Double Helix obviously had good intentions, but, as a whole, Front Mission Evolved is completely unnecessary.

I hesitate to say that Iron Man is dumbed down for the Wii, PlayStation 2, and PSP, since hardware limitations likely necessitated such a distinct iteration, but the resulting experience is a by-the-numbers affair unlikely to rouse most action fans.

So while Operation Darkness could've lit up strategy nuts, the completely awful camera and primitive PlayStation 2-quality graphics drain the life out of it. Even online co-op, the one unique feature that actually justifies Darkness' place on the 360, is about as fun as waiting to get your blood drawn.

Saw's derivative gameplay -- which even includes sliding around crates (or racks of frozen pig carcasses) and searching dressers for hidden valves to shut down nearby pipes spewing hot gas (did that happen this often in the movies?) -- has all been done before, and done better by titles like Silent Hill and Condemned.

Online multiplayer amplifies everything that is good and bad about Fatal Inertia EX. Again, the combat is fun, and it's especially rewarding to pull off attacks on another human player.

Problem is that neither the strategy nor combat elements are developed in any meaningful way. All but the most strategy-savvy gamers will regard the capture-and-hold mechanics as primitive, and as for the combat...well, I really wasn't kidding with the Dynasty Warriors comparison.

Just a bad shooter in its bones. Whether the cops or the robbers win a matchup is still mostly dependent on who gets there first and camps out with line-of-sight to the objective. Lack of locational damage means hitting someone with a sniper shot is going to make them half dead whether the bullet hits someone in the face or the ankle. Other than the tweaks mentioned earlier the vast litany of complaints we had about the game the first time around still stands.

It's a disappointment that a franchise so (ostensibly) devoted to endless creativity could produce a game so limited in its meaningfully creative options. In the end, Spore Hero never becomes anything more than a lighthearted but uninspired platformer -- and a waste of the brand's creative potential.

I hesitate to say that Iron Man is dumbed down for the Wii, PlayStation 2, and PSP, since hardware limitations likely necessitated such a distinct iteration, but the resulting experience is a by-the-numbers affair unlikely to rouse most action fans.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor isn't without its charms, but it's hard to believe that the younger target audience will wade through the difficulty spikes to see the convoluted narrative to its conclusion.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor isn't without its charms, but it's hard to believe that the younger target audience will wade through the difficulty spikes to see the convoluted narrative to its conclusion.

Despite the limited enjoyment found in figuring out how to kill the game's enemies, none of the tired, tentacle-porn clichés conjured here are of that much interest.

Too Human is also not a good action game. While it deserves some applause for a reasonable translation of PC classic Diablo's mouse-driven controls, its reliance on the right analog stick as a means for attack only works at the most basic level.

Feels like that blatantly annoying contemporary relative -- a sort of unironic Ali G.

Feels like that blatantly annoying contemporary relative -- a sort of unironic Ali G.

Via Domus is fan service through and through, and does deliver one genuinely amazing moment via its ending.

Superhero games should make you feel what it's like to step into the shoes of someone special. They should let you experience what it's like to wear the cape, strap on the belt, and feel power flowing through your veins. In short, the best superhero games make us feel extraordinary...Captain America: Super Soldier is anything but.

If you want a good dungeon crawl, play the punishing-but-oh-so-satisfying Shiren the Wanderer. If you just want to collect 500 cute little guys and power-level the hell out of them, you can't go wrong with Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

Superhero games should make you feel what it's like to step into the shoes of someone special. They should let you experience what it's like to wear the cape, strap on the belt, and feel power flowing through your veins. In short, the best superhero games make us feel extraordinary...Captain America: Super Soldier is anything but.

My issues are that this game is so damn generic, shallow, and content with being nothing special, it surprises me that it asks you to pay full price at the door.

Its biggest flaw is feeling old hat in an already overcrowded marketplace, and it is unlikely to pull any FPS devotees from their game of choice. No Mercy -- despite being a competent shooter set at a value price -- simply doesn't stand out like its title character.

Much like Wii Play before it, Wii Party has about a night's worth of uneven entertainment in it before it's ready to take up a life of farming dust on your shelf.

Ultimately, Afro falls into the same pitfalls as almost every other game based on a movie/television license: It presents an edited down version of a story that's familiar to fans but indecipherable to newcomers, wrapped up in a generic game housing. It looks great. It sounds great. But, otherwise, it's a mashup of characters and situations that makes little sense.

World Kitchen tries hard to spice up the already tasty Cooking Mama recipe with new characters, slapstick rescue minigames, and cheesy-in-a-bad-way voiceovers, but the results leave behind a funny aftertaste. It'll do in a pinch, but I prefer Cook Off's well-balanced helpings.

Average at best, and a shining example of a control scheme struggling to find its strengths in a full game.

Eventually, the alternation between dull platforming and frustrating adventure just murdered my initial interest in the setting and characters. Insecticide, you won my heart...and then you broke it. But at least you did it quickly.

Genre enthusiasts, beware: Golf: Tee it Up! hits the basics of the sport, but it lacks both the necessary finesse and panache to match up against the pros.

The game's run-and-bop antics unfold in the charming SpongeBob universe, but the portrayal of the characters falls flat and feels like a joke that never reaches the punch line.