The most salient fact about BioShock is that it's different. If it doesn't sell well, perhaps it's time to abandon hope and resign ourselves to the eternal recurrence of space dungeons and World War II. Games like BioShock are what we need. They are what we deserve.

It's the perfect counter to the allegation that video games all rot your brain, and a tight, carefully designed experience to boot.

These animations are gorgeous to look at, from Reggie Bush doing his trademark summersault for six, or a Chad Johnson river dance after a score. This is because the game runs at a buttery smooth 60 frames per second...Madden 08 is simply superb. If you could only own one next-gen football, this is it.

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.

It's absolutely worth it to breathe new life into Guitar Hero II. Because there's nothing quite so exhilarating as facing down a whole long list of new Guitar Hero songs to unlock, learn, practice, and perfect.

Where Beyond the Sword will really win you over is with the new scenarios and mods. There is some truly wonderful stuff in here.

If you're content playing pretty much the same game in pretty much the same place with pretty much the same toys, GRAW2 is a good way to recapture the same fun you were having a year ago. And you'll get the cool new multiplayer mode thrown into the bargain.

By modern standards, it's decidedly lacking, but it's still a classic.

The package, then, is balls-out fine. It's a bumpy court to play on at times, but one that's ultimately rewarding.

At the end of the day, though, it's the same meal you've eaten before -- albeit with lots of garnish, a prettier server, and some extra helpings of dessert. Those are all great things if you're hungry, but don't do a whole lot of good if you're already feeling a bit full from Ninja Gaiden's cooking.

Vampire Rain fails at almost everything it tries. Despite the undeniably appealing setting, there's nothing here that justifies even a reserved recommendation. Depressing, derivative, and controller-throwingly frustrating, here's one occasion when you should let the rain stop you from playing.

It's a real pleasure to see Rainbow Six given such royal treatment, particularly if you're a fan of the series. But even if you just like gunplay, this is a great time for shooter fans, whose embarrassment of riches just got even more embarrassing.

Pure movie tie-in fodder.

Pure movie tie-in fodder.

Pure movie tie-in fodder.

The game's biggest problem is all the filler between the reasonably exciting combat sequences. This New York City consists of two subway stations and about eight neighborhoods separated by long loading screens. You'll get sent back and forth across them all. Get this key. Visit that character. Trigger this sequence. Kill that guy. Along the way, we counted exactly two (2!) optional missions.

As if mocking its own pompous title, Pokemon Battle Revolution is, amazingly, a step back for the historically reviled console Pokemon games - there's plenty of style, but less substance than ever before.

Is Harry Potter a good game? No, not particularly. The story's vague and badly realized; the characters aren't especially likeable, and the tasks you're given are tedious and involve a lot of plodding about Hogwarts. But does it capture the feel of the franchise? Absolutely, and if you really get involved in the game you'll forgive it its flaws.

Is Harry Potter a good game? No, not particularly. The story's vague and badly realized; the characters aren't especially likeable, and the tasks you're given are tedious and involve a lot of plodding about Hogwarts. But does it capture the feel of the franchise? Absolutely, and if you really get involved in the game you'll forgive it its flaws.

The low system specs are a nice deal and The Sims Pet Stories is a well implemented gateway into the Sims world, but EA has definitely skimped on the full gateway functionality by not allowing Stories to play with other releases in the series. In other words, if you really get hooked, be ready to cough up for the full-sized version.

But we can't get behind playing it for very long, even as fanatics.

But as Wii-makes go, Pets is as solid as the best of them, and in some ways perhaps better, by virtue of presenting loads of open-ended content with a powerful gaming interface.

Big brains are certainly desirable, but big price tags are a different matter, and Wii Degree's standard $49.99 asking price is a little hard to stomach. While the game is tons of fun, there's just a handful of minigames and not much else, which puts it in a different class to other full-priced options.

What Halo 2 represents -- an integrated online experience, smooth, console-like mechanics and a hassle-free setup procedure -- is a great development for the PC's future as a gaming platform. But all the philosophizing in the world isn't going to change the fact that it's a port of a three-year-old game that we've all played to death, and try as we might, we just can't get excited about that.

It's great on your own, it's great online, it's packed with vehicles and tracks, and it plays like a dream. In short, Forza Motorsport 2 is everything fans of its outstanding predecessor have been hoping for.

Let's be honest, who looks to party games for stunning originality, cutting-edge presentation, and engrossing single-player modes? It's Mario. He parties. So will you.

The changes are as skull-shattering as we had hoped -- rejuvenating a franchise in dire need of a makeover.

Dawn of Mana looks the part, but fails in most other aspects. If you're hankering for some role-playing on your aging PlayStation 2, pick up "Odin Sphere" -- which released the same day. It's even more beautiful, captures the essence of old-school, and you'll be having too much fun to feel the need to convince yourself that you're having fun.