IGN

The incredibly rendered artists and destructible environments, an uncensored soundtrack and DJ controls are a huge bonus for the musically infused franchise. On the other hand, weak fighting moves, a lackluster story mode and inconsistent game mechanics complicate what would otherwise be the evolution of the franchise.

While Dark Resurrection may never look as good as "true" PlayStation 3 software, it's still one heck of a value. For the same price as a PS2 "Greatest Hit," gamers can get their hands on one of the best fighting games of recent memory and enjoy all the same hand-to-hand action that last-gen owners have been raving about for two years.

All in all, while Life Stories does indeed give that performance boost and makes the game playable on low-end machines, what it loses in the process is just too much. We concede that, perhaps, the problem lies in the fact that we've played obscene numbers of hours in The Sims 1 and The Sims 2 with all their expansion packs. Playing Life Stories just seems like a step backwards.

Sure, the graphics are in a high resolution and you get achievements for beating the game, but other than that there is little to make Bullet Witch feel current. The AI is atrocious, collision detection is hit or miss, and the gameplay tends towards the frustrating side of the spectrum all too often. Even if you can overlook these problems, Bullet Witch is short and shallow enough to grow stale quickly.

Virtua Fighter 5 kicks a whole lot of MMA ass. It offers one of the most intuitive and robust fighting systems ever assembled and the customization options and quest mode are great fun. Granted, its AI isn't very good, it has a couple of interface issues and the lack of online is a major negative, but the mechanics here are so amazing, that it doesn't hurt the overall package as much as it would in other games.

Like the PC version of Knights of the Old Republic before it, Jade Empire is a remarkable RPG that, apart from better graphics and load times, really has little to separate it from the Xbox version from two years ago. If you've played it before, there's nothing here that you can't miss. If you missed the game on the Xbox, however, you're in for a real treat.

We haven't seen a strategy game this complex and this finely tuned in quite some time. Gas Powered Games delivers a monster of an RTS, and despite how long it may be before you fully understand its intricacies, it's a surprisingly addictive game. The strategic zoom and base automation are so intuitive and helpful, it makes many other RTS games seem confining and simplistic. For hardcore Total Annihilation fans and strategy gamers is general, this is your opus.

But overall the thrill of jumping like a mutant kangaroo from rooftop to rooftop is unrivaled! The smart blend of collecting orbs in a wildly vertical setting while constantly feeling the reward of powering up creates an unbeatable sensation of addictive fun. You'll have a blast, even if for a short while.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a mess. While there are a few glimmers of hope early on when players take control of Silver and his cool telekinesis ability, it's quickly realized that the game's design never really capitalizes on it. The remaining character situations (Shadow's vehicle segments and Sonic's traditional platforming) aren't anywhere near as interesting as Silver's, and the whole game has a forced and generic feel to it. Once you saut¿ that winning formula with a rack full of technical problems you end up with one hell of a disappointing game.

Few World of Warcraft players would consider their experience complete without the additions that The Burning Crusade brings. The ridiculous first-day sales numbers support this. If you didn't care for the gameplay of the original game, there's nothing here that's going to change your mind. Still, players who are new to MMOs won't find a better introduction than the two new races found here.