IGN

If like me, you're a hardcore Civ fan who cherishes every single speck of Civ-related content, then Warlords is something you bought on day one and you're only reading this review because you're taking a break between turns. Still, we're a little disappointed that there's not more going on in the modern era. Triremes, Great Walls, and Numidian Horsemen are all well and good, but once the game hits the Renaissance, you've pretty much run out of cool new toys. We certainly hope the next expansion offers more across all eras of the game.

CivCity: Rome is certainly an enjoyable and challenging city building game but it hardly lives up to the promise and potential that comes with the title. As far as the association with Civilization goes, it seems that Firefly's game is more in touch with the marketing potential of the brand than with the mechanics of play. The few concepts that have been incorporated into the new format definitely work well but I definitely wish more had been done.

If you don't have Xbox Live, don't bother with this game. Since all the single-player missions are training sessions for the online experience, it really feels like an incomplete, unfulfilling package by itself. That being said, the online modes definitely deserve credit. It's one of the most robust multiplayer packages on the Xbox 360, offering a persistent world within which players can wage numerous sorts of war, make money, buy more parts and assemble more powerful Hounds.

And there is a narrative here, fueled by good voice acting, animation, and characterization. The alien presence isn't merely "We've come to destroy earthlings, rawwrrrgghgh!" They have their reasons for coming to Earth, and it goes beyond mere plunder, enslavement, or occupation. With some truly imaginative level design, a compelling story with dramatic highlights, good voice acting and dialog, and more interesting weapons, Prey earns a spot on this shooter fan's hard drive. If you're not sold, I recommend checking out the demo.

While the console controls aren't perfect and by no means as good as those on the PC, they're good -- good enough to make a real-time strategy feel fun, fluid, and competent on Xbox 360. The game is deep with 16 single-player missions, and a hefty set of maps in five Xbox Live multiplayer modes should give it online legs. Like I've been saying all along, this is the sleeper hit of the summer on Xbox 360.

On one hand you have an above-average licensed game developed by a strong team that will deliver the movie feel just as it should. On the opposing side, Cars constantly drifts between being a ton of fun and a list of complaints, as the high points will undoubtedly be accompanied by numerous gripes down the road. If you’re looking for a game to team with the movie, Cars is a success. If you’re looking only for a solid racer that’s kid-friendly, you may want to look elsewhere.

If I'm harsh on Titan Quest, perhaps it's because I expected something clearly better than D2 to come out of the subgenre, after several years of opportunity -- and Iron Lore looked like a good fit. I recommend grabbing the demo, and if you like it, you'll probably like the game, too. If you find yourself a little disenchanted, though, it's probably not just you. I think it looks impressive and offers a ton of content, and there are certainly worse games with which to spend your summer days.

Sadly, there's very little reason to recommend this title to fans of the strategy or action genres. While there are some decent features, there are too many mistakes thrown on top of an altogether bland design. It's just too bad that the hybrid meant the developers put half the quality for both of the genres. Unless you're specifically looking for a game where you can get down into the action and make a difference to the battle in a traditional RTS setting, look elsewhere for your entertainment.

So it really simply comes down to whether you're planning to play The Movies as a simulation game or use it as a creative tool. All of the additional creative sets, scenes, and the rest are certainly going to appeal to any movie maker. The same goes for the addition of the free-camera system and nifty new special effects. There's some really wonderful additions that should push any films to a new level of excitement which make it very easy to recommend picking this up if what you want is more robust options for making movies.

When it comes down to it, you should like Episode One if you liked Half-Life 2. Despite the fact that it isn't as adventurous or dramatic as HL2, Episode One still offers quality that's a cut above the rest. Its humanity (in the face of strange, masked soldiers and sometimes grotesque creatures) makes it more than a rote experience, and the Citadel is still an imaginative and interesting setting. In retrospect, HL2 appears to be a very difficult game to follow up on, and Valve does a very capable job of keeping the fire going.