The Getaway has an intense storyline with very little in the way of humor.

It’s got a great story and a well-defined protagonist, the graphics and sound provide a suitable sense of place, but the problem with the “lock” during combat and the funnel quality will more than likely turn some people off.

By and large, SotD just doesn’t bring enough to the table. The new missions are fun, but the fact that this expansion has been divided from it’s evil counterpart and the overall sense of the game actually being Disciples II Gold Edition 0.5 makes the game feel like a jip when you can get so much more out of the original Disciples II for a fraction of the cost.

One place the game doesn’t come up short is in the graphics department.

Not even the innovation with the headset or the cruel dismemberments can blot out a maddening linearity.

An alarm should go off when you read the subtitle of the expansion pack, which is simply, "Expansion Pack." There are no bells, no whistles, and no sunroof.

AoC doesn’t exactly bring any shame or disgrace to Empire Earth (EE), but it doesn’t do anything to make itself a must have for EE fans. That being said, most EE fans will like what AoC has to offer.

The multiplayer mode is a waste of disc space thanks to the decision to forgo split-screen and could have easily been improved with a few minor changes.

Lacking in difficulty and overall polish.

Despite the constant companionship of allies, it still feels like you're the only person in the conflict.

Only bother with DBZ:B if you are a steadfast, utterly devoted fan of the series, otherwise steer clear of this title and getting your fighting game fix elsewhere.

The characters are visually and aurally generic (including the crowd), and overall the audio is bad. On the flip side, it’s pretty easy to pick up and play against a buddy with wrestlers built from the ground up.

While the control can feel "floaty" at times, button mashing is as successful as nuanced control, and the camera can make it hard to keep a bead on your robot, the overall effect of playing 4-player multiplayer is darn fun!

By and large, GotL just doesn’t bring enough to the table. The new missions are fun, but the fact that this expansion has been divided from it’s evil counterpart and the overall sense of the game actually being Disciples II Gold Edition 0.5 makes the game feel like a jip when you can get so much more out of the original Disciples II for a fraction of the cost.

RF’s biggest speed bump on its way past Mediocrity Street is the hard-to-figure-out license and Race of Champions mode.

It doesn’t break any new ground but it is a challenge.

A stripped down husk of what the other Wolfenstein titles available are. While the level design is nice, and there’s some good audio features, overall the title just fails to engage the gamer nearly as much as many of it’s competitors, or it’s bigger brothers do.

A good game that could have been much better. As it is, the game brings a lot of great ideas to the table, but its lack of cohesion will distract fans of turn-based strategy, while action gamers are likely to be frustrated by the game's slow pace.

Poor graphics, limited car selection, and arbitrary track design mar the experience greatly, which is quite frustrating when there are some very nice qualities present in the game as well.

In short, it's a little on the boring side – it's only the aesthetics that will keep you playing.

The fisticuffs get tired pretty fast (as will your right thumb) trying to beat up the bad guys, particularly the later stages that feature god-like AI opponents and extremely trying boss battles.

Frequent adventure gamers who've acquired the sixth sense needed to navigate quickly through item hunts may enjoy Journey to the Center of the Earth for its engaging story and often-beautiful environments.

The same features, story, and style of the era survive the port, although the graphics, gameplay, and sound are roughed up.

You’re better off picking up "ESPN NHL 2K5" because for the third year in a row Sega’s hockey series takes the Cup as it’s made the furthest leap forward in improvements.

In it’s favor it has a solid variety of modes and offers an arcade experience without totally slashing realism but Freestyle mode only goes ¼ of the way and the invisible walls might have you ripping your hair out.

Gladiator was on its way to becoming the sleeper hit of 2003… then the gameplay threw it into the bargain bin.

The story isn’t entirely accurate which is a bit of a downer, the source material truly demonstrates a lot more potential then this.

Defeat twenty muggers and save twenty innocents and make it to the end of the level in four minutes? Tossing down a controller is one thing, flinging a brand new piece of hardware a the nearest hard surface just isn’t possible.

So much more could have been done with this game, but it’s a move in the right direction. I only wish that there had been more involvement the X-Men characters.

With superior games like "Disgaea," "Fire Emblem" and "Final Fantasy Tactics" out there, all of which are more interesting on pretty much every level, Gladius remains a merely competent title in a field already full of magnificent experiences.

The arcade action is a nice diversion (and fun) for half hour stretches but any long-term involvement is not likely – it’s just not deep enough. And the speed issues…

F.E.A.R. Files plays very similar to the original F.E.A.R. and doesn’t offer much in the way of an upgrade, yet at the same time F.E.A.R. Files does offer quite a bit of content.

May contain a high replay value (for some), but in the end that was not even enough to keep me playing. The uninspired and flawed game play hurts this title in the long run.

It's too one dimensional – violence being the answer to all the Revolution missions without a stealth objection or changing environments to consider.

