King of Swing is defined by its gimmick. Enjoy the unique control system and you'll find the game a pleasant and diverting play. If you're left cold by it, you'll quickly tire of the game's one-trick-pony style.

Younger DS owners, especially female ones, will lap it right up, finding the challenge level and frequent save points a good fit.

You really need to get deep into it to appreciate the feel of the individual jets, and to experience some of the better missions.

Just don't be surprised when you find the game length to be dangerously close to the running time of an average Bond flick.

The hard-core realism and punishing difficulty that earned this franchise its rabid fan base has been diluted, and what's left is a hardcore strategic series that's trying awfully hard to be a little more run and gun. It doesn't quite work.

Less Dragon-Ballsy gamers may get frustrated, but are encouraged to stick it out as well, until they get the hang of this deep -- albeit slightly convoluted -- fighting feast.

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.

Curse of Darkness picks up after a few hours, but never really hits its stride -- despite nice bosses, cool abilities, and the large amount of real estate.

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.

It's too bad that the entertainment value is still skewed by the lame arena battles, but overall this is a much more viable diversion than the original Full Auto.

An entirely enjoyable experience. It's not ultra-weighty gaming, and that's a good thing. It's easy to get into, easy to control, and easy to enjoy.

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.

One clear advantage of the PSP version is the multiplayer support. This is the only version of SSX that allows for multiplayer games aside from split screen.

FlatOut 2 is fun, if only for a little while.

If you're a casual player looking to throw down like your favorite superstars, or you really loved last year's game, NBA Live is still the pick of the litter. More refined, strategy-minded tastes are again urged to go with the 2K series.

It actually emphasizes the "S" in RTS by de-emphasizing the ho-hum tank rush mentality and encouraging strategic and tactical thinking.

Square Enix's attempts to modernize the title go a long way towards making it more enjoyable on the Nintendo DS, and it's a good game overall, but you'll still find that it lags behind more recent RPGs in some respects.

A solid update to the series that doesn't really break any new ground, but shouldn't disappoint diehard fans of the Tekken line either.

The story is solid, the looming sense of the unknown is engaging, and the sheer, mind-bullying fun of building up "psi-ence fictional" powers make Second Sight a rewarding game.

Unfortunately, Mass Effect: Andromeda picked up some unwelcome visitors on its long journey to your gaming machine. Though it has some stellar moments, “Andromeda” tries to cram too many ideas into one package, turning its obsession with the bigness of space into a crutch for uncharacteristically shoddy workmanship.

World War 2 flavor strategic decision-making is the order of the day, and despite all of Strategic Command's quirks and flaws, the stew as a whole is quite tasty.

For experienced gamers, War Times is routine and simplistic... Still, Strategy First's effort will please real-time strategy enthusiasts looking for a throwback to the genre's glory days, and is fitting for armchair generals and WWII buffs that are RTS newcomers.

Once you're past the technical hurdles (and the brutal realization of just how easy it is to die in a swordfight or sea battle), Pirates of the Caribbean is an absolutely beautiful looking, freeform RPG adventure. But it is really suited for experienced, patient gamers rather than casual ones.

We can grouse about the same-ness of the textures and design, but in motion F.E.A.R. continues to impress. It sounds even better, with most of the shocks this time delivered through an excellent sound design.

The D-pad tends to be a little slow and straight in responding and the joystick is a little too fast and wiggly. This can cause no end of trouble when you are trying to aim or if you or your targets are moving.

The camera, for one, can be quite erratic and gets frustratingly inadequate when you only have the option to centre it behind Bats.

The term 'movie game' has been overused, but this unique offering comes closer than most.

While the game's is an improvement over the 2004 edition, it's still not quite up to snuff.