This is another solid release from Shout! Factory in the MST3K lineup. Three of the four included episodes are great, and the fourth, while incontrovertibly rough around the edges, holds historic value. The extra content is once again appreciated, though mostly as a novelty. All in all, at the price point, chalk this up as another must-have for fans of the series.

Although it’s merely a minor update over its Xbox 360 counterpart, any jRPG nut will be quick to testify to the importance of Japanese voice acting in a Japanese game. The other very minor improvements—namely, the entire game on a single disc and the option for a differently-styled HUD—aren’t much to talk about, but all in all, if you’ve been considering giving The Last Hope a try, this is the definitive version. There are some definite missteps that will irritate even the most battle-hardened gamers, but in the end, The Last Hope is greater than the sum of its parts. Maybe it’s the equal parts dark subject matter and lighthearted charm, or maybe it’s the massive scope and seemingly bottomless depth to every aspect of the experience, but something about The Last Hope provides a force of attraction that is able to overcome the dreariness of its shortcomings.

Fans of the Monkey Ball series are sure to classify Step & Roll as a regressive leap, and newcomers won’t find much to appreciate, either. The balance board controls are simply too imprecise and illogical to play the foundation of a game wholly dependent upon precision. Beyond that, in comparison to its predecessor, it’s just less of everything: less precision, fewer levels, fewer mini-games, and less of a legitimate challenge. Gone is the proven easy-to-learn, hard-to-master design, replaced instead by a constant battle with the basic controls and camera. In other words, this is not the Monkey Ball we know and love.

Although Endless Ocean: Blue World undeniably deviates from the typical definition of a “game”, that doesn’t mean that gamers cannot enjoy it. The massive assortment of collectible treasures and shockingly expansive game environments will appeal to any chronic completionist, and the storyline is actually quite captivating. It’d make a great educational gift for kids, too... and it's only $30. If you’re attuned to exploration, take a break from the rest of the gaming world and open your mind to the tranquil departure that is Blue World—you won’t regret it.

The Sims 3: High-End Loft Stuff follows the template of the previous Sims “Stuff” releases; that is, it’s really nothing more than an items pack—no gameplay changes apply whatsoever. For 20 bucks, you’ll score around 50 new furniture items, along with some new hairstyles and outfits to choose from. The theme is obviously high-end—items of affluence and sophistication—and admittedly, there are some pretty cool selections here. Nevertheless, however cool, it’s nothing more than STUFF… so just know what you’re paying for and you’ll be perfectly fine.

Compromises schmompromises. The only thing you’ll lack if you pick up an Alienware M15x is the option for SLI and RAID, and maybe around 3,000 bucks. Make no mistake about it: this thing is sick. Having said that, there are a few notable drawbacks, but the majority of them seem correctable via software updates. Among the uncorrectables is the imposing 9-pound presence along with the general lack of USB ports (only 3) and HDMI out (DisplayPort instead). Beyond that, there are some realistic concerns about GPU throttling, as well as a genuinely jumpy touchpad interface. But if you can live with these drawbacks until they’re corrected, you won’t find a more capable gaming companion. While it’s not perfect, the M15x’s sheer speed will knock your socks off and then proceed to set your feet on fire just for good measure.

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is really a Final Fantasy game in name and setting only. It features almost no role-playing elements and focuses much more heavily instead on exploration and adventure. It doesn’t even really fit with the Crystal Chronicles template, either, as it’s almost entirely centered on single-player adventuring (though a second player can control another cursor throughout most of the game). It’s also quite alarmingly short at just around 12-14 hours long. But all of these divergences don’t necessarily make it bad. The presentation is on par with anything you might expect from the series, and the story is at least pretty interesting. The biggest drawbacks overall are really the truncated length, finicky camera, and wearing telekinesis battle mechanics. Beyond those hang-ups, it’s entirely different from anything we’ve seen to date in the series, but some people may appreciate the momentary departure. Wii owners, at least give this one the courtesy of a rental.

Academy of Champions Soccer is a cute $30 package that doesn’t seek to redefine the world of casual sports games, but which is a perfectly sufficient distraction in the hands of the right individual. And, by all accounts, that individual is most likely a young amateur gamer who is enthusiastically interested in all things soccer.

While it doesn’t quite measure up to the enchanting standard set by the previous season, this fifth volume of TV’s larger-than-life sci-fi drama still manages to reinvent itself just enough to captivate even the cynics. It’s a bewildering romp through all things metaphysical and imaginative, and while it’s not one hundred percent satisfying in its revelations, it’s still more engaging than ninety-nine percent of television.

