IGN

FIFA 08 seems to represent the classic videogame mistake. It's not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination and will likely satisfy football diehards a bit more than past entries in the series, but one can't help but wonder just how good the whole package could have been if EA Sports had just held the game back until the online Be a Pro Mode was finished. As it stands the mode will get no attention, and likely won't be as large a part of the game experience as it should have been.

There's nothing else available on any console like The Orange Box. Though you could argue that Half-Life 2 is old news by now, there are still four components of the Box brand new to consoles. That so much great content is offered at the standard single-game price is astonishing. Playing through Half-Life 2 again and then continuing on through Episodes One and Two is like batting with the '27 Yankees. These are Hall of Fame titles; it doesn't get much better than this.

Orange Box is a terrific package and truly more than the sum of its parts. We highly recommend this to anyone who loves games. If you haven't played any Half-Life 2, this is a must buy. If you've played Half-Life 2 and are looking forward to Ep 2 and wouldn't mind checking out the other two games, we say go for it. If you only want Team Fortress 2 and have no interest in the others, you may want to get it individually. Any way you slice it, this is one hell of a deal.

PGR 4 is a fun arcade racer, but lacks the polish of previous iterations. The menu system leaves something to be desired, the career mode is not very good, and the addition of motorcycles falls a bit flat. However, the fundamentals of PGR remain intact. It's still wickedly fun to drift.

Let's just end our commentary by saying that a great deal of the magnificence in Folklore comes from the little details: the serenity within a field of bristling flowers and cascading petals, or the charm of a stairway that rings with laughter when your character's foot falls upon it - these are just a few of the many moments that may bring an awed smile to your face.

The formula set forth in Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory in 2003 has evolved rather well with Quake Wars, delivering a distinct gameplay experience centered around team dynamics. It may not be the prettiest game out there or feature the greatest sound effects, but the enjoyable core of gameplay helps keep things interesting as you blast through the twelve well-designed maps.

In many ways, NBA 2K8 is an improved game on the court. But there are a lot of minor issues that really drag it down. Over the course of my first dozen games, I was in love. But as the season wore on, the issues began piling up to a point that it became a source of frustration.

The game is decent to be sure and borders on being a truly good game, but a lack of trade and diplomatic functionality are absolutely frustrating on top of a very basic combat design that isn’t good enough for the amount of combat forced upon players. The huge problem, of course, is the save and crash bugs that can keep you from finishing some of the long missions.

FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage is one of this or any other console generation's better ports, though it is not without its issues. Not being able to conduct races on local machines is a glaring omission, and load times can certainly cut down on Party Mode's fun factor. Still, Ultimate Carnage is a solid game, and its Stunt Mode alone can be played for endless hours without a trace of boredom seeping in.

Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts is easy to recommend to players that enjoyed the first game. Because of the complexity of the British and Panzer Elite factions, it may be a bit more difficult for first-time players to get into, which seems to go against the point of creating a stand-alone product that you're hoping new players will see and adopt. Either way, Company of Heroes is still an exhilarating experience on all fronts and Relic is showing again why they're firmly in the top tier strategy designers in the business.