeless as Civilization, but with the added frisson of real politics and even deeper strategy.

Arguments of depth aside, it can't be denied that Crimson Skies strikes a great balance between required skill and the effortless "feel" of being a swashbuckling air-hero, all backed up by swelling production values.

The narrative missteps and overly complicated lore intrude on what should have been another shining moment for Master Chief; while it sets up an intriguing future, the campaign is an unqualified disappointment. But even the greatest of heroes stumbles, and Halo 5’s stellar online play is certainly strong enough to pick up the Chief and keep him moving.

Yes, better communication, more content, and deeper story would all be welcome, but that's the default critic's list for almost every game. How many titles offer the chance to become a zombie and munch on former allies?

Those last few major battles will only take five years from your life from battlefield stress syndrome. Six, tops.

Pleasantly enough, Syndicate also takes a big step away from last year’s troubled Assassin’s Creed Unity by removing every whiff of online connected hooey. You’ll no longer be noodged to spend extra money, visit websites, or invite friends to activate missions. This is a solo game, and it’s perfectly content to be one.

Gets the most important element right: it gives gamers a taste of being a stunt driver without losing touch of every game's ultimate goal: high in fun, low in frustration.

A tightly packed game. Despite the AI and graphics issues, it's simply a lot of fun to play, due in large part to the fielder cam and excellent pitching and batting.

By removing some of the arguably cheap content from the game and introducing a couple of new weapons, Resurrection of Evil could be a rebirth for id's thriller.

Stylish, solid, and unique... and on the upper difficulty levels, it's hard as hell. It gives a gothic boost to the first-person shooter genre, and a definite shot in the arm to the criminally underrepresented western video game.

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.

The action is swift and challenging, but easy to control.

Empires provides equal portions of action and strategy, and dishes out an adventure that will gleefully eat up huge chunks of players' time.

One of the best hand-held games currently going... If an action-puzzle game with old-school sensibilities sounds like your cup of grog, The Lost Vikings is definitely worth a raid on your local games shoppe.

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.

If you come to Children of the Nile with a spirit of investigation and if you're willing to learn the nuances of this complex model of ancient life, you'll be richly rewarded with one of the most serene and gratifying city builders since the genre began.

Nightlife makes a challenging game more challenging and an amusing game all the more amusing.

The best tennis game in years...Whether it's rapid-fire one-off matches or a protracted solo mode that floats your boat, the game has you covered with a brilliant mix of rowdiness and realism.