Worth a look if you are a fan of the "Ridge Racer" games, but everyone else can probably give it a miss.

This could have been a seriously awesome game. Instead, we get a clone that blows its own legs off with a clichéd storyline that ignores the internal logic of it's own world.

The PS2 version suffers from some absolutely brutal load times. Every time that you start to talk with a character you can expect a 30 second wait, and every time that you head to a new area, you can expect a 45-60 second wait. Not exactly a great way to keep people in the game.

In the end, The Masters is, in the purest sense, a golf simulator. It does not require extensive practice, nor does it have enough to entice people who have no interest in the sport. For those that do, however, your devotion will be greatly rewarded.

The tongue-in-cheek tone of the game almost seems to mock you as much as it mocks the real life despots of the Cold War. If you can shrug that off, you'll find a decent little sim.

Fantastic 4 doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a straightforward beat ‘em up, action game.

A good first effort from Orbital Media -- with some tweaks any possible sequel could be turned into a franchise of sorts. It's a decent enough game, but it could use even more new ideas to truly stand out.

With more emphasis on quick-hit, easy-to-play mini-games and casual-centric visuals with extremely basic controls, Madden NFL 10 on the Wii might as well be referred to as Madden Lite.

In terms of challenge and entertainment Mario Pinball Land is a good choice for a long flight or a series of shorter periods.

At least in WCP, when players get tired of beating up on the poor A.I., they can play some Blackjack or Video Poker to pass the time.

Visually, things are on the sloppy side. The collision detection is awful and there’s a distinct lack of detail to practically everything including the menus, which are rendered in fuzzy detail.

Has lots of appeal and it'll surely become very popular as soon as the press gets to it - but it isn't polished enough to hold long-lasting interest.

As is, Transformers is an average game that younger fans of the film should enjoy.

Insect Armageddon is missing the magic B-movie sensibility of its predecessor -- Insect Armageddon looks too sophisticated! -- but it's still an okay action game to play with friends and strangers who would rather blast giant monsters than serve as cannon fodder in Call of Duty or Battlefield.

Credit has to be given to City Interactive for venturing into an era that is most commonly avoided and creating a game that will please historians; though not grab the attention of many gamers.

TTT is only going to meet the needs of the hardcore fans who need something to keep them busy until TTT2 is released this Fall.

If you’re a fan of the series, it’s definitely worth looking into. If you’re looking for a new platforming experience with some action thrown in with a non-human character, try checking out ‘The Legend of Kay’ at your local retailer. You’ll find it more enjoyable in the long run.

There's absolutely nothing wrong here, just nothing unexpected.

I really did not like Blinx 2 in the least. What could have been a redemptive game that just needed to retool a predecessor that really wasn't that far off from being a very good game turned into a disaster.

While it doesn’t quite hold up to the sports titles found in more powerful consoles, the quick-placed play and the easy-to-use controls make FIFA a fun distraction for the casual crowd, and even for gamers who hear the name “Zidane” and think of the main character from Final Fantasy IX, instead of the guy who considers head-butts as compliments.

The campaign is a solid adventure that is best enjoyed with another person (rather than the AI!) and the game offers a certain level of "surprise" with some of its unique gameplay elements. It's just a shame that some of these unique elements are not incorporated better or injected more frequently in the campaign. While I wouldn't pay full price for the game, it's definitely worth checking out once the price goes down.

Dragon's Lair HD is purely for old school arcade players that want to relive the glory days, it's a perfect rendering of the action and gameplay of the arcade game, but it could have been so much more.

Despite the steady stream of real historical events, Making History seems strangely outside of history, inhabiting some alternate universe where nations go through the motions, behave erratically or simply do nothing at all. It’s hard to feel immersed in such a situation. And it’s hard to really care.

A different sort of game, one where story dominates the action, but in this case to a fault.

The idea behind NFL Head Coach was an interesting one. But too many little flaws and deficiencies shelve the game on the nearly-unable-to-perform list, at least at the performance level it set out to reach.

In all, Gods: Lands of Infinity won’t set yours or any other world on fire, but it is a fun diversion and maybe an enjoyable change of pace, and I do look forward to Cypron’s future releases.

Overall, the game is a bit above average. If you love the license, you'll have fun and you'll forgive some of the issues. If you can't wait to be The Undertaker, or Randy Savage or even Jake the Snake then this game will leave you howling in (and out) of the ring.

The Decimation Pack retails at $9.99 and while there is a decent amount of content, the scarce online community as well as the familiarity of the maps make this additional content passable.

GR does little to rekindle your memory of the original Golden Eye. While there are some references to the original title, they aren't enough to make GR more than a mediocre title.

Feels like a half-hearted effort in a saturated genre that won’t be keeping the folks at Blizzard up at night.

It’s a quality game, I just felt like I’ve been here before. If you’re new to the SOCOM experience, by all means give it a whirl.

