The gameplay is truly unique when coupled with the uber-peripheral and the unique community of dedicated players. The one nice thing about Line of Contact is that the price of entry almost guarantees that there will be a strong community of gamers years down the road.

This is certainly one of the most innovative games on the Xbox and one that even non-military buffs should check out. I have a feeling this is just the start of an exceptional series.

The new story mode takes the genre in another direction that is engaging but still keeps the tried-and-true Tony Hawk goodness intact. If you love the series then you are going to cream over Tony Hawk’s Underground.

An incredible game. The GotY Edition will give previous Morrowind fanatics a few more reasons to dust off their character, and at the discount price, it offers a great chance for those whom may not have played it to jump right in.

Those that take a chance on Otogi 2 will find a unique and beautiful hack-n-slash title that sprinkles in plenty of variation thanks to some limited RPG-like upgrades, diverse playable characters, and a challenging story mode.

Xbox’ers are getting the strongest version of this unique product by far. Kudos to the team over at Mix Max for creating such a thorough application that is also totally user friendly.

A great game with absolutely stunning visuals, intriguing gameplay, and a cool story, but it may not be everybody's cup of tea in terms of its new dank look or hard-edged feel.

Far above average car handling physics combined with true rally-style online racing allows CMR 05 to dominate last year's game. It's a tough game to beat for thirty bones. Some may complain about the floaty physics.

The online play and custom soundtrack options are in place, the gameplay is spot-on, the graphics are some of the best you will find in any genre, and the ESPN presentation is the cherry on top.

This isn't a game anyone is going to simply pick up, press the gas and work their way through. MotoGP 3 is a game that will test a player's ability to balance speed, physics and raw skill in order to work their way to the championship.

You will be hard-pressed to find a more "complete" game than The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction... One of the best action/adventures of the year and a strong candidate for the best comic book videogame ever made.

Better than the original in almost every way, which says a lot for LucasArts' and Pandemic's commitment to their legion of fans. Space battle and playable Jedi are reason enough to run out and buy Star Wars Battlefront II, but 32 player online matches don't hurt either.

The traffic checking keeps the wheel-to-wheel racing quite fresh, and the whole aerial portion of Crash Junction makes it more challenging and therefore more fun (for most of us).

Overall, it's the best football game they have made to date, but it's hard to gauge how it has advanced compared to the competition, for as previously mentioned, there is no competition.

The weight of the game increases quite a bit with the addition of The Lost Chapters so fans who were deterred from a purchase when the first game was released now should have all the reason they need to go pick up a copy.

Bonus DVD and extra modes help justify a paltry asking price that really needs little justification.

I've been a die-hard "Winning Eleven" fan for some time now, but my allegiance to Konami's famed series has taken a hit. FIFA 07 Soccer is the best EA soccer game to date, coming very close to the refinement of the WE series, and even eclipsing it in many areas.

The Custom Baller options are extremely deep and the visuals are stunning in 720p. Even though this is primarily a one-on-one game, NBA Ballers shines when you have a crew.

Midway's selections are not only well thought out but they also perform as flawlessly as possible given the hardware and peripheral differences.

Sure, the game is more unrealistic than not, and it doesn’t look that pretty, but for outright console fun, the game is way up there. The combination of an endless supply of cool unlockables and semi-challenging gameplay is hard to discount, and makes it far easier to look past Tiger Woods PGA 2005’s flaws.

It is this flexibility which keeps Bastion fresh from beginning to end.

Did I enjoy this game? Absolutely. Did it scare the crap out of me at times? 100%. Was there a real feeling of survival horror (as opposed to just jumping-scares) that has been sadly lacking from other contemporary zombie games? You bet.

NHL 12 offers a ton of options and improves on key areas like control, artificial intelligence and the number of game modes.

Solid gunplay combined with powerful but balanced Nanosuit abilities, plus plenty of replayability thanks to the open nature of many of the game's levels.

If you've had the urge to sneak around in Snakes shoes once more than heed the call. The Metal Gear Solid is the standard by which future HD collections should be judged.

A great bang-for-buck ratio happening right here. An engaging, well-written story with gameplay that is just as accessible to casuals as it is challenging for the hardcore, Trine 2 will give you an experience that will leave you with a look of satisfaction on your face all the way through.

A source of great entertainment that is easy to pick up. Whether you're a dedicated Marvel fanatic or just someone who likes pinball, you shouldn't have too much trouble enjoying the game. For 800 Microsoft Points, or roughly $2.50 per table, it's not only cheap, but lots of fun.

