Why you should play it: Graphics and art design are breathtakingly beautiful.  Level design is well done.  Platforming mechanics are spot-on and make jumping around from place to place fun and easy.  Musical score is good throughout and adds to the fairy tale fantasy feeling that the game creates.

Why you may want to avoid it: Simplistic and incredibly easy (Elika will save you every time).  Nearly impossible to challenge any type of gamer.  Goofy looking Prince makes us long for the badass Prince found in previous games.  Not the best voice acting but certainly not the worst ever. Lackluster, unsatisfying combat provides many boring moments that slow the game’s pace down in a bad way.

Final Thoughts: I can rememeber how impressed I was when I first played the Sands of Time on the original XBOX.  That feeling sadly was not present when I began playing this Prince of Persia game.  I regret to say that it only got worse as I played more, as I quickly became bored with the repetition and lack of challenge this game has to offer.  Bring back the darker Prince from the XBOX/PS2 era because this one does not measure up in any way.

Why you should play it: Some of the best graphics the next-gen systems have to offer.  Huge interactive world with so much depth and attention to detail.  Wonderfully composed musical score.  Combat system is great and much improved over Morrowind.  AI is top-notch.  Tons and tons of side quests.  Extremely high replay value.  Knights of the Nine adds quality quests and content that you would expect from a great game like Oblivion.  Shivering Isles includes one crazy new world to explore along with an excellent new crafting and items system.  Draws you in whether you are watching or playing.

Why you may want to avoid it: Loads quite often but understandably so.  Knights of the Nine is much shorter than Shivering Isles or Oblivion’s main quest.  Shivering Isles can be simplistic and annoying at times.

Final Thoughts: There is really no reason to avoid Oblivion unless you do not want to get sucked in to this addicting RPG.  Bethesda has done it again.  This should be in every gamer’s collection and is well worth the current $30 price tag.

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: Wonderful visuals include beautiful ship models.  Controls on the 360 version of the game work great and are easy to learn.  Some epic space battles draw you into the Star Trek universe like never before.  Excellent voice acting by all five Star Trek captains.  Good control of other starships in your fleet allows for use of different strategies.  Multiple alien races are available to play as or fight against.

Why you may want to avoid it: Certain ships will hurt more than help in the long run if you choose to add them to your fleet, meaning a good majority of them will never be used.  Some missions, or parts of them, are overly frustrating for no apparent reason.  Lack of save points throughout missions adds to the previously mentioned frustration.

Final Thoughts: As Star Trek games go this is a good effort from Bethesda.  The good outweighs the bad enough to remain a nice playable title with some enjoyable moments throughout.  As for Star Trek fans, this is a definite purchase.  The voice acting, ship models, and space battles are worth any Trekker or Trekie’s time and money.

Why you should play it: Lengthy story and fun gameplay. Unique entertaining battle system. Wonderful musical score. A fun new world to get acquainted with.  Loads of secrets and side-quests.

Why you might want to avoid it: Frame-rate is so bad at points that I thought my system was freezing up or my disc was not being read properly. Visual details constantly pop in late and look awful while doing so. Combat can be confusing and difficult at times.  Often feels like your watching more than playing the game.

Final Thoughts: RPG fans (especially those of the Final Fantasy variety) should definitely give this a shot despite its flaws. Try your absolute best to overlook all of the visual and technical flaws and you should have a good time playing this game.

*Note: The PC version was released after this review was written and is said to have corrected many of the issues listed above.  The PC version is therefore rated 4/5 stars.

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.