$30 for a barebones package that doesn't have nearly the addictive qualities or visual panache of other games in its genre is a bit steep.

So it’s a lot of fun when you first get started and learn to swing around, but the missions are going to get tiring and boring rather quickly.

If you're a hardcore extreme sports fan, Disney’s Extreme Skateboarding Adventure will probably have you bored to tears in within an hour. However, if you have kids or younger siblings (girl or boy) in the house, it fits the bill as a challenging, entertaining, kid-friendly game. [Add 23 points if you're looking for a kids game]

I cannot suggest a purchase to anyone except hardcore fans of the console versions due to the controls and crappy camera work.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days doesn't evolve the third-person shooter genre in any way.

Star Ocean: First Departure may be full of flaws, but being an RPG from 1996, that shouldn’t be entirely unexpected.

To push an untested franchise out the door, when the game is full of problems, during the season when we get the most games, in a year where we'll be seeing a system launch, well, that's just silly.

Maelstrom isn’t original or perfect or devoid of problems, but it is innovative and fun, which should be what matters. And it should provide a nice alternative before that other game (hint: rhymes with . . . uh . . . okay, it’s Supreme Commander) comes along and wipes the floor with everyone.

At any rate, Overclocked: A History of Violence has a good story going for it, you just have to know that will only come after some "digging."

Its problems stalk it like Jason stalks his victims – they’re always right behind you just when you thought you had lost them.

As a third-person shooter, Inversion has some fun and long-lasting single-player gunplay (even if it does a huge amount of copycatting off of Gears of War). That's despite an utterly incomprehensible and confusing single-player story filled with too many plot holes along with a very sparse online presence to date.

The game does present a lot of action and is sure to entertain gamers for at least a week or two, but in the long term, the game will unlikely enter the classic status of vanilla ice cream.

The best looking football game on the market. It's definitely not the most full-featured football game available.

All in all, Painkiller is a blast to play in short doses but quickly devolves into a ho-hum slaughter-fest. Worth trying out if you're in the mood for some Duke Nukem 3D combat without the 15 year old graphics.

Like most PSP games, Moto GP is pretty much the same as the Playstation 2 version, just smaller. While the translation is very well done, there’s nothing interesting and worthwhile unless you really need it in a portable format.

A lack of true performance tweaking and additions makes this a rather hard sell on the 3DS, but it's certainly not the worst version of the game out there.

While Headhunter does well to borrow from games like "Metal Gear Solid 2" and the sort of comically futuristic world found in movies like Robocop, it falls short with it’s blandly typical story and constant cliché rip-offs that cheapen the experience.

Capcom deserves all the praise in the world for bringing back the folks behind Rearmed. It's just too bad their attempt to win back Bionic Commando lovers after the devastating (in more ways than one) 3D experiment fell short.

Brings back fond memories of older puzzle games but doesn’t show the polish that could have made the game better.

If it’s not your thing and you are looking for an entrance into that world, this one might be a bit of a steep curve for you. If you’re a seasoned player however, the fact that this game so closely follows the original rules will appeal to you greatly and definitely add a couple of points to my score.

I would definitely not pay full pop for this game, but if you can get it on sale and if you are in the mood to beat the crap out of things and are a fan of Gundam, then this game might be worth your time.

For those who can overlook the controls to appreciate the complicated game design behind the plain wrapper, you will enjoy your find. For everyone else, I'd recommend holding on to your money.

Even a fan like me can’t help but term the control a bit problematic.

Comes up shooting blanks with a very mediocre adaptation that has few redeemable features outside its strong multiplayer Xbox Live presence.

Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals is not a bad game – it’s just an average game.

The process of building mechs then testing their mettle on the battlefield is Armored Core V's strongest element, but with another showing like this if there ever is a sixth Armored Core, the longtime mech franchise may be dishonorably discharged.

Progress through Excite Truck doesn't just mean winning races. Performing rad power slides, collisions, tree runs, or massive air will earn you stars...(I can't believe I wrote "rad.")

This is unfortunate because this series has the potential to reach a much higher standard of gaming but as it stands now, it’s nothing more than average.

If portable Basketball on the go is what you’re looking for, you could do worse than The Inside. But the real inside scoop is the fun time-wasting mini-games, which depending on whom you ask, either compliment an otherwise generic sports package, or eclipses it.

All in all – Naruto Shippuden Ninja Storm Generations is moving in the right direction – giving fans the chance to use all of the favorite characters and making it accessible to as many people as possible. When making parity though you have to be careful that you aren't watering down all the characters too much which is what ended up happening.

Avid fans won’t be disappointed with the purchase, but curious onlookers might want to wait for a sale.

Between the somewhat overly complicated nature of the game and the slow, dull battles there just wasn't a lot to get excited about in the game.

All in all, it's a decent game it just doesn't offer anything spectacular.