NFL Blitz is one of the best, if not the best arcade sports experiences on the market.

If you love any or all of the following - RPGs, rich fantasy worlds, action games - Reckoning is a rich action RPG with a deep narrative, even deeper character customization, and plenty of content right out of the box. Go get this game.

A massive step in the right direction for the series, and helps repair some of the damage done to the brand's reputation over the past few years.

There's nothing better than completing a multi-million point combo after tricking off of a helicopter while being chased by a massive avalanche – it's reasons like this that we're happy to say, "Welcome back, SSX, we've missed you."

The presentation is top-notch, the game feels like you want it to never end while you're playing it, and the multiplayer gives it longevity that will stick around for a good while.

Spelunky is probably not for everyone. For all my attempts to romanticize the game's difficulty, it still demands patience from its players, and that might be too much for some. Those that stick it out though, or have an affinity for similar punishing trials like Dark Souls or Super Meat Boy, will find a game that rewards the time you spend with it with nearly infinite amounts of replayability. It all adds up to make Spelunky the best port of a mining related indie PC game to hit the Xbox.

The RPG elements and advanced combo system immerse players into the game - letting them make Death into their own unique killing machine. Improved NPC interactions and side quests make this larger world feel not so bland and desolate. Darksiders II outshines its predecessor in almost every aspect.

Strangely, I’ve been having more fun with the game since I finished it than I did when I was trying to. Maybe that says something about the game, maybe that says something about life. But now I have all the time in the world to sleep with whores, buy properties, explore lost dungeons and sign autographs for kids.

I honestly didn’t know much about Carcassonne before I played it on XBLA, but the cozy format and computer control makes it a lot of unfettered fun. Sierra also promises that it’ll add some of the board game’s expansion as inexpensive downloads soon, which will extend the gameplay that much more.

In Midnight Club: Los Angeles’s case, the engine behind its essence—Rage—is good enough to make this title a standout, even though it isn’t particularly packed with genre-inspiring features. While this may be a letdown for those early-adopting, cutting-edge types, those who rank “go” above the “show” in the list of their racing-game prerequisites will consider Midnight Club: Los Angeles a real cream puff.

The wireless controller and online gameplay are nicely engineered. Beyond that, it’s mostly in the same vein as the previous Guitar Hero games.

An awesome, visceral experience, especially when enjoyed against a human opponent. It remains one of my personal favorites of the EA Sports lineup. I just hope that in the next iteration they can figure out where the magic went and infuse it back into the series.

For its first band-in-a-box release, GHWT does a good job of getting on the map. In my view, though it does some things better, it doesn’t quite reach the sheer playability and enjoyment of Rock Band’s two releases and its broad DLC catalog. Close, but not right alongside its competitor.

Battlestations: Pacific speaks to the ten-year-old in me who pored over illustrated coffee-table books about WWII weaponry and watched “Victory at Sea” instead of “Sesame Street.” For a military-porn aficionado like myself, Battlestations: Pacific is like heaven, despite some of its rather glaring flaws.

Beyond the licensing, WWE Legends of WrestleMania is a smartly-designed game that enables studio antics to be more approachable to the common gamer. The gameplay isn’t dumbed down to the point where hardcore wrestling fans will scoff at Legends either.

Skate 2 continues to raise the bar for skateboarding games, but it just wasn’t enough for draw the kinds of raves offered for the first game in the series.

It might not pick up an award for its revolutionary graphics or voice acting, but it should put a smile on your face at times and give you a teeth-gritting grimace at others.

Getting the music right was crucial, but so is the gameplay, and the developers really nailed it.

Does a great job of blending elements of action, stealth, and driving to create one of the greatest Bond game ever, just after the all-time classic, Goldeneye. Everything or Nothing starts players off with a kick in the ass and doesn’t let up until the credits roll.

Regarding clean-cut, vibrant visuals, ESPN 2K5 is by far the best looking hockey game to date and it's nice to have the adjustable zoom camera back.

The combination of an intriguing campaign mode and large-scale multiplayer action for up to 24 players is hard to mess with, at least in terms of the late-model combat stuff.

It's always a good sign when the toughest decision you have to make is what game mode to start with; such is the case with MX vs. ATV Unleashed.

With a hearty single player experience, enough online goodies to shake a medieval sword at, and some pristine production quality to top it all enough, Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes equates to the perfect fix for those looking for a great action/strategy experience.