The Sims 3: World Adventures is a valiant effort at creating an expansion pack that does more than simply expand. This one-of-a-kind package is more accurately described as a sequel that leverages all of your prior progress and includes all existing content, all while simultaneously providing comparable (supplemental) experiences to previous Sims expansion packs—and that’s something that fans of the series are sure to appreciate. The new explorative branch of the gameplay feels entirely separate from the usual design, though it’s intelligently connected with your goings-on at home via the treasures you receive (among other things). You’ll have to continue the maintenance of your Sim even while exploring perilous tombs, and that might feel a bit awkward in conjunction with the otherwise “frozen time” approach to traveling abroad, but it’s not so bad really. All things considered, World Adventures rewrites the conventional definition of an “expansion pack” by providing a massive new experience which is both delightfully tethered to your existing Sims’ lives and simultaneously rooted in an a wholly different style of gameplay.

LEGO Rock Band has a place in this industry: it’s a Rock Band for families concerned about the appropriateness of the content. In that regard, it’s almost directly in competition with Activision’s recently-released Band Hero—though the major difference between the two is that LEGO Rock Band is still rooted in rock (while Band Hero seeks to lure the pop audience instead). Subjectivity aside, the game design truly does work better with LEGO’s rock-oriented song list—but it doesn’t help matters that Band Hero features 20 more songs to choose from for the same price. In the end, it all comes down to what you want personally—because neither game is a remarkable value by any means when compared to the industry leaders. Still, it’s not all bad. In spite of its neutered functionality, LEGO Rock Band still features a good selection of music and a great sense of personality; it’s just too bad it had to trade value and versatility to fit the family-friendly theme.

All things considered, World Stage is better than its predecessor in nearly every way—but it’s also a year later now, and the improvements, while palpable, are still marginal. The biggest deficiency is still the overall amount of content; in spite of the well-implemented track variations, it’d still be nice if there was more, especially at a $50 price point. Even the soundtrack, while certainly catchy and appropriate, isn’t nearly as robust as it needs to be. But having said all of that, this is still a solid third-party offering, and perhaps the best extreme sports game on the Wii to date. If you once found yourself addicted to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and 1080 Snowboarding, you’ll appreciate what’s been done here—but you’ll be left wanting more.

MST3K: Volume XVI is another strong effort by the folks at The Shout Factory. In my opinion, this is the best collection of episodes we’ve seen since the 20th Anniversary edition—and that’s really just based on the appeal of Santa Claus and Night of the Blood Beast alone. The extras are also the best since that set; fans will love the 21-minute featurette on the history of the Santa Claus film—which, if you haven’t seen, is arguably one of the most entertaining (and simultaneously disturbing) episodes of the entire series. I still take issue with the seemingly requisite inclusion of a season one episode on every boxed set (these almost ought to be included as extras as opposed to actual full-blown episodes, as they’re just not up to par with the rest of the series)… but that’s truly the only complaint I’ve got. Comedy gold, as expected.

Band Hero is, in many ways, the first of its type: it’s a music game that offers the same ambitious selection of features as the industry blockbusters preceding it, except with a unique focus on top-40/pop musical content and the accommodation of shameless family jam sessions (via more age-appropriate lyrical subject matter and a milder musical tone). However, with very few exceptions, that’s the extent of what’s being offered here; even moreso than with the Wii version of the game, this is basically a track pack that just so happens to be 25% shorter for the price than the status quo. If you’re among the relatively small group that appreciates the Guitar Hero/Rock Band experience but isn’t so fond of excessive guitar and/or rock, then you might find the difference in price perfectly inconsequential. Likewise, if you’re a mother looking to jam with your youngsters, this is for you. But if you’re anywhere else on the spectrum, be sure to check the song list first; ultimately, it’s the foundation of the music and the splendor of its instrumentation that fuels these titles. Unless you fall squarely within the niche targeted by Band Hero’s formula, you’ll likely find that, primarily thanks to the musical selections, the experience is lacking the same sense of authenticity and grandeur typical of its pedigree.

The Island of Dr. Frankenstein boasts 20 hours of gameplay, a budget price tag, and, at the very least, a sense of humor. But none of those things matter when you take into account the so-called “gameplay”: tedious, neverending treks from A to B through a staunchly linear network of errands and favors, with frequent stops along the way to suck up a group of dangerous little puff enemies. The most engaging part of it all is the collection of light ray puzzle mini-games that you’ll encounter on a regular basis, but any fleeting appeal that these might hold is readily muted by the mind-numbingly repetitive bridging gameplay. Couple that with 45-second musical loops which repeat for over an hour straight apiece and you’ve got yourself a pretty torturous excuse for a game. Regardless of your intentions, much better can be found at even this price point. Skip it.