In Metro 2033, a novel turned video game, mankind's worst fear has been realized. Twenty years prior, in 2013, the apocalypse happened and the last remnants of humanity were forced underground. Earth as we've known it is no more -- cities are leveled, the air is poisonous, and violent mutants kill humans at every chance. As the player, you will control young Artyom, who was born twenty years ago in the metro subway system of Moscow. These miles of interconnected tunnels are where humanity makes its final stand against the harsh reality of a spoiled earth and the unrelenting brutality of the mutants and Dark Ones. For mankind to avoid extinction, something must be done -- and it's up to Artyom and brave Rangers to make it happen.

As the Joker said in the last Batman film.... "Where do I begin?"

SNK has been the home of many great franchises over the years. Any list of those would have to include Metal Slug, the hit 2D platforming/side-scrolling shoot'em up. Metal Slug has been on a variety of platforms in the last twelve-plus years, most recently making its return to the PSP with Metal Slug XX. Featuring an all new campaign, six playable characters, wireless two player co-op, and dozens of challenges, Metal Slug XX is fun, although very familiar entry to the series.

Back in 1992, I was introduced to Mechwarrior running on an IBM 286 (it didn't have a hard drive connected to it, it ran off of 3 1/2 disks (with a 'k')). I was enchanted and absorbed into mech gaming forever after that experience. Since then, there have been several variations of mech titles, including an Xbox title that cost $299. On top of this, I've also been to the Battletech simulators in Chicago and at your local Dave & Busters, more than once. Fast-forward into the 2000's and a series called Armored Core raises its head and the bar when it comes to mech gaming. I always thought that Mechwarrior was detailed, but MW has nothing on AC. More recently in February of 2010, FromSoftware releases Armored Core: Silent Line (SL) for the PlayStation Portable. Could the PSP version maintain and retain the amount of detail that the Playstation 3 (and previous versions) toted? Only a review will tell.

Sadly, this is in every way the weakest entry in the Monkey Ball series to date.

Nothing like a little Rapture under the sea. Take two!

SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 is arriving on the PSP and PSPgo on February 16th and SOCOM fans have a reason to be happy. Armed with a short, but sweet, single-player mode and some nice co-op and online modes, there's enough here to keep a gamer entertained. Is it well armed, though? It is, but there are some jams here and there in the weaponry.

Almost a year ago, I was reading up on this title through a Famitsu review. I know that Japanese have a different taste than Americans when it comes to gaming. That taste has been different since the video game industry was born. Different expectations and different ways to play have always led to this difference in opinion with final product. So, when Famitsu published their score for White Knight Chronicles as a 29/40 it didn't give me any reason to be concerned. Quite frankly, what the Japanese like we usually don't like as Americans, and vice-versa.

Third person action gaming goes to hell this month with the release of Dante's Inferno. Developed by Visceral Games (creators of Dead Space and Dead Space: Extraction), and published by EA, Dante's Inferno takes players through hell based on the events in The Divine Comedy. This game has looked solid ever since I first saw it in person at E3, and now having completed it, I'm still under that impression.

Indie gamers are the future and it's good to see Xbox supporting the group. So, when I was presented with the opportunity to review Twin Blades: The Reaping Vanguard, I didn't hesitate.

Travis Touchdown is back, and he's ready to chop up more dudes and scream as many swear words as necessary to get the job done. This one is just as insane as the first, and you'll probably have even more fun.

Dark Void looked and played so well at E3 2009. It had all the potential in the world and it left a dark void of mystery (yes, pun intended) about how the rest of the game went. Capcom was only running the flying/battle sequence at the show and all of us were in awe of how cool it would be to land on a flying ship and kick the crap out of the alien inside of it, thus taking control of the ship. Should have realized something was up at that point, but it was too cool to think beyond that moment.

Serious Sam was all about fighting against what seemed endless hordes of enemies. Once you’re done with the first wave, you catch your breath, find power ups and do it all over again. Even way back in 2001, this style of game play in a first person shooter was starting to wane as squad based, class selection player vs. player became the status of quo. So here we are, 9 years later with a HD update, but is it worth the entry fee?

Borderlands expands again with its second major DLC release, Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot. Unlike the original game and the first DLC, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, Underdome Riot is focused solely on surviving wave after wave of CPU enemies. What you'll face in this DLC is not unlike the Horde mode from Gears of War 2 or Firefight from Halo. Underdome Riot also includes a new weapons storage bank that can be upgraded, but seasoned players looking for a new level cap or new quests won't find that here.