The story is fantastic and the way in which several characters interact and overlap in order to create a larger picture of what's happening is very well put together. The fact that players get to take part in each character's progression through the story is icing on the already great tasting cake.

Combined with a highly cinematic presentation supported by exciting gameplay and an innovative storyline that breaks new ground in the world of X-men, Activision's X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is a must-have for anyone who tried the original game out and definitely something comic fans will want to check out.

While the style of game isn't anything we haven't seen before, the implementation of a free-roaming environment and the scale of the environment all comes together for a fantastic gameplay experience.

Its cutesy image may not appeal to the hardcore crowd, but the core game is nearly flawless. It’s a game that you’ll want to continue playing – it doesn’t feel like “work”. The characters are imaginative, the visuals are outstanding, and the game is downright fun.

The co-op mode shows flashes of brilliance, and the number of options provided for online play is astounding. The core game plays much like any other FPS – a VERY pretty one at that.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance is a feature-packed game; one of those rare birds that feels like arcade gaming, but with that next-gen edge that helps to justify $400+ dollars of hardware.

This is <I>the<I> basketball game to own this season...Only a few hiccups here and there stop this game from being perfect. The level of realism in the animations is astounding, but you can still have a fast-paced and fun basketball game.

A visual treat; even more so than its immensely popular "Geometry Wars." The tweaked classic tracks may not be for everyone, but at least they tie into the gameplay, making Boom Boom Rocket a very unique offering in the ever-surprising lineup of Xbox Live Arcade games.

A likeable mixture of wheel-to-wheel racing and extreme racing modes is sure to satisfy the Alpha-male motorsports fan. The A.I. is a bit suspect, however.

Without overly dumbing down the modern military sim fighter, Namco Bandai has managed to create a very accessible flying game that has all of the presentation bells and whistles of its big boy cousins.

Undertow is one of those rare surprises that at some times feels like a casual game—not because it’s easy to win, but because it’s easy to play—yet still delivers solid gameplay across its scope. And with Chair promising to support the game with new maps for players to download after its premiere, you have to expect that there’ll be reasons to dive into the Undertow ocean now and again.

A healthy mix of melee and gunplay, the stealth action is tried and true.

The sheer amount of features, including the Star Wars characters, makes Soulcalibur IV worth its premium asking price for those that adore this franchise. But it’s the synergistic power of these parts coming together that makes Soulcalibur IV a good recommendation to any player looking for a fresher take on the fighting game genre.

It’s hard to go wrong with Mutant Storm Empire for 800 Microsoft Points, eve if you have never played Reloaded. With stunning 3D graphics and the perfect blend of mindless and strategic twitch blasting, Mutant Storm Empire is a near perfect Halloween treat.

Taito has meticulously crafted each progressive level in Exit to be a mindbender, thus ruling out all possibilities of this title being a pushover. Throw in the fact that there are a staggering 220 levels in Exit, and you can easily see why puzzle freaks like us are clamoring over Mr. ESC and his hip antics.

Bow to the artists that worked on Metal Slug 3: This is gaming art at some of its finest. The gameplay is up there among the better coin-op action games of all time, too, and it translates well to the Xbox 360 controller to boot.

And even though it’s not exactly a major overhaul of the game, the improvements are great, the game looks great and it’s as fun as ever. Good job, EA.

Battlefield 1943 is truly a blast. Its stripped-down nature (though definitely not a no-frills release) means its easy to get into, and the high potential player count should have the servers filled with players for quite some time.

While Dead Samurai’s gameplay could have used a bit more Dawn for it to truly shine, the visuals and overall presentation value makes this unique, indy-produced IP easily worth its 800-point asking price.

I think the old-school gameplay shines through in its new packaging. And for about a quarter of the price of a regular retail release, it’s still a good deal in a trying economy.

NHL 10 has a ton of gameplay modes, and the action is slick. Not perfect, but it does have a good flow and it’s fairly comprehensive in covering the sport.

While its visuals are astounding and the fighting action nearly as impressive, Blazblue is special because it feels complete. Aside from its paltry online functionality, Calamity Trigger will constantly remind you that a smart investment was made in a title sporting a high degree of luster. In other words, you’ll get the sense that you got your money’s worth…even if you just got your butt kicked.

IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey, viewed generally as a piece of software, is finely crafted in every way, and it shows a great carefulness on the part of its developers to do right by the subject matter.

NBA Live 10 shows continued improvement for the series. But in classic EA fashion, this feels incredibly iterative. The improvements of this latest iteration are impressive nonetheless, but it feels like a long road to one truly great basketball game to grace our consoles, a revolutionary and defining game of its genre.

