While the uninspiring movie didn't help matters, it's the lethargic gameplay that winds up making King Arthur an equally disappointing game. Repetitive and frustrating, it fails to live up to the potential of its cinematic presentation.

All the extra content and intriguing exploration aspects are rendered null and void by the fact that you'll spend the majority of your time babysitting health bars, though. The developers at Hudson nailed the survival aspect a little too well -- now they just need to work on making it fun.

All of the things EA did right with FIFA World Cup 2006 are overshadowed by the simple truth that what should be the most fun part of the game -- having exciting scoring chances -- is completely negated by shoddy game performance near the nets.

It's fun, perhaps, but fun in ways that are so odd that it's hard to say whether any given player will get the joke.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a standard licensed game -- it's got just enough content to make a virtual reenactment of the Human/Goblin war worthwhile for fans of the franchise.

Godfather II suffers from a lack of design foresight. Instead of delivering a movie-quality narrative, it presents a frustrating, accidentally comic world.

Naruto: Path of Ninja 2 is a missed opportunity, lacking consistency and polish. Fans may embrace the game for the Naruto brand alone, but the story and unadventurous level designs will fail to keep their interest. At least the battle mechanics are a step in the right direction.

I've been willing to somewhat forgive the series' unbalanced gameplay until now, but after three games on two distinct platforms, the developers should be full-fledged M.D.s by now...so why do they keep making the same med-school mishaps?

Is it a mediocre racer with some fancy tech, or does it want to be a mediocre racer with some fancy tech? All signs point to the latter: Beautiful visuals and interesting vehicles that look like they were stolen from the set of Mad Max -- but on the flip-side, the game offers nothing in terms of customization aside from a few minor cosmetic changes to your driver and vehicle.

A mediocre kart racer on a system where that genre is already well-represented. There's really no reason to play Surf's Up on the DS.

With friends or smart online players, D-A-C can provide a couple hours of mindless fun, but it just doesn't provide any reason to keep playing beyond that.

The only reason you'd buy Wanted is in a (possibly misguided) attempt to support The Adventure Company with your game-buying dollars. Which is fine, of course, but if any TAC game is skippable, this is definitely the one.

A series of random mini-missions pushing you further away from feeling like you're a Corleone.

Manhunt's biggest problem is pacing. Like Richard Nixon, it peaks too early. It has a lot of smaller problems, but all of those issues contribute to the unfortunate fact that I was tired of Manhunt long before it was over. I was tired of its violence, certainly, but I was also tired of its AI quirks, tired of its repetitive level design, and tired of the growing impression that I was just the main character in a geek show.

Finally, the multiplayer component isn't bad, though there are two things that are glaringly missing. First, there's no straight-up deathmatch mode. Players will be taking the side of either the cops or the criminals, and the sides aren't particularly well balanced. Second, there's the inexcusable absence of splitscreen play.

The game's biggest hang-up is that it's simply too hard to tell what's going on half the time. Infantry dissolve into bombed-out backgrounds and balk at inexact selection, and enemy AT and artillery always crouch just out of sight and in perfectly staggered waves, reliably razing your shrewdest scouts.

All of the things EA did right with FIFA World Cup 2006 are overshadowed by the simple truth that what should be the most fun part of the game -- having exciting scoring chances -- is completely negated by shoddy game performance near the nets.

One of the game's goofier oversights is not telling you where you are on the field. If it's fourth down, a menu will pop up that asks if you want to punt, kick a field goal, or go for it. Yet there's no indication if you're on your own 30-yard line or your opponent's. And no way to call a play, then a timeout, to find out. So bogus.

Best taken in short bursts, the King's solo effort is a decent romp through the world of fast-food capitalism, but only if one can stomach the incredibly frustrating camera and challenges that don't quite test the ol' reflexes.

All in all, while Ratatouille has its enjoyable moments, the main missions leave you feeling a bit hungry for something meatier, while the tasks like slides or races spoil your appetite.

Even the most hardcore Star Wars fans will be disappointed in what could've been an opportunity to highlight the true power of the Force.

A desert island game, but only in the literal sense.

I suppose that some gamers out there are willing -- nay, perhaps even eager -- to play a long game of uninspired levels strung together with an inconsequential character-creation system. But then, some people also like to watch "Friends." In reruns.

If you've got the patience for a slow-burn party game and tolerance for hands-off interaction -- and you're cool with indirect mayhem and humiliation instead of constant head-to-head brawls -- I can see the game growing on you. Dokapon Kingdom may well hook a certain type of player, but I will say that it just didn't grab us.

Those coming in clean to the series will wonder what the fuss is about, though -- and should probably wait for the next installment in the series instead.

It's huge, nicely-reproduced and sells for a great price. But the genuine classics part? Well, not so much. To be frank, there are two types of games in Treasures 2: decrepit hits, and obscure leftovers.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a standard licensed game -- it's got just enough content to make a virtual reenactment of the Human/Goblin war worthwhile for fans of the franchise.

The core gameplay is sound, so it's a shame that it's burdened by a derivative plot, generic characters, and archaic visuals (reminiscent of the 32-bit era in a bad way).