Since our break, there has been a slew of games to hit the Xbox 360 and Wii.  Rather than write lengthy reviews, we'll hit them hard and fast in our first edition of the TG Review Roundup.

1)  Tiger Woods 2009 (★★★★☆)

I don't know if any of you played Tiger Woods 2008, but it was a flaming pile of steamy poop.  Long load times, flashy gimmicks, average graphics and a really, really, really shitty multiplayer implementation (EA-fied to the MAX) pretty much killed what could have been a decent game.  EA came back this year and actually trimmed the fat, added enhancements that make the game funner to play, and also fixed multiplayer to be more in line with industry standards.  The good: EA added multiplayer private match hosting that is easy to set up, saves default settings that you choose, and makes it easy to play with friends.  You all can swing simultaneously to speed up online gameplay.  Custom "lessons" and challenges are created for you as you make progress in your Career mode, giving a sense of purpose to your training that is actually worthwhile.  Graphics and sounds are upped to a higher quality, and load times are decreased dramatically.  More courses too!   The bad:  All players are still dropped at the end of a privately hosted match, not returned to a lobby.  The custom game-face maker that utilizes the Xbox Live Vision camera (or alternatively, you can upload photos to EA's servers from your EA account) is still piss-poor, and still takes 20 minutes to generate a face that looks nothing like the pictures you took.  EA's stupid "Ethnicity" settings are so politically correct, they are actually offensive.  Bottom line: It's the best golf game the Xbox 360 has to offer, and it's actually worth buying, even if you hate EA.

2)  Mercenaries 2 (★★★☆☆)

The first Mercenaries game (original Xbox) was a very good game, and it is somewhat of a curiosity as to why they took so long to produce a sequel.  Well, Mercenaries 2 is out, and it is bigger, with more destruction, and a good co-op mode.  If you played the first game, this game is more of the same, with little variance.  If you never played the first game, you don't need to, just play this version and you are good to go.  The good:  Gameplay is fun and every bit is as good as the first version.  More explosions, more weapons, nearly everything is destructible, and there is a great co-op mode that allows a friend to jump in and out of your game without much hassle.  The bad:  The AI is wonky, vehicle physics and controls are stupid, the graphics are barely better than the last version, and there isn't much going on in this title that sets it apart from the last (outside of the multiplayer aspect and better explosions).  Bottom line:  Mercenaries 2 is still a game that is fun to play, and doesn't require too much thinking.  With enough firepower, you can plow through the levels with a buddy and just sit back and watch the explosions.  There is something to be said for the manly and simplistic gameplay that this game offers.  Likewise, don't expect too much from this title, other than lots of explosions.

3)  Castle Crashers (★★★★☆)

After taking about 1 year too long to make this game, it is finally out.  While the multiplayer is buggy (patch is in the works), this game is still seriously fun to play.  If you long for a more modern take on the classic beat-em-up, Castle Crashers has a good scratch for that itch.  It has just enough leveling up to keep things interested, while not being overly complicated for casual play.  The good:  The game is fun, and challenging enough that you will enjoy beating it with your friends.  If you miss playing games like Double Dragon (and if you like the artistic style of Castle Crashers), you will enjoy playing the game from beginning to end.  The bad:  Hit detection can be a little wacky as your characters have to "line up" with the enemy to score a hit, but it plays just like the old-skool 2-d beat-em-ups, so this isn't much of a surprise.  The price is fairly atrocious for what you get.  Bottom Line:  If you are dying for a modern high-def 2-d beat-em-up game that feels like the old days of 8-bit goodness (and you have the coin to spare), then take the plunge, Castle Crashers is worth it.

4)  Defend Your Castle, WiiWare (★★★☆☆)

Get a group of friends together and enjoy the mayhem of trying to keep little stick men and pseudo Pepsi monsters from entering your castle.  This game is surprisingly fun, hectic, and has the right balance of resource management, coordination, repairs, and upgrades to make playing this game a really fun experience, especially with friends on the same console.  The good:  Keeping your castle in tact and doing repairs in between rounds makes for a good time, and there are some really tense moments in the early levels as you try to fend off the stick-men in their increasingly larger hordes.  You and your friends better formulate a strategy early on for dealing with the hordes, and don't forget to fortify your defenses often!  The bad:  Once you acquire all of the castle upgrades, fortifying your walls becomes your only option for advancement, and consequently the game gets pretty easy once you have your individual castle towers fortified with enough blue men.  Not too much longevity with this one.  Bottom line:  This is a really really fun game to play with your friends when they are over.  For a casual game, it doesn't get much better than this.  Unfortunately, after a few hours, this game has little left to offer, and no new challenges emerge for a seasoned team of castle defenders.  If you have the cash and need a few hours to burn with your friends, it is worthwhile, but don't expect this title to last for the ages.

That's it for this edition of the TG Review Roundup, but expect much more to come as we enter the Holiday Gaming Blitz that is quickly approaching us.