Worms 2: Armageddon is the complete XBLA answer to the franchise that fans have been waiting for. Worms 2 is also good enough for me to recommend it to new fans of the series; even more so than the free PC demos floating about in cyberspace.

One of the best XBLA hack-and-slash classics ever to grace Xbox Live Arcade.

It’s incredibly easy to control, but in addition to the timing of hitting the button to drop the floor, you have the lot-building strategy as well.

PopCap and Square Enix have managed to find just the right amount to take from each of their strengths to make a game that’s easily accessible and instantly addictive.

The real game changer is the Multiplayer experience which brings a tense battle of paranoia to the forefront and rewards stealth over open-attacks. There are subtle techniques to be learned and to succeed you need to play smart.

The way the sun, street lights, and even other cars reflect off your car will amaze you. Each city, (San Francisco, Tokyo, London, New York City) is modeled as seen in real life, so you might recognize some of the places or buildings you are zipping by.

The graphics, while not exploiting all of the Xbox's power, look sharp. And the depth and replayability of this game is nearly limitless.

"NFL 2K2" will be online for players to go at it via broadband connections, but NFL Fever 2003 is going to be my choice this year because of both the online support and the energy level combined with realism.

The best basketball title on the Xbox right now...Great graphics, fantastic gameplay, and a very enjoyable online mode make this a keeper for every sports fanatic.

Gladius is by far unmatched in terms of character control in the strategy/RPG genre. The only thing I would have wished for is more ability customization for characters in between class types.

The easy controls and deep season/CAW modes revived my love of wrestling videogames. The multiplayer aspects of Raw 2 really make this game able to go the distance, and single-player modes and options are a plenty.

Pitfall snagged me like a trophy bass. The gameplay is simple enough for any gamer to pick up, yet challenging for even seasoned gamers. The storyline and dialogue keeps things light-hearted while keeping the focus on the game&#146;s addictive gameplay.

Packed full of great new features, tons of new enemies, and a perfectly flowing storyline there is none better than Dark Alliance II. The graphics are stunning, the audio is brilliant, and the gameplay shows why Dark Alliance II is still at the top of the genre.

Every so often a rare title comes along that is so exceptional, so impressive that it&#8217;s nearly impossible to find a flaw. ESPN NBA Basketball is one of those games. For b-ball fans there is simply no other game with this level of depth, and for non-basketball fans it&#8217;s an excellent opportunity to learn the game, become acquainted with the players and experience the most realistic simulation of the NBA experience.

Hoops stronger in presentation, graphics, and management but "Madness" being better in gameplay.

The only gripe I have is the lack of a fully customizable control scheme. With playing all the various available football games, it becomes a nuisance to get used to each game's specific control scheme.

One of the best values when considering that it fully supports Live and System Link play, has HD graphics support, and one of the best audio tracks ever laid down in a video game.

While there are some issues with subtly repetitive gameplay modes, the difficulty level problem, and the occasional cheap computer AI, the overall game is an extremely solid first effort by Microsoft Game Studios.

The single-player Bad Fur Day is platforming genius, although it still slightly suffers from a few of the same issues that plagued it on the N64. The multiplayer modes are incredibly fun once you get passed frustrating learning curve.

Even though Xbox was screwed out of online support yet again, anyone who is a fan of soccer will enjoy this title thoroughly, and find a lot of depth worth hours of play.

A perfect example of how attention to detail can make an average game much more than the norm. First-person shooters are nothing new, and even though Finest Hour doesn't really introduce any groundbreaking aspects into the gaming world it does show just how well crafted a video game can be, blurring the line between gaming and cinema.

150 playable characters, an absolutely nuts map editor, eleven online multiplayer types, a Challenge and Arcade mode; the list goes on for this refreshing spin on the borderline ho-hum first-person shooter genre.

The game isn&#146;t that much different five-on-five style, but the inclusion of online play and cool new game modes puts it over the top. The Dunk Contest in itself is worth the price of admission.

The ability to play versus, mix-matched style with characters from various coin-ops is a great twist to a classic compilation, and the chance to do all of this online makes the pie that much sweeter.

Still has a gameplay engine that rivals anything out there and gives the best overall experience of actually playing in a big league game.

Most of MLB 2K5 feels next generation; only small bits of the AI and physics engine need any pine tar.

If you love anything with four wheels and an internal combustion engine, then you can't afford to miss out on ToCA Race Driver 3.

