There's an awful lot of linear, shooting-gallery tedium you have to plod through to get to the good stuff.

The franchise may not be as wacky as before, nor as realistic as the competition, but it hits hard, doesn't let up, and is great entertainment for a group of friends looking for something less simmy and more instantly accessible.

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.

Though it suffers from control issues and won't be to everyone's taste, Dog's Life delivers on its promised subject matter.

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.

For all the great things this game has going for it, longevity is its weakness. With only 14 real missions, each of which able to be completed in less then ten minutes, there's just not much game for your money.

While seemingly similar to previously released action titles at first glance, Kill.switch quickly proves to impart its own unique types of spin on the strat-shooter genre, not merely in mechanics and "hooks," but also in the game's very dramatic approach.

The PSP is already blessed with great racing games, but what it doesn't have is a racer to satisfy those not interested in white-knuckle competition. Cars fills the niche perfectly.

Worth a bash if you can rent or borrow it from a friend.

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.

Using the Wii remote just feels natural, too, and although it's not a monumental success, this is a Sonic console game you can feel proud to own. It's been a while since we could make that statement.

One part hockey, one part soccer and one part pure fantasy, Quidditch World Cup may not have the draw or the depth of Madden, but it is still plenty of fun to play.

One of the biggest design differences between Gothic II and practically all other RPGs is that it doesn't ramp up in difficulty as you go. Encounters are tough in the beginning, often overwhelming, and don't get easier as your skills improve.

Once you get past the graphics, though, everything else is virtually unchanged. As mentioned above, there's really not much new here.

The game's controls and user-interface are clean and intuitive: the analog stick and four face buttons are all that's needed to play, and the unobtrusive onscreen icons give you necessary information when you need it.

So if you're looking to give SWAT 4 a bit more longevity, your $20 will go a long way with Stetchkov Syndicate, but sadly not as far as it could have gone.

You have to sort of force yourself to play in the beginning. Putting in that time pays off in the end, though, much like some of those art-house flicks that go from head scratcher to heartstring tugger in just a couple of hours.

Though it's good, it's overshadowed by the mighty SSX Tricky and Tony Hawk's - don't buy it until you've bored with these two.

The design and presentation make this release more palatable for non-gamers than Konami's series, but the limited track selection and unfortunate forced vocal tracks remove some of that value.

The very definition of a "pick up and play" video game, Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 strikes a comfortable balance between bite-sized gameplay and respectable longevity. It could use some tighter controls and a multiplayer mode, but it's a competent addition to the DS' line of puzzlers.

With numerous incentives to play, it's a shame that the game isn't more visually appealing. It's not a bad looking game by any means, just rather unremarkable.

Praetorians isn't the deepest RTS going, but for fans of the genre and/or the era, it's a no-nonsense, well-presented package.

If you haven't already played "Corkscrew Follies," there are definitely enough attractive new features and interesting scenarios in Loopy Landscapes to provide hours of additional coaster building enjoyment to your theme park empire.

Lack of originality notwithstanding, gamers in search of an above average stealth action game experience with a good story and couple of minor innovations won't be disappointed with Cold War.

The graphics and sound both capture the action well, and the character animation is particularly strong.

With more polish, a better campaign, and a little more attention to detail, it could have been a real winner. In the end, it's creative and novel, but its flaws prevent an unreserved recommendation.

A great game...But it misses out on the magic four stars because of the sheer difficulty that will undoubtedly throw certain people into spitting fits and hissing rages.

A fine place to start for younger gamers. In that respect, the puzzles, side quests and overall presentation are just about right.