If Michael Bay made a videogame...

And it's funny cause most critics who don't know squat about videogames often liken Bay's rather shallow efforts to them. But that's essentially what Crackdown is. It's flashy, full of giant explosions, and lacking anything resembling real depth. Even the high-scoring reviews agree with this. And to be quite frank, I'm going to need something with more depth if I'm going to plunk down $60, free Halo 3 beta or not (especially since no one really knows when the beta starts, best guess is late Spring right now).

How long has it been since there's been a good console Sonic game? Most would say the original Dreamcast Sonic Adventure way back in 98'. But to be honest, we were fairly forgiving of this new-fangled 3D stuff back then, and it really has not aged well. There has yet to be a good 3D Sonic. But suddenly there is hope with the release of Sonic and the Secret Rings. I've been hopeful, but realistic. I expect this to be the first solid Sonic game in a long time, but not anywhere near a full-return to the 16-bit, 2D glory days the blue blur had on the Genesis. And so far reviews seem to support that, which will make me a satisfied customer when I pick it up tomorrow.

Finally for PS3 owners there is something to play besides Resistance. Virtua Fighter 5 is out this week. From all reports it's a near-perfect port of a ridiculously deep and gorgeous fighting game. But it's lacking what many would consider crucial in order to buy it-ONLINE PLAY. I do think there's a valid argument for putting too much emphasis on having online play, but fighting games are a genre that screams for it because of their nature of trying to be the best. Hopefully the 360 version will fix this egregious error.

Before sitcoms were all about working-class slobs or young suburbanites, they were mostly about somewhat down-to-earth families, especially in the mid-80s and early 90s. There was a ton of these, and a lot of them were pretty bland (see most of ABC's TGIF Lineup), but I always thought Family Ties stood out among this sub-genre of sitcoms. The first season is out today, and except for the painfully cheesy theme song, it's still very good comedy, I think. So it's definitely a good classic show for you TV fans out there.

FREE GAME OF THE WEEK:Box Head