IGN

It’s a girly grumble, but a proper one: if a publisher insists on giving different games to different teams, plan the narrative across both first. If you’re going to end a game on a cliffhanger, make its sequel address this! Sheesh! That aside, if you liked Rainbow Six Vegas, we can give a cast iron IGN-stamped guarantee that you’ll like this.

As I said previously, the biggest problem that most will have with Vegas 2 is that it doesn?t differentiate itself enough from the first. It doesn?t feel like an expansion pack exactly?-it?s more than that--but it doesn?t feel like a full-fledged sequel either. For those who haven?t taken a stroll down the streets of Sin City than you needn?t look any further than Rainbow Six Vegas 2, but those looking for a sequel that surpasses the original in everyway imaginable will be disappointed.

Pro Evolution Soccer is what every sports fan wanted from the inaugural batch of titles from a few years back. PES 08 houses the same fluid and responsive gameplay that made Winning Eleven 9 one of the best football (American soccer) games ever made, only now it has some production values to match. The offering of modes may not have a standout or one feature that was obviously the focus of development, but it has more than enough to satiate the appetite of the many rabid football junkies of the world.

The main issue here is just that everything feels so familiar. While the game still plays quite well and Warhammer 40K fans will surely appreciate all the unit designs for the Sisters of Battle and Dark Eldar, too little has been done to enliven the experience, particularly when compared to what Dawn of War's previous expansion, Dark Crusade, did for the game.

Considering that the game has been designed with this style of play in mind, it works very well, and players that want to take on the life of mercenaries will most likely enjoy its story and multiplayer battles.

At the end of the day it’s the lack of authenticity while on the field that really hurts MLB 2K8. Next-gen simulation sports games are gauged by how closely they emulate the look and feel of the real thing and while the new gameplay mechanics do lend themselves to a more true-to-life experience, the presentation and look of 2K8 in motion really hurts it overall.

Last year, PS3 owners were let down by strange AI problems, weak visuals and game features that just didn't deliver what they promised. That's not the case this time, MLB '08 delivers on every gameplay front. The on-field play is excellently done, the stat tracking is immense, and Road to the Show is one of the best career modes around. Visually striking, this is the baseball game that baseball fans have been waiting for on the PS3.

If you get into The Club, you'll find an arcade shooter with a twist that can be played obsessively in search of high scores. I didn't find the hook all that appealing and felt left with a glorified shooting gallery. The idea is sound. There just isn't much to be excited about in the final product.

Bully: Scholarship Edition is a solid translation of the original PS2 game. It gives a little extra, but is at its core the same game. Though it has some limitations, particularly in the lack of depth of the social structure, there are many other great aspects to enjoy. And really, there is no other game like Bully on 360.

If you are of the former camp -- the kind who dreams of one day crashing on the Island just so you can personally solve its mysteries -- then you should probably rent (not buy) Via Domus. If you're in the latter category, turn away. Not a damn thing will make sense to you if you haven't watched at least the first two seasons of Lost. And there's no "game" here to make it worth playing unless you are a fan. Even then, it's only good for the final minute. At least it only takes five hours to reach the conclusion.