IGN

Trials HD is packed with arcade thrills and inventive tests of skill. The first half really gives you a rush as you careen down rollercoaster tracks and pull off wild stunts. Later levels can be more frustrating than fun, though, as you get stuck on every little anthill and the game loses momentum. But you'll find a truckload of content here, and there are certainly gluttons for punishment out there who will welcome the steep difficulty curve.

While some of the modes don't perform as well as I'd like, every football fan will still be able to latch on to something for months of fun. The graphics have taken a nice step forward from Madden 09 and the presentation does a wonderful job of emulating the experience of watching a game on Sunday. Commentary and general voiceover work is pretty bad, but it doesn't overly dampen the gameplay. Madden NFL 10 doesn't redefine the series or innovate in any monumental way, but that doesn't stop it from being a truly great football game.

Players are given a set of tools (three characters with unique abilities) and are presented with problems that can be solved in several ways, resulting in an adventure that feels wide open despite being relegated to a mere two dimensions. The beautiful visuals and sound bring this world to life and there is something new to discover around every corner. A lack of enemy variety, disappointing conclusion, and the wonky multiplayer keep Trine from greatness, but this is still a highly recommended puzzle platformer.

There's so much more to say about this "little" downloadable game, but I doubt you feel like reading a five-page review. Titan gives you a toy chest full of classes, ladders, and more and lets you tackle the same problem over and over from whatever angle you like. I thought I had Tropical Punch by the tail when I started bringing workers over through a shortcut and building springboards to launch the red team into the blue base, but the next time I played that map, my opponents had a constant guard on the well-known passageway.

The tactical battles are enjoyable but also seem a bit too streamlined. Players who are interested in the concept or the period will definitely find a worthwhile game here but the appeal wears thin long before it should have.

It's been an incredibly long time since Nathan Spencer swung onto a console, and for the most part, his return is a solid one. Bionic Commando provides an updated adventure for the classic hero, sending him as a one man army against daunting odds to save the world once again.

King of Fighters XII is fun to play when you're fighting a buddy locally, but everything else about the game is seriously lacking. This is not the franchise rebirth that SNK was hoping for, as smoothly animated sprites can't make up for the bare-bones presentation and broken online support.

By eliminating all the complexity and distraction that has invaded the Battlefield series over the last seven years, the designers here have proven just how solid the fundamentals are -- two teams, a few vehicles and a couple of flags. What more could you ask for? Considering the price tag, nothing.

With The Maw and now 'Splosion Man, Twisted Pixel has emerged just this year as one of the best indie developers feeding content onto Xbox Live Arcade. 'Splosion Man is bursting with humor, personality, and classic platforming challenges. Not a moment goes by without seeing something new and exciting and 'Splosion Man himself is one of the most endearing new videogame characters of the year. Twisted Pixel clearly had fun creating this insane game, and you'll have fun playing it. For all of man's vast intelligence, we're still just bags of meat. 'Splosion Man lets us revert to something primal and barbaric, and detonate our intellectual side.

The controls are excellent -- no complaints whatsoever. But what really sells this game is the awesome online play. You can get into a derby with another player within seconds, smack some homers, and be done in less than five minutes. I love a game that can deliver a complete, satisfying play in such a short time. And I think you'll dig it, too.