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: Unloading on screen after screen of zombies is just plain fun.  Unique style similar to the Grindhouse movies.  Ability to upgrade and purchase weapons is a welcome addition to the series.  Three entertaining mini-games are good enough to enjoy every now and then.  Humorous characters help add to the entertaining story.  Boss battles are easier for casual gamers this time around.  Works well with all of the Wii’s gun accessories.

Why you might want to avoid it: Cut-scenes are a little too long for this otherwise fast-paced shooting game.  A few occasional framerate problems, but really nothing that you will notice or care about.  The Bosses could have been made a bit more challenging as none of them pose any serious threat.  Characters often swear just for the sake of swearing.  Difficulty goes down a lot once weapons are upgraded.

Final Thoughts: Overkill is a very simple and straightforward shooting game that is done very well.  It was pretty hard to find anything wrong with the game.  This has a lot to do with the fact that even with all of the new additions, Overkill still holds true to the series roots in every way that matters.  Say hello to your new favorite light-gun shooter on the Wii.

Why you should play it: The puzzles will certainly challenge you at times, but most are not going to keep you stuck forever.  Visuals all around the mansion work well for this type of game.  Multiple endings help give gamers an incentive to play through again.

Why you might want to avoid it: Aimlessly wandering about a mansion solving puzzle after puzzle may not be your cup of tea. Length of the game tends to be on the short side, especially if you are quick when it comes to solving these types of puzzles.  A few puzzles are bound to frustrate you from time to time.

Final Thoughts: For what it is, Safecracker does a good job entertaining you with different types of puzzles throughout the game.  A puzzle game like this is a good change of pace from all of the other overly-played game genres out there today.  All types of puzzle lovers should definitely find some sort of appreciation for a game like Safecracker. It may be a short, but it was enjoyable experience while it lasted.

Why you should play it: 10 different boards to play.  Collecting properties to unlock new boards gives players good reason keep playing.  Richest mode is a good fast-paced alternative to classic Monopoly.  Best console version of Monopoly to date.

Why you might want to avoid it: Mini-games in Richest mode should have had more effort put into them.  Mr. Monopoly’s commentary, as well as the background music for each board, get old very quickly.  No online multi-player support really hurts.

Final Thoughts: If you are a fan of Monopoly then you will almost certainly enjoy this game.  On the other hand, if you have just a passing interest in the popular board game, then you might want to give this game a rental sometime when having a few friends over.  Or you could just avoid it altogether and play one of the many free versions of Monopoly on your computer whenever the need arises.

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.