Why you should play it: It is a new 2D Mario game on a console, which is exactly what a great many gamers have dreamed about for a long time.  Plays even better than classic Mario games of the past.  Multiplayer with up to four at a time can make NSMBW extremely fun and very challenging for even the best 2D Mario players out there.  Replay value is extremely high.  Good new power-ups.  Wonderful level design.  Old and new tunes go perfectly with each level.  Fantastic platforming.  Yoshi is back!

Why you may want to avoid it: No support for the classic controller leaves gamers scratching their heads.  While multiplayer can be extremely fun, it can also be just as frustrating (especially if one player is much more skilled than the others).

Final Thoughts: Playing through NSMBW solo is a blast.  Playing through with at least one other player adds so much more depth and challenge to a classic formula that we all know and love.  This game is an instant classic in every way and is already in my top 5 Mario adventure games of all time.  A must have for every Wii owner.

Why you should play it: Great concept that is executed well.  Sharp graphics.  Fighting system is top-notch and easy for anyone to excel at.  Scarecrow segments are a good change of pace.  A large amount of extra content to play after the main story is over.  Leaves you wanting more and more every time you are forced to turn it off.

Why you might want to avoid it: Boss battles get repetitive (too many Bane-like characters to fight).  Loads of riddles to solve but no Riddler.  Unable to drive the Batmobile.  Too many main villains are missing.

Final Thoughts: As far as superhero action games go, this is absolutely top-notch.  While a lot of our favorite villians were missing, we can only hope that they will show up in a sequel that somehow improves on this amazing action title.  Whether you are a fan of the bat or not, do not pass this one up.   It is one of the must-play titles of the year.

Why you should play it: The board play engine adds more depth to the best offense and defense around.  First-person fighting is quite possibly the best fighting ever included in a hockey video game.  Atmosphere changes makes it feel more like real playoff hockey than ever before.  Minor yet noticeable gameplay tweaks make NHL 10 that much better than its predecessors (and are very much appreciated by hardcore hockey fanatics).  Online play is just as good if not better than before.  New player customization options will be loved by many.  EA uses the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” motto to near perfection.

Why you may want to avoid it: NHL 09 was so good and similar to NHL 10 that there are not that many good reasons to upgrade from many casual hockey fans out there.  GM mode is a decent addition but feels more shallow than it should.  Some computer controlled GMs are downright stupid with their trade offers.

Final Thoughts: The hardcore hockey fans out there will be upgrading to NHL 10 no matter what.  For the rest of the crowd it really comes down to wheter a few gameplay tweaks and additions are worth the full price of addmission.  If you are on the fence, wait for a price drop or holiday deal to pick this up.  However, if you somehow missed out on NHL 09, or just want an even better hockey sim than that one, pick up NHL 10 as soon as possible.  You’ll be glad you did.

Why you should play it: Big and lively world to explore.  Plenty of quests and side quests to take on.  Easy to pick up and play.  Being able to make your own decisions for everything adds tons of replay value.  Different choices have different impacts on your hero and the surrounding world.  Your dog is a wonderful companion.  Offline and online co-op is good enough.

Why you might want to avoid it: Job minigames are too repetitive and easy.  Spouses will sometimes leave you for no reason.  Not very challenging, especially early on.  Loading happens often and can take a while.  A better, more developed co-op mode would have been great to see.

Final Thoughts: Playing this game can make time fly by without your knowledge, which can be a good and bad thing.  Running around doing next to nothing is rarely this fun, let alone adding in the additional quest.  In my opinion you cannot go wrong buying this game.  If you do not get some enjoyment out of it then perhaps fun video games are just not your thing.

Why you should play it: Highly addicting.  Great visual style and graphics.  Excellent gameplay mechanics.  Tons of replay value.  Grouping your units into armies is fun and devastating for opponents.  Four different ways to claim victory on each skill level.  A wonderful strategy game for console owners.  Shorter campaign lengths than its computer counterparts.

Why you might want to avoid it: Shorter campaign lengths than its computer counterparts.  Lacking depth in many areas.  World maps may seem too small to other strategy fans.

Final Thoughts: This game has a way of easily wrapping you in and not letting you go, all while hours of your life drain away.  The scariest thing of all is that you will enjoy this feeling and want to do it over and over again in order to achieve victory several different ways on different difficultly levels.  Sure you could rent this game and beat it a couple times in a weekend, but I honestly beleive it is very much worth owning in order to get the most out of this title.

Why you should play it: Great two player co-op.  Excellent musical score from Danny Elfman.  Ability to play the story mode as Batman and Robin or from the other side as the villains.  Fairly humorous throughout the game.  Plenty of characters to play as, most of which are a lot of fun to control.  Just like the other two Lego titles, Lego Batman has high replay value thanks to its huge amount of unlockables.

Why you might want to avoid it: Vehicle levels do not feel as polished as the rest of the game.  No online co-op play.  Certainly not the best Artificial Intelligence ever seen.  Often can be unclear where to go next.  Easy, repetitive combat.  Some really strange puzzles are too difficult to figure out for a game like this.

Final Thoughts: Lego Batman’s friendly AI is so terrible that if you cannot find a buddy willing to play this game with you then I can almost guarantee that you will quit out of frustration sooner rather than later.

*Here is a quick note for all parents out there:  Since you cannot really “die” in any of the Lego games, this makes them perfect to play together as a family.   This means that everyone can just focus on having fun playing the game with their family members without having to worry about how good they are at the game.