If you just want to play soccer with a bunch of no names, it's "Winning Eleven" all the way. But if you have even an inkling of playing with any of the pro world's best or any official squads, then you can't really go wrong with FIFA 06 Soccer.

I had a lot of fun playing the dunk contest in "NBA Live 2005," but I couldn't really get deep into the actual games. This is not so in NBA Live 06. I'm thoroughly enjoying the actual season games this time around and I have to attribute most of this love to the Freestyle Superstar system.

Some great gameplay innovations and the standard offering of online play are hampered only by a few AI missteps and some problematic animation sets. The 24/7 and Association modes join together to offer a solid amount of gameplay for fans of any brand of basketball.

Rock-solid gameplay engine artfully recreates the college hoop experience.

This is the most complete football game that we've ever played, and it really feels as though the NCAA Football series is truly hitting its stride.

Wonderful direction, excellent storytelling, and a compelling plot. The gameplay is good enough to hold its own within the cinematic confines and actually does its fair share to charge the story forward.

An almost perfect blend of great control and deep gameplay that will meet any college hoop fan&#146;s criteria.

Short, short, short. The game can be completed in less than 10 hours and there is little reason to play through again even with the additional gameplay modes. There are a few tough levels, but overall Max Payne 2 isn&#146;t too difficult.

Like Saints Row II, but bigger. The game concentrates on giving you fun, which helps mask some of the flaws. Saints Row: The Third may not have a huge improvement in terms of mechanics over its predecessors, but it is far more fun.

HOUND building is borderline therapeutic. Slow in areas, but never for trivial reasons.

The online and offline integration is well done, the car lineup is solid, and the graphics are above average. There’s also a good amount of gameplay jammed onto the disc.

Part puzzle game, part platformer, and part competitive multiplayer action title, Marble Blast Ultra is a good value for players wanting a quick dosage of fun without getting tied up into a marathon gaming session.

The astounding level of variety that is packed into the game is wonderful to see.

If you've played one Call of Duty game, you know exactly what to expect from this one. Of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

If you're looking for an intense shooter that will occasionally scare the living crap out of you, F.E.A.R. is exactly what the doctor ordered. Thanks to some excellent visuals and sound design, this is one game that will have you peeking around corners and stopping in your tracks every time your flashlight's battery dies.

The development team has added tons of excellent new features, from the new trick system to the improved Gamebreaker mechanic, without taking away any of the stuff that made the previous titles so great.

Silky smooth graphics accompany spot-on controls.

Hexic 2’s addition of other pieces will make it a bit more playable, though Black Pearls are still going to be a challenge if you don’t already know how to get them. As well, the inclusion of Battle Mode adds a great platform for competitive gamers.

Rez HD is a real blast, but more so for those who aren’t familiar with the original game.

While it's hard to fully judge GRID compared to other racing games that feature heavy vehicle modification, the on-road manners of Codies' affair can hang with the best of ’em.

While it’s easy to find other fighting games that do a portion of their action better than Undisputed, not many games are as technically solid across the board, while still delivering some type of feeling or visceral dynamic. Hmmm…sounds like a UFC contender to me: Strong in many disciplines, weak in few areas and filled with a burning desire to be the best.

If you’re into strategy games, you might find A Kingdom for Keflings a bit light on your abilities. Just the same, even the best strategist could enjoy a fun workout like this, which is often more like a Rube Goldberg machine that needs constantly changing parts to be integrated in for it to work correctly.

The coolest offering is a Metallifacts overlay for all Metallica songs: When you play one, you get the in-game Metallica characters playing the song, but text comes up every few seconds to give you some trivia about the particular song, such as reminiscences from the band or inspirations for that tune or the lyrics. I’m not a big Metallica fan, but I was fascinated by some of what I read.

It’s not a great game, and the presentation is definitely secondary to the gameplay, but it’ll keep you occupied for hours.

Even though FF2 could be stronger, it does come equipped, like the rest of the PopCap Arcade Volume 2 compilation, with co-op action and multiplayer party games.

There’s no question that Activision and Neversoft aren’t content to sit back and just release new songs—or release new major titles in the GH franchise that have trivial or negligible feature offerings.

This XBLA game signals a shift into something more hardcore video gamers could get behind: an action game that requires an itchy trigger finger to complement an itchy brain. With some exciting shooter action, solid strategy gameplay and a uniquely satisfying art style for the overall presentation, Toy Soldiers is proof of what XBLA was meant to do: bring us casual games in a hardcore games package.

