IGN

Velvet Assassin could have been an interesting take on World War II by highlighting a facet of the conflict that's rarely covered by gaming. While it does bring in the secret agent angle, it also brings in a story that's completely thin and unsupported.

The game looks great sometimes and shoddy other times. Hugh Jackman delivers a solid performance of grunts and screams and the claws sound good. Outside of that, there's nothing amazing to report. The gutting, beheading and tearing people in half is great. The same boss battle over and over again? Not so much. The general combat is fun for the eight-hour experience, which then opens the hard mode. Each statistic is tied to a Achievement, so fans will have something to chase. Still, it's repetitive.

It's safe to say that Zeno Clash wouldn't work as a big budget game from an established studio; it's far too different from convention, which would mean it's far too risky a project for them. But it's a perfect example of how some of the best and most original ideas are coming out of independent teams that have talent and passion and can take risk because they're not gambling with tens of millions of dollars. Zeno Clash sticks with you long after you play it, and that's a compliment many games aspire to have associated with them.

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 seems like it barely takes a step forward past its predecessor. In some cases, it even takes a step back. If you're a hardcore fan of both the Dynasty Warriors brand and the Gundam universe, you'll undoubtedly purchase a copy even without my blessing, but I beg you to reconsider.

Now, it's safe to say that Gas Powered and Stardock will eventually get a handle on all of the networking issues plaguing the game. However, in its current state Demigod's netcode is almost like a craps shoot at times; unless you know people who are playing and can set up a custom game with them, you're not going to have a lot of luck playing multiplayer.

However, the time restraints for each mission, the overwhelming numbers that you'll face, and the technical issues will wear most people down, if it doesn't keep them away entirely.

Tales of Valor is a fun addition to the Company of Heroes series, but it's a bit overpriced at thirty dollars. The new campaigns are over before you know it, the new units have a limited impact, and direct fire is largely ineffective. The real attractions here are the three new multiplayer modes. They're undoubtedly fun and have a lot of satisfying cooperative elements, but the focus on a single map for each mode tends to undercut their replayability.

I wanted Wheelman to be a guilty pleasure, like 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, but it's just guilty of being a poor game.

In an age when many games feel like clones of one another or are designed to be easy to beat, Braid sticks to its guns and delivers a rewarding and memorable experience that's definitely worth checking out. It's like an invigorating breath of fresh air, and proof that a handful of independent developers can create games that raise the bar for others.

The Godfather II places an interesting spin on the second film in the acclaimed series, adding emphasis on both strategy and action elements to give you a sense of what it's like to create and control your own empire.