Red Steel sounds great in theory, but the execution leaves something to be desired. It's buggy and unevenly presented, which spoils what fun there is to be had. However, it did give me a taste of how FPS games can and will change on the Wii, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the genre will play out in the future.

While the game isn't principally bad, it doesn't take a step out of the conventional box or do anything out of the ordinary. Graphically, it's almost there but the gameplay felt like something I'd seen from multiple PS2 games in the past.

Monster 4x4 isn't a particularly deep title, but you'd have to be a fool to go into thinking that it would be. It's probably best as a weekend rental to blast through with your friends.

Beijing 2008 manages to overcome most of the usual issues of video game adaptations, and in doing so provides a decent game that will appeal to competitive gamers. Gameplay is flawed in some sporting events, but there are some surprising control schemes that make some of the lesser sporting events fun.

Unless you're a diehard Aerosmith fan, there might not be much here for you.

In the end, Payback is a decent enough game that won't leave much of a lasting impression. It's good if you just want some mindless fun but don't go in expecting anything more because the only payback you'll get is a shot in the foot.

Only shooter diehards will have any interest in this awkward, ultimately disappointing console port.

In the end, we can't really recommend this game to anyone expect the hardcore fans. Everyone else should save their money for the DVD set instead.

Enjoying this epic takes actual work, and that's bound to turn many otherwise devoted fans of the genre off. If you find yourself bristling any time a game casts you in the role of passive observer for extended periods of time, and yearn for an adventure that gives you rich freedom and control, you'll be sorely disappointed by the broad but shallow possibilities in Lost Odyssey. On the other hand, if you're willing to throw yourself into Kaim's world, sponging up every last detail of his past, present, and future, you'll come away with some haunting memories as well as the sensation that you just experienced something that was as satisfying as it was frustrating.

This isn't the type of a game an adult would come back to repeatedly. You can mess with it for a while, rent it for a party, but unless you have munchkins running around (and don't mind encouraging them to burp at paper sailboats) you may not want to shell out full price.

If you're into movies like Eli Roth's Hostel then this game's right up your alley. But, if you're looking for a thriller with a little more substance, you might want to look elsewhere.

Dragon Blade may not be the game you've been waiting for all year, but it's definitely worth a weekend rental in the meantime.