MVP 2004 mixes both player control and stats in a way that makes the gamer feel in control of the finer points of a player that already has a rated ability; in control of an X factor if you will...The unique gameplay feel along with the crater-deep Dynasty Mode makes MVP 2004 the best baseball game to date on any system.

The multiplayer maps are gorgeous but tend to be too large for small team battles. Ghost Recon 2 is one of the best shooters of 2004 and a worthy successor to the previous games in the series.

The story may not make total sense, but the action is fresh and furious. Gamers well versed in the ways of the Flawless Victory should get a kick out of Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks as well.

This is a better overall game than the "Underground" series, with more depth on the pavement and in the garage. The presentation factor has also gone up tenfold, along with a serious improvement in graphical quality.

A great game engine plus a web slinger equals a damn fine game. Venom and Carnage need their own games.

EA has proven that they still believe in the original Xbox, as Fight Night Round 3 is a solid, full-featured title that is worth the money.

The core gameplay elements of this SKU are down-pat, which makes the extra features such as Superstar mode that much more enjoyable. I can overlook the lack of online leagues or dazzling graphics for a stout basic foundation, which this title certainly has.

Guys and gals that got off on "T.H.U.G." will also find a lot of gameplay value here since they will be able to dig deep into the lengthy Career Mode. Gamers jonesing for the return of the motocross track editor, a la "Excitebike," will want to check it out as well.

Nothing Crysis 2 has to offer will revolutionize the genre but the customizability of the nanosuit and multiple ways to play the game make it a unique experience for every person who plays.

The helmet-cam is a revelation of exciting perspective in a genre who's main innovations come in the form of physics-tweaking or creative power-ups on the arcade side of things.

If you're looking for a competitive tower defence/strategy hybrid game, Toy Soldiers: Cold War is tough to put down.

It’s just a goofy contest with about three dozen puzzling levels to keep you occupied and entertained for a while.

One of the best reasons for buying a game like Catan on XBLA—which comes with a cost of 800 Microsoft Points or about $10—is that you don’t have to know the rules and procedures that well.

It’s nice to see a classic remade instead of simply repackaged, especially when a great deal of respect has been paid to the original game in the reconstruction.

Just when you thought the third-person action/shooter genre was running thin on style, Wet has come along and shaken things up for the better.

Creatively, it’s all good. And you couldn’t have asked for more things to do in a game. It’s like a ginormous buffet of junk food. So bad but so good. I think I’ve found this year’s ultimate guilty pleasure. Funny thing is, I’m not feeling that guilty about it.

While the developers definitely misfired with the Lock-on D mechanics, the new animation system changes the gameplay quite a bit, as does the ability to learn how to run plays on the fly. The game's lasting legacy may be the introduction of an emotional element to the Association mode.

So, yes, the future does indeed looks bright for FIFA 09, but with UEFA EURO 2008 currently on the shelves, the future also happens to be right now.

Varying levels of seriousness in the users that gather to play 3 on 3 NHL Arcade in ranked or unranked online matches creates a fresh, party-style atmosphere that works within the confines of XBLA.

OutRun raises the bar for the series, with better visuals and more functionality than its disc-based predecessors. While OutRun may be more like “drag” racing than road racing for those who have experienced its cars and roads before, it’s easily worth the asking price to new fans of the series and to those who plan on exploring its multiplayer modes.

Solid, and worth a look by both the experienced fighting game fan as well as those brawling neophytes.

Has enough great looking textures to knit a quilt. You will be able to make out the grass, and even the line paint on the grass. The turf looks like turf, not just a brighter shade of grass.

A little sluggish in the graphical department. While in no way is this game painful to look at there are just some minor things that kept it from being a visually stunning title.

Flows like silk. The action is fast paced and high scoring.

The multitude of gameplay options also makes this one of the most customizable racing/driving games available.

If you bought "DOA Beach Volleyball," do yourself a favor and redeem yourself by exchanging it for Outlaw Volleyball. For the rest of you out there that consider yourselves sports fans, ad this one to your collection for a few laughs and some fierce competitive spirit with lots of trash talking good fun.

Hands down, this is one of the best Star Wars titles to date.

A much better title than its original, and even though we got through it, we have already begun our second round to build up our characters and unlock all the goodies the game has to offer.

Gives me that feeling when my favorite college team wins the game with a last second three-pointer, every single time I play it.

