If you've already grown weary of the series, Unchained definitely won't change your mind; but if you have a few more fatalities in you, pick it up. Who knows? Its unique, cathartic brand of violence may prevent a road-rage incident.

Graphics bump aside, little has changed since we clicked the mouse one million times in "Diablo."

A bit too by-the-book to have the magic of the original, but it's still a good game.

Mastering Ridge Racer 7 feels more like a mathematical exercise than a game. Technophiles may love it for exactly that reason, but other audiences may wonder where the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat have gone.

Only the most blinkered Mobile Suit fetishist could love this clunky battle sim, which trades speed, finesse, and depth for...well, nothing, really.

Team Ninja has headed in exactly the wrong direction: more throwaway minigames, the same frustrating friends system, less focus on the volleyball. Instead, it winds up seeming just as superficial as the bosoms of its stars.

A uniquely relaxing and immersive world that hides surprising depth -- building a thriving garden isn't a matter of slavishly adhering to rules or keeping up with the busywork, although those things play their part.

The hallmark of Gears' weapon design is the balance of powerful tools with critical, exploitable weaknesses, and it's executed with real finesse.

Much like "Lumines," however, Every Extend Extra rides the line between flash and total sensory overload, with flashing colors, oversaturated backgrounds and that omnipresent musical accompaniment. It can almost be too much at times. But the concoction works, if only for the relatively short play time.

Despite a few dodgy-looking moments, however, the visual presentation is praiseworthy. The sensation of navigating expansive, violently scarred landscape remains impressive.

Tony Hawk's Project 8 is quite simply a good game. If you're looking for new levels to trick on and a new story mode to play through, it's money well spent. Nail the trick is the type of awesome addition this series desperately needed.

The original's head to head multiplayer wasn't vital enough to make the expense worthwhile, but this time the co-op play is so integral to the game's appeal that most will find it irresistible...This is an absolutely stellar release, with too much variety, originality, rewards, and pure fun to even think about missing out on.

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.

On the easiest level, you can knock out all the game's songs in an evening. But then you'll see how gratifying it is to do the same song on a harder level. At that point, Elite Beat Agents pretty much has you.

It's a shame there isn't much in the way of non-military resolutions to disputes, as the game's combat system stands out as its key weakness. Even with that proviso, 1701 AD is a game fans of both the series -- and the genre -- will enjoy.

Although Square has clearly found the limits of the PS2, Final Fantasy's new, seamless approach to exploration and combat works beautifully, and comes with all the depth of plot, character, and gameplay that we've come to expect from the name.

It's no "Baldur's Gate II," nor is it a "Planescape: Torment," but the way things are going it's the closest we're likely to get this century.

Killzone isn't able to fulfill its own potential in the end. More variety in the gameplay would make this the killer app it's ready to become.

Root of Evil puts itself across as a lighthearted, if slightly demented, kid's game. But it can be much more challenging than such a presentation implies, and the disconnect is sometimes jarring.

Bear in mind, if you're addicted to racking up your gamerscore, you might find F.E.A.R. a touch frustrating...F.E.A.R. makes you work for its accolades. But even so, this is an excellent port of a great game.

One notable difference is that the frame rate is a lot better than it was in "Most Wanted." But the price you pay is graphics that are considerably worse. Carbon is missing atmosphere. You're still driving through the game strangely un-populated city, but it's got a lot less detail and ambient effects.

No, it doesn't have the depth of its PC granddaddy, but barring a handful of unfortunate issues, it's perfectly good at what it does: pass the time.

If you're already a Guild Wars player, Nightfall is worth it for the story, continent, professions, and heroes. If you're new, Nightfall is the best installment so far, and a great place to start with this deservedly ultra successful MMO.

Dark Messiah gets points for being unique among shooters, but it loses points for not being unique enough. It's the same old dungeons, the same generic monsters, and some uninspired gameplay that doesn't make for a very memorable game.

Action/RPGs tap into some inherent need to button-mash and kill countless foes, while still strategizing a bit with your party and their attributes so you don't feel brainless -- and this may be the best sci-fi themed entry in the genre to date.

What it does best isn't the way it adds a creative, original third side to the classic two, nor the decent added campaign or the extra units all round. No, Forces of Corruption's best feature is exploding Ewoks.

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.

It's a perfectly serviceable war shooter offline, and turns into a strong SOCOM rival when you're gunning with 31 other players, which is just the sort of action the PSP has been missing.