We found ourselves having some good beat-em-up fun, even if we found a way to exploit [its] game mechanics. But [the] storyline felt like it was thrown together in a few minutes, not really giving us much reason to want to go on. Maybe it would have been better being based on the movie, after all.

It looks great on paper, but in execution it just isn't enough.

It's unpolished, unfocused, and proves nothing more than the now undeniable fact that the series needs a serious makeover and a lengthy vacation.

Sadly, Gretzky NHL doesn't move at the smooth clip of other more impressive PSP games. Shots don't fly off the blade of your stick at the precise moments, and you find yourself doing circles like a figure skater trying to collect loose pucks.

Touch Detective's greatest failing -- winning is rarely a rewarding experience.

Conan isn't really a horrible game. There are moments when all the flaws fade away and you'll experience a great animation that slows down at just the right times and chops off just the right heads and you'll start to think that the game is actually pretty fun, but it's all extremely straightforward and lacking a lot of polish.

The controls -- namely character acceleration -- feel awkward and counterintuitive, as you're forced to hold forward on the left stick to accelerate while also trying to steer your character. The tracks are a mishmash of right angle turns and jumps that sometimes lead you down random paths, necessitating several playthroughs of each just find your way around the track.

It has lots of small pluses, but not enough of it feels new or captivating. Far too short on thrills, Okayville just needs more pizzazz.

Half-way through most boss battles, the game presents the option of executing a 'finishing move' that will remove the rest of the enemy's health in one fell swoop. Deceptively, this maneuver is initiated by pressing a single button -- except it doesn't work most of the time.

The minimal presentation, weak interface and comparatively paltry selection of titles hardly seems worthy of a golden anniversary.

Aside from the dynamic object interaction and music, the graphics and gameplay made me feel like I was back in high school, playing Resident Evil 2 after doing my homework. But that was then, and this is now, and Obscure just doesn't make the grade.

The biggest drawback to Wings isn't the slightly gimmicky way in which Square Enix basically doubled the size of the game world overnight (by repurposing the existing world and making it older), but in how the retail game shipped with precious little game intact.

The biggest drawback to Wings isn't the slightly gimmicky way in which Square Enix basically doubled the size of the game world overnight (by repurposing the existing world and making it older), but in how the retail game shipped with precious little game intact.

The absence of the thumb stick perhaps dampens game play the most. Like we saw with "Mario DS," 3D platformers are heavily reliant on analog control, and the DS touch screen makes for a very poor analog stick indeed.

About the only thing going for Kuon is the fact that it doesn't have "Resident Evil's" character-relative controls (but then, neither will "RE4"). That, and the story is actually pretty interesting... well, at least I think it is, anyway.

Metal Slug's simply impossible at times, and the brief joy of rescuing all of the POWs and reaping their particular rewards turns out to be short-lived; you'll rarely register the bonus that comes with rescuing them and then defeating the boss that stands between you and level's end.

When you think "Final Fantasy Tactics clone," your mind probably sees something like Disgaea: Hour of Darkness: a competent facsimile of the formula that stands on its own. But with Luminous Arc, you get the most similar, least-polished alternative yet.

Aside from the dynamic object interaction and music, the graphics and gameplay made me feel like I was back in high school, playing "Resident Evil 2" after doing my homework. But that was then, and this is now, and Obscure just doesn't make the grade.

By and large it reeks of wasted potential and a general sense of trying too hard. If you're really hard up for a pinball fix, it's certainly a lot more budget-friendly than tracking down an actual machine.

The minimal presentation, weak interface and comparatively paltry selection of titles hardly seems worthy of a golden anniversary. These games may be classics, but Namco's really pushing its luck here.

It's madness to think that Climax can excuse Sudeki's awful storyline and blasé characters with some interesting stabs at combat, when there are so many competing RPGs that offer quality in every respect rather than just one or two.

The car never really feels grounded, but rather appears to float at a high rate of speed. It doesn't take much more than too much gas and too sharp a turn to start spinning, adding unnecessary aggravation to some of the longer missions.

Racing games have come so far since 1991 -- even on GBA -- I simply can't muster up an ounce of enthusiasm for such an archaic creation, regardless of how nicely it's been polished up. There's no question that GP Legend is well-crafted, but it's intensely boring.

I couldn't bring myself to dislike this game, and even had more fun with it than certain other Xbox games of the recent past. And if I liked it, even a little bit, who knows if it won't be an even bigger hit with the people it was meant for?

It's got a solid, enjoyable core experience, but Hudson isn't able to deliver enough quality content for the context.

Fare Wars would be a respectable conversion of the arcade and Dreamcast classics had the developers managed to keep the speed -- and thus, the excitement -- in the game. Now Crazy Taxi just feels slow and clunky, and all the minigames and extra cities to explore in the world can't fix that.

At its basic level, Transformers on the DS is a pretty average game. But at least Vicarious Visions tried to bring something unique to the table. It's kind of lame that you have to purchase two full-priced games to experience the entire saga (each title is about four hours long), but these are still the best Transformers-movie games you're gonna find.

Architecture pops up all over the place, warriors materialize out of thin air on a regular basis, and slowdown is frequent. And the dialogue and voice acting is often laughable. This series needs some serious polish.