It comes with endless options and modes that are sure to keep you busy for hours and hours. With the Franchise mode alone, you could still be playing it in ten years with an unbelievable winning streak and setting new all-time records.

This title does a great job of adding familiar elements of platforming and first-person shooter titles to an intense fast-paced action game.

The multitude of careers and social interactions provide plenty of longevity, and the new format of the two player split-screen play is a nice touch.

MX Unleashed, however, has a lot more tracks available for those who don&#146;t want to make their own. The nod for gameplay goes to MX Unleashed as the controls are more responsive and the overall play is more fun.

The series is turning towards the likes of "Madden," with realism being added into every nook and cranny of the game. The greatest strength NHL 2004 holds is that it brings back the game of hockey the way it was meant to be played...physical and tight scoring.

The "grudges and alliances" mode alone makes the game above and beyond any racing sim out there in terms of AI.

The contrasting abilities of Sphinx and the Mummy make this a true two character game and not simply the same character with a different model and textures.

A must have for fans of the films and a great multiplayer game for shooter fans as well. Battlefront does suffer a few design flaws that include a weak single-player section, poor AI at times, and a lack of an underlying continuity between battles.

With gads of planes and missions, a moving story mode, and total multiplayer functionality, Heroes of the Pacific sets it apart from the competition and puts this into the "worth owning" category.

It is essentially the same game as last year operating with a few notable tweaks, but still delivers a rock-solid college basketball experience. Gamers who want to take their skills online will definitely need to snatch this one up.

Worthwhile additions such as Trick Stick control, enhanced Gamebreakers, and a Dunk Contest show that EA wasn't resting on their laurels in the offseason.

The emphasis in Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is on the complete experience, which just so happens to include a more scripted, movie-like gameplay experience. If you don't like the more "on rails" M.O. in your war game, then you may want to look elsewhere.

Whether you are looking for some great single player combat, cooperative gameplay or a ton of detailed multiplayer modes, Ghost Recon 2 Summit Strike has something to offer everyone and it will only set you back thirty bucks to join in on the action.

Keep in mind that QUAKE 4 for the PC laughs at most computers, but runs virtually without a hitch on the Xbox 360; a no-brainer when taking into account the price of admission for this level of PC-quality gaming.

With a bit more time and experience, the NBA 2K series will be an unstoppable, next-generation force that cannot be contained, even with the industry’s best D’ing up.

Graphic ho’s will also marvel at how Ubisoft Romania managed to make each frame of action look like a professional oil painting depicting the harsh but strangely beautiful skies of WWII.

Unless comical mischief is disallowed in your household, Outpost Kaloki X is a great family game that can teach the kiddies about resource management and making (instead of spending) money at an early age.

For roughly about $10, this is a no-brainer for puzzle gamers.

Find another game that makes gamers anew to it feel like they’ve been playing it for years, and the masters feel as if they’ve never played before. This is the engine talking to you, thus making Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis a true triumph as an implement for having fun.

While the Xbox 360 version doesn’t pack the same amount of features or overall depth that the Xbox version does it’s still a truly next-gen football offering that is definitely worth your time and money. The visuals alone, as long as you’re playing on a solid HD set, are worth the sixty bucks at times.

Sure, there are issue like the A.I., clipping, and sketchy hit detection, but for the most part, this game speaks to the legions of WWE fans out there- loud and clear.

For a small outlay of MS points, Frogger captures that old school feel that will bring many a gamer back to the quarter stacking days. The controls are tight, the updated graphics are snazzy, and the online options are pretty nifty.

A solid battle system is flanked hour after hour by attention-grabbing cutscenes and cinematics. Fun to watch, fun to play.

Just as solid as the gameplay in Assault Heroes is the way in which it looks. This is what an arcade-style shooter on a next-gen platform should look like.

Fans of the series, new or old, will get a kick out of playing as familiar ships or important accomplices in episodes from the boob tube. General sci-fi buffs will dig the pick-up-and plink nature of Battlestar Galactica as well, and may just come away as fans of the cult-classic series due to Auran’s faithfulness to the IP.

While this year's iteration fell just a bit short of greatness, we'll just have to wait to see if the game strikes the Heisman in during its junior year.

The majority of the puzzles occupy that zone between "challenging" and "frustrating," so you shouldn't feel bad if you get fed up with it every once in a while. I noticed that stepping away from the game when I was stuck usually helped me out, since it gave my brain a little time to solve the puzzle or approach it from a new direction.

For a small-byte Xbox Live Arcade title, Mad Tracks packs some serious horsepower under its hood. The single-player campaign and multiplayer areas are closer to what you would find in a standalone title, and the amount of event types and variance among them keeps Mad Tracks fresh, yet it’s still easy to pick-up-and-play in true party game fashion.

It’s a solid piece of gaming history brought back to the fore by a publisher and developer with an eye for modern flair. It’s not overdeveloped or taken in such a different direction that it loses sight of the fun and appeal the original game offered.

Anyone who was a fan of the coin-op original, who was letdown by the NES version, should be more than pleased with what has been carried over to Xbox Live Arcade.

While this current FIFA is solid, EA still needs to put its best cleat forward and utilize this latest SKU as a stepping stone toward soccer game nirvana. FIFA Soccer 08 is, however, an authoritative crossover step in the right direction.

Somehow, the developers managed to take two distinct and different genres and blend them together into a seamless and wholly entertaining experience.

One of those rare gems that stands the test of time, thanks to its near-flawless gameplay. And while the temptation must have been huge to overhaul the game for the next-gen release, it’s great to see that the SWOS developers didn’t cave to it. While the game may not be the prettiest game on the Marketplace, it’s certainly one of the most fun.

There are myriad ways to get your hands on the games that are included on PopCap Arcade Volume 1, including cell phones and XBLA, but it’s nice to have a one disc solution for those that want to stay casual without downloading a single byte.

One of those deceptively simple concepts that’s nearly impossible to put down.

From start to finish, it’s a fun experience and deserves to be drafted into most gamers’ Xbox LIVE Arcade library.

What EA has shown in NCAA Football 09 is steady progress and a sincere desire to put out a better product than it did a year earlier. NCAA Football 09 definitely passes that test with flying colors.

Yuke’s really stepped it up for WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009, with the pay off being the finest wrestling game for the HD systems to date. There are a few base gameplay anomalies that keep WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 from being a true champion, but the sheer quantity and quality of SmackDown vs. Raw 2009’s content, not to mention its WWE-perfect grandeur, makes the decision to grant the title belt to Yuke’s latest effort an easy one.

Simple gameplay, great presentation and a finely tuned balance of luck and skill are the elements that made Lost Cities a hit with card- and board-game fans, and this version just makes all of that even better.

If you don't mind shelling out about twice as much as most other XBLA games for a fairly short tale, you'll likely find the game to be well worth the price of admission.

Lego Indy doesn’t vary much in scope and content from the previous titles that the pair have worked on, but it’s still a fun game to play and a smart take on the game-from-a-movie process, which more times than not turns out to be lacking in the “game” portion. Most of all, it makes me wonder what they’ll team up on next.

If you like puzzle games that require quick reflexes as well as mental acuity, then Roogoo is definitely for you. Honestly, I think the whole cutesy setting is an add on to keep you from getting too furious at the game.

The Last Hope is for those that don’t consider waiting a part of battlefield etiquette. If you consider yourself a free-form fighter—a free-form star fighter perhaps—then Star Ocean: The Last Hope is your key to the JRPG universe.

Live 09 is leaps-and-bounds above its HD-era predecessors. With that said, it’s hard to imagine anyone but the sturdiest of pro-level B-ball critic not being able to find a clinical dosage of fun on the silvery surface of NBA Live 09’s disc.

Take every cool martial arts weapon that you wanted as a kid, and add to it many of the killer utensils from medieval times– that pretty much sums up the weapons used by Soulcaliber characters. And, instead of keeping character types of a consistent ilk, Namco went all over the board– from reptile to Asian Elvis– in order to keep us coming back. We’re talking about some of the most highly-regarded fighting game characters of all time.

It’s another one of those high-score hypodermic needles – you get addicted on getting a higher score so you keep repeating it over and over, working out new ideas for drone placement each time. It’s like a chess game at 100 mph, challenging and twitchy, all at the same time. On that point, Galaga Legions ranks up there with the best of them.

Even with some signs of the major league’s style of repetitiveness, MLB Stickball is still one for those that have been waiting for mindless baseball fun in convenient, XBLA packaging.

Roll The Maw’s gameplay, visuals and audio together and you have one very tasty yumyum, not to mention one of the better original IP’s to hit Xbox Live Arcade in awhile.

The difficulty arises from the speed at which card arrangement this needs to be done. You’ll literally have seconds to anticipate what numeral/color will be thrown down before your turn and to arrange your cards in a logical order. This involves not only thinking very quickly, but also having pretty sharp hand dexterity since fast controller inputs are mandatory for said sorting purposes.